Eat The Rainbow To Protect Health & Reduce Dangerous Belly Fat
What is the one simple thing you can add to your diet that would have a profound positive impact on your health?
If you said, “eat more fruits and vegetables” you’d be right!
Fruits and vegetables can delicious when prepared properly and they help protect you from an ever-expanding waistline that seems to be plaguing everyone nowadays.
A study of almost 15,000 adults and children found that those who had higher antioxidant levels in their blood were leaner, had better insulin health, much less inflammation, and lower cholesterol. Participants with lower blood antioxidant status had more belly fat, greater insulin resistance, and higher levels of C-reactive protein (a marker of inflammation).
Where do these lovely antioxidants come from?
You guessed it!
They are supplied in the diet, appearing in large quantities in plant foods. Blueberries are jam-packed antioxidants that have a range of benefits including improving metabolism, reducing muscle soreness, and countering inflammation. Raspberries have another rare type of antioxidant that improves wound healing and raises glutathione, the antioxidant that the body produces internally.
Dark colored fruits (blackberries, cherries, and plums) and colorful vegetables (yellow and orange peppers, leafy greens, tomatoes, broccoli, olives, and beets) are highest in antioxidants but all plant foods contain an array of protective nutrients. Coffee, green tea, whey protein, and dark chocolate are other foods that will raise your body’s antioxidant defenses.
By including vegetable or fruit at every meal you’ll protect your health and go a long way toward keeping your body lean and healthy. For weight loss, bulk up on non-starchy veggies and save the higher carb fruit and potatoes for desert.