Healthy Holiday Eating from UC San Diego Moores Cancer Center
What's round, red, full of holiday cheer, and (dare we say it) good for you? It's the cranberry. Its powerful goodness, coupled with cruciferous vegetablessuch as broccoli, bok choy, and kaleand festive seasonal fruits like persimmons, can change attitudes about "healthy" eating during the holidays. Gain some flavorful food insights in Food for Thought: Healing Foods to Savor , authored by nutritional experts at University of California, San Diego Moores Cancer Center. All proceeds benefit the UCSD Healthy Eating Program ( www.healthyeatingucsd.org ). Healthy Enhancing Cranberries "Evidence of the health benefits of cranberries is mounting," said Vicky Newman, RD, MS, who is one of the cookbook authors and also director of Nutrition Services, Cancer Prevention & Control Program at UC San Diego Moores Cancer Center. "Like other berries, cranberries are rich in antioxidant and anti inflammatory compounds reported to enhance immune function, improve urinary tract health, reduce cardiovascular and periodontal disease, and potentially inhibit cancer growth." One of Newman's favorite recipes for the holiday season is a Cranberry Salsa she serves with goat cheese and whole-grain crackers. "This pungent mixture of cranberries, jalapeno peppers, and ginger is an appetizer that will please the palate, while also providing plentiful amounts of health enhancing 'plant protectors'." Detoxifying Veggies Cruciferous vegetables, like arugula, bok choy, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, and kale, contain sulfur compounds that support the body's detoxification system and may help reduce cancer risk.
