By
Judy Creighton,
The
Canadian Press Mar 29, 1999: Like the low-fat message which has
reigned supreme in the nutrition world for a decade, the word
antioxidant is coming into its own. Barely a week goes by these
days without the media announcing yet another study proclaiming
that blueberries boost memory or broccoli is a powerful cancer
fighter.
All
are findings from credible scientific studies, says dietitian
Monda Rosenberg, food editor of Chatelaine magazine and a proponent
of fruits and vegetables in the diet. ''Long-range studies show
the healthiness of societies which base their eating primarily
on fruits and vegetables,'' she says. ''And if you look at the
populations around the world who eat fresh produce they are the
slimmest and fittest.
''
Rosenberg is not alone in her belief that a plant-based diet is
the trend of the future as scientists like Lester Packer at the
University of California hone their findings on the value of plants
as food. Packer, 70, considered one of the world's foremost antioxidant
researchers, has spent the past 30 years studying the science.
Antioxidants
are natural substances found in fruits and vegetables which neutralize
free radicals -- unstable oxygen molecules -- associated with
cancer, heart disease and the effects of aging. His research has
culminated in a new book The Antioxidant Miracle (Wiley, $34.95)
which explains the benefits and strengths of the antioxidant network.
Rosenberg, who also has a new book entitled Quickies 2:Veggies
and More (McClelland & Stewart, $22.99), says that even with the
strong messages, marketing and food products about the benefits
of a low-fat diet, ''it has not been the answer.'' ''We are not
slimmer, we are fatter,'' she says.
''Our
obesity rate in Canada has increased 30 per cent over the 10 years
we have been inundated with the low-fat creed. ''So therefore
we need to look at other things and if it's not drugs and not
fitness, it is food,'' she says. Rosenberg says the natural things
to look at are fruits and vegetables because ''they don't involve
fat whereas meat, poultry and fish do.'' Not only are fruits and
vegetables fashionable, but there's often something new among
them for consumers to try in the produce market. ''People are
intrigued when they discover a weird gnarled vegetable or root
for the first time,'' she says.
''There
isn't a new meat coming out every month but with the array of
novel exotic produce facing shoppers, they are curious about what
to do with it, how to cook it, what it tastes like.'' Rosenberg
says that after following the research about the importance of
antioxidants she's convinced that to benefit we must eat fruits
and vegetables, not pop supplements in the hope of benefiting
from plant-based chemicals (or phytochemicals). ''With vegetables,
too, you don't need to put a lot of sauce, spices or fat on them,''
she suggests.
''Roasting,
grilling, stir-frying, steaming and microwaving vegetables are
perfect methods to make the most of their flavour and goodness.''
Quickies 2 has an alphabetical list of ingredients from artichokes
to zucchini as well as a special seasonal guide on how to buy,
cook and store popular vegetables.
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