Waist Management

Without doubt fat is the most despised of body tissues. However, according to a report last month in "New Scientist" magazine, fat deserves more love than hate.

Fat is soft and snug, the article states. It blankets us in a warm, intimate embrace. It cradles our internal organs and cushions our footsteps.

In fact, fat is much more than that. It provides a store of essential nutrients for those times when food is less plentiful.

Of course, for most of us in America, there is plenty of food. No problems with that, but the foods we now choose to eat may not always be in the right balance. While an adequate cover of body fat is important, eating fatty foods is not the best way to get it.

The perfect diet is hard to define. Everything, well almost everything, in moderation might be a reasonable guideline to follow. Certainly there is good evidence to support the claims of health benefits of fresh vegetables and fruit.

The combined results of 26 studies was presented in the March 2000 edition of the European Journal of Cancer. These studies confirmed the protective effect of vegetables, and to a lesser extent fruit, against breast cancer.

There is also convincing evidence that vegetables and fruit decrease the risk of cancers of the mouth and pharynx, oesophagus, lung and stomach and vegetables decrease the risk of cancers of the colon and rectum.

More recently, a study reported in the medical journal "Australian Doctor" showed that the 20% of people who consumed the most fruit and vegetables were significantly less likely to have a stroke than the 20% who ate the least.

The researchers found that high intake of citrus fruit, green leafy vegetables and the so-called cruciferous vegetables – such as broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower and brussel sprouts – appeared to be the most protective. They suggested that the components of fruit and vegetables that could be responsible for the protective effect include potassium, folate, fibre and flavonoids.

You can now find details of how various foods can improve your health at your local pharmacy.