Monthly Archive for November, 2006

Chili Peppers

Harvard Medical School  www.health.harvard.edu

Americans are eating 38% more chili peppers than they were a decade ago, this is great news.

Chili peppers are proof that great things come in small packages. Gram for gram they contain more calcium and vitamin A and C than asparagus, celery, and green peas.

Salsa is not quite the nutritional bonus to your diet as chili peppers but can be a plus. Two tablespoons of La Victoria salsa contains 4 mg calcium, 124 IU of vitamin A and 1.8 mg of vitamin C. Some of the credit has to go to the tomato in the salsa.

The greatest benefit this little pepper provides may not come from the vitamins and minerals but the possitive effects they it has on your metabolism. Research shows the consumption of chili peppers rev up your metabolism and increase oxidation of fat.   

Spice up your food and improve your health at the same time, add chili peppers to your diet.

An apple a day

Cornell University researchers have reported that apples with skin have as much antioxidant activity as 1,500 milligrams of vitamin C. www.environmentalnutrition.com

Pomegranate fruit extract is showing promise in the treatment of osteoarthritis; this is a disease that affects 20,000,000 people nation wide.

According to the National Institutes of Health, Washington there has not been a lot of success with current treatments in effectiveness. Treatments now used do little to slow down joint destruction and disease progression.

Pomegranate fruit extracts can block enzymes that contribute to osteoarthritis. A study from Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland reveals that pomegranate fruit extracts has the ability to slow the deterioration of human cartilage.

Caution: If you are currently being treated for osteoarthritis check with your physician before taking pomegranate fruit extract; this could interfer with your current treatment.

According to www.dictionary.com, to enrich when it refers to nutrition is to restore to (a food) a nutrient that has been lost during processing.

In other words the natural nutririon has been removed and replaced with artificial nutrition. Is this a good thing? 

This is a recipe from the American Institute for Cancer Research, a great way to use up your left over turkey. Barley is rich in protein, potassium, calcium, iron and B vitamins; Squash is rich in beta-carotene. www.aicr.com

Barley, Turkey and Butternut Squash Casserole

cooking oil spray

2 small butternut squash, halved

2 tsps. olive oil

1 green bell pepper, seeded and diced

1/2 cup minced onion

1 tsp. dried sage

Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

2 cups fat-free, reduced-sodium chicken broth

3/4 cup barley

1/2 lb. turkey breast, cubed or diced

1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat a 4-qt. baking dish with cooking spray.

In a large pot of rapidly boiling water, boil squash halves 5 minutes or until almost tender. Drain squash and set on a large cutting board to cool until easy to handle. Scoop flesh from each half and dice. Set aside.

In a large saucepan, heat oil over medium heat. Add green pepper, onion and diced squash. Saute 3 minutes.

Add sage and pepper and stir to coat, add broth and bring to a boil, add barley and return to boil.

Reduce heat to low, cover and cook 10 minutes, until barley is tender and liquid is absorbed. Mix in diced turkey. Transfer mixture to prepared baking dish and top with feta cheese.

Bake, uncovered, 30 minutes, or until cheese is golden.