MEZZA: Fast Fab Dinner

The other night I had nothing in my ice box - bad dietitian - so I looked through the pantry to see what I could scrape together. What I found was:

leftover hummus
Armenian cracker bread
onions
garlic
cilantro
Armenian string cheese (not to different then regular string cheese except it has black sesame seeds woven through it and is more salty)

That was all I had in the pantry post-turkey day: aka time to go to the grocer. But I decided that I would saute the onion and garlic together with some salt, pepper, olive oil and dried thyme, which took about 15 minutes (b/c I had the heat on low so I could gab on the phone with my mother at the same time). Then I spread the hummus over the cracker bread (you could use crackers just as easy), topped with the onions and sprinkled with cilantro leaves. I ate the cheese on the side. That was it! Big Lar would have termed this meal 'Mezza' which is a middle eastern  term interchangeable with the more well known Spanish term 'Tapas' or little tastes of everything.

So just remember everyone, the meal doesn't have to be a big elaborate, delicately intertwined event of flavors, you just need to be open minded about mixing and matching and you to can enjoy Mezza!

Fun Fact of the Day

Before 1913, most Americans had no idea what a banana was. Trade of bananas out of Latin America's banana belt did not begin until early in the 20th century. Today, a banana is something that most everyone eats across the generations and 26 pounds of bananas are consumed per person per year in the USA. Bananas have the highest production volume of any fruit and are in the top 5 fruits consumed across the planet (not just the USA!) So enjoy your 'naner' today!

Monk Fruit - the latest sweetener on the shelf

The latest sweetener reaching super market shelves is a native of Asia.


The Monk fruit contains a natural compound that is approximately 175 times sweeter then sugar called mogroside. This compound contains no calories and when extracted it looks similar to granulated sugar.

Monk fruit sweeteners have already made their way to store shelves but have not been widely picked up yet by chains like stevia has been.  You are guaranteed to see it more now that McNeil Labs (the makers of Splenda) have begun production of their version of monk fruit, called nectresse, which is being marketed as a competitor to Splenda (great timing in light of the allegations that Splenda causes leukemia aye?). If you are the person looking into the sugar caddy on a restaurant table and wondering what is in the ORANGE packet, that's the monk fruit sweetener - give it a try :)

Asian Lettuce Wraps

Weirdest place to find a recipe - the bottom of an article to treat postprandial hypoglycemia. But it sounded good so I thought I should pass it along!

Kimba's note: You could substitute firm tofu for the chicken and they would taste just as good!


1 lb ground chicken
16 Boston or head lettuce leaves
1 can sliced water chestnuts, chopped
1 lrg onion, chopped
1 tbsp garlic, minced
1 tbsp soy sauce
2 tsp ginger, chopped
¼ c Hoisin sauce
1 tbsp rice wine vinegar
2 tsp Asian chili pepper sauce (or Siracha sauce)
1 bunch scallions
2 tsp sesame oil

1. Heat saute pan over medium-high heat and brown meat. Then add onion, garlic, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, ginger, vinegar, and chili sauce. Cook for about 5-10 minutes more until the flavors have melded, then add scallions and sesame oil.
2. Fill lettuce leaf

ENJOY!!!

Earlier onset of puberty in girls linked to obesity

4-Nov-2013

Contact: Nick Miller
nicholas.miller@cchmc.org
513-803-6035
Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center

CINCINNATI – New research in Pediatrics shows obesity is the largest predictor of earlier onset puberty in girls, which is affecting white girls much sooner than previously reported.
Published online Nov. 4, the multi-institutional study strengthens a growing body of research documenting the earlier onset of puberty in girls of all races.

"The impact of earlier maturation in girls has important clinical implications involving psychosocial and biologic outcomes," said Frank Biro, MD, lead investigator and a physician in the Division of Adolescent Medicine at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center. "The current study suggests clinicians may need to redefine the ages for both early and late maturation in girls."

Girls with earlier maturation are at risk for a multitude of challenges, including lower self-esteem, higher rates of depression, norm-breaking behaviors and lower academic achievement. Early maturation also results in greater risks of obesity, hypertension and several cancers – including breast, ovarian and endometrial cancer.
The study was conducted through the Breast Cancer and Environmental Research Program, established by the National Institute of Environmental Health Science. Pediatrics is the journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Researchers at centers in the San Francisco Bay Area, Cincinnati and New York City examined the ages of 1,239 girls at the onset of breast development and the impact of body mass index and race/ethnicity. The girls ranged in age from 6 to 8 years at enrollment and were followed at regular intervals from 2004 to 2011. Researchers used well-established criteria of pubertal maturation, including the five stages of breast development known as the Tanner Breast Stages.

The girls were followed longitudinally, which involved multiple regular visits for each girl. Researchers said this method provided a good perspective of what happened to each girl and when it occurred.
Researchers found the respective ages at the onset of breast development varied by race, body mass index (obesity), and geographic location. Breast development began in white, non-Hispanic girls, at a median age of 9.7 years, earlier than previously reported. Black girls continue to experience breast development earlier than white girls, at a median age of 8.8 years. The median age for Hispanic girls in the study was 9.3 years, and 9.7 years for Asian girls.

Body mass index was a stronger predictor of earlier puberty than race or ethnicity. Although the research team is still working to confirm the exact environmental and physiological factors behind the phenomenon, they conclude the earlier onset of puberty in white girls is likely caused by greater obesity.

###

Other institutions collaborating on the study include: Kaiser Permanente Division of Research, Oakland, Calif.; Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York; California Department of Public Health and the University of California at Berkeley and San Francisco; and the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine.
Funding support for the study came from: the Breast Cancer and the Environment Research Program of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences and the National Cancer Institute (grant numbers U01ES012770, U01ES012771, U01ES012800, U01ES012801, U01ES019435, U01ES019453, U01ES019454, U01ES019457), with additional support from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (P01ES009584, P30ES006096); the National Center for Research Resources (UL1RR024131, UL1RR029887, UL1RR026314); the Molecular Epidemiology in Children's Environmental Health training grant (T32-ES10957); and the Avon Foundation

Weighing in: 3 years post-op bariatric surgery patients see big benefits, Pitt study says

4-Nov-2013

Contact: Andrea Stanford
stanfordac@upmc.edu
412-647-6190
University of Pittsburgh Schools of the Health Sciences

PITTSBURGH, Nov. 4, 2013 – For millions of Americans struggling with obesity and considering surgical procedures to achieve weight loss and alleviate obesity-related health complications, a new study adds weight to the health benefits attributed to bariatric surgery.

Researchers from the University of Pittsburgh's School of Medicine and Graduate School of Public Health and several other clinical centers throughout the country found that most severely obese patients who underwent gastric bypass or laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding surgical procedures experienced substantial weight loss three years after surgery, with most of the change occurring in the first year. The study findings, published online in the Journal of the American Medical Association, also found variability in both weight change and improvements in obesity-related complications, including diabetes, hypertension and high cholesterol.

