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Page 112
| tion. Among its many other benefits, the vitamin C in blueberries helps fight cataracts. Finally, blueberries are a good source of potassium, which helps maintain normal fluid balance, blood pressure, and heartbeat. |
| F.Y.I. |
| Researchers have found that a glass of cranberry juice a day is ten times as effective at killing bacteria as conventional antibiotics. |
| If you opt for cranberry juice, look for the unsweetened, 100 percent natural kind; it's available in natural food stores. |
| Cantaloupe |
| Half a cantaloupe gives you a boatload of the antioxidants that help fight cancer, heart disease, and premature aging: it contains more than the RDA for beta-carotene, as well as nearly double the RDA for vitamin C. Cantaloupe's high C content helps the body produce collagen, which is vital for skin and tissue repair. |
| Cantaloupe also offers more potassium than the famously potassium-rich banana. The potassium in cantaloupe helps eliminate excess sodium, which can cause blood pressure to rise; it may keep plaque from sticking to artery walls, another cause of high blood pressure and heart disease; and it helps flush dangerous LDL cholesterol from the body. |
| Cranberries |
| Cranberries are most famous as a now-proven folk remedy for cystitis, the painful urinary tract infection that afflicts many women. Cranberries' antiviral and antifungal properties also strengthen the immune system against other bacterial attacks. The berries are a good source of antioxidant vitamin C and fiber as well. |
| Dates |
| Dates are rich in fiber, niacin, and potassium. They also contain iron. They're a great energy source, as many desert-hiking Bedouins can attest, |
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