The 200 SuperFoods That Will Save Your Life (30 page)

YIELD
4 servings

NUTRITION ANALYSIS PER SERVING
103 calories, 16.4 g carbohydrate, 2.9 g protein, 3.8 g fat, 5.8 g dietary fiber

Benefits

Watercress provides vitamins A, B
₆
, folic acid, C, and K; the minerals iron, calcium, iodine, and manganese; and beta-carotene and lutein. Watercress is related to cabbages and mustard greens and provides some of the same sulfur compounds that have been found to be protective against some forms of cancer and heart disease. It is more than 95 percent water and extremely low in calories.

NUTRITIONAL COMPOSITION
One cup of chopped watercress provides 4 calories, 0.4 g carbohydrate, 0.8 g protein, 0 g fat, 0.6 g dietary fiber, 1598 IU vitamin A, 14 mg vitamin C, 4 mcg folic acid, 112 mg potassium, 14 mg sodium, 20 mg phosphorus, 40 mg calcium, and 8 mg magnesium.

Bringing It Home

Watercress is a semi-aquatic plant and is often grown hydroponically. This allows it to be available year-round. Watercress should be firm and crisp, with no signs of wilting, and it should be a rich green color.

If the watercress still has its roots attached, wrap them in a wet paper towel and store the watercress in a plastic bag in the refrigerator. It will keep for up to five days, but true to its Brassica relations, it has a better flavor and texture if you eat it the day it is purchased. Do not wash it until you are ready to eat it, but then wash it carefully, as it can hold on to grit tenaciously. Watercress can be eaten raw or cooked.

Livit Recipe

½ pound whole wheat fusilli

2 tablespoons pine nuts

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 red bell pepper, seeded and sliced into thin strips

1 bunch watercress, washed and trimmed

1 teaspoon basil, optional

¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

• In a large pot, bring 3 to 4 quarts of water to a boil. Once the water is boiling, add the pasta and cook until al dente (about 8 minutes, depending on the pasta). Drain the pasta, reserving 1 cup of the pasta water, and set the pasta aside.

• Toast the pine nuts in a dry skillet over medium heat until they just begin to turn golden brown. Watch carefully and stir them constantly, as they can burn very quickly. Transfer the pine nuts to a small bowl to cool.

• In a medium skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Once the oil is hot, add the garlic. Cook, stirring frequently, for 1 to 3 minutes, until it is lightly browned. Add peppers and cook for another 2 minutes. Add watercress to the pan with ¼ cup of the reserved pasta water. Simmer for an additional 4 to 6 minutes, until the peppers are soft. Add the pasta to the sauce and toss gently to combine. Add basil, if using. Cook together for 1 minute, stirring often.

• Transfer to a serving bowl. Sprinkle Parmesan and pine nuts over the top, tossing gently to combine. Serve.

YIELD
4 servings

NUTRITION ANALYSIS PER SERVING
291 calories, 38 g carbohydrate, 12.8 g protein, 9.3 g fat, 7.1 g dietary fiber

Benefits

Zucchini provides vitamins A and C, folate, potassium, manganese, lutein, and beta-carotene. Although it is 95 percent water and 4 percent carbohydrate, zucchini is a low-calorie source of antioxidants and anti-inflammatories, as well as some of the phytonutrients that help protect vision.

The manganese in zucchini (one cup provides 38 percent of the recommended daily value of this mineral) is a vital cofactor in a number of enzymes, including some that help cells maintain their shape and others that are essential to metabolic
processes. Manganese ions are essential to the process of neutralizing superoxide free radicals, which are quite toxic.

NUTRITIONAL COMPOSITION
One cup of sliced raw zucchini provides 18 calories, 3.8 g carbohydrate, 1.6 g protein, 0.2 g fat, 1.6 g dietary fiber, 442 IU vitamin A, 12 mg vitamin C, 28 mcg folic acid, 322 mg potassium, 4 mg sodium, 42 mg phosphorus, 20 mg calcium, and 28 mg magnesium.

Bringing It Home

The best zucchini is small to medium in size, with a shiny, thin, deep green skin. Because most of the carotenes are in the skin, it's best to get zucchini with skins that are thin enough to eat. Zucchini should be handled carefully to avoid punctures. It will keep for about seven days if stored in a plastic bag in the refrigerator.

Livit Recipe

¼ cup whole wheat pastry flour

Freshly ground black pepper

4 medium zucchini, with ends cut off, cut lengthwise into ¼-inch strips

1 tablespoon canola oil

1 large container (15 ounces) part-skim ricotta cheese

1 egg

1 egg white

1 teaspoon dried oregano

4 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

2 cups spaghetti sauce

½ pound part-skim mozzarella cheese, shredded

• Preheat oven to 350°F.

• In a shallow pan or pie plate, mix the flour with the pepper. Dip both sides of each zucchini strip into the seasoned flour.

• Heat the oil in a large, nonstick skillet over medium heat. Working in batches, fry the zucchini slices in a single layer until they are golden, turning them once. Remove zucchini to a platter covered with a paper towel to drain. Set aside.

• In a medium bowl, combine the ricotta, egg, egg white, oregano, and 3 tablespoons of the Parmesan. Set aside.

• Spread half of the spaghetti sauce in a 9” × 13” baking pan. Layer it with half of the zucchini slices, then half of the ricotta mixture, then half of the shredded mozzarella. Repeat the layers. Sprinkle the remaining 1 tablespoon of Parmesan over the top. Bake for 45 minutes, or until bubbly. Remove from oven and let stand for about 10 minutes before serving.