Gastric bypass and laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding are common bariatric surgical procedures that aid in weight loss by intestinal bypass, stomach restriction, and possibly gut hormone changes.
Led by Anita Courcoulas, M.D., M.P.H., a bariatric and general surgeon at Magee-Womens Hospital of UPMC, researchers used detailed data from the Longitudinal Assessment of Bariatric Surgery (LABS) Consortium, a multicenter observational cohort study, encompassing 10 hospitals in six geographically diverse clinical centers and a data coordinating center, that assesses the safety and efficacy of bariatric surgical procedures performed in the United States. The researchers gathered highly standardized assessments and measures on adult study participants undergoing bariatric surgery procedures and followed them over the course of three years.

At baseline, study participants ranged in age from 18 to 78 years of age, 79 percent were women, and the median Body Mass Index was 45.9 kg/m2; 1,738 participants chose to undergo gastric bypass surgery, and 601 underwent laparoscopic gastric banding.
In the three-year follow-up after bariatric surgery, the researchers observed substantial weight loss for both procedures, with most of the change occurring during the first year. Participants who underwent gastric bypass surgery or laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding experienced median weight loss of nearly 32 percent and 16 percent, respectively.

Additionally, of the gastric bypass surgical participants who had specific obesity-related health problems prior to surgery, 67 percent experienced partial remission from diabetes and 38 percent remission from hypertension. High cholesterol resolved in 61 percent of the participants who underwent bypass surgery. For those who underwent laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding, 28 percent and 17 percent experienced partial remission from diabetes and remission from hypertension respectively, and high cholesterol was resolved in 27 percent of participants.

"Bariatric surgery is not a 'one size fits all' approach to weight loss," cautioned Dr. Courcoulas. "Our study findings are the result of data collected from a multicenter patient population, and emphasize the heterogeneity in weight change and health outcomes for both types of bariatric surgery that we report. Longer-term follow-up of this carefully studied cohort will determine the durability of these improvements over time and identify the factors associated with the variability in effect."

###

The research was funded by the National Institutes of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases with grants for the data coordinating center (UO1 DK066557); Columbia University Medical Center (U01-DK66667), (in collaboration with Cornell University Medical Center Clinical and Translational Research Center [CTRC], grant UL1-RR024996); University of Washington (U01-DK66568) (in collaboration with CTRC, grant M01RR-00037); Neuropsychiatric Research Institute (U01-DK66526); University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (U01-DK66585) (in collaboration with CTRC, grant UL1-RR024153); and Oregon Health and Science University (U01-DK66555).

In addition to Dr. Courcoulas, the multicenter research team included Steven H. Belle, Ph.D., MScHyg., Nicholas Christian, Ph.D., Melissa A. Kalarchian, Ph.D., Wendy C. King, Ph.D., all of the University of Pittsburgh; Paul D. Berk, M.D., of Columbia University Medical Center; David R. Flum, M.D., M.P.H., of the University of Washington; Luis Garcia, M.D., of the University of North Dakota School of Health and Sciences; Mary Horlick, M.D., Susan Z. Yanovski, M.D., of the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases; James E. Mitchell, M.D., of the University of North Dakota School of Medicine and Health Sciences; Emma L. Patterson, M.D., of the Legacy Good Samaritan Medical Center; John R. Pender, M.D., Walter J. Pories, M.D., both of the East Carolina University; Alfons Pomp, M.D., of Weill Cornell Medical College; Richard C. Thirlby, M.D., of the Virginia Mason Medical Center; and Bruce M. Wolfe, M.D., of the Oregon Health and Science University.

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-11/uops-wit110413.php

Apple Corn Chili

Well, I don't know about where you live, but here in Boston, winter has set right in. Temps in the high 20s at night and 30s during the day definitely make me want to come home to a bowl of something warm for dinner. Try out this fun version of chili brought to us by the people over at Fruits and Veggies More Matters.

This recipe costs $7.43 (or $1.86/serving and there are 4 standard servings - probably 8-10 bariatric servings) and has 20 grams of protein in each one of the 4 servings.

*2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
*8 oz chicken breast, skinned, deboned and cut into 1/2 inch cubes
*1 medium onion, diced
*2 cloves garlic, minced
*salt a pepper
*15 oz can yellow corn, no salt added, drained (or use 2 cups frozen kernels)
*2 firm red apples (like Braebrun, Empire or Fuji), peeled, cored and chopped
*1/2 tablespoon cumin
*1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper (because some like it hot)
*15 oz can black beans, no salt added, drained, rinsed
*2 cups low sodium, low fat chicken broth (or 2 cups water + 2 teaspoons sodium free chicken bouillon)
*4.5 oz can diced green chiles, drained
*1/4 cup fat free sour cream
*1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

1. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in stock pot over medium heat
. Add chicken and brown, about 7 minutes.
2. Remove chicken and set aside. Add remaining olive oil to pan and heat. Add onions, garlic, season with salt and pepper and saute until vegetables are starting to get soft.
3. Then add cumin, cayenne, apples, beans, chiles and corn. Cook another 5 minutes.
4. Add chicken back to pot. Pour broth into pan and using a wooden or thick plastic spoon, scrape the bottom of the pan to get all the bits up off the bottom. Stir to combine and let simmer for about 20 minutes. (if to much liquid boils off you might need to add more broth).
5. To serve, ladle into bowls and top with sour cream and cilantro.

ENJOY!

Surviving the Holidays - if you're cooking that is....

Tips from your favorite dietitian!!

Cheers!

Be careful of what you take...

This was in USA Today on 10/8/13, by Elizabeth Weise (Article Link)

Health officials are advising consumers to stop using a dietary supplement product labeled as OxyElite Pro because of a cluster of hepatitis cases in Hawaii among people who used the weight-loss supplement. They are also investigating whether it is linked to other cases nationwide.

Hawaii's Department of Health is investigating 29 cases of hepatitis that have led to two liver transplants and one death. Eleven patients were hospitalized.

The first case was reported May 10 and the most recent Oct. 3, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in the alert send to health-care providers on Tuesday. More than 80% of the patients reported using OxyElite Pro during the 60 days before they became ill.

"We're calling for stores to voluntary remove this product from their shelves," said Janice Okubo, a public information officer with Hawaii's state health department.

The CDC alert told public health agencies, emergency departments and health-care providers to be on the lookout for patients who develop acute hepatitis or liver failure following use of a weight-loss or muscle-building nutritional supplement.

Several individuals from states outside Hawaii have been identified with acute hepatitis after taking OxyElite Pro or other weight-loss or muscle-building dietary supplements, the alert said. CDC is working with state health departments to collect more information about the cases.

The Food and Drug Administration is collecting samples of the product in Hawaii and testing them, Okubo said. FDA is also inspecting the facilities where the product was manufactured.

Neither FDA nor CDC could be reached for comment because of the government shutdown.
OxyElite Pro is a dietary supplement sold as a weight-loss aid. It is distributed by USPlabs LLC of Dallas and sold nationwide. The company told FDA it believes counterfeit versions of OxyElite Pro are being marketed in the United States, FDA said in a release Tuesday.

In a statement e-mailed Tuesday, the company said the cluster of liver issues "is a complete mystery and nothing like this has ever been associated with OxyElite Pro."

Out of "an abundance of caution" the company has ceased domestic distribution of OxyElite Pro with the Purple Top and OxyElite Pro Super Thermo Powder until the investigation has been completed, the company said.

