Food & Drink
Packed with power
Pump up your vitamin and antioxidant intake with the newest members of the super-foods league
SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE
Wednesday, January 25, 2006
It's time again to tout super foods — the current darlings of healthy-eating bestsellerdom. It's eating lots of blueberries and avocado, spinach and, yes, dark chocolate, although not necessarily on the same plate.
The premise is that certain foods are nutritional powerhouses and should be piled into grocery carts and lunch boxes. Blueberries bubble with cancer-fighting, heart-healthy antioxidants; avocados ooze with the same good fats that olive oil has. The claims about these foods made by food marketing professionals and in popular books such as "SuperFoods Rx," by San Diego ophthalmologist Steven Pratt tend to create the impression that "super foods" are the nutritional equivalent of the fountain of youth and will save you from cancer, heart disease, diabetes and every other scourge of good health.
That's probably not true. But that doesn't mean super foods should be dismissed. The fact is, there's every reason to eat them.
The antioxidants in blueberries are good for you. Avocado's monounsaturated fats are healthier than, say, the saturated fats in butter. A little bit of dark chocolate does contain micronutrients that help lower blood pressure and do other good things for the heart.
It's called nutrition, a concept dietitians have been trying to sell for years. Now, suddenly, it's trendy.
Food companies find the super foods concept irresistible for advertising. But that doesn't mean that Dole Food Co., the fruit and vegetable giant, was wrong when it called Brussels sprouts a super food in a holiday publicity pitch to food writers. They do contain a lot of vitamin C and some other useful phytonutrients, and they're very good for you.
Pratt, and co-writer Kathy Matthews, have probably done the most to popularize the concept. Pratt noticed the connection between good nutrition and health when patients with age-related macular degeneration improved when they started eating more nutritious foods.
Their "SuperFoods Rx" spotlighted "14 foods that will change your life," and made the case for each as an ingredient that "can help you extend your lifespan." The 14 are beans, blueberries, broccoli, oats, oranges, pumpkin, salmon, soy, spinach, tea, tomatoes, turkey, walnuts and yogurt. The book summarizes research studies on the beneficial effects of various foods, pulling together the good news from the torrent of conflicting reports about nutrition that flood the media.
For example, tomatoes, especially processed or cooked ones, have tons of cancer-fighting lycopene. Turkey breast is an exceptionally lean source of protein; it has much less saturated fat than chicken. And drinking tea — green or black — delivers a potent dose of antioxidants.
The authors' new follow-up, "SuperFoods HealthStyle," updates research on the first 14, and adds another dozen or so. New to the list are apples (for fiber), kiwis (for vitamin C) and the avocado and dark chocolate previously mentioned.
All of the super foods would fit neatly into the federal government's prescription for healthy eating — if they're eaten in appropriate amounts. One ounce of dark chocolate might be good for you, but more is not merrier — at least nutritionally. Chocolate — and likewise olive oil — has so many calories, you really should eat only a little at a time.
"When you look at the list of super foods, it's the ones that have had the most research," says Jo Ann Hattner, a San Francisco registered dietitian who teaches nutrition at the Stanford School of Medicine. "There are so many foods that there are benefits for but we haven't studied it."
Whole foods will always be better than trying to get the same nutrients through supplements, Hattner says. Foods deliver many nutrients, not just the ones science has pinpointed.
And the nutrients are delivered in combinations that might give them more power than any one alone — a concept known as synergy.
For example, Hattner says, current research shows that consuming vitamin E and lycopene together — avocados with tomatoes, say — enhances their antioxidant effects. The oligosaccharides in onions also boost tomatoes' lycopene.
That's likely to be the next nutrition frontier, according to Hattner, who says, "I think the future of food would be combinations of foods."
What's so super about ... ?
Apples: According to the 'SuperFoods Healthstyle' author Dr. Steven Pratt, different varieties of apples have different phytonutrients, but they all have tons of antioxidants, including flavonoids and other polyphenols, and fiber.
