If you’ve got your guacamole dips recipes all sussed out and you think you’ll have excess avocados, how about whipping up an Avocado Caesar Salad? Or some Avocado Pasta for something more filling than just chips? Or — and this sounds yummy– an Raspberry Avocado Smoothie as a refreshing drink for the morning after (but not for those with hangovers I guess).

Contrary to popular myth, avocados have been documented to actually help ward off cardiovascular disease, as well as Alzheimer’s Disease and cancer because of its high antioxidant content. It also contains lutein that help maintain clear vision by protecting against eye disease such as cataracts and macular degeneration.

See, there’s more to avocado than just a Superbowl ingredient. Go on and explore more avocado recipes!

Image: FrenchByte

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Superbowl Sunday, Avocado Sunday

Aside from being more expensive than normal carrots, here’s another reason why baby carrots are not a good idea: they are said to contain less beta-carotene than the normal carrot (up to 30% less!).

I would have gladly paid for the premium of having ready-to-eat uniformly sized carrots, especially on busy days when I don’t have much time for chopping, but now knowing they are less nutritious than regular carrots, give me knobbly, irregularly sized carrots anytime!

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Baby Carrots vs Normal Carrots

A team of researchers across seven European countries and co-ordinated by the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine sought to investigate the association between fish intake and omega 3 fatty acids with wet AMD, comparing people with wet AMD with controls. Participants were interviewed about their dietary habits including how much fish they ate and what type. Information on the main omega 3 fatty acids (docosahexaenoicacid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) was obtained by linking dietary data with food composition tables.

The findings show that people who habitually consume oily fish at least once a week compared with less than once a week are 50% less likely to have wet AMD. There was no benefit from consumption of non oily white fish. There was a strong inverse association between levels of DHA and EPA and wet AMD. People in the top 25% of DHA and EPA levels (300 mg per day and above) were 70% less likely to have wet AMD.

Would fish oil supplement do the trick as well? They don’t know.

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Oily Fish Consumption May Prevent Age-Related Macular Degeneration

A new study published in the Journal of Lipid Research, however, provides clues as to how the compounds move from the blood stream to the eye. Apparently, a protein called SR-B1, or scavenger receptor class B, type 1, is responsible for transporting nutrients to the eye.

These study provides supporting evidence on the potential of zeaxanthin and lutein in preventing the development of age-related macular degeneration (AMD), the leading cause of legal blindness for people over 55 years of age in the Western world.

Read more here.

Photo Credit: danilima

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Zeaxanthin and Lutein Transporter Protein

Here’s an excellent reading material about Omega 3s from the WebMD. The website is sponsored by lifesdha, a manufacturer of DHA supplements sourced from algae instead of fish, so expect a lot of promotional blurbs. Still, the information about the health benefits of DHA Omega 3 remain true.

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All About DHA Omega-3

This yogurt has fruit on the bottom, all natural, lowfat and what sets is apart is that it is enhanced with DHA Omega-3 produced from algae, a natural, vegetarian source of DHA that is important not only for supporting brain functions, but also in eye and heart health.

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Breyers’ Smart! Yogurt

Apparently, babies’ visual acuity as well as their cognitive and motor development were closely linked to DHA concentration in the umbilical cord blood at the time of their birth. This emphasizes how important a diet rich in omega 3 fatty acids is, particularly during the last trimester when the fetus undergoes crucial retinal and brain development.

“A diet rich in omega-3s during pregnancy can’t be expected to solve everything, but our results show that such a diet has positive effects on a child’s sensory, cognitive, and motor development. Benefits from eating fish with low contaminant levels and high omega-3 contents, such as trout, salmon, and sardines, far outweigh potential risks even during pregnancy,” conclude the researchers.

Don’t know which fish is safe to eat? Read my previous entry on this. Don’t like fish? Fish oil supplements are just as good.

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Omega-3 Fatty Acid (DHA) Boosts An Infant’s Cognitive And Motor Development

Docosahexaenoic acid, or DHA, is a long-chain polyunsaturated omega-3 fatty acid, or ‘good’ fat, found throughout the body. It is important for infant brain, eye and nervous system development and has been shown to support long-term heart health. It is important throughout pregnancy, but particularly in the third trimester when significant brain growth occurs.

Arachidonic acid, AA, is a long-chain omega-6 fatty acid, another ‘good’ fat. Like DHA, AA omega-6 is important for proper brain development in infants. It is also a precursor to a group of hormone-like substances called eicosanoids that play a role in immunity, blood clotting and other vital functions in the body.

Considering that there is major infant brain growth during pregnancy and throughout the first two years of life, infants have the greatest need for DHA omega-3 and AA omega-6 during this period.

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Infants Need Omega-3 and AA Omega-6 Fatty Acids

Aside from that, egg consumption also offer a roster of other health benefits. They are an excellent source of choline (important in fetal brain development but well, maybe it’s never too late), selenium (prevents cancer), lutein and zeaxanthin (prevents cataracts and macular degeneration) and vitamin D (for healthy bones).

So, how do you like your eggs?

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Break an Egg!

According to this related article in WebMD:

Foods rich in lutein and zeaxanthin include leafy green vegetables (such as spinach, kale, turnip greens, collards, and mustard greens), squash, green peas, broccoli, pumpkin, and corn.

Foods rich in vitamin E include vegetable oils, almonds, sunflower seeds, leafy green veggies, and fortified cereals.

You might also want to check out this related entry on lutein/zeaxanthin and macular degeneration.

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Lutein, Zeaxanthin and Vitamin E Reduce Cataract Risk