Food for Health
July 1, 2010

Food for Health

+++ Honey keeps for decades, even centuries, when properly packaged and stored. If honey crystallizes, place the honey jar in warm water and stir until the crystals dissolve.

-The National Honey Board, Firestone, Colorado. www.Honey.com

 

+++ Blueberries may reduce abdominal fat and decrease cholesterol and triglyceride levels.

 

+++ Rinsing berries in hot water prevents mold. Heat water to 125′F. Swish berries in the water for 30 seconds. This significantly reduces development of mold on strawberries, raspberries abd black berries, so the berries will keep longer. For blueberries, which have thicker skins, use 140;F water for 30 seconds.

-The New York Times.

 

+++ A Healthy diet costs $2 more per day than a standard US diet. People who follow the Mediterranean diet, which emphasizes olive oil, fish and vegetables, spend at least $2 a day more — $730 more a year (based on 2,000 calories a day) than– than people whose diets are higher in meats and dairy products.

-Maira Bes-Rastrollo, PhD, assistant professor, department of preventive medicine and public health, University of Navarra, Pamplona, Spain, from a study of 11,195 people, Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health.

 

+++ Organic milk is higher in antioxidants than regular milk. Organic and grass-fed cows produce milk with 40% to 50% more disease-fighting antioxidants, including vitamin E, beta-carotene and lutein, than grain-fed cows. Antioxidants are nature’s preservatives. They keep milk fresh longer and offer protection against some chronic conditions, such as cancer and heart disease.

-Gillian Butler, PhD, lecturer, School of Agriculture, Food and Rural Development, University of Newcastle, England, and author of a study on the impact of anagement on milk quality, published in Significance.

 

+++ Pistachios reduce cholesterol. They contain healthy fats that are rich in plant sterols, which inhibit cholesterol absorption. The nuts also are high in antioxidants –even higher than other nuts. Substituting one or two one-and-a-half ounce servings of pistachios a day for fatty meats or other sources of saturated fat can lower LDL (bad) cholesterol by 10% to 12%.

-Penny Kris-Etherton, PhD, is Distinguished Professor department of nutritional sciences, Penn State University, and leader of a study published in The Journal of Nutrition.

 

+++ Fish with the lowest levels of contaminants but rich in omega-3 fatty acids: Albacore tuna (from the US or British Columbia)…freshwater Coho salmon (farmed in tank systems in the US)…mussels (farmed)… oysters (farmed)… Pacific sardines (wild-caught)… rainbow trout (farmed)… and salmon (wildcaught in Alaska).

-Report from Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch, reported in Environmental Nutrition.

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