Avocado: Avocados have the same thing going for them that olive oil does: healthy monounsaturated fatty acids. These are the 'good fats,' and they appear to lower LDL (bad) cholesterol levels, and raise HDL (good) cholesterol levels. Fiber, potassium, magnesium, folate and antioxidants up the ante.
Beans: They haven't gotten the same media buzz as blueberries, but some beans have even more health-promoting antioxidants. They also have as much cholesterol-lowering fiber as oats, and a lot of lean protein. All of that is good for your heart. They also are rich in B vitamins and potassium. This category includes both dried and green beans.
Blueberries: Frozen do the trick as well as fresh, and they're easier to find in winter. For such tiny fruits, they deliver a huge wallop of antioxidants of many kinds, including anthocyanins and other polyphenols, and carotenoids. They also have fiber, folic acid and vitamins C and E. And they taste good with few calories.
Dark chocolate: The magic word here is flavonoids, the same kinds of antioxidants that make tea so potent a health brew. Research shows flavonoids have a role in helping lower blood pressure and in keeping your arteries from clogging — both good news for your heart. Only dark chocolate does the trick, not milk or white. And the more cocoa solids the better — look for the percentage on the label.
Kiwi: Vitamin C, vitamin C, vitamin C — kiwis are loaded in this antioxidant, which also makes oranges a super food. Kiwis rival bananas in potassium, pound for pound. And flavonoid antioxidants abound in the skin, which is edible but best if you rub the fuzzy stuff off first.
Oatmeal: Kings of fiber, oats also deliver protein, potassium, magnesium and other minerals, and phytonutrients, including antioxidants. Their cholesterol-lowering powers are well known, and all that fiber is also believed to help stabilize blood sugar. Oats' combination of nutrients appears to have more healthy effects than if each nutrient were consumed separately — which seems to be true of all whole grains. And, they're inexpensive.
Spinach: What doesn't spinach have? It's loaded with lutein (great for eyes) and many other carotenoids, which are healthful antioxidants; plus other antioxidants such as coenzyme Q, in serious doses; plus several B vitamins plus C and E; plus iron and other minerals; plus betaine, a vitaminlike nutrient research suggests is good for your heart. And with almost no calories, you can eat as much as you want.
Walnuts: All nuts have been rehabbed as good-for-you foods, for their healthy fats and micronutrients. A few go a long way, though, as they are calorie bombs. Walnuts' main claim to stardom are their omega-3 fatty acids, which fight heart disease. Other goodies: plant sterols, which lower cholesterol, and a lot of antioxidants.
Yogurt: Yogurt's claim to fame is live cultures, also called probiotics or beneficial bacteria. They are what turns milk into yogurt (but some commercial yogurts are heated to kill the cultures after they do their work, so be sure to read the label). In your gut, they fight bad bacteria, aid digestion, help metabolize food and generally tune your system up. Yogurt also is a good source of calcium and protein.
RECIPES
These are not diet recipes, as in low-/nonfat, low-sodium, low-carb, low whatever-is-of the-moment. Rather, they are ways to let super-nutritious foods be more of what you eat, and unhealthy fats, sodium, sugar and refined foods be less of what you eat. — Marlena Spieler, San Francisco Chronicle
Serve with anything spicy and Asian from the grill, and a bowl of plain rice. A sprinkling of peanuts would add a nice crunch, scattered on top before serving.
Vietnamese-Style Spicy Dipping Sauce with Apple and Carrot
1 apple, cored and cut into julienne
1 carrot, peeled and shredded on the large holes of a grater
1 garlic clove, chopped
Juice of 1 lime
1 Tbsp. rice vinegar
About 1 Tbsp. sugar or honey
About 1 Tbsp. low-sodium soy sauce or fish sauce
Several large pinches of hot red pepper flakes
Water as needed
2-3 Tbsp. chopped cilantro
Combine the apple, carrot, garlic, lime juice, rice vinegar, sugar, soy sauce and hot pepper flakes. Slowly add a few tablespoons of water, until the mixture is the desired balance of sweet and sour. Chill until ready to serve, then stir in the chopped cilantro. Serves 4-6.
