100 Fruits, Vegetables & Grains

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Scientists Cheer for Fruits, Vegetables, and Grains

Imagine an array of well-armed forces battling heart disease, cancer, and stroke, catching cancerous invaders and throwing them out of your system before they destroy healthy cells. Shrinking any tumors that get started. Sending blood pressure tumbling down. Cleaning out the fat in your arteries. Keeping your arteries clear of the blood clots that lead to strokes. Protecting cells against DNA damage. Even slowing down the aging process.

Sounds like the antics of superheroes in your grandchildren's video games?

It's also what goes on in your body when you eat fruits, vegetables, and grains. Scientists have discovered that when you eat food made from plants, you get the benefits of all those powerful defenses. They come from phytochemicals, a term that simply means chemicals in plants. Scientists once thought that these largely nonnutritional, noncaloric substances were just plain useless. It looked as though they were just along for the ride.

But the picture is changing as experts sift through the thousands of phytochemicals in plants. Think of phytochemicals as a bureaucracy that works? most phytochemicals work in groups, but no one knows exactly what each one does. Most have unpronounceable names and produce a cascade of chemical reactions that resemble a Rube Goldberg drawing. But the phytochemicals that you consume can help ward off cancer, heart disease, and stroke.

In fact, more than 200 studies have shown that diets high in fruits and vegetables cut cancer risk. That becomes even more important as you get older and your risk of heart disease, cancer, and stroke increases.

Sometimes protective phytochemicals make their presence known: You can see their calling cards in the bright orange color of carrots or sweet potatoes. Or you get a whiff of phytochemicals in action when you come nose-to-clove with garlic. You taste them in the sharp bite of freshly cut watercress. But many are undetectable.

"These chemicals are there to protect the plants, not you," says Duke, Ph.D., an ethnobotanist, formerly with the U.S. Department of Agriculture Research Service in Beltsville, land. Researchers theorize that some antioxidant phytochemicals evolved to protect plants from oxygen (since plants feed on carbon dioxide, with oxygen as waste), as well as wind, weather, and insects. "These substances keep plants from oxidizing under the hot sun's ultraviolet radiation. They protect bulb plants that grow underground from an onslaught of microbial and insect hazards," says Suzanne Paxton Pierson, a pharmacy doctor and president of Preventive Nutrition Consults in Woodinville, Washington.

"But you can borrow the protective benefits," notes Dr. Duke.

Slash Your Cancer Risk

Up to 33 percent of potential cancers might be prevented just by eating a diet rich in fruits and vegetables, according to scientists at the National Cancer Institute.

"We can save more than 150,000 lives a year, right now, with no treatments, no medical costs, no long-term recovery?if people just eat the foods that protect them," says , Ph.D., professor of biomedical sciences in the Department of Biomedical Sciences at Baylor College of Dentistry in Houston, who researches oral cancer.

"Studies worldwide show that phytochemicals protect against cancer," says Lachance, Ph.D., chairman of the food science department at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey, and an internationally known researcher in the field. But, he cautions, "there is no panacea phytochemical, no one thing you can take or eat for protection."

How I Did It: Now She Knows Beans?And Carrots

Diagnosed with breast cancer at age 49, Grace Maloney recalls, "I knew I would beat it. I just put one foot in front of the other mentally. But, back then, I didn't really make any big changes in my life, with one exception?I stopped smoking."

But when the Heights, New York, resident reached menopause, she did change her diet. "I always loved meat and fruit but hated cooked vegetables. With menopause, I noticed that I put on another 10 pounds. That wasn't healthy, so I knew that I had to change."

Now she is in her sixties and volunteers three days a week at SHARE in New York City, an organization of breast and ovarian cancer survivors.

Maloney says that her downfall wasn't a sweet tooth. It was cheese and other high-fat foods. "It was a real sacrifice to give those foods up," she sighs, recalling a special treat?cheese and pâté.

"I can't say that it made my life better right away, but switching to more fruits and vegetables made my life a lot easier. I've always hated cooked vegetables. In fact, I cook them for my husband, but I can't stand to eat them. So I tried them raw. I discovered that I liked raw carrots and fresh string beans."

Each week, Maloney bought several bunches of carrots and a pound or so of beans. She peeled and sliced the carrots, pulled the strings and the ends off the beans, and stored them in separate, sealed containers in the refrigerator to keep them fresh. "I realized that the string beans, in particular, are delicious, with a crunchy, fresh taste. I would bring things like that to work with me and just eat on the run. Why sit down and have lunch when you can run errands and never waste a minute?"

She added tomatoes to her assortment and stocked up on fruit. "I've always loved fruit, and it was wonderful to have an excuse to buy more," Maloney says. She started buying watermelons, cutting them up and storing them in the refrigerator, along with her vegetable assortment. "I'd just nosh on that when I wanted a snack. Pretty soon, eating fruits and vegetables got to be a routine.

