In a review of 72 studies published in the American Journal of the National Cancer Institute, Researcher Edward Giovannucci, MD, of the Harvard Medical School, concluded that eating tomatoes and tomato-based products consistently led to higher levels of lycopene in the blood and a lower risk of a variety of cancers. In earlier research, Dr Giovannucci found that the risk of prostate was a third lower in men who consumed tomato products, such as pasta sauce, at least twice a week.

Women reap benefits from lycopene, too. When researchers measured lycopene levels in breast-tissue samples from 109 women, those with higher levels of nutrient were found to be less likely to develop breast cancer. More direct cancer-fighting benefits came to light when researchers at the University of Milan, Italy, put healthy young women on a tomato-free diet for three weeks, followed by three weeks of a tomato-rich diet. The results were startling. On the tomato-rich diet, the levels of lycopene in the women’s blood increased, while the free-radical damage to the DNA in their lymph cells dropped by about 33 percent.

So should we prepare tomatoes? Because lycopene is fat-soluble, it is more accessible to the body when the foods that contain it are prepared and eaten with a small amount of fat. In other words, pizza slathered with tomato sauce is preferable to tomatoes sliced raw and tossed in salad.

Do you find that hard to believe? In one study, volunteers are either a mock pizza made of bread, tomato paste and corn oil or a pile of fresh tomato slices without oil. Several hours after meal, the pizza eaters’ blood levels of lycopene were two and a half times higher than those of the salad eaters.

Similarly, when researchers at the University of California put patients with prostate cancer on a high-fibre diet that included small amounts of fat and 200ml of tomato-vegetable juice a day, they detected a ‘highly significant increase’ of lycopene and other phytochemicals in the patients’ blood. In a major European study, lycopene was shown also to lower the risk of heart attack. Its protective effect was found to be especially beneficial to non-smokers.

Read about other healthy foods:
Blueberries

Anthocyanins, the pigments that give blueberries their stunning deep colour, have potent immune-stimulating properties. Because they are antioxidants, anthocyanins protect capillaries (tiny blood vessels) from oxidative damage. In doing so, they promote brisk blood flow through the circulatory channels through which many immune cells travel to reach parts of the body that need their help. Protection against oxidation also helps ensure good circulation of lymph, the fluid that carries immune cells through its own system channels.

Moreover, blueberries are rich in concentrated tannins, astringent substances also found in tea. According to US research, these tannins prevent E. coli bacteria from sticking to the cells that line the urinary tract, where they can cause infection. Scientists think that tannins block the growth of the part of the bacteria that gives the bugs their adhesive property. Tannins also contain compounds called catechins. Several studies suggest that catechins shield us against some types of cancer.

•    We have proof – When US researchers measured the levels of antioxidants in 40 different fruits and vegetables, blueberries came out near the top. In fact, a 125g serving of fresh blueberries supplies enough antioxidants to almost double our average daily intake. The study suggests that eating a fistful of blueberries (or their cousins, cranberries) daily will go a long way towards preventing urinary tract infections and promoting good overall health. Blueberries are at their peak in January and February, but canned and frozen are available year-round. Blueberries were also found to be high in their capacity to absorbing radical oxygens.

•    You should put blueberries to work – Use fresh berries to add texture to your breakfast cereal and in fruit salads. Or add fresh, frozen, or dried blueberries to pancake or muffin batters. Don’t like blueberries? Other berries, including raspberries, blackberries and strawberries, deliver many of the same cancer-fighting phytochemicals. Like blueberries, they’re loaded with fibre (all those tiny seeds) and ellagic acid, shown in early studies to inhibit the development of cancer. This may explain, in part, why research at the Harvard School of Public Health, involving 1271 people, found that strawberry lovers ware less likely to develop cancer than those rarely ate the fruit.

Below are the latest findings (combined with my old findings) of food high in ORAC. It may not be 100% accurate, but at least we have an idea of what food we should consume more.

Anyway, here are some tips on buying and storing your fresh ingredients:

These should be kept on cool benchtops:

• Avocados, lemons, limes, mangoes, oranges, melons,  grapefruit, nectarines, pawpaws, peaches and plums. Keep them in the coolest benchtop areas of the kitchen. Refrigerate only if fully ripened.
• Tomatoes. Never refrigerate unless you live in hot places or during very hot weather. Cold temperatures destroy the flavour and texture of the pulp. Instead place stem-side down away from direct sunlight.

