So many studies show that eating plenty of fruits and vegetables improves your health that it is impossible to track all of the impressive research. But did you know that by simply changing the way you prepare these foods in your kitchen, you can increase — in some cases quadruple — the health-boosting benefits you absorb from these wonder-foods even further?
According to Jo Robinson, author of Eating on the Wild Side, you can supercharge your health just by following these seven simple tips:
- Pull apart your lettuce the day before you eat it: By tearing it up, you quadruple the antioxidants in the lettuce leaves. (The leaves produce extra antioxidants in response to the stress of being torn apart.)
- Slice up and mash garlic and then let it sit on the kitchen counter before using it in cooking to boost its healing powers. These processes set off chemical reactions that produce important compounds.
- When you buy corn, buy corn that is deep yellow. That variety has more than 30 times the antioxdant carotenoids of white corn.
- Eat cooked carrots instead of raw carrots to allow your body to absorb more nutrients. Cook carrots whole instead of slicing them to preserve its falcarinol, a natural cancer-fighting chemical.
- Eat tomatoes that are deep red. They contain a higher level of antioxidants than green, gold or yellow tomatoes.
- When you put raw broccoli in the fridge, keep it in a plastic bag that has tiny pin pricks. That increases the vegetable’s antioxidants.
- Gently thaw frozen berries in the microwave. In that way, you keep more antioxidants in the fruit than if you let them thaw out at room temperature or in your refrigerator.
In addition to these tips, don’t forget to eat a wide variety of differently colored fruits and vegetables. Each of the different colors represents various natural chemicals that provide health benefits. Don’t limit yourself to just a few of these foods. Your body will thank you.
