Eat Right, Stay Fit, Have More Sex....

By George Klass (6-08-10)

OK, one out of three is not that bad, I do work out three times a week and I take a 45-minute walk every day.  I try to eat right but you know, that damn Baskin-Robbins store is just down the street. 

From the looks of some of you younger folks, I'm not doing that badly I guess, and I do chalk it up to food intake and exercise.  And your mother was right, you do have to eat your fruits and veggies.

On that score, let's review some stuff.  Here is a short list of "what's good for you and why".

First, the "red group".  Tomatoes, watermelon, pink grapefruit, guava and Papaya.  Rich in lycopene.  This group offers protection against prostate and lung cancer, cardiovascular disease in women, cataracts, and debilitation with advancing age.  I am an expert on advancing age, trust me.

Now the "orange group", like carrots, sweet potatoes, pumpkin, spinach, butternut squash, cantaloupe and mango.  This food group is rich in carotenoids, a family of more than 600 orange and red pigments, all with specific benefits, such as eyesight, immune defense, DNA repair, learning and memory and control of cell division.

Are you scratching your head yet, asking yourselves how I know all these things?  You may know about valve lash and cam timing but I know about my veggies.  Valve lash will not keep you healthy but your veggies will.

How about corn?  Everyone loves corn (and I'm not talking about pop corn with butter).  Corn, collards, spinach, parsley, okra, romaine lettuce, red peppers and brussels sprouts.  These are rich in lutein.  The benefits include protection of the macula of the eye, especially important for women or people with blue eyes and those with a family history of macular degeneration.

As you will see, some of these foods will provide benefits in more than one area.  For instance, broccoli, kale, cabbage, watercress, cauliflower, brussels sprouts (again), turnips, asparagus (makes my pee smell funny), mustard greens and spinach (again).  Rich in isothiocyanates and indoles (I'm sure you already knew that), and offering protection against enzymes that activate carcinogens, DNA damage, hormone-related cancers and growth of transformed cells.

And then there are blueberries and other berries, red and purple grapes, pomegranates, cranberries, currants, pecans, walnuts and seeds.  I can tell what you are thinking, some of you love those red and purple grapes in the bottles with the corks on the top (as do I).  Everything in moderation my mommy used to tell me.  So, what are the benefits of this stuff?  Well, they are ripe with ellagic acids, which stops cancer cells from dividing, kills many kinds of cancer cells and also kills human papilloma virus.  I have no idea what that is but it kills 'em and that's good enough for me.

Then there is eggplant, red cabbage, red bell peppers, red apples, red onions, plums, cherries and red wine.  There I said it again, red wine is good for you (don't drink and drive).  These foods are rich in anthocyanins, which strengthen capillaries, reduces blood clotting, eliminates free radicals (not to be confused with anything political), reduces inflammation and prevents binding of carcinogens to DNA.

Let's not forget the onion and garlic family which is rich in compounds that detoxify the liver and reduce cancer risks, or the vastly beneficial legumes which contain isoflavones that lower bad cholesterol and triglycerides while increasing good cholesterol.  Onions and garlic are good for you, unless you want to kiss someone, and then it may not be that great.

Naturally, no one is going to eat all this stuff.  For one thing, some of you may not like some of it.  For instance, I can't stand Brussels sprouts so I try and make up for it with more spinach, which I do like.  Get the picture?

So, eat right (and eat less), get more exercise, and have more sex.  Do I need to tell you how to do that?  Well, first…..

PS:  Mel didn’t think I was capable of writing a straight article; I'm doing this just to prove him wrong. 

GK

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