YIELD
6 servings

NUTRITION ANALYSIS PER SERVING
286 calories, 15.9 g carbohydrate, 21.3 g protein, 16.3 g fat, 2 g dietary fiber

4
Carbohydrates: Grains

When I ask my patients to name their favorite food, the most common answer is “Bread.” Pasta runs a close second. But the most common thing my patients say about these foods is “I can't eat them! They make me fat!”

Low-carbohydrate diets encourage this attitude, with their emphasis on avoiding breads and grains. But there's a difference between the refined, white-flour versions of these foods and the nutritious whole grains that are a vital part of balanced eating. Unfortunately, while people are avoiding carbs, they're also neglecting whole grains. A 2000 study found that 42 percent of adults in the United States ate no whole grains at all on a typical day.

Yet whole grains—as part of a menu that includes fruits and vegetables—are a key component in preventing, delaying, and reducing the effects of some of the most common chronic diseases, including heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, several forms of cancer, and some gastrointestinal disorders.

Indeed, fiber-rich whole grains have been shown to help prevent weight gain and obesity. Carbohydrates are the body's fuel; we can't live without them. So choose the most satisfying, sustaining fuel for your body: Eat whole grains at least twice a day. They will help you feel full longer, which is key to achieving and maintaining an optimal body weight. They are full of fiber, vitamins, and antioxidants such as magnesium, copper, and vitamin E.

To keep your carbohydrate intake in the right proportion to other foods you eat, choose either whole grains or fruit with every meal or snack. For example, have
a fist-sized portion of whole wheat pasta at lunch with your protein source and veggies, then have a piece of fruit with your snack later.

What makes a grain “whole”? Whole grains include all three main parts of the grain kernel: bran, germ, and endosperm. When the label says “enriched” or “refined” flour, the bran and germ have been stripped out, removing the beneficial fiber, heart-health benefits, and significant nutrients. “Enriched” flours try to replenish some of those nutrients in the form of supplements, but they don't replace the full range of grain's benefits, and they don't replace the fiber.

Whole grains include brown rice, corn, oats, millet, whole wheat, buckwheat, barley, bulgur, amaranth, rye, and millet. (Quinoa is often included with whole grains, though we have grouped it with starchy vegetables in
Chapter 2
.)

Check labels for fiber content to make sure you're getting the most health value out of the bread and grains you eat. Look for three grams or more of dietary fiber in snack foods and five grams or more in a meal. Keep in mind that color alone isn't a reliable indicator of whether a food is whole grain. For example, a dark brown bread can get its color from ingredients such as molasses or spices; it's not necessarily whole wheat.

EATING GLUTEN-FREE

If you must avoid gluten-bearing grains (barley, rye, oats, and wheat), you can still get the benefits of whole grains from gluten-free alternatives, such as brown rice, wild rice, quinoa, millet, amaranth, and buckwheat. High-fiber, nutrient-dense starchy vegetables such as yams, butternut squash, acorn squash, spaghetti squash, winter squash, green peas, corn, and potatoes (if eaten with their skins) provide those benefits as well. Fruit, gluten-free breads, brown rice cakes, and gluten-free cereals can easily serve as your carbohydrate source in place of items containing gluten. If you try gluten-free cereals—corn flakes, puffed rice, millet, or corn—you might even want to increase the fiber by adding 1 or 2 tablespoons of ground flaxseeds to your bowl of cereal. Do make sure to drink plenty of water to help the fiber do its job.

Benefits

Amaranth is native to South America, Asia, and Africa. It grows easily and can be prolific in producing seeds. Its high-protein, gluten-free seeds are used as a grain, though technically amaranth is a pseudograin. For a plant source, it is also a relatively
complete protein, because it includes lysine, an essential amino acid that grains often lack. The seeds are high in fiber and provide the minerals iron, magnesium, phosphorus, copper, and manganese.

In some countries, especially India and Africa, amaranth leaves are eaten as well. Although these greens are high in many vitamins and minerals, they are also high in oxalic acid. Both the flowers and leaves have been used in some forms of traditional medicine.

Amaranth seed appears to help reduce blood pressure and cholesterol, an effect not only of the seeds' fiber content but also of chemical substances called plant sterols. These sterols become stanols, some of which are known to reduce low-density lipoprotein (LDL), or “bad” cholesterol. Other stanols are used by the body to make steroids, which can have important anti-inflammatory properties.

NUTRITIONAL COMPOSITION
One-quarter cup of organic whole grain amaranth provides 180 calories, 31 g carbohydrate, 7 g protein, 3 g fat, 7 g dietary fiber, 2.4 mg vitamin C, 8 mg calcium, 3.6 mg iron, 0.03 mg thiamine, 0.1 mg riboflavin, 0.8 mg niacin, 0.02 mg folate, and 200 mg phosphorus.

Bringing It Home

Amaranth seed is probably easiest to find at health food and natural food stores, where it is sometimes sold as a bulk grain. However, it is becoming more common to find it commercially packaged in conventional groceries. Because it is relatively rich in oils, there is a risk that it will go rancid if stored too long, so buy it from a store where the stock turns over relatively rapidly. At home, store it away from light, heat, and moisture.

Amaranth can be cooked like a grain or, with more water, as a hot cereal.

Pastas made with amaranth tend to be multi-grain, teaming it with rice or quinoa—a great way to add a variety of grains to your day. Amaranth-based pastas cook more quickly than wheat pastas, usually in a mere four to six minutes. You definitely don't want to overcook this pasta, because it gets mushy. You may want to drain it immediately and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking.

Livit Recipe

2 cups water

1 cup low-sodium vegetable broth

1 cup amaranth seeds

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon dried thyme leaves

2 tablespoons non-hydrogenated margarine

teaspoon pepper