Take Two... Veggies

If you aren't already eating at least one portion of fruit or vegetables a day, here's another good reason why you should. Fruit and vegeta¬bles, as well as herbs and spices, contain salicylic acid, which has the same anti-inflammatory effect as aspirin and can reduce the risk of colorectal cancer and heart disease. According to The Journal of Clinical Pathology, researchers have found that salicylic acid exists in the blood of people who don't take aspirin. What's more, blood samples from vegetarians and non-vegetarians not taking aspirin show that the vegetarians have significantly higher salicylic acid concentrations than non-vegetarians do.

Author: Cathy Lund