One of my big beefs about the commercial boxed diets – you know, the ones where you buy all your packaged, processed, portioned foods for the week – is the inadequacy of phytochemicals.
Nutrition is not just a matter of calories in, calories out, vitamins and minerals.
You really want to eat at least 5 to 7 servings of fruits and vegetables every day if you plan on availing yourself of the true magic of phytochemicals.
What are phytochemicals?
Compounds that occur naturally in plants that scientists are only know beginning to understand.
Case in point: The humble raspberry.
When you eat raspberries, whether or not you know about it or not, you taking in a huge amount of ellagic acid.
What’s so fabulous about ellagic acid?
Ellagic Acid has been shown in numerous studies to cause cancer cells to commit apoptosis, which is cancer cell suicide.
This healing phytochemical is also found in walnuts, cranberries, blackberries, pecans, pomegranates, grapes, peaches and strawberries, but you will find the highest amount of ellagic acid in raspberries.
Ellagic acid is so important that some nutrition companies are even manufacturing supplements out of it to be used for cancer prevention and cancer healing.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has disputed claims that ellagic acid heals cancer, but then again no one in their right mind would argue with you eating fresh raspberries on a regular basis.
Raspberries are high in natural antioxidants are are anti-inflammatory.
You’ll find anthocyanin in raspberries, which are water soluble antioxidants found in purple and blue fruits and vegetables. The foods highest in anthocyanin include purple sweet potatoes, acai, pomegranates and blueberries. These water soluble antioxidants protect your cells, blood and arteries.
In the case of potentially but not yet cancerous cells, phytonutrients in raspberries may be able to trigger signals that encourage the non-cancerous cells to remain non-cancerous.
Lastly, raspberries are fruits you can eat even if you are diabetic or sensitive to sugar.
Personally, I get tired of people talking to me about how healthy they think their no-carbohydrate diet is.
You need at least 150 grams of carbohydrates every day to make your serotonin – for starters – and more if you are exercising.
If you don’t get enough carbohydrates you can actually damage your metabolism (i.e., that’s really stupid).
The real question is what KIND of carbohydrates are you chowing down on?? I would recommend skipping donuts and choosing raspberries and a whole host of high-phytochemical fruits and vegetables.
Next time you are considering whether or not to go on a diet, think about what kind of diet you want to go on – one that builds your health and energy or one that makes you sicker and more fatigued. Raspberries are among my favorite weight-loss foods.
If you need help, I am a long-time nutritionist and have helped countless clients lose weight while becoming healthier. Email me at catherine@unlimitedenergynow.com or call 678-612-8816 to set up an appointment.