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Healthy White Chili Recipe

What is a phytochemical anyways? In short, phytochemical ingredients are plant-derived compounds, which Julie Daniluk, holistic nutritionist and Co-owner of The Big Carrot Natural Food Market in Toronto, says protect the plants from environmental stresses, including insects, and weather ups and downs. Julie Daniluk says "While phytochemicals are not essential nutrients to human life, it is becoming quite clear that they do infer a great number of health benefits to us as well."

It is apparent that while phytochemicals offer protection to several chronic diseases, diabetes, cancer, heart disease and Alzheimer's, they also play a part in chemical warfare in a variety of ways.

Basically, the researcher's evidence show phytochemicals are able to reduce the oxidative damage to our cells, that cause various diseases like cancer. Foods such as grapes, dark chocolate and carotenoids, sweet potatoes and green leafy vegetables are examples of phytochemicals full of antioxidant material which help us to diseases like cancer.

Phytochemicals called allicin, found in garlic, contain antibacterial properties. Many people use garlic for their heart health and to avoid getting colds. Fortunately, those who do not want to have the "garlic breath syndrome", garlic can be purchased in capsules that do not give off the pungent aroma.

According to Julie Daniluk, various phytochemical have the ability to alter enzyme functioning in a way the helps stave off disease. There is a chemical called indole-3-carbonyl which is found in cabbage, broccoli and kale which stimulates enzymes that reduce the effectiveness of estrogen, thereby reducing the risk of breast cancer.

Daniluk says "Some plant compounds such as isoflavones present in soy, can directly alter how hormones (such as estrogen) behave in the progression of disease." Isoflavones actually have been found to regulate hormonal action.

Even phytochemicals found in chemicals such as capsaicin, which is found in chili peppers, can interfere in the reproduction of cell DNA to prevent the multiplication of cancer cells.

"The best way to give your diet a phytochemical boost is to load up your grocery cart with more fruits and vegetables", Daniluk says. She recommends we have at least 10 daily servings of produce will provide us with plenty of these disease fighters. Daniluk recommends that we eat multiple coloured fruits and vegetables, as the different pigment plays host to different chemicals. Think of all the healthy recipes you can create with the abundance of foods in the list below.

According to Daniluk, studies have produced results claiming these 10 phytochemicals are effective in helping us to keep healthy living. Each phytochemical will be named, what it does and where it is to be found.

Beta Carotene
Beta carotene supports reproductive health, boosts our immunity, and helps fights cancer. It is found in carrots, sweet potato, squash, cantaloupe and mango.

Lutein
Lutein helps fight age-related vision loss, and is found in spinach, Brussels sprouts, egg yolk, broccoli, and Swiss chard.

Sulforaphane
Sulforaphane helps reduce cancer risk and inhibits bacterial growth and is found in cauliflower, kale, bok choy, broccoli and broccoli sprouts.

Curcurmin
Curcurmin helps diminish inflammation and the spread of cancer cells; evidence has been found that it may slow the progression of multiple sclerosis. Curcurmin is found in turmeric, curry powder.

Lycopene
Lycopene battles prostate cancer and heart disease, and is found in red bell peppers, tomatoes, watermelon, red grapefruit and apricots.

Resveratrol
Resveratrol helps to destroy cancer cells, fights back viruses and may even give a benefit to exercise performance. Resveratrol is found in grapes, berries, peanuts and red wine.

Quercetin
Quercetin helps fight cancer, heart disease and respiratory disease. It is found in capers, onion, apples and citrus fruits.

Anthocyanin
Anthocyanin helps to improve cognitive ability, urinary tract infections and diabetes risk, and is found in berries, eggplant, red cabbage, legumes red and blue grapes.

Epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG)
This phytochemical fights psoriasis and other inflammatory skin conditions as well as boosts memory.

Allicin
Allicin lowers cholesterol, and is a strong antibacterial/antiviral agent; it is found in leeks, onions and garlic.

Daniluk says that the most important thing is variety of fruits and vegetables. So very many phytochemicals are just being discovered, which makes it difficult to say which is more important. The idea is to fill your kitchen with whole grains, legumes, spices mentioned and more, herbs and nuts and "stay away" from all the processed food that is obviously phytochemical-deficient.

Remember the organic aisle in the grocery store as these items are pesticide free and usually local. This is an interesting concept; Daniluk says that "If the plant does not have to fight off insects, it reduces the need for its own phytochemical defence system." This is similar to our antibiotic overuse. If we always use antibiotics, soon the so be it, "bugs" become resistant.

All of the phytochemicals mentioned may be difficult to pronounce, but, you will know where to find them after reading this article.

