August 2010 Archives

It's true! I recently received my Agriculture and Life Sciences Alumni Newsletter from NC State University. One of the researchers is helping to shift the way the American public views and uses plant foods.

The comparison with medicine was in regards to blood sugar control. Their studies showed that the phytochemical in blueberries, anthocyanin, reduced blood sugar better than a widely used drug, metformin. This study was done in mice, and they concentrated the phytochemical, which could arguably be considered a medicine. However, I still find it exciting that everyday plant foods provide us with components that are proven to prevent disease and improve health!

Instead of simply consuming plant foods as a source of nutrients (although we know many Americans don't get nearly enough nutrients from plants!), this researcher is helping people understand that the phytochemicals in plants can help protect and enhance human health.

Does this sound familiar to you? It should!! And I was excited to read how much research is going into determining which plant foods work to protect and enhance health and how they work, especially when it comes to cancer prevention!

Research vs. Traditional Healers

One of the most interesting concepts of the article is how the researchers decide which plants to study. They actually travel around the world looking for plants with medicinal properties. One of the places that they start is with traditional healers to test the medicinal properties of plants that the healers typically use for treatments.

Basically, while a "home remedy" may have been used for centuries, it probably hasn't been tested or validated. These researchers are trying to show exactly how these home remedies work (or don't work!).

Plant Extracts that Provide Phytochemicals

It should not surprise you to hear that the compounds they are researching are phytochemicals. I feel like I spend half of my life educating people on these phytochemicals!

This scientists explains phytochemicals as compounds that aren't directly involved in the plants normal growth. Instead, they are created to help the plant protect and defend itself. In turn, when we eat these compounds, they interact with our body to counteract human disease (like cancer) and improve metabolism.

Who doesn't want that??!! If they sold these in a pill, it would be selling like crazy! The good news is that these phytochemicals are available to us each and every day, in a quite affordable form. In fact, many people grow these phytochemicals in their yards!

In addition, there are so many different types of phytochemicals. Therefore, consuming a variety of plant foods really is the best way to get lots of different phytochemicals into your body. Pill form just won't do it.

Wild vs. Farmed Plants

One other interesting point that the article made is that wild plants tend to have the highest concentrations of phytochemicals. Because the phytochemicals like carotenoids and anthocyanins accumulate in a plant under stress, wild plants tend to have the most phytochemicals.

I'm not suggesting that you should only eat plants grown in wild conditions. That's probably impossible! However, it's interesting to note how much our farming practices make a difference in the nutrient and phytochemical content of the plant.  As many people would say... Know Your Farmer!

And be sure to eat your plant foods!

- Julie

Granola is not only yummy, but can also be good for you! It is kind of expensive, so one of the best ways to include this healthy grain into your diet without blowing your budget is to make it yourself! While you will see that it does take a little bit of time, it's not hard to do, so you can be cooking granola while doing something else.

What Makes Granola so Healthy?

Granola is mainly made from whole oats, one of many whole grains that contain fiber, B vitamins, and many phytochemicals. In addition to the oats, granola usually has some nuts and seeds in there as well. The nuts and seeds are great for plant based proteins, healthy fats and more phytochemicals, all of which work together to keep your cells healthy and fighting cancer!

While it's a little higher in fat than cereal, it's a healthy type of fat (the monounsaturated fats come from the oil and the nuts). And the protein from the nuts help to keep you feeling satiated (full) longer than cereal does. If you're the kind of person who says "I eat cereal and an hour later, I'm hungry", then you would probably benefit from adding a little fat and protein to your morning breakfast routine.

Granola is great with milk, or on yogurt or oatmeal to add a little crunch. And it doesn't take a lot of it to fill you up! Here's the recipe for you to try!

Cancer Fighting Granola Recipe:

This recipe comes from my grandmother-in-law, so it's an old family favorite in my husband's family. I have had it at work for the last few weeks and everyone has been asking for it, so here it is!! 

Ingredients:

• 4.5 cups of oats
• 1 cup almonds, sliced
  
• 1/3 cup coconut
• 1 cup cashews, crushed
  
• 1/4 cup sesame seeds
• 1 cup chopped walnuts, crushed
  
• 3/4 cup olive oil
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1 t. cinnamon (or vanilla, nutmeg, chocolate, etc)

Instructions:

1. Place the oats in a pan in a 275 degree oven for 50 minutes. Stir 1-2 times.
   
2. Add the almonds, coconut, cashews, sesame seeds and walnuts, stir with the oats and place in the oven for 20 minutes, stirring once.
   
3. Heat olive oil, honey and flavorings in a pan (heat, but don't bring to boil).
   
4. Mix with granola, turn oven to 300 degrees for 30 minutes and stir occasionally.
   
5. Take granola out of the oven and allow to cool, stirring occationaly to prevent clumping.  

Julie's Tips:

1. Yes, you will see that this is about a 2 hour process! I usually have something else I'm doing at the same time, like cooking something else, reading or cleaning. It's not hard, just takes time!
2. I have doubled this recipe to have extras to give away (think Christmas presents or neighbor gifts!)
3. Some of the substitutions I have made include pecans in place of cashews, adding pumpkin or sunflower seeds, and my favorite so far is replacing some of the honey with molasses!

Enjoy and let me know what alterations you make!
- Julie




 

I've been teaching a 4 week series called "Healthy Eating On A Budget". We focus on the foods that reduce risk for cancer and other diseases, nourish the body and keep you feeling satisfied.

There are several recipes that we've tried and all the participants have really enjoyed them. One of the recipes we made last week is called Chunky Minestrone and comes from the Southern Living Slow Cooker cookbook.

This is a meatless soup that gives you protein through the beans. For more protein, just double the beans! In case you don't remember, beans are one of the best cancer fighting foods out there!

Beans have lots of phytochemicals, like saponins, protease inhibitors and phytic acid. Not to mention all the other beneficial components like fiber and B vitamins.

Give this one a try and see how you like it!

Chunky Minestrone

Prepare this in the morning before you leave for work and throw in the pasta when you get home. You will have a fully prepared meal by the time you check your mail and walk the dogs!

Ingredients:

• 3 (14-ounce) cans low-sodium fat-free chicken broth
• 2 (14 ½- ounce) cans no-salt-added diced tomatoes with roasted garlic, undrained
• 1 (15.5-ounce) can cannellini beans OR great northern beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 (10-ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed
• 1 cup water
• 1 ½ cups frozen chopped onion, thawed (see Tips)
• 1 medium carrot, chopped
• 1 medium zucchini, quartered and sliced
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
• ¼ teaspoon pepper
• ½ cup uncooked small shell pasta
• 2/3 cup pre-grated Parmesan cheese or part-skim mozzarella cheese

Recipe:

1. Combine first 11 ingredients in a 4-quart slow cooker
2. Cover and cook on LOW 5 ½ hours. Add pasta and cook on LOW 30 more minutes. Sprinkle each serving with cheese.

Tips:

• You can use fresh chopped onion instead of frozen.
  
• You can cook this in a regular pot in about 30-45 minutes. I would suggest sauteing the onion and carrots for 5 minutes before adding the other ingredients. Then simply simmer the soup until the carrots are soft and add the pasta for the last 10 minutes. 

I made this at home after doing it in class. I used a regular pot, doubled the recipe and froze some. I'm enjoying it for lunch this week!

- Julie