The symptoms of hepatitis can include fever, fatigue, loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, dark urine, clay or gray-colored bowel movements, joint pain, yellow eyes and jaundice.
Hepatitis is an inflammation of the liver. It can be caused by either viral diseases or medications that can damage the liver.

Health officials tested all the patients for the viral forms of hepatitis and none of them had it, said Pieter Cohen, an expert on dietary supplements with the Cambridge Health Alliance in Cambridge, Mass.
With viral hepatitis ruled out, "physicians must look carefully at medications and herbal ingredients that might be linked to the liver failure," Cohen said. Some ingredients, in rare instances, can cause liver failure.

How such ingredients might have made their way into the supplement isn't known. One possibility is that the label was not accurate.

"Unfortunately, we see that not infrequently with supplements. There's one thing on the label and something else in the pills," Cohen said.


Consumers should know that there is no such thing as a fat-burning pill, Cohen said. "The idea that there is a natural weight-loss pill out there is hogwash. Either the pills don't work or they do work because they contain substances which are not natural and are pharmaceuticals," he said.

Turkey Kielbasa with apples, cucumbers and quinoa

It's apple season, which means fall is here! Many of you are sad I am sure, that fall usually means an end to BBQ season, so this recipe combines a great part of summer (grilled kielbasa/sausages) with a fall staple (fresh apples)!!

*1 tablespoon olive oil
*1 white onion, sliced
*2 cloves garlic, sliced
*2 Macintosh apples (I like the tartness of these in the dish, but you could use Cortland or Baldwins too), peeled, cored and sliced
*1 cup white wine (use a wine that you would WANT to drink - don't use a 'cooking wine', cooking wine = bad wine and that will give terrible flavor to your dish)
*1 tablespoon stone ground/grainy/French style mustard
*24oz turkey kielbasa (or chicken sausage) cut into 2" pieces
*2 springs fresh thyme, leaves removed from stems
*1 cup cucumber, grated
*1 cup black or red quinoa
*salt and pepper to taste

1. Set oven to 350 degrees
2. In an oven safe pan, heat oil on stove top over medium-low heat. Add the onions, half the apples and garlic, saute until soft. Remove from pan.
3. Turn heat up to medium-high (you may need to add a touch more olive oil). Sear the kielbasa, by placing in pan. Let cook about 2 minutes then flip and cook 2 minutes more, you want each side to be nicely browned.
4. Turn heat back down to medium, add the wine and scrape the bottom of the pan with a wooden/plastic spoon to get up all the brown bits. Then add the mustard, onions, and salt and pepper to taste. Stir to combine.
5. Arrange kielbasa pieces on top and transfer pan to oven, roast for 30-40 minutes, until the kielbasa is well browned.
6. Meanwhile, cook the quinoa according to package directions. Use a box grater and run the cucumber over the larger grating holes. Set cucumber aside.
7. When kielbasa is cooked, stir in the reserved apple and sprinkle with thyme. Serve kielbasa mix over the quinoa, then top with a small amount of grated cucumber which will lighten the dish and refresh/cleanse the palette for the next bite.

ENJOY!!

The brain cannot be fooled by artificial sweeteners

Public release date: 22-Sep-2013
Contact: Ivan E de Araujo
ivan.araujo@yale.edu
203-747-5476

Leading to a higher likelihood of sugar consumption later

The results of the new study imply that it is hard to fool the brain by providing it with 'energyless' sweet flavours. Our pleasure in consuming sweet solutions is driven to a great extent by the amount of energy it provides: greater reward in the brain is attributed to sugars compared to artificial sweeteners.

Professor Ivan de Araujo, who led the study at Yale University School of Medicine USA, says: "The consumption of high-calorie beverages is a major contributor to weight gain and obesity, even after the introduction of artificial sweeteners to the market. We believe that the discovery is important because it shows how physiological states may impact on our choices between sugars and sweeteners.

"Specifically, it implies that humans frequently ingesting low-calorie sweet products in a state of hunger or exhaustion may be more likely to 'relapse' and choose high calorie alternatives in the future.

"The results suggest that a 'happy medium' could be a solution; combining sweeteners with minimal amounts of sugar so that energy metabolism doesn't drop, while caloric intake is kept to a minimum."

The study identified a specific physiological brain signal that is critical for determining choice between sugars and sweeteners. This signal regulates dopamine levels – a chemical necessary for reward signalling in the brain – and only arises when sugar is broken down into a form where it is usable as fuel for cells of the body to function.

Research was performed in mice, using a combination of behavioural testing involving sweeteners and sugars, whilst measuring chemical responses in brain circuits for reward. The researchers believe the findings are likely to reflect in humans.

Professor de Araujo says: "According to the data, when we apply substances that interfere with a critical step of the 'sugar-to-energy pathway', the interest of the animals in consuming artificial sweetener decreases significantly, along with important reductions in brain dopamine levels.

"This is verified by the fact that when hungry mice – who thus have low sugar levels – are given a choice between artificial sweeteners and sugars, they are more likely to completely switch their preferences towards sugars even if the artificial sweetener is much sweeter than the sugar solution."

Now that the team know that dopamine cells are critical in sugar/sweetener choice, they hope to identify the associated receptors and pathways in the brain.

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-09/w-tbc092013.php

Dannon Yogurt Coupons

I know I have some people out there who love themselves some coupons!! Here is a printable version for you!

Dannon Yogurt Coupons

Under desk pedal exerciser

These are great little machines to get for under your desk or for use why you watch TV to help you get more movement into your day! I had a patient who found one in the weekly specials section at Aldi's market or you could google it and find a great deal on one too!

Under Desk Pedal Exerciser

Pumpkin Soup

As we all know - because we can see those leaves starting to drop - fall is approaching and with fall and apples, also comes colder weather and pumpkins!! Many people carve them and forget that you can eat them all together (except in the form of pie) but today we are going to share a recipe for pumpkin soup!

1 15 oz can cannelini or great northern beans, strained and rinsed
1 vidalia onion, chopped
olive oil
salt and pepper
1 cup skim milk
1 15oz can pumpkin puree (plain)
14-16 oz of low sodium chicken broth or mushroom stock
1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary
1 tablespoon (per person) part-skim ricotta cheese
optional: sauteed mushrooms

1. Heat about 1 tablespoon of olive oil over low-medium heat in a saute pan. Add onions and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Saute until soft, making sure to stir them frequently so that they don't burn.
2. Add cooked onion and beans to food processor and blend with milk until smooth. Add the pumpkin puree and stock and blend until combined.
3. Pour soup into a sauce pot over low-medium heat and warm to desired temperature. Be sure to stir often so that soup doesn't break or burn to the bottom of the pan. Season with more salt and pepper to taste.
4. Serve topped with ricotta, a sprinkle of thyme and rosemary and sauteed mushrooms if desired

ENJOY!!

Tomato Sauce

Summer is coming to an end (sigh), I have spotted leaves falling off the trees which pisses me off because that means snow is coming. I try hard to preserve the memory of summer and so for me that means I make things like tomato sauce from all the extra garden veggies for a little bite of freshness all winter long! You could add meat to this sauce for some extra protein if you so desire, just cook it before adding to tomatoes.

