October 03

Ultimate Food
Your immune system relies not only on what foods you feed it but on how you cook those foods. A little bit of kitchen chemistry goes a long way in promoting immunity.

By Lisa James

   The foods you choose influence your immunity. “[W]e think that certain genes give some individuals a stronger immune system,” says Ranjit Chandra, MD, an expert in nutritional immunology. “But environmental factors like food and nutrient intake...are also significant” (Nutrition Action Newsletter, 9/97).
   Broccoli and its numerous relatives—including cabbage, cauliflower and collard greens—contain sulfur-based compounds that support health and contribute to these vegetables’ strong tastes. Likewise, onions and garlic are known for both their pungency and immune-boosting properties. Other plants contain nutrients known for their antioxidant qualities; think vitamin C in citrus fruits or beta-carotene in carrots.
   Old, tired veggies aren’t going to give your immune system much of a jolt. Select produce that isn’t rubbery, limp, blemished, cracked or yellowed. Leafy greens should be fresh-looking and crisp, with no brown spots. Go with local produce whenever possible.
   Other foods help support immune health. Yogurt contains probiotic bacteria, which help your intestinal tract fend off harmful germs. And various nut oils—such as almond, hazelnut and macadamia—contain healthy doses of natural vitamin E and beneficial fats.
   Another way to feed your immune system while pleasing your taste buds is to make liberal use of herbs and spices during cooking. Ginger, oregano, rosemary and turmeric are popular flavorings that are both good and good for you.

Storage and Prep Tips
   Store food properly. Don’t store spices or dried herbs for more than a year. Stash garlic, onions and potatoes in a cool, dry spot; keep the onions and potatoes away from each other. Tomatoes do best when stored at room temperature.
   Refrigerate most other vegetables unwashed in plastic bags, and use in a timely manner: From one to two days for asparagus, green beans and mushrooms, to one to two weeks for beets, cabbage, carrots, celery and turnips.
   Choose stainless steel-lined aluminum or copper cookware (don’t use all-aluminum pots and pans). A steamer basket is a useful tool, as is a set of super-sharp knives. A vegetable scrubber can help you get your veggies squeaky clean.
   “To clean vegetables and ready them for cooking, first wash them and then cut them into pieces,” advises Molly Siple, MS, RD, author of Healing Foods for Dummies (IDG Books), “not the other way around, which allows nutrients to be washed away.” For the same reason, prepare food as soon as possible before you serve it.
   Of course, basic cleanliness rules still count. Wash all vegetables and fruits, even those you plan to peel or those with inedible rinds, to avoid transferring contaminants from the skin to the flesh. Always wash your hands after touching raw meat, poultry or fish, thoroughly wash any surfaces these items come into contact with, and keep plates, cutting boards and utensils separate for raw meat.

Cooking for Iron
   From crudités with yogurt dip to fresh fruit salad, the delights of raw foods are endless. However, nutrition experts make a strong case for cooking at least some of your veggies, especially if you’re a vegetarian (American Chemical Society meeting, 4/03).
   While a number of vegetarian foods, including dark leafy vegetables and lentils, contain fair amounts of iron, this iron isn’t as readily absorbable as the iron found in meat. However, cooking helps liberate vegetable-based iron, a mineral required for proper immune function. (Taking some vitamin C with your meal can also help, as can keeping an iron pan or two around.)
   Another reason to fire up the stove: Cooking tomatoes with oil makes lycopene, an immunity-boosting red pigment, more readily absorbable.

Kitchen Chemistry
   In general, the best way to keep your veggies nutritious and fresh-tasting is to use low-heat cooking methods.
   “Pan-frying and deep-frying, in which cooking oils are heated to very high temperatures, have no place in healing foods cooking,” Siple notes. “At high temperatures, compounds in fat begin to break down into toxic substances...A good alternative is to sauté at lower temperatures in a small amount of unrefined oil or butter.”
   The exception: Stir-frying, in which minimal oil is used and foods cook so quickly that nutrients are preserved. Stir-frying only works well if ingredients are cut small.
   “Steaming is great for vegetables,” Siple says. “Vitamins and minerals are better preserved than if the vegetables were cooked in water.” Cut your veggies small so that everything cooks evenly, and steam until only tender-crisp: “Cooking green vegetables until they are a drab gray-green is a sign that they’ve lost magnesium.”
   Another exception: Strong-tasting greens, such as collards and mustard greens, will taste better if you boil them. Use the cooking water in soups and stews to avoid losing precious nutrients.
   Poaching, in which food is gently simmered in a small amount of liquid, is another nutrient-conserving cooking method, especially if you reduce the cooking liquid into a sauce. Such hard fruits as pears and apples take well to poaching in wine or fruit juice.
   Winter squash, carrots, potatoes (both white and sweet), turnips, beets and eggplant are good roasted. Toss them with a little bit of oil, and avoid moisture buildup by not crowding them.
Grilling can also intensify the flavor of many different vegetables. Again, use a little oil, and keep them over a cooler part of the grill so they don’t burn. Large fruits, brushed with a little fruit juice, can also be roasted or grilled until golden brown.
   The beverage of choice for immunity would have to be tea. Tea has demonstrated immune-supportive powers: L-theanine, a tea component, has been found to help activate infection-
fighting immune cells. (Tea already had a reputation for supporting heart health and for helping ward off cancer.)
   The right ingredients and the right cooking techniques—now there’s a surefire recipe for immune health that’s delicious.

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