"But I haven't given everything up. I have my wine with dinner every night," she adds. "My husband, , and I eat out twice a week. We try to order sensibly, but I figure that because I eat carefully almost all the time, I'm entitled to an occasional treat.

Around the time she turned 60, Maloney started to worry about other ailments. "I was scared of debilitating things like strokes," she says. "Several friends died. I realized that I could affect the quality of my life." Still, she didn't act until her gynecologist remarked about her borderline high blood pressure.

"Hypertension runs in my family. I worried about that, and I was angry that my internist never talked with me about high blood pressure. My gynecologist suggested that I stop in a couple of times. She said that she had to take several readings to check for accuracy. I did have high blood pressure. I thought that I was worth more than the information I was getting, so I changed internists. I went to see several before deciding on one. When you've had cancer, you don't worry about tact with a doctor. You just say, 'I want this and this and this.'

"My new internist told me to limit my salt intake, which worked a little. She also put me on a very low dose of medication."

That's when Maloney made even more lifestyle changes to keep her heart healthy. "I'm doing a lot of bicycle riding, just for flexibility. Although I ignore it, I have arthritis of the spine. I've found that movement helps my arthritis. Plus, I do weight-bearing exercises. And I started playing tennis an hour a day on the handball wall. The wall never yells at me, and I never have to wait for it to show up."

The effort has paid off. Now when she travels, she has more stamina. "I didn't behave myself when I was young, and it's nice not to have to pay too much for your past sins when you get older," Maloney says. "It has been a sacrifice, but I'm glad for the result?I don't think that I look my age, and I feel great. It keeps me going."

If you eat lots of plant foods (and thus plenty of phytochemicals), you have a lower risk for cancers that attack the lungs, bladder, cervix, mouth, larynx, throat, esophagus, stomach, pancreas, colon, and rectum. Scientists that also believe plant foods may help protect you from breast and prostate cancer.

In the laboratory, phytochemicals keep cancer-forming substances and defective cells?which are turning into cancers?from getting a foothold or spreading. Some contain hormones that disrupt the growth of breast cancer and prostate cancer cells.

Cure Cardiovascular Problems

Phytochemicals keep your heart healthy, too. "The 60-to-80 age group has a much greater risk of heart disease than younger people do. If your diet is rich in fruits and vegetables, you can reduce risk," notes Dexter , M.D., vice chairman of the Department of Emergency Medicine and a heart researcher at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine.

Some plant chemicals help your cardiovascular system by neutralizing harmful low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol that, if left unchecked, can lead to hardening of the arteries. Others act on the walls of your blood vessels and in the process lower your blood pressure or make blood platelets less sticky and less likely to clot so that you're not as vulnerable to strokes.

In a study begun in 1973, researchers kept track of 1,883 men ages 35 to 59 who had high cholesterol levels. Over the next 20 years, the men who had the highest levels of carotenoids (a phytochemical) in their blood had 60 percent fewer heart attacks and deaths.

Fight Free Radicals

Many phytochemicals also do double-duty as antioxidants, neutralizing free radicals, which are unstable molecules that damage or destroy the body's healthy cells. "Antioxidants are particularly important for people ages 60 to 80 because they reduce the effects of aging?system-wide," says Joanne Slavin, Ph.D., professor in the Department of Food Science and Nutrition at the University of Minnesota in St. .

Your body produces harmful free radicals routinely. You also get them from a variety of exterior sources, including cigarette smoke, pollutants, medications, pesticides, and household cleaners.

Free radicals have been linked to more than 60 diseases and medical problems. Beyond heart disease, cancer, and stroke, these include premature aging, stiff joints, wrinkled skin, arthritis, diabetes, and liver cirrhosis.

Here is a breakdown of the major groups of phytochemicals that seem to provide the most protection and how scientists think they work. In this relatively new field, research is still underway.

Organosulfur Compounds: Scents That Protect

The aromatic clout and pungent flavor that you get from plants belonging to the allium family?garlic, onions, leeks, chives, and shallots?are actually signs that protective phytochemicals are at work. You also get these compounds in cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli and cauliflower.

Cancer. Foods rich in organosulfur compounds could be called dietary anticarcinogens, according to Potter, M.D., Ph.D., head of the Cancer Prevention Research Program at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle.

Studies have shown that some of the powerful organosulfur compounds in these plants, such as diallyl disulfide, block or suppress carcinogens. Plus, they help the body intercept and eject cancer-causing agents before they can do any damage.

Another important organosulfur compound, alliin, works as a powerful antioxidant, disposing of the free radicals that damage healthy cells and play a part in both cancer and atherosclerosis. In animals, alliin interferes with tumor growth and prevents the molecular changes that lead to cancer.

Some of these chemicals also help the immune system stay strong, increasing the number of your body's infection-fighting T cells. Researchers at the University of Minnesota School of Public Health looked at the eating habits of more than 41,830 Iowa women ages 55 to 69. Those who ate garlic, a particularly rich source of organosulfur compounds, had a one-third reduction in risk of colon cancer.

