Ask any nutrition expert and they’ll tell you: No one food can save you from heart disease or stop cancer from invading your cells. It’s the combination of plant-based foods working together to bolster their individual effects — from working to prevent plaque from adhering to blood vessels to stopping free radicals from damaging cells. Dr. Rui Hai Liu, a food science professor at Cornell University, estimates that more than 8,000 phytochemicals in plant foods work in synergy to safeguard our health. Here is what six combinations do.
1. Apples and cranberries
Cranberries are a medical marvel. Studies have shown they can help fight fat, manage cholesterol, battle cancer, and aid in the prevention of urinary tract infections. Apples, with their high fiber and plentiful phytochemicals, help inhibit the growth of cancer cells and may boost the effects of chemotherapeutic drugs, according to research by Liu, who began studying the health benefits of apples in 2000.
In his work, Liu found that of 11 fruits he studied, cranberries had the strongest phytochemical activity. But, he says on the American Institute for Cancer Research website, “The antioxidant activity of cranberry and apple together is much higher than the separate measurements for these fruits.” For a delicious, healthy dessert that combines the two, make Apple-Cranberry Crisp.
