What food beats what food?

By Matthew G. Kadey, M.Sc., R.D., Runner's World
Wed, Sept 08, 2010


As a health-savvy consumer, you try to toss nutrient-packed foods into your grocery cart. But when you're deciding between similar-seeming nutritious items (say, turkey or chicken?), you may not know the superior choice. "Food is your fuel," says Mitzi Dulan, R.D., co-author of The All-Pro Diet. "Selecting the most nutritious options will improve your diet and give you a competitive edge." While you can't go wrong eating both quinoa and brown rice, choosing the nutritional champ may give your workout the boost it needs. In a healthy-food smackdown, here are our winning picks.

STRAWBERRIES vs. BLUEBERRIES
Both are health all-stars, but a study in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry reported that blueberries (particularly wild ones) showed the most antioxidant activity of all the fruits tested. "These antioxidants help keep your immune system strong," says Dulan, "and reduce muscle-tissue damage from exercise."

HEALTHY CHOICE: Mix blueberries into lean ground beef for burgers. The juicy fruit will help keep the meat moist.


CHICKEN BREAST vs. TURKEY BREAST
Both breast meats are free of saturated fat, but turkey has three additional grams of protein per three-ounce serving, plus more iron (which helps deliver oxygen to muscles) and selenium. "This mineral functions as part of an enzyme called glutathione peroxidase," says sports dietitian Suzanne Girard Eberle, R.D., author of Endurance Sports Nutrition. This enzyme works as an antioxidant to protect cells from free radicals that may contribute to cancer and heart disease.

HEALTHY CHOICE: Make your own lunch meat to avoid the excess sodium in much deli turkey. Bake turkey breasts, slice them thinly, and add to sandwiches.

PEANUT BUTTER vs. ALMOND BUTTER
Almond butter has more calcium and magnesium, a mineral that's often lacking in runners' diets and is important for muscle contraction. While the two nut butters contain about the same amount of fat, the almond variety has 60 percent more monounsaturated fat. "When consumed in place of saturated fat," says Dulan, "monounsaturated fat lowers harmful LDL levels to help decrease heart disease and stroke risk." Almond butter also has three times more vitamin E, an antioxidant that may reduce cancer risk.

HEALTHY CHOICE: Use almond butter instead of PB on your bagel. Blend it into a postrun smoothie, or stir it into oatmeal.

SPINACH vs. KALE
Kale's nutritional value would even win over even Popeye. Gram for gram, kale contains four times more vitamin C, and one and a half times the amount of immune boosting vitamin A and vitamin K. "Vitamin K ensures that blood clots properly," says Eberle, "but it's also needed to make a bone protein essential for strong, healthy bones." Kale contains three times more lutein and zeaxanthin, antioxidants deposited in the retina that work together to protect eye health.

HEALTHY CHOICE: Make kale "chips": Spread bite-sized pieces on a baking sheet. Spray with olive oil, season with salt, and bake for 15 minutes (until crisp).

COW'S MILK vs. GOAT'S MILK
When Spanish researchers compared cow's and goat's milk from animals raised under similar conditions, they found that both have the same amount of essential amino acids needed to repair and build muscle. But goat's milk contains a larger percentage of omega-3 fats, as well as calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, and conjugated linoleic acid (or CLA). Studies suggest CLA has a number of effects, including lowering cancer risk, improving bone health, and helping reduce body fat.

HEALTHY CHOICE: Use tangy, slightly sweet goat's milk (found at health-food stores) the same way as cow's milk—on cereal, in smoothies, and when baking.

WHEAT BREAD vs. RYE BREAD
According to a study in the Nutrition Journal, researchers in Sweden found that participants who ate rye bread for breakfast experienced less hunger later in the day compared with those who ate wheat bread. Hanna Isaksson, the lead study author, believes that rye's ability to quell hunger is due to its high fiber count. Rye can have up to eight grams of fiber per slice—even more than whole wheat.

