Homer Alaska - Lifestyles

Everyday we are bombarded with advertisements and medical reports telling us to eat healthy and everyday we receive new reports as to what is healthy and what isn't. With the constantly changing viewpoint on nutrition, how do you know what is good for you (at least for now)? Here is just a sampling of foods that are good for you and why they are considered so.

Throughout time mothers have been telling kids to eat their broccoli. While broccoli has been around for hundreds of years, it wasn't until the 1920s that it was first cultivated in the United States. Broccoli contains vitamin C, folic acid, beta-carotene, potassium and the phytochemical sulforaphane, which helps reduce the risk of cancer. Like all green vegetables, broccoli is low in calories and almost fat-free, unless you put cheese on it.

One of the oldest members of the cabbage family to be cultivated is collards. Collards are a good source of vitamin C, beta-carotene, folic acid, calcium, vitamin B and sulforaphane and indoles, both of which help reduce the risk of cancer.

Oranges are the third-most popular fruit in the United States behind bananas and apples. The orange is most closely associated with vitamin C, but it offers much more nutritionally, including folic acid, potassium, thiamin, calcium and magnesium. Oranges can be used as snacks, squeezed into juice or added to various dishes. Keep in mind that if you eat an orange, you get the same amount of vitamin C that is in a glass of juice and three grams of dietary fiber.

Pumpkins are a hard-shelled gourd related to watermelons and muskmelons. They are low in calories but high in fiber, potassium, riboflavin and vitamins C and E. They are also rich in alpha-carotene, beta-carotene and lutein. Carotenes are believed to protect the body against chronic diseases, like heart disease and cancer, and may also help prevent age-related vision loss. Pumpkins also provide nutritious seeds and oil.

Spinach gave Popeye amazing strength. While that doesn't happen in real life, it is definitely good for you. Spinach is rich in beta-carotene, lutein and quercetin, a phytochemical that has antioxidant properties. It is also rich in vitamins and minerals, especially folic acid, vitamin K, magnesium and manganese. Spinach also has more protein than most vegetables. While raw spinach is a healthy addition to a salad, it is a good idea to eat it cooked sometimes. The antioxidant carotenoid is much easier for the body to absorb if the spinach is cooked.

Although not really a fruit, strawberries are rich in dietary fiber and manganese and offer more vitamin C than any other berry. They are excellent sources of ellagic acid, a phytochemical that helps fight carcinogens, and anthocynanins, an antioxidant flavonoid.

We all know that we should eat better, but the conflicting information we get makes it hard to decide what to eat. Hopefully, this list will help you make some smart choices.