Finding Nutrition Fresh, Frozen, and in Cans

E. coli in spinach, botulism in carrot juice, tainted lettuce, salmonella scares-what's a health-conscious fruits and vegetable lover to do? If headlines of food-borne organisms have caused you to shy away from fresh fruits and vegetables, you need not give up on the many cancer-preventive nutrients in produce.

Fresh produce is generally considered the richest source of vitamins and phytochemicals. Yet, from the nutritional point of view, canned and frozen aren't far behind, if at all.

• Aside from the intense flavor, produce at the peak of ripeness contains the highest level of nutrients. Yet from the moment a veggie or fruit is plucked, its vitamins, minerals and phytonutrient compounds begin to break down from exposure to heat, light, time, and natural processes.
• Look for locally grown produce for the greatest likelihood of freshness. A general rule of thumb is that the richer the color of the fruit or vegetable, the more nutrients and phytochemicals it contains. For example, beta-carotene is an antioxidant that provides carrots with its orange color. Thus, deep orange carrots will contain more beta-carotene than pale ones.

• The fresh veggies and fruit at your grocery store may have traveled for thousands of miles and for many a day before settling on your plate. In some cases, purchasing frozen could be as, or more nutritious than fresh.
• In the process of flash-freezing, foods are frozen within hours-sometimes minutes-after harvest. This process prevents nutrients and phytochemicals from breaking down further. The food's water freezes so quickly it only forms small ice crystals, which prevent cell wall damage.
• Look for labels that state, "fresh frozen," "frozen fresh," or "flash frozen."

• In the basic canning process, foods are placed into cans and then heated to a temperature that kills harmful organisms. Air is drawn out of the can and the jar is left with a vacuum-seal, preventing any air-and microorganisms-from entering.
• A portion of the heat-sensitive nutrients, such as Vitamin C, will be lost in the canning process. In some cases, however, canned foods may supply more of certain cancer-preventative phytochemicals. For example, tomatoes are a rich source of the antioxidant lycopene, which is associated with lower risk of prostate and other cancers. Studies have found that cooked forms of tomatoes (canned tomatoes, ketchup, sauce) are a better source of lycopene than fresh tomatoes.
• Look for canned vegetables with no added salt, and fruits packed in unsweetened juices instead of syrup for the most healthful choices.

Ultimately, whether you chose fresh, frozen or canned fruits and vegetables, the most important factor is to eat them: 5 to 10 servings a day. It all depends on what suits your tastes, budget, convenience, and comfort.

Information from American Institute on Cancer Research

Garlic - a Love Letter to Your Heart

Major health studies that show garlic, specifically aged garlic, can reduce artery-clogging plaque, lower blood pressure, lower cholesterol, reduce blood clotting and lower levels of homocysteine, a substance that contributes to arterial blockages and can be predictive of a heart attack.

In my research at UCLA, I found that, without treatment, the amount of calcification (sometimes called plaque) in the arteries of a person with elevated cholesterol can increase by 40% in one year. When we gave patients 1200 mg. of Kyolic aged garlic extract a day, they slowed the growth of their plaque by 66% in one year.

All patients were on statin drugs, like Lipitor or Zocor, and aspirin, so the benefits of garlic were above and beyond what most doctors consider standard treatment for patients with high cholesterol.

The aged garlic extract helped to lower LDL or "bad" cholesterol, raise HDL or "good" cholesterol, lower homocysteine levels and slow the steady rise of triglycerides that many heart patients experience.

Research subjects in India ate a breakfast containing 3.5 ounces of butter. Over the space of a few hours, blood cholesterol levels rose by about 10%. However, subjects given a bit of garlic juice with the butter experienced no increase in cholesterol - so the garlic completely neutralized the harmful effects of the fatty foods.

This may be why many ethnic cuisines intuitively pair garlic with red meat and other fatty foods.

Research found that supplementation with aged garlic extract reduced the body's ability to transform cholesterol to its bad, sticky form called (called LDL oxidation) by as much as 58%, plus it reduced triglycerides or blood fats.

Garlic will help keep your cardiovascular system healthy, prevent heart disease and can slow the progression of heart disease if you already have it. What's more, garlic is safe, even at large doses, with no documented side effects.