*Approximately 10 pounds of ripe tomatoes (I'm not really sure to be quite honest - I have a GIANT salad bowl and it was piled high with tomatoes, when they were all cut up they filled a 4 gallon stock pot 3/4 of the way)
*1 medium eggplant, diced
*2 cups onion, diced
*6 cloves garlic, chopped
*1 large bell pepper, deseeded and diced
*1 cup carrots sliced
*2 tablespoons Italian seasoning blend
*1 teaspoon dried sage
*1 teaspoon dried thyme
*sea salt
*ground black pepper
*olive oil
*1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1. Cut out core of the tomato. Using a pairing knife (the small one in a set), grab the skin of the tomato and peel off - discard the skins. Once peeled, quarter the tomato (at this point I usually removed the seeds and to do so, I have a fine mesh strainer sitting in a bowl, I squeeze the seeds out of the tomato quarters into the strainer - the seeds will sit in the strainer and the juice will flow through the strainer into the bowl, you want to save this juice) and then put tomato quarters into your pot. When you have finished all tomatoes, set the pot on the stove and turn to medium heat.
2. Discard the seeds you have collected in the strainer. Pour the juice into a smaller stock pot and simmer until juice is reduced (you will at that point return this juice to the tomato sauce).
3. Heat about 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large saute pan over low-medium heat. Add the onions and garlic, season with salt and pepper, and cook until very soft, but keep the heat low so that they don't burn. Remove onion mix to a bowl. Add a touch more oil to the pan and saute the other vegetables with some salt and pepper
until soft. If the pan looks dry (eggplant soaks up a lot of fluid) you can add some of the simmering tomato juice to moisten).
4. Remember to stir cooking tomatoes while you are preparing everything else.
5. When tomatoes have heated through and are starting to release their juice and simmer, turn heat down to low/simmer. Let tomatoes start to reduce. If the eggplant mix is finished cooking, remove from heat and add to onions in bowl.  When the tomatoes have reduced in pot by 1/2-1 inch, add the vegetables and all the seasoning and remaining tomato juice, and stir.  Continue to let cook, stirring periodically, until pot is reduced by 1/2 and sauce appears thicker.
6. Remove pot from heat. Let sit about 30 minutes. Then divide sauce into containers for freezing. I recommend quart or pint sized containers. Let sit in containers without tops for 2 hours, then cap the containers and place in freezer. (You don't want to put hot containers into freezer because it raises the temperature of the freezer and can cause thawing and refreezing of other items in the freezer which causes 'freezer burn').

Enjoy on pasta, spaghetti squash, pizza, roasted eggplant etc!

Kale, Sweet Potato and Apple soup

Apple season will soon be upon us and the next crop of kale will be ready to pick also! I understand from the food trendies that kale 'is so last year' but that doesn't mean we can't keep making great recipes with it. Keep this recipe in a safe place for when we get to apple picking season!

2 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
1 pound kale, carefully washed and stemmed
1 large sweet potato (or yam), peeled and cut into small cubes
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground cumin
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 vidalia (sweet) onion, diced small
1 small MacIntosh apple, peeled, cored and chopped
1/2 cup fat free, plain Greek yogurt
1/2 tablespoon , chopped fresh rosemary (optional)

1. Bring the broth to a boil in a large sauce pan. Add the diced sweet potato - let cook until soft. Add the kale, cover and simmer for 8 minutes.
2. Meanwhile in a saute pan over low-medium heat, heat the olive oil. Add the onion, cumin, salt, and let cook for about 8 minutes. Then add the apple and cook an addition 5 minutes.
3. In a blender working in batches, puree the cooked kale, sweet potato, apple-onion mix, cooking liquid and yogurt until smooth. CATION - use a THICK dish towel to hold down the top of the blender! The steam will make the top very hot and it could pop the top off so be careful!
2. At this point you can either put the soup back on the burner to stay warm or garnish with a small amount of rosemary and eat.

ENJOY!

Fun Days

Don't be a sour puss but it's 'National Lemon Juice Day' today. There are lots of kinds of lemons - Meyer lemons are my fav (see photo below), they are huge like softballs and slightly sweet - the best kind for making lemonade!

Fun Days

It's "BANANA LOVER'S DAY" - get yourself a Chiquita or Dole if you prefer and enjoy your fruit!

Fun Days

Today is 'Eat a peach day' in case you didn't know - so have at it and enjoy!! (remember peaches have fuzz, nectarines do not!)

Soft drink consumption linked to behavioral problems in young children

Public release date: 16-Aug-2013

Contact: Stephanie Berger
sb2247@columbia.edu
212-305-4372
Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health

Americans buy more soft drinks per capita than people in any other country. These drinks are consumed by individuals of all ages, including very young children. Although soft drink consumption is associated with aggression, depression, and suicidal thoughts in adolescents, the relationship had not been evaluated in younger children. A new study by researchers at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health, University of Vermont, and Harvard School of Public Health in The Journal of Pediatrics finds that aggression, attention problems, and withdrawal behavior are all associated with soft drink consumption in young children.

Shakira Suglia, ScD, Mailman School assistant professor of Epidemiology, and colleagues assessed approximately 3,000 5-year-old children enrolled in the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study, a prospective birth cohort that follows mother-child pairs from 20 large U.S. cities. Mothers reported their child's soft drink consumption and completed the Child Behavior Checklist based on their child's behavior during the previous two months. The researchers found that 43% of the children consumed at least 1 serving of soft drinks per day, and 4% consumed 4 or more.

Aggression, withdrawal, and attention problems were associated with soda consumption. Even after adjusting for sociodemographic factors, maternal depression, intimate partner violence, and paternal incarceration, any soft drink consumption was associated with increased aggressive behavior. Children who drank 4 or more soft drinks per day were more than twice as likely to destroy things belonging to others, get into fights, and physically attack people. They also had increased attention problems and withdrawal behavior compared with those who did not consume soft drinks.
"We found that the child's aggressive behavior score increased with every increase in soft drinks servings per day," said Dr. Suglia. Although this study cannot identify the exact nature of the association between soft drink consumption and problem behaviors, limiting or eliminating a child's soft drink consumption may reduce behavioral problems.

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The research was funded by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (grant number R01HD36916).
About Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health
Founded in 1922 as one of the first three public health academies in the nation, Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health pursues an agenda of research, education, and service to address the critical and complex public health issues affecting New Yorkers, the nation and the world. The Mailman School is the third largest recipient of NIH grants among schools of public health. Its over 450 multi-disciplinary faculty members work in more than 100 countries around the world, addressing such issues as preventing infectious and chronic diseases, environmental health, maternal and child health, health policy, climate change & health, and public health preparedness. It is a leader in public health education with over 1,300 graduate students from more than 40 nations pursuing a variety of master's and doctoral degree programs. The Mailman School is also home to numerous world-renowned research centers including the International Center for AIDS Care and Treatment Programs (ICAP) and the Center for Infection and Immunity. For more information, please visit http://www.mailman.columbia.edu

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-08/cums-sdc081213.php

First Radio Interview

For the Attleboro Farmers' Market radio show with Eddie Porreca!

