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Best Foods to Eat

These five vegetable and fruit superfoods can slow the aging process and help prevent the three biggest killers. Add these delicious healthy superfoods to your family’s meals as often as possible.

TOMATOES . . . Decrease Cancer Risk With Tomatoes. The powerful antioxidant Lycopene, found in mainly in tomatoes, helps protect against heart disease, stroke, high cholesterol, osteoporosis and cancer. Cooked tomatoes are better because heat causes more Lycopene to be released. Buy the best: Choose dark red tomatoes and store fresh tomatoes at room temperature.

BLUEBERRIES . . . Help Prevent Heart Disease With Blueberries, bountiful with vitamin C, fiber and potassium. Preliminary evidence suggests that a component in blueberries might enable cells to break down fat and cholesterol, which helps keep arteries clear. Buy the best: Year-round, buy frozen berries labeled “unsweetened” or whenever available fresh in season at your grocery’s produce department.

BROCCOLI . . . Help Beat Cancer. A National Cancer Institute study found that people who ate three servings of vegetables a day (especially those who included a half serving of broccoli or cabbage) were 40 percent less likely to get a cancer called non- Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Cruciferous vegetables, such as broccoli, have also been shown to lower the risk of ovarian cancer. Buy the best: Choose broccoli with florets or bud clusters that are dark green with some purple tinge.

KALE . . . Help Protect Your Eyes By Eating More Kale and other dark green leafy vegetables. They can significantly reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke. Kale is also high in the Antioxidants Lutein and Zeaxanthin, which protect the eyes and can reduce the risk of cataracts. Buy the best: Look for crisp, fresh, dark-green leaves, or buy frozen, chopped kale.

SWEET POTATOES . . . Help Lower Your Risk of Stroke. These flavorful dark-orange “spuds” are one of the richest sources of Antioxidants (such as Beta Carotene), which may help prevent heart disease, strokes and certain cancers. Sweet potatoes are also rich in fiber and immune-boosting vitamin C. Buy the best: Choose sweet potatoes that are firm and have clean, smooth skins. Don’t confuse this vitamin- rich veggie for “less nutritious” Yams.

Find information about carotenoids: lycopene, lutein, zeaxanthin and beta-carotene; omega-3 fatty acids; probiotics; soy isoflavones; green tea extract, epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG); co-enzyme Q10, and a range of vitamins,