These should be kept in the crisper drawers of the refrigerator (where it’s humid):

• Apples. Buy tight-skinned fruit and refrigerate in an open plastic or paper bag to stop ripening and prevent mushiness. Will keep for up to three weeks.
• Asparagus. Choose small stalks that are uniform in size so that they will cook evenly. Use within four days as asparagus loses its Vitamin C content fairly quickly, especially if stored at room temperature.
• Carrots. Store in a loosely sealed plastic or paper bag. Will keep for up to a week.
• Celery. Choose bunches without cracks in the outer stalks and only buy half bunches if they are freshly cut. Store in a plastic vegetable storage bag or lidded container for up to a week. Celeriac will keep in the crisper drawer for up to a week.
• Cucumbers. Store in the crisper section of the refrigerator or in a plastic bag. Do not store with other fruits as they will yellow and age more quickly.
• Fennel. Store tightly wrapped in plastic clingwrap. Best used with four or five days.
• Green beans. Store unblemished, unwrinkled beans for up to four days in a zip-top plastic bag.
• Lettuce. Keep lettuce away from all fruits. Apples for example, give off ethylene gas, which can cause brown spots on lettuce.

These should be kept in open shelves of the refrigerator (where there is more air circulation):

• Berries. Loosely cover with plastic or place the punnet in a paper bag. Use as soon as possible.
• Corn. Wrap unhusked ears in a damp cloth and use as soon as possible – within a day or two is best.
• Green, red and yellow capsicum. Keep in loosely sealed plastic or paper bags. Use within four days.
• Herbs. Wrap in a damp paper towel, place in a plastic bag and refrigerate. Herbs will keep for up to five days.
• Mushrooms. If you buy them packed in a container, remove the outer layer of plastic and wrap the container with paper towels. If you buy them loose, store them in a brown paper bag. Clean mushrooms by wiping them with a damp cloth or rinsing them quickly just before you use them.

These should be kept in a cool dark place, away from sunlight:

• Garlic. Store in a dry and ventilated area. Will keep for up to 10 weeks. When garlic sprouts it loses much of its pungency, but it’s still edible.
• Onions, potatoes and root vegetables. Store them in open baskets where circulating air will keep them fresh, preferably somewhere away from light.

This is becoming an increasingly important question as many people assume that if they go onto a raw food diet they will automatically recover their health and feel better. My heart has always gone out to people who are new to this movement as more and more marketing ploys are used these days to encourage people to choose junky raw food diets or less than optimal food choices. The problem is that there are so many pitfalls and bandwagons for people to jump onto these days in the modern raw food movement and many people feel that there are healthier alternatives which can replace their current addictive behaviours but unfortunately, the hard reality is that many people are making themselves sicker and sicker by these so-called superfoods. Many of these poor food choices which people are being seduced into consuming, such as raw chocolate, poorly food combined foods, gourmet raw food dishes, etc. are a far cry from a truly healthy Natural Hygiene lifestyle based on low-fat, properly-combined, high-percentage raw food diet which is the only diet which will radically change your health and lifestyle.

Can Raw Chocolate Really Be Healthy?

The answer is a resounding ‘no’. Chocolate and raw cacao contain significant levels of theobromine, theophylline, caffeine and phenylethlamine. Any plants that contain chemicals ending with the suffix “ine” can do harm and hurt the body if used habitually. Cacao beans are not really food. If you found them in nature, you wouldn’t eat the seeds. Even if you wanted to eat the seeds, they would not taste like chocolate. In order for the cacao seeds to taste like chocolate and become the cacao beans that we know, they have to be fermented first. They are fairly bitter, indicating the presence of a poison.

Many living foods advocates are stating that a diet based on sprouts and cooked foods is superior to a high-fruit diet but what is the evidence for this? Athough sprouted foods contain a multitude of vitamins and minerals and are high in digestible amino acids and fatty acids, the stark reality is that most sprouts are either difficult to digest in large amounts due to their high protein/high carbohydrate composition and/or they are toxic. Over the years, Natural Hygienists have cured many, many thousands of people by fasting them and placing them on Hygienic diets and healthy children have been brought up on these principles. Although shop-bought commercial (even organic) fruit may not be the same quality as wild or home-grown organic or veganic produce from your own land, I very much doubt that living foods are the answer. Also, if people are not encouraged to properly food combine and continue to use toxic articles in their diet such as spices and pungent herbs (onions, garlic, etc.) how can true health ensue? Many people find these types of diet unsustainable in the long-term anyhow, and resort to cooked foods to keep up their calories unless they are consuming large amounts of fats. A low-fat, fruit-based vegan diet however is a much more enjoyable, sustainable and healthy option on the other hand and is more akin to our true biological character than any other diet imaginable when we study comparative anatomy and physiology.

