"Facts are the air of scientists. Without them you can never fly." - Linus Pauling Horseradish is Not a Complete Meal Healthy Aging and Healthy Living Blog | About Us | Articles | Glossary | Resources Healthy Living & Wellness & Women's Issues Educational Training DVDs | Translate/Traducir Horseradish Don and Peggy Doman At a team meeting for Live2AgeWell I shared our previous weekend trip to Edmonds, Washington. I remarked about a fantastic dish we had ordered at Chanterelle, a local bistro. It was a seafood salad with lox, prawns, capers, red onions, green apple, and grilled bread. The salad dressing was an apple/horseradish vinaigrette. I mentioned that I had to remind Peg about the horseradish. She loves radishes, but horseradish is usually more than she can handle. She loved it. Dr. Patrick Finney from Roman Meal chimed in, "The combination of apple and horseradish reduced the effect of the horseradish." Horseradish has been making culinary news lately. At the meeting I had brought along two newspaper articles of recipes featuring chicken and horseradish. Horseradish comes from the root of the horseradish plant. Horseradish is a cruciferous vegetable. There are many good reasons to eat cruciferous vegetables. Here is what the Linus Pauling Institute has to say about cruciferous vegetables, "Like most other vegetables, cruciferous vegetables are good sources of a variety of nutrients and phytochemicals that may work synergistically to help prevent cancer. One challenge in studying the relationships between cruciferous vegetable intake and cancer risk in humans is separating the benefits of diets that are generally rich in vegetables from those that are specifically rich in cruciferous vegetables. One characteristic that sets cruciferous vegetables apart from other vegetables is their high glucosinolate content. Glucosinolate hydrolysis products could help prevent cancer by enhancing the elimination of carcinogens before they can damage DNA, or by altering cell-signaling pathways in ways that help prevent normal cells from being transformed into cancerous cells." Here are some cruciferous vegetables: Arugula Bok choy Broccoli Brussels sprouts Cabbage Cauliflower Collard greens Horseradish Kale Radishes Rutabaga Turnips Jane Higdon, Ph.D., LPI Research Associate wrote in 2006, about "Cruciferous Vegetables and Cancer Risk." She said, "Although many organizations, including the National Cancer Institute, recommend the consumption of 5-9 servings (2 1/2-4 1/2 cups) of fruits and vegetables daily, separate recommendations for cruciferous vegetables have not been established. Much remains to be learned regarding cruciferous vegetable consumption and cancer prevention, but the results of some epidemiologic studies suggest that adults should aim for at least 5 servings (2 1/2 cups) per week of cruciferous vegetables." That all sounds good, but in reality probably no one is going to feast on horseradish or even have a single helping of the vegetable. If you've never taken a bite of the strong vegetable, here's a word of warning. It can take your breath away, make your nose run and your eyes water. Depending up on the size of the bite, pain could also enter the equation. Horseradish is usually sprinkled on food or cut with sour cream; however, combined with more bland foods it can add a definite spark. Horseradish sauce goes well with beef as well as other cruciferous vegetables like cabbage and turnip greens. Or combine horseradish with root vegetables like beets, carrots, and parsnips for a tasty side dish. Here are a few ways to add horseradish in your foods. Grate your horseradish (smallest grating holes) and then: Add it to guacamole (we prefer chunky with onions and tomatoes) Stir it into reduced-fat sour cream to accompany prime rib Mix into stews or soups Sprinkle into tuna, salmon, and chicken salads or even egg salad Sprinkle it on diced apples and nuts to prepare a chutney or relish Add it to applesauce to accompany grilled pork chops Add it to sweet orange marmalade to add interest to ham or lamb In my younger days I worked in Seattle and on my lunch break I would visit Herfy's Hamburgers. The food was okay, but what I really enjoyed was their horseradish sauce in little packets. It was diluted with some other ingredients, but it still had a little bite to it. For me it really woke up the flavor of the prepared sandwiches. Today, a whole grain toasted cheese sandwich with roast beef and horseradish sauce is almost a perfect meal. Start with whole grain bread like that baked by Roman Meal, slices of roast beef, and white cheddar . . . or go with simply cheese and tomato with the horseradish sauce. Add a broccoli salad and some freshly grated horseradish and it almost reaches gourmet status. Horseradish isn't a whole food, but it can make whole foods really, really interesting. c. 2013 - Live2AgeWell.com This free healthy aging and living article is made possible by the Linus Pauling Institute and the Roman Meal Company. You may use this article in your newsletters or on your websites as long as you give proper credit AND link to www.live2agewell.com Healthful Aging Questions and Comments Do you have any questions about this article, comments about our content, or suggestions for what subjects you would like addressed in the future? Please, ask away. Name Email Comments Created with FormToEmailRemote.com A good life is one inspired by love and guided by knowledge. The articles on this website are an attempt to convert scientific studies into easily understandable material. The articles are for your information only. For any suggestions of supplements, dosages and treatments, please consult your regular physician. Sponsorship of this article was provided by the Roman Meal Company. We would like to thank Roman Meal and their family of worldwide bakers for all they did in providing products that taste good and are good for you.

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