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Healthy spices
Top 5 Ways to Spice Up Your Health
Posted Mon, Jun 11, 2007, 1:22 pm PDT
Spices. Wars have been fought over them. Great explorers have sailed in pursuit of them. And gifting history was made by three wise men bearing them. Turns out that the ancients were on to something. Research is now showing that five spices we've long savored just for their flavor are also nutritional powerhouses. Toss these overachievers into your salad or sauce and get a whopping dose of disease-preventing antioxidants along with a flavorful punch.
1. Cinnamon This natural germ-fighter also helps lower blood sugar, triglyceride, and cholesterol levels -- ¼ teaspoon a day is a healthy goal. Sprinkle a little of the powder on freshly ground coffee beans when making your morning java, or try these irresistible Cinnamon Baked Apples for a low-cal dessert.
2. Thyme It makes it into grilled poultry, fish, and meat marinades by virtue of its minty, lemony flavor; it makes it onto the Real Age list of healthy herbs by virtue of its anti-cancer potency. It's also long been used as an antiseptic -- yep, that could be thyme oil in your mouthwash. If you've got a fresh bunch, mince some into your vinaigrette. Yum.
3. Cumin Concealed in your humble chili powder is one of the world's most popular spices (it's a key ingredient in Indian curries too) and another anti-cancer soldier. Go exotic and add cumin to rice and grain salads and marinades, or try this heart-healthy Ultimate Beef Chili made with chunks of fat-trimmed meat.
4. Oregano Thank our GIs for bringing oregano home from Italy after WWII. A food world superpower, leaves of the herb boast 42 times more antioxidants than apples. Wow. Use oregano to add a delicate flavor to salad dressings, garlic bread, and omelets, as well as your favorite pastas.
5. Turmeric Called the "Queen of the Kitchen" by Indian cooks, turmeric (and its active ingredient, curcumin) has earned its crown. Studies show promise in fighting cystic fibrosis, colon cancer, arthritis, and even Alzheimer's -- is there anything this golden gal can't do? For an earthy flavor and yellow coloring, add a pinch of turmeric to rice, stew, or lentils -- hey, it might even help you remember where you left your keys last night.
5 High-Antioxidant Summer Sorbets
Posted Wed, May 30, 2007, 9:24 am PDT
The only thing sweeter than sorbet at the end of a meal is the virtuous feeling that accompanies eating it. While others may be forking down Trans Fats a la Mode, you're tossing back a light, refreshing dessert whose essence is antioxident-rich fruit.
"Sorbets generally don't contain fat," notes John Dudek, pastry chef at Duane Park Cafe in New York City, who provided the pomegranate and spearmint-lemon sorbet recipes below. Sure, they have sugar, but less than many other desserts since sorbet recipes are keyed to the tart, natural taste of fruit. On a hot summer night, serving any of these in a frosty martini glass is too cool.
NOTE: An ice cream machine makes whirring up your own sorbets, well, a piece of cake. But if you haven't got one, use the old-fashioned method at the end -- it works just fine.
"Sorbets generally don't contain fat," notes John Dudek, pastry chef at Duane Park Cafe in New York City, who provided the pomegranate and spearmint-lemon sorbet recipes below. Sure, they have sugar, but less than many other desserts since sorbet recipes are keyed to the tart, natural taste of fruit. On a hot summer night, serving any of these in a frosty martini glass is too cool.
NOTE: An ice cream machine makes whirring up your own sorbets, well, a piece of cake. But if you haven't got one, use the old-fashioned method at the end -- it works just fine.
Pomegranate Sorbet
Serves 6 to 8
If fruits were colleges, the pomegranate would be Harvard. Among its ivy-league nutritional qualities are loads of protective polyphenols and potassium. Pomegranate juice also appears to decrease the thickness of plaque in the arteries.
2 cups unsweetened pomegranate juice
4 cups sugar
1/3 cup lime juice (about 3 limes)
Zest of 1 lime
1. Whisk together pomegranate juice and sugar in a stainless steel bowl until the sugar is completely dissolved.
2. Stir in lime juice and zest.
3. Chill mixture until cold and process in an ice cream machine, according to the manufacturer's directions.
2. Stir in lime juice and zest.
3. Chill mixture until cold and process in an ice cream machine, according to the manufacturer's directions.
Spearmint-Lemon Sorbet
Serves 6 to 8
Spearmint is a surprisingly good source of vitamin A, fiber, some B vitamins, and iron; lemons are a vitamin C powerhouse. This sorbet is a great choice year round, because both ingredients are almost always in stores.
2 cups sugar
2 cups lemon juice (about 12 lemons)
zest of 1 lemon
1 medium-large bunch of mint
1. Combine the sugar in a saucepan with 2 cups of water and bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring until all sugar is dissolved and a simple syrup forms. Chill for 1 hour.
2. Meanwhile, pick off the mint leaves and place them in a food processor.
3. Combine 2 cups of cold simple syrup, the lemon juice, and 1 cup cold water. Pour mixture over the mint leaves and puree until smooth.
4. Stir in the lemon zest.
5. Chill for 1 hour and then process in an ice cream machine, according to the manufacturer's directions.
2. Meanwhile, pick off the mint leaves and place them in a food processor.
3. Combine 2 cups of cold simple syrup, the lemon juice, and 1 cup cold water. Pour mixture over the mint leaves and puree until smooth.
4. Stir in the lemon zest.
5. Chill for 1 hour and then process in an ice cream machine, according to the manufacturer's directions.
Honeydew-Mint Sorbet
Serves 8
The sweetness here all comes from the apple juice concentrate, used in this recipe from chef Beverly Lynn Bennett, author of The Complete Idiot's Guide to Vegan Living.
6 cups honeydew melon, seeded and cut into 1-inch cubes
3/4 cup frozen apple juice concentrate, thawed (plus extra to taste)
1/3 cup freshly chopped mint (plus extra to taste)
1/4 cup lime juice
3/4 cup frozen apple juice concentrate, thawed (plus extra to taste)
1/3 cup freshly chopped mint (plus extra to taste)
1/4 cup lime juice
1. Combine all ingredients in a food processor or blender and puree until smooth (do in batches if necessary). Taste and add more apple juice concentrate or mint to balance the ripeness of the melon.
2. Chill for 1 hour and then process in an ice cream machine, according to the manufacturer's directions.
2. Chill for 1 hour and then process in an ice cream machine, according to the manufacturer's directions.
Berry Frozen Yogurt
Serves 6
Sometimes your mouth just hankers after something creamy. Enter low-fat yogurt. In this Eating Well recipe, it gives you almost the same rich effect as heavy cream but without the saturated fat. Throw in the toxin-fighting, heart-protecting flavanoids in all those berries and you're enjoying health by the mouthful.
3 cups fresh or frozen and partially thawed blackberries or raspberries or a mixture of blackberries, raspberries and blueberries
6 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
3/4 cup low-fat plain yogurt
1. Combine berries, sugar and juice in a food processor; process until smooth. Add yogurt and pulse until mixed in. If using fresh berries, transfer the mixture to a medium bowl, cover and refrigerate until chilled, about 1 hour.
2. Transfer the mixture to an ice cream maker and freeze according to manufacturer's directions. Serve immediately or freeze in covered container. (Alternatively, freeze the mixture in a shallow metal pan until solid, about 6 hours. Break into chunks and process in a food processor until smooth and creamy. Serve immediately.)
Strawberry Citrus Sorbet
Serves 4
This RealAge fave combines different colored fruits (like strawberries and oranges), a key way to ensure a diversity of cancer-fighting phytonutrients. Plus just 1 serving provides nearly a third of your daily vitamin C.
2/3 cup sugar
3/4 cup sliced strawberries
1/2 cup orange juice
1/2 teaspoon grated orange peel
3/4 cup sliced strawberries
1/2 cup orange juice
1/2 teaspoon grated orange peel
1. Combine the sugar in a saucepan with 1 cup of water and bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring until all sugar is dissolved and a simple syrup forms. Chill for 1 hour.
2. In a blender, puree the strawberries, orange juice, and orange peel until smooth. Gradually add the chilled syrup and blend well.
3. Pour the mixture into a glass dish and cover. Freeze for about 3 hours, stirring every 30 minutes. Blend again until smooth.
4. Serve immediately or cover and freeze for up to 3 days.
2. In a blender, puree the strawberries, orange juice, and orange peel until smooth. Gradually add the chilled syrup and blend well.
3. Pour the mixture into a glass dish and cover. Freeze for about 3 hours, stirring every 30 minutes. Blend again until smooth.
4. Serve immediately or cover and freeze for up to 3 days.
No Ice Cream Maker?
Here's the low-tech way to churn out great sorbet. Place the fruit mixtures in a stainless steel or glass dish and put them in the freezer. When the mixture begins to harden -- about 30 minutes -- take it out and stir it till it's silky. Repeat several times, and voilá! Delicious hand-made sorbet.
Here's the low-tech way to churn out great sorbet. Place the fruit mixtures in a stainless steel or glass dish and put them in the freezer. When the mixture begins to harden -- about 30 minutes -- take it out and stir it till it's silky. Repeat several times, and voilá! Delicious hand-made sorbet.
Calcium Where You Least Expect It
Posted Mon, Jun 18, 2007, 9:57 am PDT
If you don't do dairy -- or dairy doesn't agree with you -- it's easy to get your calcium in pills. But what you miss are the extras you get by eating foods that are good calcium sources and rich in other nutrients that do your body good. So here's a quick shopping list, and don't miss the bonus at the end: It will help your body get the most out of every calcium-rich bite you feed it.
Go fishing One tin of sardines (about 3½ ounces) supplies 370 mg of calcium. That's much more than a glass of 1% milk (290) and about a third of the daily 1,000 mg you need. (After 50, make that 1,200.) Plus these little fish are bursting with healthy omega-3 fatty acids and vitamin D, which helps your body absorb calcium.
Drink the other bottled calcium Mineral waters contain as much as 108 mg of calcium per cup -- not as much as milk, but hey, there's a big bonus: no calories! Just check the label to be sure your fave has the right stuff.
Build a smarter lunch salad Salad bars are full of calcium if you know what to pick, and we're not talking cheese cubes. Start off with 1 cup each of spinach (30 mg of calcium), romaine (15 mg), and broccoli (43 mg). Then add ½ cup of navy beans (62 mg) and 2 tablespoons of sesame seeds (176 mg), plus whatever else floats your lunch boat. Total: around 325 mg of calcium, plus beaucoup fiber, vitamins C, A, E, some protein, and a healthy, filling, good-for-all-of-you meal.
Get juiced A medium orange has -- surprise -- about 55 mg of calcium, and calcium-fortified OJ has a hefty 300 mg a cup or more. Not to mention all those sunny citrus vitamins.
Bonus: Take a walk Even if you're getting plenty of calcium, your body may be slow on the uptake. It needs vitamin D to deposit calcium where it's most needed, but very few foods contain D. However, your skin makes lots of D when it's exposed to sunlight, and fast. About 10 to 15 minutes of sun exposure a few times a week is all that's needed. That's the main reason why something as simple as getting a safe amount of sun can make your RealAge as much as 1.7 years younger.