HEALTHY CHOICE: Rye bread often contains some refined wheat flour, so to get the most fiber, buy "100 percent rye" loaves or make sure whole rye flour or meal is the first ingredient.

FAT BETTER: Earthy, rich-tasting extra-virgin olive oil contains more anti-inflammatory compounds than canola oil. Use it when you make dips, pesto, and vinaigrettes.


Quinoa beats brown rice
WHY: Quinoa has three extra grams of protein per cooked cup, plus more fiber, iron, and magnesium.

Greek yogurt beats regular yogurt
WHY: The Greek variety has about twice as much protein as traditional types.

Green tea beats coffee
WHY: It's bursting with antioxidants (such as EGCG) that help ward off diabetes and certain cancers.

Pork tenderloin beats beef tenderloin
WHY: The pork version has less saturated fat, more B vitamins, and is cheaper.

Goat cheese beats feta cheese
WHY: Goat cheese has nearly half the cholesterol and a third less sodium.

Orange beats apple
WHY: They have similar amounts of calories and fiber, but oranges have 12 times as much vitamin C.

Red pepper beats green pepper
WHY: It boasts eight times the vitamin A, which keeps your immune system strong.

Flaxseed beats flaxseed oil
WHY: The seeds have lots of magnesium, potassium, selenium, and fiber.

Did you know this about tea?

The tea plant naturally concentrates fluoride from the soil and water. Tea consumption has been linked with healthier teeth and gums and stronger bones, possible in part due to its fluoride content. Fluoride is not a concern unless you are drinking more than two to three quarts of instant tea, or a gallon or regular brewed tea, daily.

Source: The Forever Young Diet & Lifestyle, by James O'Keefe

Bottled tea vs. home brewed cup.....

An American Chemical Society report found home-brewed green or black tea contains more polyphenols, chemicals linked to fighting cancer, than bottled teas. (Los Angeles TImes)  By Jennifer Harper, The Washington Times

This news is hard to swallow: 

Drinkers would have to down up to 50 bottles (!)

of the stuff to get the same amount of beneficial substances found in a single cup of humble, home-brewed tea. 






The average 16-ounce bottle of commercial tea contained as little as 3 milligrams of polyphenols, a beneficial compound linked with anti-cancer, anti-inflammatory and anti-diabetic properties.

A simple cup of home-brewed green or black tea contains up to 150 milligrams.

Spicy Tea

I just had my very first taste of Chai Tea and I'm HOOKED! I will be experimenting with Chai Tea during the upcoming winter nights, for sure. I googled Chai Tea and found this interesting recipe of Chocolate Chai Tea:

Things You'll Need:

• 3/4 cup boiling water
• 1 Chai Tea Bag
• 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1/2 cup milk 

1. BOIL WATER - POUR OVER TEA BAG
   Steep for 5 minutes. Squeeze excess out of the teabag.
   
2. POUR TEA IN SAUCEPAN
   Add cocoa, sugar with tea mixture stir until disolved.
   
3. STIR MILK INTO TEA MIXTURE
   Continue to stir until warm.
   
4. POUR INTO A LARGE MUG and ENJOY!!!!
   
   Add cinnamon stick and whipped cream if desired.
   
   
   
   
   

The Health Benefits of Teas

from LIVESTRONG.COM

By Alyse Levine

Concept
The media has exhaustively publicized the numerous ways drinking tea is good for you: from fighting certain cancers, to decreasing the risk of heart disease and Alzheimer's disease, to controlling cholesterol and even reducing tooth decay! Although most people are aware of tea's health benefits, they are not aware of which teas are the most beneficial. So, from a health perspective, are all teas created equal?

Nutritional Facts and Figures
What are the purported health benefits of consuming tea?