In other studies researchers note that the bacteria-fighting organosulfur compounds may also fight off cancer. They disarm Helicobacter pylori, a bacteria found in the stomach that can lead to stomach cancer.

Danish scientists have discovered that chemicals in garlic not only block the growth of cancer cells but also delay the normal aging process of healthy cells.

Heart disease and stroke. Organosulfur compounds found in onions, garlic, and other members of the allium family also defend your heart. "When you eat a hearty meal, you get an influx of fats into the bloodstream. This makes your blood more likely to clot. The alliums, particularly onions, will help your body manufacture substances to get rid of the fat quickly," says Isabella Lipinska, Ph.D., a nutritional counselor for the Cardiac Rehabilitation Program at St. 's Medical Center in Boston. This means that you're less at risk for heart disease and stroke.

Organosulfur compounds contribute to lower blood pressure without the common side effects, such as headaches and impotence, that some people get from prescription medication.

Experts theorize that these compounds dilate the muscle cells in the arteries, opening up blood vessels and lowering blood pressure. They may also help the blood circulate to the smaller vessels more efficiently, lowering blood pressure even more.

They also decrease levels of harmful LDL cholesterol that can narrow artery walls. And they increase levels of the beneficial high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol that keeps your arteries free of plaque and protects against heart disease and stroke.

Scientists in Australia examined the results of eight trials with a total of 415 people. Those who consumed a commercial dried garlic powder for one to three months lowered their blood pressure. Project researchers speculate that if long-term studies of garlic eaters sustain this same rate of lowered blood pressure, the studies might show 30 to 40 percent fewer strokes and 20 to 25 percent less coronary heart disease.

Another study measured cholesterol levels, revealing an 11 percent drop in harmful LDL cholesterol and a 6 percent drop in total cholesterol in people who took 900 milligrams a day of garlic powder tablets (the equivalent of about three cloves) over a 12-week period. That's important because researchers estimate that every 1 percent drop in total cholesterol could translate into a decrease in heart attack risk of 2 percent.

You get protection against stroke from these phytochemicals, too. At Brown University, men ages 30 to 70 who had cholesterol levels of 230 to 290 consumed 700 milligrams of garlic a day. Total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol levels declined by 8 percent. The levels of beneficial HDL cholesterol did not change.

Here are some ways to get the most benefit from organosulfur compounds. You should check with your doctor before you increase intake if you are on anticlotting medicines or aspirin, according to Dr. Lachance.

Get souped up. As you get older, your body doesn't absorb food as easily, a problem compounded if you have dentures and don't chew your food properly. Dr. Lipinska advises using a blender to liquefy vegetables, then making cream of vegetable soups, complete with onion and garlic.

Put away two to three a day. "For health benefits, based on retrospective epidemiologic studies, eat two to three cloves of garlic a day," advises Dr. Paxton Pierson.

Yu-Yan Yeh, Ph.D., professor of nutrition science at Pennsylvania State University in University Park, conducted a study of men ages 35 to 55 with high LDL ("bad" cholesterol) levels. They received supplements equal to two to three cloves, and their LDL cholesterol levels dropped. Still, Dr. Yeh says, "it's better to incorporate fresh garlic into daily cooking and to eat healthy foods instead of taking a supplement. You get extra benefits from vegetables you eat with garlic."

Pass up the riches. Adding garlic or other foods rich in phytochemicals may tempt you toward the wrong kinds of food. A garlicky sauce, for instance, is hardly a wise choice if it's also rich in butter or other animal fats, advises Dr. Yeh. "The benefits won't offset the health hazards of rich food."

Sauté for health. "You'll get the most benefit out of alliums (garlic and its relatives) by chopping them up and then sautéing them in a little oil," says Dr. Yeh. He adds that chopping activates some phytochemicals while heat gets others going. "Use olive oil or canola oil, because they're high in monounsaturated fat and don't seem to contribute to higher LDL cholesterol levels the way other oils do."

Say good-bye to heartburn. Garlic and other alliums don't agree with everyone's digestive tract. If you get heartburn, try deodorized garlic such as aged garlic extract, says Dr. Yeh. People who participated in one study consumed the deodorized supplemental equivalent of three cloves a day. They got the benefits, and no one felt the burn.

Keep it cooked. Avoid raw garlic because, like other bulb vegetables, it grows underground in close contact with bacteria that may be harmful to you. (So don't mix raw garlic in oil, for instance, and store it in the refrigerator.) Raw garlic also gives some people intestinal irritation, says Dr. Yeh.

Use condiments for flavor only. Condiments such as onion or garlic powder may add flavor to your food, but processing techniques have probably cost them just about all of their protective benefits. So just be aware that the payoff doesn't go any farther than your taste buds.

