Food Synergy: Nature’s Meal Plan

According to the results of a study from the Archives of Internal Medicine, eating just 2.4 ounces of nuts of any kind was associated with declines of 7.4 percent in bad cholesterol and about 5.1 percent in total cholesterol. Nuts, according to Dr. Joan Sabaté, a professor of nutrition at the School of Public Health at Loma Linda University in California, are major players in the world of HDLs and LDLs. “Nuts are the richest source of protein in the plant kingdom, and they also contain fiber and phytosterols, which compete with cholesterol to be absorbed,” she said in an article about the study in the New York Times. “All these nutrients have been demonstrated to lower cholesterol.”

If you’re in a daily battle with your bad cholesterol, this is good news that could have you thinking like a squirrel. But this latest in nuts news is working a couple of different angles of health and nutrition. What’s interesting about Dr. Sabaté’s assessment is her use of the phrase “all these nutrients”. Nature’s way of “packaging” nutrients has prompted great interest in food combinations and something widely referred to as food synergy. Some combinations of food can result in an even bigger benefit simply because of their synergy. Nuts seem to have that – both as a food and as a pairing.

Happy Together

Food synergy occurs when components within the same food, or components between different foods, work together in a way that is more powerful than their effects would be separately. Food combinations for heightened nutritional value are piquing the interest of researchers and nutritionists because of their impact on disease prevention, heart disease, cancer, chronic diseases, and even weight loss. Elaine Magee, author of Food Synergy and WebMD contributor, has posited that food synergy can be harnessed to fight major diseases such as heart disease, stroke, cancer and diabetes.

Other synergistic enthusiasts, of course, combine purely for taste. But taste can unwittingly be a factor in health. Food combos based on what we might consider tradition may actually stem from the nutritional effects they provide. That is, our instincts may be leading us toward a yen for salt with chocolate. For example, the vinegar in sushi rice can reduce the glycemic index by up to 35%, limiting the rice’s effect upon blood sugar. Similarly, the oil in salad might make it possible for the body to absorb all the dish’s antioxidants. Our need to be healthy may be urging our palate to gravitate toward these extraordinary food combinations.

Food “Packages” & Powerful Pairs

Thanks to research into food synergy over the last five years, more and more evidence suggests that the components in the foods we consume interact with each other to give our bodies extra disease protection and a higher level of health. Recent studies focused on risks of chronic diseases and whole grains have suggested that chronic disease may be reduced if whole-grain foods are consumed in a diet otherwise high in plant foods. Another powerful pair? Cooked tomatoes with olive oil. Absorption of two key carotenoids in the skin of the tomato is much greater when the tomatoes are cooked and when eaten with “smart” fat, making olive oil their perfect pairing.

While food combinations can be powerful, components also work together within a single food, confirming that the power is truly nature-created. As a result, these natural mysteries of synergy make it difficult to replicate in supplements that contain only the component. (We’ve written previously about this supplement challenge.) For example, cruciferous vegetables, according to Magee, a category of vegetables that includes cabbage and broccoli, contain two phytochemicals that were more active when combined, according to research that tested the compounds in rats. These vegetables, with their powerful combination of components, protected the rats more effectively from liver cancer. Also, almonds, cashews, and walnuts, according to the Archives of Internal Medicine nuts study discussed above, contain two forms of vitamin E and tend to work best together: alpha- and gamma-tocopherol.

Wild Blueberries: 1 + 1 = 3

Such good news about nuts along the amazing things we know about wild blueberries might make you think these two nutritionally potent foods would be better together. You’re right. Superfood expert Dr. Steven Pratt has touted the immense synergy between blueberries and walnuts for brain health. Dr. Pratt says, “There is synergy between blueberries and almost every other food. If you have blueberries plus walnuts for brain health, that’s better than just walnuts by itself. It’s not 1 plus 1 is 2, its 1 plus 1 is 3.” That’s the mystery of synergy at work.

Great Combinations for Taste & Health

Here is a collection of some fantastic combinations suggested by a selection of synergy experts that have the potential to enhance health and prevent disease – and liven up a plate.

