Healthy Eating

Q. We have been hearing about the benefits of lycopene. Is it true that red and yellow tomatoes have different types of lycopene, and that the type in yellow tomatoes is more easily absorbed by the human body?…

Spring sunshine invites you to linger over a weekend breakfast. Here is a nutritious and delicious update on a pancake recipe, which doubles as a waffle recipe. It can even be made gluten-free (see Tip). Sweet potatoes contribute sweetness and a rich flavor, as well as valuable nutrients and fiber, to a basic pancake batter. Any time you turn on the oven to bake sweet potatoes, bake a few extra to spruce up your breakfast pancakes

Cooking fish and vegetables together in a foil packet on the grill is an excellent technique for healthy outdoor cooking. Because the food is cooked by the steam, which develops in the packet, you dont have to be concerned about potentially harmful carcinogens and Advanced Glycation End Products (AGEs; see March, 2010 issue of the Newsletter) that form when food is charred on a grill. Whats more, this cooking method delivers lots of flavor with a minimum of fat, and cleanup is a breeze. It is also a great way to incorporate colorful vegetables into your entre. In this months recipe, a savory Asian glaze enhances richly-flavored salmon. Round out this simple meal with brown rice or quinoa.

Pork tenderloin is lean, tender and easy to cook. Here it is paired with seasonal pears, which develop an exceptionally rich flavor when roasted. If you accompany this dish with 1/2 cup whole grain, such as barley, brown rice or bulgur, plus 1/2 cup green beans, and cap off the meal with 1/2 cup grapes, youll have an elegant autumn menu that weighs in at less than 500 calories per serving.

Celebrate the bounty of summers glorious berries! Treat your guests to this impressive but simple dessert. With its creamy custard made with yogurt, this fruity torte is reminiscent of cheesecake-but it has fewer than half the calories and a fraction of the fat of a typical cheesecake recipe. You can substitute frozen berries for fresh or use a mixture of fresh and frozen berries, depending on whats in season.

Its hard to beat pasta for a quick, satisfying meal. And these days you can find many excellent varieties of nutty-tasting whole-grain pasta in your supermarket (but check the label carefully-see story on page 6). It is easy to incorporate lots of vegetables in a pasta dish because they cook seamlessly alongside the pasta. In this recipe, two cancer-fighting brassicas (see the June 2008 Healthletter), cauliflower and broccoli, add bulk, so you can have a satisfying portion without piling on calories. Plus, you get three servings of vegetables in a portion! Dont balk when you notice anchovy in the ingredient list. You wont taste it, but it delivers a rich dimension of flavor to the simple sauce.

A.Touted as the strongest natural antioxidant found to date and also promoted for anti-inflammatory benefits, astaxanthin is a naturally occurring plant pigment. Like many such compounds, its a type of carotenoid. When microalgae containing astaxanthin are eaten by salmon or shellfish, the compound turns their flesh pink; the same effect is seen in the feathers of flamingos who consume astaxanthin via algae. Supplement producers seeking to cash in on recent publicity for astaxanthin, including the…

If youre eating a balanced diet and have no special health concerns, you probably dont need extra vitamin A of any kind. According to the Office of Dietary Supplements of the National Institutes of Health, Vitamin A is available in multivitamins and as a stand-alone supplement, often in the form of retinyl acetate or retinyl palmitate [preformed vitamin A].

Q. You continue to sing the praises of salmon as a source of omega-3. Im not a fan of salmon (or other fish, for that matter). How much omega-3 in capsule form should I take to approximate the benefit of one serving of salmon?

Rooting for the home team could be hard on your arteries when your football favorites lose, especially if its a nail-biter. French researchers report that fans whose NFL team lost consumed as much as 28% more saturated fat the next day.