Article By: John Fontana

From 1946 to 1964, more than 76 million babies were born in the United States, a generation now holding the most popular nickname of all time “Baby Boomers.” 2010 is now an inverse year for them, as the oldest (born in 1946) are now 64 and the youngest (born in 1964) are now 46. As many of them are winding their professional careers down and looking to enjoy their retirement, health seems to be a major concern. But it seems a bit ironic that Baby Boomers are suddenly so concerned with health considering how much they’ve negatively changed the foods we eat over the years.

The Baby Boom generation’s concerns are certainly valid. With age typically comes a variety of health concerns including loss of memory, loss of vision, and risk of cancer. Sorry to be a Debbie Downer, but these are real issues that need to be faced and addressed. While we have never been better equipped to battle diseases thanks to advanced drugs and pharmaceuticals, a heavy focus should also be aimed at preventative methods. Food can really be the make-or-break for long-term vitality. Following a healthy diet can add many healthy years to your life, while eating poorly will not only shorten your life but also decrease your chances of successfully fighting off illness and disease.

Certain foods should be staples in everyone’s diet, especially with those who are facing the challenge of staying healthy while aging. There are a few foods that I think Baby Boomers should eat on a regular basis because of the specific health benefits they provide. Because of this I am naming blueberries the official fruit of the Baby Boomer generation. Blueberries have shown to help with memory, eye sight and fight specific cancers that are notorious for affecting people as they age.

Why So Good?

Brainy Blueberries

One of the biggest benefits of blueberries is that they are great for your brain and memory. Certain chemical compounds in blueberries have show to benefit many diseases that are related to aging. These antioxidant and anti-inflammatory compounds reduce inflammation and oxidative stress that show up in just about every type of disease. As people age, memory begins to fade and the brain’s ability to process certain neurological signals goes down. Balance and coordination begin to deteriorate a bit because the neurons are not “talking” to each other the way they once were. Polyphenols found in blueberries have shown to signal the neurons to interact with one another. The constant communication between the neurons and blueberries’ ability to aid in neuron development in the brain make them the ultimate brain food.

Safe From Cancer

The risk of colon cancer can go down tremendously with continuous consumption of blueberries. The growth of certain cancer-causing cells was drastically reduced in certain studies when blueberry extracts were included. Colon cancer risk increases steadily the older a person gets and therefore so should blueberry consumption.

Ovarian cancer is another type of cancer that blueberries can help prevent. Kaempferol is a type of phytonutrient that is commonly found in blueberries and can be a major benefit to women. Women who eat kaempferol-rich foods have been shown to reduce their risk of ovarian cancer by nearly 50%. There is no doubt that aging women suffer from a higher risk of ovarian cancer, and blueberries may be a major protector from that.

Blueberries: The Antioxidant King

The ORAC is a system that scientist use to measure the antioxidant power of foods. Of all the fruit in the world, blueberries come up with the highest ORAC rating. Certain antioxidants work better when paired with other antioxidants and the ORAC rating system measures how well these antioxidants interact with one another. Considering that antioxidants help to fight free radicals, which are the building blocks to any disease and blueberries have the best combination of antioxidants in any fruit, I think eating them is a good idea.

When it comes down to it, prevention is way more important than curing. If you can prevent many diseases from developing in your body, you will never have to worry about a cure. Blueberries are clearly a food that have some amazing disease-preventing properties. It is never too early or too late to start taking these preventative measures and going out to buy blueberries today is a great start.

How To Eat?

Since blueberries have a very thin skin, I recommend that you always buy organic. The sprays that farmers use on conventionally raised blueberries will effect the chemical makeup of the berries and reduce the amount of positive phytonutrients. Buying wild, organic blueberries is the way to go and it is even good to buy the frozen kind. Frozen fruits are actually really good because they hold a lot of the nutrients that are in the blueberries right when they are picked. Some fruit will lose those nutrients the longer they sit on shelves, so don’t be afraid to buy the frozen type.