Dr Gina Shaw DSc MA AIYS Dip Irid Dip NH
http://www.vibrancyUK.com

• Canned chick peas and black beans. Heat them with garlic and turmeric and serve with brown rice and salsa for a fast, fibre-filled, nutrient-dense meal.
• Tomato based pasta sauce. Heat and mix the sauce with cooked onions and garlic to add more anti-oxidants to a meal.
• Frozen vegetables. Use as side dishes or to add quick colour, flavor and nutrients to soups, pilafs, stir-fries and pasta dishes.
• Frozen fruits. Snack on unsweetened blueberries by the handful. Use any kind of fruit that appeals in smoothies and on yoghurt or cereal.
• Canned soups. Stock up on fibre-filled lentil, vegetable, minestrone, split pea and black bean varieties. Research shows that eating soup before meals can reduce kiljoule intake by one-third.
• Frozen veggie burgers. They are low in fat and perfect topped with tomato sauce for its flavonoids and lycopene (and, of course, its taste!)
• Canned seafood. Use tuna, salmon, clams, sardines and oysters in salads, soups, casseroles and omelettes for a dose of omega-3s and minerals.
• 100 per cent wholemeal pita pockets. Keep them in the freezer, then thaw, toast and stuff for sandwiches. Or cut into triangles to replace high-fat crackers.
• Quinoa. Although classified as a grain, this yummy nutty-flavoured food is really the dried, protein-filled seed of a leafy plant. Use in place of rice.
• Canned low-fat chicken stock. Perfect for whipping up nourishing vegetable soups (add frozen vegetables) or as a flavouring base for pilafs.
• Bottled condiments. Use liberal amounts of salsa, capers, olives, anchovies, crushed garlic and roasted red capsicum – they’re inherently nutrient-rich.
• Dried herbal soup ingredients. Drinking a traditional herbal soup once a while can replenish ones inner strength and vitality.
• Prunes and dates. High in fibre and nutrients, eat them before meals or when you are hungry. Perfect for losing weight, avoid constipation and clearing the bowels quickly.

Most vitamins and minerals are well retained in frozen vegetables.

I believe that variety is the spice of life and the key to enjoyable, healthy eating. So it’s wise to fill your kitchen with a wide array of good healthy foods and follow my creative kitchen tips I’m about to share:

• Replace fat with a little flavor. Add some palate-pleasing seasonings to ensure that you won’t miss the fat. Cover a garden salad with a low-fat yoghurt dressing flavoured with Tabasco sauce, vinegar, honey, garlic and onions and you’ll never miss the mayonnaise.
• Light a Fire. Barbecuing brings out maximum flavor in vegetables. Instead of having hamburgers, sausage, or steak at your next barbecue, cook fish and a medley of vegetables, such as squash, eggplant and onions. Sprinkle a light coating of oil on both the vegetables and the fish beforehand so they won’t stick.
• Colour up the salads. Chop fresh carrots, green onions, celery and red or yellow capsicum. Add to store-bought salsa and mix in lemon, lime, cumin or garlic for a chunky, tangy dressing. Just serve over your usual green salad.
• Be cool. Add mint or coriander to foods for an interesting edge.
• Remember, opposites attract. Surprising combinations such as diced fruit and berries in green salads, scallops with rosemary, or peaches with capsicum, will tickle the taste buds.
• Be the Leonardo da Vinci or Michelangelo in your kitchen. Let your plate be your canvas. Choose foods for their colour, arrange them artfully, use garnishes for extra visual appeal and pile the plates high – food should look satisfying, and you can afford to get generous portions of these foods.

Being creative can keep you healthy!

• Water quenches thirst. The awareness of thirst diminishes with age, so older people need to mindful of drinking enough every day.
• It brings moisture and nutrients to you organs.
• It has anti-aging qualities.
• It flushes out impurities, detoxifying your body.
• It beautifies your skin and smoothes out wrinkles.
• It improves brain function.
• It lubricates joints.
• It regulates body temperature.
• It increases energy.
• It releases stress, because dehydration is one of the biggest stressors for the body. Nothing functions well without water’s soothing, renewing qualities.
• It helps reduce weight gain when drunk half an hour before a meal by leading to an earlier feeling of fullness.
• It prevents kidney stones.
• Natural spring water contains essential minerals:
bicarbonates (which regulate acidity), calcium (Strengthens bones), chloride (regulates acidity), fluoride (protects your teeth from cavities), iron (prevents anemia), magnesium (essential for your heart, bones, and temperature regulation), potassium (important for heart and muscles), sodium (balance water distribution), and zinc (help bones, immunity, wound healing, and diabetes control). These minerals can be picked up by the water as it travels through different soils and sediments. Therefore, water from different springs might have very different mineral contents. Nothing is good as a pure spring or deep (tested) well.

