You are what you eat

Food is more than fuel. It's a foundation on which you build your body's future. What you eat can change how you feel, what diseases you get, how your body fights illness.

"Nutrition is not an exact science. We learn more and more every day, which is exciting," says Marty Lamb, registered dietitian at LDS Hospital's Fitness Institute. "But what you eat is incredibly important to your health."

Numerous studies have shown that certain foods have disease-fighting properties. Some seem to protect against cancer, while others lower blood pressure or reduce the risk of developing eye disease, for example. Certain foods, when eaten by a pregnant woman, help ward off serious birth defects.

You don't necessarily need to spend lots of money for pills and potions to improve your health. Many low-cost foods are nutritional powerhouses. Mother Nature has packaged nutrients into food so they work together in a way that pills and supplements can't.

You don't have to eat every healthful food; each benefit can be found from different sources, though amounts vary. And there are so many good-for-you foods that it's impossible to list them all.

Still, you have to start somewhere. The Deseret Morning News talked to nutrition and health experts, examined recent research and consulted a number of sources to create this list of 10 "power foods" to consider, listed in no particular order:

TOMATOES: These flavorful staples in Italian cuisine have gained attention in recent years due to lycopene, a carotenoid antioxidant that has cancer-preventing properties. Studies have shown that it reduces the risk of prostate and other cancers.

One of the best things about tomatoes, says Wayne Askew, professor and director of the Division of Nutrition in the University of Utah College of Health, is that they're so versatile. "There are lots of forms you can eat tomatoes in," including cooked or canned, in spaghetti sauce, salsas, etc. Lycopene appears to be better absorbed by the body in this form, according to an American Dietetic Association report.

Tomatoes are an excellent source of vitamins C and A. These antioxidants travel through the body, neutralizing free radicals that could damage cells and cell membranes. They're also a good source of fiber, help lower cholesterol and help prevent colon cancer. You can count on tomatoes for vitamin K, riboflavin, chromium, potassium, niacin, vitamin B-6, folate and biotin, a B-vitamin used in metabolizing both sugar and fat.