Use it or lose it. The enzymes that activate protective phytochemicals get busy when you chop or press the garlic, but they dissipate within 12 to 24 hours. So you'll get the most benefit when it's freshly chopped, according to Dr. Lachance. If you cut up a garlic clove and save it for another day, all you'll get is the taste.

Isothiocyanates: Leaves That Stem Cancer

You get plant chemicals called isothiocyanates in leafy green vegetables such as watercress, arugula, cabbage, Chinese cabbage, and brussels sprouts, as well as broccoli and cauliflower.

These compounds help the body get rid of cancer-causing substances. "They take the trash out, to put it in the simplest terms. Fewer carcinogens reach their cellular targets," says Hecht, Ph.D., professor of cancer prevention at the University of Minnesota Cancer Center in Minneapolis. These chemicals also make it difficult for cancer-causing substances to zero in on the DNA (genetic material) of healthy cells. In the laboratory, they have kept tumors from forming and have detoxified carcinogens.

In a laboratory experiment, watercress-eating rats that ate a diet containing an isothiocyanate from watercress and a carcinogen from tobacco were 50 percent less likely to develop lung tumors than those exposed only to the carcinogen.

Here is how to get the most benefit from the isothiocyanates in your food.

Eat it raw. "Isothiocyanates are released when you chew the raw vegetable or chop it up," says Dr. Hecht. "You know it's happening because of the sharp taste. Cooking reduces some of the compounds, but the vegetables still contain a lot of beneficial chemicals."

Keep it fresh. While the phytochemicals in these vegetables are fairly stable, you'll get more if you eat fresh vegetables, adds Dr. Hecht.

If, for example, you chop up watercress or broccoli and use it the next day, the taste will be subdued?and the benefits will be slightly less, according to Dr. Duke.

Put it high on the list. "The National Cancer Institute recommends at least five helpings a day of fruits and vegetables. While you won't be immune to cancer if you eat a lot of cruciferous vegetables, they do contain a large number of compounds that we strongly suspect to be anticarcinogens," says Dr. Potter.

Eat the leaves. "phytochemicals are most concentrated in the broad leaves of many vegetables in order to protect the plant, although we also see some concentration in seeds," says Dr. Duke.

indoles: Part of the One-Two Punch

Like Laurel and Hardy, indoles and isothiocyanates go together. Eat the leafy greens of cruciferous vegetables like broccoli, cauliflower, and cabbage, and you get the benefits of both, says Dr. Duke.

Cancer. indoles protect against breast cancer because they alter the body's estrogen metabolism. But it's not for women only?it has the potential for use as a treatment for prostate cancer.

"In humans, they stop the growth of small virus-caused tumors. In animals, these vegetables prevent breast cancer," says Leon Bradlow, Ph.D., director of the Murray Rayburn Laboratory of Biochemical Endocrinology at Strang Cancer Research Laboratory in New York City. "This makes us optimistic that we'll see similar results in humans. We already know that people in China and Korea, who eat cabbage all their lives, have much lower breast cancer rates than people in the West."

You get added benefits from broccoli, a rich source of indoles. It also contains sulforaphane, a phytochemical that prevents mammary tumors in rats.

Fight Disease While You Eat

Ever think that you could protect yourself from disease every time you put food to your lips? You can, if you eat foods rich in the phytochemicals. Here is how to get more of the foods that protect you from cancer, heart disease, and stroke.

Keep it varied. No one knows why, but vegetables grown in different plots of ground can have very different concentrations of beneficial chemicals?even when they are raised right next to each other under closely monitored research conditions.

How do you compensate for those differences? "Vary what you eat," says Leon Bradlow, Ph.D., director of the Murray Rayburn Laboratory of Biochemical Endocrinology at Strang Cancer Research Laboratory in New York City. By choosing lots of different fruits and vegetables, you ensure yourself maximum phytochemical coverage.

Minimize meats. Gradually decrease the amount of meat and other high-fat items on your plate and increase the amounts of vegetables. Suppose a slice of meat usually occupies half your dinner plate. Slowly cut back until your meat serving is the size of a deck of cards or smaller, and the rest of the space is filled with vegetables, pasta, or rice, says Potter, M.D., Ph.D., head of the Cancer Prevention Research Program at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle.

Try meatless meals using recipes from cuisine of the Mediterranean, India, Japan, China, Indonesia, Southeast Asia, and North Africa.

If you make your changes gradually, you won't be as aware of the changing proportions. The shift will be easier to tolerate.

"Work on your own or enroll in cooking classes," suggests Dr. Potter. "You get to meet new people and eat more healthy foods."

Count on mistakes. Tell your family and friends that you're trying new foods for health and enlist their psychological support. "Learning new styles of cooking takes time, and you will screw up," says Dr. Potter. "It's easier if your friends and family are tolerant of your failures. I sometimes think that cooking is a skill that has gone the way of the horse and buggy. I would like to see people get it back."

