Got fat? Get this
If you're shaped like an apple, you need to eat more oranges. And papayas, bell peppers, sweet potatoes, broccoli and other foods that are high in vitamin C.
Apple-shaped people — meaning people who carry extra pounds around their middle — are at higher risk of obesity, heart disease and diabetes than people who look more like pears (carrying extra weight in their hips and thighs). All of the health issues that threaten apples drain the body's stores of vitamin C, because it's called into action to fight the cellular damage (oxidation) that comes with these problems. The thicker you are around the middle, the more accelerated oxidation tends to be ... and the more C you use up.
The best solution for reducing this damage is (you knew this was coming) to lose weight, especially around your middle. And a doubly smart way to lose it is by upping your intake of C-rich foods: munching on bell peppers instead of chips; finishing off dinner with a perfect papaya instead of a miniscule dish of some not-so-satisfying low-fat ice cream. What's not to love about filling up on great food that not only may help protect your body from excessive cell damage, but tastes great and might also protect your body from excessive belt tightness? After all, we're talking about losing the calories, not the taste.
The YOU Docs, Mike Roizen and Mehmet Oz, are authors of the best-selling "YOU: The Owner's Manual" and "YOU: On a Diet." To submit questions, go to RealAge.com, the docs' online home. Distributed by King Features Syndicate.
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