Karen Collins, MS, RD, CDN
American Institute for Cancer Research
Q: I heard a news report saying that bananas are among our top sources of anthocyanidins. Aren't anthocyanidins in red and blue produce?
A: The answer to your question lies in the difference between what foods are most concentrated in anthocyanidins and what foods supply most of the anthocyanidins we eat. Anthocyanidins are the phytochemicals that supply a red-purple color to fruits and vegetables. They are antioxidants that seem to help keep our blood vessels healthy and protect our cells? DNA from damage that could lead to cancer. The foods with the highest concentration of these important phytochemicals are red to blue in color, such as blueberries, cranberries, plums, eggplant and red cabbage. Other fruits and vegetables, such as apples, bananas and iceberg lettuce, contain anthocyanidins in lower concentrations. Because Americans eat apples, bananas, and green lettuce far more often than we eat red-purple foods, those choices end up serving as our primary sources of many phytochemicals, including anthocyanidins. This shows that even when a fruit or vegetable is not an all-star source of a nutrient or phytochemical, eating an abundance of these foods allows us to accumulate many healthful compounds little by little. Yet if we ate a greater variety of fruits and vegetables?including red-purple ones?we would provide ourselves with a greater level of phytochemicals more rapidly.
Q: How much omega-3 fat do the special omega-3 eggs have compared to a serving of salmon or sardines?
A: Hens given feed enriched with different combinations of fish oil, algae or flaxseed produce eggs that generally vary from 100 to 400 milligrams (mg) of omega-3 fat per egg. So the amount of omega-3s in a two-egg serving is similar to the amount of omega-3s in a one- to two-ounce piece of good fish sources, such as salmon, mackerel and sardines. Looking only at the quantity of omega-3s may not show the whole picture. At least some portion of the omega-3 fat in these eggs is usually the plant-form of omega-3, which our bodies do not completely convert to the type of omega-3 found in fish. All omega-3 fats are healthy, but research has found that the form of omega-3s that come from plants may not provide as many healthy benefits as the form found in fish.
Q: I heard that microwaving food rearranges the molecular structure into something carcinogenic. Can this be true?
A: No. Microwaving is a safe method of cooking. It allows you to cook food with little or no added fat, and cooks food quickly to save time and nutrients. Microwaves are not the same type of energy waves as medical X-rays or food irradiation.
Reprinted with permission from the American Institute for Cancer Research
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