Training
Camp

CONTINUED from
last week: more must-
have healing foods (and
one liquid) that are
both tasty and health
sowerhouses when it

- comes to prevention.
5 | Oranges
We don’t know a better
- Way to find concentrated sun-

". shine in the dark, short days

of winter. Peel and bite into
an‘orange: This is the sweetest
medicine we know. “Oranges
are probably one of the best
: €reations of the universe,” .
says James Cerda, MD, direc-
tor of the nutrition research:
laboratory at the University of
Florida College of Medicine
in Gainesville. This juicy fruit
is chock-full of vitamins and
nutrients and soluble fibers °

that may ward off colds, lower.

cholesterol, build bones, pre-
vent kidney stones, lessen risk
of colon cancez, and speed
recovery.from heart attacks.

and fiber. Don’t skip the alive-
do — the mild-tasting white
material just under the peel
and comprising the cord at
the center of the orange —
it’s full of clot-fighting sub-
stances called flavonoids. Juice
conveys fewer benefits bur is
especially good when you're
working out or sweating a lot
in heat and humidity. To pick
the best: Look for firm, heavy
oranges with bright skin.
Avoid lightweight oranges
(which are probably light on
juice) and dull, dry skin, or
spongy texture — indicators
of aging.

& Salmon

Salmon is king when it
comies to netting the myriad
benefits of fish oil. ‘The fish
story is this: All fish have fats
called omega-3s, but salmon
is one of the richest sources.
and omega-3s are turning out

: to be major players in the pre-

vention of heart problems and
maybe in controlling inflam-
matory problems like arthritis.

‘For the heart: omega-3s may

guard against heart attacks.
One study of 44,895 men
found that guys who favoured

‘food with fins had a 26%

lower risk of death from coro-
nary disease than those who

* chose to forgo fish. In anoth-
er study, people who ate the

equivalent of just one serving,
of salmon weekly had half the

“= isk of cardiac arrest as those

‘nutrient.
cks 70 -

Each average orange pa
mg of C; 110% of our daily

recommended intake. In addi
tion, ora

sium citrate, sap ulse has been.

ranges are: ripe with
te; glutathione, and potis-.-

who ate none. It appears that .
these.“good” fats work by

” assuring g the orderly inflow of

calcium, sodium, and other

- charged icles into each
heart cell,

which helps ensure
a steady, strong beat. For

’_ inflammation: This big fish
- reels in.one of the shadiest  —
‘characters implicated in

. rheumatoid arthritis inflam-

- mation, leuko-triene B4.
Scientists can measure a sig-

nificant drop when fish oil is ~

.-added to the diet.:Fish oil.

may also lessen severe men- .
strual cramping and other

“menstrual symptoms (though. }
{ one study so =.
far owing convincing relief) ‘

eve only

(behind William Catt Rec. Center)
‘West Queens Avenue, ® North Vancouver:

Paivand ee ”

: ee Video

“North Shore .
~ Multicultural Society

SPORTING UFE

and maybe even stave off
depression.

How much do you need?
A single 3-ounce serving of
baked salmon provides 10
times the amount of omega-
3s the typical American gets
in a week. Eat at least one
serving weekly. For menstrual-
cramp relief, you need to cat
even more — 4 to 6 ounces
daily. To relieve rheumatoid
arthritis symptoms, step up
intake to at least one serving
daily, or ask your doctor
about supplementing with
fish-oil capsules. Tip: All

cies of salmon contain fish
oil, although smoked salmon
does not. (During smoking,
much of the fat drips out.)

@ Tofu

Tofu. It almost sounds like
an insult, and too many of us
have shunned it as though it
were. But this simple, palat-
able, casy-to-use and oh-so-
versatile soybean derivative is

~ nothing short of a superfood

when it comes to our health.
Tofu is mild and light-bodied
and represents one of our very

~ most extreme ‘erry

best food choices. The poten-
tial health benefits are sweep-
ing. Topping the list is major
heart protection: Its choles-
terol-lowering effect has been
shown in 37 studies. Tofir is
soybean curd, and sovbeans
are the richest source by far of
isoflavones, a plant version of
estrogen, This may be impor-
tant in some of the other pro-
tective roles tofu is believed to
play: menopause soother,
Osteoporesis preventer, breast-
cancer-risk reducer.
Isoflavones are also known
kidney protectors. And there’s
evidence that soy may help
reduce the risk of prostate
cancer and possibly colon can-
cer, as well.

How much do you need?
For now, most soy researchers
reccommend 30 to 50 mg of
isoflavones per day. That’s
about what the average daily
intake is in Asia, where tofu is
thought of as comfort food.
(A half-cup serving of tofu has
35 mg of isoflavones.)
Cultivating a taste for tofu is
easy; it can be added to
almost anything.

§ Tomato

Tomato sauce beats ripe
tomatoes to’a pulp when it
comes to being a nutritional
strongman. Here’s where
cooking really counts and
makes Nature’s Best even bet-
ter. Tomato sauce, especially
that cooked in even the tiniest
bit of olive oil (Can you say.
“Italian?”) seems to be a good
guard against prostate cancer.
Some evidence suggests it
may protect against colon,

esophageal, and stomach can-

cere, as well. Plus, tomato
sauce may even contribute tu
agility as we age (though the

Friday, June 23. 2000 - North Shore News - 21

Of oranges and other wonder foods

connection comes only from 3
small study). The hot nutrient
here is lycopene, an antioxi-
dant that’s found in apprecia-
ble amounts in few other
fruits and vegetables.
Lycopene may prevent cancer
trom developing. Molecules
called free radicals are thought
to beat up innocent cells and
force them to become cancer-
ous, but lycopene may mop
up these radicals before they
do harm. The nutrient may
even be twice as potent 2 free-
radical fighter as strongman
beta-carotene, says Edward
Giovannucci, MD, Sc.D, of
Harvard Medical School,
Boston.

How much do you need?
A few servings each week, but
don’t cat a lot of fattening,
cheese-and-pepperoni pizza to
get your quota. Salsas and
spaghetti sauce count.
Interestingly, spaghetti sauces
are best if they’re not com-
pletely fat-free.

@ Water

We bathe in it, relax in it,
exercise in it — and should be
guzzling it. Our bodies are
mostly made of it. And it’s a
wonder medicine. H2O. One
thing water won’t do: It
won’t set you back a pretty
penny, unicss you buy itin
designer-shaped bottles. “It’s
the original no-caloric bever-
age,” says Dr. Stern of the...
University of California.’

Water is the elixir required by. .

every cell for optimum health.
Getting enough water helps

stave off the fatigue and mus-.. .

plumped up and healthy look-
ing. And, in a surprise finding
ofa large study, drinking
more than five glasses a day of
water seemed to slice
women’s colon-cancer Fisk in
half compared with wiose who
drank fewer than nwo glasses a
day. Our bodies need water.
Without it we droop like
thirsty houseplants. Each cell’s
chemical, mineral, nutrient,
and vitamin balance depends
upon just the right balance of
fluid.

How much do you need?
Your total fluid intake should
be 48 to 64 ounces daily.

cle cramping that result from.

. even minor dehydration, ::.
maintains body temperature, «

helps prevent kidney-stone . -

formation, and Keeps the skin -

wesiaas s Sune 27 at Tam