Encouraging Health

You know those infomercial gadgets that do 10 jobs in one? Well, there’s a fruit that tops them all.

It’s the pomegranate. And it puts on quite a show when it comes to fighting disease. We’re talking everything from cancer to high blood pressure.

The All-Purpose Pomegranate
The pomegranate — a tough, leathery fruit packed with delicious, edible seeds — has been used medicinally since ancient times. When present-day researchers recently took a closer look, reviewing over 90 pomegranate-related studies, what did they find? Pomegranates have antioxidant, anticarcinogenic, anti-inflammatory, and even antimicrobial properties. Whew! Our ancestors were onto something.

Here’s a short list of what pomegranates may help tackle:

Cancer: In lab studies, pomegranate extract triggered the death of both prostate and breast cancer cells.

Blood pressure: Pomegranate juice dropped systolic numbers in hypertensive patients.

Blood sugar: Pomegranate improved blood sugar levels in animal studies.

Holiday Pomegranate recipe:

COUSCOUS
Take time to seek out the tiny, dark green lentils from France. You’ll often find them boxed in the dried legume aisle of your grocery store or in the bulk bins. They cook up more quickly and hold their shape better in a salad.

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To keep your knees and hands free of arthritis, here’s what you should have before each meal: a small salad.

Why? Because the vitamin K in leafy greens — think cabbage, spinach, and swiss chard, for starters — could help reduce your risk of joint damage.

Get a Grip on Arthritis
In a study of older adults, those with higher blood levels of vitamin K were significantly less likely to develop the bone spurs and cartilage damage that are common in painful osteoarthritis. Hands seemed to benefit most, but people’s knees got some protection, too. Just one word of caution: If you’re on blood thinners, check with your doctor about appropriate K intake.

A Yummy Greens Scene
You shouldn’t need a vitamin K supplement if you eat your greens — especially dark ones. (Whew. One less supplement to take.)

I love kale. Here’s a recipe i’d like to try soon:

Indian-Spiced Kale and ChickpeasChickpeas make this exotic dish a terrific player in any vegetarian menu.

Ingredients
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1-1 1/2 pounds kale, ribs removed, coarsely chopped (see Tip)
1 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth, or vegetable broth
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon garam masala, (see Ingredient note)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 15-ounce can chickpeas, rinsed

Directions
1. Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add kale and cook, tossing with two large spoons, until bright green, about 1 minute. Add broth, coriander, cumin, garam masala and salt. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the kale is tender, 8 to 10 minutes. Stir in chickpeas; cover and cook until the chickpeas are heated through, 1 to 2 minutes.

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Smoothies — the health-food junkie’s alternative to the milk shake — have been around for decades (by some accounts, since the advent of the Waring blender in 1936). Today, there are probably more smoothie recipes on the Web than YouTube members. But beneath that nutritious veneer of fruit and yogurt can lurk some serious calories — and as much sugar as a fast-food shake.

As recipes go, smoothies are easier than pie: The basic serves-two recipe is 1 cup liquid (milk, soymilk, yogurt, juice, sherbet, ice cream, water, or a combination) and 1 1/2 to 2 cups fruit. Here’s how to be your own smoothie operator without piling on pounds.

1. When a recipe calls for yogurt, milk, or ice cream, opt for the fat-free and no-sugar-added versions. Why? One 8-ounce, fat-free, artificially sweetened vanilla yogurt has 110 calories, while its low-fat version has a whopping 240!

2. For richer flavor and fewer calories, try replacing regular milk with unsweetened almond or hazelnut “milk” (sold in many groceries as well as health-food stores) at only 50 to 110 calories per 8 ounces (versus 150 for milk). Some brands are calcium fortified, too, so you don’t lose out nutritionally.

3. Not nuts about nuts? Stick with skim milk, and kick up the flavor with ice cubes made from your fave juice or tea. They’ll also thicken up your drink.

4. Using frozen fruit? Read the label and choose unsweetened versions. Add your own sugar or low-cal sweetener if needed.

5. Want to add some healthy oomph? Mix in wheat germ or ground flaxseeds to boost nutrition and fiber.

6. Try this batido — the Cuban version of a smoothie from Eating Well.

Blueberry-Banana Batido
1 ripe banana, peeled and cut into chunks
1/2 cup frozen blueberries
1 tablespoon sugar
4 ice cubes
1 cup buttermilk
Combine banana, blueberries, sugar, ice cubes, and buttermilk in a blender and blend until smooth.

