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| damage that can lead not only to disease but also to wrinkles, cataracts, and other aging problems. |
| In addition, red peppers supply the phytonutrient compounds lutein and zeaxanthin, both of which have been shown to protect against macular degeneration, the main cause of visual impairment in the elderly. |
| Tips: |
| To cook or not to cook? You benefit either way. Raw peppers retain the most vitamin C, which is easily destroyed in cooking. But cooking releases beta-carotene from peppers, making it more available to your body. So eat them raw in salads and sandwiches as well as lightly grilled or sautéed. |
| Eat peppers with a little bit of fat to help your body absorb the most beta-carotene. |
| Peppers' naturally waxy skin helps protect them from damaging oxidation, so their vitamin content remains intact even after several weeks. Refrigeration keeps them fresh longest. |
| F.Y.I. |
| For every 1 percent you lower your cholesterol, your risk of heart disease drops 2 percent. |
| Red Wine |
| Lowers cholesterol |
| Helps prevent blood clots |
| Fights infection |
| May help prevent heart and circulatory disease |
| Wine has a long history as a healing food: the Jewish Talmud termed it "the foremost of all medicines." But most people consume it for pleasure, not as a preventive measure, and in recent times its health benefits have been largely forgotten. Now that nutritionists have given thumbs up to the wine-friendly Mediterranean diet, wine has |
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