PENDING MORE TIME, HEREINAFTER A FEW SUPERFOODS. WE WILL START WITH SPICES AND WORK OUR WAY UP THE FOOD CHAIN TO TREE FRUITS. THIS WEBPAGE IS AT ITS INFANCY, UNDER CONSTRUCTION.
Spices can add much more than flavor, color and variety to your favorite foods; many also have unique health-promoting properties. So if salt and pepper are the only spices in your kitchen, you're missing out on a host of interesting flavors and some potentially potent health benefits.
Ginger
Health Benefits: The active ingredient in ginger is gingerol, a compound that's thought to relax blood vessels, stimulate blood flow and relieve pain. It's commonly used as a digestive aid and contains compounds that ease motion sickness and nausea and inhibit vomiting. This makes it a helpful spice for morning sickness or for people suffering from the side effects of chemotherapy.
Ginger is also an anti-inflammatory, which means it may be useful in fighting heart disease, cancer, Alzheimer's disease and arthritis. Plus, it's high in antioxidants that fight all kinds of diseases.
How it's Used: Ginger can be used freshly ground from the root (see picture) in Asian dishes, as well as in any type of meat, seafood or vegetable dish. Ginger is commonly served along with sushi. Dried ground ginger is typically used in desserts and baking (gingerbread cookies, etc.), and it's also available candied and pickled. Fresh ginger root can also be used to make a soothing ginger tea.
Interesting Tidbit: The health benefits of ginger were documented over 2,000 years ago!
Oregano
Health Benefits: Two of oregano's compounds, thymol and carvacrol, have potent antibacterial properties. In fact, a study in Mexico found that oregano was more effective against an amoeba than a common prescription drug called tinidazol.
Oregano is also a potent antioxidant, rich in phytonutrients. On a per gram basis, fresh oregano has:
• 42 times more antioxidant activity than apples
• 30 times more than potatoes
• 12 times more than oranges
• 4 times more than blueberries
How it's Used: Fresh or dried oregano can be added to Italian dishes, salad dressings, egg dishes, vegetables, meats and more.
Interesting Tidbit: Oregano means "mountain joy" and is sometimes called wild marjoram in Europe. It's closely related to the herb sweet marjoram.
Cinnamon
Health Benefits: Cinnamon is an anti-microbial food that can stop the growth of bacteria, fungi and yeast. A study in the August 2003 International Journal of Food Microbiology also found that a few drops of cinnamon essential oil added to carrot broth was able to effectively preserve the food and fight pathogenic organisms--all while improving the flavor of the broth.
It also has anti-clotting and anti-inflammatory properties, which help prevent unwanted clumping of blood platelets. And, it may help boost brain function.
People with diabetes should also take note that cinnamon is a useful tool to help control blood sugar. A study in the December 2003 Diabetes Care found that eating one to six grams of cinnamon daily significantly reduced blood sugar levels in people with type 2 diabetes. Meanwhile, it also reduced their triglyceride levels, LDL (bad) cholesterol and total cholesterol levels.
Plus, a study in the February 2004 Hormone Metabolism Research found that this tasty spice appears to prevent insulin resistance even in animals eating a high-fructose diet.
And that's not all. Cinnamon is a powerful antioxidant. A study in the Journal of Nutrition found that out of all spices, cinnamon is one of the richest sources of disease-fighting antioxidants.
How it's Used: Cinnamon comes ground and in sticks, and can be used in Mexican, Middle Eastern and other ethnic dishes, curries, vegetables, tea, beverages, and of course, desserts.
Interesting Tidbit: In traditional Chinese medicine, cinnamon is used in a tea along with ginger to fight the onset of colds and flu.
Turmeric
Health Benefits: Curcumin, which gives turmeric its bright yellow color, is thought to be the active ingredient in this spice. It's a potent anti-inflammatory that studies have found is just as effective as drugs like hydrocortisone, phenylbutazone and Motrin. This spice has been found to be helpful in fighting inflammatory bowel diseases, including Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, rheumatoid arthritis, cystic fibrosis, cancer and Alzheimer's disease. It's also shown promise in offering cardiovascular and liver protection.
