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Food and Other Tidbits
* Choose your produce carefully. Examine for soft spots,
mold, etc. Generally, the darker the fruit or vegetable, the
higher the nutrients will be. For example, romaine lettuce
has twice the calcium and iron of iceburg lettuce. and 10
times the Vitamin A. And, pink grapefruit has 30 times the
Vitamin A of white grapefruit.
* Choose natural over processed. Natural foods have more
nutrients and less calories than processed foods. Read
labels carefully - look for hidden sugar, fat, preservatives
and additives. I recently found out, thanks to 60 minutes
that the hydrolyzed protein that's in tuna and many other
food products, is monosodium glutamate.
* Be aware that so-called "lite" foods may only have 60
percent less fat - not much of an improvement over 75
percent.
* Eat your food fresh. Just a couple of days can lower the
nutrient contents of fruits and vegetables. They can lose
half their Vitamin C in only two or three days. Be sure to
put your produce in bags or air-tight containers right when
you get home. This way you'll be getting your money's worth.
* We are part of the natural cycles. So, our colder weather
diet ought to be different than what we eat in the warmer
months. It's wise to eat more root vegetables during the
chillier months, such as potatoes, onions, carrots, beets,
turnips, sweet potatoes, yams, etc. Other warming winter
foods include winter squashes, nuts seeds, beans and whole
grains. Being that cooked foods are more warming than raw
foods, eat less salads, fruits and cold drinks, and eat more
sauteed and steamed vegetables, whole cooked grains, beans,
soups, legumes pasta with sauces, etc.
* To get the most of potatoes, cucumbers, carrots, etc. - eat
the skin which has most of the nutrients.
* To preserve precious vitamins and minerals, chop, open
cans, and thaw right before you them. And when you do, cook
it fast with as little oil or water as possible. It's said
that stir-frying is the best method and steaming is second
best. Poaching also works well and is fat-free. Cook in iron
pots to put extra iron into your meals.
* Be sure you're eating your "daily fiber." The easy way to
do this is to eat at least two servings of vegetables, one
with edible skins, stems or stalks, one or two pieces of
fruit, some whole-grain bread, bagels, crackers, dried peas,
beans, brown rice, millet, or one of the many other grains
new to the market, oatmeal, polenta, or one of the other
whole-grain breakfast cereals, pasta and corn tortillas.
* Eating more grains and vegetables will lower your
cholesterol and blood pressure. Researchers and doctors
around the globe have proven this. And lower cholesterol
means fewer heart problems, according to a group of English
scientists. They monitored and documented nearly 11,000
vegetarians and non-vegetarians for seven years and found
that vegetarians had fewer cases of heart disease.
* The German Association of General Practitioners discovered
that cholesterol levels in patients taking garlic powder
tablets lowered an average of 12 percent. Triglyceride values
dropped 17 percent. In addition, research done by the
doctors at the Royal United Hospital in Bath, England
suggests that garlic reduces heart problems risk.
According to research at Brigham Young University, the
most active ingredient in garlic, allicin, is an antiviral
agent against viruses including colds and flu. Also, there's
no side effects, and it's safe for children. Being a natural
antibiotic, garlic may also help the body to resist
infection. Research has also found that it has
anti-inflammatory properties. To avoid garlic breath,
deodorized garlic capsules or liquid extracts can be found at
your natural foods store.
* Jay Kordich, known as the juiceman, advocates fresh raw
fruit and vegetable juices. He says they give you the live
enzymes needed for digestion and extra energy. According to
him, they help prevent obesity, skin conditions, heart
disease and high blood pressure.
* Researchers are now discovering the potential healing
powers of certain foods. Garlic, of course, is one such
food. Another, is the green apple. Its juice may help
alleviate tinnitus. Watermelon juice has been found
effective in lessening PMS symptoms. Cantaloupes are known
to help with headaches. Perhaps in the future, doctors will
prescribe foods instead of pills. They might say, "Take two
cantaloupes and call me in the morning!"
* If you're exhausted and nutritionally deficient, sexual
energy will be one of the first to diminish. According to
Oriental medicine, the kidneys govern sexual vitality, yet
it's possible to irritate or weaken the kidneys by
overindulging in coffee, alcohol, fatty foods or stress. the
kidneys like to be warm, so you may be "cooling your passion"
by drinking icy beverages or eating cold foods such as salads
and fruits, especially when the weather is cold. Conversely,
beans (black and kidney are the best), green leafy vegetables
like kale or collard and whole grains like barley and wild
rice nourish the kidneys and thus sexual energy.
* Many other foods can increase sexual vitality and add to a
healthy sex life. Seeds such as pumpkin and sunflower
contain the germ of life since they're plant embryos; they're
also rich in zinc. Oysters, also zinc-rich, were said to be
Casanova's love tonic. Sea vegetables, with their high
mineral content, can nourish an underactive thyroid, which
can cause decreased libido.
* Chocolate, long considered the food of lovers, contains
phenylethalamine, the same brain chemical produced in people
who are in love. However, chocolate has negative effects:
It's high in fat and contains caffeine.
(Editor's note: If you think you MUST have chocolate, check
out your local health food store for organic, additive-free
chocolate goodies. Garlic is also considered a "love food",
however, it could be a "turn-off" if only one partner eats
it, so obviously, it's better to partake together!***
* Memory failing you? Take some extra iron and zinc.
University of Texas researchers state that women with minor
deficiencies given these minerals improved their memory
scores.
* People who get larger amounts of Vitamins A, C, B are less
likely to develop cataracts, according to several studies.
*** Dr. Mindell's quote came from an article entitled "Wake
Up America!" by Gloria Bucco. "Reprinted with permission
from the September, 1992 issue of "Delicious! Magazine", a
publication of New Hope Communications in Boulder, Colo."
Learn more on this extremely important subject from his book,
PARENTS' NUTRITION BIBLE. "Surprising Statistics" the
section on the immune and the effects of sugar and herbs and
the immune system came from Delicious! Magazine's
November/December, 1992 issue. Also, the edited segment
regarding sexual vitality came from Delicious!, May/June,
1992. The excerpt on vegetable protein and vitamin sources
(sweet potatoes, melons, etc.) came from the October, 1992
issue of the same. Everyone thanks YOU - Delicious! - for
your highly educational and informative contributions!!
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End of chapter.