Ways to Boost Your Nutrition

Tea and Honey

Never has kicking back with a cuppa been so virtuous: By adding a dollop of this sweet stuff to lemon-flavored tea, you make it an even more nutritious sip, new research shows. Tea itself is steeped with antioxidants (linked to lower levels of heart disease and cancer), and the lemon adds still more. Honey then boosts the brew another notch, upping antioxidant activity by an average of 44%.

Chocolate and Cocoa

Savoring dark chocolate and other cocoa products with lots of heart-healthy flavonoids can lower your blood pressure, a new review has confirmed. The numbers sound tiny — an average of 2.8 points systolic and 2.2 points diastolic — but if you're on the borderline of hypertension, they could be enough to keep you off meds. Small treats are plenty: about 1 ounce of dark chocolate or 3 tablespoons of cocoa a day.

Cinnamon

Cinnamon may be known for its zing, but it can keep your blood sugar levels steady — even after a breakfast of a fast-acting carb like farina cereal, a recent study found. That means fewer blood-glucose spikes and plunges, which can cause those "I'm starving!" moments. Study volunteers added 2½ teaspoons of the spice to their A.M. meal, but sprinkles throughout the day very likely will work, too.

Tomato

We say "tomato" … and so does your heart. In what could be considered juicy news, a Tufts University study found that people who ate a tomato-rich diet had a significantly lower risk of coronary heart disease. The health boost comes from lycopene, an antioxidant that gives tomatoes their color and (pizza lovers, rejoice!) becomes even more concentrated in sauce. In the 11-year study, those who ate the most lycopene — watermelon is another rich source — had a 25% lower risk.

Berries

As if their yumminess weren't enough, here's another good reason to make berries your go-to snack. In a Harvard study of 90,000 women, those who enjoyed at least three servings of strawberries or blueberries per week had a 32% lower risk of heart attack than women who ate them only once a month or less. This was true even if the berry-skippers had lots of other fruits and veggies. Berries' potent ingredients? Anthocyanins — plant pigments that make blood vessels more flexible and reduce blood pressure.

Fresh Basil

Not only does fresh basil add spark when used in caprese salad, pesto, and soup, but it's also full of disease-fighting antioxidants and essential oils. For the biggest health boost, savor it fresh — researchers recently found that a third or more of basil's polyphenols may be lost when the herb is dried. (Of course, dry basil is still a healthy choice if the fresh version is out of season.) Not sure how to cook with it?

Mango

Mango may taste like candy, but it's rich in health-boosting polyphenols and carotenoids. It may also help improve glucose levels: In one study, obese participants who ate the equivalent of about 2/3 cup of the tropical treat (roughly 65 calories) daily for 12 weeks significantly lowered their blood sugar — possibly due to the fruit's fiber, which can slow sugar absorption, say researchers.

Water

Here's one time you shoulddrink and drive. In a British study, thirsty people who downed three cups of water with breakfast did better on tests measuring reaction time than those who skipped the beverage. While the researchers aren't sure how hydration affects your brain, it might be that thirst distracts you, making it tough to focus on tasks, says study author Caroline Edmonds, Ph.D. And for those who need an A.M. jolt, good news: Coffee and tea count, too.

Broccoli

Popeye kept in shape with spinach, but to bolster yourdefenses, fork up some broccoli. The veggie helps prevent cancer, heart disease, and diabetes; now a new U.K. study has uncovered how. The compound glucoraphanin, found in cruciferous vegetables like broccoli, Brussels sprouts, and cabbage, "retunes" cells so they can better defend against illness. Need more munching motivation? Other research suggests that a derivative of glucoraphanin (sulforaphane) may help delay arthritis.

Nuts

Go nuts for pistachios, almonds, walnuts, or other favorites. In a Harvard study of 120,000 women and men, the more nuts people ate, the lower their risk of premature death. Indeed, those who munched daily were 20% less likely to have died during 30 years of follow-up than non-nibblers. More good news: Frequent nut eaters were also less likely to have gained weight.

Pomegranate Juice

In addition to being delicious, the flavonoid- and polyphenol-rich beverage may make your blood vessels healthier, which can mean lower blood pressure readings. In an Iranian study, drinking five ounces of the juice daily (about 85 calories) helped a group of adults with hypertension significantly lower their numbers — by about 6.4 points systolic (the upper number) and 3.6 points diastolic (the lower one) — in just two weeks.