Fresh Water

• Apple
• Apricot
• Aronia
• Artichoke
• Avocado
• Beans
• Black currant
• Blueberries
• Broccoli
• Brussels sprouts
• Cabbage
• Carrots
• Cauliflower
• Chard, red and green
• Citrus fruits
• Cocoa
• Collard greens
• Cranberries
• Dandelion greens
• Eggplant
• Elderberries
• Garbanzo beans
• Garlic
• Green tea
• Kale
• Kohlrabi
• Lentils
• Mango
• Mushrooms
• Nuts and seeds
• Onion
• Papaya
• Peas
• Pepper, hot and sweet
• Pink grapefruit
• Pomegranate
• Pu-erh tea
• Pumpkin
• Red grapes
• Rooibos tea
• Rose hips
• Sea-buckthorn
• Spinach
• Squash
• Sweet potato
• Tomato
• Watermelon

Related Information:
Why Eat Fresh Organic Food
Importance of Immune Boosting Foods

Fresh food includes all produce (fruit and vegetables), nuts, grains, legumes (beans, lentils, peas, garbanzos), and what you prepare from them. Fermented and dried foods are close to fresh food because they have undergone very little processing. Fermentation actually makes them healthier and more easily digestible, so sauerkraut and miso are naturally enriched with vitamins; our ancestors survived on them in bitter winters when no fresh produce was available. Freezing is an acceptable – but no perfect – modern way of preserving some freshness. Microwaving destroys too many phytonutrients; thaw and reheat in a lidded pot.

Why is fresh, organic food more healthful than processed, microwaved, fortified, enriched, canned, old, rancid, stale, milled food? Whole organic food contains more life-giving phytonutrients than produce that is grown conventionally. Phytonutrients are those special chemicals built up in the plant from water, soil, and sunlight. At one time, researchers thought they were not important for health. Now we are linking the diseases called “civilized” to the absence of  phytonutrients in the Standard American Diet (“SAD”): obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, heart disease, arthritis, depression, cancer – the list is endless. Phytonutrients are anti-inflammatory, given to us as presents from the plant world – hundreds of them in a single plant. In fact, organic food contains about one-third more than conventional, mostly because the soil in conventional agriculture has been deadened and depleted by chemical fertilizers. The health benefits of phytonutrients go beyond vitamins and minerals, and to this day we certainly have not discovered all of them.

The benefits of phytonutrients are transferred to animals that eat them, eventually to our meats and poultry. Organic lamb, for instance, has a very high vitamin C content because lambs are usually thrown out on the pasture soon after birth. They don’t get extra feed or antibiotics and hormones. All summer, they feed on untreated meadows. That is why their meat brims with the goods of sun-drenched, natural pastures. Unfortunately, even most of our organic meats are not grass-fed but grain-fed. Grains are unnatural to cows. What we then eat is an animal that was not healthy to begin with. Interestingly, we usually don’t eat predators and scavengers (cats, dogs, hyenas, vultures) – they are too far removed from the original, health-giving phytonutrients. And if we eat them – like lobster and shrimp that are the scavengers of the ocean floor – they usually come with a warning not to eat them too frequently. Omnivores, like pigs, fall into the category between grass-eaters and predators, and some cultures shun their meat too.

In additional to phytonutrients, fresh, organic food is more healthful because:

• Fresh, organic food contains lower level of pesticides, herbicides, and in the case of meats and poultry, lower levels of hormones, antibiotics, and meat fresheners.
• Fresh, organic food contains all the ingredients that correspond to our genetic needs, handed down to us from our evolutionary ancestors.
• Organic, whole foods fuel mitochondria – those cell organs that act as the energy factories in your body. Phytonutrients feed directly into mitochondria, counteracting one of the most common complaints of our times: lack of energy.
• Your body recognizes fresh, organic food as food, whereas it does not recognize many modern adulterated or entirely artificial molecules.
• Fresh, organic food contains good fats, good carbohydrates, and balanced proteins, naturally, taking the “thinking” out of what to eat.
• Fresh, organic food slows down the rate at which the blood sugar levels rise and therefore reduces insulin production. Sugar from the original source – plant – enters your blood slower, since the sugar is only available after plant cell walls have been broken down. Refined sugar and high-fructose corn syrup, in contrast, are available within seconds, swamping your system and acting as a poison – with the long-term consequence of “civilized” diseases.
• Fresh, organic food is naturally full of fiber and therefore lowers cholesterol.
• You must chew fresh, organic food more thoroughly, increasing saliva production and triggering digestive juices adequately. By contrast, junk food can be gobbled down, leaving your stomach and bowel overwhelmed and burdened.
• Fresh, organic food leads to less calorie intake, because chewing and high fiber contents trigger earlier satiety, making you feel full longer. It satisfies your body’s needs for phytonutrients in ways that macaroni and cheese cannot.
• Fresh, organic foods increase the bulk of stool, so it passes through the bowel faster, normalizing constipation and diarrhea. They also bind toxins and remove them faster from your gut. You won’t need extra bran.
• Fresh, organic foods boost your immune strength, provide some natural antibiotics, and decrease inflammation. In fact, decreasing inflammation is the whole point because lower inflammation will reduce “civilized”, degenerative diseases including cancer.