* Tomatoes & Avocados
* Tomatoes & Broccoli
* Oatmeal & Orange Juice
* Broccoli & Tomatoes
* Wild Blueberries &  Grapes
* Wild Blueberries & Walnuts
* Wild Blueberries & Fish
* Soy & Salmon
* Peanuts & Whole Wheat
* Apples & Chocolate
* Lemon & Kale
* Almonds & Yogurt
* Any Fruit with its Peel (especially darkly colored fruit)
* Green Tea & Lemon
* Garlic & Fish

So go ahead – give synergy a try! Whether you are seeking disease prevention or optimum nutrition, or you’re just bored with the regular old meat and potatoes, seek out powerfully nutritious food “packages” and find out what combinations are best for your health goals and your taste buds. While you’re at it, go ahead and thank Mother Nature for giving us a taste for what’s healthy!

Pawl-ee-FEE-nol: Today’s Nutritional Buzzword?

Just twenty years ago we would have been hard pressed to find information about the little substance called the polyphenol, even in the most arcane scientific literature. Now, thanks to chemical research and nutritional science, polyphenols are turning up everywhere. What accounts for polyphenols going mainstream? Many things. But one interesting thing is your skin.

Sunscreen for Your Insides

“We know that a third of skin-related nutrition relates to polyphenols,” Superfood doc Steven Pratt told the Wild Blueberry Health News last fall. “If you want to have healthy skin, you better eat blueberries. They play a bigger role in keeping skin wrinkle-free than any other food group.”

Dr. Pratt was referring to research that indicates that polyphenols play a major role in keeping the skin healthy. While piling on the sunscreen has been de rigueur since people began to understand the dangers of sun exposure, both for good health and for wrinkle prevention, Dr. Pratt suggests putting sunscreen on from inside out, with polyphenols. Polyphenols, found in foods like berries, appear to inhibit the production of inflammatory mediators, protecting the skin from wrinkles and from the signs of aging.

What’s the connection? Chronic inflammation at the cellular level is at the heart of many degenerative age-related diseases. In studies of rats fed polyphenols-rich blueberries, the concentration of several substances in the brain that can trigger an inflammatory response was significantly reduced. Polyphenols appeared to inhibit the production of these inflammatory mediators. That’s important for many health-related reasons, including maintaining healthy, youthful skin. You can read the research here.


Put Polyphenols in Your Life

In addition to serving as an internal sunscreen, polyphenols, because of their antioxidant properties, may reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease and cancer. In fact, polyphenols as regulators of carbon cycling have even been of interest to researchers for how they might affect global warming.

Berries are one of the major players in the role of polyphenols, hence Dr. Pratt’s reference to blueberries as a great source. High levels of polyphenols can generally be found in fruit skins, which is why the deep blue skin of blueberries, and the high skin-to-pulp ratio of wild blueberries in particular, puts this fruit at the top of the list. Other sources of polyphenols include tea, grapes, chocolate, and many fruits and vegetables.

The idea that we can protect our skin from within as well as from without should be considered groundbreaking for a society preoccupied with youth (Hands, please!). Health always works from the inside out, after all. Now that summer’s around the corner, you can pack in the polyphenols when you think of slapping on the sunscreen, knowing you are doing something truly beneficial for your skin.

A Belly Busting Berry? Bonus Bennies from Blues

“It’s About Your Belly…”

It’s unlikely someone you know will take you aside and ask, “What’s up with your belly?” But even if your midsection is not the talk of the office, it doesn’t matter—you know when things are going downhill tummy-wise. If you’ve recently acquired a gut, muffin top, spare tire, or some basic bloat, you know it’s true: the stomach can take the brunt of weight gain.

Heartening news for your emergent abdomen is this recently published research concerning the belly busting benefits of blueberries. Researchers say that antioxidant-rich blueberries may change how the body stores and processes glucose or sugar for energy, and may result in a reduction of fat where it bothers us most.

Said University of Michigan researcher Dr. Steven Bolling in the release, “The benefits of eating fruits and vegetables have been well researched, but our findings in regard to blueberries show the naturally occurring chemicals they contain, such as anthocyanins, show promise in mitigating these health conditions.”

The desire to ban belly fat may be based in aesthetics, but the research is important not just because it might provide the key to a better profile. Abdominal fat is related to heart disease and diabetes, and side effects of banishing belly fat can include lowered cholesterol as well.

