Inflammation is the body’s natural, temporary, healing
response to infection or injury. But if the process fails to shut
down when it should, inflammation becomes chronic -- and tissues
are injured by excess white blood cells and DNA-damaging free
radicals.
Result: Elevated risk for heart
disease, cancer, diabetes, osteoporosis, arthritis and other
diseases.
Bottom Line/Women’s Health asked
Richard E. Collins, MD, "the cooking cardiologist," how to prevent
chronic inflammation.
His advice: Follow a diet that is
rich in immune-strengthening nutrients... and use cooking
techniques that neither destroy food’s disease-fighting nutrients
nor add inflammatory properties to it.
SMART WAYS WITH VEGETABLES
Deeply colored plant foods generally are rich in antioxidants that
help combat inflammation by neutralizing free radicals.
Examples: Healthful flavonoids are
prevalent in deep yellow to purple produce... carotenoids are found
in yellow, orange, red and green vegetables.
Exceptions: Despite their light hue,
garlic and onions are powerful antioxidants.
Unfortunately, these nutrients are easily lost.
For instance: Boiling or poaching
vegetables causes nutrients to leach into the cooking water -- and
get tossed out when that potful of water is discarded. The high
heat of frying causes a reaction between carbohydrates and amino
acids, creating carcinogenic chemicals
called
acrylamides. And even when healthful
food-preparation techniques are used, overcooking destroys
nutrients.
Better...
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Microwave. This uses minimal water and
preserves flavor (so you won’t be tempted to add butter or salt).
Slightly moisten vegetables with water, cover and microwave just
until crisp-tender.
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Stir-fry. In a preheated wok or sauté pan,
cook vegetables over medium-high heat for a minute or two in a bit
of low-sodium soy sauce.
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Steam. This beats boiling, but because
steam envelops the food, some nutrients leach out. To "recycle"
them, pour that bit of water from the steamer into any soup or
sauce.
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Stew. Nutrients that leach from the
vegetables aren’t lost because they stay in the stew sauce.
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Roast. Set your oven to 350°F or lower to
protect vegetables’ nutrients and minimize acrylamides.
BEST METHODS FOR MEAT
When beef, pork, poultry or fish is roasted at 400°F or higher,
grilled, broiled or fried, it triggers a chemical reaction that
creates inflammatory
heterocyclic amines (HCAs)
-- especially when food is exposed to direct flame and/or smoke. At
least 17 HCAs are known carcinogens, linked to cancer of the
breast, stomach, colon and/or pancreas.
Safest: Roast meat, poultry and fish
at 350°F. Avoid overcooking -- well-done meats may promote cancer.
Also, be sure to avoid undercooking to prevent food
poisoning.
If you love to grill: Buy a
soapstone grilling stone, one-and-a-quarter inches thick and cut to
half the size of your grill. (Stones are sold at kitchen-counter
retail stores and at Dorado Soapstone,
888-500-1905,
www.DoradoSoapstone.com). Place it
on your grilling rack, then put your food on top of it.
Soapstone heats well, doesn’t dry out food and gives the flavor
of grilling without exposing food to direct flames or
smoke.
If you eat bacon: To minimize HCAs,
cook bacon in the microwave and take care not to burn it.
THE RIGHT COOKING OILS
Do you cringe when the Food Network chefs sauté in unrefined
extra-virgin olive oil? You should. This oil has a very low smoke
point (the temperature at which a particular oil turns to smoke) of
about 325°F -- and when oil smokes, nutrients degrade and free
radicals form.
Best: Sauté or stir-fry with refined
canola oil, which has a high smoke point. Or use tea seed cooking
oil (not tea tree oil) -- its smoke point is about 485°F.
Try: Emerald Harvest (
www.Emerald-Harvest.com) or
Republic of Tea (800-298-4832,
www.RepublicofTea.com).
Rule of thumb: If cooking oil starts
to smoke, throw it out. Use a laser thermometer (sold at
kitchenware stores) to instantly see oil temperature -- so you’ll
know when to turn down the heat.