Browse TV Bender.

For more youthful knee joints — or anything that bends — consider what’s in your kitchen.

These six foods could be your best medicine: berries, ginger, avocado, flaxseeds, omega-3-rich fish, and soy. Research shows they help stifle joint-damaging inflammation, according to John La Puma, MD, author of ChefMD: The Big Book of Culinary Medicine.

On Your Menu
Try this joint-friendly daily meal plan: whole-grain cereal or oatmeal with berries for breakfast, a turkey and avocado sandwich or a soy burger for lunch, a handful of walnuts or flaxseeds for a snack, and wild salmon or tilapia for dinner.

More Picks (and Pans)
Some other diet do’s — and don’ts — from La Puma:

Make a fruit bowl . . . with orange and grapefruit chunks. Vitamin C can thwart cartilage loss and slow osteoarthritis progression.

Sip tea. It’s chock-full of anti-inflammatory compounds

Nix red meat, and skip the sugary and starchy stuff. Proinflammatory substances in these foods — like saturated fats in red meat — could spur joint pain or make it worse

Make this Asian Salmon with fresh ginger for extra anti-inflammatory action.

Asian Salmon
Ingredients
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
1 1/2 teaspoons curry powder
1 teaspoon coarse ground pepper
4 (3-ounce) salmon fillets with skin
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
3 green onions, chopped

Directions
1. Combine the ginger, curry powder, and pepper and rub the mixture onto the flesh sides of the salmon.
2. Heat the olive oil in a skillet until the pan is moderately hot.
3. Add the garlic and cook until it’s golden brown.
4. Place the salmon skin side down in the pan and cook, covered, for 5 minutes.
5. Turn the fish and cook, covered, for another 2 minutes.
6. Add the green onions and cook for about half a minute.

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Your blood sugar will be sure to salute you this Weekend if you grill up some of this: eggplant.

Purple-skinned eggplant is full of phenols that help your body better use blood sugar. And that’s great, because you don’t need extra blood sugar running around. Too much in the bloodstream could wreak havoc with your organs. But that’s not all eggplant’s
got . . .

More Phenol Superpowers
In addition to favorable effects on blood sugar, eggplant’s supercharged phenols may also inhibit an enzyme tied to high blood pressure. Plus, the phenols have antioxidant actions.
Go purple power!

Ways to Do Eggplant Right
Yup, eggplant sure is one heck of a disease fighter — and it’s quite versatile to boot.

Don’t miss my articleKiller Eggplant over Edge Boston.

In the article, I give all the additional health benefits, types of cancer that Eggplant helps beat and how cholesterol is defeated.

Here’s a recipe for Grilled Eggplant Panini:

Grilled eggplant is one of life’s simpler pleasures: creamy and rich. Look for medium-size, purple eggplants with firm skins and no mushy spots. This end-of-summer treat will be even tastier if you can find the vegetables at a local farmstand—or in your own backyard!

Makes 4 sandwiches

ACTIVE TIME: 35 minutes

TOTAL TIME: 35 minutes

EASE OF PREPARATION: Easy

2 tablespoons reduced-fat mayonnaise
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
8 1/2-inch slices eggplant (about 1 small)
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
8 slices whole-grain country bread
8 thin slices fresh mozzarella cheese
1/3 cup sliced jarred roasted red peppers
4 thin slices red onion

1. Preheat grill to medium-high.
2. Combine mayonnaise and basil in a small bowl. Using 1 tablespoon oil, lightly brush both sides of eggplant and sprinkle each slice with garlic salt. With the remaining 1 tablespoon oil, brush one side of each slice of bread.
3. Grill the eggplant for 6 minutes, turn with a spatula, top with cheese, and continue grilling until the cheese is melted and the eggplant is tender, about 4 minutes more. Toast the bread on the grill, 1 to 2 minutes per side.
4. To assemble sandwiches: Spread basil mayonnaise on four slices of bread. Top with the cheesy eggplant, red peppers, onion and the remaining slices of bread. Cut in half and serve warm.

Read 3 Traits of a Good Friend over on Life Tips Daily.