Could You Have Bad Belly Karma?

The news about belly fat and blueberries only confirms that antioxidant rich fruits have potential that is yet to be unleashed. But what if, like many people, you’ve already been munching blues at breakfast or with other meals? Talk about unfair: nothing’s changed, you exercise, you eat well, and suddenly you notice size is beginning to matter. That is, your belly is gaining girth and you’re concerned—or at least confused. What is it? Bad karma? Sleep eating? It may be time for some deductive reasoning.

Medicinenet’s series of compelling slideshows  includes a primer on why you may be gaining weight if everything else appears to be the same old-same old.  According to the slideshow, some of the culprits may be lack of sleep or increased stress. Adding insult to injury, these lifestyle shifts can wreak havoc on weight, due to a delicate balance of hormones and appetite that can be knocked asunder in low-sleep, high-stress times.

Other items on the weight gain checklist include taking new meds, menopause, or an undiagnosed disease that may have slipped under the radar and caused you to pack on the pounds. View the slideshow about weight gain and its fixes.

Nature’s Blueprint for Healthy Eating: Smart Birds Choose Smart Berries

According to a recent study about the eating habits of migratory birds, birds take in huge amounts of antioxidants by loading up on certain high-color, high-antioxidant berries before migration – up to triple their body weight in berries per day, or the equivalent to a human swallowing over 300 pounds!

This University of Rhode Island study found that birds seek out dark pigment berries, and tend to favor those with the highest antioxidant count. According to the leader of the study, the berries’ antioxidants may help the birds combat stress and inflammation that they experience during long flights. That birds turn to berries to help them accomplish the trips of their lifetimes provides fascinating evidence into the natural benefits of antioxidant-rich berries, and might tell us a lot about our own eating habits.

Our long flight, of course, occurs closer to the ground, and over the course of 80 or so years. Antioxidants, which occur in the dark purple and blue pigments of berries like blueberries (wild blueberries have highest antioxidant content of twenty other common fruits) help mitigate the effect of free radicals which create a destructive process in our cells. Resulting oxidative damage plays a huge role in many of our modern-day diseases, including heart disease, diabetes, cancer, and diseases of aging.

Are you attracted to bright blues? Do you eat from the rainbow? When it comes to good health and longevity, we might benefit from thinking like a bird when planning our next meal. This study provides more evidence that color is truly the key to spreading our wings and making that great flight we call our life as healthy as possible!

Antioxidants: Health Benefits That Might Surprise You

Wild blueberries are a fantastic fruit. Pancakes, smoothies, salads and desserts aren’t the same without them! On the surface, they seem like a fun, delicious, and healthy food that deserves a place in your daily diet. But there’s another reason to eat them. The little blue fruit has a secret deep within its dark blue color, and that secret is antioxidants.
Wild blueberries are an antioxidant powerhouse – test after test, they come out as a leader. When it comes to living a long, disease-free life, the importance of this simply cannot be underestimated.
What do antioxidants do in my body?
Antioxidants are a hot topic today. Why? They help our bodies protect against disease and age-related health risks. According to Susan Davis, MS, RD, Nutrition Advisor to the Wild Blueberry Association of North America, research focused on this area of health “is not just fascinating but incredibly consequential for members of our community and the public at large.” Here’s why:
Every day, our cells wage a battle against free radicals – unstable oxygen molecules associated with cancer, heart disease and the effects of aging. Dietary antioxidants are the antidote. These phytonutrients, natural substances found in fruits and vegetables, neutralize free radicals and help prevent cell damage. Antioxidants also protect against inflammation, thought to be a leading factor in brain aging, Alzheimer’s disease and other diseases of aging.
Where do I get an “antioxidant”?
Start with wild blueberries. They have the highest antioxidant capacity per serving, compared with more than 20 other fruits. Using a lab testing procedure called Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity (ORAC), USDA researcher Ronald Prior, Ph.D., found that a one-cup serving of wild blueberries had more total antioxidant capacity (TAC) than a serving of cranberries, strawberries, plums, raspberries and even cultivated blueberries.
Wild Blueberries also outperformed selected fruits in an advanced procedure known as the cellular antioxidant activity (CAA) assay, a new means of measuring bioactivity inside cells. (The Cellular Antioxidant Activity Study was conducted by a Cornell University research team led by Dr. Rui Hai Liu.) As a result of their intense nutritional benefit, wild blueberries are implicated in areas of:
  • Brain Health
  • Cancer Prevention
  • Heart Health
  • Urinary Tract Health
  • Vision Health
The Dark (Blue) Secret of Wild Blueberries
The secret to wild blueberries’ powerful advantage is in the deep blue color. Potent antioxidants are highly concentrated in the deep-blue pigments of wild blueberries. Wild blueberries deliver more antioxidant punch due in part to their pulp-to-skin ratio: they are smaller than cultivated berries, which means when we’re eating wild, we’re eating more of the good stuff per bite.
And, the research into the health benefits of wild blueberries continues. Cardiovascular heath and metabolic syndrome headlined the Wild Blueberry Research Summit, held last year in Bar Harbor, Maine where compelling new data to substantiate the connection between a blueberry-rich diet and prevention of two devastating illnesses: cardiovascular disease and diabetes.
Now, doesn’t that wild blueberry pie taste even better?
Read more about the research into the health benefits of this antioxidant powerhouse.