This recipe is just slightly adapted from Laurent Manrique's recipe that is included in Paula Wolfert's revised edition of "The Cooking of Southwest France."
Avocado and Lightly Seared Tuna
1/2 lb. sushi-grade yellowfin or ahi tuna, in one piece
2 1/2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 ruby red grapefruit, peeled, sectioned and diced
Juice of 1/2 lime
Pinch of sea salt
Generous pinch of pimento or moderately hot pepper
1 tsp. toasted pine nuts
1 ripe avocado, pitted and peeled
2 large opal or Asian basil leaves
Dry the tuna with paper towels. Heat a heavy nonstick skillet over high heat with a drop or two of the olive oil. When it is very hot, sear the tuna for 1 minute on each side. Transfer the tuna to a cutting board and let it rest while you prepare the vinaigrette. Gently toss the diced grapefruit, lime juice, salt, pepper, remaining olive oil and toasted pine nuts together, taking care not to break up the grapefruit. Quarter or thinly slice the avocado, tear or thinly slice the basil, then thinly slice the tuna. Arrange them together on the plates, then spoon the vinaigrette with the chunks of grapefruit over the tuna and avocado, scatter the basil over the top, and serve right away. Serves 2 as a main course, 4 as a first course.
Fettuccine with Pinquitos, Squash and Sage
2-4 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
5 oz. Hubbard, kabocha or pumpkin squash, peeled and diced
About 20 small sage leaves
1/2-3/4 cup cooked pinquito beans
Salt to taste
Pinch of pure ground red chile
12 oz. fettuccine
About 4 Tbsp. freshly grated pecorino or pecorino Romano cheese
Heat a tablespoon or two of olive oil in a heavy nonstick skillet. Add squash and sauté until lightly browned. Push squash to one side and add the sage; let them sizzle in the hot oil, then remove from heat and add the beans to the pan. Toss together then season with salt and ground red chile. Set aside.
Cook pasta until al dente, then drain, reserving about 1/4 cup of the cooking liquid. Toss the hot pasta into the squash and beans in the skillet; place over medium-low heat. Add a few spoonfuls of the cooking liquid. As mixture warms, toss and sprinkle in the cheese and a tablespoon or two of olive oil. Serves 4.
Egyptian-Inspired Cinnamon-Garlic-Walnut Chicken Thighs
8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
Juice of 1/2-1 lemon
Salt and pepper to taste
Several large pinches of dried or fresh thyme leaves
3-4 garlic cloves, chopped
1/8-1/4 tsp. cinnamon
2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1/8-1/4 tsp. paprika
4-6 Tbsp. walnut pieces
Preheat the oven to 375. Combine chicken with lemon juice, salt and pepper, thyme, garlic, cinnamon, olive oil and paprika. Toss to coat well. Arrange in a baking pan and sprinkle with the walnuts. Bake for 25 minutes. Serves 4.
Super food terms glossary
Antioxidants. An umbrella name for many substances that retard the body's normal process of oxidation, meaning a reaction to oxygen that releases "free radicals" that damage cells and break the body down. Digestion releases free radicals from food. Antioxidants help prevent this and also are thought to destroy free radicals and slow oxidation, reducing allergies, heart disease, cancer and aging effects. Dozens of antioxidant nutrients have been identified so far, and there are likely many more. Many vitamins have antioxidant effects, including A (which is a carotene), C and E.
Flavonoids. These are the best-known antioxidants — think tea and dark chocolate — among a group called polyphenols. You also see the word flavonol, which is a subgroup of flavonoids. Relatives are anthocyanins (which give blueberries their fame).
Carotenoids. These are the pigments that protect dark green, yellow, orange and red fruits and vegetables from sun damage — and they work as antioxidants in humans, too. Beta-carotene is the best known — it's also called vitamin A. Other famous carotenoids — there are dozens — are lycopene and lutein.
Phytonutrients. Plant-derived compounds that are believed to improve your health, but aren't essential to your health. This includes many antioxidants.- Carol Ness