How it's Used: Turmeric powder can be added to rice dishes, egg salad, salad dressings, curries, beans and sauces. It has a warm, peppery flavor similar to ginger and orange.
Interesting Tidbit: Turmeric is the spice commonly used in curries that gives them their yellow color. It's also what makes traditional mustard yellow!
Sage
Health Benefits: Sage is an anti-inflammatory and antioxidant. It contains flavonoids, phenolic acids and oxygen-handling enzymes, all of which give it a unique ability to prevent oxygen-based damage to cells. Sage may be useful in fighting rheumatoid arthritis and other inflammatory conditions, bronchial asthma and atherosclerosis.
Sage also appears to promote better brain function. A study in the June 2003 Pharmacological Biochemical Behavior found that people given sage essential oil extracts had significantly improved recall abilities compared to those given a placebo.
How it's Used: Sage's subtle, sweet flavor makes it a very versatile herb. It can be added to soups, sauces, salad dressings, meat dishes, casseroles, vegetables, eggs, salads and more.
Interesting Tidbit: Sage means "to be saved." Because sage is so effective in protecting oxygen-based damage, several companies have been conducting experiments using sage as a natural additive to cooking oils to extend shelf life and prevent the oils from going rancid.
Red Chili Peppers
Health Benefits: These peppers, which include the popular cayenne pepper, contain capsaicin, an anti-inflammatory compound that helps with pain relief. Chili peppers have been found to help:
• Clear congestion by clearing mucus from the lungs and nose
• Boost immunity
• Prevent stomach ulcers by killing bacteria
• Help with weight loss
• Reduce blood cholesterol, triglyceride levels and platelet aggregation
• Prevent cancers, including stomach cancer
• Relieve pain
How it's Used: Chili peppers are, of course, great in Mexican dishes, but that's not all. Try them with other vegetables, tuna salad, chili, corn bread, dips, curries, soups, sauces and more.
Interesting Tidbit: The hotter the pepper, the more capsaicin it contains. Some of the hottest chili peppers out there are the habañero, Scotch bonnet, and jalapeño peppers.
Parsley
Health Benefits: Chief among parsley's beneficial properties is its ability to fight cancer. Animal studies have shown that it can inhibit tumor formation, particularly in the lungs. It's also known to neutralize carcinogens including those found in cigarette smoke and charcoal grill smoke.
Parsley is also a rich source of antioxidants and heart-protective nutrients including vitamin C, beta-carotene and folic acid.
How it's Used: Parsley comes in two popular varieties, curly and flat leaf. Fresh parsley is more flavorful than the dried variety. The curly version tends to have a more intense flavor than the flat-leaf variety. Use it in soups, salads and casseroles, or to top fish, meat, potatoes, vegetables and more.
Interesting Tidbit: Parsley is a great breath freshener at the end of a meal.
GARLIC.
GARLIC: When crushed or finely chopped it yields allicin, a powerful antibiotic and anti-fungal compound. It also contains alliin, ajoene, enzymes, vitamine B, minerals (including selenium and germaniun), quercetin, rutin, p-coumaric acids, zinc among other components.
"A host of studies provide compelling evidence that garlic and its organic allyl sulfur components are effective inhibitors of the cancer process. These studies reveal that the benefits of garlic are not limited to a specific species, to a particular tissue, or to a specific carcinogen. Of 37 observational studies in humans using garlic and related allyl sulfur components, 28 studies showed some cancer preventive effect. The evidence is particularly strong for a link between garlic and prevention of prostate and stomach cancers". (National Cancer Institute, 11.27.02).
