Encouraging Health

Got an achy back? A bum knee? Consider soothing yourself with this poolside treat: a mai tai.

Okay, you can probably skip the rum. The real joint-soothing power in this pick-me-up comes from the pineapple.

Any Way You Slice It
That’s right. Pineapple –
be it part of an icy drink, a fruit salad, or a barbecue kabob — contains an anti-inflammatory enzyme called bromelain. New research shows that bromelain soothes your cells by reducing the migration of white blood cells to sites of inflammation — like sunburned skin, injured muscles, and arthritic joints.

Getting It Straight
If you’re not a pineapple fan, you can get bromelain straight from a supplement. It might even be the preferred method, since you don’t get tons of bromelain from fresh pineapple.

Moist, chewy, and oh so good. Here’s an upside-down pineapple breakfast treat you’ll flip for:

It’s the first week of fall. Help usher it in with this healthful, seasonally inspired treat: Pineapple Upside-Down Muffins.

They’re moist, chewy, and oh-so-good for you. And they make an easy breakfast option or lunch-bag addition for busy days. Here’s how to make ‘em.

Recipe Corner
Pineapple Upside-Down Muffins*
They glisten like sticky buns, but they’re whole-grain muffins packed with pineapple, raisins, and carrots. Here’s what you’ll need:

Topping
2 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
2 tablespoons chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)
1 10-ounce can pineapple slices

Muffins
3/4 cup whole-wheat flour
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
2 large eggs
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup canola oil
2 tablespoons pineapple juice or orange juice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 8-ounce can crushed pineapple (not drained)
1 cup grated carrot (1 large)
1/2 cup old-fashioned oats
3/4 cup raisins, preferably baking raisins
1/4 cup chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)

Preparation
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Coat 12 muffin cups with cooking spray.
2. To prepare topping: Sprinkle 1/2 teaspoon brown sugar into each muffin cup. Sprinkle nuts, if using, over the sugar. Stack pineapple slices and cut into 6 wedges. Place 2 wedges in each muffin cup.
3. To prepare muffins: Whisk whole-wheat flour, all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon in a large bowl.
4. Whisk eggs and brown sugar in a medium bowl until smooth. Whisk in oil, juice, and vanilla. Stir in crushed pineapple. Make a well in the dry ingredients; add the wet ingredients and stir with a rubber spatula until just combined. Stir in carrot, oats, raisins, and nuts, if using. Scoop the batter into the prepared muffin cups (they’ll be quite full).
5. Bake the muffins until the tops are golden brown and firm to the touch, 15 to 25 minutes. Immediately loosen edges and turn muffins out onto a baking sheet. Restore any stray pineapple pieces and nuts. Let cool for at least 10 minutes. Serve upside down, either warm or at room temperature. Makes 1 dozen muffins.

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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The button mushrooms you bought at the store aren’t just a pretty kabob filler. Those beauties may have talent, too.

Now, I absolutely love mushrooms! They are the first vegetable I tried. The earthy, meaty taste still lingers from that first taste, from decades ago. Mushrooms aren’t just delicious, they are multi-taskers like the rest of us. Like the ability to rev up the body’s self-defenses against things like cancer and viral infections.

Tumor Terminators
Western medicine has only recently begun to study the concept, but early animal research suggests fungi may have some pretty serious health-promoting powers. For example, powdered white button mushrooms recently boosted production of natural killer cells in mice. If the same thing happens in humans, that’s great news, because killer cells help defend against tumors and virus-infected cells.

Mention “Mushrooms” and What Comes to Mind? Most likely, their fabulous taste and texture. But there’s more to mushrooms than the pleasure of sitting down to a meaty Portabella sandwich, a mixed-mushroom omelet or a steak topped with sautéed white mushrooms. These oh-so-edible fungi also deserve attention for their unique contributions to a healthful diet.

Often grouped with vegetables, mushrooms provide many of the nutritional attributes of produce, as well as attributes more commonly found in meat, beans or grains. Mushrooms are low in calories, fat-free, cholesterol-free and very low in sodium, yet they provide several nutrients, including riboflavin, niacin and selenium, which are typically found in animal foods or grains. And Mushrooms are one of the few natural sources of vitamin D, which is essential for healthy bones and teeth.