Make it a party. Get together with friends for "moving dinners," perhaps held once a week at a different person's home. That way, you can all learn together, Dr. Potter says.

Crack open a cookbook. Get ideas for new foods by checking out cookbooks from the library or buying a few. Look for books that promote fruits and vegetables and other plant foods, suggests Dr. Potter.

Eat in company. Whether you pop a clove or a pill, you'll get maximum benefit if you consume phytochemicals with a meal of plant foods, because the intake of protein, fat, and carbohydrate helps your body absorb and use the phytochemicals more effectively, says Lachance, Ph.D., chairman of the food science department at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey, and an internationally known researcher in the field.

Eat what you like. "If you don't like something, you probably won't eat it," says Dexter , M.D., vice chairman of the Department of Emergency Medicine and a heart researcher at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine. If you only like tomatoes and hate other vegetables, just eat more tomatoes. "There are probably enough different kinds of phytochemicals in every vegetable to do you some good," he says. "It's not like there is only one kind in a tomato and another kind in a carrot. There are mixtures in all. It's more important to eat vegetables than to worry about which ones."

Heart disease and stroke. Because indoles are phytoestrogens, estrogen-like substances from plants, they may help lower the risk of heart disease and stroke. Estrogen has been linked to lower levels of harmful LDL cholesterol and may even help control high blood pressure and reduce the blood's tendency to clot.

Here's how to benefit the most from indoles.

Get a quarter a day. For maximum protection Dr. Bradlow suggests that you eat the equivalent of a quarter head of cabbage a day or an equal amount of broccoli (about half a bunch), brussels sprouts, or cauliflower. "We have found the highest levels of indoles in savoy cabbage, the crinkly looking type, and in purple broccoli," he says.

Isoflavones: Tofu to the Rescue

Isoflavones are a group of plant estrogens found in soy products. "In countries where people consume a lot of soy, the rate of breast and prostate cancer is very low," says Clare Hasler, Ph.D., director of the Functional Foods for Health Program at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Cancer. The powerhouse isoflavones in soy are genistein, daidzein and equol. In laboratory tests they keep cancerous cells from growing. Some studies on animals show genistein also keeps tumors from growing and getting the blood supplies they need. And, in fact, when leukemia cells divide, genistein also helps them to return to their original healthy state.

In laboratory studies the phytoestrogens in soy reduce the number of mammary tumors in rats and prevent the growth of human breast cancer cells. Researchers also think that phytochemicals such as isoflavonoids may slow the growth of prostate cancer.

In a Japanese study, the diets of 142,875 women were followed for 17 years. Breast cancer risk was lowest in women whose diets included miso soup, made from soybean paste. Researchers theorize that the isoflavones do the job.

Studies also show that soy consumption is tied to a lower rate of colon and rectal cancers.

Soy also is a good source of saponins, another group of phytochemicals that, in the laboratory, fight cervical, pancreatic, gastric, colon, breast, and prostate cancers.

Heart disease and stroke. "Studies have shown that soy can bring cholesterol from the high-risk to moderate- or low-risk range," says Dr. Hasler.

"Soy contains a variety of chemicals that probably interact. Even independently, some of them do lower levels of harmful cholesterol," says Potter, R.D., Ph.D., associate professor of nutrition at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Scientists believe that plant estrogens in the diet lead to the low levels of heart disease in Asian countries. Scientists speculate that phytoestrogens also slow down atherosclerosis, protecting the arteries.

Soy may taste bland, but it is unique among plants. The important protectors, genistein and daidzein, are only found to any significant extent in soybeans and the foods that come from them. They may keep LDL cholesterol from oxidizing so that it can't easily attach to artery walls. Genistein may also keep artery walls from thickening and keep platelets from clumping together, reducing the risk of heart disease and stroke.

A study conducted by the University of Kentucky reviewed 38 previous studies to show that soy protein lowers LDL cholesterol and triglyceride levels but does not affect levels of the beneficial HDL cholesterol. In some experiments soy-rich diets have reduced total cholesterol by 10 percent and LDLs by 13 percent. Cardiologists estimate that a cholesterol reduction of 10 percent lowers risk of death by 30 percent.

Dr. Potter conducted a study to examine the blood cholesterol and bone density of women ages 50 to 70. Findings showed that women who consumed 40 grams a day of soy protein isolate, the powerful stuff in soy foods, ended up with a drop in LDL and an increase in HDL cholesterol levels.

"We also found that bone density improved in those women taking a soy protein isolate with slightly higher levels of isoflavones," adds Dr. Potter. "Soy consumption may possibly be an alternative to estrogen therapy."

Unfortunately, the typical American diet is virtually soyless. Use these methods to increase your soy consumption.

How I Did It: Supermarket Savvy

Manhattanites and Stanley M. were struck by the double whammy of cancer and heart disease several years ago. , then age 68, was diagnosed with breast cancer, while an electrocardiogram revealed that her husband had previously suffered a silent heart attack.

