Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, April 28, 1993 TAG: 9304280025
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: 3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Toni Burks
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
Crunchy carrots, leafy spinach and other vegetables and fruits that also are rich in vitamin C, E and beta carotene - a form of vitamin A - have long been linked to a decreased risk of cancer. But now the latest scientific evidence suggests these nutrients also may provide some protection against stroke and heart disease, still the No. 1 cause of death in the United States.
The most recent boost to spinach comes from the Nurses' Health Study, which follows nearly 90,000 female nurses in the United States. Last month, JoAnn Manson and colleagues at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston reported that women in the study who ate spinach daily had a 43 percent lower risk of a stroke than those who ate it once a month or less.
The study also found that frequent consumption of carrots, another rich source of beta carotene, was linked to a decreased risk of stroke. Those who ate five or more servings a week had a 68 percent lower risk of having a stroke than those who ate carrots just once a month or less, the researchers reported at a recent American Heart Association conference.
How vitamins C and E can potentially protect the heart also has been looked at in two other recent studies. University of Tennessee researchers in Memphis found that vitamin C was linked in older women to less narrowing of the carotid artery, the vessel that carries blood to the brain. The risk of stroke rises when carotid arteries narrow.
The same team of researchers, who were led by Stephen B. Kritchevsky, examined 10,000 people ages 45 to 65. The study found that a higher intake of vitamin E was associated with less narrowing of the carotid artery in men and women.
A third study by Finnish researchers also found a link between beta carotene and stroke risk. Researchers studied 216 men with elevated blood levels of LDL, the so-called "bad" cholesterol, and compared their carotid arteries and the blood levels of both beta carotene and vitamin E.
Men with the lowest blood levels of beta carotene and vitamin E had the greatest increases in carotid wall thickening over the yearlong study, the researchers reported at the AHA meeting last month.
Basically, what these results mean, said Manson, is that "it's reasonable" to recommend consumption of five or more daily servings of fruits and vegetables. But since the actual biochemical mechanisms at work are unclear, she added, it is still "premature" to recommend use of vitamin supplements to prevent stroke and heart disease. - The Washington Post
\ HELP!!! DEAR SOS: I would deeply appreciate a recipe for Walt Disney's oatmeal cookies. - MARY
DEAR MARY: Who wouldn't? The recipe is from Disneyland's executive chef, Alfred Boll.
Walt Disney's oatmeal cookies
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. soda
1 tsp. baking powder
3/4 tsp. cinnamon
1 cups butter
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 large eggs
2 Tbsps. water
1/2 tsp. vanilla
2 1/2 cups uncooked old-fashioned oats (not instant)
1 1/4 cups raisins
Combine flour, salt, soda, baking powder and cinnamon; set aside. Cream butter in very large bowl. Beat in sugars. Beat in eggs, 1 at time. Add water and vanilla and mix until well blended, about 4 minutes. Add oats, raisins and flour mixture and stir until thoroughly blended. Drop from large tablespoon onto ungreased baking sheet. Bake in 350-degree oven 9 to 14 minutes, or until light brown. Cool on baking sheet before removing from pan. Makes 4 dozen. - Los Angeles Times
\ MARKET SHOPPING Warm and cool weather vegetable plants are available at farm markets now, and there's no better time to get them in the ground.
Cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, brussels sprouts, lettuce, onion plants and sets and berry plants are the things that like cooler spring temperatures for growing. Sweet and hot peppers, cantaloupe, squash, zucchini, cucumber and tomato plants do their best stuff when ground temperatures are warmer.
Flower plants for the garden - annuals, perennials and bulbs - are plentiful. And there are herbs, too, available as single plants (check out the aromatic pineapple sage and the chocolate mint) and as combination box gardens. And there's something new: Arugula, or rocket salad, a salad herb with European roots. A few of the tender leaves (they resemble dandelion) will add a nice pungency to mixed greens.
Apples, apple butter, dried apples, greens, strawberries, asparagus, lettuce, green onions, herb vinegars, seasoning blends, pickles, relishes, jams, jellies, horseradish, eggs and country-cured meats are but a few of the food items available.
Fresh-cut flower bouquets and vine creations are some of the decorative items, and there are carved logs, too, that are ideal to place in a garden to keep watch over the growing things.
\ MICROWAVE IT A light and lemony sauce is the perfect match for spring's signature vegetable. This updated hollandaise is called "mock" because it substitutes mayonnaise for the more traditional egg yolks. Even though it's more sturdy than the egg yolk version, this sauce still needs to be cooked with care. Watch through the microwave oven door and remove the sauce when you see a bubble forming. Stir to distribute the heat. If the sauce isn't warm enough, cook it for a few more seconds.
Asparagus with mock hollandaise
2 lbs. asparagus spears
2 Tbsps. water
1/4 cup reduced-calorie sour cream
1/4 cup reduced-calorie mayonnaise or salad dressing
1/2 tsp. finely shredded lemon peel
1 tsp. lemon juice
1 to 2 tsps. milk (optional)
Break off woody asparagus where spears snap easily; scrape off scales. Wash asparagus. Place trimmed asparagus in microwave-safe 2-qt. casserole with the water. Cover and cook on high (100 percent power) for 12 to 15 minutes or until tender; drain.
In microwave-safe 1-cup measure combine sour cream, mayonnaise or salad dressing, lemon peel and lemon juice. Stir in milk until of desired consistency. Cover and cook on high about 1 minute or until hot but not bubbly, stirring during cooking if bubbles form. Spoon over asparagus. Makes 6 to 8 servings. - Associated Press
by CNB