Are you looking to add some variety to the list of healthy foods you eat? Do you want some encouragement for eating healthy in the first place? Want to find that fountain of youth at store near you? Well scientists in China, The United States, and Canada have been working to find the answers to all three questions.
In China, researchers found that green tea, already known for its health benefits because of its high level of antioxidants, is also good for the eyes. That’s because the presence of one of these antioxidants, catechins (cat-uh-kins), goes through the gut and into the bloodstream to the eye tissues that take it up. It was not known previously if catechins went through the gut without being broken down before getting to the lens, retina, and other tissues in the eye. And they appear to very potent, protecting eye tissues for up to 20 hours.
And it turns out that rosemary can do much more than just add flavor to your food. Scientists basted burgers with rosemary extract and then fried them. Cooking meat at high temperatures produces a group of cancer-causing compounds called heterocyclic amines. Consumption of well-cooked meats has been associated with an increased risk of various cancers in humans. But basting the burgers with rosemary extract before cooking them decreased the amount of heterocyclic amines that formed.
Do you need more protein you diet? Colored chickpeas are just the thing you need. In addition to high levels of protein, they have high levels of polyphenyls and flavonoids, compounds that are found at high levels in green tea and in many fruits and vegetables. Pass up the pale chickpeas and go for the ones that are black, read, brown, green, gray, and yellow. These chickpeas have 13 times more protein compared to the paler ones.
A rainbow of carrots anyone? Researchers at The University of Wisconsin found that red, purple, dark orange and yellow carrots all contain lycopene and lutein. These compounds are antioxidants like the ones found in green tea and other fruits and vegetables. They provide the same benefits, such as preventing cancer and cardiovascular disease.
That elusive fountain of youth we are all chasing may be closer than you think. Scientist in Canada created a “cocktail” of ingredients found in stores that sell vitamins and health supplements and gave it to mice. The mice who were given this cocktail regularly acted young even in old age.
The ingredients of this “fountain of youth” have not been disclosed. [The Washington Times]
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