Bean-anza

As you make your way through the salad line at the cafeteria, do your heart a favour and ladle an extra scoop of beans onto your plate.

Using data from more than 9000 people who were followed for 20 years, US researchers found that people who ate beans or peas four or more times a week were 20 percent less likely to suffer coronary heart disease than people who ate legumes less than once a week. Beans and peas -- canned, fresh or dried, rajma (pinto bean), soya, black or any other type -- are rich in soluble fibre, potassium, calcium, magnesium and folate, all of which have been associated with lower cholesterol and heart-healthy eating. » Continue reading

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Microwave Myths Zapped!

Myth 1: Microwave ovens are dangerous.
Microwaves are comparatively safe, but take care when using any heating device. If your oven is very old you may wish to have the seals checked by a qualified microwave engineer. Be cautious when removing food covers to avoid scalds from escaping steam.

Myth 2: Microwaved food gets hotter when you take it out.
Microwaves aren't bouncing around in the food after the oven has been switched off. In fact food will begin to cool immediately.

Let it stand for a few minutes so the outer and inner temperatures even up. The food may continue cooking as this happens.

Myth 3: Microwaves cook from the inside out.
Microwaves penetrate at most only about 2.5 to 5cms into food. But this creates enough heat for the rest of the food to be cooked by conduction, as in a conventional oven."

Myth 4: Microwaves heat only water.
Water molecules do absorb microwave energy. But once the water has vaporized, fats and proteins absorb the energy and heat beyond water's boiling point, 100 degrees C.

Also read: Max the Micro! » Continue reading

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Do your kids have dinner with you?

If so, they probably eat better than those who don't dine with their parents. In a recent Harvard study of 16,000 children ages nine to 14, 24% of those who dined daily with their family got the recommended five servings of fruits and vegetables, compared with 13% of those who rarely or never shared meals at home. They also ate less fried food, drank less aerated drinks, and consumed more calcium, fibre, iron and vitamins C and E. Says Dr Matthew W. Gillman, lead investigator of the study at Harvard, "There are two possible explanations. When kids eat with their parents, there may be more nutritious food on the table. Or maybe there's a discussion of healthful eating." » Continue reading

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Foods that fight aging

Yes, sun ages skin. Yet some people are wrinkle-free while others look like prunes. The difference may be a good diet.

Australian scientists tracked eating habits and measured wrinkles of 450 people over 70 years old who lived in Australia, Greece and Sweden. Invariably, those with good diets had the best skin. Greeks who ate green leafy vegetable, olive oil, garlic and beans had baby-bottom cheeks compared with compatriots who favoured processed meat, sugary foods and butter. Aussies who sipped tea and dined on melons, sardines, asparagus, apples, prunes and multigrain bread fared best. So did Swedes who said ja to skim milk, eggs, low-fat yogurt, lima beans and spinach pie and nej to raos beef, friend potatoes, ice cream, pastries and aerated soft drinks.

The resulting advice is sound whether you're worried about your skin, waistline or heart: Replace foods high in saturated fats with fruit and vegetable, fish, beans, olive oil, whole grains and low fat dairy products. » Continue reading

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A sandwich you can trust

Summer can be the time for big meals, leftovers -- and food poisoning, if you aren't careful. Keep sandwiches and curries from biting back with these cooling tips:

Chill Out: The sooner you get cooked food into the fridge, the sooner any harmful bacteria they may harbor will stop multiplying. "People have a hesitancy about putting warm food in the refrigerator," says one expert. But today's refrigerators can handle warm dishes without taxing the motor.

Divide and Conquer: Large portions such as a deep dish of curry or a pot of soup should be split up into shallow containers first. Otherwise it won't cool fast enough to stop bacterial growth.

Let it Breathe: Allow some room around the hot stuff in the fridge. You need air to circulate to get the food cold very quickly. » Continue reading

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Cooked carrots, a countertop attack

Nutrition dogma says eat your vegetables raw. But an American study suggests that cooking carrots can actually boost their nutrient value.

Food scientists found that blanched, puréed carrots had 34 percent more of the antioxidants called phenolics than the raw root. Antioxidants protect the body by neturalizing free radicals; these rogue molecules can damage cells, leading to chronic diseases such as cancer.

