It’s no secret that eating healthy food does more than leave you feeling satiated and well nourished. When you choose wisely at mealtime, you’ll increase your chances of living a vibrant, long life. A targeted dietary and lifestyle approach can help you prevent—or better control—conditions ranging from cancer to arthritis. Before you explore food-based prevention, make sure you get nutritional guidance. Research supports choosing whole foods over processed choices, limiting sugar and other refined carbohydrates, and emphasizing foods that reduce inflammation, which is the hallmark of many diseases. Here, you’ll find dozens of foods shown to help prevent and control 11 chronic health problems. For each condition, there are foods backed by established research, along with suggested servings based on general approximations, while in the “Promising” section, we feature more preliminary studies.
OMEGA-3-RICH FOODS
Benefits: May help guard against and relieve asthma and allergies by taming inflammation and improving lung function. Servings: One or more servings daily of cold-water fish or flaxseed.
Promising:
Apples Eating apples elevates your levels of quercetin—an antioxidant that alters the immune response to allergic triggers—and may even enhance lung health and lower asthma risk.
Vitamin C-rich fruits Adults with low levels of vitamin C may be more asthma-prone. To replenish your supply of the immune-boosting antioxidant, indulge in juicy fruits like citrus, organic strawberries, and kiwifruit.
FISH
Benefits: Fish high in omega-3s may help lower Alzheimer’s risk by reducing inflammation. Servings: 3 ounces of wild salmon, sardines, or other omega-3-rich fish at least four times a week. Note: Cutting back on saturated and trans fats is equally important for brain health.
SPINACH
Benefits: Folate, a B vitamin, may reduce Alzheimer’s risk.
Servings: Two or three servings weekly.
BERRIES
Benefits: Berries help ease oxidative stress, an aging-related process associated with the onset of Alzheimer’s and dementia. They can also reduce cholesterol, which has been linked to increased Alzheimer’s risk. Servings: Three servings weekly.
Promising:
Black currants Like other berries, black currants offer anthocyanins and polyphenols (potent antioxidants known to preserve brain health as you age).
OMEGA-3-RICH FOODS
Benefits: Omega-3 fatty acids help fight arthritis by easing inflammation. Servings: Eat at least one omega-3-rich food daily, alternating fatty fish with freshly ground flaxseed.
Promising:
Low-fat dairy Since calcium can help keep your joints limber, eat three servings of low-fat dairy products like yogurt and cottage cheese each day. If you have dairy sensitivities, try to get your calcium intake from dark greens, tofu, beans, and almonds.
Onions Quercetin and vitamin C work together to stop inflammatory chemicals from wreaking havoc on joints. In addition to protecting against osteoarthritis, onions may also defend against rheumatoid arthritis.
Cherries An inflammation fighter, cherries may help decrease arthritis-related inflammation. Sour cherries, in particular, may help reduce chronic pain.
Pomegranates The red seeds contain compounds that may combat a host of inflammatory diseases, including arthritis. When the fruit’s not in season, sip pomegranate juice to get the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects.
LEAFY GREENS (Spinach, Kale, Collards)
Benefits: Abound with cancer-fighting vitamins, minerals, and phytochemicals. Servings: Aim for 2 cups daily, a mix of raw and cooked.
BROCCOLI
Benefits: Contains chemicals that convert to isothiocyanates (shown in lab studies to stop tumors from forming) and indoles (associated with a reduction in hormone-related cancers); sulforaphane, another compound, may thwart the proliferation of breast-cancer cells. Servings: Four servings weekly, a mix of raw and cooked. Note: When cooking broccoli, steaming helps seal in nutrients.
TOMATOES
Benefits: The carotenoid lycopene may shield cells from cancer-causing oxygen damage. Best known for preventing prostate cancer, lycopene may also help fend off both breast and pancreatic cancers. Servings: Four or more ½-cup servings weekly. Note: Cooking tomatoes makes their nutrients more bio-available, particularly when cooked with healthy fat, such as olive oil.
BERRIES
Benefits: Fresh or frozen blueberries, blackberries, strawberries, and raspberries are high in fiber, vitamin C, and anthocyanins—antioxidants that counteract the effects of free-radical damage. Servings: 1 cup daily, fresh or frozen. Note: Seek out wild blueberries, which are especially high in antioxidants. Choose organically cultivated berries whenever possible.
