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! (Check out this video for tips on making your own raw-veggie basket.)

Recipe Corner
Want to give your party guests the gift of health? Serve up some of these quick and fancy appetizers:

• Black Bean Dip
• Feta and Herb Dip with Crudites
• Caramelized Onion and Green Olive Pizzas
• Radish Crispbread

Find out which onions have the most antioxidant power.

Dietary flavonoids and colorectal adenoma recurrence in the Polyp Prevention Trial. Bobe, G. et al., Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention 2008 Jun;17(6):1344-1353.