Including these menu choices in your next meal may help prevent disease

By Tom Weede

Showing promise as disease fighters, a select group of foods has reached elevated status in the nutrition world, potentially turning a ho-hum meal into medicine-on-a-plate. “Many studies have found that certain foods, as well as a person’s overall diet, have a high impact on the development of certain diseases,” says UAB dietitian Laura Newton, M.A., R.D. “So it’s very important to monitor your diet to make sure you’re including the right foods, as well as to maintain a healthy weight and lifestyle.”

Here’s a closer look at four simple and delicious ways you can use foods to fight common health conditions.

1. Heart Disease
Fatty fish such as salmon, mackerel, herring, lake trout, sardines and canned tuna contain omega-3 fatty acids, which may help prevent heart disease by reducing cholesterol, triglycerides and plaque buildup in the blood vessels. “Aim to include fatty fish a couple of times a week,” Newton advises. A caution: Government experts recommend that pregnant women, those who may become pregnant, nursing mothers and young children avoid some types of fish (including swordfish) and limit others, due to mercury contamination.

Sources of monounsaturated fat, including avocados and nuts such as walnuts and almonds, also may help reduce heart disease risk by lowering LDL (“bad”) cholesterol and triglycerides and boosting HDL (“good”) cholesterol. “Keep in mind that monounsaturated fat, although healthy, is still a fat and so is very calorie-dense,” Newton warns. “Include these foods in small portions.”

Other heart-friendly foods include dried beans and oatmeal, which contain soluble fiber that helps lower cholesterol, and dark chocolate, which contains flavanols, compounds that help produce nitric oxide in the blood and decrease blood pressure.

2. Cancer
For cancer prevention, Newton recommends a wide variety of produce, including plenty of deep-colored fruits and vegetables, such as blueberries, cranberries, strawberries, grapes, eggplant, tomatoes and sweet potatoes. “These foods contain high amounts of antioxidants,” she says, “which protect against free radicals that can destroy your cells and make them more prone to developing cancer.”

Tomatoes and tomato-based foods, for example, are a rich source of the antioxidant lycopene, which gives tomatoes their red color and may help prevent cancers of the prostate, cervix and gastrointestinal tract. (Eating tomatoes that are cooked and consuming them with small amounts of fat increases lycopene absorption.) Other protective produce includes cruciferous veggies such as broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower and kale, which may reduce colorectal cancer risk.

Blueberries, cranberries and strawberries have a possible added benefit: Animal research has shown these may help reduce or even reverse brain function declines.

3. Diabetes
One of the keys to preventing type 2 diabetes is maintaining a healthy weight, Newton says. “To encourage this, I advise people to eat a lot of high-fiber foods, because these help fill you up and keep you fuller longer,” she explains. “Foods in this category include whole-grain breads and cereals, and beans such as black beans, chickpeas and pinto beans.” As a bonus, these beans are good sources of antioxidants.

Also, coffee may lower the chances of type 2 diabetes. A study published in 2006 in the journal Diabetes Care looked at thousands of U.S. women ages 26 to 46 and found that those drinking a cup of coffee a day had about 10 percent less diabetes risk than nondrinkers. Those consuming two to three cups a day had about 40 percent less risk. Benefits were seen with caffeinated and decaffeinated java, and filtered as well as instant.

Another possible diabetes fighter: cinnamon. A 2003 study found that 1 gram of cinnamon a day decreased blood sugar levels (as well as triglycerides and cholesterol) in people with type 2 diabetes.

4. Osteoporosis
Low- and non-fat dairy products, such as skim milk and low-fat yogurt or cheese, can help prevent osteoporosis by providing calcium and vitamin D. “Both of these are important in terms of preventing the disease,” Newton says. “Many times people think of just calcium, but experts are finding out more and more that vitamin D is just as important because it helps your body use the calcium that you consume from foods.” Three daily servings of low- or non-fat dairy—the equivalent of three cups of milk—should cover most adults. Other sources of calcium include broccoli and calcium-fortified foods such as orange juice and cereals.

To put some of these nutritional superstars to work for you, check out the accompanying UAB recipe. Enjoy!