Peel over Pill for Prevention

After attending the Natural Foods Expo in Los Angeles you might have been led to believe the way to eating “naturally” is to pop a pill or drink a beverage laced with green tea extract, quercetin, or Curcumin.  These hot breaking news nutrients can have tremendous benefits for your health.

But are taking supplements really “natural?”  Can we take what is in Mother Nature and replicate the benefits in a pill?  So far the research is leaning towards eating your nutrients.  However, the lure of a magic pill for benefiting your health remains.  Here’s what we know right now:

So far we’ve identified about 13,000 nutrients in foods known as phytochemicals or phytonutrients.  Phytochemicals are substances that plants naturally contains to protect themselves against sunlight, bacteria or viruses and oxidation – kind of like a natural sunscreen. Simply put, once we eat these plants, our immunity increases, and we become more resistant to diseases such as cancer, heart disease and other medical problems.

It is estimated there are over 100 phytochemicals in just one serving of a fruit or vegetable.  For example, a carrot can contain as many as 100 different carotenoids, whereas a beta carotene supplement has only one type of carotenoid.  Furthermore, you receive the benefit of the fiber and fullness of the actual food when you eat the carrot.

Apples contain the phytonutrient quercetin.  Extensive research by food scientist Rui Hai Liu at Cornell University found that both the apple skin and the fruit contain nutrients to help lower cholesterol and inhibit or kill cancer cells.

Curcumin is responsible for the yellow color in the popular Indian curry spice turmeric.  Known for being an anti-inflammatory agent and antioxidant, some research shows turmeric can be helpful in preventing development of medical issues related to oxidative damage such as cancer and heart disease.

UCLA Neurologist John Ringman studied Curcumin supplements in Alzheimer’s patients.  The study results showed no differences in patients treated with Curcumin supplements versus a placebo.  However, this study and others do show Curcumin has poor or uncertain absorption when taken in supplement form versus used as a food spice.

Tea contains a type of phytonutrient called EGCG.  Green tea contains the most EGCG of all the varieties of tea.  However, all tea leaves are good sources.  EGCG has been linked with a lower risk of heart disease and lower cholesterol levels. It is also associated with reduced rates of prostate, stomach and colon cancer.  However, studies to date show drinking the tea has the most potent and effective benefits.

The discovery of nutrients in foods is ongoing.  The research shows eating your phytochemicals through food instead of popping a pill is currently the path to health and definitely more “natural.”  I guess Mom was right when she told us to eat a balanced diet with a variety of fruits and vegetables.  Make sure to consume a mixture of color to obtain your phytonutrient needs.  Remember, it’s prevention, not prescription!

Healthy Cookies for Valentine's Day?

Healthy Turkish Cookies 

(An adaptation of an original Turkish Cookie)

 This weekend I woke up wanting to make a treat for my sweetheart's Valentines Day gift.  Many of you know I grew up being the family baker and my fun was making something each week for the family to enjoy.  I have greatly curtailed my baking so Jeffrey and I can look like our jobs but I still think it is important to have an occasional treat.

I wanted to come up with a cookie that was low in sugar compared to other cookies, tasty and made with real whole foods.

A tasty Turkish cookie I had made in the past was too high in sugar and carbohydrates so I came up with this variation.  It has less than a third of the sugar of the original recipe, with the flour solely coming from wheat and buckwheat to make it healthier and less inflammatory to the body.  I added the dark chocolate and almonds to give it some texture and crunch, adding phytochemicals and healthy fat. 

You can add the sugar/cinnamon combination for some dusting but it is tasty without it.  They are not too sweet but give you a little bite in the mouth, excellent paired with a cup of tea or coffee.

These cookies can be kept in the freezer for when you need a little indulgence.  Take out one or two and know you won’t be breaking your health bank.  Enjoy!

Ingredients:

1.25 cups whole wheat flour

.75 cups buckwheat flour

¾ teaspoon of baking soda

¼ teaspoon of salt

2 sticks of butter

2 teaspoons of ground cardamom

2 tablespoons of instant powdered espresso

½ cup of 100% organic cane sugar

½ cup of light brown sugar

1 tablespoon of vanilla extract

2 tablespoons of 1% milk

1 large egg

1.5 cups of dark chocolate (greater than 70%), chopped

½ cup of chopped raw or dry roasted almonds

Optional:

1 tablespoon of sugar

½ tablespoon of ground cinnamon

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Line baking sheets with parchment paper or liner.

Sift together flours, baking soda, and salt and set aside.

In a medium bowl, cream together butter, sugars, cardamom, and powdered espresso till smooth with an electric mixer.  Add vanilla extract, egg and milk and beat till smooth.  Slowly add dry ingredients and mix well.  Add dark chocolate and almonds.  Chill dough for 15-30 minutes.

Spoon about 1 inch cookies into balls on baking sheet and slightly press to flatten.  Dust with sugar/cinnamon mixture if desired.

Bake for 10 minutes and cool before removing from baking sheets.  Once cooled, can be stored in airtight container or frozen till needed.  Makes about 52 cookies.

                                      

Nutrition Facts:

Per Cookie:

Calories                   94

Protein                     1.2 grams

Carbohydrates      10 grams

Fat                             5 grams

Fiber                         1 gram

Sodium                    47 mg.

Does a Dark Chocolate a Day Reallly Keep the Doctor Away?

Many people think of dark chocolate as something their mothers used to bake with, but it has come a long way since that time in terms of texture and flavor. Many varieties of dark chocolate are on the market, with some tasting better than others. I myself was a big milk chocolate fan and when the research became clear that dark chocolate was the most advantageous I reluctantly transitioned myself over to the dark. However, after going over to “the other side” I am now sold on dark chocolate.

If you only like milk chocolate consider trying Dove Dark Chocolate Promises – they come in a nice bite size and 2 per day is a good serving. Experiment with tasting different ones. Trader Joe’s has Dark Chocolate Wedges that come in a small round tin n regular dark chocolate and spiced with chipotle for a nice kick. My current favorite is Kallari dark cocoa which comes in 70, 75 and 85% at Whole Foods. Kallari has a rich smooth taste that I only experienced with dark chocolate I tasted in Switzerland. Choose ones that are greater than 70% cocoa since a higher cocoa content contains the most nutrients and the least amount of sugar.

Why eat dark over milk chocolate? Dark chocolate contains higher amounts of a type of phytochemcial (a chemical naturally found in foods that prevents disease) called flavanols than milk chocolate. The higher the percent cocoa the more flavanols the chocolate contains. Dark chocolate and cocoa contain several types of flavonoids called catechins and epicatechins which are thought to lower inflammation in the body.

Dark chocolate has been linked with lower inflammatory states in the body due to its high antioxidant activity. A 2008 study done with 5000 people linked a square or two of dark chocolate per day with 33 percent decrease in heart disease among women and a 26 percent decrease in men. The people in the study had lower levels of C - reactive protein, a marker in the blood that signals inflammation in the body.

It is recommended to eat one ounce of dark chocolate per day for health - I’d say a recommendation most of us can live with – and maybe not even a splurge, but a necessity!