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What mineral helps heal your wounds and support your immune system and may even thwart cancer cells?Hint: Go to the end of the alphabet.

Yep, zinc — last in the alphabetical roll call of minerals, but a first-place contender when it comes to antiaging power — does a lot for your well-being. But it may not work alone . . .

The Live-Longer Combo
Zinc protects against cell-damaging, cancer-causing free radicals. But it could sure use a little help. Recent research confirmed as much. When low blood levels of zinc were paired with low blood levels of another mighty mineral — magnesium — bad things happened in a study of men aged 30 to 60. Death rates for the group increased dramatically. The reason? The synergistic effect of having too little of both free-radical-wrangling minerals may increase the toll on healthy cells exponentially.

Zinc Up Your Diet
You can get the zinc you need (12 milligrams a day) from crab, oysters, pork, poultry, beans, cashews, and yogurt. Or find a good multivitamin with less than 15 milligrams. Too much of the stuff could stop other important minerals from doing their jobs. For magnesium, seek out soybeans, cashews, tomato paste, salmon, and spinach and you’ll be well on your way to the RealAge recommended 400–500 milligrams per day.

Recipe
Zinc up tonight by making these mouthwatering Crab Quesadillas. They take only 30 minutes.

These quesadillas have an irresistibly creamy filling. They also make great appetizers. Make it a meal: Serve with your favorite salsa on top and a cup of black bean soup topped with chopped avocado.

Ingredients
1 cup shredded reduced-fat Cheddar cheese
2 ounces reduced-fat cream cheese, softened
4 scallions, chopped
1/2 medium red bell pepper, finely chopped
1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
2 tablespoons chopped pickled jalapenos, (optional)
1 teaspoon freshly grated orange zest
1 tablespoon orange juice
8 ounces pasteurized crabmeat, drained if necessary
4 8-inch whole-wheat tortillas
2 teaspoons canola oil, divided

Directions
1. Combine Cheddar, cream cheese, scallions, bell pepper, cilantro, jalapenos (if using), orange zest and juice in a medium bowl. Gently stir in crab. Lay tortillas out on a work surface. Spread one-fourth of the filling on half of each tortilla. Fold tortillas in half, pressing gently to flatten.
2. Heat 1 teaspoon oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Place 2 quesadillas in the pan and cook, turning once, until golden on both sides, 3 to 4 minutes total. Transfer to a cutting board and tent with foil to keep warm. Repeat with the remaining 1 teaspoon oil and quesadillas. Cut each quesadilla into 4 wedges.

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Try something different. Add a little lychee to your fruit salad. Not only will it add an exotic tickle for your taste buds, but it will tickle your ticker, too.

When scientists recently measured the heart-helping polyphenol content of fruits popular in France, lychees were bested only by strawberries. Grapes came in third.

The Top 10
Who would have thought lychees — cultivated in China — would become a fave fruit in France? But the top polyphenol-spiked fruits there, in order, are: strawberries, lychees, grapes, apricots, apples, dates, cherries, figs, pears, and white nectarines.

The small, heart-shaped red fruit is now going global and making an appearance in U.S. markets, too, especially during the summer.

Two More for Your Ticker
In addition to impressive amounts of polyphenols, lychees also have heart-smart vitamin C and potassium.

French scientists describe how high and low doses of polyphenols have different effects. At relatively low doses, the French researchers found that the same polyphenols play a beneficial role for those with diseased hearts and circulatory systems by facilitating blood vessel growth. The amount of polyphenols necessary for this effect was found to be the equivalent of only one glass of red wine per day or simply sticking to a healthy diet of fruits and vegetables containing polyphenols. This diet is known as the “Mediterranean Diet.” This study also adds to a growing body of research showing dose-dependent relationships for many types of commonly used compounds. For instance, research published in the October 2006 issue of The FASEB Journal shows that aspirin, through different mechanisms, also has a dose-dependent relationship for heart disease and cancer.

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