Add Steam, Boost Antioxidants

By Kelley Herring

Some cooking methods can release disease-causing toxins called AGEs (advanced glycation end products). And other methods can maximize the antioxidant ability of certain foods, unleashing their anti-aging potential.

A recent study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition evaluated the antioxidant content of foods after they were prepared in several different ways. Based on the results of that study, here's how to get far more free-radical fighting ability out of some of your favorites than they have when they're raw:

• Carrots: Steaming boosts antioxidants by 291%; boiling by 129-159%.

• Asparagus: Steaming boosts antioxidants by 205%.
  

• Broccoli: Steaming boosts antioxidants by 122-654%.
  
  
• Green Cabbage: Steaming boosts antioxidants by 448%.
  

• Red Cabbage: Steaming boosts antioxidants by 270%.

• Green Pepper: Steaming boosts antioxidants by 467%.
  

• Red Pepper: Steaming boosts antioxidants by 180%.
  

• Tomatoes: Steaming boosts antioxidants by 112-164%.
  
  
• Spinach: Boiling boosts antioxidants by 84-114%.
  
  
• Sweet Potatoes: Steaming boosts antioxidants by 413%.

It's Good to Know: Disappearing Languages

At least one of the world's estimated 6,000 languages goes extinct every two weeks. Native speakers either die off or assimilate into larger cultures over several generations. Most of the disappearing languages are spoken by very few (in some cases, just one person) - usually tribal people who are moving into the modern world. Extinction hotspots include the Pacific Northwest, Oklahoma (home of the highest density of indigenous languages in the U.S.), several parts of South America, northern Australia, and eastern Siberia.

(Source: National Geographic)

Word to the Wise: Small Beer

The expression "small beer" - derived from a name for beer with very little alcohol content - refers to something that's insignificant.

Example (as used by Jerry Coyne in The New York Times): "Call me a geek, but for biologists, marvels like the parasitic flatworm are on tap every day, making the reveries of Hollywood seem like small beer."

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These articles appear courtesy of Early to Rise [Issue #2339, 04-25-08], the Internet's most popular health, wealth, and success e-zine. For a complimentary subscription, visit http://www.earlytorise.com/.