Interesting article from Dr. Weil

nancy324

nancy324

Cathlete
09.09.2004
Featured Article
Top 10 Antioxidants from Food

In June, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) published a list of the Top 20 food sources of antioxidants in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. Antioxidants are compounds that stop the chain reaction of free radicals by donating one of their electrons without becoming unstable themselves. In other words, antioxidants "sacrifice" themselves in order to save vital body cells from free-radical damage. Nutrients that act as antioxidants (or act as cofactors for the body's antioxidant enzyme systems) include vitamin E, vitamin C, zinc, selenium and carotenoids. Researchers in the USDA study tabulated antioxidant levels in more than 100 different types of berries, fruits, vegetables, nuts and spices. Here are the top 10:

1. Small red beans (dried)
2. Wild blueberries
3. Red kidney beans
4. Pinto beans
5. Blueberries (cultivated)
6. Cranberries
7. Artichokes (cooked)
8. Blackberries
9. Prunes
10. Raspberries

Source: Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, June 2004
 
Wow....I eat most of those...except cranberries....I have always read about the blueberries...Good post....:)...Carole
 
Thank you Nancy for sharing this article. I've enjoyed reading a couple of Dr. Weil's books also.
Susan C.M.:D
 
Thanks Nancy! Did they happen to list what the other 10 were in the Top 20? Thanks for sharing.
Your-Friend-In-Fitness, DebbieH http://www.handykult.de/plaudersmilies.de/wavey.gif[/img] If You Get The Choice To Sit It Out Or Dance...I Hope You DANCE!!!
 
RE: Any Good Bean Recipes

I would love to incorporate more beans in my diet....anyone have some good recipes? Thanks
 
RE: Any Good Bean Recipes

Acutally, I posted this before, but I thought I'd post it again...our family really liked this recipie..

Southwestern Chicken with Bean Sauce
The beans dissolve to create a wonderful flavored sauce for the chicken. Top with cheese and chopped green onions, and serve with yellow rice.

2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breasts
1 (16 ounce) can fat-free refried beans
½ cup chopped onion
1 (16 ounce) jar salsa
1 cup reduced fat shredded sharp cheddar cheese, optional
¼ cup chopped green onion (scallion), optional

Makes 6 to 8 Servings

Preheat the oven to 350ºF.
Place the chicken breasts in a 2-quart oblong baking dish coated with nonstick cooking spray. Spread the beans to cove the top of the chicken. Sprinkle with the onions. Pour the salsa evenly over the top. Cover with foil, and bake 80 minute, or until the chicken is done. Sprinkle with the cheese and green onion, if desired, and serve.

Nutritional information per serving:
Calories 193, Protein (g) 20, Carbohydrate (g) 11, Fat (g) 1, Calories from Fat (%) 7, Saturated Fat (g) 0, Dietary Fiber (g) 3, Cholesterol (mg) 66, Sodium (mg) 558
Diabetic Exchanges: 3.5 very lean meat, 1 starch

Quick Tip
Try different flavored salsas for a twist to this recipe. Make sure you purchase fat-free refried beans!

We used cilantro as the topping instead of the onions or cheese, and we also used fresh salsa (way better than canned, but if you have a favorite that'll work)

We are also trying a recipie this week called Italian Chicken with Chickpeas...haven't tried it yet, but thought I'd post it.

Italian Chicken with Chickpeas
Cooking Light

1 pound chicken breast tenders
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 1/3 cups sliced onion
1 cup green bell pepper strips
½ teaspoon bottled mince garlic
1 (15 ½ ounce) can chickpeas, drained
1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes with basil, garlic and oregano undrained

Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken to pan; cook 2 minute on each side or until browned. Add onion and pepper; sauté 4 minutes. Reduce heat to medium. Add garlic, chickpeas, and tomatoes cover and cook 8 minutes or until thoroughly heated.

Yield: 4 Servings (1 ½ cup)

Calories 296 Fat 6.1g

If you do a search on sites like allrecipies.com with beans as the ingredient you may find more that sound better to you. Also there is a site http://www.americanbean.org/ which also has recipies and bean cooking advice.