Since phytochemicals have been in the news, they are available for the public to purchase in a supplement form. Talk to your doctor first before taking any form of supplement. Check your refrigerator and cupboard. See what you use and what you need in the form of phytochemicals in your foods. Eating organic foods containing these phytochemicals paints the best picture of the path to healthy living.

Frequently Asked Questions

  1. QUESTION:
    Healthy white bean chicken chili recipe?
    S, I'm loking for a white bean chicken chili recipe. (: I don't have any peppers or anything, but I have onions,celery, frozen veggies, etc.

    • ANSWER:
      You can use low fat or fat free sour cream if desired. There is so little that I wouldn't bother with the low fat or fat free.

      White Chicken Chili
      GroupRecipes.com

      Ingredients
      •1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts
      •1 medium onion, chopped
      •1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
      •1 tablespoon vegetable oil
      •2 cans (15 1/2 ounces each) great northern beans, rinsed and drained
      •1 can (14 1/2 ounces) chicken broth
      •2 cans (4 ounces each) chopped green chilies
      •1 teaspoon salt
      •1 teaspoon ground cumin
      •1 teaspoon dried oregano
      •1/2 teaspoon pepper
      •1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
      •1 cup sour cream
      •1/2 cup whipping cream

      Directions
      1.In a large saucepan, sauté chicken, onion, and garlic powder in oil until chicken is no longer pink.
      2.In stock pot, combine chicken, beans, broth, chilies, and seasonings.
      3.Bring to a boil.
      4.Reduce heat; simmer uncovered, for 30 minutes.
      5.Remove from heat; stir in sour cream and whipping cream.
      6.Enjoy!

  2. QUESTION:
    heart healthy recipes that allow for lots of flavor/spice?
    I'm looking for some good recipes (that don't have tons of spinach, artichokes or mushrooms involved either) to allow me to eat a lot healthier than what I normally do. I have to loose a good amount of weight (80lbs) to get back to a healthy me again. (I used to be pretty fit for awhile..but I got depressed, and got really, really heavy). I don't want to end up having a heart attack...but it's hard for me to eat healthy when so many recipes out there call for little to no seasoning in them. I like things like garlic, oregano, chili powder, basil, and pepper (white, black and red) in my cooking. I'm not a big salt person....so that's not really an issue for me.

    My main problem is cutting out fat...without cutting out flavor.

    So I need some good ideas here. (I like chicken, beef, pork, and fish...so I'm not going to be a vegitarian to do it...I just can't do that to myself...I like meat to much).

    • ANSWER:
      okays well this recipe is for chicken lasagna..i got the recipe from a lovely lady in yahoo answers, when i asked how to make one, i just made one today, and it is incredibly tasty.
      It has mushrooms in it, but that is optional.

      CHICKEN LASAGNA

      2 whole boned 1 inch cubed chicken breast
      3 c. sliced mushrooms
      2 cloves minced garlic
      1 lg. chopped onion
      1 tsp. dried oregano
      1 tsp. dried basil
      1 tsp. dried thyme
      2 tbsp. olive oil
      1 (28 oz.) can Italian tomatoes, basil
      1 (15 oz.) can tomato sauce
      3 tbsp. freshly grated Romano cheese
      2 c. grated carrots
      1/2 tsp. salt
      1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
      8 oz. cooked and drained lasagna noodles
      1/2 c. freshly grated Romano cheese
      6 to 8 slices Mozzarella cheese

      stir fry chicken, mushrooms, garlic, onion, oregano, basil and thyme in olive oil until chicken is white. Stir in tomatoes, tomato sauce, 3 tablespoons Romano cheese, carrots, salt and pepper. Cook uncovered for 5 minutes.
      In oiled 9 x 13 baking dish, place 1/2 the lasagna noodles. Top with 1/2 of sauce, Romano cheese, and Mozzarella cheese. Repeat layers. Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Uncover and bake for additional 30 minutes or until bubbly and cheese melts.

  3. QUESTION:
    Is this healthy? How many calories are in it?
    Beans and Rice:
    (the recipe doesn't tell me calories per serving)

    1 cup long grain rice
    -2 teaspoons vegetable oil
    -1 large onion
    -1 can red, 1 can white and 1 can black beans
    -1 can diced tomatos
    -1 clove fresh garlic
    -1 cup frozen corn
    -1 tsp. chili powder
    -1/2 tsp. cumin
    1/2 cup shredded cheese
    * how many calories in ONE serving?

    • ANSWER:
      it's good for you except for the cheese. A daily serving for one person of cheese is 1 ounce, the size of a D cell battery.

