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PRO-AGEING RED BEANS – SPICED KIDNEY BEAN DIP WITH SMOKED PAPRIKA CRISPS AND CHERRY TOMATOES

June 13, 2014 1 Comment

red-bean-dip-no-tomatoes

This week’s big break-through has been the lycopene study, proving that lycopene really does protect against heart disease and strokes.  We’ll be telling you more about lovely lycopene later, but you can catch up at: http://www.theguardian.com/science/2014/jun/09/tomato-extract-lycopene-relieves-damaged-arteries-cambridge-study

But my favourite research? The one showing cynics faced a ‘far higher risk of Alzheimer’s’!  Indeed, the Scandinavian study (http://www.neurology.org/content/early/2014/05/28/WNL.0000000000000528) suggested that cynics could be three times more likely to develop dementia.  Mistrust, cynicism and negativity in general have already been linked to heart disease.  And that’s why, here at Kale and Cocoa, we’ll never tell you what you can’t do (or be cynical about all the research coming our way!) – just what you can do.

And one of the best things you can do is eat red beans (Aduki, Kidney, Pinto – any bean with a red skin). So this week’s recipe for Spiced Kidney Bean Dip is the perfect healthy snack for World Cup viewing.

But what’s the big deal with red beans?  Elizabeth Peyton-Jones, nutritionist and author of Eat Yourself Young, has the red bean in her top four anti-ageing ingredients of all times, and says we should be eating four (yes … four!) red-bean-based meals a week.  Why?  Because they contain more antioxidants than any other food – twice as many as blueberries.   And it’s antioxidants (also high in cherries – see the recent post here) that protect the cell damage causing ageing processes such as inflammation and dysfunctioning digestion to take hold. Peyton-Jones says red beans are also an important weapon in the fight against cancer, allergies, high blood pressure, obesity and fatigue.

And to top it all, she says tinned red beans (rich in calcium, copper, iron, magnesium, manganese, zinc, B-vitamins, protein and fibre to boot) are best because they have less of the flatulent side-effects – music to our ears at Kale and Cocoa, where we rarely have time to soak and boil beans!

Our challenge is to make red beans tasty … especially if we’re eating them four times a week!  This is my current favourite – it’s quick, easy, tasty and cheap.

SPICED KIDNEY BEAN DIP WITH SMOKED PAPRIKA CRISPS AND CHERRY TOMATOES

Make the paprika crisps first by heating the oven to 220 and splitting and cutting 2 pitta breads (wholemeal preferably) into triangles.  Coat the triangles by putting them into a bowl of 2 tbsp olive oil, ½ tsp smoked paprika and a good pinch of sea salt. Put in a single layer in the oven and bake for 5 minutes.

While they’re baking, put the following ingredients in the food processor and blend ‘til smooth:

  • 1 can red kidney beans, rinsed
  • 1 tbsp olive or avocado oil
  • ½ tsp ground coriander
  • ½ tsp cumin seeds
  • ½ tsp sea salt
  • 2 tbsp greek yoghurt
  • 1-2 garlic cloves
  • Juice of ¼ lemon

Drizzle some extra oil over the dip and serve with the crisps and a bowl of cherry tomatoes. Easy peasy …. Now go and watch the World Cup (if you really must….)

Annabel

  • Meal Types: Treats and Snacks
  • Conditions: Brain and Dementia, Cancer, Gut, Heart, Joints and Arthritis
« A SEASONAL SUPERFOOD THAT INHIBITS CANCER – SWEET AND SOUR CHERRY BOWL WITH KALE, ALMONDS AND GOAT’S CHEESE
Can you live without a bacon sarnie? And a recipe for stuffed vegetables »

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Welcome to The Age-Well Project

Welcome to The Age-Well Project!
Here you’ll find easy changes for a longer, happier life. We’ve immersed ourselves in the science of longevity and distilled the research to make it work in our everyday lives. You can change the way you age: here’s how.

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WHY ‘INFLAMM-AGEING’ COULD START IN THE GUT AND HARISSA-ROASTED VEGETABLE SALAD

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The Age-Well Project blog
Susan was lucky enough to spend a day at the olive Susan was lucky enough to spend a day at the olive harvest at Bidni Extra Virgin Olive Oil @bidni_evoo in Malta in late September. Fresh from the press, the oil was pretty peppery! That’s the polyphenols at work.

