A simple ten-minute cooking trick could help reduce cholesterol and risk of heart disease, a health expert says – and all you need is a bit of patience.
Professor Tim Spector, the lead researcher behind the Covid Symptom Study app and co-founder of the popular diet tool ZOE, made the intriguing recommendation as he laid out the top diet tips for the coming year.
Speaking to The i newspaper, Spector said: “Onion and garlic, as well as cabbage and broccoli, are good sources of sulforaphane, a chemical that has been shown to improve glucose control and cholesterol levels,” he told the outlet, explaining that cooking destroys enzyme found in vegetables called mirosynase, which sulforaphane derives from.
But one small change – that requires no effort – can help make sure you retain the chemical and its beneficial qualities in your cooking.
Prof Spector explained that “if you let your vegetables sit for five to 10 minutes before cooking them, the sulforaphane is activated and survives the cooking process”.
Cholesterol, a fatty substance produced naturally in the body, is essential to various bodily functions.
But when cholesterol levels in our bodies become excessive, it can bung up our blood vessels and make it more difficult for the blood to pass through.
The health implications are serious, with high cholesterol increasing the risk of several dangerous complications including heart attacks and strokes.
Multiple factors can contribute to elevated levels in our systems, including genetics. But, in most cases it’s caused by lifestyle impacts such as having a poor diet, not getting enough exercise, smoking and drinking alcohol.
Prof Spector has previously warned about the frequent blood sugar spikes, thought to be linked to obesity because it destabilises hunger levels, as per MailOnline.
His diet tips also included a clever way to avoid overeating, explaining that: “There is emerging evidence that eating salads or other vegetables as starters 10 minutes or so before you have a carbohydrate-rich meal can help to keep you fuller for longer and reduce blood sugar spikes from the starchy food,” he wrote.
The academic, who is an expert in genetic epidemiology at King’s College London, also recommended swapping out ultra-processed stock cubes for miso paste made from fermented soya beans, said to be good for our healthy gut microbes.
Another piece of advice he offers is cooking tomatoes with extra virgin olive oil which he says extracts a greater amount of nutrients from them.
He also called on Brits to get more fermented food, like kimchi, in their diet, and noted the benefits of using vinegar in salad dressings.
According to Prof Spector, the acidity of the liquid has been shown to help stabilise blood sugar levels, making it another simple way to reduce food cravings between meals.
