How many did you have today???

So, I counted, – yesterday I had eight, and today I had…only five. VEGETABLES AND FRUITS that is.

According to the book that I LOVE called, “What COLOR is your diet?” by Dr. David Heber, (this book is found in many cancer treatment centers for helping people get much faster results by AIDING THEIR body – helping it to HEAL itself.

One saying I love – from Aristotle – is to use “food as your medicine” and “medicine as your food.”

He called FOOD and MEDICINE “blurred boundries” because they overlap.

SMART MAN.

So how many servings should you have of Vs and Fs each day – 7 to 9 for a women, and 9 to 11 for a man.

For most americans they have the same old same old – iceburg lettuce, banana, apple, maybe ketchup.

However, we need to have one of EACH COLOR to get a variety of different antioxidant (found in DAVID HEBER’s Book). And of course, if you are eating the right amt. from each group, the better it will be for your waistline. You will be fueling your body the right way and balancing it.

Here is the Rundown:

700 different carotenoids have been isolated from plants and animals. Carotenoids are chemical compounds that absorb visible light and so determine that carrots are orange, tomatoes are red, etc. These carotenoids are specifically broken down by the body during the process of absorption. They them go to specific tissues and organs where they have been shown to protect against the type of oxygen damage that can harm your DNA.

YELLOW/GREEN – spinach, collard, mustard, turnip greens, yellow corn, green peas, avocado, honeydew melon, kiwi

CONTAIN – lutein, zeaxanthin, which are caratenoids which concentrate in the eye and contribute to eye health. Lower intakes have been associated with cataracts, age related cellular degeneration, the primary preventable cause of blindness in America.

GREEN – broccoli, brussel sprouts, cabbage, Chinese cabbage, bok choi, kale.

CONTAIN – sulforaphane, isothiocyanate, indoles, which stimulate the genes in your liver to turn the production of enzymes that break down the cancer causing chemicals in the body.

GREEN WHITE – garlic, onions, celery, pears, white wine, endive, chives.

CONTAIN – these plants in the onion family contain allicin which has been shown to have anti-tumor effects. These contain rich sources of flavonoids, including quercetin and kaempferol.

RED/PURPLE – grapes, red wine, grape juice, prunes, cranberries, blueberries, blackberries, strawberries, and red apples.

CONTAIN: Anthocyanins – powerful antioxidants that may have a beneficial effect on heart disease by inhibiting blood clot formation.

ORANGE – carrots, mangos, apricots, cantaloupes, pumpkin, acorn squash, winter squash, sweet potatoes

CONTAIN – alpha and beta carotenes

ORANGE/YELLOW – orange juice, oranges, tangerines, peaches papayas

CONTAIN – B cryptothanxin, a minor carotenoid. These fruits have other benefits and are a separate group to by used to stimulate more diversity.

RED – tomatoes, pink grapefruit, watermelon.

CONTAINS: Lycopene (more abundant in cooked tomatoes than raw)

HOW MANY HAVE YOU HAD TODAY? Do you try to have one of each color? Do you tend to lack a certain type of antioxidants by not eating something in that category?