Guest guest Posted July 20, 2004 Report Share Posted July 20, 2004 > " HSI - Jenny Thompson " > <HSIResearch > Tonight's Top 20 > Tue, 20 Jul 2004 08:36:06 -0400 > > Tonight's Top 20 > > Health Sciences Institute e-Alert > > Tuesday July 20, 2004 > > ************************************************************** > > Dear Reader, > > Every weeknight, David Letterman has fun with a > humorous Top > 10 list. But now the U.S. Department of Agriculture > has topped > Dave's Top 10 by presenting a Top 20 list. And while > it may not > be as funny as the Late Night list, it provides a > surprisingly helpful > guide for picking out some of the healthiest foods > the next time > you look over your grocer's fresh produce. (I say > " surprisingly " > because these are the same folks that brought us > that famous > pyramid that was built on refined flour.) > > --- > Measuring up > --- > - > Last month, a team of USDA nutritionists published a > study in the > Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. The > title: " Lipophilic > and hydrophilic antioxidant capacities of common > foods in the > United States. " > > Snappy title. But perhaps a more descriptive title > would be " Top > 20 antioxidant-rich foods. " > > The USDA nutritionists examined more than 100 > different kinds of > fruits, vegetables, nuts, spices, cereals and other > foods. Using an > analysis method called the oxygen radical absorbance > capacity > (ORAC), they were able to detect the lipid soluble > (lipophilic) and > water soluble (hydrophilic) antioxidant capacities > of the food > samples. > > They also singled out certain foods to test the > impact from two > different processing methods: cooking and peeling. > > --- > > Starting at the bottom > --- > > > The results weren't altogether surprising: Fruits, > vegetables and > beans claimed nearly all the spots in the Top 20. > We'll start with > the lower ten, counting backwards, " Late Night " > style: > > 20. Gala apples > 19. Plums > 18. Black beans (dried) > 17. Russet potatoes (cooked) > 16. Black plums > 15. Sweet cherries > 14. Pecans > 13. Granny Smith apples > 12. Red delicious apples > 11. Strawberries > > If there's a surprise here, it's that strawberries – > known for their > high antioxidant content – just missed the top ten. > > --- > > Cream of the crop > --- > > > When I began reading the USDA study, I tried to > guess the number > one antioxidant food before looking at the list. I > guessed > " blueberries, " and I was close, but not quite on the > money. Here's > the Top 10: > > 10. Raspberries > 9. Prunes > 8. Blackberries > 7. Artichokes (cooked) > 6. Cranberries > 5. Blueberries (cultivated) > 4. Pinto beans > 3. Red kidney beans > 2. Blueberries (wild) > > And the number one antioxidant-rich food: > 1. Small red beans (dried) > > Small red beans! Who knew? The small red bean looks > like a > kidney bean – same color and shape – except that > it's (you guessed > it) smaller. It's sometimes identified as a Mexican > red bean, but > it's grown only in Washington, Idaho, and Alberta, > Canada. > > --- > > To cook, or not to cook... > --- > > The USDA list is very useful, but it's important to > remember that > the best way to get your antioxidants is not to eat > heaping bowls of > dried small red beans each day, but rather to eat a > wide variety of > antioxidant-rich foods. That way you'll also get > other useful > nutrients, such as ellagitannin; a substance that > has been shown to > help prevent the growth of cancerous cells and is > found in > raspberries and strawberries. And when you eat > pecans you'll add > copper and potassium to your diet. Pinto and kidney > beans are > good sources of folate (sometimes called vitamin > B-9), which may > help lower homocysteine levels. And blueberries > deliver a > chemical called anthocyanis that has been shown to > help protect > brain cells. > > As you might imagine, most antioxidant foods lose > some of their > antioxidant capacities in processing. (The most > notable exception > is the tomato; the antioxidant lycopene is enhanced > by cooking.) > Ronald L. Prior (one of the study co-authors) told > HealthDayNews > that " fresh " is the unsurprising best choice over > frozen, cooked or > otherwise processed. So while blueberry pie may seem > like a > somewhat healthy treat, it can't begin to compare > with a bowl of > blueberries, picked fresh from the meadow. > > ************************************************************** > > ...and