Power Up Your Diet In The Holidays: Yes You Can!

Food For The Soul
BOITSHEPO GIYOSE | Monday December 22, 2008 00:00

Berries, yes, berries are a very special breed of fruits. Many studies have shown their goodness, but a recent study suggested that snacking on berries might help bring down your blood pressure and boost the right level of good cholesterol.

So there you have it, go for berries, they are damn berry good for you.
Strawberry, raspberry, blueberry, cranberry, mulberry, and blackberry, to name some and not to forget our own very local and indigenous berries - moretlwa, moretologa, mogwana, mokgomphathe, you name it - that we can easily pick from the wild or buy from the roadside; they are the in-thing.

But what is really the craze with berries? Simple; not only are they delicious and sensual, they are packed with so much nutrition you can feel your system dancing and bouncing with energy and life itself. So go ahead grab some and have your dose of antioxidants for the day.

Another good food to pack your summer pantry with this season is the good old tomato. Tomatoes have a lot of health benefits. With so many varieties, yes, there are a lot of varieties of tomatoes - it's hard to pinpoint what each one can bring to the table, nutritionally speaking.

If you look hard enough you will discover most of these. Better still why not try your hand at growing some. Tomatoes in general provide iron, potassium, fibre, a host of B vitamins, and quercetin.

Quercetin, what is that? Okay back to nutrition and chemistry 101, quercetin is a phytochemical i.e. a plant substance that may reduce many types of cancer and protect heart and degenerative eye diseases.

But I am tempted to say that tomatoes' biggest selling point though hinges on the presence of lycopene. Oops there pops another nutrition lingo! Lycopene is a carotenoid (sort of belonging to a family of foods containing carotenes - think carrots...)
Carotenoids, which are responsible for the fruits or vegetables' bright red and orange colours are associated with lower risk of cancer such as breast, prostrate, lung, and skin cancers.

More so, tomatoes through their lycopene content also help to lower the risk of coronary artery disease and along with the high vitamin content they stimulate the immune system. I am sure you are now going to think and look at tomatoes in a whole different way, not just the stuff that makes gravy or moro with.

Another veggie that we probably over the years have taken for granted is the onion. Love or loathe its strong smell and taste, it's a power food. In fact the world over every cuisine uses onions in their cooking and culinary expressions.
You see, the onion does more than season dishes.

These underground bulbs contain potassium, fibre, and foliate. But they also contain quercetin, which helps to fight free radicals and maintain health and slow down the aging process.

Anti-aging, oh boy, now that is a mighty good reason to hit onion today and everyday in salads, sandwiches, soups, stews, etc. Onions also assist in preventing heart diseases and cancer.

This season get your vitamins the old fashioned way - with fruits and vegetables at the peak of summer freshness. Learn which foods provide the most nutrients and then put them to use with delicious recipe creations.

Completely unprocessed and unrefined, whole fruits and vegetables offer vitamins in a form that our bodies use best. In fact, no supplement manufacturer has been able to replicate the way nature's bounty preserves and delivers these nutrients. Yes they may try and try to fool you, but hey 'plants are the world's best chemists'. They are a super potent way to health.

Another perk with fresh and wholesome foods is that you never have to worry about overdosing with vitamins and minerals. They are naturally balanced. Just choose a variety of types and colours and let nature do the balancing act for you.

How easy can that be!
Finally, the simple matter of water! In this hot season, are you drinking enough? Too much? Too little? In honour of the thirstiest season may I urge you to imbibe and inebriate yourself with the world's most popular beverage?

Water makes up more than 60 percent of our bodies and all our systems - cardiovascular, respiratory, digestive - depend on it. It ferries nutrients to cells, keeps membranes moist, and flushes out toxins and via the urine and sweat. Cheers to you!