"I realized that we could do more to control our health, especially by adding fiber and decreasing fat to help reduce the risk of heart problems and cancer," says . "So I started to read labels carefully. I stayed away from processed foods, especially ones that contain a lot of chemicals. I spend much more time in the supermarket now because I read the labels. I look for high fiber, low fat, and serving size. For instance, one brand will call three crackers a serving and another will call six a serving. It often makes a big difference when you add up the total in fiber, fat, and calories."

Before label reading became part of her shopping routine, says, "I used to buy foods that contained chemicals and preservatives. Now I'm more careful. We really emphasize fresh fruits and vegetables. We make it a point to get broccoli, apples, and oranges for fiber and other nutrients."

Stanley wasn't as careful about his diet before his heart attack. "We've both come to enjoy the high-fiber, low-fat diet," says. "I never had any problems with constipation, but Stanley really knows the difference when he doesn't take in enough fiber."

The healthy diet has become a habit. "These days, we maybe eat meat twice a month. When we first tried to change our diet, we used to say to each other, "What is there to eat?" It was just hard to figure out what we could eat. We bought low-fat cookbooks and concocted recipes of our own using a lot of pasta, vegetables, and beans. Now, if we go off our diet, both of us feel guilty."

had just retired from her job as a controller at a New York advertising agency when her cancer was diagnosed. "One of my best survival tactics centered on making attitude changes. After my illness, I was very tense and anxious. I learned to meditate, using breathing exercises to relax."

Exercise helps, too. "I always walk a lot, mostly because my husband and I like to go to museums, movies, theaters, and concerts. I started doing floor exercises for my back. I must be in better shape now, because when I started, I'd get so exhausted that I'd almost be nauseated. Now I can do them with ease."

does volunteer work with SHARE, a New York organization that helps women fight breast and ovarian cancers. She found an important sense of community in helping others. "I led discussion groups and worked on the hotline. It's been very meaningful.

"Facing mortality has made us stronger-more appreciative of the time we have. It has underscored how precious life is and that you can make changes in your life if you go step by step and do what you can."

Go ahead, try tofu. Tofu isn't the most appealing food to look at, but it absorbs the taste of spices and other foods with which it is cooked. This means that you can easily transform the bland into the sublime.

Look for Asian main-course and soup recipes. For grilling and sautéing, use extra-firm tofu?it won't crumble. Add small cubes of tofu to salads (under a light dressing or with a topping of nuts or seeds, you won't even know it's there), says Dr. Hasler.

Keep it firm. Fermented soy products such as tempeh are available in dense, firm blocks. Researchers theorize that fermented soy products are easier for your body to use. Tempeh, firmer than tofu, is perfect for grilling or stir-frying.

Stick to low-fat. Look for low-fat (1 percent) tofu, tempeh, and soy milk products. Avoid high-fat varieties, advises Dr. Hasler.

Drink bean milk. "I drink soy milk," says Dr. Hasler. "The beany flavor is great on whole-grain cereals or granola." Soy milk also comes in vanilla and carob flavors. You can find it in some grocery stores. soy protein can also be found as a supplement in health food stores.

Eat a burger. Some vegetarian hamburger substitutes are made with soy products. Check the label, says Barbara P. Klein, Ph.D., professor of foods and nutrition at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Look at the fat content as well: Some contain more than their fair share. If you just can't do without your meat, try one of the vegetarian sloppy joe mixes available at grocery stores and use half meat and half soy substitute.

Lay off the sauce. You won't get much help from soy sauce?it contains very little soy, says Dr. Lachance. Most products are also loaded with salt, which can raise your blood pressure. Other condiments, such as Bac-Os, contain soy, but in such small amounts that they won't do you any good.

Make a substitution. When you bake, trade 25 percent of your regular flour for soy flour. You'll get those soy benefits, and most recipes will come out the same, says Mark Messina, Ph.D., a nutritionist and soy expert in Port Townsend, Washington, and author of The Simple Soybean and Your Health.

Visit an Exotic Aisle

As you work on adjusting your diet for disease prevention, it is likely that you will want to change your shopping habits as well. So grab a grocery cart and be prepared to take a few turns off the beaten path.

Fill 'er up with produce. When you shop in a supermarket, head straight for the fruits and vegetables section and fill up your cart there. That way, you'll be less likely to head for the more familiar aisles of the store filled with less nutritional foods, suggests Isabella Lipinska, Ph.D., a nutritional counselor for the Cardiac Rehabilitation Program at St. 's Medical Center in Boston.

Find strength in numbers. Lots of cities have co-op food stores, where members buy food in bulk and split up the distribution chores. Usually, you get top-quality fruits and vegetables at a lower price. If you and your friends organize a combined "buying and cooking" club, you'll reap benefits in taste, health, and finances, notes Potter, M.D., Ph.D., head of the Cancer Prevention Research Program at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle.

