What’s the perfect party food for better colon health? Easy — a veggie platter with zesty bean dip.
Why? Because beans, onions, celery, radishes, cucumbers, and peppers are great sources of flavonols — a type of antioxidant that may help stop colon polyps from coming back in a more advanced state.
The Flavonol Factor
In a recent study, researchers tracked the diets of close to 2,000 adults who had been treated for colon polyps — little benign tumors that have a chance of becoming cancerous. After 4 years of healthy living, the people whose diets were highest in flavonols were 76 percent less likely to have a recurrent polyp in an advanced stage than those with the lowest intake. Even if you’ve never had a colon polyp, onions and other flavonol-rich produce still do good things for your body — because they’re often full of fiber and other vitamins and nutrients as well. Cheers to that!
Black Bean Dip
This lively dip can be made in minutes. Serve with baked tortilla chips.
Ingredients
* 1 19-ounce or 15-ounce can black beans, rinsed
* 1/2 cup prepared salsa, hot or mild
* 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
* 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
* 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
* Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
Directions
1. Combine black beans, salsa, lime juice, cilantro and cumin in a food processor. Process until smooth. Season with salt and pepper.
Brick ONeil 