06/04/2023
Berries are the most healthful fruits, due in part to their pigments, and are second only to herbs and spices as the most antioxidant-packed food category. As a group, they average nearly 10 times more antioxidants than other fruits and vegetables, and have in excess of 50 times the antioxidants than animal-based foods.
Blueberries can significantly improve cognitive performance within hours of consumption, and the more berries, the better. The consumption of blueberries and strawberries is associated with delayed cognitive aging by as much as two and a half years—thought to be because of brain-localizing anthocyanin phytonutrients, as shown on functional MRI scans.
Dark green leafy vegetables are packed with lutein. A brain antioxidant, lutein is a major carotenoid concentrated in the brain and the eyes. Significant correlations exist between cognitive test scores and the amount of macular pigment—that is, plant pigments like lutein in your eyes. Increasing the amount of greens, such as kale, in our diet can be a beneficial way to improve—and maintain—the health of our brain and eyes.
Of all of the food groups analyzed by a team of Harvard University researchers, greens turned out to be associated with the strongest protection against major chronic diseases, including up to about a 20 percent reduction in risk for both heart attacks and strokes for every additional daily serving.
If you take the blood thinner warfarin (sold as Coumadin and Jantoven), talk with your physician before increasing the amount of greens in your diet so the dosing of the drug can be adjusted as needed. Greens are a great source of vitamin K, which may interfere with how warfarin works in the body, so be sure to address that with your doctor before you pile on the leafies.
Berries and dark leafy greens are some of the most healthful foods we should include in our daily routine. This is why they each have their own special categories in Dr. Greger’s Daily Dozen checklist. Download the free Daily Dozen app today and start ticking off your daily servings.
https://nutritionfacts.org/daily-dozen/
For even more on greens and berries, see:
our Berries topic page at nutritionfacts.org/topics/berries
“Benefits of Blueberries for the Brain” at http://bit.ly/2l5GumS
“How to Slow Brain Aging by Two Years” at http://bit.ly/2rI2WVZ
“Brain-Healthy Foods to Fight Aging” at https://bit.ly/3hzQkZQ
“Do Lutein Supplements Help with Brain Function?” at http://bit.ly/2SzBGWj
our Vegetables topic page at nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetables
