HEALTHY PERSPECTIVE: Accentuating the positive with fresh figs in the diet
HEALTHY PERSPECTIVE: Accentuating the positive with fresh figs in the diet
There is an old hit song by Johnny Mercer, performed by Bing Crosby in the 1944 movie "Here Come the Waves," familiar for the lyric, "You've got to accentuate the positive, eliminate the negative ..."
That is good advice in many aspects of life, and the sequence of those two imperatives is significant, particularly when applied to a healthful diet. Too often, people focus on eliminating the negatives and never even get around to accentuating the positive.
As a case in point, I recently ran across a health-and-fitness web site that touted the "nutritional benefits" of figs by saying that they are highly nutritious because they are low in sodium and low in fat -- oh, and almost as an afterthought, because they are high in fiber. End of story.
But in fact, that does not begin to tell the whole story about fig nutrition, and as with so many other fruits and vegetables, it is a story that continues to unfold with ongoing research. Furthermore, the failure to focus on the many positives of fresh figs in the diet is a disservice to consumers.
Simply put, you could eliminate all the "negatives" from your diet -- salt, saturated fat, white flour, refined sugar -- pick your own list, there are plenty out there to choose from -- and still suffer from severe malnutrition. If eliminating the negatives were all that was necessary, we could live on distilled water. (Until someone decides that water is also a no-no.)
Nutritionist Sarah Dobbyns, author of, among other things, The Fertility Diet, praises figs highly. "Figs contain an astonishing array of nutrients," she wrote in an article on the Paros Life web site. "Curiously, their mineral content resembles breast milk: They have calcium, iron, phosphorus, manganese and potassium," and the calcium is in a highly absorbable form that is best "for preventing osteoporosis."
Figs are also "one of the richest fruit sources" of vitamins B1, B2 and B6 that "are nerve tonics and also support proper digestion and assimilation." In addition, the phytochemical ficin in figs "promotes digestion and the breakdown of protein."
Figs contain "an anti-cancer compound called benzaldehyde," and, like green tea, they are loaded with antioxidant polyphynols, according to Ms. Dobbyns. J.A. Vinson, a researcher at the University of Scranton, discussed "the functional food properties of figs" in an article published in the February 1999 issue of Cereal Foods World, a publication of the American Association of Cereal Chemists. The piece is essentially a review of scientific research on the health benefits of figs, citiing more than 40 published studies.
According to Dr. Vinson, a single serving of figs contains 20 percent of the daily value of fiber (based on USDA dietary guidelines), 28 percent of which is soluble fiber "which has been shown to help control blood sugar and lower blood cholesterol by binding to it in the digestive tract. Thus, figs and their soluble fiber may be of help with weight reduction."
Regarding the anti-cancer potential of figs, Dr. Vinson wrote: "Out of almost 200 epidemiological studies, the relationship between cancer risk and fruit and vegetable intake is exceptionally strong and consistent. People who eat greater amounts of fruits and vegetables have about one-half the risks of getting cancer and have less mortality from cancer. It is the hypothesis of many scientists that the polyphenols in the fruits and vegetables are responsible for the reduced cancer-risk benefits they offer."
Figs are high in polyphenols, and in addition "have other compounds with anti-cancer activity, specifically benzaldehyde and the coumarins," he wrote. There is also "overwhelming epidemiological evidence of the protective effect of vegetables and fruits against heart disease" as well as stroke and high blood pressure, which again is associated with polyphenol content, Dr. Vinson continued. In research in his own laboratory, he determined that "figs contain one of the highest concentrations of polyphenols among commonly consumed foods and beverages," even surpassing red wine and tea which are "well known and well publicized sources of phenols."
In his summary, Dr. Vinson gets the sequence right: "Figs are an excellent source of fiber, minerals and polyphenols." And, he adds, they are low in sodium and have no fat.
In promoting the health benefits of fruits and vegetables, marketers and retailers need to keep that lesson in mind. Yes, it's important that a diet rich in a wide assortment of fruits and vegetables --including fresh figs -- helps eliminate a lot of negatives from the diet. But it's even more important to focus on all of the good things that are in those fruits and vegetables that make a positive contribution to better health. In other words -- accentuate the positive.
(For more on figs, see the May 26 issue of The Produce News.)
That is good advice in many aspects of life, and the sequence of those two imperatives is significant, particularly when applied to a healthful diet. Too often, people focus on eliminating the negatives and never even get around to accentuating the positive.
As a case in point, I recently ran across a health-and-fitness web site that touted the "nutritional benefits" of figs by saying that they are highly nutritious because they are low in sodium and low in fat -- oh, and almost as an afterthought, because they are high in fiber. End of story.
But in fact, that does not begin to tell the whole story about fig nutrition, and as with so many other fruits and vegetables, it is a story that continues to unfold with ongoing research. Furthermore, the failure to focus on the many positives of fresh figs in the diet is a disservice to consumers.
Simply put, you could eliminate all the "negatives" from your diet -- salt, saturated fat, white flour, refined sugar -- pick your own list, there are plenty out there to choose from -- and still suffer from severe malnutrition. If eliminating the negatives were all that was necessary, we could live on distilled water. (Until someone decides that water is also a no-no.)
Nutritionist Sarah Dobbyns, author of, among other things, The Fertility Diet, praises figs highly. "Figs contain an astonishing array of nutrients," she wrote in an article on the Paros Life web site. "Curiously, their mineral content resembles breast milk: They have calcium, iron, phosphorus, manganese and potassium," and the calcium is in a highly absorbable form that is best "for preventing osteoporosis."
Figs are also "one of the richest fruit sources" of vitamins B1, B2 and B6 that "are nerve tonics and also support proper digestion and assimilation." In addition, the phytochemical ficin in figs "promotes digestion and the breakdown of protein."
Figs contain "an anti-cancer compound called benzaldehyde," and, like green tea, they are loaded with antioxidant polyphynols, according to Ms. Dobbyns. J.A. Vinson, a researcher at the University of Scranton, discussed "the functional food properties of figs" in an article published in the February 1999 issue of Cereal Foods World, a publication of the American Association of Cereal Chemists. The piece is essentially a review of scientific research on the health benefits of figs, citiing more than 40 published studies.
According to Dr. Vinson, a single serving of figs contains 20 percent of the daily value of fiber (based on USDA dietary guidelines), 28 percent of which is soluble fiber "which has been shown to help control blood sugar and lower blood cholesterol by binding to it in the digestive tract. Thus, figs and their soluble fiber may be of help with weight reduction."
Regarding the anti-cancer potential of figs, Dr. Vinson wrote: "Out of almost 200 epidemiological studies, the relationship between cancer risk and fruit and vegetable intake is exceptionally strong and consistent. People who eat greater amounts of fruits and vegetables have about one-half the risks of getting cancer and have less mortality from cancer. It is the hypothesis of many scientists that the polyphenols in the fruits and vegetables are responsible for the reduced cancer-risk benefits they offer."
Figs are high in polyphenols, and in addition "have other compounds with anti-cancer activity, specifically benzaldehyde and the coumarins," he wrote. There is also "overwhelming epidemiological evidence of the protective effect of vegetables and fruits against heart disease" as well as stroke and high blood pressure, which again is associated with polyphenol content, Dr. Vinson continued. In research in his own laboratory, he determined that "figs contain one of the highest concentrations of polyphenols among commonly consumed foods and beverages," even surpassing red wine and tea which are "well known and well publicized sources of phenols."
In his summary, Dr. Vinson gets the sequence right: "Figs are an excellent source of fiber, minerals and polyphenols." And, he adds, they are low in sodium and have no fat.
In promoting the health benefits of fruits and vegetables, marketers and retailers need to keep that lesson in mind. Yes, it's important that a diet rich in a wide assortment of fruits and vegetables --including fresh figs -- helps eliminate a lot of negatives from the diet. But it's even more important to focus on all of the good things that are in those fruits and vegetables that make a positive contribution to better health. In other words -- accentuate the positive.
(For more on figs, see the May 26 issue of The Produce News.)
