THE CRONIN NUTRITIONAL EATING PLAN FOR WEIGHT LOSS AND HEALTH

SUPER GREENS 

I have chosen very common vegetables that are readily available for my “superfoods” list – one is spinach that is particularly good for anaemia sufferers and also broccoli, which is another of my favourites.  Although not strictly green, onions are another vegetable with wide ranging health benefits and are a food that can be incorporated into most main dishes easily.  Finally, one of my favourites, Avocados which can be dressed up or down according to the occasion.

SPINACH

Spinach actually has more nutrients than any other food if you compare it calorie for calorie.

Many of these we have already talked about before. Manganese – Folate – Magnesium – Iron – Vitamin C – calcium – potassium – tryptophan- copper- B6 – phosphorus and Omega 3.

Some others that we have not covered in detail are Vitamin B1, which is thiamine, and B2, which is riboflavin, zinc and Vitamin K.

As you can see from the huge list of nutrients above, spinach is packed with them and no wonder Popeye was so strong after eating a can of it.

Diseases that it protects against read like a medical dictionary – cancer – cardiovascular – inflammatory diseases – dementia- eyesight degeneration-blood formation and health among others.

We will take a quick look at the nutrients that we have not covered before that are present in good quantities in spinach.

Vitamin B1 or thiamine is essential for releasing energy from carbohydrates and with the other B vitamins ensures a healthy nervous system – it is found more in nuts such as walnuts but is present in spinach along with the other B vitamins.

B2 or Riboflavin is also essential in getting the most out of the carbohydrates that we eat but it is also vital for protein and fat metabolism. B2 is an assistant to enzymes in the liver which control the removal of toxins from the system.

Vitamin K is necessary for efficient blood clotting and because it is not available from many sources it is important to include something like spinach or green leafy vegetables at least once a day. It is also available in raw cauliflower but I think that I would rather eat spinach either lightly steamed or raw in salads.

Zinc is an all rounder – it is part of the 100’s of enzymes involved in effective metabolism – cell growth- immunity – sexual hormones such as testosterone. In fact as men get older and they face the possibility of prostate problems – eating a handful of pumpkinseeds once a day will provide them with excellent levels of zinc. In this case spinach contains zinc in moderate levels put as part of the whole package it makes this vegetable extremely rich in health benefits and eating half a bag a day is really no hardship and provides you with a great nutritional boost.

BROCCOLI

This is quite a different vegetable. – Although it has all the usual nutrients that you would expect from a green food – particularly a high content of Vitamin C – it also has a very high percentage of Vitamin A which is one we have not covered in detail.

Apart from Vitamin C and A – broccoli also has Folate (folic acid) B1, B2, B3, B5, B6 – Manganese, tryptophan, potassium, phosphorus, magnesium, even some Omega 3 – calcium, iron and zinc. So as you can see it is a valuable source of most of the essential nutrients.

Let’s take a quick look at the two that we have not talked about before. Vitamin A is important for your eyesight, particularly night vision – it is called retinol and beta-carotene. It keeps your skin healthy – protects the mucous membranes of your respiratory and digestive tracts – is important for bone and tissue growth – reproduction and immune system. The brighter the vegetable – the more the Vitamin A content – Broccoli- carrots etc.

During the Second World War when bombers started using radar a story was put out to the enemy forces that our pilots were eating carrots to improve their night vision and therefore bombing capabilities.  I am sure most of us as children were told by our parents to eat our carrots so that we could see in the dark!  Not entirely an old wives tale.

If you take all the nutrients in Broccoli and their combined effect on the body you will find protection for cancer, the cardiovascular system, cataracts, osteoporosis, ulcers, immune system deficiency, birth defects and rheumatoid arthritis.

ONIONS

Onions have all the usual goodness of fresh fruit and vegetables but also have a couple of additional nutrients that would fill out our day and help our bodies in many ways. One of these is a trace element called chromium.

Chromium has an interesting effect on our insulin levels. Deficiency occurs through over consumption of refined sugars – white flour products and lack of exercise. Chromium deficiency is thought to be the reason that diabetes particularly in children and late onset for elderly people is on the increase – dramatically so in the US. Studies show that chromium can decrease fasting blood glucose levels, improve glucose tolerance, lower insulin levels and decrease cholesterol and triglyceride levels. At the same time it increases HDL (healthy cholesterol). In some cases diabetics are able to reduce their insulin requirement by taking chromium supplements but this must absolutely only be done in conjunction with your doctor. Do not undertake this yourself, as dosage levels need to be calculated.

Onions also contain flavanoids and these are certainly key in the prevention of cancers such as colon cancer.

Onions also contain sulphur compounds and with the chromium and vitamin B6 help lower homocysteine levels, which cause clumping of platelets, a major cause of cardiovascular disease. This affects blood pressure and cholesterol levels positively.

One other factor about onions and also garlic which is a good reason to use them everyday is their anti-bacterial properties which help your body kill and get rid of parasites, including Candida and colds and flu so very useful in soups and stews during the winter season. (The chemical reason for this is compounds in the onions, which inhibit enzymes that generate inflammatory conditions)

This anti-inflammatory property is also helpful for anyone suffering from asthma and arthritis.

Finally there is a bioflavonoid in onions – also in green tea – apples and red wine that is very helpful to any of us that would like to turn back the clock. Quercitin is not often talked about in nutrition but is actually a very useful property.

Bioflavonoids are essential in the production of collagen – collagen is responsible for the firmness of our skin – wrinkles and sagging is the direct result of a breakdown of collagen. Quercitin improves the health of the tiny capillaries and the connective tissues that hold our bodies together – the benefits of including Quercitin in your diet are that you alleviate bruising –swelling around joints and other parts of your body and varicose veins.

Quercitin also inhibits the release of histamine so can help relieve hay-fever, eczema and asthma some research is showing that it may also help in preventing prostate cancer but that research is not completed at the moment.

So apart from onions and garlic of course – there is another good reason to drink a glass of red wine at night and to drink your green tea throughout the day.

AVOCADO

In the true sense of the word the avocado is not a superfood. It has not got as many nutrients as some of the other foods that we have talked about but I believe that it is a much underused fruit particularly as we also have vegetarians listening who would benefit from eating avocados in their diet.

It is not only meat eaters who suffer from high LDL or lousy cholesterol levels – vegetarians can too, especially if they are eating large quantities of cheese or other dairy products as an alternative to meat. Also some processed vegetarian products that you buy such as sausages and burgers can have high saturated fat content so cholesterol can still be a problem.

Everyone needs to monitor their cholesterol levels and blood pressure. Avocados have not only oleic acid, which has been shown to lower cholesterol, levels but also they contain potassium which helps to regulate blood pressure.

Avocados are also high in Folate and this too has a direct impact on heart health.

All these conditions tend to affect us as we get into our 50’s and 60’s – but it is never too early or too late to include foods like avocado in your diet. Some studies have shown that in as little as seven days cholesterol levels have been decreased. I am not suggesting that everyone rush out and eat two avocados per day. But certainly ½ an avocado a day with some seafood or tuna or on a salad will not do you any harm but in fact will certainly help prevent these two potentially critical conditions.

Next time we will feature an example 14 day eating plan incorporating all the aspects that we have explored over the last few issues.  This will help you design  your own eating plan using the rules and the ‘superfoods’ but you can use the examples to refine your own plan and adapt it to suit your new weight and fitness levels.

visit www.justfoodforhealth.com where you will find pages of nutritional advice.  Sally takes clients from around the World, offering a full lifestyle analysis and personalised eating plan by email and she is also happy to answer any questions you might have at sally@moyhill.com