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THE PERFECT ANTI-AGEING SUMMER SOUP – WHY AVOCADOS RULE

May 19, 2014 4 Comments

avocado-soup-with-napkin-1

The words ‘new anti-ageing superfood’ are music to our ears here at Kale & Cocoa, because that’s what we’re all about – fighting age from the inside out with good nutrition.

In 2012 Professor Cortes-Rojo from the University of Michoacana de San Nicolas in Mexico pronounced avocados the ‘new anti-aging superfood,’ after his study proved that avocado oil could directly combat the free radicals that lead to aging and cancer. Earlier studies had already suggested that avocados could help the body’s fight against inflammation and cognitive degeneration as well as aiding cardio vascular health.  This is because avocados are one of the most nutrient-dense foods, containing twenty essential nutrients including potassium (thought to combat fatigue, depression and heart disease), oleic acid (which protects against breast cancer), and vitamins A, B6, C, D, E, K, Riboflavin, Manganese, Omega 3 and Folate.  Avocados also appear to stimulate the production of anti-wrinkle collagen, which when combined with their high levels of Vitamin E, make them the number one ingredient for great-looking skin.

A 2005 study found that avocado oil also aided the absorption of key nutrients in other food (alpha and beta-carotene, lutein and lycopene for example) by 200-400% so it would make sense to keep a bottle of avocado oil in your kitchen to drizzle over salads and soups, or to eat avocados as part of a meal.  So exciting are avocados that they’re the subject of numerous on-going studies, including nine as part of the Hass Avocado Board’s nutrition programme alone (not that they’d research anything else!).  You can read more about studies into the power of the avocado here http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/270406.php

One of my go-to easy lunches is smashed avocado (mixed with olive oil, ¼ tsp each of ground cumin and coriander and a squirt of lemon) on wholemeal toast, sprinkled with pumpkin and sunflower seeds.  But recently I’ve been making chilled soups and one of my favourites is Chilled Avocado and Cucumber with Toasted Pumpkin Seeds, adapted from a recipe in Amy Ruth Finegold’s newly published Super Grains & Seeds.  This takes five minutes … and there’s virtually no washing up.

RECIPE: AVOCADO AND CUCUMBER SOUP WITH TOASTED PUMPKIN SEEDS

Serves 1 but can be multiplied for any number of diners

1 avocado

¼ of a cucumber, peeled

Juice of ½ a lemon

¼ tsp sea salt

½ cup vegetable stock (I use saved vegetable cooking water )

¼ tsp ground coriander

Put  everything in a liquidiser and blend until smooth.  Cover and chill or eat immediately sprinkled with toasted pumpkin seeds and a drizzle of olive or avocado oil.

Annabel

  • Meal Types: Soups and Salads
  • Conditions: Brain and Dementia, Heart, Immunity
  • Ingredients: Avocado, Cucumber
« COCONUT OIL – A VERY BIG QUESTION (AND COOKIES!)
NEW RESEARCH ON DEMENTIA – AND COCONUT CHOCOLATE BRAIN BALLS FOR EXAM-SITTING TEENS »

Comments

  1. Jane Edwards says

    May 26, 2014 at 8:58 pm

    I find your comments and facts very interesting about ingredients I always want to know more how to improve our quality of life , the recipes are very good

    Reply
    • Susan Saunders says

      May 28, 2014 at 8:58 pm

      Thanks so much Jane, much appreciated!

      Reply

Trackbacks

  1. EATING, READING AND SWEET PAPRIKA FAMILY SALMON says:
    May 30, 2014 at 11:09 am

    […] 6tbs olive oil (or avocado oil – see our post on it here) […]

    Reply
  2. WHY YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT CARB 'QUALITY' AND DARK-CHOCOLATE-SALTED-PEANUT FLAPJACKS - The Age-Well Project says:
    June 29, 2018 at 8:00 pm

    […] Chilled avocado and cucumber soup […]

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Look, we know not many people have round-the-clock Look, we know not many people have round-the-clock access to a sauna. But Susan found one in a hotel she was staying at recently, there’s one in our local gym and Annabel found plenty on her summer holiday in Finland. 

A growing number of studies attest to the longevity-enhancing benefits of routine forays into a sauna. Much of the research has been instigated in Finland where sauna (pronounced to rhyme with downer) has existed forever.

So how does sauna help us age well? The extreme heat activates heat shock proteins which researchers think can maintain the healthy functioning of our cells.  As we get older, the proteins in some of our cells start to misfold and collapse. They then clump together forming plaques, including the plaques thought to cause Alzheimer’s and dementia.

Heat shock proteins – triggered by a sauna stint and possibly by hot baths – appear to prevent the misfolding and collapsing of cellular proteins, as well as clearing out those that have already misfolded. Which is to say they keep our cells in good shape. 

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As working mums, we started looking for simple, science-backed ways to make the best of the second halves of our lives. We wanted to improve our own health and reduce our risk of the chronic conditions of ageing. When we started writing, Susan was caring for her mum, who had dementia, and Annabel has also faced challenges with her family’s health. 

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