Healthy Super

Super Healthy, Super Cheap Foods For the Adventurous

Not many people realize that our ancestors didn't sit around and eat bison steaks and rabbit leg roasts. Learning to cook the parts of an animal that the mass market doesn't want can be an invaluable boost to your health. You should ask one of the local butchers where they process cows. It works like this: if you own a cow, you can pay someone to come out and process it. It is a very humane (if messy) process. The butcher has the responsibility of carting away *everything* unless the farmer wants part of it. So if the farmer or owner says: "I want the tail, liver, spleen, .... Most people would be really happy to offload part of the cow cost, esp. since most people don't bother with the really nutritious parts (heart, lung, spleen, liver, trachea, cheek meat, tongue, kidney, fat). Did you know that the humble chilli pepper, long been known as a good food is now being hailed a 'super food'.

First cultivated in South and Central America 5000 years ago, chillies are the small hot pungent variety of capsicum peppers.

The culprit for triggering the volcanic sensations of heat is the chemical capsaicin (8-methyl-N-vanillyl-6-nonenamide), but this is a small price to pay for the excellent health properties you can get from eating them regularly.

Fresh ones are best, and are high in both the important immune system boosters - vitamin A and C, some B vitamins and vitamin E, a fat soluble vitamin being an antioxidant.

The hottest chillies obviously contain the most capsaicin and have the highest therapeutic effects.
Capsaicin - part of the vanillyl family- is produced in glands at the stem end of the pepper.

The hottest parts of the chilli are the seeds and the white pith, so remove these if you do not want your dish to be too hot.

Studies have found that capsaicin that creates the incredible heat can also numb pain, reduce inflammation and kill harmful micro-organisms.

Scientists also say that probably the reason many countries that have no means of refrigeration eat very hot and spicy food is because capsaicin can kill bacterial and fungi.

The heat of a chilli is measured on the Scoville heat scale - shu - indicating how much capsaicin is contained. Growers are still trying to cultivate even stronger more potent chillies!, but at the moment the Dorset Naga is thought to be the world's hottest, and to give your curry a scorching hot bite only one quarter of the small peppers is needed.

Jalapeno peppers - 2,500 - 8,000 shu, have a warm bite but no burn and are ideal in salads.

Thai peppers - 50,000 - 100,000 shu, give a good kick.

Red Savina - 350,000 - 577,000 shu, extremely strong and a third of a pepper will make a powerful curry.

Dorset Naga 876,000 - 970,000 shu, a quarter of this pepper will give a scorching volcanic bite and is the world's hottest chilli.

So go on, next time you make a curry spice it up with a chilli pepper.
Remember good food is good health.

Super foods are not really new. They have always been there and are a part or a normal healthy diet. Scientific evidence is now validating their experience.

Nutrition and healthy living is a growing trend among baby boomers who want to look younger and live longer. Healthier lifestyles and a better understanding of nutrition, with the potential to improve health and extend life, is of interest to our aging population.

Scientific studies are discovering interactions between what we eat and the benefits that our bodies receive which has led to using the description of super foods.

Super foods fall into a number of categories. Some are powerful antioxidants or anti-inflammatory properties while others are high in vitamins and minerals. Their action on the body and the benefits people experience are what qualify a food to be called a super food.

Food does not have to be exotic to qualify as a super food. Many of our home grown grains, fruits and vegetables are high in the same nutrients as exotic foods. We take our home grown foods for granted however science is uncovering the mysteries of nutrition and nutrients that promote better health.

Advances in research of nutrients, vitamins and minerals is validating some of the common sense knowledge of our forebears. Certain foods have long been known to have positive effects on certain conditions. Experience and knowledge passed down from one generation to the next about healing properties of certain plants and foods is now being validated by science. The health giving properties of super foods are being harnessed by nutraceutical companies and offered as supplements. Supplements that are produced from super foods can offer the healthy features in greater concentrations than the original food.

Blueberries are a natural source of lutein which is necessary for eye health. Following food guidelines is still the best way to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Experimenting with different foods is a pleasurable experience and you just may discover your best super foods.