Encouraging Health

If a nagging cough is keeping you awake, and cough syrup doesn’t help, there’s something in your kitchen cupboard that might: honey.

It’s been a favored home remedy for sore throats for decades, and now new research shows it’s more than wishful thinking. It really can silence nighttime hacking.

A Little Does a Lot
It may not take much honey to do the trick. In a study of kids, a small dose of buckwheat honey — 1/2 to 2 teaspoons, depending on age — was enough. (Caution: Never give honey to a child who’s not yet a year old, because there’s a risk of botulism.) And many doctors recommend a bit of honey for adult patients, too. Try it with tea and lemon for extra throat lubrication. Bonus: Honey is a great source of antioxidants.

It Might Help Sinuses, Too
Scientists have only just begun to tap into honey’s medical uses. Early research shows it may have a strong antibacterial edge and might fight sinus infections, too. Research is ongoing. In the meantime, if you’re suffering from sinus issues, try these self-care tips:
Flush ’em. Nasal irrigation will both reduce nasal symptoms and boost bacterial resistance. Try a neti pot.

Drink up. Staying hydrated helps keep your sinuses moist and less susceptible to infection.

Protect ’em. From smoke, dust, allergens, and any other nasal irritants — until your sinuses feel better.

A Honey of a Source of Antioxidants

If you’re looking for the best choice, consider darker-colored “honeydew” varieties from bees who collect the sugary secretions that insects leave on plants, otherwise known as honeydew.

According to a new study of Spanish varieties, honeydew honey has even higher levels of disease-fighting antioxidants than the honey that bees make from nectar.

But all honey, regardless of its origins, is good for you, the experts said.

“Besides its value as a great sweetening agent, honey has proved that it also has effective antioxidant and antibacterial activities,” said study co-author Rosa Ana Perez, a researcher with the Instituto Madrileno de Investigacion y Desarrollo Rural, Agrario y Alimentario in Madrid.

In recent years, honey has gained a reputation as a health food, especially in light of research suggesting that it has germ-fighting powers and is high in antioxidants, chemicals that appear to block certain types of cell damage caused by molecules called free radicals.

“There is increasing evidence that free radicals contribute to the development of diseases, such as neurodegenerative disease, chronic inflammatory disease, cancer, cardiovascular disease and aging,” Perez said.

In 2004, U.S. researchers found that antioxidant levels rose in people who ate between four and 10 tablespoons of honey per day, depending on their weight. It wasn’t clear at the time, however, which varieties of honey might harbor the most antioxidants.

In the new study, researchers looked at 36 varieties of Spanish honey in two groups — clover honey, made by bees from the nectar of flower blossoms, and honeydew honey, made by bees from a sweet, sticky substance secreted by insects such as aphids that live off plants.

Some of us just can’t live without our morning coffee fix. And some of us may be feeling a little guilty about that.

Not to worry. Your morning cup of joe could actually be helping you live longer. A recent study has linked coffee drinking to a reduced risk of death, regardless of the cause.

Healthy or Not, Here I Come!
Over the years, research has produced mixed results on the health benefits of coffee. But a recent study was a win for the earthy brew. Heavy java drinkers (2 or more cups per day) experienced a modest decrease in all-cause mortality, including death from heart disease. We can probably credit the antioxidant-rich beans used to brew the stuff. In fact, Americans drink so much coffee that it’s one of our top sources of antioxidants.

Reality Check
So what are the caveats for coffee drinking? There are only a few. If you are sensitive to caffeine, you don’t need to be told not to be a java junkie. And unfiltered coffee can raise blood fats, so use paper filters and ditch the French press. Although it remains to be seen if coffee has a long-term impact on blood pressure, we know it can cause a temporary spike, so go easy if you have high blood pressure. And — as always — do everything in moderation. A pot-a-day habit probably doesn’t do anyone any favors.

Coffee Graduates to Health Food Status

Your favorite morning brew has a surprising new perk.