Enjoy!

Looking for something different for breakfast? (or even dinner!)

I am on a ton a list serves and get copious amounts of 'junk email' each day, but occasionally something comes through that I decide I just have to share. This came through from the LiveStrong people, and I could never have put these ingredients together myself, though I do love me some Sriracha! I doubt you will look and feel like Lance Armstrong after you eat it but it could quite possibly taste delicious and start your day off right. I have pasted the recipe in its entirety here and have added a photo of Sriracha so that you know what that looks like - it is a spicy/hot Thai chili pepper sauce, similar to Tabasco but with a smoother taste.

INGREDIENTS:1/2 cup dry (slow-cook) oatmeal*
1 cup water
1 egg
1 Tablespoon chia seeds
1 Tablespoon tamari or low sodium soy sauce
1 Tablespoon sriracha (if you like things spicy, like I do! I was inspired by the Sriracha Cookbook Blog)
Salt and pepper to taste

*I use slow-cook oatmeal because the glycemic load for fast-cook or instant oats is quite a bit higher than that of rolled or steel-cut oats. That means that a bowl of quick-cooking or instant oats might not keep you satisfied for as long as rolled or steel-cut oats would.

DIRECTIONS:

1. Boil water on stove top and cook oatmeal according to package.
2. When oatmeal is a few minutes away from being ready, crack and stir in one egg.
3. Stir in tamari or soy sauce, chia seeds, and sriracha sauce (if you like things spicy!), and salt and pepper to your taste.

Read more: http://www.livestrong.com/blog/surprising-easy-egg-recipes#ixzz2bNiE5Abh

Summer Slaw with a Southwest Twist

A couple of weeks ago I put up a recipe for a slaw that was vinegar based with cabbage and peas and cucumbers. Here is another one with a southwestern twist that came across my desk from the Produce for Better Health group (I modified it for the WLS patients) but I thought I would share it with yall! YEHA!

1/2 tsp. garlic powder
2 1/2 Tbsp. cider vinegar
1 Tbsp. water
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. dry leaf oregano
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
4 tsp. olive oil
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 to 1 medium jalapeno seeded and chopped
4 cups finely shredded green cabbage
1 cup chopped green onions
1 cup thin strips of red bell pepper
1 cup cooked yellow corn

 1. Chop everything up and mix it all together. Let it sit for about 1 hour to let the flavors combine and to start to soften the cabbage.

 ENJOY!

Longevity Debate/Debacle

So we established that three things can increase a person's life expectancy: genetics, activity and natural foods - lets explore those in greater detail.

1. Genetics
People like to blame a lot of things on genetics: to short, to fat, to hairy etc etc etc, and whether you like it or not, genetics does play into longevity, and a lot of how we live our lives and how we maintain our weight, also plays into how our genetic makeup is portrayed. We have all heard someone talk about so-and-so who can eat whatever he wants and not gain a pound and said they were 'genetically thin'. If you actually watched that person closely and took stock of their behaviors you would notice a very different picture of what was actually going on. While these people may appear to pick more foods that the general dieting population sees as 'forbidden' they don't tend to eat portions equivalent to their dieting counterparts, their portions are smaller, they enjoy what they are eating but then don't worry about what the next meal will be. Studies have shown that many of these people also have 'nervous ticks or twitches' while in the seated position. A constant moving or pumping leg is the most common, but some tap a finger, sway slightly in the chair, rub their fingers together etc. All of this unconscious movement can burn 500-600 calories/day and unknowingly to them, becomes an integral part of their weight maintenance. The question here is, do these people choose to make these movements or are they genetically or biochemically predisposed to make those movements?

2. Activity
Some people hate the word 'exercise' other people thrive on the endorphin rush that accompanies it. However you choose to move doesn't matter, its that you move which is important. Children have lots of energy and they should be allowed to move around and use up that energy, not sit inside and conduct stationary activities. Remember what the human body was made to do: hunt down and kill things slower and stupider then itself. It wasn't made to run 20 miles without stopping, so why bother try to make it? Just get out there and use your parts for 30-60 minutes/day in random intermittent activity or you are doomed to lose them. Succeeding at activity is all about creating a routine and sticking to it. You have to like either the activity itself or the routine, otherwise either option will fail you. For an example here is my routine M-Th to get myself to work:

• 4am: alarm goes off
• I hit the snooze button 1x (yes even I hit it - I hit it every morning its just part of the routine!)
• Pee and brush teeth
• Put on workout clothes
• Go downstairs, set up coffee - two scoops decaf, 1 scoop regular, 6 cups water - hit the start button
• Run outside if warm, if cold use elliptical, then stretches, pushups, squats, situps
• Pour mug of coffee to sip on while shower and get ready for work
• Before leaving house pack breakfast - homemade granola, almond milk or ricotta cheese or NF plain Greek yogurt (I will pick up blueberries and cinnamon in the hospital cafeteria)
• 6am leave for work

I do this every day - how boring am I? But this works for me. If I was to leave exercising to the end of the day, I would be to tired and not want to do it at all. I do it in the morning because it wakes me up and gives me energy for the day which makes me feel good! You have to make a schedule that works for you AND STICK TO IT!

3. 'Natural' Foods

So the paleo people are on the right track with their lists of which foods to eat and which to stay away from but they take it both to far and not far enough at the same time. They allow you to eat some meats, some fruits and some vegetables - their theory being that you eat what you would have been able to find in the early days of humanity; but they also want to limit the sugar intake and have control over the fat content of food which no Neanderthal was concerned with. That is where they take it to far. Where they don't take it far enough, is that much of the problem with the food source is is actually with the production of it. We spray chemicals on the plants, inject them into the animals, and then add more during processing and packaging. All those chemicals have an effect on your body: how it metabolizes food, absorbs nutrients, provides mental function, conducts cellular repair etc etc etc. Those chemicals can make you feel sluggish so you won't exercise and can harm your genetic makeup giving later generations the 'I have bad genes' excuse. So should you try to eat like you were a Neanderthal? Sure, it can't hurt, but just remember it would be very hard to do so. We don't have dinosaur meat and many of the primitive grasses and berries don't exist anymore. Rather, try to eat only what you could kill or pick off a plant. If you can't grow your food yourself, try to purchase it from a small farmer nearby, chances of him using chemicals to the magnitude of the big guys is slim (read: that doesn't mean he doesn't use them). Try not to buy food products which have been genetically modified (GMO). The change in the plant or animals' DNA makes it very hard for your body to process the food item properly. Is it the worst thing in the world for you to eat wheat? Definitely not, but try to find a wheat product that is non-GMO also, it will have minimal health risks compared to its commercially grown counterparts.

So what does all of this really mean? Well it depends on how you look at it. We want people to live a life full of QUALITY years and if they get a few extra years out of it that is awesome. It will be more time to enjoy their families and friends as long as all of those people follow the same lifestyle routine and can live the same length of time. If we could still ask Great-grandmother Rose, she would undoubtedly say that she doesn't regret living that long, that she got to spend a lot of quality time with the future of her family, but that in the end the pain of watching so many that were so close and so dear to you expire before you, is not worth the extra time. This may all seem contradictory, but in reality that is what health care is. We have the science and technology to keep people mechanically alive far past their appropriate expiration date, but is that what is really appropriate for the population as a whole? Just some 'fat to chew on' so to speak.