Buy it off the truck. Make your shopping more fun by frequenting farmers markets, where local produce often has more taste than the prepackaged stuff in the big stores, suggests Dexter , M.D., vice chairman of the Department of Emergency Medicine and a heart researcher at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine. With some extra charm in your shopping expedition and a tastier time in the dining room, you'll be more likely to stick to the fruits-and-vegetables habit.

Lignans: A Little Flax'll Do Ya

Lignans are powerful plant estrogens that are most plentiful in flaxseed, something that you probably don't normally include in your diet. You do get small amounts in cereals and vegetables.

"Some baking companies add small amounts of flax, or linseed, to give breads and other baked goods a nutty flavor. You can get products made with flax in health food stores, too," notes Dr. Hasler.

"This is a new area for research, and we don't know that much about it yet," cautions Dr. Hasler. She suggests that if you want to add flax to your diet, do so very slowly, perhaps sprinkling a little fortified flax (no more than a teaspoon) on your breakfast cereal. It's available at health food stores.

Cancer. Lignans, especially in flaxseed, also seem to prevent breast cancer, at least in the laboratory. In addition to working as phytoestrogens, which means they provide the body with estrogen, lignans are antioxidants, helping to prevent cell damage and stop cancers before they start.

Heart disease and stroke. As antioxidants, lignans may help prevent the dangerous LDL cholesterol damage that can lay the groundwork for heart disease.

In a study at the University of Western Ontario, rats ate flax and flaxseed oil?and their blood pressures held stable, while blood pressures rose in the rats that got no flax in their diets. In another study, people ate three slices of bread containing flaxseed and 15 grams of ground flaxseed a day and saw drops in LDL cholesterol levels and in the clotting action of their blood.

carotenoids Show Their Colors

You see evidence of carotenoids in the bright red, orange, and yellow pigments of some plants. They're also in leafy green vegetables. You'll find them in carrots, tomatoes, sweet potatoes, cantaloupe, winter squash, parsley, pink grapefruit, Swiss chard, spinach, beet greens, pumpkin, watermelon, broccoli, mangoes, oranges, papaya, and tangerines. They're also in fish liver oil.

Cancer. "Study after study shows that diets rich in carotenoids fight disease," says Dr. Lachance. In one study a high-carotenoid diet reduced the risk of lung cancer in nonsmokers. Researchers studied the diets of 1,197 people in Hawaii. Those who ate a variety of fruits and vegetables and consumed high amounts of three carotenoids had less lung cancer. The European Institute of Oncology in Milan looked at rates of oral cancer in Beijing, China, and found that carotenoid consumption reduced risk.

In a survey of 3,000 northern Italians, people who ate seven or more servings of raw tomatoes a week ended up with a 50 to 60 percent lower risk for cancers of the mouth, esophagus, stomach, colon, and rectum. Researchers also think that carotenoids reduce the risk of cancers of the cervix and pancreas.

A particularly powerful carotenoid, lycopene, comes in tomatoes and everything made from them, including pizza sauce and ketchup. Plus, watermelon, guava, and pink grapefruit have lycopene.

In the laboratory, tomato juice extract, for example, has prevented the formation of cancer-causing compounds. An Israeli study showed that lycopene knocks out human endometrial, breast, and lung cancer cells in the laboratory. It also affects the systems that allow the cells to grow into tumors.

Researchers at Harvard Medical School found that people who ate tomatoes, tomato sauce, tomato juice, and pizza?all foods rich in lycopene?had lower rates of prostate cancer.

But lycopene isn't the only carotenoid that protects. Beta-carotene is another potent disease preventer. You get it in sweet potatoes, carrots, apricots, spinach, collard greens, cooking pumpkins, and cantaloupe.

Your body converts beta-carotene into some vitamin A and retinoic acid, which thwarts precancerous and cancerous cells while it enhances T cells, a key part of your body's immune system. As antioxidants, beta-carotene and lycopene root out the dangerous free radicals that can turn cells cancerous.

Researchers note that beta-carotene seems to help reduce the risk of cancers of organ linings, including colon cancer. Researchers think that precancerous colon polyp tissue that contains beta-carotene is less likely to turn malignant. In a combined Swiss and Italian study, beta-carotene in the diet protected against endometrial cancer.

The carotenoids work together, too. In a study conducted by the University of Hawaii, diets rich in beta-carotene, alpha-carotene, and lutein resulted in lower risks of lung cancer in a study of more than 1,200 people. You get lutein in broccoli, green peas, celery, spinach, kale, collard greens, Swiss chard, mustard greens, red peppers, okra, and romaine lettuce.

Heart disease and stroke. Researchers agree that the more carotenoids you eat, the lower your risk will be for chronic heart disease. "They work as antioxidants and prevent the formation of LDL cholesterol," says Dr. .

Use these methods to get the biggest boost from carotenoids.