Good news for the 80 percent of Americans who down an average of 3.2 cups of java a day: Your liver loves it. And because the liver is your body’s vital detox center, that’s a big health plus. It’s not the caffeine. Apparently, it’s the antioxidants or other compounds in coffee that keep your liver humming. So if you were just thinking you could do with a cup of joe, go for it.

The liver is a major multitasker. It’s a housekeeper: It filters toxins from the blood, cleaning pollutants, alcohol, useless residues, nicotine, and other garbage out of the body. It’s also a stock clerk: It keeps extra carbohydrates on hand and releases them when blood sugar levels are low, plus it warehouses fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K for future use. It’s a body builder, too: The liver makes proteins to build muscles, and it produces bile, which is needed to digest fat.

Evidence that coffee takes some stress off the liver was discovered when scientists determined that coffee lovers have fewer liver enzymes in their blood than do coffee shunners — and that’s a good thing. Liver enzymes are an indication of liver damage. What’s more, coffee’s protective effect was even more pronounced in moderate to heavy drinkers, even though alcohol can be particularly taxing on the liver (however, there’s no way coffee can make up for the damage that long-term heavy alcohol consumption does to the liver). Ready for a refill?

When you sip a cuppa tea, your body’s digestive enzymes may destroy as much as 80 percent of tea’s good-for-you catechins. But there’s a way to counteract that.

Add a squeeze of lemon. The citrus works to preserve some of those powerful disease-fighting compounds.

A Squeeze of This, a Dash of That
Researchers suspect that the phytochemicals in citrus work some kind of stabilizing magic on the catechins when they’re in your digestive tract — they seem to act like bodyguards.

More Reasons to Drink Tea
Fill the pot and grab your mug! We’ve got three good reasons to have tea time every day:

To help your body incinerate that spare tire.

To strengthen your immune system.

To give good face.

Cupful of Catechins

A mild boost to your weight loss efforts may be brewing in your teapot.

In a small study, Japanese researchers recently noted that adding catechin-rich green tea to the daily diet mildly boosted weight loss efforts in a group of men. Catechins — a type of antioxidant — also are purported to provide heart-health benefits. Other sources of catechins include grapes, wine, chocolate, berries, and apples.

The best way to lose weight is to control your calorie intake and increase the number of calories you burn each week through extra physical activity. A nutritionally balanced diet that doesn’t exclude food groups or discourage healthy eating patterns is your best bet. Boosting your metabolism with muscle-building exercises will make weight loss easier as well. If your weight loss efforts have stalled, consider revising your workout schedule to increase the aerobic portion of your workout. Or, focus on other goals in addition to weight, such as body fat measurements or body size measurements; sometimes improvements in these areas are not apparent on the bathroom scale.

I LOVE berries! Recently, a friend invited me to go up Interstate 5 near Everett, WA to buy berries fresh from the actual farmers. I bought a 1/2 flat of blueberries and immediately stuck them in the freezer, on the pretense of enjoying them in the winter. There were 8 baggies of them, now I think I have 3 or 4 left. They are so good!

Been known to gorge on blueberries in late summer and early fall, when they’re abundant and in season? Go ahead! Even in the world of fruits and berries, which is loaded with health-boosting, age-fighting nutrition stars, blueberries are a supernova.

They’re linked not only to skin, heart, eye, and urinary health but also to a lower risk of cancer, diabetes, and Alzheimer’s.

So how much should you be eating to reap the protective health benefits? About 1 to 2 cups a day says Steven G. Pratt, MD, author of the new book SuperFoods HealthStyle: Proven Strategies for Lifelong Health.

First off, you may be thinking, “Wow, that’s a lot of blueberries, even in August!” Second, if they’re not in season, you’re wondering how on earth you’re going to eat a cup or more a day. Here’s how:

Stock your freezer. There’s evidence that frozen blueberries provide the same benefits of fresh, says Dr. Pratt. The big tip-off? A European study found that men who ate frozen berries daily had as much as 50% more quercetin, a particularly powerful anticancer antioxidant, in their blood than did men who abstained from eating berries.

