Body-friendly foods
You love it when
the mercury dips low enough for you to break out your knee-high boots and sexy
tights. But there's nothing fun about chapped lips, lingering fatigue, and
other cold-weather bummers. Cut them all off at
the pass by filling your shopping cart with foods that will fight for your
right to look and feel amazing. Researchers agree that these edibles have
healing powers that can help keep you in top shape, inside and out. Start
noshing on them now and your body will never suspect that it's winter.
Scramble: Whole
eggs
Forgo egg-white omelets. The yolks are an all-star source of two
antioxidants - lutein and zeaxanthin, carotenoids that fight cataracts as well
as macular degeneration, the leading cause of blindness. Don't worry: University of Massachusetts researchers have
concluded that eating an average of one egg yolk a day will not hurt your
cholesterol levels.
Steam:
Yes, that really is orange cauliflower popping up in your produce aisle. Food
scientists at Cornell University reworked the white variety
to provide 25 times as much beta-carotene, which maintains the protective
covering over the cornea. As with any low-cal vegetable, you can enjoy peachy
cauliflower with reckless abandon, provided you don't drown it in salt and
fat-laden butter.
Your Brain
Surf for: Arctic
char
This cold-water fish is a great source of the omega-3 fats DHA and EPA, which
can improve brain function and ward off the blues, says Elizabeth Somer, R.D.,
author of Age-Proof Your Body. Omega-3s help squelch inflammation in the brain
and regulate feel-good neurotransmitters. Sprinkle fillets with sea salt,
ground pepper, and fresh lemon juice, then pan-fry on medium-high until one
side is slightly brown. Flip and cook until the inside is slightly pink (6 to 8
minutes total).
Saute: Kale
Feed the 100 billion neurons in your noggin with nutritious kale. A study in
the journal Neurology reports that getting two-plus servings per day of
veggies - especially leafy green ones like kale - slows cognitive decline by 40
percent. Temper kale's bitter flavor by sautéing it lightly with 1 teaspoon of
lemon juice, a chopped garlic clove, 2 tablespoons of pine nuts, and a pinch of
salt.
Your Nose
Nosh: Sunflower
seeds
Hay fever affects more than 40 million Americans, according to the National Institutes
of Health. Halt the drip with vitamin E. Researchers suspect it calms the parts
of your immune system involved in allergies. With 49 percent of your daily
vitamin E needs in an ounce, these seeds are your shnoz's best friend.
Your Hair
Spoon Up:
Low-fat cottage cheese
Hair is almost all protein, so attaining a strong, vibrant mane starts with
eating enough of it. Reduced-fat cottage cheese is a protein heavyweight, with
14 grams in half a cup.
Pack: Pumpkin
seeds
Zinc helps reduce shedding, says Francesca Fusco, M.D., assistant clinical
professor of dermatology at New York 's Mount Sinai Medical Center .
Toss a tablespoon of these zinc-heavy seeds into your cereal.
Your Skin
Simmer: Tomatoes
Cozy up to your nearest Italian eatery. The fruit is especially beneficial when
cooked - more of the carotenoid lycopene makes it into the skin, where it can
limit UV damage to lower skin-cancer risk and hold off wrinkles.
Experiment with:
Hemp
The omega-3 fatty acids in hemp help your skin retain moisture so you don't
look like a cast member from Dawn of the Dead. Toss a tablespoon each of lemon
juice, pine nuts, and shelled hemp seeds ($9 for 8 oz, manitobaharvest.com)
into a blender with a cup of hemp-seed oil ($10 for 8 oz, manitobaharvest.com),
a chopped garlic clove, a pinch of salt, and 1/2 cup fresh basil. Whirl to
create a delicious and healthy pesto.
Your Lips
Munch On:
Walnuts
To get moist, beautiful, chap-free lips, your body needs to constantly replace
old skin cells with new ones. "Omega-3 fats help regulate this turnover so
that it happens all the time," Fusco says. And unlike much-lauded almonds,
walnuts have tons of the phat fats. So do your lips a favor and pucker up to an
ounce (about 14 shelled halves) a day; eat them plain or add them to salads,
cereal, oatmeal, trail mix, or your favorite muffin recipe.
