{"id":33977,"date":"2022-02-25T09:53:23","date_gmt":"2022-02-25T05:53:23","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.mauritiustimes.com\/mt\/?p=33977"},"modified":"2022-02-25T09:53:23","modified_gmt":"2022-02-25T05:53:23","slug":"4-plant-based-foods-to-eat-every-week-and-why-science-suggests-theyre-good-for-you","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mauritiustimes.com\/mt\/4-plant-based-foods-to-eat-every-week-and-why-science-suggests-theyre-good-for-you\/","title":{"rendered":"4 plant-based foods to eat every week (and why science suggests they\u2019re good for you)"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/em><\/span><\/h4>\n

<\/h4>\n

As a laureate professor in nutrition and dietetics, people often ask me what I eat. Here are four plant-based foods I have on my weekly grocery list<\/em><\/span><\/h4>\n

As a laureate professor in nutrition and dietetics people often ask \u2013 what do you eat?<\/span><\/p>\n

Plant-based foods are good sources of healthy nutrients. These include different types of dietary fibre, vitamins, minerals, and a range of \u201cphytonutrients\u201d, which plants produce to help them grow or protect them from pathogens and pests.<\/span><\/p>\n

A\u00a0review of research published in May 2021\u00a0looked at 12 studies with more than 500,000 people who were followed for up to 25 years. It found those who ate the most plant foods were less likely to die from any cause over follow-up time periods that varied across the studies from five to 25 years, compared to those who ate the least.<\/span><\/p>\n

Here are four versatile and tasty plant foods I have on my weekly grocery list, and the research showing why they\u2019re good for you.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/span><\/strong>Tomatoes are high in vitamin C and other important healthy nutrients.<\/span>\u00a0Shutterstock<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

1. Tomatoes<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Tomatoes are a berry fruit (not a vegetable). They\u2019re rich in vitamin C and \u201clycopene\u201d, which is a carotenoid. Carotenoids are pigments produced by plants and give vegetables their bright colours.<\/span><\/p>\n

A\u00a0review of six<\/span>\u00a0trials\u00a0asked people to consume tomato products equivalent to 1-1.5 large tomatoes or 1-1.5 cups of tomato juice daily for about six weeks.<\/span><\/p>\n

The researchers found people who did this had reduced blood levels of triglycerides (a type of fat in your blood that\u00a0increases heart disease risk), as well as lower total and \u201cbad\u201d cholesterol levels, compared to those who didn\u2019t have any tomatoes.<\/span><\/p>\n

These people also had increased levels of \u201cgood cholesterol\u201d.<\/span><\/p>\n

Another review of 11 st<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

udies tested the effect of tomatoes and lycopene on blood pressure.<\/span><\/p>\n

Researchers found consuming any tomato products led to a large decrease in systolic blood pressure (the first number that measures the pressure at which the heart pumps blood).<\/span><\/p>\n

However, there was no effect on the diastolic pressure (the second number which is the pressure in the heart when it relaxes).<\/span><\/p>\n

In the group who had high blood pressure to begin with, both systolic and diastolic blood pressure decreased after eating tomato products compared to placebos.<\/span><\/p>\n

A\u00a0review of studies\u00a0included a total of 260,000 men and found those with the highest intakes of cooked tomatoes, tomato sauces and tomato-based foods (equivalent to around one cup per week) had a 15-20% lower risk of developing prostate cancer compared to those with the lowest tomato intakes. Keep in mind correlation doesn\u2019t necessarily mean causation, though.<\/span><\/p>\n

Recipe tips<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Keep canned tomatoes in the cupboard and add to pasta sauce, casseroles and soup. Make your own sauce by roasting tomatoes and red capsicum with a splash of olive oil and balsamic vinegar, then puree with a spoon of chilli paste or herbs of your choice. Keep in the fridge.<\/span><\/p>\n