Longevity - what does it really take?

A dinner conversation last night with my father about my great grandmother sparked some thoughts about longevity and when the Kenny Chesney song 'Don't Blink' blasted through the radio this morning on my way to work, I found it more like fate that I should write about it. What is it about longevity that makes it so sought after and yet so hard for many to obtain? Is it the actual fear of dying, and the unknown about what happens the moment after physical death? Is it a fear about not having enough time to see what one wants to see and do what one wants to do? Is it an unconscious desire for immortality ingrained in our heads from super heroes or ancient mythology? Or is it a primitive desire to pass knowledge about survival from one generation to another? Humans are lucky, in the respect that we get to grow up with past generations of family and keep those bonds, unlike many species who perish after reproduction or cut ties with their young.

But what happens to us on all levels if we can achieve life to late 90s or into the 100 years?

My great grandmother died at 98 of 'unknown causes related to old age' yet she was in perfect health, perfectly mobile, and could see and hear fine. Her mental capacity was perfect: she spoke 5 languages (Arabic, Turkish, Armenian, French, English) and was a master of card games. So why did she die at 98 if she was in perfect health and if MDs at that time (mid-80s) thought she would live for another decade? Those closest to her at that point said, "She just gave up. She outlived 1 of her children, 3 of her grandchildren, her 5 siblings and their spouses, her husband, his 5 siblings and all of their spouses, and all of her friends. What a terrible thing to be the only one left."

So how does one get to 98 years old and still be in perfect health? That is a question which has been driving research for decades and it is combination of efforts. One does need to be genetically inclined to live past the average life expectancy period (read: that doesn't mean your lifestyle can't kill you first), one needs to be active throughout life, and one needs to consume as natural a diet as possible (read: I did not say a fat-free and sugar-free diet, I said 'natural'). Which obviously is very easily said and not so easy to execute. Since this will be a super long if I delve into everything here - we will do a part 2.

Curried Seafood Stir-Fry

Ingredients:
12 oz. fresh or frozen seafood (tilapia/flounder/sole/cod/shrimp/scallops/mahi-mahi), cut into 1” cubes
1 medium green pepper, cut into cubes
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cups chopped bok choy (sometimes labeled as 'asian cabbage')
1 cups sugar snap pea pods (could cut them up if desired)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1-2 tablespoons curry powder
1-2 packages (depends on how many people you're feeding) Shirataki noodles, drained

1. In a medium skillet, heat olive oil on medium-high heat.
2.Add the peppers, onions, garlic and  pea pods.
3.Add curry powder and a dash of salt and pepper to taste.
4. Cook until vegetables are soft, about 5-7 minutes.
5. Add the seafood, bok choy and noodles, and more curry powder if desired.
6. Continue cooking until fish is cooked through (translucent - ooo fancy word!), appearing white and flaky, about 5 to 8 minutes; if using
shrimp cook until shrimp just start to curl up and turn pink 2-3 minutes.  Do not stir too much as the fish will shred.

ENJOY!!

Medications and Weight - Which do you take?

We all know that different medications can have differing effects on people's waistlines. Here is a list of medications with known/proven weight gain. Read through the whole list, sometimes the classification of the drug is not why is prescribed to the patient, drugs work on multiple symptoms. Remember, your side effects may differ.



Diabetes Therapies: gains of up to 18 lbs in intensive 3 month treatment

• Insulin (lispro, aspart, glulisine; humalog, novolog, apidra
• Thiazolidinediones (TZDs) [pioglitazone; actose]
• Sulfonylureas (glipizide, glyburide, glimepiride, chlorpropamide, tolbutamide; glucotrol, diabeta, micronase, glynase, amaryl, diabinese)

Psych/Neurologic Therapies: average gain of 9 lbs per month

• Triclyclic antidepressants: amitriptyline, doxepin, imipramine, nortriptyline, trimipramine, mirtazapine; (elavil, endep, vanatrip, adapin, dilenor, sinequan, tofranil, aventyl, pamelor, surmontil, remeron)
• Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs): setraline, paroxetine, fluvoxamine; zoloft, paxil, pexeva, luvox)
• Lithium: eskalith, lithobid

Antisychotics:

• haloperidol
• loxapine (oxilapine, clozaril, fazaclo
• clozapine (thorazine)
• chlorpromazine
• fluphenazine (risperdal
• risperidone (M-tab)
• zyprexa
• seroquel
• olanzapine
• quetiapine

Antiseizure/anticonvulsants: variable gains of up to 44 lbs

• valproic acid (depakote, depakene, stavzor)
• carbamazepine (carbatrol, epitol, uquetro, tegretol)
• gabapentin (horizant, neurontin)

Steroid Hormones: gains of 4-29 lbs

• oral corticosteroids (prednisone, cortisone; sterapred)
• inhaled corticosteroids (budesonide, ciclesonide, fluticasone; pulmicort, alvesco, flovent)
• Hormone therapy/contraception (estrogen, progestagens)

Misc:

• antihistamines (diphenhydramine; benadryl, unisom, sominex, nytol, aler-dryl etc)
• Beta-andrenergic blockers (propranolol, metoprolol, atenolol; inderal, innopran, pronol, lopressor, toprol, tenormin)

Spicy Vegetable Gumbo

RG (a patient, not my horse!) gave me this recipe last week to share with others who are looking for some interesting alternatives to meat. We hope you enjoy!

2 quarts low sodium chicken broth (or vegetable broth if you want a veggie dish)
2 cups mixed beans (soaked over night in the ice box)
8 oz can of tomato sauce (remember to check the labels for zero added sugar!)
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
1 tablespoon dried rosemary
1 tablespoon Creole seasoning or Cajun seasoning mix
black pepper (to taste)
Fresh vegetables - whatever you like to fill the remainder of the crock pot, might I suggest a combination of the following:

• eggplant
• zucchini or yellow summer squash
• mushrooms
• kale
• carrots
• celery or celery root
• sweet potatoes
• parsnips
• Lima beans
• bell peppers or cubanelle (not spicy) peppers
• vidalia onions
• leeks

Let everything cook in crock pot on high for 8 hours. Eat (perhaps with some fresh cheese grated on top) or freeze.

ENJOY!

Asian Apple-Chicken Salad

This recipe came to me this morning from the Produce for Better Living Association and I thought it looked fantastic! You can eat this delicious salad at home or packed it up for a picnic at the beach or park!! The fresh ginger helps to settle upset stomachs, you get chicken for protein, prebiotics from the scallions for all your guy bacteria to munch on (they need lunch too right?!) and a zesty, light dressing to pull it all together!

