The 200 SuperFoods That Will Save Your Life

By Deborah A. Klein

The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

Copyright © 2010 Deborah A. Klein
All right reserved.
ISBN: 978-0-07-162575-3

Contents

Chapter One

Carbohydrates: Fruits

Eating more fruit is an easy strategy for increasing your antioxidant intake and decreasing oxidative stress, which could reduce your risk of cancer. Although fruits are packed with vitamins, minerals, fiber, and water, their reputation has suffered lately because most fruits contain a fair proportion of carbohydrate—and that carbohydrate is mostly sugar. Not long ago at a health fair at the Beverly Hills farmer’s market, I overheard the promoters of a popular “cookie diet” cautioning customers not to eat any fruit! Here’s a diet where you lose weight by eating cookies for breakfast and lunch, along with a healthful dinner, and the warning is “Make sure you do not eat any fruit. It has too much sugar.”

Things have really gotten out of hand when fruit is a forbidden food! Fruit is one of the two main dietary sources (along with vegetables) of antioxidants that boost your immune system and help prevent disease. It’s also a significant source of fiber, which is key to losing fat, helps us feel fuller longer, and slows the rate at which sugar is absorbed. The sugar and other carbohydrates in fruit make it a great fuel source, keeping us energized throughout the day.

All fruits are healthy for us, but the best ones are those with the most fiber. A good rule of thumb is to stick with the “S or S” fruits, the ones with edible skins or seeds, such as apples, peaches, pears, blueberries, strawberries, blackberries, and grapes. Eating the skin and seeds amps up your fiber intake, and the skin and the seeds contain most of the antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals. That’s why it’s much better to eat whole fruit, rather than relying on juices.

1 Açai Berry

Benefits

The açai (ah-sigh-EE) palm tree grows in Central and South America, with a range that extends from Belize south to Brazil and Peru. The palm produces a small, deep-purple fruit that is one of the primary foodstuffs for native people living in the Amazon region of Brazil where it is harvested. Açai “berry”—actually a drupe—tastes like a mixture of berries and chocolate, and is packed full of antioxidants, amino acids, and essential fatty acids. It has ten times the anthocyanins of red wine. It also has a protein profile similar to egg whites.

At least one study has shown that chemical compounds extracted from the açai berry slow the proliferation of leukemia cells in laboratory cultures, and others have shown that it has a powerful effect against common oxygen free radicals. The açai fruit not only shows potential in cancer prevention, but also reduces inflammation, which has been implicated in heart and lung disease, allergies, and auto-immune disorders.

For a fruit, açai contains a relatively high proportion of fatty acids, including oleic, palmitic, and linoleic (an unsaturated omega-6 fatty acid), as well as aspartic and glutamic amino acids, which contribute to building proteins.

NUTRITIONAL COMPOSITION One ounce of freeze-dried pulp provides 152 calories, 14 g carbohydrate, 2.5 g protein, 9 g fat, 13 g dietary fiber, 286 IU vitamin A, 74 mg calcium, 17 mg phosphorus, and 1.3 mg iron.

Bringing It Home

Like other drupes, açai berries contain a large seed surrounded by the edible pulp, juice, and skin. Açai is available whole or in juices, smoothies, and frozen puree. However, it is most commonly found as a reconstituted freeze-dried pulp, both at health food stores and online from several vendors. In any processed form, make sure açai is the primary ingredient.

Livit Recipe

Açai Boost

This recipe is an Americanized version of a popular Brazilian snack, açai na tigela (“açai in the bowl”), a mix of fruit puree served over granola.

8 ounces frozen açai puree
8 whole frozen strawberries
¼ cup yogurt
¼ cup unsweetened soy milk
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
½ cup low-fat granola
½ cup fresh berries or seasonal fruit

• Put the açai, strawberries, yogurt, soy milk, and vanilla into a blender jar, and puree for 1 minute, until smooth. Pour the mixture into a bowl and chill. Sprinkle granola and fresh fruit over the top before serving.

YIELD 2 servings

NUTRITION ANALYSIS PER SERVING 229 calories, 36.1 g carbohydrate, 7.4 g protein, 8.5 g fat, 6.2 g dietary fiber

ABOUT THE LIVIT RECIPES

For all the Livit Recipes, use organic produce whenever possible. A 2001 study showed a genuine difference in the nutrient content of organic and conventional crops. The foods grown organically had more vitamin C, iron, magnesium, and phosphorus and significantly fewer nitrates than produce grown conventionally. The study also found some evidence that the organic foods contained more nutritionally significant minerals and lower amounts of some heavy metals, but these results were too small to be conclusive. So where it’s possible, go organic.