Try our fast tomato\u00a0recipes at No Money No Time, a site full of dietary advice and recipes founded by my team at the University of Newcastle.<\/span><\/p>\n

2. Pumpkin<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Pumpkin is rich in beta-carotene, which is also a carotenoid (plant pigment). It gets converted into vitamin A in the body and\u00a0is used in the production of antibodies that fight infection. It\u2019s also needed to maintain the integrity of cells in eyes, skin, lungs and the gut.<\/span><\/p>\n

A\u00a0review of studies that followed people over time\u00a0looked at associations between what people ate, blood concentrations of\u00a0beta-carotene\u00a0and health outcomes.<\/span><\/p>\n

People who had the highest intakes of foods rich in beta-carotene (such as pumpkin, carrots, sweet potato and leafy greens) had an 8-19% lower relative risk of having coronary heart disease, stroke, or dying from any cause in studies over 10 years or more compared to those with the lowest intakes.<\/span><\/p>\n

Recipe tips<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Pumpkin soup is a favourite. Try our\u00a0design-your-own\u00a0soup recipe.<\/span><\/p>\n

Heat oven to 180\u2103, chop the pumpkin into wedges, drizzle with olive oil, roast till golden. Speed it up by microwaving cut pumpkin for a couple of minutes before roasting.<\/span><\/p>\n

3. Mushrooms<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Mushrooms are rich in nutrients with strong antioxidant properties.<\/span><\/p>\n

The body\u2019s usual processes create\u00a0oxidative stress, which generates \u201cfree radicals\u201d. These are small particles that damage cells walls and cause the cells to die.<\/span><\/p>\n

If these aren\u2019t neutralised by antioxidants, they can trigger inflammation, contribute to ageing and development of some cancers.<\/span><\/p>\n

A\u00a0review of 17 studies on mushrooms and health\u00a0found people who ate the most mushrooms had a 34% lower risk of developing any type of cancer compared to those with lowest intakes. For breast cancer, the risk was 35% lower. Though, again, correlation doesn\u2019t necessarily mean causation.<\/span><\/p>\n

Across the studies, a high mushroom intake was equivalent to eating a button mushroom a day (roughly 18 grams).<\/span><\/p>\n

Recipe tips<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Check out our\u00a0mushroom and baby spinach stir-fry recipe. It makes a tasty side dish to serve with scrambled or poached eggs on toast.<\/span><\/p>\n

4. Oats<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

A\u00a0review of ten studies\u00a0tested the effects on blood sugar and insulin levels from eating intact oat kernels, thick rolled oats or quick rolled oats compared to refined grains.<\/span><\/p>\n

These found eating intact oat kernels and thick rolled oats led to significant reductions in blood glucose and insulin responses, but not after eating quick rolled oats.<\/span><\/p>\n

This is likely due to the longer time it takes for your body to digest and absorb the less-processed oats. So it\u2019s better to eat whole grain oats, called groats, or rolled oats rather then quick rolled oats.<\/span><\/p>\n

Oats are a good source of beta-glucan, a soluble fibre shown to help lower blood cholesterol levels.<\/span><\/p>\n

Across\u00a058 studies where people were fed a special diet\u00a0containing about 3.5 grams of oat beta-glucan a day, \u201cbad\u201d cholesterol levels were significantly lower compared with control groups.<\/span><\/p>\n

The impact of oats\u00a0on blood pressure has been tested in five intervention trials\u00a0which showed a small, but important, drop-in blood pressure.<\/span><\/p>\n

Recipe tips<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

You can eat rolled oats for breakfast year round.<\/span><\/p>\n

Eat them as\u00a0muesli in summer or porridge in winter, add to meat patties, mix with breadcrumbs for coatings or add to fruit crumble toppings.<\/span><\/p>\n

Clare Collins<\/strong><\/span>
\nLaureate Professor in Nutrition and Dietetics, <\/span>
\nUniversity of Newcastle<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

* Published in print edition on 25 February 2022<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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