FOOD FOR LIFE: FISH AND TOFU
Believe this fish story.
Some fish have a good type of fat called omega-3 fatty acids, and salmon is one of the richer sources of that element. Our bodies use omega-3 fatty acids to make hormone-like substances called eicosanoids, which help regulate processes such as inflammation, blood clotting, and constriction of blood vessels.
Omega-3′s appear to assure the orderly inflow of calcium, sodium, and other charged particles into each heart cell, which helps ensure a nice, steady, strong thump-bump, thump-bump.
And talk about capable: Fish like salmon, anchovies, and herring, which are all rich in Omega-3′s, reel in one of the shadiest characters implicated in rheumatoid arthritis inflammation, leukotriene B4. Scientists can measure a significant drop in leukotriene when fish oil is added to the diet.
Omega-3′s don’t stop there. They also soothe the effects of Crohn’s disease (a serious inflammation of the small intestine), may lessen your sweetheart’s severe menstrual cramping, and are thought to help stave off depression.
Need more convincing of this fishy health benefactor? One study showed that people who ate the equivalent of just one serving of salmon weekly had half the risk of cardiac arrest as those who ate no omega-3′s.
How much, how often? A single 3-ounce serving of baked salmon provides 10 times the amount of omega-3′s the typical American gets in a week. Eat at least one serving weekly, experts say.
Tofu.
So it sounds a bit like an invective. Too many of us have shunned it as though it were. But this simple, palatable, easy-to-use, and oh-so-versatile soybean derivative is nothing short of a super-food when it comes to our health.
Cultivating a taste for tofu is easy; it can be added to just about anything without changing the taste. Tofu is mild and light-bodied and represents “one of our very best food choices,” Dr. Anderson says.
What can you do with tofu? Blend it in a shake or smoothie. Crumble it on a salad. Chuck chunks into soups, stews, chili, marinara sauce. Slice it for a sandwich to replace cheese. Blend it into dips, dressings, custards, puddings. Slip it into stir-fries.
The potential health benefits of soy are sweeping, says Dr. Anderson. Topping the list: major heart protection. Add to that preliminary but encouraging studies suggesting reversal of osteoporosis, and other studies suggesting reduction in the risk of kidney disease and a lower risk of prostate and colon cancers. You begin to see why Dr. Anderson is soy excited.
Researchers haven’t determined precisely how soy manages its heart-healing magic, but they’re thinking that compounds in soy might function as antioxidants.
In addition, emerging research suggests that isoflavones (another plant version of estrogen) in soybeans may actually repair damaged, sluggish blood vessels, restoring their youthful flexibility – something that’s important for healthy blood flow, says Dr. Anderson.
The isoflavones’ estrogen-like and estrogen-altering activities may be key to the reductions in risks of prostate and breast cancers. These activities may also be why the isoflavones are credited with preserving bone and actually promoting new bone mass. Isoflavones are also known kidney-protectors.
How much should you eat? It depends on what you want. For general health, Dr. Anderson recommends 30 to 40 milligrams of isoflavones per day. (A 1/2-cup serving of tofu has 35 milligrams of isoflavones, 1 cup regular soy milk has 30 milligrams, and 2 tablespoons roasted soy butter has 17 milligrams.) To tap tofu’s help in reversing heart disease and osteoporosis, Dr. Anderson recommends that you triple your daily dose.
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