Posted on: Wednesday, June 22, 2005
SHAPE UP
Veggies are a dieter's best friend
| Editor's note: This is the first of two articles on fruits and vegetables. |
By Charles Stuart Platkin
I recently saw a public-health advertisement featuring a photo of a mother pointing and saying, "Remember when your mom told you to eat your vegetables."
Well, mom was right, and she didn't even know all the yet-to-be-discovered research that supports eating plenty of vegetables. Veggies help you lose weight because they're high in fiber and water. And they fight disease.
While experts recommend eating a variety of vegetables, here are the best of the best.
BROCCOLI
Why: Not only low-calorie and inexpensive, broccoli is also one of the tastiest and healthiest vegetables.
Nutrients: High in vitamins A, C and K and is also a great source of iron and folate. One cup of steamed broccoli has 44 calories. Health Perks: Contains phytochemicals that have anti-cancer effects: beta-carotene, indoles and isothiocyanates. Indole-3-carbinol has been shown to suppress not only breast tumor cell growth but also cancer cell movement to other areas of the body.
According to Karen Collins, nutrition adviser to the American Institute for Cancer Research, the phytochemicals in cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli also may offer some protection from substances in grilled and broiled meats linked with colon cancer.
Broccoli also helps battle diabetes because of its high fiber content, which improves blood sugar control. In addition, broccoli has as much calcium as milk. Broccoli can also lower the risk of developing cataracts.
Purchasing tips: Aliza Green, author of "Field Guide to Produce" (Quirk Books, 2004), advises choosing dark green bunches — good color indicates high nutrient value. Florets that are dark green, purplish or bluish-green contain more beta-carotene and vitamin C than paler or yellowing ones. Choose bunches with stalks that are firm. For storage, Green suggests refrigerating unwashed broccoli in an airtight bag for up to four days.
Uses: Broccoli can be used raw in salads, cooked in soups or sauteed with garlic and a little olive oil.
Why: Spinach is packed with an amazing quantity of nutrients for very few calories, and it tastes great hot or cold.
Nutrients: This is where spinach shines: It has such a wonderful supply of nutrients for so few calories. It's a great source of vitamins A, B2, C and K, as well as folate, potassium, magnesium, beta-carotene and fiber. One cup of steamed spinach contains 42 calories. Health Perks: Spinach can help control blood pressure, keep blood vessels healthy, reduce cancer risk and slow development of age-related eye damage, according to Collins. Spinach also seems to protect against breast cancer risk linked to excess alcohol. Spinach has 13 different flavonoid (a type of phytochemical) compounds that function as antioxidants and anti-cancer agents. Additionally, vitamin C, beta-carotene and lutein reduce the risk of heart disease by preventing buildup of oxidized cholesterol in the artery walls. Lutein and zeaxanthin also seem to protect the eyes from ultraviolet light damage. Purchasing tips: Green recommends looking for "deeply colored, crisp, perky leaves that are unbroken. Avoid spinach with yellowed leaves." Spinach is tender and will spoil quickly. Store unwashed bunched spinach in a plastic bag in the refrigerator for two to three days. Uses: Add to pastas, soups, casseroles and salads.
Nutrients: Garlic is a good source of manganese, vitamin B6, vitamin C and selenium. One clove has about 4 calories.
Health Perks: Garlic protects against cancer. In addition, "garlic's phytochemicals stimulate enzymes that detoxify carcinogens, potentially stopping cancer before it even starts," says Collins.
Garlic is also known to have anti-tumor properties due to its organic sulfides and polysulfides. It is also reported to enhance immune function by stimulating lymphocytes and macrophages to destroy cancer cells, and it is reported to disrupt the metabolism of tumor cells.
The compound that produces much of the disease-fighting activity of garlic is allicin, which is released when a clove is cut or crushed. Allicin also has anti-microbial properties, which inhibit a wide variety of bacteria, molds, yeasts and viruses. Research also suggests that regular use of garlic can be effective in reducing the risk of heart attack and stroke because it lowers total and LDL (bad) cholesterol as well as triacylglycerol concentrations without affecting HDL (good) cholesterol.
Purchasing tips: Choose bulbs that are large, plump and firm with tight, unbroken sheaths, says Green. Avoid soft, spongy or shriveled bulbs or those with a green sprout in the center. Store up to three weeks in the refrigerator. Uses: Saute chopped garlic in a bit of cooking spray with chicken, spinach and broccoli to make an antioxidant-rich, delicious dish. Chopping garlic activates the enzyme that activates its phytochemicals. Cooking it too much, however, destroys that enzyme, so chop garlic and let it rest for about 10 minutes while you prepare other ingredients. "Then add garlic towards the end of the cooking process," recommends Collins. Garlic's benefits seem to start with consumption of anywhere from a couple cloves a week to five cloves a day. Larger amounts are neither necessary nor safe, since too much increases the risk of stomach bleeding, warns Collins.
Charles Stuart Platkin is a nutrition and public health advocate. Write to info@thedietdetective.com.
SPINACH
GARLIC
Why: Garlic can ward off vampires, and it can give you horrific bad breath, but it's also one of the tastiest, healthiest and most useful vegetables. (Yes, it's a vegetable.)
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| Add color, flavor to daily meals
Shape Up columnist Charles Stuart Platkin offers 10 ways that people can gradually increase their vegetable and fruit intake. 1) Add On: Start out by eating your favorite fruits and vegetables — at least one serving every day — and gradually add new varieties. Try a new fruit or vegetable every month. 2) Think Soups and Sauces: Vegetables give these foods texture and flavor. Next time you open a can of soup or a jar of sauce, add some frozen spinach or mixed veggies. 3) Sandwiches: In addition to lettuce and tomato, experiment with other veggies. Try adding some peppers, onions, cucumbers, mushrooms or sprouts to your next sandwich or burger. 4) Breakfast: Breakfast is perfect for fruits and vegetables. How about some banana in your cereal or on your pancakes, berries in your yogurt, mushrooms and onions in your omelet or tomato slices on your bagel with cream cheese? 5) Pizza: Skip the pepperoni and order peppers on your pizza instead. Fresh green or roasted red — you can't go wrong! 6) Snacks: Pack an apple or banana in your backpack, briefcase, pocketbook or gym bag. Fruit is nature's portable snack. 7) Salads: Salads are available almost everywhere food is served. If you don't want one as your main course, order one on the side. 8) Frozen Meals: If you can't get fresh, frozen is just as good. Many frozen dinners are prepared with at least a cup of vegetables! 9) Best for Last: If you're still working on "acquiring the taste" for fruits or vegetables, eat them first and save your favorite part of the meal for last. 10) Be Adventurous: Vegetables and fruits add color, texture and flavor to a meal. Still skeptical? Think about old favorites such as sausage and peppers, strawberry shortcake, western omelets and apple pie. These dishes wouldn't exist without fruits and vegetables as their "star ingredients." |