another thing > > You may have heard about a recent study that came to > the > conclusion that high protein diets like Atkins may > inhibit chances > of pregnancy. > > The mainstream media picked right up this story and > spread the > word: Women who follow the Atkins plan may not > conceive as > easily as women who consume low amounts of protein. > > Those who gave this story just a little attention > may have made > passing note of the fact that the study was > conducted on mice. No > problem there. Lots of mouse studies produce > revealing results. > > But this mouse study has a catch. > > The research is based on the fact that ammonium > levels in the > female reproductive system can be boosted by protein > intake. In > herbivores – such as cows and mice – this can create > problems in > reproduction. And that's exactly what happened in > this mouse > study. > > But humans aren't herbivores. We're omnivores. And > one of the > authors of the study even admitted that most Atkins > dieters don't > have elevated ammonium levels. > > So the researchers fed a high-protein diet to an > animal that doesn't > ingest high protein, and they conclude that the > results may apply to > humans. > > That's what you call a leap of faith. Or more like a > pole vault of > faith. > > And the clincher: The mouse reproductive system is > substantially > different from the human reproductive system. For > instance: Mice > embryos can be produced from a single parent. > > As we've seen many times, when you come across > something > negative about Atkins in the mainstream media, it's > important to > check the little details. That's usually where the > logic tends to go > south. > > To Your Good Health, > > Jenny Thompson > Health Sciences Institute > > ************************************************************** > Sources: > " Lipophilic and Hydrophilic Antioxidant Capacities > of Common > Foods in the United States " Journal of Agricultural > and Food > Chemistry, Vol. 52, No. 12, ncbi.nlm.nih.gov > " Berries, Beans Top 'Best Antioxidants List' " E.J. > Mundell, > HealthDayNews, story.news. > " Atkins 'May Cut Chances of Pregnancy' " Rhiannon > Edward, The > Scotsman, 6/29/04, news.Scotsman.com > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 20, 2004 Report Share Posted July 20, 2004 Dear Jenny, Maybe YOU are the one to ask: Why do manufacturers of grocery foods use cotton seed oil, has it been *approved* or 3rd great-grandfathered into the food chain? Mark Twain had a story about a passenger on a boat he over heard saying how much money was to be made with cotton seed oil! That's a long time ago! If the stuff is so wonderful, why isn't it sold on the grocery shelves? I have deep suspicions about cotton seed and how it effects the body metabolism. What's your take on this? Grateful for your information, NG - " Frank " <califpacific <alternative_medicine_forum > Tuesday, July 20, 2004 12:23 PM Tonight's Top 20 > > " HSI - Jenny Thompson " > > <HSIResearch > > > Tonight's Top 20 > > Tue, 20 Jul 2004 08:36:06 -0400 > > > > Tonight's Top 20 > > > > Health Sciences Institute e-Alert > > > > Tuesday July 20, 2004 > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 20, 2004 Report Share Posted July 20, 2004 I went to a restaurant in Los Angeles, which I found out was using cotton-seed oil. I, and apparently others, stopped going to the restaurant, and started calling the manager, to tell him how much we objected to the use of this oil. I didn't expect it to have an effect on them. But, a week later, when I called them about it once more, the owner answered and told me they'd decided to drop the use of cotton-seed oil. Cotton-seed oil is pure poison. JP - " Nora Gottlieb " <nwgott Tuesday, July 20, 2004 3:05 PM Re: Tonight's Top 20 > Dear Jenny, > Maybe YOU are the one to ask: Why do manufacturers of grocery foods use > cotton seed oil, has it been *approved* or 3rd great-grandfathered into the > food chain? Mark Twain had a story about a passenger on a boat he over > heard saying how much money was to be made with cotton seed oil! That's a > long time ago! If the stuff is so wonderful, why isn't it sold on the > grocery shelves? I have deep suspicions about cotton seed and how it > effects the body metabolism. > What's your take on this? > Grateful for your information, NG > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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