Healthy World Digest, #26, May 2011

"Healthy nuggets of information to keep your motor humming."

Welcome to the 25th issue of our newsletter.

In this issue:

* Herbal tea for hypertension

* Sun exposure supplements

* Lose fat with fat

* Make sure coffee doesn’t raise cholesterol

* Old World recipe

Hibiscus tea lowers hypertension. About 2 - 3 cups a day should reduce blood pressure a few points. I like it with a little lemon and honey.

* Sun exposure supplements

We are heading into seasonal sun exposure, or for many, tanning season. Be careful.

I personally get some extra protection by eating foods rich in beta carotene like cantaloupe and carrots or take some beta carotene supplement.

But you can also take lycopene for protection. Get it as a supplement or have ½ a pink grapefruit to help reduce effects of sun exposure.

* Lose fat with fat

I have come to use fats as an aid to my diet and fitness. Two fats are especially good for helping you lose fat.

Walnut and coconut fat are less likely to be retained as fat by the body. Instead the calories from both are likely to be used as energy.

I use coconut oil to sautee in stir frys. I sometimes make that the base for a curry dish. Absolutely delicious.

I also mix coconut milk 50/50 with soymilk and use in a 1:5 ratio to cream my coffee. I also substitute coconut oil for butter in appropriate dishes. For example, instead of butter on green beans.

I use walnut oil to lightly stir fry or in addition to olive oil in salads. Can also be added to soups and stews.

* Make sure coffee doesn't raise cholesterol

One herb that has been the subject of a whole lot of research controversy is coffee. I personally feel that coffee affects different people, different ways, given different amounts.

One potential issue with coffee is that some research has found that it can raise cholesterol.

A very easy way of assuring that coffee doesn’t raise your cholesterol is to use paper filers.

Paper filters remove a chemical in coffee which raises cholesterol level. I usually use the brown, unchlorinated ones.

* Old World recipe

My family pronounced it - lo-va rue-ta laqua - our version of egg drop soup. Our name for it literally means “egg broken in water” in our old world Sicilian (that is dieing out in Sicily).

Thing about this recipe, meant to stretch some eggs, stale bread and onions, is that it is healthy, delicious and easy to make.

I like it my family way but I’ve also found ways to vary the recipe and even add to its health benefits.

Basic recipe (for 4)

Lightly sautee a small sliced onion in about 4 tablespoons olive oil, in a roughly 2 quart pot

Then add about 4 cups of fresh cold, preferably filtered, water

Add salt and pepper to taste. I toss about a tsp of salt, a little less pepper

Bring to boil

Add 4 eggs, carefully, one at a time to preserve the integrity of the yolk

Let simmer depending on how soft you like yolk. I like it fully cooked

Ladle soup and 1 egg into 4 separate bowls

Use fresh crusty bread or, better yet, older stale bread to dip into soup and scoop out egg as you wish to eat along with the bread.

There’s usually a little broth left at the end to slurp up from your bowl.

Variations

1) Of course you could scramble the eggs and whirl them into the soup

2) I love Miso soup for its flavor and health benefits. I don’t have bread with this variation. Instead, I pour a tablespoon of cornmeal into soup to make a hearty dish.

After eggs and cornmeal are cooked, I add a tablespoon of fresh Miso paste per serving and stir until it's dissolved in mixture.

This variation is extremely healthy, nourishing and delicious.

3) I love to add chopped garlic, fresh parsley and basil into above variation. I sautee the garlic and some of the parsley and basil in some olive oil before adding the water. Then add the rest of the fresh basil and parsley right before serving.

This dish is about as healthy a meal as I can imagine.

Comments? Ideas? Feedback? I'd love to hear from you. Just reply to Healthy World Digest and tell me what you think.

See you next month!

Sal

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