Eat To Live: Unraveling the food code

By JULIA WATSON At the start of a long-haul flight from London Heathrow to Bangkok, this correspondent reaches deep into her backpack ( "One carry-on bag only, sir, madam, and you there, in the pink overalls" ) for a handful of dried cherries. These could be the latest panacea against jet lag. According to Dr. Russel J. Reiter, nutrition researcher at the University of Texas Health Science Center and one of the world's leading authorities on melatonin, dried tart cherries (the type selected for drying, freezing and juicing) are one of the few known food sources of melatonin.

Melatonin, produced naturally by the body, regulates our cycles of sleep and wakefulness, magically inducing sleepiness when it gets dark and we are watching another episode of "Survivor," and wakefulness during the day when we need to function effectively. According to choosecherries.com, Reiter says, "We have learned that melatonin from food enters the bloodstream and binds to sites in the brain where it helps restore the body's natural levels of melatonin, which can help enhance the natural sleep process." But cherries may also help in the anti-aging process. Melatonin is an antioxidant and neutralizes the oxidative and inflammation process caused by aging. So, Reiter and his colleagues write in a study recently published in Free Radical Research that from the age of 30 or 40 daily intake of melatonin could delay illnesses related to aging.

Proper nutrition is becoming so complicated. There is too much to know. It used to be that food was for eating, for filling you up. Now, like the different amounts of octane in gasoline, there is added value that can turn once familiar common products into superfoods.

Who knew that acai berry, pomegranate and green tea, could all be as powerful in their own way as Popeye's spinach?

And when you are told what these magical foodstuffs contain, have you any idea what their function is? The information out there ready to trap the layman is a quagmire.

Let Eat To Live attempt to clarify which superfoods may be able to accomplish what, in the order we have been hearing about them most recently.

Antioxidants, which we have been told exist in red wine, green tea, and now in dried cherries, can help stabilize the unstable molecules that can come from pollution, UV rays and our own metabolism. These can damage our cells and make us age faster. Worse, these "free radicals," as they are known, can cause cancer. As well as tart cherries, pomegranates (last year's favorite superfruit) are also stuffed with them, which is why we are finding bottles of the juice on supermarket shelves, alongside cartons of the also-cleansing cranberry juice.

Flavonoids are just another type of antioxidants, found in plants. It's believed they can protect against damage in blood vessels, which reduces the risk of heart disease. They could also prevent certain cancers and boost the immune system. Since there's no official recommendation as to daily intake, just get on and eat your veggies and fruit in plenty -- especially berries -- and drink your tea.

Lipids for the most part are fats. They help store energy in the body and develop cell membrane. They are combined with carbohydrates and proteins in plant and animal cells. Lipid tests are used to measure levels of cholesterol and triglycerides in our blood stream.

Before you ask what can possibly be good about fats, you should know lipids stored within the skin are what keeps it supple and young-looking. Skin-care specialists believe they have massive value in skin creams. So eat more fruit for an inside-out effect.

Amino acids are the building blocks of proteins. There are 22 of them from which every protein in the body is made. There are nine of what are known as "essential amino acids" that come only from what you eat. Animal protein contains all the essential amino acids. Amino acids from fruits and plants appear in skin-care products because they can smooth and strengthen the skin. Omega-3s are found mainly in fish. They are a type of what have become known as the "good fats" -- polyunsaturated fat -- which are good for the heart. They can lower blood clotting, blood pressure and inflammation. They can diminish the plaque that builds on artery walls and blocks blood flow, and they can stabilize an irregular heart rhythm. You don't need to be a nutritionist to see all these amount to are the elements of a well-balanced diet. If you are eating plenty of fruit and vegetables, and are getting your protein from fish rather than too much red meat, you won't really have to pay much attention to what these buzz words mean. You have a healthy diet without even thinking about it. And your skin is probably glowing, too.

This recipe, adapted from choosecherries.com, is good with grilled chicken or fish. But eaten just with a salad of endive or watercress, it makes a meal on its own. Pomegranate seeds work just as well as the dried cherries, and they are also filled with antioxidants.

Cherry Rice Pilaf. Serves 8

Ingredients:

-- 1 cup chopped onion

-- 1 cup chopped celery

-- ½ cup dried tart cherries or fresh pomegranate seeds

-- ½ cup chopped walnuts

-- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme (or 1 teaspoon dried)

-- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh marjoram (or 1 teaspoon dried)

-- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper

-- 1 tablespoon olive oil

-- 3 cups cooked rice

Directions:

-- Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a large non-stick skillet.

-- Add the onion, celery, cherries, walnuts, thyme, marjoram and pepper.

-- Cook, uncovered, 10 minutes, or until vegetables are tender; stirring regularly.

-- Add rice; mix well and toss for 3 to 4 minutes, until thoroughly heated.

LONDON, April 25

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