Further proof shows that the more colour on your plate, the healthier you will be.

Berries and Weight Loss

Researchers share another reason to look forward to the summer and the bountiful harvest of colorful, dark, high-anthocyanin berries in our farmers’ markets: increased fat oxidation.

In a small but randomized, controlled trial, 27 overweight or obese men saw their high-fat diet supplemented with either 600 g of blackberries or a controlled serving of gelatin for a week. Then their glucose levels were tested, and their calorie usage evaluated. The men who consumed the blackberries showed fat oxidation greater than that of the control group, and they also showed corresponding reductions in insulin sensitivity. Researchers say this is the first time insulin sensitivity reduction has occurred in human subjects (all previous studies were on rats), thanks only to a diet enhanced by blackberries.

Leafy Greens
Slow Cognitive Decline

Those who ate the most greens, and did so regularly, showed cognitive results equal to people 11 years younger.

Just a serving of leafy greens per day, over time, takes away years of aging effects in the brain! That’s the headline news from a Rush University Medical Center study in Chicago. The researchers add that if you eat two servings per day, the benefits are even more significant, peeling off more than a decade of age-related cognitive decline.
What do scientists mean when they refer to “greens”? Any of the leafy vegetables we would typically think of are of benefit – kale, collards, spinach, and lettuce, to name just a few. What is not 100% clear is the active ingredient that produces these anti-aging effects in the brain. But perhaps it’s the synergistic impact of folate, lutein, beta-carotene, and vitamin K1, which are plentiful in leafy greens.
In the Rush University Medical Center research, 960 volunteers ages 58–99 participated for over four years. Regular evaluations showed an evident slowing of cognitive decline in many study participants. Those who ate the most greens, and did so regularly, showed cognitive results equal to people 11 years younger.
Fresh organic greens can be added to your daily shake, or in a delicious summer salad.