Grams To Cups

Summer colors

As you prep the following 3 ingredients, toss them into the pot: Stem and seed the poblanos, then coarsely chop (to yield about 2 cups). Cut the onion into small dice (about 1 cup). Mince the garlic cloves to yield 1 tablespoon. Cook for about 5 minutes, stirring, until the vegetables have softened. Adjust the heat as needed to keep the garlic from browning.

Trim off the zucchini ends and cut the remaining vegetable into 1/2-inch dice (to yield about 1 3/4 cups). Shuck the corn and discard any silk, then cut the kernels from the ears to yield at least 3 cups.

Drain the tofu or pat it dry with paper towels, then cut it into 1/2-inch cubes. Drain and rinse the black beans and pinto beans.

Add the zucchini, tofu, corn, black beans, pinto beans, the crushed and diced tomatoes (with their juices), chili powder and cumin (to taste); stir gently to mix well. Once the mixture starts to bubble at the edges (increase the heat as needed if you had reduced it because of the garlic), then reduce the heat to medium-low and cook for 20 minutes. Taste, then stir in the salt to taste.

Divide among individual bowls; serve hot.

Can bran flakes protect you from breast cancer? « Profncampbell's Blog

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LESLIE BECK

Boosting your daily fibre intake can help guard against constipation, high cholesterol, weight gain, irritable bowel syndrome, Type 2 diabetes, and possibly colon cancer.

Now, new study findings show that getting more roughage can also lower a woman’s risk of breast cancer. And the more fibre consumed, the lower the risk.

The report, published online in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, pooled the results of 10 studies involving more than 700,000 women. Over all, women who consumed the most versus the least fibre were significantly less likely to develop breast cancer.

What’s more, every 10-gram increase in daily fibre – the amount in slightly less than a 1/2 cup of bran cereal – was associated with a 7-per-cent reduction in risk.

Fibre may protect from breast cancer by binding to estrogen in the digestive tract. The liver filters estrogen from the blood into the gut, where fibre can remove it from the body. (Being exposed to estrogen over a long time is thought to increase breast-cancer risk.) A high-fibre diet also helps control blood sugar, insulin and insulin-like growth factors, all of which have been linked to a greater risk of breast cancer. Insulin may impact breast cells directly or increase the growth of cancerous cells.

It’s estimated that the average Canadian consumes between 11 and 17 grams of fibre each day – half the amount that’s recommended to reap health benefits.

Women aged 19 to 50 are advised to get 25 grams of fibre each day; men require 38 grams. As we get older and our calorie intake decreases, we need less fibre. After 50, women should aim for 21 grams, men 30 grams.

Whole grains, fruits, vegetables, legumes and nuts contain two types of fibre, soluble and insoluble. Soluble fibre dissolves in water. Dried peas, beans, lentils, oats, barley, psyllium husks, apples and citrus fruits are good sources of soluble fibre, which helps to lower blood cholesterol and prevent large rises in blood sugar.

Wheat bran, whole grains, nuts and vegetables contain mainly insoluble fibre. It’s this type of fibre that’s especially effective at promoting regularity.

Get your fibre from foods rather than supplements, since fibre-rich foods also provide vitamins, minerals and phytochemicals, compounds that also protect your health.

Practice the following tips to help you add more fibre to your daily diet. (Increase your fibre intake gradually over a period of weeks to prevent digestive distress. And remember to drink more water as fibre needs to absorb it to work effectively.

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