Food is natural — it has evolved along with us and is specially adapted for use by our digestive systems and our organs. Some foods are healthier than others, while some are not healthy at all. Unfortunately, there are a lot of the latter available in our culture right now. You must make a conscious decision to reach for the healthy stuff. But you will be infinitely rewarded if you do. Healthy foods taste great, boost your immune system, fight disease, slow aging, improve your mood, and give you energy. There isn’t a single excuse for not eating nutritious, whole food.

Now take a look at an interesting study recently conducted at the Institute of Toxicology in Germany. For the study, researchers wanted to look at the effects certain foods had on something called “heterocyclic aromatic amines”, or HAAs. HAAs are often formed when you cook meat and fish at high temperatures. These substances are associated with an increased risk for cancer.

Going on the premise that diets rich in fruits and vegetables could protect against cancer, the research team studied three teas, two wines, and the juices of 15 fruits and 11 vegetables to gauge their protective effect against the toxic effects of HAAs. Here’s what they found:

–Black, green and rooibos tea moderately reduced the toxicity of HAAs, whereas red and white wine were less active

–Amongst the fruit juices, sweet cherry juice had the highest inhibitory effect on HAAs, followed by juices from kiwi fruit, plum and blueberry

–The juices from watermelon, blackberry, strawberry, blackcurrant, and red delicious apple showed a moderate effect against HAAs, whereas sour cherry, grapefruit, red currant, and pineapple juices were only slightly active

–Granny Smith apple juice and orange juice proved inactive

–Of the vegetable juices, strong inhibition of HAA toxicity was seen with spinach and onion juices

–Broccoli, cauliflower, beetroot, sweet pepper, tomato, chard, and red-cabbage juices suppressed toxicity moderately

–Cucumber juice was ineffective

Now here’s where the study gets particularly interesting: it seems that sour cherry, blueberry, and blackcurrant juices suppressed the first step of HAA activation, whereas most vegetable-derived beverages inhibited the second step. What does that mean? It means that when you add fruits AND vegetables to your diet, you are instigating a powerful two-step form of protection against cancer.

So, here is a simple task for you: just add sweet cherries, spinach and onion to your diet and you’ll be greatly increasing your chances of maintaining a healthy body.

Tags: diet, foods that prevent cancer, healthy vegetables