Blueberries are great either straight out of the container, mixed into yogurt or blended with a shake. There are really unlimited ways to get blueberries into your diet, so there is really no excuse not to eat them. Buy a pack today and start to prevent any diseases that may follow with age.

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Leave a response at the bottom of the article,

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Article By: John Fontana

Every Sunday morning I make the trek down to Hollywood and Vine to grab some fresh fruits, vegetables, meats and whatever else looks good at the time. The Hollywood farmers market is one of many in Los Angeles that is packed with an assortment of foods that come straight from the farmers. A farmers market has a feel to it that no grocery store can contend with.

From the buzzing excitement of the patrons to the street musicians jamming on their instruments to the vendors shouting, this isn’t your typical shopping experience. On top of that, you have multiple selections of just about any food item you can imagine. If I want strawberries or avocados I can stroll up and down the isles looking at the many options until I find a look and price I like. Many of the brands that Whole Foods stocks their shelves with get their start on the farmers market scene, testing out the goods before offering them to a major distributor. Each and every visit is exciting because a wide variety of new fruits and vegetables are always coming into season giving new options to chose from.

One of the foods that I was excited to see this past trip was guava, which looks like a cross between a green apple and a small pumpkin. Although it is rare to stumble upon guavas, whenever I see them I grab a few because of their great taste and nutritional benefits. Guavas are typically seen in jellies and juices but rarely in raw form. Usually by the time they are juiced or jellified (I know its not a word) a lot of the good fiber has been taken out of them. Either way, guavas are highly beneficial to your health and if you spot them you should grab up a few.

Why So Good?

Nutrition Facts

One guava will typically yield you around 110 calories. Of those calories you will find about 24g of carbs consisting of 9g of fiber and 15g of sugar. The fiber in the fruit will balance out the sugar keeping your blood insulin from spiking. This is another example of why the sugar in fruit is much different in sugar in fruit juice or high sugar treats. You will also find only 2g of fat, 4g of protein in the fruit and 209% daily recommended vitamin C. It is host to a low glycemic load and has pretty good anti-inflammatory benefits. All this makes guava a well balanced food to eat as an early day snack.

Antioxidant Power

Guava has consistently ranked within the top 10 of fruits and vegetables tested for ORAC value. ORAC is a test given to fruits and vegetables to see how much antioxidant value a food has. Some of the key players in the antioxidant levels are potassium and lycopene. Potassium is known to help prevent muscle cramping but can also help aid in digestion, regulate blood pressure and keep your skin healthy.

Lycopene is known to be most beneficial to males by keeping the prostate healthy. What many don’t realize is that it is actually very good for women to consume lycopene to help prevent breast cancer. The main source of lycopene for American’s are tomatoes, but guavas actually host almost 20% more lycopene per serving. Lycopene helps repair cells that are damaged by free radicals. Free radicals are linked to just about any and all health issues but are most commonly known to be cancer causing.

How To Eat?

Although it is tough to actually digest all of the lycopene from tomatoes, guava’s lycopene is fully and readably available. Tomatoes have tough cell walls which actually make it hard for our bodies to break down without cooking or processing. On the other hand guava’s do not, making it easy to get all the antioxidant benefits from lycopene simply by biting into a raw one.

I suggest eating the guava raw or mixing them in with a smoothie. Do not juice a guava because much of the 9g of fiber can be taken out of the fruit by doing so. Other than that get creative and mix them in a salad or a fruit cocktail.

One of my favorite nutrition sites is Nutritional Data. There you can see a detailed breakdown of the nutritional information including glycemic load and anti-inflammatory benefit. Here is the information for the Guava Nutritional Data.

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I encourage any questions or comments, please:

Leave a response at the bottom of the article,

E-mail me personally at jfontana@shadowfit.com

or Tweet me @johnnyfontana on Twitter