Spirit of Women magazine is a national publication presented to women by hospitals and their physicians. The magazine provides up-to-date, evidence-based healthcare information and promotes our hospitals as leaders in women's health excellence.
Issue link: https://spiritofwomen.epubxp.com/i/573970
2 8 S P I R I T O F W O M E N FA L L 2 015 w w w. s p i r i t o f w o m e n . c o m H E A L T H C E N T R A L D I E T SHUTTERSTOCK A fungus among us Comfort food connections Whether you reach for mashed potatoes, chicken soup or spaghetti and meatballs for comfort depends on your relationship with the person who first prepared the food for you in childhood. If you have a positive association with that person, you're more likely to be drawn to the food when you're feeling rejected or lonely, suggests research from the University of Buffalo in New York. Moreover, comfort foods are specific to each individual's memories. What makes you feel better may not provide solace to someone else. And not all comfort foods are starchy or fatty. One person's mac and cheese is another person's roasted Brussels sprouts, according to the research in the journal Appetite. • A dd mushrooms to the list of foods, such as apples, that may help you keep the doctor away. Eating shiitake mushrooms daily could result in an enhanced immune system and reduced inf lammation, report researchers in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition. In a University of Florida study of mushroom health benefits, 52 healthy adults each ate a 4-ounce serving of cooked shiitake mushrooms daily for four weeks. During the study, participants could not follow a diet high in produce, tea, antioxidant supplements or probiotics that could help the immune system. At the end of the experiment, the participants showed improved immune systems and a reduction in inf lammatory proteins compared with their pre- mushroom status. So try a 'shroom topping on your next pizza or salad for added healthy benefits. • Double date power Dates and pomegranates, which both make brief appearances in the fall, are delicious and healthful seasonal treats—especially when you eat them together. Sweet, tart pomegranates are rich in polyphenolic antioxidants that have been shown to reduce oxidative stress. Dates are high in phenolic radical scavenger antioxidants, which stimulate the removal of cholesterol from arterial cells, according to research in the journal Food & Function. And in animal experiments, the two fruits consumed together along with date pits proved more beneficial than either one eaten separately. The researchers suggest grinding the date pits into a paste to eat, but a fruit salad sans pits with pomegranates, pomegranate juice and chopped dates is also a tasty, nutritious treat for an autumn day • See(ing) food Carrots are a classic ingredient for better eyesight, and now it turns out that a diet high in vegetables (including carrots), fruits, whole grains, legumes and seafood may reduce your risk of developing age-related macular degeneration (AMD), a leading cause of blindness among senior adults, according to health experts at the Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging. In the center's study of more than 4,000 adults, those who adhered to a diet pattern of primarily plant foods and seafood, referred to as an Oriental pattern, had less of a key indicator for AMD than those who consumed relatively high intakes of red meat, processed meat, high-fat dairy products, French fries and refined grains that are common in the Western pattern. •