  4. QUESTION:
    How to preserve my homemade sauces?
    So the particular sauce in question is a taco sauce - so it's tomato based...I assume I could can it, but what I want to know is if that is my only option...i.e. I don't really make that much of it (about enough to fill a salad dressing bottle) but because I only cook for 1 it will take me forever to use it...so I don't have so much extra that canning makes sense - I just basically want to add some shelf life to it (I store it in the fridge now for about a week - but longer would be much better) - what options are there...any chemical or natural preservatives I can add to it yet keep it healthy-ish?

    Recipe for reference below:

    ● 1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
    ● 1/3 cup water
    ● 1/4 tsp. chili powder
    ● 1 1/2 tsp. cumin
    ● 1 1/2 tsp. instant minced onion
    ● 1 tbsp. white vinegar
    ● 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
    ● 1/2 tsp. garlic salt
    ● 1/4 tsp. paprika
    ● 1/4 tsp. sugar
    ● 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper

    Cooked in a pan for 15 mins. at low temp. then allowed to cool before going in a bottle and the fridge.

    • ANSWER:
      This could be frozen.
      Freeze in small portions, like an ice cube tray and when frozen pop out and store in a zip top bag. When you want some take out a few cubes and thaw to use or if you are adding to a cooked dish toss in frozen.

  5. QUESTION:
    What are your favorite (healthy/vegetarian) omelette fillings!?
    Okay for the egg part (whisked together)....

    about a half cup of egg whites,
    2 tbsp of soymilk,
    a half tsp of baking powder (add fluffiness),
    garlic powder,
    onion powder,
    salt,
    pepper,
    about a tablespoon of flax seed
    sprinkle of nutritional yeast

    and for the fillings..

    (corn, salsa, beans, fat free cheddar cheese, chili powder, cumin)
    (any combo of sauteed onion, tomato, mushroom, broccoli, spinach, or other fresh veggies)
    (fat free cream cheese, spinach, mushrooms, little lemon juice)
    (Tomato, spinach, Meal Starter crumbles, steak seasoning)

    Okay so basically I am totally out of filling ideas. I would love to know what you put in your omelets!!! Whether it is a random combo (spinach, tomato, and certain seasonings) OR it has a theme (southwestern, Chinese, BBQ "chicken", etc.)

    PS. I wouldn't mind a few avocado-including recipes. im trying to increase my good-fat intake! Thanks!!!

    • ANSWER:
      i always use pepper and garlic powder when cooking eggs.

      i often make onion, mushroom, spinach and cheese on the inside.
      add cold fresh chopped tomatoes on top once it's plated.

      i get this vegetarian scramble at one of the restaurants i go to... they use zucchini, onion, bell pepper, mushroom, spinach and cheese.
      then top with sliced half an avocado and they put fresh salsa on the side.
      really nice.

      you could add avocado on the first one as well.
      just my opinion, i only like tomato and avocado cold, added to the omelet/scramble after it's been cooked.
      also nice to chop some green onion and sprinkle on top.

      oh! and morning star makes these vegetarian maple sausage patties, sooooo good. pop them in the oven for ten minutes and they're done.
      my coworker says their vegetarian bacon is cook as well, but i haven't tried it.

  6. QUESTION:
    Cooking on a budget. I need ideas. Help?
    Well, I recently moved in with my boyfriend and his family. My boyfriend pays most of the bills, and groceries and cooking 4 nights of the week are up to me (the other 3 nights are taken care of by his mother). I'll be cooking for four, though is mother doesn't eat much. The problem I'm having is that a lot of online recipes for cheap healthy meals are an all in one sort of thing. His parents are Chinese, and a meal of Sloppy Joes or spaghetti and meatballs just wont cut it, unfortunately. They prefer their meals to always have some meat and veggies (I once made chili and his dad complained there wasn't enough meat, and I made pasta salad and hamburgers once and can tell his mom didn't like it much). Plus, they always have rice (plain white rice) on the side. There can of course be little variations, but yeah, I don't know. This is my first time away from my parents so my cooking skills aren't well developed yet (though adequate). I just need some dinner ideas on a a week budget!

    • ANSWER:
      Sam's club has great deals on bulk food. You can buy a 50 pound bag of rice for ~. Also, the whole chicken idea is good advice, however buying those big bags of chicken leg/thigh quarters is a good way to stock up as well and you don't have to cut it up yourself. Combine the rice with the chicken for "Arroz con pollo" and you can feed an army for about 50 cents. The key is buying bulk in the shelf stable items and being open minded. Trust me, having traveled in Asia, if his parents are Chinese they will have an open mind to cuisine.

      Also, when you plan your meals, try to combine items to save time and money (yesterdays meatloaf is today's sloppy Joe...lol).

      On a side note, speaking from an inter-cultural marriage, ask your b/f's mom to teach you some simple Chinese recipes that likes to make... chances are she will jump at the chance to make sure her son has a good cook in his life... ;)


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