Your Nails
Grill up: Beef
Of all the sources of highly absorbable iron in your supermarket, beef is among
the best. Low iron levels, which are common in women, not only zap your zip,
but, Fusco says, can cause brittle nails. With the least fat of the common
cuts, top round (and other round cuts) deserve high billing on your broiler pan.
Your Breasts
Add: Broccoli
sprouts
Sulforaphane, found in baby broccoli, fires up enzymes that may stop
breast-cancer cells from growing. Johns Hopkins University researchers discovered
that broccoli sprouts have up to 20 times as much of this compound as fully
grown plants. Pimp your sandwiches and salads with 1/2 cup of robustly flavored
broccosprouts - developed by scientists at Johns Hopkins. A one-ounce serving
contains 73 milligrams of the naturally occurring precursor of sulforaphane.
Your Heart
Snap Up:
Asparagus
Italian researchers have found that the B vitamin folate reduces homocysteine,
an amino acid believed to promote inflammation, which can up your risk of heart
disease. Eight steamed asparagus spears deliver 20 percent of your daily folate
requirement, as well as other heart-chummy nutrients like potassium.
Sip: Purple
grape juice
Pull over, OJ! According to researchers at the University of Glasgow , purple grape juice is high in phenolics,
"a group of powerful antioxidants that swallow up heart-damaging free
radicals," says Anne VanBeber, R.D., Ph.D., a nutrition professor at Texas Christian University .
To cut calories while guarding your arteries, mix equal parts grape juice and
seltzer.
Your Gut
Reach for: Dried
plums, aka Prunes
These high-fiber fruits help keep your gastric system working like a finely
tuned machine. They may shrink your stomach, too. A study published in the
American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that among 74,000 women surveyed,
those who got more fiber were 49 percent less likely to suffer weight gain.
Make your own trail mix with a handful of chopped pitted prunes plus walnuts,
pumpkin seeds, dried blueberries, and hemp seeds
Toss in: Tempeh
Made from whole soybeans that are then fermented, tempeh pads our guts with
beneficial bacteria. After taking up residence, VanBeber says, these live
microorganisms improve digestion, reduce gas production, and kill bacteria that
cause ulcers. Like tofu, tempeh soaks up the flavors around it, so crumble a
block and toss it into chili, soup, and pasta sauce.
Your Muscles & Joints
Mix in: Ricotta
cheese
Loaded with all of the amino acids muscles need to grow and mend, whey protein
is a virtuoso when it comes to helping you build a buff bod. While milk curd is
used to make most cheeses, ricotta is produced from the whey that's left behind
in the cheese-making process. Mix low-fat ricotta with scrambled eggs, salsa,
and broccoli sprouts for a killer breakfast.
Drizzle:
Extra-virgin olive oil
Ditch fat-free dressings. Olive oil contains oleocanthal, an anti-inflammatory
that may work like ibuprofen, report scientists in the journal Nature. Drizzle
two teaspoons of Spectrum organic extra-virgin ($12 for 12.7 oz,
spectrumorganics.com) onto your veggies.
Your Bones
Indulge in:
Chocolate
Chocolate is rich
in magnesium, vital to bone health. "It forms the crystal lattice that
gives bone its structure," VanBeber says. That may be why University of Tennessee scientists linked higher
mag intake with greater bone-mineral density. Nibble an ounce of the dark stuff
each day.
Open up: Canned
salmon
New research suggests that the omega-3s in these fatty swimmers can boost bone
density. Canned salmon is inexpensive and typically lower in heavy metals like
mercury than many other fish. "Canned salmon [with bones] is also a good
source of calcium - another bone must," Somer says. For a better burger,
make patties with a tin of salmon, an egg, 1/4 cup breadcrumbs, 1/4 cup chopped
onion, and 1/2 tablespoon cumin powder.
Source
: http://health.yahoo.net
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