In connection, I’ve also come across these healthy beet recipes from the New York Times. This should help incorporate beet into your diet if you don’t take to the juice. The Risotto With Beet Greens and Roasted Beets looks good and easy enough to whip up.

Photo Credit: Zed.Cat via Flickr

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Beet Root Recipes

In the lab study which also included negative controls, the scientists looked at 18 food-related products including coffee beans, carrot, mango, fermented soya, and food stabilizers such as locust bean gum and konjac gum. All were subjected to in-vitro exposure to various bacteria which were allowed to attach themselves to the test products. The levels of bound bacteria were determined in a microplate-based method specifically developed for this purpose.

The results showed that sesame seed extract and konjac gum had the greatest number of adhered bacteria, leading to the conclusion that they may have a part to play in preventing certain E. coli and Salmonella from latching onto the host.

What in the world is konjac gum?!? Never heard of it before, but apparently konjac a good source of soluble dietary fiber and is used in various food products as gelling agent, thickener, stabilizer, emulsifier and film former.

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Sesame Seed Extract and Konjac Gum May Help Prevent Gut Infections

A recent study indicates that potatoes contain certain protein compounds that appears to have antioxidant properties and help reduce blood pressure.

Isolated proteins, obtained as processing waste from the potato industry, could form hydrolysates which possessed angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE)-inhibitory activity, report the researchers in the journal Food Chemistry.

“The results of this study suggest that potato is a promising source for the production of bioactive compounds as ingredients for developing functional foods with a beneficial impact on cardiovascular health,” wrote lead author Anne Pihlanto from MTT Agrifood Research Finland.

On the other hand, I suppose that if the researchers can perfect the isolation procedures, perhaps we’ll see potato-protein supplements being developed and marketed in the future.

By the way, the FAO has declared that 2008 is the International Year of the Potato (IYP).

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Potato Proteins Reduce Blood Pressure

[Professor Wenyuan Shi] determined that an extract of licorice root (Glycyrrhiza uralensis) is effective against tooth-decaying bacteria, providing the scientific basis for the ancient practice of chewing licorice root. “This was particularly charming because in both Chinese and in Western cultures, people have been chewing it maybe for the taste, but it also has a lot of good health reasons. It stimulates saliva flows, has anti-bacterial properties and keeps bacteria from adhering to your teeth”, explained Professor Shi.

C3 Jian is currently working with a candy manufacturer on the healthy lollipop’s production. It is recommended to eat one lollipop after breakfast and another one before going to bed at night for a period of ten days. Then, in order to maintain the treatment’s effectiveness, one should eat a lollipop about 2-4 times a year.

Cool, huh? Read more from The Future of Things and more related documentation compiled by the Medgadget.

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Cavity-Fighting Lollipop

The New and Improved School Lunch — America’s response to Jamie Oliver’s program in the UK

Incorporating Potatoes in a Healthy Diet — Potatoes are inherently healthy. It’s the way they are cooked that make them otherwise.

New Research: Breast Cancer Low-Fat Diet — Highlights a study indicating that a diet low in fat may reduce a women’s chance of breast cancer recurrence.

Click and read!

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Healthy Enjoyable Eating at the Diet Channel

Well, no need to mope, guys! If you’ve been reading this blog, you’ll know by now that healthy food does not necessarily equate to bland, boring, and tasteless stuff you eat just to stave off hunger. Forbes gives us a slideshow, featuring 9 surprisingly healthy foods:

1. Chocolates: Dark ones for your heart, milky ones for your brain.
2. Oils: Saturated fats are just one part of the equation. Some oils are also rich in Vitamin E. “A fat soluble vitamin, it works as an antioxidant and may lower LDL, or bad cholesterol, protect against heart disease and promote healthy skin.”
3. Potatoes: “Red, purple-skinned and sweet potatoes also are high in carotenoids, which protect against lung cancer and help fight heart disease and diabetes.” And scientists are continuously on the hunt for other varieties of phytochemical rich potatoes. Remember my entry on blue potato chips?
4. Nuts and Nut Butters: Walnuts, for example, are even better than olive oil in preventing heart disease, according to a recent study.
5. Coffee: I’ve covered coffee extensively here at EatingFabulous, discussing its benefits on decreasing risks of diabetes, reducing cognitive decline and many more.
6. Bruschetta: “Tomatoes are a great source of lycopene, an antioxidant that can protect against cancer, heart disease and even macular degeneration.” And then there’s the garlic and olive oil, too!
7. Spices: Large doses of cinnamon may help lower blood glucose, and turmeric has been reported to ease pain in arthritis patients, as well as lower risk of colon cancer.
8. Tea: “Studies suggest that many types of tea, including black, green, white or oolong, may help prevent cancer and reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s disease and heart disease.” There are a number of entries discussing the various health benefits of tea here at EatingFabulous, too!
9. Soups: “Just a cup can sneak more antioxidant-packed vegetables into your diet.” Oh, and yes, chicken soup does wonders, indeed!

C’mon, these are items that are already part of your regime, aren’t they? So it’s not like you’re going to have a need a major diet revision to fulfill that New Year’s resolution. The key, I guess, is simply to eat in moderation. And these are just 9. Trust me, there’s more!

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Surprisingly Healthy Foods

The skin of the potato is a deep garnet red, its flesh a brilliant ruby. When boiled and mashed it turns a creamy fuchsia. As a chip it’s a delicate rose pink that would fit in at tea parties and fundraisers.

That is just one of the several types of potatoes being evaluated by researchers at Oregon State University, for its suitability for growing under organic conditions i.e., zero use of synthetic pesticides. Aside from being organic, these potatoes are also being screened for its “value-added” traits that would up their chances of being a hit among consumers: better taste, unusual shapes, different skin and flesh colors and increased levels of phytochemicals which confer protective or disease preventive properties.

Blue potato chips, anyone? See slide shows of colored potato chips and the colored potatoes they came from, from the OSU website.

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Colored Phytochemical-Rich Potatoes