However, if the price or availability of organic produce is a problem, don’t stress. Conventionally grown fruits and vegetables provide many, if not most, of the benefits of their organic counterparts. The road to health is paved with vegetation—what’s important is eating plenty of fruits and vegetables, not holding out for organic-only. One way to save money while getting fresh, high-quality produce is to shop at your local farmer’s market. Even if the produce isn’t organic, it will be straight from the farm and won’t have lost nutrients or flavor in transit.

2 Apples

Benefits

The old adage holds true: “An apple a day keeps the doctor away.” Doctors in ancient Greece praised the healing properties of apples. Galen, the famous second-century Greek physician, wrote that apples “restore countless invalids to health” and described the healing properties of different types of apples for several illnesses.

What the ancients didn’t know is what substance in apples makes them so good at protecting health. We now know that it’s a flavonoid called quercetin and that apples are one of the best dietary sources for it. In laboratory studies, quercetin reduces allergic reactions and inflammation, and it has demonstrated some potential to limit the growth of tumors. It may also reduce symptoms in chronic prostatitis and interstitial cystitis. A study in 2007 found that cyclists given quercetin during a regimen involving three hours of bicycling per day developed fewer respiratory tract infections than a control group that did not get the supplement.

Apples have long been appreciated for their keeping qualities—stored in a cool and dry cellar or barn, they provided crisp, fresh flavor throughout the winter even in the days before refrigeration. Today, properly refrigerated, they will keep for months. Apples are also a good source of pectin, a soluble dietary fiber that helps lower cholesterol and is useful for relieving both constipation and diarrhea. Apples’ high fiber content means that they slow the absorption of glucose—good for controlling blood sugar. And they contain alpha hydroxy acids, so you can even use apples as an exfoliating masque for your skin.

Unsweetened organic applesauce makes a great snack by itself and can replace oil and fats in baked goods. I use applesauce in place of the oil in my oat bran muffins, making them much more moist and tasty—and lower in fat and calories—than muffins made with oil. The trick also works for baking brownies, producing a chocolate treat that’s fluffy, moist, and cake-like.

NUTRITIONAL COMPOSITION One medium size (about 4-inch diameter) apple with the skin provides 81 calories, 21 g carbohydrate, 0.3 g protein, 0.5 g fat, 3.7 g dietary fiber, 73 IU vitamin A, 8 mg vitamin C, 10 mg calcium, and 159 mg potassium.

Bringing It Home

The best place to get apples in season is your local farmer’s market. If you’re in the western half of the United States, you can find great, locally grown organic apples. It’s harder to get truly organic local apples in the eastern United States, because the climate that supports the apple trees also encourages insect pests and diseases that are hard to control with entirely organic methods. You may need to choose semi-organic apples to encourage local growers.

Livit Recipes

Soothing Applesauce

6 large apples, peeled, cored, and sliced thick (quarters or eighths)
1 cup water
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg

• Combine the apples, water, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a heavy pot. Cover, and cook over low to medium heat until the apples are tender. Remove from heat.

• Mash the mixture using a potato masher or fork, or blend it, using short bursts, until you are satisfied with the texture. Be careful when blending; applesauce holds heat. Serve warm.

• NOTE Try a mixture of sweet and tart apples, or one of the varieties that combine both tastes, such as Ida Red, Cortland, or Macintosh.

• VARIATION For a balanced snack, serve with ¼ cup of ricotta cheese.

YIELD 5 cups

NUTRITION ANALYSIS PER SERVING 73 calories, 19 g carbohydrate, 0.4 g protein, 0.3 g fat, 3.5 g dietary fiber

Scrumptious Fudge Brownies

2/3 cup unsweetened organic applesauce (prepared, or use the recipe above)
1 cup sugar
¼ cup water
12 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 whole egg
½ cup 1 tablespoon egg whites OR liquid egg substitute
1½ cups flour
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon baking soda Safflower oil

• Preheat oven to 325°F.

• Combine applesauce, sugar, and water in a small saucepan. Heat until the mixture just begins to boil, then remove from heat. Add the chocolate chips and vanilla, and stir until the chocolate has melted. Pour the mixture into a large bowl.

• In a small bowl, stir the egg and egg whites together slightly, then slowly beat them into the chocolate mixture.

