As a nutritionist it's important to keep up with the latest research into food and nutrients, at the same time though I find the advice I give has changed very little, the research over time has just backed it up.
This is particularly true in the fruit and vegetable camp where more and more research suggests an incredibly diverse and significant range of health benefits.
Still I suspect that most people who don't eat enough fruit and veg know they are good for them and they should eat more ... they just aren't motivated enough to do anything about it.
This is where research can become a useful motivational tool, whilst general advice can fall flat, by providing a compelling reason to change your behaviour.
One such study published recently in the Annals of Neurology reported a relative delay in brain ageing of 2.5 years for women who ate a diet high in strawberries and blueberries when compared with a control group who didn't. That's a whole extra 2.5 years of keeping your marbles, which with our increased life expectancy is pretty valuable.
And why berries? Well the plant chemicals (anthocyandins) found in berries can cross the blood-brain barrier so can have a direct protective effect on your brain cells whilst other plant antioxidants might not. Just one of the many reasons to make sure you eat a good range of fruit and veg ... as the evidence shows they each have their own unique benefits.
For the full article and more nutrition research see www.lef.org.
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