When fresh blueberries are so last season, here are a few suggestions from Pratt and others on how to use frozen ones to get that “cup a day”:

• Put a cup of frozen berries in the fridge in the evening to defrost; in the morning, sprinkle them over cereal or stir them into yogurt. Forgot to defrost? Throw those chilly berries in the blender, and whip up a quick all-fruit smoothie.

• Boost the fiber and nutrients in your baked goods by tossing a handful into muffin or quick-bread batter. Just add 5 to 15 minutes to the baking time to compensate for their chilling effect.

• Float a few in a glass of cold club soda or lemonade as festive, edible ice cubes. (Kids will get a kick out of this.)

• Eat them plain, like tiny popsicles. (Another kid pleaser.)

• Add them to a salad of winter fruit about 15 minutes before serving.

Eating fistfuls of blueberries every day is certainly no risk to your weight. You’re only looking at 79 calories a cup. And all those antioxidants pay off big-time.

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For a little bit of cell-soothing nutrition, add an extra sprinkle of these zingy flakes to your slice: oregano.

That’s right — oregano doesn’t just add pizzazz to your pizza sauce. It may have the power to prevent tissue-damaging inflammation, too.

It’s Essential
The essential oils in oregano are rife with a substance called (E)-beta-caryophyllene — or (E)-BCP for short. These compounds bind to certain cell receptors in a way that could mean less inflammation, according to mouse studies. Good news, since inflammation has been fingered in a bunch of bad health outcomes, from heart disease to cancer. Researchers suspect (E)-BCP may have a similar inflammation-fighting benefit in humans.

A Little Dash Will Do Ya?
It’s not clear how much (E)-BCP is in oregano, but surprisingly, the lowest dose of the compound was often the most effective in a recent study. Black pepper, rosemary, and cinnamon all have the compound, too. When your spice shakers are on E, try these other inflammation-fighting foods, too:
Anthocyanin-packed cherries and berries
Omega-3-rich fish, like salmon and tuna
Flavonol-loaded dark chocolate
Oleocanthal-crammed olive oil
Recipe Corner
Toss the boring pepperoni and cheese standby and impress your guests with this extra-healthy, extra-oregano-y Caramelized Onion and White Bean Flatbread.

Caramelized Onion and White Bean FlatbreadThis recipe uses mashed beans as a base rather than the usual tomato sauce or pesto. The delicious result is more protein and a very tasty pizza.

Ingredients
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 each large onion, thinly sliced lengthwise
1/4 teaspoon salt
20 ounces prepared whole-wheat pizza dough, thawed if frozen (see Ingredient notes)
2 tablespoons minced fresh oregano
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 15-ounce can white beans, rinsed
3 tablespoons water
2 teaspoons white-wine vinegar
2 each plum tomatoes, thinly sliced
1 cup finely shredded smoked Gouda or Cheddar cheese
2 tablespoons pepitas (see Ingredient notes), optional

Directions
1. Place oven rack in the lowest position; preheat to 450°F. Coat a large noninsulated baking sheet with cooking spray.
2. Combine oil, onion and salt in a medium saucepan. Cover and cook over medium-high heat, stirring often, until the onion is softened, 5 to 7 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low, uncover and cook, stirring occasionally, until very soft and golden, 5 to 8 minutes more.
3. Meanwhile, roll out dough on a lightly floured surface to the size of the baking sheet. Transfer to the baking sheet. Bake until puffed and lightly crisped on the bottom, 8 to 10 minutes.
4. Stir oregano and pepper into the onion. Transfer half the onion to a small bowl. Add beans to the remaining onion; cook over medium heat, stirring often, until heated through, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer the bean mixture to a food processor, add water and vinegar and pulse until a coarse paste forms.
5. Spread the bean paste over the pizza crust. Top with the reserved onion, tomatoes, cheese and pepitas, if using. Bake on the bottom rack until the crust is crispy and golden and the cheese is melted, 11 to 13 minutes. Slice and serve.