• In a separate bowl, combine the flour, salt, and baking soda. Gradually stir the dry ingredients into the chocolate batter.

• Lightly grease a 13″ x 9″ x 2″ baking pan with safflower oil. Spread the batter into the pan. Bake for 50 minutes. Cool and cut into squares.

• VARIATION Use half all-purpose flour and half whole wheat pastry flour for more fiber and nutrients.

YIELD 24 brownies

NUTRITION ANALYSIS PER SERVING 139 calories, 23.8 g carbohydrate, 2.8 g protein, 4.6 g fat, 1.5 g dietary fiber

3 Apricots

Benefits

The apricot has been cultivated for at least 5,000 years. Both fresh and dried, this fruit provides plenty of vitamin A, potassium, beta-carotene, and iron. In addition, a fresh apricot provides 17 percent of the recommended daily allowance of vitamin C. Dried apricots, high in dietary fiber, provide nearly a gram of fiber in just three halves. Fiber is essential for intestinal health, but most Americans consume less than 10 grams per day. Include apricots in your diet as a delicious way to add to your fiber intake.

NUTRITIONAL COMPOSITION (RAW APRICOTS) Three medium raw apricots provide 51 calories, 11.8 grams carbohydrate, 1.5 g protein, 0.4 g fat, 2.5 g dietary fiber, 2769 IU vitamin A, 11 mg vitamin C, 15 mg calcium, 314 mg potassium, and 20 mg phosphorus.

NUTRITIONAL COMPOSITION (DRIED APRICOTS) Three dried apricot halves provide 24 calories, 6.6 g carbohydrate, 0.4 g protein, 0 g fat, and 0.9 g dietary fiber.

Bringing It Home

Choose organic raw apricots and unsulfured dried apricots. Commercially grown dried apricots may be treated with sulfur dioxide gas during processing to keep their color bright or with sulfites to extend shelf life. An estimated one out of every 100 people (and perhaps as many as five percent of people with asthma) are sensitive to sulfites and may have an adverse reaction to them. As with all produce, buy locally and at farmer’s markets whenever possible.

Add sliced apricots—either fresh or dried—to hot or cold cereal, or add chopped apricots to the batter the next time you make whole grain pancakes. Give a Middle Eastern flavor to chicken or vegetable stews with the addition of dried, diced apricots. Add fresh apricots to green salads when they are in season, or add chopped apricots to rice or bean salads. Pack a plastic zipper bag of apricots and almonds in your briefcase or gym bag for a handy snack.

Livit Recipe

Apricot Bock Salad

See Safe Handling of Poultry on page 211.

3 whole skinless, boneless organic chicken breasts (6 breast halves), cut into bite-sized
cubes
½ cup organic orange juice
1 stalk organic celery, finely diced
2 tablespoons finely chopped white onion
3 large organic raw apricots, pitted and finely diced
1 tablespoon reduced-fat mayonnaise
Lemon pepper
Sea salt

• Preheat oven to 375°F.

• Place the chicken in a casserole dish and pour orange juice over the chicken. Bake for 1 hour.

• When the chicken is cooked thoroughly (white, with no pink) remove it from the oven and let it cool slightly.

• In a large serving bowl, toss the cooked chicken with the celery, onion, and apricots, then add in just enough mayonnaise to bind the ingredients. Season to taste with lemon pepper and a dash of sea salt. Serve immediately.

YIELD 4 servings

NUTRITION ANALYSIS PER SERVING 230 calories, 7.3 g carbohydrate, 41.6 g protein, 2.9 g fat, 0.9 g dietary fiber

4 Bananas

Benefits

Bananas grow in more than 100 countries and are a major food crop throughout the tropical world, where they are cultivated in many sizes and colors, including red, yellow, purple, and green. Only 10 to 15 percent of the bananas grown are for export. In the United States, the vast majority of supermarket bananas are the Cavendish variety, a sweet, seedless, yellow “dessert” banana—one eaten without cooking. Plantains, which have become more readily available in recent years, are banana varieties intended for cooking, and they tend to be less sweet and more starchy.

Because our fruit-stand bananas are so sweet, they’ve gotten a bad reputation among the low-carb crowd. But they are an incredibly rich source of potassium, vital for regulating blood pressure and a factor in preventing heart disease, stroke, and muscle cramps. One medium banana provides more potassium by weight than practically any other fruit.

Most of us can afford the 15 grams of carbohydrate found in half a banana in exchange for its nutrient benefits, given that Americans typically get only about half the recommended daily intake of potassium.

