Weekly Newsletter

Precaution is better than cure. 

                                       Edward Coke

FRIDAY, Nov. 18 (HealthDay News) -- Those in the know consider fruits and vegetables among the healthiest foods around.

U.S. government health experts now encourage Americans to fill half their plates with fruits and vegetables. Weight Watchers' new system assigns no points to nearly all fruits and vegetables, making them a truly "guilt-free" option.

But, really, what's the big deal? Why is it so important to eat more veggies?

Nutritionists can rattle off a long list of reasons when asked that question. Vegetables and fruits are dense in nutrients but light on calories. They contain rich amounts of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and fiber. Eating more veggies and fruits has been linked to decreased risk for such health problems as diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure and cancer.

Despite this, many people seem to have a hard time eating vegetables, something that's developed the reputation of being a chore rather than a pleasure. President Barack Obama even likened the need to finish difficult debt ceiling negotiations to the need to "eat our peas."

More than nine of 10 Americans consume fewer fruits and vegetables than the daily amount recommended by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's dietary guidelines, which ranges from 2 cups to 6½ cups, according to the "Fruits and Veggies -- More Matters" health initiative, a national program aimed at increasing consumption of plant-based foods.

"I would say many of my current clients get maybe a cup of vegetables and maybe a fruit throughout the day, if I'm being generous," said Jessica Crandall, a registered dietitian and certified diabetes educator in Denver and a spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association.

Getting a serving of vegetables or fruit is not difficult because a single serving is not a large amount, said Angela Ginn, a nutrition education coordinator and diabetes educator at the University of Maryland Center for Diabetes and Endocrinology at Maryland General Hospital, who's also a spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association.

"A whole cup raw or a half-cup cooked is considered a serving for vegetables," Ginn said.

But there's a lot of nutritional power packed into that cup or half-cup. Though the precise benefit varies by type of fruit or vegetable, it could include a significant amount of:

• Calcium, which promotes healthy bones and teeth, and is needed for proper functioning of muscles and nerves.
• Folate, which reduces a woman's chances of having a child with a birth defect.
• Iron, which is necessary for healthy blood and cell function.
• Magnesium, which prevents muscle cramping and high blood pressure and is needed for healthy bones and proper enzymatic function.
• Potassium, which helps maintain healthy blood pressure.
• Vitamin A, which keeps eyes and skin healthy and helps protect the body against infection.
• Vitamin C, which aids in healing cuts or wounds and helps keep teeth and gums healthy.

Even the micronutrients that give fruits and vegetables their color are important sources of antioxidants, which have been shown to help prevent an array of diseases.

"Your phytonutrients that have all those vibrant colors, those are things that fight against chronic diseases," Ginn said. "You find them in your fruits and vegetables more in abundance than you will in whole grains or in meat or dairy products."

According to Crandall:

• Blue and purple fruits and vegetables contain anthocyanins, which have been shown to help fight some cancers and are helpful in anti-aging and memory function. They are found in blueberries, blackberries, plums, grapes, figs and raisins.
• Green fruits and vegetables contain luteins, which lower cancer risk and help promote better vision and strong bones and teeth. They are found in avocados, kiwi fruit, pears and apples.
• Red fruits and vegetables contain anthocyanins and lycopene, which can help keep the heart healthy, maintain better memory function and lower the risk for some cancers.

Fruits and vegetables also contain a large amount of fiber. Fiber has a number of health benefits and also helps make people feel more full, reducing their consumption of other higher-calorie foods, Crandall said.

"Most people think fiber is just good for digestion," she said, "but it's also helpful for lowering cholesterol, keeping your blood sugars stable and helping you feel full throughout your day."

But even those who are already sold on eating more fruits and veggies sometimes find it tricky to work sufficient amounts into their day-to-day eating, say both Crandall and Ginn. They suggest getting creative.

For instance, work veggies into recipes that don't normally contain them. "It's just the little things you can do, even if you add grated carrot to your favorite muffin or grated zucchini to your pancakes," Ginn said. "You can sneak them into your food in ways where you don't even taste them, but you receive the nutritional benefit."

They also suggest cutting up fruits and veggies so they're bite-sized and available for snacking. As Crandall said, "Make a vegetable tray so they are easier to use, so you don't have a cucumber rotting in the back of the fridge."

And don't worry about whether you're eating fresh, frozen or canned vegetables. They're all good for you. Fresh or frozen vegetables might have slightly more nutrients, Ginn and Crandall said, but canned veggies are cheaper and available throughout the year. Just be sure to rinse canned veggies, to reduce the amount of sodium they contain, or buy low-sodium alternatives.

More information

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has more on working fruits and vegetables into your diet, including interactive tools, tips and recipes.

For ideas on how to solve the dilemma of consuming enough vegetables, read about one woman's story.

MONDAY, Nov. 7 (HealthDay News) -- Good news for high-mileage runners: They may be able to help themselves to an extra serving at holiday meals because variations in diet are less likely to affect them, researcher say.

