A2 Coursework on "Best Foods"

A2 Coursework 10 pages (2948 words) Sources: 1+

[EXCERPT] . . . .

These chemicals help protect plants from germs, fungi, bugs and other threats. The common sources of these phytonutrients include whole grains, nuts, beans and teas. They are not "essential" to keeping you alive. However, they are extremely beneficial in warding off disease when they are consumed. Examples of six specific phytonutrients that exist are carotenoids, ellagic acid, flavonoids, resveratrol, glucoinolates and phytoestrogens.

http://www.webmd.com/diet/phytonutrients-faq

12) Name three different color categories and their proposed health benefits.

According to the "What Color is Your Diet" story on CBS, there are actually seven different colors that exist. Per the request above, here are three of them.

Red Group: Examples include tomatoes, a can of V8 juice, pink grapefruit and watermelon. These items contain the carotenoid lycopene which helps ward off things like free radicals. These are substances that damage genes. Lycopene is touted as being a way to ward off prostate cancer.

Yellow/Green Group: Examples include spinach greens, collard greens, mustard greens, turnip greens, yellow corn, green peas, avocados and honeydew melon. These are sources of the carotenoids lutein and zeaxanthin. They are believed to reduce the risk of cataracts and age-related macular degeneration. Lutein is a yellow/green substance that accumulates in the back of your eye.

Orange Group: Includes carrots, mangos, apricots, cantaloupes, pumpkins, acorn squash, winter squash and sweet potatoes. They all contain alpha carotene which protects against cancer. They also contain beta-carotene and the body converts that to vitamin A

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/what-color-is-your-diet/

13) Summer time is a popular time to grill because it's quick and easy and can provide lower fat options by omitting additional oil in food preparation. What are some steps one can take to decrease cancer risk when grilling?

Some steps and examples are offered by The Town Dish. They suggest a few things including grilling vegetables (which is healthier than eating more meat), using different kinds of burgers such as turkey and veggie burgers (since they are lower in fat) and using healthier desserts (and still grilling them) by grilling items such as pineapple slices. These can be added to low-fat yogurt and nuts. The site also points to the fact that meat/fat and high flame can perhaps cause cancer. They suggest that the use of marinades, flavoring with herbs and lower fat content in general can help prevent this from becoming an issue.

http://www.thetowndish.com/2013/07/15/summer-cooking-101-the-backyard-guide-to-healthy-grilling/

14) In addition to their micronutrient (vitamin and minerals) benefits, tomatoes also contain valuable phytochemicals, including carotenoids and polyphenols. Name at least 3 proposed health benefits of tomatoes or the components listed above.

There are a lot more than three potential benefits when it comes to tomatoes. According to Medical News Today, the benefits including less cancer, less prostate cancer in particular, less colorectal cancer, lower blood pressure, better heart health, better results when it comes to diabetes, less constipation, higher health levels for pregnant women and less depression. Specific substances in tomatoes that are cited in the MNT story include alpha-lipoid acid, antioxidants in general, lycopene and choline.

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/273031.php

15) How do plant sterols work to lower cholesterol? What are the amounts used and do these occur in similar amounts in food naturally? Are there any potential negative benefits to plant sterols?

The reason the sterols help is that they look like, at a molecular level, a lot like cholesterol. This prevents real cholesterol from being absorbed into your bloodstream. Thus, this lowers your cholesterol because it is expelled as waste rather than staying in the body and clogging up arteries. This is backed up by no less than the FDA as they said that it is legitimate as a "health claim." This means that experts widely agree on the benefits of stanols and sterols. However, there would seem to be one BIG catch when it comes to the use of them…they have to be taken in the proper amount and that amount would seem to be between one to two grams per day. Going above or below that seems to negate the benefits.

http://www.webmd.com/cholesterol-management/features/low-cholesterol-diet-plant-sterols-stanols https://experiencelife.com/article/the-lowdown-on-plant-sterols/

16) Using the internet, find 5 examples of products that would be considered functional foods. Tate whether these foods are considered healthy.

As listed by the Cherry Creek Nutrition website, ten examples of functional foods would include eggs that have omega-3's, oats, fatty fish, fortified margarines, soy, tomatoes, probiotics, nuts, grape juice/red wine and leafy greens. There are a lot of functional components and associated health benefits listed for all of them so they are all absolutely healthy. As with most things, too much of any single thing can end up being an issue. However, any balance diet that includes these items would and should be considered healthy.

http://cherrycreeknutrition.com/top-10-functional-foods-for-your-health/

17) Plan and list a day's worth of meals, including functional foods at each meal. Make the plan realistic and briefly summarize at the end of the meal plan the proposed health benefits.

Breakfast: A small bowl of oat-based cereal and two omega-3 eggs…scrambled. Glass of milk on the side. The oats are to reduce cholestorl., the eggs are for the fatty acids….the milk is for the calcium and vitamins.

Lunch: A nice salad of leafy greens (carotenoids, etc.), a sandwich on whole grain bread and with fortified margarine spread and tomato on some low-fat turkey. The greens are for the carotenoids, the grain benefit was mentioned before, Tomatoes have lycopene (among other things) and the margarine is for plant sterols.

Dinner: A low fat steak, some grilled vegetables and a single glass of red wine on the side. The steak is for some fat (but not too much), the benefits of the vegetables are obvious and the red wine has resveratrol.

http://cherrycreeknutrition.com/top-10-functional-foods-for-your-health/

18) List 5 grains that aren't common in the American Diet. What are some of the health benefits of whole grains? What percent of whole grains occupy the grocery shelves of most grocery stores?

Five grains that are not common to stores or diets are amaranth, peral barley, buckwheat, bulgur, millet, quinoa, sorghum and spelt.

http://www.webmd.com/diet/great-grains?page=2

Benefits of whole grains include reduced stroke risk, lower type II diabetes risk, lower heart disease risk and better weight maintenance. More recent studies also include reduced risk of asthma, healthier carotid arteries, reduction of inflammatory disease risk, lower risk of colorectal cancer, healthier blood pressure levels and less gum disease and tooth loss.

http://wholegrainscouncil.org/whole-grains-101/what-are-the-health-benefits

According to Nielsen Homescan data, whole grain products accounted for 11.1% of all pounds of packaged grain products purchased in grocery stores. This does not include flour, mixes, frozen or ready-to-cook products.

19) Go to: http://www.aicr.org/site/Pageserver?pagename=dc_rc_home. Find 3 recipes that are high in functional food content. List their functional food content and in one sentence or more explain the proposed functional good benefit. Why did the recipe appeal to you and do you plan to use the recipe for a meal plan?

http://preventcancer.aicr.org/site/News2?abbr=pr_hf_&page=NewsArticle&id=21184&news_iv_ctrl=1123

This one contains ginger…which is why it was chosen. The benefits of ginger are described earlier in this report.

http://preventcancer.aicr.org/site/News2?abbr=pr_hf_&page=NewsArticle&id=23234&news_iv_ctrl=1263

This one was chosen because it has a good number of functional foods and good foods in general including soy (soy sauce), lime (fruit), garlic (a healthy spice) and the meet is low-fat.

http://preventcancer.aicr.org/site/News2?abbr=pr_hf_&page=NewsArticle&id=23236&news_iv_ctrl=1263

This one was chosen because it has lean beef (94/6 ratio), includes tomatoes (functional food…has lycopene) and a number of good herbs (oregano, basic, etc.) Also a number of veggies (peppers, onions, etc.) and dairy (cheese).

The author would absolutely use all three of these in some form or another. READ MORE

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