Take a bite out of heart disease



Take a bite out of heart disease

By Susan Haine

    

    

Suggest: keep the color groups together in one paragraph and give bright colored examples of each.

Can five servings of fruits and vegetables a day keep

heart disease away?

    Experts say yes.

    Making fruits and vegetables a part of your everyday

diet can decrease your risk of heart disease, which is

the number-one cause of death in America.  According

to the U.S. Center for Disease Control, almost 6

million people are hospitalized each year due to heart

disease.

    Fruits and vegetables help reduce the risk of

developing heart disease because they have high levels

of nutrients, antioxidents and fiber.  As well, fruits

and vegetables are low in calories and fat and contain

a high amount of vitamins and minerals.  In fact,

fruits and vegetables are found to be so beneficial,

that the USDA recently raised its recommendation for

consumption from five a day, to between five and nine

servings a day.

    Recent research by the Nurses’ Health Study shows

that people who consume about nine servings of fruits

and vegetables each day have a 20 percent lower risk

of coronary artery disease.  This study calculated

that as participants increased their fruit and

vegetable intake by one serving each day, they had a 4

percent lower risk of coronary disease.

    So, how do you measure your fruit and vegetable

intake? 

   One serving is one medium fruit; 3/4 cup of 100%

fruit or vegetable juice; 1/2 cup cooked or canned

vegetables or fruit; one cup of raw leafy vegetables;

1/2 cup dry peas or beans; or 1/4 cup dried fruit. 

    The National Five a Day Program — a program that educates

Americans about the benefits of fruits and vegetables

— states the best way to make sure you get the proper

amount of fruits and vegetables and get all the

beneficial nutrients they have to offer is by eating

at least one serving from each color group daily.

    The most heart healthy fruits and vegetables are from

the white, brown and tan color group (Is this true? Not the

brightest colors?), the yellow and

orange color group, and the red color group.  Each of

these groups has particular benefits that can help

maintain a healthy heart. The green vegetable group is

especially high in antioxidents, which promote healthy

cells and the blue-purple vegetable group has been of

great interest because of its high antioxidant

content. 

    White, tan, and brown fruits and vegetables help

promote heart health as well as maintain cholesterol

levels that are already healthy and produce a lower

risk of some cancers.  Yellow and orange fruits and

vegetables also promote a healthy heart along with

vision health, help maintain a healthy immune system

and lower the risk of some cancers.

Along with maintaining a healthy heart, red fruits and

vegetables aid memory function lower the risk of some

cancers, and help with urinary tract health.

    Eating green vegetables daily can produce a lower

risk of some cancers, promote vision health and help

maintain strong bones and teeth. Blue/purple fruits

and vegetables aid in healthy aging.   They also can

help lower the risk of some cancers, help urinary

tract health, and maintain memory function. 

    But eating at least five servings of fruits and

vegetables a day alone will not prevent heart disease.

A low-fat diet and exercise is also necessary in

helping to prevent heart disease.

................
................

In order to avoid copyright disputes, this page is only a partial summary.

Google Online Preview   Download