The new study included nearly 107,000 runners who were grouped according to the distance they run each day: less than 1.2 miles (under 2 kilometers [km]); 1.2 to 2.4 miles (2 to 4 km); 2.4 to 3.7 miles (4 to 6 km); 3.7 to nearly 5 miles (6 to 8 km); and about 5 miles (8 km) or more.

The researchers found that body mass index and waist circumference increased significantly among the least active runners when they ate more meat and less fruit. But the effects of this diet change were reduced by 50 percent or more in the most active runners. The effects in runners who covered more than 1.2 miles a day were also reduced, but not to the same extent as the highest-mileage runners.

The study is published in the November issue of the journal Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise.

"Generally, body mass index and waist circumference increase as a person eats more meat and less fruit," study author Paul Williams, a researcher at the U.S. government's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, said in news release from the American College of Sports Medicine.

"My analysis indicates that this relationship weakens as runners increase their daily mileage. It appears that the more miles a person logs each week, the less affected they are by variances in their diet," Williams added.

The reasons could include increased fat burn associated with high levels of exercise or the fact that higher-mileage runners may be better at balancing their diet.

"My observations suggest that runners who exceed the recommended Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans can reduce their risk of gaining weight from high-risk diets, those with high meat and low fruit content," Williams said. "We have other data suggesting this benefit may also apply to walking."

More information

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has more about the physical activity guidelines for Americans at Health.gov.

WEDNESDAY, Nov. 16 (HealthDay News) -- A new study offers further evidence that a Mediterranean-style diet is good for your heart.

The research found that unsaturated fats from foods such as avocados, olive oil and nuts increase the body's ability to use insulin. Reduced insulin action can lead to diabetes, which is a risk factor for heart disease.

Researchers examined how three different types of balanced diets consumed by 164 people with mild hypertension but no diabetes affected the body's ability to maintain healthy insulin levels and regulate blood sugar levels. The three diets were rich in either carbohydrates, protein or unsaturated fats such as those found in olive oil.

The participants ate each of the three diets for six weeks in a row, with two to four weeks off in between each diet. Blood samples were used to monitor insulin and glucose levels.

The diet rich in unsaturated fats improved insulin use significantly more than the high-carbohydrate diet, which featured refined carbohydrates such as pasta and white bread.

This beneficial effect of the unsaturated fat diet occurred even though the participants did not lose weight.

"A lot of studies have looked at how the body becomes better at using insulin when you lose weight," Dr. Meghana Gadgil, a postdoctoral fellow in the division of general internal medicine at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, said in a Hopkins news release. "We kept the weight stable so we could isolate the effects of the macronutrients. What we found is that you can begin to see a beneficial impact on heart health even before weight loss."

The researchers said their findings show that dietary changes can improve heart health in those at risk for cardiovascular disease, even if they don't lose weight.

"The introduction of the right kind of fat into a healthy diet is another tool to reduce the risk of future heart disease," Gadgil said.

The study was to be presented Wednesday during the American Heart Association's annual meeting in Orlando, Fla. Because this study was presented at a medical meeting, the data and conclusions should be viewed as preliminary until published in a peer-reviewed journal.

More information

The American Heart Association has more about a Mediterranean diet.

FRIDAY, Nov. 18 (HealthDay News) -- The difficulty June Stewart had working vegetables into her day-to-day meals didn't stem from any aversion to them.

"I love salad and I love broccoli and stuff like that," said Stewart, 67, a Baltimore resident who said her love of vegetables stemmed from her childhood. "We've always eaten a three-course meal -- we were brought up that way -- so we always ate vegetables."

But over the past 23 years, Stewart said, she found it very difficult to work veggies into her daily diet. She worked as a bus driver for the Maryland Transit Administration, and the on-the-run hours of her job required her to eat whatever was handy, rather than whatever was good for her.

"When I was working, I couldn't work it in that good," said Stewart, who retired in February. "When you're a bus driver, you just eat a lot of snacks because you're running from one bus to the next. I only got vegetables at dinnertime, very seldom any other time, because I'd grab a sandwich or a hot dog or a donut or something."

Vegetables took on a new importance in Stewart's life earlier this year, however, when her doctor diagnosed her as diabetic.

"I was told if I don't keep right on point, I'll end up taking pills or insulin or whatever," she said. "Once you learn about it, you have to be careful."

Stewart said she discovered a happy coincidence while taking a class on proper nutrition for diabetics: The vegetables she loved so much as a child were exactly the type of food she needed to eat to help keep her blood sugar in check.

Now she regularly hits the supermarket and farmer's market to buy collard greens, kale, string beans, broccoli, beets and salad fixings. "I don't like canned vegetables," she said. "I always cook fresh."

In addition, Stewart walks every day because exercise also helps regulate blood sugar. "I like diet and exercise, and it's a good thing," she said. "I really have to do everything, or I'll end up in bad shape."

Nonetheless, Stewart considers herself fortunate, in a way. She didn't have to overcome any big aversion to fruits and vegetables to get herself eating better. She just had to make the time to buy and cook them.

"A lot of people just don't like vegetables," she said. "What saved me was we had vegetables in all our meals growing up."

More information

A companion article details the varied health benefits of a diet rich in fruits and vegetables.