If you eat your fruits and veggies low-fat style, you’re not just missing out on great flavor…
This Plant Food HARMS Your Metabolism & Heart
(Caused Heart Attacks in New Zealand Study)
Do you know that a common restaurant "side dish" has been proven to CAUSE immediate heart attacks in some people?
It's actually FAR more risky than cigarettes.
You'll also discover why foods such as whole wheat bread, canola oil, soy milk, and even energy bars can cause diabetes, excess body fat, heart disease, and even cancer...
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TODAY'S ARTICLE
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Dear ,
If you eat your fruits and veggies low-fat style, you’re not just missing out on great flavor… but vital nutrients too.
In fact, research shows that when we cut the fat in our diet, we also hamper the absorption of a wide array of powerful disease-fighting compounds.
And while the old adage says “You are what you eat”, the truth is closer to “You are what you absorb”.
The Key to Absorbing More Vital Nutrients
Many potent nutrients found in foods are “fat-soluble”. This means, in order for the body to unlock the healing power of these compounds, some fat also needs to be present.
Recent research performed at the Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center in Columbus looked at how adding avocado to a meal affected its nutrient absorption.
Specifically, the researchers evaluated carotenoids – a group of red, yellow and orange pigments that are known for their powerful antioxidant activity and cancer-fighting action.
The researchers compared a fat-free meal of salsa and bread to a meal of salsa, bread and avocado (increasing fat content to 37% of the calories consumed).
Blood tests showed that the men and women who ate the avocado with their meal absorbed 4.4 times as much lycopene and 2.7 times as much beta-carotene than those not eating the avocado.
The researchers were so intrigued they repeated the study. But this time their meal of choice was salad. The low-fat salad was comprised of romaine lettuce, baby spinach, shredded carrots and a fat-free dressing (fat content roughly 2%). This was compared to the same salad with added avocado (fat content 42%).
The subjects who enjoyed the salad with the avocado absorbed seven times the lutein and almost 18 times the beta carotene as the testers munching fat-free salads.
A Little More Fat, a Lot More Life
So what does getting more of these nutrients mean for your health?
According to numerous studies, it means a reduced risk of a wide range of chronic diseases like cancer, macular degeneration and heart disease, not to mention the physical signs of aging.
Take a look:
- Lutein is a carotenoid found in green vegetables. Research shows lutein may help protect against the development of heart disease by reducing the oxidation of cholesterol. Lutein may also reduce the risk of macular degeneration by preventing oxidative damage to the retina.
- Lycopene is the red carotenoid found primarily in tomatoes. Lycopene is a potent antioxidant that has been found to fight a number of cancers, including prostate cancer. It has also been found to help reduce blood pressure and decrease inflammation - two key predictors of cardiovascular disease.
- Beta-carotene is the orange carotenoid found in fruits and vegetables - especially sweet potatoes and winter squash. Beta-carotene is the precursor to vitamin A. And diets rich in beta-carotene from whole foods sources are associated with a lower risk of a number of cancers.
Don’t Count Calories… Make Your Calories Count
If you’re passing up rich avocados, raw, organic grass-fed cheeses, butter and olive oil to save calories: take heed. You’re depriving your body of the full benefit of the nutrients in your food and the potent disease-fighting power they possess.
In fact, the Ohio study researchers said that they weren’t just surprised by how much more nutrient absorption occurred when avocado was included in the meal…. but how little the body absorbed when fat was absent.
To maximize your nutrients and provide your body with an arsenal of disease preventing compounds, be sure to enjoy your fruits and veggies with a helping of healthy fat. You’ll enjoy more benefits and better flavor to boot!
As you know, there is a big difference between "healthy fats" and "unhealthy fats." In fact, researchers in New Zealand found that consumption of a particularly unhealthy fat caused almost immediate heart attacks in some people.
Another survey of several hundred heart attack patients found that 100% of respondents had consumed this "food" in the last meal before their heart attack.
And the bad news is that many people consume this daily. In fact, it is one of the primary dietary factors in the development of heart disease, cancer and many other degenerative diseases. Click here to learn more...
To Your Health,
Kelley Herring
Editor & Publisher
Healing Gourmet
REFERENCES
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Judy D. Ribaya-Mercado, ScD and Jeffrey B. Blumberg, PhD, FACN. Lutein and Zeaxanthin and Their Potential Roles in Disease Prevention. J Am Coll Nutr December 2004 vol. 23 no. suppl 6 567S-587S
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Adding Avocados to Salads Aids Absorption of Nutrients. 7/11/2006. Ohio State, Wexner Medical Center
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J.Y. Kim, J.K. Paik, O.Y. Kim, H.W. Park, J.H. Lee, Y. Jang, J.H. Lee Effects of lycopene supplementation on oxidative stress and markers of endothelial function in healthy men. Atherosclerosis. doi:10.1016/j.atherosclerosis.2010.11.036
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