Food – Life-saving Produce

Care should be taken to have all food in as good condition as possible. In the end, good food is the cheapest. Vegetables that are stale or of poor quality are likely to be unpalatable and unwholesome. So, with fruits. Ripe and fresh, they are as wholesome as they are delicious; but green, partly decayed, or overripe fruit should never be eaten raw. When cooked, unripe fruit is less objectionable. So far as possible, however, we should use fruit in its natural state. The more we accustom ourselves to use it fresh from the tree, the greater will be our enjoyment of fruit, and the more benefit we shall receive from its use.” Life and Health, July 1, 1905.

Unless you’ve purposely ignored reading anything about nutrition for the past 30 years, you know that message number one is that eating lots of fresh produce—including both fruits and vegetables—can substantially lower your risk of diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, stroke, and many other diseases. And if you have a chronic health issue like high blood pressure or diabetes, regular consumption of green, red, blue, orange, and purple produce can help you reverse the condition.

You are encouraged to eat as many fruits and vegetables as you want—provided they’re as close to their natural state as possible. That means fresh fruit and minimally cooked vegetables. It also means limiting canned produce (which is often packed minus the skin, an important source of fiber) and opting for either fresh or frozen to get the most fiber and nutrients.

The best way to approach produce is to eat as many different kinds as often as possible. Don’t think of that as a chore. Many people tend to reach for the same produce, shopping trip after shopping trip, and then complain that fruits and vegetables are boring or unsatisfying. Cut out the monomania. Diversify your shopping cart. It just might save your life!

Below are the top 20 pieces of produce that pack the most antioxidants. Antioxidants prevent and slow down oxidative damage to your body—a chemical reaction you want to avoid as much as possible. Why? When your body cells use oxygen, they produce free radicals that can cause damage to your internal organs. Antioxidants act as free-radical scavengers and snuff them out, preventing and repairing damage done by these evil-little free radicals. Health problems such as diabetes, heart disease, macular degeneration, and cancer are all linked to the oxidation process and free radicals.

Try a different piece of produce each week. You’ll never get bored and you’ll be getting a ton of nutrients that stabilize your blood sugar and fight off a host of long-term diseases. Here are the top 20, life-saving, fruit and vegetable picks: