Vol. 2, No. 11
Nov 10, 2005

Color Yourself Healthy

Consider this "Part II" of last month's fruit and vegetable rant. Researchers recently found another reason for you to increase your intake of brightly- colored fruits and vegetables: they may help prevent arthritis.

Oranges, bell peppers, pumpkins, tangerines and papayas contain a pigment called beta- cryptoxanthin, an antioxidant thought to protect against inflammation. In a study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, patients with a high beta-cryptoxanthin intake were only half as likely to develop inflammatory polyarthritis as those with much lower intakes of the antioxidant.

Vitamin C was also shown to be an important factor; subjects with the highest intake of vitamin C were three times less likely to develop arthritis than those who consumed the least vitamin C. How much do you need to take in for the benefits? One glass of freshly squeezed orange juice a day is enough to reduce your risk. How easy is that?  

Coffee: the New Cancer Fighter?

Speaking of antioxidants, here's an interesting twist on the subject: coffee has become America's No. 1 source of antioxidants, but it's not because it's chock full of these cancer-fighters. Rather, it's because we drink so much of the stuff. The average American drinks more than two cups a day. Research shows that if we ate more fruits and vegetables, they would be our biggest source of antioxidants.

Confusing? You betcha. Let me translate: blueberries and fruit contain much higher levels of antioxidants than coffee, per serving, but because we eat so few fruits and drink so much coffee the volume of coffee makes up for the smaller amounts of cancer- fighting agents.

The bottom line? Coffee does not seem to protect against heart disease or most cancers, although some studies suggest that coffee drinkers have a lower risk of Parkinson's disease and gallstones and that people who drink four or more cups a day have a lower risk of diabetes. It's our good friend, moderation, rearing its boring head again; one to two cups of java a day seems to offer some benefit without the heart palpitations and anxiety. After all, we have stress to help us with that. 

Trim the Fat

Many excess Thanksgiving calories come from "hidden calories," meaning you don't even get to enjoy them. These include fats and oils used to cook your food, most of which are flavorless. The problem is that, although they're flavorless, they're calorie-laden. Who needs that when there are so many sources of calories we can at least enjoy?

Here are a few ways to cut calories and fat without sacrificing flavor:

• Baste the turkey with de-fatted stock. Either purchase fat-free broth, or put regular canned broth in the refrigerator and scoop out the fat that hardens on the top.

• Use the fat-free broth for making gravy

• Use nonfat milk and reduce or skip the butter in the mashed potatoes

• Bake sweet potatoes plain with a sprinkling of brown sugar and skip the butter

• Look for lower-fat versions of your favorite recipes on Cooking Light's website

• Enjoy turkey without the skin and choose white meat instead of dark

• Use non-fat evaporated milk in your pumpkin pie recipe

• Go for a long walk after dinner instead of falling asleep in front of the television

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Thanks! LM