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About Fruits and Vegetables

By Jill Place, MA, RD

Medical research can't stop applauding the benefits of vegetables and fruits when it comes to cancer prevention. If you make one change in what you eat, it should be to have more fruits and vegetables. If you put more fruits and vegetables in your life, you're doing about 80% of the job of cancer prevention. You want to have NINE SERVINGS OR MORE A DAY. The majority of the American population eats less than two. If you're one of those, please see the serving suggestions below for ways to easily get more fresh or frozen fruits and vegetables into your life. Also, you can definitely have some as fresh (preferable to canned, bottled, frozen, or concentrated) juice because a 4-ounce serving equals one serving of whole fruits or vegetables. But the fiber in fruits and vegetables is an important cancer fighter too, so have atleast one-half to three-quarters of your servings as raw or lightly cooked fresh or frozen produce. Any fruit or vegetable will give you lots of fiber and good nutrition, but certain ones have cancer-fighting phytonutrients. Phytonutrients are substances in fruits and vegetables that may help prevent cancer. Fruit and vegetable choices below are grouped according to the produce color of each major phytonutrient group because phytonutrients are found in the colored part of the fruit or vegetable.

Daily

Have atleast one serving (half a fist cooked or one fist raw) or more a day of each of the following "colors" as part of your nine-plus fruit and vegetable servings:

Green or White (crucifers help the liver detoxify the body and protect against certain types of cancer):

Yellow to Deep Orange (carotenoids [Beta-carotene is the most famous] are a huge family of over 600 "colors" that make Vitamin A and help to shrink tumors):

Red (lycopene is a carotenoid which has had a lot of recent press as a cancer-fighter):

**Drinking grapefruit juice or eating grapefruit in large quantities if you're on treatment may make your treatment less effective.

Dark Green (these provide a host of cancer-preventive nutrients such as Vitamin A, calcium, magnesium, folic acid, potassium, and carotenoids along with lots of fiber):

Dark Red to Deep Blue (berries contain anthocyanins, or "colors" called flavonoids that block tumor growth)

Orange to Orange-Red (citrus and other orange fruits are a triple-whammy of carotenoids, flavonoids, and Vitamin C):

**Drinking grapefruit juice or eating grapefruit in large quantities if you're on treatment may make your treatment less effective.

Light Green to White (members of the allium family promote detoxification and stop the growth of tumors):

Weekly

Include one or two servings (half a fist cooked or one fist raw) of these "colors" weekly in your meal plan:

Tan to Brown (mushrooms contain Beta-glucans like lentinan, PSP, and PSK, that have immune-stimulating properties and are used as cancer treatments in Japan. If you can't stomach mushrooms, ask your Registered Dietitian for available tinctures and other mushroom preparations if you would like to include mushrooms in your life as an immune booster):

Olive Green (artichokes have silymarin, which supports and detoxifies the liver):

Globe or baby artichokes, whole boiled, microwaved, pressure-cooked, or steamed

Frozen artichoke hearts, water-packed, canned, or jarred hearts

Purple to Red (grapes have reservatrol, is an antioxidant substance that also can stop cancer progression and protect your heart.Its antiestrogenic activity may also help prevent breast cancer):

Serving Suggestions:

If you're cooking vegetables:

Steam them on the stove or in the microwave. Make extra for salads.

Rub with some good olive, canola, or nut oil and grill veggies when you barbecue. Most veggies do well on the grill, but you might want to purchase a non-stick "wok" that fits on your grill to saute vegetables easily. Make extra for salads.

Sauté them for a few minutes with a small amount of good olive or canola oil in a non-stick pan and add a splash of soy sauce, Bragg's Liquid Aminos, or juice and a Tablespoon or two of sesame seeds or toasted, chopped nuts. Serve with tofu, tempeh, seitan, or bean dishes or as a side dish with chicken, turkey, or fish.

Add extra to casseroles or soups.

Stuff veggies, like peppers and zucchini, with grains or beans and bake, pressure-cook, or microwave.

If you're eating them raw:

Make a salad with chopped vegetables and dark leafy greens. For a quick dressing, add some flavored or balsamic vinegar to an equal amount of good olive, grapeseed, or other oils listed on the Other Foods page with a piece of shallot, mustard to taste, and some seeds. Whirl in a small blender container until smooth.

Make a "salad sandwich" of lettuce, tomato, sprouts, sliced and/or grilled summer squash, peppers, avocado etc. on some good bread or rolled in a whole-wheat, corn, or spelt tortilla. Add some barbecue sauce and/or sautéed onions. Too yum for words!

Juice them. You may also juice fruits, but make sure you only have two to four servings a day of your fruits and vegetables as juice (1 to 2 cups) and the rest as whole produce. Don't buy an expensive juicer if you don't want to lug a ton of produce home from the market and do alot of work. Instead, buy prepared juice, but stick mostly to the ones in plastic bottles. Juices in glass are "cooked" in the bottling process.

If you're cooking fruit:

Steam or bake with some cinnamon, molasses, and/or honey.

Grill.

Poach in juice with fresh mint.

If you're eating it raw:

By all means, buy organic if you can. If your fruit isn't organic, peel it.

Cut or ball up and put in a see-through container at eye-level in your refrigerator. If it's the first thing you see when you open the fridge you're much more likely to eat it.

Serve in a fruit salad. My favorite is with any cut-up seasonal fruits, snipped dried apricots, and a tiny bit of toasted chopped nuts or unsweetened organic coconut. Add ½ cup orange juice to prevent fruit from browning, and toss well.

— © Copyright 2002 Jill Place, MA, RD