Delicious UK - (01)January 2020

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your health.

SEASON’S EATINGS

What’s at its best right now – and why it’s so good for you

CITRUS FRUIT

Looking like little spheres of sunshine in the winter gloom,

oranges and mandarins (tangerines, clementines and satsumas)

are sweet and juicy right now, so enjoy these nutritious fruit while

you can. They’re bursting with vitamin C: one medium orange

provides more than the recommended daily intake. Oranges also

contain health-promoting plant compounds called flavanones,

as well as fibre and useful amounts of B vitamins and minerals.

How to enjoy Make a perky salad of orange segments and

watercress as a counterpoint to hearty winter stews and roasts.

Or peel and chop into large chunks and roast alongside root

vegetables – oranges pair beautifully with sweet potatoes,

beetroot and swede. Don’t forget bitter seville oranges – they’re

not just for marmalade. Try using their highly scented juice in

place of lime juice. Find citrus recipes from Gill Meller on p30

DIDYOU

KNOW?

Betalains,

thecompounds

thatgive

beetroottheir

richpurple

colour,have

powerful

antioxidant

andanti-

inflammatory

properties

Researchcorner

In a study hailed as a potential breakthrough in

tackling obesity and diabetes, scientists have

discovered that drinking coffee can stimulate

so-called ‘brown fat’, which plays a key role in

burning calories.

Using thermal imaging, Nottingham University

researchers found that brown fat, mainly found in

the neck, got hotter after participants drank a cup

of coffee. Technically known as brown adipose

tissue (BAT), brown fat is one of two types of fat

found in humans and other mammals. Its main

function is to create body heat by burning calories.

“This is the first study in humans to show that

something like a cup of coffee can have a direct

effect on our brown fat functions,” says Professor

Michael Symonds. Researchers now have to

confirm that the caffeine in coffee is the active

component responsible for the effect.

VEGETARIANSHAVEA 20PERCENT
HIGHER RISKOFSUFFERINGA STROKE
THAN MEATEATERS,accordingtoa
recent – and,onthefaceofit,worrying–
newspaper report. But these claims
were unnecessarily alarmist, according
to the NHS website.
The reports concerned a study of around
48,000 adults, which found that those
following vegetarian or vegan diets were 22
per cent less likely to develop heart disease
(but 20 per cent more likely to have a stroke)
over the course of 18 years. The problem
was, many media reports started with the
higher risk of stroke and only mentioned the
reduced risk of heart disease much later in
the story. Those who didn’t read it all could
be forgiven for thinking a vegetarian diet
posed more of a health risk than a meat-
based diet, which would be untrue.
This is because the higher stroke risk
(the cause was not identified by the study)
is outweighed by the reduced risk of heart
disease, which is more common than stroke,
says the NHS. What’s more, the raised risk
translates into just three additional strokes
per 1,000 people over 10 years – which
doesn’t sound so alarming.

WHAT THE

PAPERS SAY

TRENDING OLIVE LEAF EXTRACT

Universally hailed as a supreme source of healthy mono-unsaturated fat,

olive oil has given birth to a dietary supplement. Olive leaf extract is

being sold in the form of teas, capsules and liquids (the latter touted as

a bolster for buddha bowls and smoothies). Until the health benefits of

consuming olive in this form are proven, opt instead for salads drizzled

with extra-virgin oil and a bowl of bright green nocellara olives.