Brain and Veggies...

[ndrew]

Vegetables Are Good for the Brain

A new study shows that eating vegetables protects brain function in aging adults. As part of the Chicago Health and Aging Project (CHAP), researchers at Rush University Medical Center examined the association between rates of cognitive change and dietary consumption of fruits and vegetables among 3,718 participants, aged 65 years and older. Those who consumed greater than 2.8 servings of vegetables per day had significantly slower rates of mental decline than those who ate fewer servings. Green leafy vegetables, in particular, were most strongly associated with a decreased rate of mental decline. Fruit consumption was not associated with cognitive change.

Morris MC, Evans DA, Tangney CC, Bienias JL, Wilson RS. Associations of vegetable and fruit consumption with age-related cognitive change. Neurology. 2006;67:1370-1376.


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[aztecan]

I knew there was a reason I loved collard greens! Not to mention turnip and mustard greens, cabbage, well, you name it, I like it (with the exception of stewed okra - eeew).

HUGS,

Mark

[J.R.E.]

Andrew,

I enjoy most vegetables. Don't particularly care for spinach ( especially since that recall a while back.)

But my favorite vege is Corn. Great source of fiber, b-1, b-5, folate, Vitamin -C , phosphorous, and manganese. I have it almost everyday.


Ray

[allopathicholistic]

But my favorite vege is Corn. Great source of fiber, b-1, b-5, folate, Vitamin -C , phosphorous, and manganese. I have it almost everyday.

corn. a great veg indeed Ray.... tastey, colorful, filling and delicious!

thanks for the post ndrew - I invite people to "experiment" and reverse a diet heavy on meat/fat (light on veg) to one that's heavy on veg (light on meat) .. just for a few weeks. try it, see how you feel. you might surprise yourself 

[mark06]

Have to agree with you there Ray-- i'm not a great spinach fan at all.  When it's cooked you get that gritty taste. Though i think eating it raw is more manageable - just another leaf lol . I'm a recect lover of different coloured peppers -- great flavour. also i try and eat a few raw carrots as they are a great source of vitamin A.  the site called world's healthiest foods is a great resource as it shows you the best foods to get particular nutrients from. i think a bunch of raw carrots delivers 6 times the RDA of Vit A.

i'm off to paris on monday for 5 days . here's to some nice food while i'm there !

[Queen Tokelove]

corn. a great veg indeed Ray.... tastey, colorful, filling and delicious!

thanks for the post ndrew - I invite people to "experiment" and reverse a diet heavy on meat/fat (light on veg) to one that's heavy on veg (light on meat) .. just for a few weeks. try it, see how you feel. you might surprise yourself 

Well I love steak and a good roast but sometimes I get tired of eating them. I love veggies except for beans. I would like to change my diet but there are some things I have to take into consideration, such as being diabetic. Most vegetarians will say eat fish or chicken but I despise fish and I'm not really into chicken all like that either. Is there other things I can substitute or eat more of a certain veggie?

[frenchpat]

Most vegetarians will say eat fish or chicken but I despise fish and I'm not really into chicken all like that either. Is there other things I can substitute or eat more of a certain veggie?

  hum. Vegetarians do not eat animals. 

Having said that, if you are looking to substitute some of the red meat you eat with minimum loss of protein intake, you have a few options. Tofu is a straight forward one, that when well cooked can be very yummy.

Beans are a good source of proteins and minerals as well. You say you don't like them. I never really liked beans until I was given the chance to 1) eat them fresh  2) discover the use that is made of them in coutries that border the mediterranean, such as Greece, Lebanon and Egypt. Try a good Hummus or a Greek style broad bean purée... you may be surprised.

Nuts and seeds are another good source; they also contain good fats, but be careful not to overdo them, they are very rich. I sometimes cook a nut roast that is very savoury and has satisfied many a meat eater. Vegeterian nut paté is also an option.

There are a few things that I regularly sprinkle over my food that help with the protein issue;  spirulina is one of them. It's a cyanobacteria which, technically, makes it an animal .
The great thing about it is that roughly 60% of its weight is protein. It is also a very good source of vitamins and minerals, but be aware though that it also contains quite a lot of iron, something that is frown upon in the poz circles. Not everyone may agree but I guess if you are a vegetarian you are at a lesser risk of overdoing the iron than if you are a carnivore.

Hope this helps,

Pat

[Queen Tokelove]

hum. Vegetarians do not eat animals. 

OOPS, my bad. Thanks for your input. It's funny that people say if you eat something a certain way, a person will like it. Not in my case, I hate beans, when I was a child my mother use to make me sit at the table til I ate them, guess what? I fell asleep at the table...lol.....I don't have a clue as to what tofu even looks like. My point is I'm not trying to be a vegetarian but to just reduce my intake of red meat. I love nuts but I can't eat them 24/7...I'll see if I can find a site or something.

[frenchpat]

Queen,

ever had miso soup at the japanese restaurant? the little whitish cubes are tofu. It is basically soy "cheese" as it is made rougly the same way as regular cheese: soy milk curdles when nigari (magnesium chloride from seaweed) is added to it, the result of which is a more or less solid slab of food. In the case of tofu, bland food. That's why you better accomodate it in different ways if you want to have a chance of liking it.

