Encouraging Health

Red wine isn’t the only beverage that helps keep your arteries clear.

Here are two other mighty fine choices: cranberry juice and tea.

Both are bursting with heart-protective flavonoids. To get the RealAge-recommended daily dose, you can drink several cups of tea (any kind will do) or two and a half small glasses of cranberry juice a day. Yup, it’s that easy.

All About Your Arteries
Whole fruits and veggies are good flavonoid sources, too. But it’s nice to know that what you drink can help nudge you toward the RealAge goal of 31 milligrams of flavonoids daily. Get enough and you’ll not only help give heart disease the boot but also fend off peripheral artery disease (PAD) — a condition that reduces blood flow to the limbs and vital organs. OJ and tomato juice have lots of flavonoids, too, by the way.

Extra Protection
Stave off artery disease with these additional love-your-heart steps:

Kick butt. Smokers are at particularly high risk.

Lace up your walking shoes. Carve out 30 minutes during your day to pound the pavement.

Love the good fats. That means grabbing nuts (not chips) and olive oil (not butter)

Cram in More Cranberries

Bursting with flavor, dripping with color, and abounding in cancer-fighters — the tiny cranberry has it all.

The bright red of the cranberry is a clue that it is jam-packed with flavonoids, including ones that appear to defend against cancer cell growth. So spread your turkey sandwiches with lots of tasty, fresh cranberry relish. It’s great on fish, in muffins, and as a salad topping, too!

Researchers testing a unique group of flavonoids — anthocyanins, proanthocyanidins, and flavonol glycosides — found that individually, each one prevented liver and breast cancer cells from multiplying. When the three are combined, as they are in a cranberry, they may be even more effective in squelching cancer cell growth. In the lab, it’s called synergy. In your mouth, it’s called divine.

Enjoy plenty of fresh cranberries this season by making sauces, cobblers, muffins, and breads with them. When they are out of season, stock up on dried cranberries and add them to cereal, salads, and trail mix. And cranberry juice with a splash of sparkling water is a terrific refresher. With every bite or sip, you’ll be doing something positive for your health, and positively delicious.

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