Chili

[Eddie0206]

I have a question reguarding eating chili. My mom makes it quite often and I was wondering if there was any nutricional value to it. I see it has kidney beans which are good, but what about the meat?

[ChinPieceDave667]

yes it can be good. good in fiber. try extra lean ground beef or ground turkey. and watch out for the sodium. it can sneak up on you when it comes to chilli.

[EricT]

Originally Posted by ChinPieceDave667

yes it can be good. good in fiber. try extra lean ground beef or ground turkey.

Or even chunks of extra lean beef if you really want the red meat. If you cook it slow and long it'll be tender.

The tomatoes are good too. Lycopene.

[Dr X]

Great food for bulking. Excellent on Eggs.
Lycopene dosn't do anything for you. It's a sales gimmick.

[EricT]

Originally Posted by Dr X

Lycopene dosn't do anything for you. It's a sales gimmick.

I didn't say go out and buy some in a bottle. I just threw in lycopene as an example of a nutrient that is abundant in tomatoes.

Lycopene is a caratenoid anti-oxidant. I didn't say it was a muscle builder. But I'd sure like to see all the proof you have that it doesn't "do" anything since it's right now one of the most heavily researced nutrients.

I found 229 studies right off the bat just in the Journal of Nutrition.

I can't personally attest that most of the vitamins and other micronutrients I take in are actually doing anything for me. I have to go by the modern nutritional info that is available.

Ok, I'm editing this because I expanded the search and found 482 articles. Given the kind of research that is being done, all the claims about lycopene cannot be definitively be backed up. But that it has some benefits can be backed up, and much easier than the statement "it does nothing". It is quite clear that lycopene has many potential health benefits and the research is very promising in terms of cancer and cholesterol.

[Dr X]

Originally Posted by Eric3237

I didn't say go out and buy some in a bottle. I just threw in lycopene as an example of a nutrient that is abundant in tomatoes.

Lycopene is a caratenoid anti-oxidant. I didn't say it was a muscle builder. But I'd sure like to see all the proof you have that it doesn't "do" anything since it's right now one of the most heavily researced nutrients.

I found 229 studies right off the bat just in the Journal of Nutrition.

I can't personally attest that most of the vitamins and other micronutrients I take in are actually doing anything for me. I have to go by the modern nutritional info that is available.

Ok, I'm editing this because I expanded the search and found 482 articles. Given the kind of research that is being done, all the claims about lycopene cannot be definitively be backed up. But that it has some benefits can be backed up, and much easier than the statement "it does nothing". It is quite clear that lycopene has many potential health benefits and the research is very promising in terms of cancer and cholesterol.

Like you said their is nothing diffinitive out there. It's a great sales gimmick right now. However I should of rephrased, I am just so tired of all of a sudden you see lycopene on everything. Ketchup is all of a sudden a health food. Two years ago no one even heard of lycopene. And as far as I know there is no substantiated research that lycopene reduces the risk of cancer. However I endorse eating fruits and especially vegetables.

You know when you think about it. Someone put out a report and everyone jumps on the band wagon. You can find 400+ posts on google but it's either just everyone selling a product or piggybacking off of what someone else said.

I doubt you eat tomatos for the lycopene.;)

[EricT]

I know exactly what you are saying, Dr. X. It is very gimmicky, especially on something like ketchup, being full of sugar and whatnot.

As far as the 400 something posts, it was a PubMed search of studies that have been conducted concerning lycopene. And they weren't meant as citations as to the effectiveness of lycopene against cancer or anything else. Only to point out that there is plenty of honest research going on and that some of it is promising, despite the fact that the people seize on a few reports for commercial advantage.

There is actually one group trying to get a right to health claims or some such authorisation from the USFDA. Course for all I know every body and their mother is doing that.

No I don't eat tomatoes for lycopene . I should have wrote a whole list of the nutrients in cooked tomatoes instead of just mentioning lycopene.

[trouble]

Eric is correct. There's an abundance of evidence to support adding food sources of lycopene - one of many micronutrients that provides antioxidant action.

I think you're referring to the nutraceutical bandwagon, X, in the inclusion of lycopene as eye candy supplement to many health formulations (magic pills).