• Best bets: Apples, berries, grapefruit
• Good choices: Pears, peaches, plums, prunes, cherries, oranges
• Anti-aging benefits: Rich in fibers and anti-inflammatory antioxidants
that enhance cardiovascular health; may reduce the risk of certain
cancers
“Back to Mono” Fruits: Avocado, Olives, Coconut, Acai
Mono fruits contain healthy monounsaturated fats.
• Anti-aging benefits: High in fiber, anti-inflammatory antioxidants (olives
and acai), and anti-inflammatory/antiadiposity fatty acids, which inhibit
inflammation and may help control weight
Chili Powder
• Anti-aging benefits: High in fiber and anti-inflammatory antioxidants
that may inhibit appetite and help control weight
Nuts and Seeds
• Best bets: Almonds, pistachios, walnuts, filberts, pumpkin seeds, sesame
seeds and sesame butter (tahini), flaxseed, sunflower seeds
• Anti-aging benefits: Rich in fiber, healthy anti-inflammatory fats, and
anti-inflammatory antioxidants that may help control weight
Low-Fat Probiotic Dairy:
Yogurt, Kefir, Probiotic Milk
• Anti-aging benefits: Rich in calcium, whey protein, and beneficial bacteria,
a combination that boosts bone health and immunity and enhances
weight control. Greek yogurt, especially that made from
sheep milk and/or goat milk, is particularly healthful and has a
thick, rich, creamy texture. Many people who are intolerant of cow’s
milk find the sheep- or goat-milk yogurts ideal.
Beans (Legume Family)
• Best bets: Chana dal (aka Bengal gram dal or cholar dal), lentils, chickpeas
Note: Chana gram dal comes from a distinct variety of the same
plant that gives us chickpeas (Cicer arietinum), but the chana dal bean
is much smaller and darker and is higher in fiber and phytoceuticals.
In India, these two types of chickpea are called desi (chana dal)
and kabuli (chickpeas). This distinction is important because chickpeas
have a much higher glycemic index (albeit still low, in relative
terms) than chana dal.
Good choices: Mung beans, hummus (chickpea purée), kidney beans,
navy beans, pinto beans, black beans
• Anti-aging benefits: Rich in soluble fibers and (colorful varieties only)
anti-inflammatory antioxidants that discourage the degenerative
processes leading to common health disorders (e.g., cardiovascular
disease, diabetes, cancer)
Heritage Whole Grains: Oats, Hull-less Barley, Buckwheat
• Anti-aging benefits: Oats and barley are high in fibers that enhance
weight control and discourage cardiovascular disease; the betaglucan
fiber in oats and barley exerts beneficial antiglycemic effects
as well, helping to stabilize blood sugar.
Buckwheat is a seed rather than a grain and has many healthful
anti-aging properties. Buckwheat is by far the richest food source of
rare carbohydrate compounds called fagopyritols—especially Dchiro-
inositol—which, in diabetic rats, reduces blood sugar levels
very substantially. It is also rich in anti-inflammatory antioxidants.
Spicy Sugar-Fighters: Cinnamon, Fenugreek, Cloves
Those with diabetes should consult a physician before relying on any
food or supplement to help control blood sugar.
• Anti-aging benefits: Rich in phytonutrients (fenugreek) and antiinflammatory
antioxidants (cinnamon and cloves) that enhance
weight control and discourage common degenerative conditions
(e.g., cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancer). Cinnamon is also an
outstanding blood sugar stabilizer, as discussed in Chapter Two
(“Lean for Life”).
Anti-aging “Rainbow” Veggies
• Best bets: Spinach, kale, chard, collards, escarole, broccoli rabe, root
vegetable greens (turnip, mustard, beet), sea vegetables (seaweed)
Good choices: Brussels sprouts, broccoli florets, broccoli sprouts, bell
peppers, onion and garlic (allium) family, eggplant, green or red cabbage
(red has the higher antioxidant potential), lettuces (various
types; multicolored are best)
• Anti-aging benefits: Rich in fiber, anti-inflammatory antioxidants, and
other phytonutrients that enhance weight control and discourage
common degenerative conditions (e.g., cardiovascular disease, diabetes,
cancer)
Anti-inflammatory Spices and Herbs:
Ginger, Turmeric, Galangal, Lemon Grass,
Aromatic Culinary Herbs
Culinary herbs are parsley, mint, dill, marjoram, oregano, rosemary,
thyme, and basil.
• Anti-aging benefits: Extremely high in anti-inflammatory antioxidants
and other anti-inflammatory phytonutrients. The yellow pigment in
turmeric (curcumin) is rich in antioxidants (curcuminoids) that exert
potent anti-Alzheimer’s effects in animals. Turmeric (like cinnamon)
also has powerful blood sugar–stabilizing effects and can halt the
changes caused by excessive alcohol consumption that lead to liver
damage.
In clinical trials, ginger and turmeric have shown the ability to
ease arthritis symptoms, since they act on the same inflammation/
pain pathways as prescription COX-2 inhibitor drugs (e.g.,
Vioxx and Celebrex), but without any of the significant adverse
side effects associated with those drugs.
Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Macadamia Nut Oil, and
High-oleic Safflower or Sunflower Oil
• Anti-aging benefits: These oils are high in heart-healthy monounsaturated
fatty acids and low in the inflammatory omega-6 fatty acids that
dominate most common cooking oils (e.g., canola, corn, regular safflower
and sunflower, soy). EVOO is also uniquely rich in extremely
potent antioxidants called hydroxytyrosols.
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