Miriam Diet Expert: Carrots Top Cancer-Fighter Among Superfoods

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Tuesday, December 21, 2010

GoLocalProv Health Team

The National Cancer Institute funded a recently released study concluding evidence suggests that increased carrot consumption may be associated with a lower risk of breast cancer. Carrots, it seems, have powerful antioxidant properties with myriad health benefits. Rich in beta-carotene and carotenoids, organic pigments that also give sweet potatoes, sweet potatoes, tomatoes and more their rich orange hue—even spinach, which turns green during photosynthesis, carrots have been known to battle the disease. “They fight cancer,” says Mary Flynn, a research dietitian at The Miriam Hospital. “They work in what’s called cell communication. Very often, when a cell has cancer in it, it shuts down communication with other cells, which isn’t good. The carotenoids seem to be very useful with keeping the communication open.”

Fresh vs. Frozen

When it comes to vegetables, including carrots, Flynn recommends choosing frozen as they stay on the root longer and therefore retain stronger nutritional properties than their fresh counterparts. Frozen carrots are also a better value in most cases as well. They may not be known as America’s favorite indulgence, especially compared to chips or sweets, but the key to enjoying carrots is in how your prepare them in dishes. "Carrots are sweet and can be eaten as a snack, however, cooking them in olive oil will allow you to absorb the carotenoids," explains Flynn. Cruciferous vegetables, including broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, kale and cabbage, also contain components that fight cancer, but unfortunately, many people do not like the taste of these vegetables when eaten plain. Like carrots, cooking them in olive oil makes them tastes great and also improves the absorption of the component that fights cancer. It’s part of the reason Flynn, also an assistant professor at Brown Medical School, recently co-authored The Pink Ribbon Diet. Along with co-author Nancy Verde Barr, Flynn offers this plant-based olive-oil preventive diet plan with valuable information, helpful tips and savory recipes (see two below). “Carotenoids need fat to be absorbed in your body,” says Flynn, which is where the monounsaturated fat comes in. “That’s why I recommend cooking them with olive oil, it makes they healthier.”

From: The Pink Ribbon Diet, Flynn and Barr. DaCapo Press 2010

Quinoa with Carrots and Peas

1 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
½ chopped red onion (half of a small)
Salt
½ cup thinly sliced carrot (1 medium)
¾ cup vegetable broth
¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons quinoa
2 bay leaves
¼ cup frozen peas, defrosted

Heat the olive oil on medium-low in a one-quart pan. Add the onions. Season with salt. Cook for 7 to 8 minutes or until the onions are soft, stirring occasionally.
Add the carrots and cook until they start to soften, 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add the vegetable broth and turn the heat up to medium-high. Bring the broth to a boil. Add the quinoa and the bay leaves. Cover the pot and reduce the heat to low. Simmer for 20 minutes or until all the liquid is absorbed.
Remove from the heat. Discard the bay leaves. Stir in the peas and serve.
Makes 1 serving
Calories: 430 / Starch: 2 (quinoa) / Vegetables: 2 ½ (½ peas, 1 each onion and carrot) / Fat: 1 (olive oil) / Fruit: 0 / Dairy: 0

Vegetable Lo Mein

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
½ cup red onion slices (half of a small onion)
1 cup carrot slices, about 1/8 inch thick (2 medium carrots)
1 cup diced celery (2 medium stalks)
Salt
1/3 cup low sodium soy sauce
1 teaspoon cornstarch
2 ounces whole wheat spaghetti

Bring six cups of water to a boil for the spaghetti. Meanwhile, heat the olive oil on medium heat in a medium pan. Stir in the vegetables, season with salt and cook for 10 minutes. The vegetables will still be somewhat firm.
Add 2 tablespoons of cold water to the soy sauce in a small bowl. Whisk in the cornstarch until it is completely blended. Add the cornstarch and use a wire whisk to blend completely. When the vegetables are cooked, stir the soy sauce into them and heat until the juices are thickened, stirring occasionally.
When the spaghetti water is boiling, add salt and stir in the spaghetti. Continue to stir, intermittingly, until the water returns to a boil; otherwise the spaghetti can stick together. Cook the spaghetti for the time listed on the box tasting a minute before in case the package is wrong. Once the spaghetti is cooked, drain it in a colander, then toss with the cooked vegetables.
Makes 1 serving
Calories: 510 / Starch: 2 (spaghetti) / Vegetables: 5 (1 onion, 2 carrots, 2 celery) / Fat: 2 (olive oil) / Fruit: 0
 

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