Feelgood - Irish Examiner

TERAPROOF:User:margaretjenningsDate:10/03/2010Time:15:55:49Edition:12/03/2010FeelgoodXH1203Page:11Zone:XHXH - V1Understanding the building blocks of the body, PART 2: FATS11Roz CrowleyWHILE we don’t need alot of them, we requirefats to help in the constructionof cells, particularly nerve tissue,to keep red blood cells healthy and movethem around the body.For those who exercise to extremes, fatsthat come from plant sources can help theimmune system and even raise themetabolic rate.Omega fatty acids found in oily fish areessential for:■ good brain function■ learning■ mood regulation■ dealing with cholesterol.As vitamins A, D, E and K are fat solubleonly, we need fats to process theirbenefits. We need just 10g of fat per dayto do all this, but the bad news is that amere 12g of butter or a 30g lamb chop(including the fat) will deliver that in onesitting. However, we don’t have to cutthem out completely and pure butter ispreferable to some margarines which containhydrogenated fats.With the winter we have just had, someof us were glad to have a little padding tokeep us warm, but fats contain the highestnumber of caloriesper gram of the threefood groups, doublingthe amountfound in carbohydrates.If our visible fat isechoed in our organswe are in trouble.Biopsies done of thelivers and hearts ofobese patients showingfatty deposits aredisturbing.But not all fats are bad.The healthiest source is from plants inthe form of oils such as olive and sunflowerseed, and from seeds and nuts. Thefat content of some nuts is higher pergram than of fatty meat, so we are back tothe old chestnut of balance.Olive oil is a fat, oily fish is fatty andboth are excellent for health. However,while high in fat, they also bring to thetable omega oils which are heart protectiveas long as they are also not used inexcess. No matter how good for us, westill have to watch quantities.WE MUST:Cut visible fat off meat before eating,including from ham, rashers, steak, lamb.There is also invisible fat in meat which iswhy we shouldn’t eat even lean meat inlarge quantities.Keep pork products to a minimum andwatch the content of the Irish breakfastchoosing either sausage, black pudding orrashers, not all three.Eat stewed apple withpork dishes to help digestthe hidden fat andhave chutney andpickled gherkinstyle productson theFeelgoodEXERCISECAUTIONside. Horseradish sauce, if not too creamyor processed, helps to digest beef.■ Eat fish twice a week and the oilier thebetter — mackerel, canned or fresh sardines,fresh tuna and swordfish, herrings,fresh salmon, but any fish has good oils.■ Eat hemp, flax, sunflower, pumpkinand sesame seeds, soybeans, walnuts, seaweed,wild birds,venison, chicken,eggs, which all havedifferent types ofbeneficial oily fats.Eat a tablespoon ofseeds a day in salads,added to soups andas snacks. Use a tablespoonof olive oila day on bread andto finish soups andvegetables to gainthe best benefit fromthem. We lose out when we cook it.■ Cut down (not out) on butter, replacingwith olive oil which has added benefits.Cut down on cream and save as atreat.■ Save biscuits, cakes, creamy-filledchocolates for monthly treats. Replacewith a small amount of dark chocolate,which can help lower blood pressure,boost brain power and liftdepression.■ Read labels and avoid foods thatare high in saturated fats and hydrogenatedfats.WE MUST NOT:Deep fry foods and if we do, we mustnot overheat or re-use the oil. Keep deepfrying as a treat and throw out the oil afterwards.It may not be economical, butworth it when we save on the healthproblems caused by the toxic chemicalscreated when oil changes its chemicalcomposition with heat and re-use. This isanother key to obesity and continuing researchon what goes on in the body whenit has to process already highly processedfood is likely to deliver further confirmationthat fresh food is best.■ Eat too many saturated fats. These arethe ones to avoid and are found in manycommercially produced conveniencefoods.■ Eat fried foods, crisp or burnt fat, hydrogenatedfats or trans fats which arefound in commercial cooking oil used indeep fat fryers as they last longer thanhealthier oils. Stir fry instead using a littlewater with olive oil to part steam thefood.FRIDAY, MARCH 12, 2010HOME COMFORTSTHE book Great British Food, newly publishedby chefs at London’s Canteen restaurant is doingwhat many Irish restaurateurs and foodproducers have been doing for the last 20years — bringing back a sense of pride in nationalcuisine.This is comfort food which at the same timemanages not to be stodgy.For Patrick’s Day I like the idea of their eggsflorentine, pictured, which introduces somegreen to the start of our nationalday.A recipe for piccalilliuses seasonalcauliflower withgreen beans, redpepper, onion andsome spices andmustard seedsto flavour them.There is a goodrecipe for parsley sauce, which is deliciouswith bacon and cabbage, and their carrot cakehas healthy walnuts and sunflower oil as wellas plenty of grated carrot. In hardback on texturedpaper, the photographs are enticing.Fair value from Ebury Press, 21.GOING GREENST PATRICK’S DAY is a good excuse to eatgreen foods. Start the day with the Eggs Florentine,above, using a bed of spinach under apoached egg on a toasted muffin.Follow for lunch with a pea soup. This iseasy to make by slowly cooking a choppedonion in butter or olive oil with a choppedpotato, then adding frozen peas and somegood chicken or vegetable stock and bringingto the boil. Add a splash of milk and liquidiseor mash. Serve topped with toasted golden linseedsand a blob of yoghurt.Later in the day, after the parade and a briskwalk, make a quick sauce for pasta by liquidisinggreen olives with olive oil and adding someparmesan cheese in whateverproportion you fancy.Try 200g olives to200ml olive oil, 40gparmesan and a halfclove of garlic. Heatgently before addingthe cooked pasta to thesaucepan. Finish with moreparmesan.Purslane, also known as pigweed, looks a bitlike shamrock and is delicious as a salad on itsown or mixed with other leaves. It can also beblanched and returned to the saucepan witholive oil for an easy sauce for pasta rice oradded to stock to make a green soup.To keep fat content low, change the proportionsof meat to cabbage on the traditional baconand cabbage plate. Use iron-rich curly kaleas an alternative to cabbage, though cabbagehas huge health benefits too. Cook in a littlewater in a saucepan with the lid on or use asteamer, or cook in the bacon water.To catch up on vitamin C in this tough weather,we can be forgiven for importing fruit andit’s hard to beat kiwis for versatility. They alsohelp to digest fats, so a goodidea to eat after bacon andcabbage. Liquidise with apassion fruit and use as asauce for a warm sponge oras a dip for shortbread biscuits.