Ingredients:
2 cups cooked chicken breast, cubed (or you could use rotisserie chicken if easier)
2 cups apples, cored and cubed
2 tablespoons apple, orange, or carrot juice
2 tablespoons lime juice
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon mirin (rice wine)
1 tablespoon low sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoon fresh ginger, finely grated
¼ cup fresh parsley, chopped
¼ cup fresh cilantro, chopped
3 scallions, thinly sliced
1 pound baby spinach
pepper to taste, if desired

1. Place the chicken and apples in a large bowl.
2. Mix the apple juice, lime juice, sesame oil, mirin, soy sauce and ginger together in a small bowl; pour mixture over the chicken and apples.
3. Sprinkle the parsley, cilantro, and scallions over the top and gently toss to mix. (Cover and refrigerate up to several hours, if desired.)
4. To serve, layer the spinach on a platter and spoon the chicken mixture on top.

ENJOY!!

So I am back and ready for action! The holidays took me off to great places and to experience some great food from a vegan stuffed acorn squash (carmelized onions, pumpkin and sunflower seeds with herbs), in CT  to fire roasted vegetables over polenta, fava beans with orecchiette, or shitakes with roasted chicken in Lake Placid, and even home grilled steaks and veggies with watermelon or pear and gorgonzola flatbread in San Diego - now I'm back with some new ideas so lets get ready to cook!

Portobello Mushroom stacks

For a meatless meal try this!

4 portobello mushroom caps
2 red bell peppers, deseeded
2 cups (cooked) sauteed spinach
4 tablespoons pesto sauce (see recipe under 'sauces' link)
4 slices fontina (or mozzarella cheese)
4 slices of tomato (heirloom in the funny colors have the best flavor this time of year)
olive oil
salt and pepper
dried oregano

1. Heat oven to 425 degrees. On a lined baking sheet place mushrooms and peppers. Drizzle with olive oil, salt, pepper, and some dried oregano (not to much - you don't want it to taste like bad Italian food!) Roast vegetables until soft, about 15 minutes, remove from heat. Cut peppers in half.
2. Add about 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil to a saute pan. Add spinach, stir until spinach is completely wilted. Half way through the cooking I pour the juice from the roasted vegetables into the pan with the spinach to add some more flavor and then let spinach wilt the rest of the way.
3. Place mushroom caps on a lined baking sheet gill side up. Spread 1 tablespoon of pesto sauce on each mushroom cap, then stack with 1/2 of a red pepper, tomato, spinach and cheese.
4. Place baking sheet back in oven and bake at 375 until cheese is melted - about 10 minutes depending on how thick the cheese slice is.

ENJOY!

Quinoa with mango and cucumber

I made this the other day for my mother's birthday luncheon. It added an array of color to plate with the contrast of bright and earthy tones.

1 cup red quinoa (same thing at the brown just naturally a different color)
2 cups water
1 cup cucumber, seeded, small dice (maybe about 1/2 inch cube size)
1 cup ripe mango, small dice
2 tablespoons fresh dill, chopped
3 oz feta cheese crumbled
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

1. Boil water, add quinoa, return to a boil, then partially cover, lower heat to simmer and cook about 10 minutes until it looks like the tails on the quinoa grains have unwound.
2. Mix all the ingredients together.

ENJOY!

Spring Strawberries!

They're here! I went out to the garden today after the rain cleared up to see how the lettuce faired, and to my surprise about 8 new asparagus staulks had shot up through the dirt during the rain and were ready to pick, and as I gazed just beyong them, I noticed the greenery was speckled with red dots.The strawberries were ready! The first harvest of the year! We currently have wild strawberries growing in our garden, they have basically taken over the back part of it, sprawling beyond the bed barriers, and they have tiny berries but they are so sweet, like little bursts of juicy goodness - similar to what I think an all natural, organic gusher candy would be like (if it were actually possible to make such a thing)! I was thinking as I picked them - these would be perfect bari-strawberries because of their mini size! Hope you all have begun to enjoy the first sign of summer - strawberries!

ENJOY!!

Twisted: Salad Nicoise

A typical salad nicoise is made with red skinned potatoes, tuna, egg, and vegetables. I thought it might be interesting to give it more colorful twist. It you're not a fan of tuna, try out this rendition!

2 cups sweet potato, diced into about 1" cubes
1 cup fresh green beans, cut into 1" pieces
3 cups mixed salad greens
1 cup canned chickpeas, strained and rinsed
2 medium tomatoes, diced
2 hard boiled eggs sliced
2 - 6oz cans of chicken, drained (or 1.5 cups of chicken pulled off a rotisserie chicken)
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup champagne vinegar
1/8 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1. Bring a pot of water to boil. Add sweet potatoes and cook about 10-15 minutes, until tender. Add the green beans for the last 2 minutes of cooking. When done cooking, strain, douse with cold water (let it run over the vegetables in a strainer for about 10 seconds) then let sit for about 5 minutes to slightly air dry.
2. Meanwhile, whisk together olive oil, vinegar and mustard and let sit.
3. In a large bowl, place tomatoes, eggs, chick peas, chicken and when sweet potatoes and green beans are ready add them as well. Leave the salad greens out.
4. Toss the vegetable, egg and chicken mixture with the vinaigrette. Serve over the mixed greens.

ENJOY!

Summer Health Tips

Summer Health Tips from the Weight Management Experts at The Miriam Hospital.

Enjoy!  http://www.golocalprov.com/health/10-ways-to-stay-healthy-fit-this-summer-miriam-experts/

French lentils with asparagus, tomatoes and green beans

The last of the spring asparagus will be rolling onto the vegetable stands and market shelves over the next 2-3 weeks so take advantage of the local, fresh flavor! This is a great dish that one of my friends made last week, it is light, satisfying, packed with protein and fiber and low in saturated fat. It will sit in the ice box well for about 4 days so plan accordingly.

1 cup french green lentils (they come in a bag right next to the brown and red lentils in the dry bean section)

1 cup fresh asparagus, cut into 1" pieces

1 cup fresh green beans, cut into 1" pieces

1 cup cherry or grape tomatoes, cut in half

1/2 cup parsley, chopped

1 shallot sliced thin

3 oz feta cheese, crumbled

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

1/4 cup champagne vinegar

salt & pepper

1 small clove garlic, minced

1. Cover lentils with water and bring to a boil then lower heat to simmer. Cook until lentils are tender about 20 minutes. You might have to add more water if it evaporates or when lentils soak it up.

2. Meanwhile cut up vegetables. To prepare the asparagus, bend it between your hands, the staulk will naturally break at the tender point which will keep you from eating the 'woody' bottoms of the asparagus. Throw away the bottom portion that breaks off (usually more white/purple in color) and cut up the top part. Bring a small pot of water to a boil so that you can blanch the green beans and asparagus. TO BLANCH: when water is boiling, drop cut green beans and asparagus into water. Let cook 2-3 minutes - they should be al dente. Strain, and immediately run under cold water or place in bowl of water and ice cubes. This is called 'shocking' the vegetables so that they stay a bright green color. Once vegetables are thoroughly cooled, strain again and put aside.

3. Whisk together, olive oil, vinegar, salt and pepper and garlic, set aside.
4. When lentils are finished cooking pour them into a large bowl. Mix with vegetables, tomatoes, cheese, shallots, parsley and dressing. Mix well to combine.

ENJOY!

Farmer's Market Opening

Don't forget this Saturday (May 18) is opening day of the Providence Alternative Farmer's Market!! It is being held in one of Miriam's parking lots (corner of Main St and 2nd Ave) from 9am - 2pm. There will be farmers selling fresh produce, and also local artisans selling their wares. It should be a beautiful weekend, head over there and check out the scene!