Scarecrow’s Lament: Can We Really Preserve Brain Function?

When Health Magazine announced its America’s Healthiest Superfoods for Women, it cited research that indicates wild blueberries may help prevent memory loss and improve motor skills. Part of living a long, healthy life is keeping the brain in top condition – can this tiny fruit really preserve brain function? 
In making this claim, Health Magazine is referring to an essential brain study done by James A. Joseph, PhD, and his team at the USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging in Boston. Dr. Joseph is co-author of The Color Code , a book that explores the beneficial effects of richly-hued, colorful foods, and is lead researcher at the Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging. Joseph and his team reported that a diet of blueberries may indeed improve motor skills and reverse the short-term memory loss that comes with aging such as Alzheimer’s.
The Brain-Diet Connection
Dr. Joseph’s research revealed that in USDA animal trials, improved navigational skills were evident after a two-month diet of blueberry extract. Although other fruits and vegetables were studied, only blueberries were effective in improving motor skills. In layman’s terms, rats with neuronal lesions that were fed supplemented diets made their way to their cube of cheddar better and faster. This boon to the brain was groundbreaking: the connection between motor skills and nutrition, specifically the nutrition offered by blueberries, was documented. The data also showed an improvement in short term memory loss as a result of the supplemented diet. Joseph and his team had found that it may be possible to overcome genetic predispositions to Alzheimer’s disease through diet.
Inflammation & the Brain
Not only did rats perform better in cognitive tests when fed a blueberry-supplemented diet, but the concentration of several substances in the brain that can trigger an inflammatory response was significantly reduced. The chemical structure of blueberries appeared to inhibit inflammation, and had “attenuated learning impairments” according to the report published in Nutritional Neuroscience. In a stunning “reversal” of the aging process, their brain tissue experienced a kind of regeneration.
Joseph’s study has contributed to wild blueberries’ status as a “brain food”. They appear prominently on lists of top brain foods, and they stand proudly beside other foods (like omega 3-rich wild salmon and walnuts) that pack a punch for preserving brain health.
The Bottom Line
Healthy aging depends on preserving our cognitive ability. While all of us want to live a long, disease-free life, our longevity is only valuable if our brain is functioning well. The bottom line is: keep your head, and eat your brain food. A half of a cup of wild blueberries per day (check for “wild” for the most concentrated nutritional benefit) should help keep you thinking healthy thoughts.

Wild Blueberries Make a Splash in Health Magazine!

Bravo Wild Blues! Experts at Health Magazine are touting them as one of America’s Healthiest Superfoods for Women.

There are plenty of reasons to celebrate wild blueberries as a food that delivers mega benefits. They lead in antioxidant power, and antioxidants help fight aging, cancer and heart disease.

Health magazine also credits wild blueberries for their role in preventing memory loss, improving motor skills, lowering blood pressure and fighting wrinkles. Nutrition author Kate Geagan is quoted as saying “They’re truly one of nature’s ultimate antiaging foods.”

Other nutritional winners? Wild Alaskan salmon, oats, walnuts, and avocados.

See the Superfoods list at Health.com.