Use a little fat. "Since most of the carotenoids are fat soluble, eat them with other foods that contain a hint of fat," says Dr. .

Cook 'em up. Most carotenoids aren't damaged by cooking, says Dr. Potter.

Go for color. Reds, oranges, and deep greens tell you that carotenoids are present, even in fruits and vegetables where you might not expect them. For instance, red-leaf lettuce has more carotenoids than iceberg lettuce, and you get more carotenoid benefit from pink grapefruit than from white grapefruit. If you're a meat-and-potatoes sort of person, put some yams or sweet potatoes on your plate for an extra carotenoid boost. (Not that there is anything wrong with white potatoes?they are a good source of potassium, an important mineral, says Dr. Lipinska.) If your lunch features a piece of broiled chicken and potatoes, add a slice of red pepper or tomato, she adds.

Snack on vegetables and crackers. Raw vegetables plus a high-fiber, low-fat cracker or two give you the most phytochemical benefit, says Dr. Lipinska. The small amount of fat in the cracker enables your body to take in fat-soluble phytochemicals as well as the water-soluble kind. Make your snack even more beneficial by choosing a bright orange or green vegetable, high in carotenoids.

Try concentration. You'll get more carotenoids from some concentrated products, says Dr. . Tomato paste, ounce for ounce, contains twice as many carotenoids as do fresh tomatoes, for instance. Tomato puree contains 20 percent more.

Don't turn orange. carotenoids are fat soluble, which means that your body stores them until they are used. If you take in too much, the side effects will be obvious to everyone you see.

"You can turn orange. This doesn't happen if you get carotenoids in food, because you'd have to eat an awful lot. But it's easy to take too many supplements," says Dr. . Beyond keeping your normal skin tone, Dr. says, you're better off getting your carotenoids from food?not from a bottle?for other reasons: It's hard to know the quality of supplements and how well your body can use the substances they contain. And researchers haven't yet figured out whether the carotenoids themselves help your body or whether other substances linked with them in fruits and vegetables are providing the real benefit.

Flavonoids: Can't-Miss Protection

You're in luck?flavonoids occur in just about every plant, from apples to onions to soy.

Cancer. Even black tea (the kind that you get at the grocery store) and Japanese green tea contain flavonoids that help ward off cancer.

"Flavonoids dissipate the substances that cause cancer. They prevent?they don't cure," says Dr. Lachance. Studies at Rutgers University have shown that, at least in laboratory mice, green tea blocks the development of cancer tumors by 90 percent. Black tea, says Dr. Lachance, performs only a little less impressively.

Many flavonoids are also powerful antioxidants. Researchers have found that the process used to make the green tea leaves activates a key antioxidant, epigallocatechin gallate. In the lab, it prevents tumors of a broad range of cancers.

Researchers have found that some flavonoids, such as quercetin in onions and kaempferol in leeks and garlics, fight off the earliest stages of cancer.

In a Dutch study involving 58,279 men and 62,573 women ages 55 to 69, scientists found that onion eaters decreased their risk of stomach cancer.

Heart disease and stroke. In a Canadian laboratory study, a flavonoid called purpurogallin protected the heart against the injuries that occur during a heart attack.

Another Dutch study followed 805 men ages 65 to 84 over a 25-year period. Researchers found that those who ate a flavonoid-focused diet (mostly from black tea, but also from onions and apples) had a 58 percent drop in risk of dying of a heart attack. Average daily tea consumption? About 3.4 cups.

That study was part of a larger, seven-country study which revealed that, all in all, a high-flavonoid diet was the reason for a 25 percent variance in coronary heart disease among the countries studied. Researchers in Israel discovered that red wine, which is high in flavonoids, lowers LDL cholesterol levels, which when raised leads to hardening of the arteries. Laboratory research shows that flavonoids can reduce the tendency of blood platelets to stick together and cause clots.

To get the most of flavonoids, try these tips.

Look to the vine. Researchers are actively scrutinizing "the French paradox," the fact that people who drink wine regularly seem to have lower rates of heart disease even when they dine on a rich cuisine like France's. "We think that the chemicals in wine are potent antioxidants, and they may keep blood from clotting," says Waterhouse, Ph.D., a researcher in the Department of Viticulture and Enology at the University of California, . The people who benefit, studies show, drink just a little wine on a daily basis.

Turn to tea. Dr. Lachance says that tea will give you an effective dose of flavonoids?but you have to drink it regularly. "I drink a cup of coffee in the morning and then drink black tea the rest of the day," he says. "I drink around a half-dozen cups. It's safer than coffee, too, because it's not as stimulating."

Triterpenes, Monoterpenes: Put the Squeeze on Cancer

Triterpenes are a group of compounds that include limonoids, found in the seeds, fruit, and juice of citrus plants. Monoterpenes also are found in citrus but in the skin or peel. Monoterpenes are also present in caraway seeds in the form of D-carvone.

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