The Beauty Diet (7 page)

Ellagic acid.
This antioxidant prevents cell damage and may be protective against cancer.

Fiber.
A cup of blueberries has almost 4 grams of dietary fiber. Fiber helps you feel full without adding calories to your diet, which is a big bonus when it comes to staying slim. Plus, fiber helps control cholesterol and protects against diseases of the intestinal tract.

According to the American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine, compounds in blueberries known as oligomeric proanthocyanidins (OPCs) help support collagen and elastin. Research has also revealed that blueberries may help protect the brain from oxidative stress. Blueberries also promote urinary tract health. They contain the same compounds found in cranberries that help prevent bladder infections.

So blueberries keep you looking young, provide you with dietary fiber, and help protect you from cancer, eye problems,
and age-related diseases. At 80 calories a cup, this slimming fruit has so many health benefits you'll want to be sure to add it to your diet. If you never really thought of yourself as a blueberry lover, try my tempting recipes for Whole Grain Blueberry Pancakes, Blueberry Ginger Smoothie, and Peach Blueberry Ginger Crisp (see
Chapter 9
).

Kiwifruit offers a rich nutritional reward in a small, delicious package. Inside of this small, brown, fuzzy fruit—about the size and shape of a very large egg—you'll find semitranslucent green flesh and small black seeds around a white center. Kiwifruit has a unique sweet flavor something like a combination of strawberries, pineapples, and bananas. I've included kiwifruit among the Top 10 Beauty Foods because it offers more than just a tropical touch for your fruit salad: it has an unusually abundant amount of vitamin C and other antiaging antioxidants. Kiwifruit offers beauty benefits from stimulating collagen synthesis (vital to lovely skin) to maintaining healthy bones and teeth to protecting against wrinkles and premature aging. Because kiwis are antioxidant all-stars, they can help neutralize free radicals, which otherwise can cause damage to cells that could lead to inflammation, cancer, and heart disease.

Vital vitamins.
One cup of peeled kiwifruit contains more vitamin C than an equivalent amount of oranges. Vitamin C in kiwifruit is integral for collagen production and the maintenance of healthy skin, and research has suggested that high vitamin C intake is associated with fewer wrinkles. Aside from collagen synthesis, the vitamin C in kiwi is essential to the formation of healthy bones, teeth, and capillaries; plus, the vitamin may keep our eyes healthy by
protecting against cataracts (see the detailed information on vitamin C in
Chapter 1
). Vitamin C also helps protect proteins, lipids (fats), carbohydrates, and nucleic acids (DNA and RNA) from damage by free radicals.

Antioxidants.
One kiwi also contains 40 micrograms of the powerful antiaging antioxidant beta-carotene (see the full story on vitamin A in
Chapter 7
), plus it contains the fat-soluble antioxidant vitamin E, which is usually found in nuts and oils (see
Chapter 3
). And there's more. Kiwis are rich in phytonutrients that protect the DNA in the nucleus of human cells from free-radical damage. Researchers are not yet certain which compounds in kiwi give the fruit its extra-protective antioxidant capacity, but they are sure it is not the fruit's vitamin C or beta-carotene content.

Lutein and zeaxanthin.
As you read with blueberries, these phytonutrients appear to be important to eye health. One cup of peeled kiwifruit contains 216 micrograms of lutein and zeaxanthin combined.

Fiber.
Two kiwis contain 5 grams of fiber, which helps keep you slim by promoting a feeling of fullness without contributing calories. Fiber also helps control your cholesterol and blood sugar levels and protects against gastrointestinal disorders.

Mighty minerals.
Kiwifruit contains several beneficial minerals. One cup of peeled kiwifruit has 552 milligrams of potassium—slightly more than a cup of sliced bananas. Potassium is beneficial to cardiovascular health (see the information on potassium later in this chapter). Kiwis also contain magnesium, which is a major component of bones and teeth (see
Chapter 6
for more on magnesium).

Kiwi is a slimming fruit. Two medium kiwis have only 92 calories. Kiwi may also boost circulation: in a study published in
Platelets
, people who ate two or three kiwis a day for 28 days reduced their platelet aggregation response—potential clot formation—by 18 percent, compared to those eating no kiwis. If the array of health- and beauty-promoting substances
in kiwifruit is not enough to tempt you to try them, turn to
Chapter 9
for my recipes for deliciously cool and sweet Kiwi and Melon Fruit Soup and Tropical Kiwi Fruit Salad with Vanilla Lime Syrup.

The orange color of sweet potatoes gives their secret away. Sweet potatoes are on my list of Top 10 Beauty Foods because of their big boost of beauty-enhancing beta-carotene, a fat-soluble pigment found in many orange vegetables and fruits. It is a powerful antioxidant that protects our cells by destroying the free radicals that can damage cells (including skin cells) and cause age-related disorders. The body converts beta-carotene to vitamin A (see
Chapter 7
), which helps keep your skin smooth, so incorporating sweet potatoes into your diet can help you achieve wrinkle-free skin. Beta-carotene also may protect skin from the damage caused by sun exposure. One cup of cubed sweet potato contains a stunning 14,260 micrograms of beta-carotene.

To help simplify the process of choosing nutritious foods, scientists at the Center for Science in the Public Interest have developed a point system. Foods are given points for dietary fiber, naturally occurring sugars and complex carbohydrates, protein, vitamins A and C, iron, and calcium. Points are deducted for fat content (especially saturated fat), sodium, cholesterol, added refined sugars, and caffeine. The higher the score, the more nutritious the food. According to this point system, the sweet potato is the number-one most nutritious vegetable! For a modest 115-calorie investment, you get a huge nutritional return.

Vital vitamins.
One sweet potato more than meets the recommended dietary allowance for vitamin A. When your body converts the beta-carotene from your sweet potato into
vitamin A, it will help keep your skin smooth and soft. Vitamin A also is important to good vision and eye health, cell division and differentiation, normal functioning of your immune system, and healthy bones, teeth, skin, hair, and fingernails (see
Chapter 7
). Additionally, one cup of canned sweet potato (which weighs more than a cup of uncooked) has 63 milligrams of the wondrous water-soluble antioxidant vitamin C (see
Chapter 1
).