Polyphenol levels in olive oil also play a vital role in its brain boosting properties. They help reduce neuroinflammation and slow cognitive decline.

A study presented at a conference this summer by Harvard School of Public Health looked at the cognition of more than 90,000 people over 30 years. It found that those who consumed half a tablespoon of olive oil each day, as opposed to mayonnaise or margarine, had a 28%  lower risk of dying from dementia. Interestingly, this research found that the brain benefits of olive oil held up, regardless of the quality of the rest of the participants’ diet. So even those who didn’t adhere to other guidelines of the Mediterranean diet still got the benefits from the oil.

There’s more on the blog - link in bio

#womenover50 #over50andfit #womenover60 #postmenopause #postmenopausalwomen #postmenopausalhealth 
#brainhealth #alzheimers #reducedementiarisk #cognitivehealth  #agewell #longevity #ageingwell #agingwell #longevity #EVOO
Two new pieces of research you need to know about Two new pieces of research you need to know about if you want to age well: 

1️⃣ the kynurenine pathway. It’s complicated but high levels of it don’t bode well for ageing well. Several studies have found that older people, those who’ve had hip fractures, the frail, as well as the depressed have higher circulating levels of kynurenine.  Indeed the more kynurenine in your blood, the greater your chances of dying sooner rather than later. High levels of kynurenine also seem to be associated with low levels of melatonin and serotonin – meaning both poorer sleep and a greater risk of depression.

New research has identified a very simple way of blocking the accumulation of kynurenine (and its toxic by-products) in our blood and tissues: regular, heart-beat-raising movement.

2️⃣ Platelet Factor 4 (PF4). This compound appears to keep our brains and memories sharp. And it too is released when we move. Discovered by a team from the University of Queensland Brain Institute, PF4 is a protein secreted by the tiny blood cells that prevent blood clotting (known as platelets). This protein rejuvenates brain cells (neurons) in ageing mice, and researchers now think it may be the reason that exercise  and movement amplify the production of new neurons in the brain.

Want more info? It’s on the blog - link in bio 

#womenover50 #over50andfit #womenover60 #postmenopause #postmenopausalwomen #postmenopausalhealth 
#brainhealth #alzheimers #reducedementiarisk #cognitivehealth  #agewell #longevity #ageingwell #agingwell #longevity
In today’s Observer: Check out our top tips for In today’s Observer: Check out our top tips for caring for ourselves and our parents. Take a multi vit for 50+, persevere with technology and/or try something new every day, walk daily, stay social, consume sufficient protein, supplement with vits D and B12… 

#agewell #healthyaging
Autumn giveaway! 🍂 We’ve got a bundle of two Autumn giveaway! 🍂

We’ve got a bundle of two books to give away here on Insta - one copy of The Age-Well Project and one of 52 Ways to Walk. 

To win, simply leave a comment below letting us know your favorite landscape for autumn and winter walks. Do you like hills, mountains, flatlands, canals, rivers, coastlines, cities, cemeteries, your local park, moorland...? Just a few words to tell us where you’d most like to be walking in the next few months to help you age well. 

The competition closes at midnight BST on 18 October and a winner will be selected at random.

And in case you’re wondering why Annabel’s interested in your favourite landscape, it’s because she’s writing a new book about the places we choose to walk in and how they affect us. So she’d love to get a rough idea of the best-loved locations… all in confidence, of course.

Good luck!

#womenover50 #over50andfit #womenover60 #postmenopause #postmenopausalwomen #postmenopausalhealth 
#brainhealth #alzheimers #reducedementiarisk #cognitivehealth  #agewell #longevity #ageingwell #agingwell #giveaway #womenwhohike #womenwhowalk
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. 

There’s more on the blog - link in bio 

#womenover50 #over50andfit #womenover60 #postmenopause #postmenopausalwomen #postmenopausalhealth 
#brainhealth #alzheimers #reducedementiarisk #cognitivehealth #betterbrainhealth #brainfog  #agewell #longevity #ageingwell #agingwell
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