It can be grilled, fried, blended and can be purchased smoked. To make sure it absorbs the taste of the spices it is cooked with you better quick fry it first or marinate it before cooking. Blended it can be used to make dips for raw veg (use the silken variety in this case). You can make deserts too. It is a very versatile food, high in protein and, a bonus for us hivers, NO cholesterol!  You can buy it fresh at an asian food market or in "tetrabrick" form and it will last a good 6 months in your fridge. In my opinion, make sure you buy a brand that is guaranteed non- GMO.

Before you try this at home I would suggest you hit a nearby Japanese restaurant or even better, a Thai restaurant and have it in a curry (matsaman or red or green, your choice).

Lastly, this: There is a popular Japanese girl group called the Tofoos; its members include Stefoo and Queenfoo. (not 100% sure about this one...)

Hope you will like it!

Pat

[Queen Tokelove]

Queen,

ever had miso soup at the japanese restaurant? the little whitish cubes are tofu. It is basically soy "cheese" as it is made rougly the same way as regular cheese: soy milk curdles when nigari (magnesium chloride from seaweed) is added to it, the result of which is a more or less solid slab of food. In the case of tofu, bland food. That's why you better accomodate it in different ways if you want to have a chance of liking it.

It can be grilled, fried, blended and can be purchased smoked. To make sure it absorbs the taste of the spices it is cooked with you better quick fry it first or marinate it before cooking. Blended it can be used to make dips for raw veg (use the silken variety in this case). You can make deserts too. It is a very versatile food, high in protein and, a bonus for us hivers, NO cholesterol!  You can buy it fresh at an asian food market or in "tetrabrick" form and it will last a good 6 months in your fridge. In my opinion, make sure you buy a brand that is guaranteed non- GMO.

Before you try this at home I would suggest you hit a nearby Japanese restaurant or even better, a Thai restaurant and have it in a curry (matsaman or red or green, your choice).

Lastly, this: There is a popular Japanese girl group called the Tofoos; its members include Stefoo and Queenfoo. (not 100% sure about this one...)

Hope you will like it!

I really don't go out to eat much. I have heard of miso from watching Iron Chef America. I watch it cause I like the battles and I try to get ideas on what to cook. I will look into the tofu....

Are you in Japan or something? Never heard of them...lol....I got my name from the Anne Rice book, Queen of the Damned....

[aztecan]

Hey Akasha,
I never used to like tofu, mainly because it is very bland. Then, as Pat suggested, I tried it at a Thai restaurant - in a very spicy green curry.

Well, I was hooked, so to speak. Now, I scramble it just like eggs in the morning, except I always add yummies to it like onions, green chile, mushrooms, broccoli, spinach, etc.

I usually crush it up between my fingers, so it sort of resembles eggs. But make sure you drain the water out well first or the oil will splatter.

Also, if you are storing it after opening and it is in water, remember to change the water every few days if you don't use it right away.

I also stir fry it for evening meals once in a while, although my evening meal is usually reserved for the carnivore in me.

Oh, by the way, I have had tofu-based ice cream (well, fake ice cream, but . . . ) and it was pretty good. I also remember having a tofu desert in a restaurant, I think it was Japanese. It was delicious.

I know you say you're not crazy about chicken, but there are ways to "beef it up," so to speak. For one, try making chicken picatta (which I think I just misspelled but can't find in my dictionary.)

Turkey can be a nice change of pace, as can duck, goose, pheasant, quail (takes quite a few to make a meal) or Cornish hens (yummy stuffed with either cornbread or wild rice stuffing and roasted).

(Disclaimer: Those who's CD4s are relatively low should not stuff the bird because of the risk of food poisoning. The stuffing can be made seperately, but remember to add extra moisture).

The trick is not to just eliminate the red meat, but to replace it with something that is both tasty and more health friendly.

As a rule, frying is out. But if you do fry, use a good oil, such as olive or canola, that contains no trans fats.

I love to experiment and, because I have a number of food restrictions, it really helps to be creative and not to be afraid to try new things.

Wild or game meats are actually better for you than farm-or-ranch-raised meats. If you are a hunter, or know one, try to supplement your diet with venison, elk, antelope, rabbit, etc.

I had a bunch of very nice poultry recipes on my computer before I had a problem and everything was wiped out. (Yes, I'm a  computer dolt.)

I'll see if I can't find some of them in my stack of recipes. I think you might enjoy them.

HUGS,

Mark

[Queen Tokelove]

Mark~~

Thanks for getting back with me on foods I can sub for meat. I'm not sure about the tofu, I will have to try it. If you get your hands on any of those recipes please feel free to PM me. I like chicken in a broccoli casserole. I'm going to try to make some stuff mushrooms with the big caps. I don't like shitake mushrooms, they look too slimey. I'm trying to find veggie recipes too or ones that is diabetic friendly.

[ndrew]

Queen Akasha,

Not sure what type diabetes you have, but here is some research info. on how a vegetable-based diet (vegan) can help...

http://www.pcrm.org/magazine/gm06autumn/diabetes.html
http://www.pcrm.org/magazine/gm06autumn/vegan.html

general recipes...
http://www.pcrm.org/health/recipes/index.html

Drew

[Queen Tokelove]

Thanks a lot Drew. I looked over some of the things. I plan on going to the grocery store tomorrow so I will definitely grab some things for smoothies.