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Red wine isn’t the only beverage that helps keep your arteries clear.

Here are two other mighty fine choices: cranberry juice and tea.

Both are bursting with heart-protective flavonoids. To get the RealAge-recommended daily dose, you can drink several cups of tea (any kind will do) or two and a half small glasses of cranberry juice a day. Yup, it’s that easy.

All About Your Arteries
Whole fruits and veggies are good flavonoid sources, too. But it’s nice to know that what you drink can help nudge you toward the RealAge goal of 31 milligrams of flavonoids daily. Get enough and you’ll not only help give heart disease the boot but also fend off peripheral artery disease (PAD) — a condition that reduces blood flow to the limbs and vital organs. OJ and tomato juice have lots of flavonoids, too, by the way.

Extra Protection
Stave off artery disease with these additional love-your-heart steps:

Kick butt. Smokers are at particularly high risk.

Lace up your walking shoes. Carve out 30 minutes during your day to pound the pavement.

Love the good fats. That means grabbing nuts (not chips) and olive oil (not butter)

Cram in More Cranberries

Bursting with flavor, dripping with color, and abounding in cancer-fighters — the tiny cranberry has it all.

The bright red of the cranberry is a clue that it is jam-packed with flavonoids, including ones that appear to defend against cancer cell growth. So spread your turkey sandwiches with lots of tasty, fresh cranberry relish. It’s great on fish, in muffins, and as a salad topping, too!

Researchers testing a unique group of flavonoids — anthocyanins, proanthocyanidins, and flavonol glycosides — found that individually, each one prevented liver and breast cancer cells from multiplying. When the three are combined, as they are in a cranberry, they may be even more effective in squelching cancer cell growth. In the lab, it’s called synergy. In your mouth, it’s called divine.

Enjoy plenty of fresh cranberries this season by making sauces, cobblers, muffins, and breads with them. When they are out of season, stock up on dried cranberries and add them to cereal, salads, and trail mix. And cranberry juice with a splash of sparkling water is a terrific refresher. With every bite or sip, you’ll be doing something positive for your health, and positively delicious.

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Straight out of the can, peanuts are one amazing health food. But you may get more antioxidants if you buy them in the shell and do this: boil ‘em.

In a recent study, peanuts boiled in their shells had a significantly higher concentration of disease-fighting phytochemicals — more than their raw, roasted, or oiled counterparts.

Nutrition in a Nutshell
The hulls of peanuts are loaded with polyphenols, and the skins are packed with flavonoids. Researchers suspect that boiling peanuts in their shells releases these heart-healthy antioxidant compounds into the water, and the amped-up water is in turn absorbed by the nuts. The result?

One powerfully healthy peanut.

How to Do It
This isn’t a newfangled food idea. In the South, boiled peanuts are part of the culinary heritage, though raw or not-quite-mature peanuts are traditionally used. Cover the peanuts with salted water in a large stockpot. Simmer until the peanuts inside the shell are soft — anywhere from 1 to 3 hours.

A High-Calorie Snack That’s OK for Your Waist

If you love nuts as much as a backyard squirrel does, but you’re caught up by your calorie-counting conscience, relax. And read on . . .

Peanuts may be one high-calorie treat that doesn’t do serious damage to your weight or your waistline.

Say Hi to Mr. Peanut
In a recent small study where people were given a daily snack of peanuts, researchers were surprised to find that no one’s weight changed significantly after many weeks, despite the extra calories. Why? Seems peanuts fill you up (thanks to the fiber, protein, and healthy monounsaturated fats) but the fat and calories in the nuts aren’t completely absorbed by your gut. Now, if only Girl Scout cookies worked the same way.

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