Before we begin, note that here we are talking about tea from the tea plant, Camellia sinensis, and not herbal teas, which are really derived from the flowers, leaves, seeds, bark, or roots of certain plants but contain no actual “real” tea (herbal teas do have purported health benefits, but they are beyond the scope of this bite).
Studies have shown that tea may promote good health in the following ways:

*Heart Health: The polyphenols (antioxidants) found in tea are very effective in preventing cholesterol from oxidizing and damaging blood vessels. Green tea has been shown to improve the health of the delicate cells lining the blood vessels, which helps lower one's risk of heart disease (1).

*Cancer Prevention: The polyphenols (catechins in particular) in tea may help prevent or decrease the growth and spread of certain cancers. They scavenge oxidants before cell injuries occur, reduce the incidence and size of chemically induced tumors, and inhibit the growth of tumor cells. In studies of liver, skin, and stomach cancer, chemically induced tumors were shown to decrease in size in mice that were fed green and black tea (2,3).

*Skin Protector: Not only has tea been shown to be effective in decreasing cancer risk when consumed orally, but it may also be beneficial when applied superficially to the skin (4). Some research has shown that when green tea is applied to sunburned skin it decreases the development of cancerous skin tumors. This evidence has led many cosmetics companies to start adding green tea to their skin care products.

*Alzheimer's Disease Arsenal: Both green and black teas have been shown to hinder the activity of two enzymes in the brain associated with Alzheimer's disease. Although tea consumption cannot cure Alzheimer's, it may be another part of the puzzle in treating or slowing down the development of the disease (5).

*Good for Teeth: Compounds in tea protect teeth by increasing the acid resistance of tooth enamel and acting as antibiotics that kill off dangerous, decay-promoting bacteria (6). Tea also contains fluoride, which is essential for keeping teeth strong and healthy.

Which tea varieties provide the above health benefits?

All "real" teas, which include green, black, and oolong tea varieties, are beneficial to your health. As mentioned above, these teas are all derived from the same tea plant, Camellia sinensis, and contain numerous healthful compounds including polyphenols (particularly catechins), tocopherol, vitamin C, as well as other antioxidants. The polyphenols are believed to be responsible for most of tea's role in promoting good health. Although black, green and oolong teas have different polyphenol compositions due to processing differences, they all have been shown to provide the above health benefits.

The differences between the teas are depicted below. As you can see, the main difference between the "real" teas is simply in how the leaves are processed.

Green Teas (Japanese, Chinese, Gunpowder, etc...)
Green teas are the freshest and least processed because they are not at all fermented. Of all "real" teas, green tea has the lightest and most subtle taste.

Black Teas (Darjeeling, Earl Grey, China Black, Jasmine, etc...)
Black tea is simply green tea that has been fermented for around 6 hours. Fermentation turns the green leaves black and alters the polyphenol content, though it is still very high in antioxidants. Black teas have the strongest taste.

Oolong Teas
These teas are made from green teas that are briefly fermented. Therefore, they are a compromise between black and green tea in both taste and color.

To Get the Most Out of Tea:
*To get the benefits claimed above, opt for a "real" tea variety (green, black, or oolong), as opposed to an herbal tea
*Steep tea for about 3 minutes; this time allotment enables the health promoting compounds to be released; steeping for much longer turns the tea bitter and releases too much tannin, which can irritate the digestive tract, cause constipation, and decrease iron absorption.
*Hot or Cold? Go for what you like! Bottled teas, iced tea, and teas made from mixes are also all rich in polyphenols. However, keep iced tea fresh, the polyphenol content starts to deteriorate after a few days.

Note on Caffeine:
If you are worried about the caffeine content of tea, opt for the decaffeinated varieties...they provide the same health benefits without keeping you up all night.

Alyse's Advice
The next time you reach for a warm, soothing cup of tea, opt for either green, black or oolong varieties, and steep for about 3 minutes. If you prefer the iced kind, follow the same guidelines but make sure to finish it within a few days before the antioxidant content starts to decline. A few cups of tea a day may help keep the heart doctor and dentist away, as well as cancer and Alzheimer's disease at bay.