Folic Acid (400 mcg per day)

—Also known as folate, folic acid protects you by decreasing blood levels of the amino acid homocysteine. Lots of foods contain folic acid, including orange juice, kidney beans, broccoli and spinach.

Vitamin B6 (3 mg per day)

—Like folic acid, B6 helps reduce homocysteine levels in your blood. Foods containing B6 include bananas, avocados, brown rice and oats.

Vitamin E (400 IU per day)

—This vitamin is an antioxidant that makes your low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol less likely to clog your arteries. The best sources of this vitamin are nuts, wheat germ, vegetable oils and leafy green vegetables.

Omega-3 Fatty Acids

—By reducing heart spasms and blood platelet clumping that creates dangerous clots in your arteries, omega-3 fatty acids may reduce your risk of cardiac arrest by up to 70%. They're found in beans (especially Great Northern, kidney, navy and soy) and oils (flaxseed, canola, walnut and soy).

Lycopene

—One of the large family of carotenes, this nutrient may help prevent heart disease and cancer. Lycopene is abundant in tomatoes and tomato products. Surprisingly, cooked tomatoes are higher in lycopene than raw tomatoes.

Flavonoids

—This nutrient can thin blood. Drinking 5 ounces of purple grape juice twice a day can reduce blood clotting by 60%. Other sources of flavonoids are apples, blueberries, onions and tea.

Phytochemicals

—Found in a variety of different-colored fruits and vegetables, such as carrots, green beans and red peppers, phytochemicals protect against cancer. That's why you need to eat five or more servings a day.

Quercetin

—A flavonoid with antioxident effects, quercetin attacks free radicals and is particularly effective agains lung cancer. Apples are a good source.

Sulforaphane

—This phytochemical found in mature broccoli and broccoli sprouts may prevent breast cancer by mobilizing your body's natural ability to fight cancer.

Selenium (no more than 200 mcg a day)

—An antioxidant, the mineral selenium may lower the rates of lung, colorectal and prostate cancer by more than 50%.

Carotenoids

—Linked to a decreased risk of prostate, lung, stomach and endometrial cancers, carotenoids like betacarotene are found in many red, yellow and orange fruits and vegetables.

Vitamin E (200 IU)

—This vitamin found in nuts, wheat germ, vegetable oils and leafy green vegetables can cut your risk of getting colon cancer by 50%.

Vitamin C

—Diets containing lots of vitamin C from fruits like oranges, strawberries, cantaloupe and pineapple and vegetables like broccoli, tomatoes, spinach, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, green peppers and turnips appear to protect against stomach, esophageal and cervical cancers.

Resveratrol

—This substance seems to inhibit cancer growth by preventing DNA damage in cells and the growth and spread of tumor cells. It's found in grapes.

Catechins

—Found in tea, especially green tea, ongoing studies show that these antioxidants may inhibit breast, prostate and several other cancers.

Isoflavones

—These substances may stunt the growth of breast and endometrial cancer cells. Isoflavones are found in tofu and other soy-based foods.

Less Fat

—Reduce the amount of fat in your diet to 20% or less of total calorie intake.

Lots of Fiber and Less Fat

—Your diet should include about 60% of its calories from high-fiber, complex carbohydrates found in fruits, vegetables, beans and whole grains. Refined carbohydrates that are rapidly absorbed such as white bread, fruit juices and soda, should be avoided. Also, since obesity puts you at higher risk of diabetes, don't get more than 20% of your calories from fat. And protein should make up 15% of your calories.

Chromium (120 to 200 mcg)

—This mineral helps make your cells receptive to insulin. It may also normalize glucose and insulin levels.

Magnesium (350 mg)

—Insufficient magnesium increases your risk for diabetes. High-fiber foods like cereals, spinach, black-eyed peas and beans are also high in magnesium.