Q: What’s healthier: boiling or steaming?

A: Steaming, wins hands down. Vitamin C and B group vitamins are water soluble, so they’re lost from vegetables during boiling. When steaming is done properly with a tight fitting lid it really helps cut this reduction of vitamins. Vitamin C and many B vitamins are also damaged through exposure to heat. The longer the exposure the fewer the nutrients that remain in the final dish. And as steaming tends to cook vegetables more quickly, it wins on that front too.

Mackerel is classed as an oily fish, along with other fish such as salmon, herrings, tuna etc. Oily fish provide us with important Omega 3 oils, which can help to lower blood pressure, reduce the risk of heart disease, soften the skin, increase immune function, increase metabolic rate, improve energy, help with arthritis (as they have an anti-inflammatory effect) and help with skin problems such as eczema. 100g of mackerel can provide 1000mg of Omega 3 fatty acids, while the same size piece of cod can contain only 300mg.

Mackerel not only contains these Omega 3 fats but is also a good source of selenium, vitamins B3, B6 and B12 and also vitamin D.

 

The Department of Health recommends that we should double our intake of Omega 3 oils by eating oily fish two to three times a week. But concerns have been raised about mercury intake from oily fish. The research has shown that the health benefits from eating oily fish definitely outweigh the risks. And that in fact we are not eating enough fish in general. The Harvard School of Public Health has shown that eating about six ounces of mackerel each week can reduce the risk of death from heart disease by a third.

A healthy, balanced diet along with regular exercise and stress management is your best prevention, but every day at every meal you can choose food that will help to defend your body against the invasion of cancer.

• Green tea is a powerful antioxidant that can help destroy cancer cells. Steep for five minutes to help release the beneficial effects.
• Turmeric reduces cancer growth in lab studies. To be assimilated by the body it is best mixed with black pepper and ideally dissolved in olive oil.
• Ginger is a powerful anti inflammatory and antioxidant, which acts against cancer cells.
• Garlic can help reduce carcinogenic effects of certain substances.
• Fruits and vegetables rich in carotenoids – such as carrots, yams, sweet potatoes, squash, tomatoes, apricots and beets.
• Soya and other legumes can help block the uptake of dangerous hormones. Replace conventional milk products with organic soya milk; use tofu, tempeh and miso and other legumes like chickpeas, lentils etc.
• Mushrooms contain polysaccharides and lentinan, which stimulate the number and activity of the immune cells.
• Seaweed contains substances that slow cancer growth, especially breast, prostrate, skin and colon cancer.
• Omega 3s found in oily fish can reduce cancer cell growth in a large number of tumours. Omega 3s found in flaxseeds (linseeds) can also reduce the harmful effect of hormones that promote cancer growth.
• Herbs, such as mint, oregano and basil, are rich in useful acids of the terpene family, which have been shown to act on a wide variety of tumours.