Mediterranean Diet Cookbook For Dummies. Raffetto RD Meri

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like heart disease and cancer.

      Think about slicing an apple. Before you know it, the exposed flesh turns from white to brown. This browning occurs because of oxidation. But adding orange juice or lemon juice to the apple right after you slice it keeps it whiter longer because the antioxidant vitamin C in the juice protects the flesh.

      Eating a diet high in antioxidants such as vitamin C, vitamin E, and beta-carotene means better protection for your body and overall health (no, the benefits of antioxidants aren’t just for apples). The ATTICA study in the September 2005 issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition measured the total antioxidant capacity of men and women in Greece. It found that the participants who followed a traditional Mediterranean diet had an 11 percent higher antioxidant capacity than those who didn’t adhere to a traditional diet. The findings also showed that the participants who followed the traditional diet the most had 19 percent lower oxidized LDL (bad cholesterol) concentrations showing a benefit in reducing heart disease.

You don’t have to look far or even cook that much to get antioxidants into your diet. You can find plenty of antioxidants in fruits and vegetables. If you’re only eating one to three servings of fruits and vegetables per day, you need to increase your intake to take advantage of the produce’s antioxidants. We challenge you to increase your intake of fresh fruits and vegetables to five to eight servings daily! Table 2-1 shows some common foods, including lots of fruits and veggies, that are rich in certain antioxidants.

TABLE 2-1 Antioxidant-Rich Foods

TO SUPPLEMENT OR NOT TO SUPPLEMENT? THAT’S STILL THE QUESTION

      Although you’ve likely heard the news that antioxidants found in foods promote good health, scientists are still researching whether taking supplements such as beta-carotene, vitamin C, vitamin E, or other antioxidant blends can replace eating the real thing.

      Research has provided a great deal of information about many individual nutrients and their impacts on health, but researchers still don’t have the answers to many questions, such as how much of a supplement is enough and whether supplemented antioxidants have the same effect working on their own as the natural ones do working with accompanying nutrients. For instance, many fruits are high in vitamin C, so you may think that you can get the same vitamin C effects from taking a supplement if you don’t eat a lot of fruit. However, the vitamin C in an orange may work with the phytochemicals in the orange to more significantly affect your health than the vitamin C supplement does by itself. Even supplements made from fruits and vegetables may not contain the other nutrients.

      Another supplement concern is that taking high doses of antioxidants may actually cause the antioxidants to work as pro-oxidants that promote rather than neutralize oxidation. And in some cases, you actually want free radicals to attack harmful cells such as bacteria and cancer cells. High doses of antioxidant supplements may interfere with this natural process.

      The bottom line is that eating whole foods is still your best bet to combat diseases and live your healthiest life. As we note throughout the book, folks in the Mediterranean eat scads of produce, and this type of food intake is one of the reasons you see more longevity in people who live in this region.

       Understanding phytochemicals

      Besides vitamins and minerals, plants also contain phytochemicals. Don’t be scared by the big word. Phytochemicals are simply healthy chemicals that offer your body healthful benefits. As we say repeatedly throughout this book, a plant-based diet high in fruits, vegetables, and legumes can provide you with an increased amount and variety of phytochemicals, helping to promote heart health and working to prevent certain cancers.

      Research in this area is relatively new and is uncovering a whole side of previously unknown health benefits. To date, certain phytochemicals have been shown to work as antioxidants (see the previous section), contain anti-inflammatory properties, and promote heart health.

Phytochemicals provide the pigment to your fruits and vegetables, so you can literally know which class of phytochemicals you’re consuming simply by noting the color you’re eating. Table 2-2 shows a few specific health benefits found in each color.

TABLE 2-2 Potential Health Benefits of Foods by Color

       Vitamin D: Getting a little of the sunshine vitamin

      Your body gets vitamin D, otherwise known as the sunshine vitamin, both from food sources and from exposure to sunlight. You want to make sure you get the appropriate amount of vitamin D; people in the Mediterranean may be healthier because they have strong levels of the vitamin.

      The scientific community has been buzzing in the last ten years about the health benefits of vitamin D. Research shows this vitamin can help

      ❯❯ Protect against osteoporosis

      ❯❯ Reduce the risk of coronary artery disease

      ❯❯ Decrease the risk of certain cancers

      ❯❯ Lower the risk of infectious diseases such as the common flu

      One theory suggests that the people of the Mediterranean coast are healthier because they’re exposed to more sunlight – specifically, the ultraviolet B rays that are responsible for producing vitamin D – because of their location near the equator and because they’re outside more often walking, gardening, working, or enjoying family and friends.

      

To produce vitamin D, you want exposure to sunlight for 15 minutes each day with no sunscreen (sunscreen blocks up to 90 percent of vitamin D production). Of course, unprotected sun exposure increases the risk of skin cancer, so you have to weigh the good with the bad. Note that many people don’t make enough vitamin D from the sun, including those who have darker skin tones, are overweight, are older, or live in northern climates.

      In addition to the sun, you can get vitamin D from a few foods, such as fish, fortified cereals, and fortified milk. Food sources are limited, so you mostly need to depend on sun exposure to get the proper amounts.

      Researchers agree that people’s vitamin D levels need to increase, although the level of increase is still up for debate. In 2010, the Institute of Medicine released a report recommending the following daily intake of vitamin D:

      ❯❯ People ages 1 to 70 should take 600 IU (international units) a day.

      ❯❯ People over the age of 70 should take 800 IU (international units) a day.

      

You can easily get your vitamin D levels checked with a simple blood test at your annual physical. Just let your primary care provider know if you have concerns about your level. Many people need to add a supplement to ensure they’re getting the daily dose they need, but don’t try to guess how much you need; taking too much vitamin D can have harmful consequences. Check out Vitamin D For Dummies by Alan L. Rubin, MD, (John Wiley & Sons, Inc.) for more information.

       Choosing healthy fats

      The Mediterranean diet is lower in omega-6 polyunsaturated fats (or fatty acids) and saturated fats than most people’s diets are; it’s also higher in healthy fats, such as monounsaturated fats and omega-3

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