Promising:
Mushrooms Maitake and shiitake mushrooms may help ward off cancer by revving up your immune system. Each variety contains an abundance of polysaccharides—molecules that help promote an increase in natural-killer-cell activity, which wipes out malignant cells. Add them to soups and stir-fries regularly.
Citrus Oranges and other citrus fruits deliver big on vitamin C, an antioxidant that helps guard DNA against free-radical damage and prevent cancer. Studies show that citrus may help lower the risk of lung cancer as well as stomach and esophageal cancers.
Pumpkin High in fiber, pumpkin provides two carotenoids (beta-carotene and alpha-carotene) that may protect against skin, lung, breast, bladder, and colon cancers. When autumn’s over, look to canned pumpkin.
OMEGA-3-RICH FISH (Salmon, Sablefish, Sardines, Mackerel)
Benefits: The EPA and DHA omega-3 fatty acids in fatty cold-water fish have been shown to improve mood and emotions. Servings: One small serving (1 to 3 ounces) daily.
WHOLE GRAINS AND LEGUMES
Benefits: Slow-burning carbs (found in foods such as whole grains, legumes, and starchy vegetables) help the brain make serotonin, a mood-boosting chemical that has been detected at low levels in people with depression. Servings: Four or more servings a day. Note: Bananas and oats may help guard against depression by delivering tryptophan, an amino acid your body converts into serotonin.
Promising:
B-rich foods Depression is linked to a deficiency in brain-nourishing B vitamins, so make B-rich foods such as leafy greens, beans, peas, asparagus, and avocados part of your daily diet.
WHOLE GRAINS
Benefits: Mop up artery-clogging cholesterol. Servings: Six daily servings (including ½ cup cooked grains, 1 slice bread, a small whole pita or tortilla, or 1 cup cooked whole-grain pasta). Note: Rich in a cholesterol-lowering fiber called beta-glucan, oats appear particularly powerful in protecting against heart disease.
FATTY FISH
Benefits: Omega-3 fatty acids in fish such as wild Alaskan salmon help improve triglyceride levels, stabilize heartbeat, lower blood pressure, curb heart-harming inflammation, and reduce stroke risk. Servings: Two to seven 3- to 4-ounce servings a week. Note: Include smaller fish such as sardines and anchovies.
NUTS (Walnuts, Almonds, Pistachios, Cashews)
Benefits: Plant sterols in nuts help stop your gut from absorbing cholesterol. Servings: A handful about five times a week. Note: A source of blood-clot-preventing omega-3s, walnuts also nourish your heart with vitamin E, fiber, potassium, and protein.
OLIVE OIL
Benefits: Antioxidants called polyphenols may prevent heart trouble by keeping LDL (“bad”) cholesterol from oxidizing. Healthy fats and vitamin E also contribute to heart health. Servings: Use throughout the week for sautéing veggies or dressing salads. Note: Use extra-virgin olive oil, which contains more polyphenols.
BEANS
Benefits: Lower LDL (“bad”) cholesterol and boost heart health by supplying the mineral magnesium, which helps to keep blood pressure in check, and folate, which decreases levels of homocysteine (an amino acid that raises heart-disease risk when it occurs at elevated levels). Servings: One daily (more if vegetarian); a serving may include ½ cup cooked beans or ½ cup hummus. Note: Include black, red, or azuki beans in your repertoire; research suggests that darker beans deliver more antioxidants.
Promising:
Grapes Grape skins contain resveratrol, a phytonutrient that may elevate your levels of HDL (“good”) cholesterol. Choose organic grapes, as conventionally harvested grapes tend to be treated heavily with pesticides.
Food sensitivities can play a role in agitating irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), so it’s important to be aware of your own body’s response to certain foods. The following have shown promise in helping to regulate IBS symptoms.
YOGURT
Benefits: Builds up the gut’s supply of probiotics—friendly bacteria known to fight inflammation, thus reducing IBS-related gas, pain, and bloating—and helps food move through the intestine more quickly (particularly helpful for constipation). Servings: One serving daily. Note: Eat yogurt with prebiotics, including whole grains (such as oats), almonds, or bananas, which will help to feed the bacteria from the yogurt and make the probiotics more effective.
WHOLE GRAINS
Benefits: Reduce the time it takes for food to pass through the digestive system. Servings: Four or more servings daily. Note: To keep IBS in check, eat grains that contain both soluble and insoluble fiber (such as oats); choose whole grains and whole-grain products, such as breads, pastas, and cereals. Some IBS sufferers are particularly sensitive to wheat and gluten (found in wheat, rye, barley, and oats) and should not eat these foods.
