When it comes to superfoods, we often think they come from far-flung and exotic places. But traditional Irish foods can pack a health punch, giving our innate health defences a boost.
Carrots
Lots of Irish children grow up hearing a myth that eating carrots will help them to see in the dark, but it’s grown-ups who benefit the most. Carrots are rich in carotenoids that protect our eye health from vision loss as we age. Other benefits include lowering lipids; a clinical study of healthy adults showed eating the equivalent of four medium carrots a day for three weeks lowered cholesterol by 11 per cent. Another study from the UK, involving 64 volunteers, indicated cooked carrots may also support repair mechanisms for DNA damage which may be a result of exposure to environmental toxins or UV radiation from the sun.
Cabbage
When it comes to health, cabbage is anything but bland. Like other cruciferous vegetables, it is packed with isothiocyanates which lower inflammation and have cancer fighting activity. One study of 345,000 people found that eating half a cup (60g) of shredded cabbage a day was associated with a 44 per cent lower risk of developing cancer of the head and neck. When you pickle the cabbage, it becomes a probiotic food that boosts gut health.
Oats
Many of us are rightly committed to a bowl of porridge to start the day. Oats are loaded with beta-D-glucan, a type of fibre that lowers inflammation and improves gut health, including helping us grow a good bacterium called akkermansia that benefits metabolism and may help people respond better to some forms of cancer treatment. Another substance in oats called avenanthramide has strong anti-inflammatory activity in humans.
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White button mushrooms
A traditional full Irish breakfast would not be complete without mushrooms. Their flesh contains beta-glucan (like oats) and polysaccharides that support brain health. A clinical study of 2,840 older adults showed mushroom eaters had better cognitive performance, even with as little as one third of a cup (22g) a day. Increase that to three cups (240g) a week, and another observational study of 600 over-60s showed a 50 per cent reduction in cognitive decline. And guess what? The mushroom stem has twice as much power as the cap.
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Apples
There’s some scientific backing for the age-old claim that an apple a day keeps the doctor away. Baked, stewed, eaten fresh or pressed for cider, apple flesh contains chlorogenic acid, which improves your body’s fat-burning ability. Eating one or two apples a day was found in an epidemiological study to be associated with a reduced risk of colon, breast, lung, bladder and prostate cancers. Even the peel is beneficial. It contains pectin, used to make jam, which is a prebiotic that’s good for gut health. It also contains ursolic acid, which can stimulate stem cells to help the body regenerate and heal.
Strawberries
Ireland’s annual strawberry crop is more than 8,000 tonnes every year. Their delicious tartness comes from ellagic acid, which has been shown to potentially have a role in starving cancer by cutting off its blood supply and it helps your immune system destroy cancer cells.
Strawberries may also benefit brain health. A small clinical study of 30 people showed eating the equivalent of two cups (332g) of strawberries a day may improve memory and decrease depression. Another study showed one cup of berries was associated with a 34 per cent reduction in risk for Alzheimer’s disease. When the summer fades, frozen strawberries deliver the same benefits; and the autumn crop of blackberries will also give you a dose of antioxidant and anti-inflammatory compounds.
Oysters
Ireland’s coastline produces marvellous briny oysters. Like many seafoods, they contain omega-3 fats, which are well known to improve heart, brain and metabolic health. Oyster meat contains high amounts of the amino acid taurine, which has protective antioxidant effects to counter DNA damage which, left unchecked, might go on to become cancerous. If raw oysters aren’t your thing then eating them baked is a delicious option.
Black tea
Irish breakfast tea is a blend of black teas. While the benefits of green tea are widely accepted, black tea also contains polyphenols that support all of our body’s defence systems. It can improve circulation, protect DNA, improve gut health and, according to one intriguing but small scale study involving 19 patients, it may even mobilise stem cells which are critical for ongoing regenerative processes within the body. To avoid ingesting microplastics that tea bags can shed, make your cuppa with loose leaf tea.
Potatoes, cheese ... and beer?
While they are not recommended as part of a healthy diet, researchers are uncovering the surprisingly beneficial properties of potatoes, cheese and even beer. Because cheese is a fermented food, it is probiotic and can contribute beneficial bacteria to the gut. But you’ll need to watch out for the high salt content and saturated fat.
Potatoes contain a peptide discovered in the lab to protect the kidney and liver, and even lower inflammation in the brain of mice though not yet in humans. Unfortunately this is not a licence to devour chips fried in unhealthy oils or mash laden with butter. And the hops in beer contain a polyphenol called xanthohumol thought to have anti-diabetes, anti-inflammatory, and cancer-starving effects. Note the benefits come from the hops, not the alcohol itself, and even then you’d need to consume a lot of hops to get the benefits.
In Ireland, as elsewhere, traditional foods are central to our culture and cooking. It should give us a huge sense of relief and joy that many everyday recipes passed through the generations include ingredients that are common, affordable, delicious – and healthy.
Dr Ruth Freeman is director of Research for Society at Taighde Éireann/Research Ireland. Dr William Li is president and medical director of the Angiogenesis Foundation and is author of Eat to Beat Disease