Enjoy!
Lindzebird
 
RE: Any Good Bean Recipes

HI Lindzebird -
Thanks for the recipe. I think I'll try it this weekend. Also, let us know how the other one is.
JaneJ
 
RE: Any Good Bean Recipes

A good way to increase bean consumption without some distress is by combining beans with other foods. So before you make a bean chili, add some beans to soup, to vegetable salads, to pasta and grain dishes, taco or burrito filling, etc. Increasing dietary fiber should be done gradually.

Eating Well had an article on beans this year & indicated that research showed the darker the bean, the more nutrients. Surprised that black beans were not on that list. But the article closed by saying, they're all good, no matter what bean you chose.

Debra
 
RE: Any Good Bean Recipes

Ok, so we tried the Italian Chicken with chickpeas recipe tonight, but I didn't have chickpeas so I used Garbanzo beans instead. My husband also hates green peppers so I substituted red (which I actually think fits the dish a little better). We all really enjoyed it, although, I couldn’t get my 20 month old to eat much…I guess he needs a few more introductions to the taste of Garbanzo’s and red peppers. Any way, this is one recipe that we’ll make again…maybe next time I’ll have the chickpeas. Also, I would suggest steaming some brown rice or something to eat with it. There wasn't any side dish suggestions listed so I thought it’d be a stand alone, but then realized as I was making it, it may need a little something to soak up the liquid. I just pulled out some wheat tortillas for my husband, and I ate it without... either way it was tasty, but wish I had had some brown rice. Any way….enjoy!

Lindzebird
 
Well, I'll be! Hubby brought home a North Coast Sports magazine last night and guess what it had? A list of all 20! Here is the full list:

1. Small red beans (dried)
2. Wild blueberries
3. Red Kidney beans
4. Pinto Beans
5. Blueberries (cultivated)
6. Cranberries
7. Artichokes (cooked)
8. Blackberries
9. Prunes
10. Raspberries
11. Strawberries
12. Red Delicious apples
13. Granny Smith apples
14. Pecans
15. Sweet cherries
16. Black plums
17. Russet potatoes (cooked)
18. Black beans (dried)
19. Plums
20. Gala apples

(The U.S Department of Agriculture) For more information on healthy eating and antioxidants, check out:

WWW.usda.gov/FoodAndNutrition or
WWW.5aday.com

Your-Friend-In-Fitness, DebbieH http://www.handykult.de/plaudersmilies.de/wavey.gif[/img] If You Get The Choice To Sit It Out Or Dance...I Hope You DANCE!!!
 
Fabulous Deb! Thanks. I can't figure out what they mean when they specify "dried" for some beans. Does that mean that the canned Goya beans don't have the same benefits? Can't figure it out. I would hate to have to start to soak dried beans.
 
RE: Any Good Bean Recipes

jackie7-

Just throw some beans into your salads. I practically live on salads, and usually add beans to one salad per day. I doubt that the take-out place where I get my salads starts with dried beans, but the beans they use must still have some antioxidants?
 
I don't eat that many blueberries unless I brush my teeth directly afterward, they discolor my teeth. I am allergic to pecans and apples make me clear my throat constantly. Want to know about any other food issues I have? (tee hee).

Thanks for the list, it is good information.



Madonna
 
RE: Any Good Bean Recipes

Ahhh haaa!! That is what I thought, but thank you for clearing it up. For some reason someone I talked to insisted that they were different so I believe them...next time, I'll do more research.

Lindzebird
 
Anyone else wonder why the USDA thought they had to tell us to cook the artichokes & russet potatoes but not the dried beans??

There are also some strange choices. Not a green vegetable in sight. Most anti-oxidant lists include at least 1 leafy green like kale, broccoli, and something in the cabbage family. Rarely does a Russet (starchy) potato trump a sweet potato. And speaking of orange vegetables & fruits (beta-carotene), where are carrots, cantaloupe, mango, winter squash, apricots and papayas?

Unusual list IMO.

Debra
 
Maybe I should grind my dried beans in the coffee bean grinder and sprinkle them liberally over my cooked russet potatoes?? :+
 
>Maybe I should grind my dried beans in the coffee bean
>grinder and sprinkle them liberally over my cooked russet
>potatoes?? :+


Now there's an idea Nancy....a new bean recipe???....:7 ....Carole
 
Hey Carole! Did you know that people who have coffee-related signatures on their posts are known to be 25% cuter than the average poster? :+
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Our Newsletter

Get awesome content delivered straight to your inbox.

Top