TOMATOES: ONCE DEEMED A POISON
A thorough review of scientific literature strengthens the evidence that eating tomatoes and tomato-based products can provide powerful protection against many kinds of cancer. Dr. Edward Giovannucci, a leading cancer researcher at Harvard Medical School, reached this conclusion after analyzing the results of 72 studies on the health effects of tomatoes. "The antioxidant properties of lycopene, a carotenoid found primarily in tomatoes, have raised interest in the tomato as a food with potential anticancer properties," says Dr. Giovannucci, whose research review appeared in the February 17, 1999, issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. Some studies examined dietary differences between cancer patients and people free of the disease, while others measured lycopene levels in blood plasma. A total of 57 studies present convincing evidence of a relationship between tomato consumption or blood lycopene level and the risk of cancer. The data are strongest for cancers of the prostate gland, lung and stomach, but also extend to several other kinds, including breast, pancreatic, colorectal, esophageal, oral and cervical cancers. According to Dr. Giovannucci, these benefits were observed whether the diets contained fresh or processed tomatos. Researchers believe that lycopene neutralizes harmful free radicals that can damage cells and trigger cancer. But researchers believe that cancer protection most likely comes from a complex interaction between lycopene and other phytochemicals and nutrients present in tomatoes. The author advises that current recommendations should emphasize the health benefits of diets rich in a variety of fruits and vegetables, including tomatoes and tomato-based products. Though there is strong evidence connecting lycopene and cancer protection, researchers are not in agreement about how this occurs.
THE GLORIOUS BROCCOLI
JOHNS HOPKINS SCIENTISTS have found a new and highly concentrated source of sulforaphane, a compound they identified in 1992 that helps mobilize the body's natural cancer-fighting resources and reduces risk of developing cancer."Three-day-old broccoli sprouts consistently contain 20 to 50 times the amount of chemoprotective compounds found in mature broccoli heads, and may offer a simple, dietary means of chemically reducing cancer risk," says Paul Talalay, M.D., J.J. Abel Distinguished Service Professor of Pharmacology. Talalay's research team fed extracts of the sprouts to groups of 20 female rats for five days, and exposed them and a control group that had not received the extracts to a carcinogen, dimethylbenzanthracene. The rats that received the extracts developed fewer tumors, and those that did get tumors had smaller growths that took longer to develop. In a paper published in tomorrow's issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Talalay and his coworkers describe their successful efforts to build on their 1992 discovery of sulforaphane's chemoprotective properties. Work described in the study is the subject of issued and pending patents. A systematic search for dietary sources of compounds that increase resistance to cancer-causing agents led the Hopkins group to focus on naturally occurring compounds in edible plants that mobilize Phase 2 detoxification enzymes. These enzymes neutralize highly reactive, dangerous forms of cancer-causing chemicals before they can damage DNA and promote cancer. Sulforaphane "is a very potent promoter of Phase 2 enzymes," says Jed Fahey, plant physiologist and manager of the Brassica Chemoprotection Laboratory at Hopkins, and broccoli contains unusually high levels of glucoraphanin, the naturally-occurring precursor of sulforaphane."
GRAPES
« …Some chemicals found in grape extracts (proanthocyanidins) and grape skins (resveratrol) are currently being studied for possible uses in the prevention and treatment of cancer and other illnesses. (…). Evidence suggests that the chemicals found in grape seed extract proanthocyanidins) are powerful antioxidants. Antioxidants are compounds that block the action of activated oxygen molecules, known as free radicals, which can damage cells. Proponents claim that these antioxidants inhibit the development of some types of cancer, protect against heart disease, and are useful for treating a variety of medical conditions such as arthritis, allergies, circulatory problems, diabetes, water retention, and vision problems. FOR MORE ON FOOD AND CANCER, PLEASE CLICK HERE: D
Grapes
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DISCLAIMER:
This is an education and political website, not a medical one. For serious illness, one should see his or her physician. And have some anti-depressant raw vegan organic cacao when desirable. The candidate has no business in the cacao and superfoods industry. In the same way that public health commands responsible leaders to remind the People to drink plenty of pure water and to eat multiple veggies and fruit daily servings and fibers each day, in the same way, this information is part of the candidate's public awarness and health restoration education effort for Washington State's People. Protected by the First Amendment, this effort is also a dutiful one encouraged by the Federal Constitution's preamble and the World Health Organization's Constitution.
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All information contained in this site are pedagogical and political in nature, not intended to give any technical, medical or legal advice. Some of the links provided are for convenience, they do not constitute a formal endorsement. The "Citizens to elect Christian Pierre Joubert campaign committee" bears no responsibility for the accuracy, the legality or the content of the external sites or for those subsequent links the committee may invoke for informational and political purposes only.
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