5 foods you’re not eating.

5 foods you’re not eating.

Beets: Think beets as red spinach. This crimson vegetable is one of the best sources of both folate and betaine. These two nutrients work together to lower your blood levels of homocysteine, an inflammatory compound that can damage your arteries and increase your risk of heart disease.

Cabbage: One cup of cabbage is loaded with valuable nutrients. At the top of the list is sulforaphane, a chemical that increases your body’s production of enzymes that disarm cell damaging free radicals and reduce your risk of cancer.

Guava: Has a higher concentration of lycopene an antioxidant that fights prostate cancer. Also 1 cup of this stuff provides 688 milligrams of potassium, which is 63 percent more than you’ll find in a medium banana.

Swiss Chard: A half cup of cooked swiss chard provides a huge amount of both lutein and zeaxanthin, supplying 10 mg each. These plant chemicals, known as carotenoids, protect your retinas from the damage of aging.

Cinnamon: Helps control your blood sugar, which influences your risk of heart disease. Researchers found that people with type 2 diabetes who consumed 1g of cinnamon a day for 6 weeks (about ¼ teaspoon each day) significantly reduced not only their blood sugar but also their triglycerides and LDL (bad) cholesterol.