How did the cooked carrots come out ahead? Heating softens the fibrous root, allowing more phenolics to be released from cell walls. » Continue reading

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When d'ya need water?

If drinking eight glasses of water a day has you wearing a path to the bathroom, set down your cup and relax. Drinking water can be a good substitute for high-calorie beverages. But there's no proof we all need to drink those eight glasses of water each day, according to physiologist Heinz Valtin.

"Proponents of the 'eight glasses theory' say that every one of us, including couch potatoes, should drink that much," says Valtin. "And it's just not true." We have a finely tuned system for regulating water flow, including an antidiuretic hormone that tells the kidneys when to keep water in the body, and thirst, which normally kicks in well before we dehydrate. Juice works as well as water, and caffeinated drinks count too. Nearly one-half of the body's water needs are derived from food. Some people do need more water, including patients with kidney stones, people who exercise hard, and those in hot climates. For most, drinking more won't hurt, but trust your body. "If you drink when you're thirsty," says Valtin, "you should be safe." » Continue reading

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Slate fillet & amber sauce

Looks appetizing enough? Take a bite, and you might howl. Not that the cooking is bad, Hsu Chun-I's 'feast' of 52 dishes is assembled from stones and minerals. The stones are not carved or dyed. Hsu selects only those that bear an extreme resemblance to the dishes. The most expensive exhibit is 'Pig's Trotters and Eggs Stewed in Dark Soya Souce', valued at $85,000. » Continue reading

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Get a Little Cheesy Culture

Ever Wonder how cheese is made? By talented cows? Milk-loving ladies and gentlemen? Find out on a cheese factory tour. "Cheesemaking is as much an art as it is a science," says Jed Davis of Cabot Creamery, in Vermont, USA, which hosts over 30,000 tourists a year.

You can discover which bacteria, moulds and enzymes transform milk into a smelly Gorgonzola or creamy Brie, and learn how professional tasters determine how long a cheddar should age. Tours typically end with a tasting, making them a particularly nutritious outing: Cheese contains bone-building calcium (associated with the regulation of blood pressure, reduced risk of colon cancer and even weight loss), protein (builds muscle) and phosphorous (strengthens bones). For information on cheese and cheese recipes, log on to www.ilovecheese.com. » Continue reading

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Max the Micro!

To use your microwave oven even more effectively:

• Cook in round vessels. Rectangular one are less effective because they come closer to the power source (on the oven's side) as the dish rotates, and may heat food unevenly, even burn some portions.
  
• Microwaves are more evenly distributed on a flat plate, and therefore cooking time is reduced.
  
• Use several smaller containers, instead of one large one, to speed up the cooking process. This way, you can also simultaneously hand out a number of small servings to family or guests.

» Continue reading

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Breakfast for Dessert?

Looking for an after-dinner snack? Try cereal -- it may help you lose weight, say American scientists. Of 58 overweight nighttime snackers, half ate a 150-calories bowl of cereal and low-fat milk at least 90 minutes after dinner; the others ate as usual. After four weeks, the cereal eaters had lost one kilo, and ate 140 calories less than usual after dinner. The others ate 85 calories more. The study was funded by the Kellogg Company, but the researchers say the type of cereal doesn't matter. What does: sticking to the serving size. » Continue reading

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Peanuts for preventing nut allergy

An increasing number of children are allergic to some kind of nut, with potentially fatal consequences. About 20% seem to "grow out of" their allergy in time, though there is a chance the allergy may come back. Now scientists have found this chance can be lowered -- by eating peanuts.

Studying 68 children who had outgrown a peanut allergy, researchers at Johns Hopkins Children's Center in Maryland, USA, found none of those who regularly ate peanut products redeveloped an allergy, whereas those who did have a recurrence had seldom eaten peanuts. This suggests children who've outgrown an allergy should eat peanuts at least once a month, but consult your doctor first. » Continue reading

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More reasons to drink tea

Scientists can't stop finding health benefits for tea. Tests at the University of Newcastle upon Tyne, UK, suggest that tea, and particularly green tea, may improve your memory and slow the onset of Alzheimer's.

A previous study in Chicago of people prone to tension headaches found that caffeine alone gave as much pain relief as ibuprofen. And a team in Illinois have found that polyphenols in black tea stop plaque forming on your teeth, and reduce the level of cavity-forming acids. » Continue reading

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