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FOUR SEASONS BREEZE | AUGUST 2026 27 Experts agree: the best way to prevent our most prevalent diseases is to EAT HEALTHIER. Almost every day another piece of research or another news story touts the disease-fighting power of our dietary choices — especially the benefits of eating more fruits and vegetables! Whether it's a new vitamin, an antioxidant, or some other phytonutrient not yet "discovered" by science, fruits and vegetables contain an unparalleled array of nutritional elements that offer protection for our bodies — nutrition that we simply can't get from vitamin pills and other traditional nutritional supplements. And the thousands of nutrients found in fruits and vegetables work together in ways that science is just beginning to explore. The message is clear: we need more of the healthful whole food nutrition of fruits and vegetables in our diets every day. It's the one thing everyone agrees we can do to improve our health and reduce our risk of degenerative diseases, such as heart disease, stroke, and cancer. How do I eat? Consume whole foods. Many foods contain pesticides, herbicides, chemicals, food additives, food coloring, preservatives, salt, and sugar. These all put oxidative stress on your cells. Oxidative stress has a by-product called free radicals. Free radicals damage our cells and are the precursor to disease and aging. When free radicals attack the skin, we get wrinkles; when it attacks the joints, we get joint stiffness and arthritis; when it attacks the arteries, we get plaque which leads to clogged arteries. The only way to neutralize them is to incorporate antioxidants into your diet. The only place to get them is from raw fruits and vegetables, which contain phytochemicals. These are plant compounds from which they derive vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. Each color in fruits and vegetables represents a different phytochemical. This is why it is so important to eat a variety of fruit and vegetables everyday! ~ Tina Soeten Th Ioa Ean Hl

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