Benefits: Fiber-rich black, kidney, and pinto beans reduce the time it takes for food to pass through the digestive system. Servings: One serving daily. Note: Fiber can worsen gas and cramping for some IBS sufferers, so gradually increase your intake over the course of several weeks, and then assess whether your symptoms improve.
Promising:
Asparagus These green spears provide prebiotics—beneficial bacteria that stimulate the growth of stomach-soothing probiotics. When fresh is not available, go for frozen asparagus shoots.
Prunes Dried plums contain sugar alcohols that act as natural laxatives in the body. In addition to stimulating digestive health, prunes deliver antioxidants and help cool inflammation.
Benefits: Keep bones strong. Servings: 8 ounces of low-fat yogurt provide 415 mg of calcium, and ½ cup of calcium-fortified tofu offers 204 mg.
MINERAL-RICH VEGETABLES
(Turnip Greens, Kale, Collards, Chinese Cabbage) Benefits: Calcium fortifies bones; magnesium and potassium boost bone mineral density. Servings: 1 to 2 cups daily (best if steamed).
Promising:
Vitamin K-rich veggies A high intake of foods rich in vitamin K may help stave off bone loss and reduce risk of hip fractures, say a number of large-scale studies. Shown to work synergistically with vitamin D in preserving bone density, vitamin K is abundant in veggies like broccoli, kale, spinach, Swiss chard, and watercress.
MAGNESIUM-RICH FOODS
Benefits: Foods such as cashews, almonds, halibut, dark leafy greens, and soybeans keep muscles from cramping. Servings: At least one serving daily.
CALCIUM-RICH FOODS
Benefits: In conjunction with vitamin D (best obtained from the sun or supplements), calcium may reduce risk of PMS. Servings: Three to four daily servings. Note: Load up on calcium by consuming low-fat dairy, sardines, salmon, almonds, dark leafy greens, and tofu.
Promising:
Sesame oil Used to stimulate energy in Ayurvedic medicine, sesame oil may help alleviate PMS-related fatigue. Drizzle 1 tablespoon of cold-pressed, uncooked oil atop your salad or stir-fry.
BARLEY
Benefits: Boosts the body’s ability to turn blood sugar (also known as glucose) into fuel for your cells. The grain also contains water-soluble fibers that help regulate blood glucose levels. Servings: At least six daily servings of whole grains, including barley. Note: Barley and oats contain beta-glucan, which helps guard against insulin resistance (a condition marked by diminished ability to remove glucose from the bloodstream).
CAROTENOID-RICH FRUITS AND VEGGIES (Tomatoes, Mangoes, Apricots, Cantaloupes, Sweet Potatoes, Spinach)
Benefits: Decrease inflammation and encourage the efficient use of insulin.
Servings: One or more servings daily.
LEGUMES
Benefits: Rich in water-soluble fiber that helps regulate glucose levels. Servings: One or more servings daily (more if you’re a vegetarian).
Promising:
Magnesium-rich foods Eating halibut, peanut butter, spinach, and other foods high in magnesium may help squash several diabetes risk factors, including high blood sugar, abdominal obesity, and excess blood fats.
Spices Cinnamon may help block the formation of compounds that contribute to damage caused by diabetes and aging. Turmeric (used in curry) may reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes; one study found that mice fed the spice were less likely to develop the disease.
LEAFY GREENS (Kale, Bok Choy, Other Greens)
Benefits: Provide lutein and zeaxanthin, two carotenoids that form the yellow pigment in the central portion of the retina (known as the macula). Servings: At least one serving daily. Note: Eating green leafy veggies is essential for preventing age-related macular degeneration, the leading cause of blindness for older Americans.
OMEGA-3-RICH FISH
Benefits: Lowers age-related macular degeneration risk, as well as preventing dry-eye syndrome. Servings: Five or six servings (3 to 4 ounces) a week of oily fish such as wild salmon or sardines.
Promising:
Asparagus High in lutein, asparagus ranks among the plant world’s best sources of vitamin E, an antioxidant linked with reduced risk of vision-clouding cataracts.
Eggs Eating one egg a day raises lutein and zeaxanthin levels in older adults. For extra protection against macular degeneration, crack an omega-3-enriched egg.