NUTRITIONAL COMPOSITION One medium raw banana provides 105 calories, 26.7 g carbohydrate, 1.2 g protein, 0.5 g fat, 2.7 g dietary fiber, 92 IU vitamin A, 10 mg vitamin C, 22 mcg folic acid, 451 mg potassium, 7 mg calcium, 23 mg phosphorus, and 33 mg magnesium.

Bringing It Home

Since virtually all bananas are imported, this is one food you probably won’t find at your local farmer’s market, unless you’re lucky enough to live in Hawaii. The history of banana exports has been fraught with exploitation, so try to choose fair trade bananas, whose growers are more fairly compensated. Store bananas in a well-ventilated area, but don’t refrigerate them. If your bananas are too green when you buy them, put them in a brown paper bag, which traps the ethylene gas that fruits exhale and quickens the ripening process. Peel ripe bananas, break them into four or five pieces, and store them in the freezer. Add one to a smoothie for a little extra potassium and fiber. Use overripe bananas for baking.

Livit Recipe

Banana Bran Muffin Energy Snack

Canola oil spray
¾ cup unbleached organic all-purpose flour
¼ cup whole wheat pastry flour
½ cup oat bran
¼ cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 egg whites, slightly beaten
¼ cup mashed, very ripe banana
½ cup organic nonfat milk
1 tablespoon canola oil

• Preheat oven to 400°F.

• Spray a 6-cup muffin tin with canola oil spray.

• In a medium mixing bowl, combine flours, oat bran, sugar, and baking soda.

• In a small bowl, combine egg whites, banana, milk, and oil. Add the liquid mixture to the dry ingredients, stirring just enough to blend.

• Spoon the batter into the cups of the muffin tin, filling each about two-thirds full to leave room for expansion as the muffins bake. Bake for 18 minutes. Serve warm.

• NOTE Make your own canola oil spray by putting canola oil in a spray bottle. The store- bought sprays add an unpleasant propellant smell to your cooking, and they cost too much!

• VARIATION Add ½ cup blueberries or chopped fresh apricots. YIELD 6 servings

NUTRITION ANALYSIS PER SERVING 175 calories, 32 g carbohydrate, 5 g protein, 3 g fat, 1.7 g dietary fiber

THE BENEFITS OF BERRIES

A diet rich in berries improves levels of HDL cholesterol, improves blood pressure, and helps reverse age-related cognitive decline. Berries—blackberries, blueberries, cranberries, strawberries, and others—are rich in polyphenols, including flavonols and anthocyanins, which are powerful antioxidants. It’s believed that the berry polyphenols promote proper function in aging neurons.

5 Blackberries

Benefits

Blackberries may extend your life! The pigments that give them their color are strong antioxidants, and they retain that power when eaten. They’re also rich in anthocyanins, and there is laboratory evidence that anthocyanins may be effective against cancer, diabetes, inflammation, bacterial infections, and neurological diseases. Every 100 grams of blackberries provides 317 mg of anthocyanins.

NUTRITIONAL COMPOSITION One-half cup of raw blackberries provides 37 calories, 9.2 g carbohydrate, 0.5 g protein, 0.3 g fat, 3.8 g dietary fiber, 119 IU vitamin A, 15 mg vitamin C, 24 mcg folic acid, 141 mg potassium, 23 mg calcium, 15 mg phosphorus, and 14 mg magnesium.

Bringing It Home

Since blackberries are made up of lots of tiny seed-bearing drupelets, they have a lot of surface area where pesticides can hide! So for the nubby berries, please buy organic and, if possible, locally grown; blackberries grow all over the United States. Select plump, richly colored fruit. Shop with your nose—if you can’t smell them, or if the stem caps (hulls) are still attached, they were picked too early. At the other end of the spectrum, if the containers appear stained with juice, the berries may have been sitting around too long. Mold on berries spreads quickly, so remove any moldy berries as soon as you get them home. Refrigerate your berries immediately (you can store them in a colander, allowing the cold air to circulate around them), but don’t wash them until you’re ready to use them. Berries are at their fullest flavor at room temperature, so take them out of the refrigerator an hour or two before eating—perfect timing if you want to pack them as your morning snack on your way out of the house!

(Continues…)

Excerpted from The 200 SuperFoods That Will Save Your Lifeby Deborah A. Klein Copyright © 2010 by Deborah A. Klein. Excerpted by permission of The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
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