Don’t freeze out frozen veggies for nutrients
Q: This winter, I’m making a point to eat more vegetables, but my choices here in Montana dwindle to a lot of root vegetables, and I’m not a big fan of frozen. Any suggestions? Valerie H., Whitefish, Mont.
A: Give frozen veggies another chance. There’s a lot of organic and highquality frozen produce these days at local groceries and even big-box stores. Just avoid any with added sauces (loaded with extra calories, added sugars and fats), and we’re not fans of cook-inplastic-bags vegetables. Better to dodge contamination from the plastic. Steam or sauté the naked veggies in a good pot with filtered water and add your own flavorings — turmeric, garlic, red peppers, onions, tomatoes. Yum!
High-quality frozen veggies deliver great nutrition. That’s because produce that’s grown with the intent of being frozen is picked and frozen at its peak. In the winter, the veggies actually end up with more nutritional power than so-called fresh vegetables that are often schlepped from the Southern Hemisphere, the Southwest of the U.S. or Mexico to places such as Montana and New York. Fuggedabout it! Frozen wins. One study found that frozen broccoli had more riboflavin than fresh veggies and corn; green beans and blueberries retained more vitamin C.
Some cooking tips:
Still-frozen peas, spinach or sliced carrots can be thrown into the boiling water with almost-cooked whole wheat pasta. If you want to reduce the water content of the veggies before cooking, transfer them from the freezer to the fridge the night before to thaw. Drain before adding to stir fries or sauteing with lemon and garlic. Steaming helps preserve nutrients, too.
So, enjoy discovering all you can do with and get from frozen vegetables, Valerie. Their high quality and availability, as the Beatles said, is getting better all the time.
Q: I’m 64, and a recent bone scan revealed that I have early osteoporosis. My doctor said I need to improve my diet and start doing weight-bearing exercises to avoid broken bones down the road. If I do that, can I improve my bone health, or will it just maintain what I have now? Rose P., Bakersfield, Calif.
A: We’re glad to report that you can prevent deterioration and build up your bone strength. Plus, you were fortunate to get your bone scan when you did. Too often, a bone break following a simple task like sitting, walking or reaching is the first symptom of the disease. A hip fracture, for example, can shorten your life; one-third of older patients with a hip fracture never recover from it.
The basics: “Osteoporosis” means “porous bone.” It happens when your bone cells don’t reproduce as efficiently as they used to, so that your usual bone loss (resorption) outpaces the growth of new bone. Lower estrogen levels after menopause, a poor diet and inactivity contribute to the risk.
The good news is that there’s a new osteoporosis treatment that Dr. Mike’s Cleveland Clinic has identified as No. 1 on their Top 10 List of Medical Innovations that will make a big difference to the health of the nation in 2020. The recently Food and Drug Administration-approved drug is called romosozumab (Evenity). Research shows that in postmenopausal women with osteoporosis, two injections of the drug monthly for a year reduce the risk of spine fractures by 50 percent and hip fractures by 38 percent. It works by blocking a protein called sclerostin, which inhibits bone formation. That results in a dual action — the increase of new bone growth and the decrease in bone resorption.
Your move: Talk to your doc about romosozumab and get a prescription for physical therapy. Work together to design a safe exercise routine that you’ll enjoy doing regularly. Also, speak with a nutritionist to see if dietary changes, such as taking a vitamin D2 or D3 supplement and increasing your intake of plantbased calcium and magnesium, will improve your health.
Contact Drs. Oz and Roizen at sharecare.com.