For anyone who has said to himself "I made a better choice, I went to Subway"...think again...

Public release date: 7-May-2013


Contact: Enrique Rivero
erivero@mednet.ucla.edu
310-794-2273

University of California - Los Angeles Health Sciences

For adolescents, Subway food may not be much healthier than McDonald's, UCLA study finds

Subway may promote itself as the "healthy" fast food restaurant, but it might not be a much healthier alternative than McDonald's for adolescents, according to new UCLA research.

In a study published May 6 in the Journal of Adolescent Health, the researchers found that adolescents who purchased Subway meals consumed nearly as many calories as they did at McDonald's. Meals from both restaurants are likely to contribute toward overeating and obesity, according to the researchers.

"Every day, millions of people eat at McDonald's and Subway, the two largest fast food chains in the world," said Dr. Lenard Lesser, who led the research while a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Clinical Scholar in the department of family medicine at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA and the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health. "With childhood obesity at record levels, we need to know the health impact of kids' choices at restaurants."

The researchers recruited 97 adolescents ages 12 to 21 to purchase meals at McDonald's and Subway restaurants at a shopping mall in Carson, Calif. The participants went to each restaurant on different weekdays between 3 p.m. and 5 p.m., and paid for the meals with their own money. Researchers used the participants' cash register receipts to record what each customer ate and estimated calorie counts from information on the chains' websites.

The researchers found that the participants bought meals containing an average of 1,038 calories at McDonald's and an average of 955 calories at Subway.

"We found that there was no statistically significant difference between the two restaurants, and that participants ate too many calories at both," said Lesser, who is now a researcher at the Palo Alto Medical Foundation Research Institute.

The Institute of Medicine recommends that school lunches not exceed 850 calories. An adolescent should consume an average of about 2,400 calories in a day.

Among the researchers' other findings:

• The sandwiches purchased by participants contained an average of 784 calories at Subway versus 572 calories at McDonald's.

• Participants purchased sugary drinks averaging 61 calories at Subway, and 151 calories at McDonald's.

• Customers in the study purchased side items such as french fries and potato chips that added an average of 35 calories at Subway compared with 201 calories at McDonald's.

• Participants consumed 102 grams of carbohydrates at Subway; 128 grams at McDonald's.

• The meals contained an average of 36 grams of sugar at Subway; 54 grams at McDonald's.

• Meals contained an average of 41 grams of protein at subway; 32 grams at McDonald's.

• Sodium intake averaged 2,149 mg at Subway; 1,829 mg at McDonald's.

"The nutrient profile at Subway was slightly healthier, but the food still contained three times the amount of salt that the Institute of Medicine recommends," Lesser said.

The authors suggested that the higher sodium content of the Subway meals likely came from the restaurant's processed meats. Processed meats in general are associated with obesity, cardiovascular disease and cancer.

The researchers noted some weaknesses in the study. They did not track the subjects' meals for the rest of the day, so it was unclear whether participants ate less at other times of the day to compensate for the excess calories. Also, participants were from a single suburb of Los Angeles and most were of Asian descent or of mixed race and ethnicity, so their purchase patterns may not be applicable to other populations.

Lesser recommends that McDonald's customers eliminate sugary drinks and french fries from their meals. "And if you go to Subway, opt for smaller subs, and ask for less meat and double the amount of veggies," he said.

Study explains what triggers those late-night snack cravings

Public release date: 29-Apr-2013

Contact: Mirabai Vogt
vogtmi@ohsu.edu
503-494-7986
Oregon Health & Science University

Study explains what triggers those late-night snack cravings

OHSU researcher and colleagues at Harvard discover that an internal circadian rhythm causes increased appetite in the evening

A study published in the most recent version of the journal Obesity found that the body's internal clock, the circadian system, increases hunger and cravings for sweet, starchy and salty foods in the evenings. While the urge to consume more in the evening may have helped our ancestors store energy to survive longer in times of food scarcity, in the current environment of high-calorie food, those late night snacks may result in significant weight gain.

"Of course, there are many factors that affect weight gain, principally diet and exercise, but the time of eating also has an effect. We found with this study that the internal circadian system also likely plays a role in today's obesity epidemic because it intensifies hunger at night," said Steven Shea, Ph.D., director for the Center for Research on Occupational and Environmental Toxicology at Oregon Health & Science University and senior author on the study. "People who eat a lot in the evening, especially high-calorie foods and beverages, are more likely to be overweight or obese."

Indeed, eating a lot in the evening can be counterproductive since the human body handles nutrients differently depending on the time of day. For example, sugar tolerance is impaired in the evening. Additionally, consuming more calories in the evening predisposes people to more energy storage; we simply don't expend as much energy after an evening meal in comparison to morning meals.

Furthermore, artificial light enables people to stay up later than they probably should and often people don't get enough sleep. "If you stay up later, during a time when you're hungrier for high-calorie foods, you're more likely to eat during that time," Shea said. "You then store energy and get less sleep, both of which contribute to weight gain."

"If weight loss is a goal, it's probably better to eat your larger, higher-calorie meals earlier in the day," said Shea. "Knowing how your body operates will help you make better choices. Going to bed earlier, getting enough sleep and choosing lower-calorie foods rather than higher-calorie foods in the evening can all help with weight loss."

Conducted by Shea and two Boston-area researchers, Frank Scheer, Ph.D. and Christopher Morris, Ph.D. of Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, the study examined the appetite and food preference of 12 healthy non-obese adults throughout a 13-day laboratory stay in very dim light in which all behaviors were scheduled, including timing of meals and sleep. Dr. Scheer, first author on the study, explained that "by the end of this long protocol, all of the participants' meals and activities were spaced evenly across the day and night, allowing examination of the true internal circadian effects on appetite, while controlling for other effects on appetite including the amount of food recently consumed."

The researchers found that the internal circadian system regulated hunger, with participants feeling the least hungry in the morning (8 a.m.) and most hungry in the evening (8 p.m.). Similar rhythms were found in appetite for types of food, such as sweet, starchy and salty, and the estimate of how much food participants could eat. The study concludes that the internal circadian system causes an evening peak in appetite that may promote larger, higher-calorie meals before the fasting period necessitated by sleep.

"Our study suggests that because of the internal circadian regulation of appetite, we have a natural tendency to skip breakfast in favor of larger meals in the evening. This pattern of food intake across the day is exactly what Sumo wrestlers do to gain weight." said Steven Shea. "So, it seems likely that the internal circadian system helps with efficient food storage. While this may have been valuable throughout evolution, nowadays it is likely to contribute to the national epidemic of obesity".

###

This research was supported by NIH-R01-HL76409 and NIH-K24 HL076446 to SAS, NCRR GCRC M01 RR02635; NIH-P30-HL101299 and NIHR01-HL094806 in support of FAJLS; National Space Biomedical Research Institute through NASA NCC 9-58 in support of CJM.

About OHSU

Oregon Health & Science University is the state's only public academic health and research university. As one of Oregon's largest employers with more than 14,000 employees, OHSU's size contributes to its ability to provide many services and community support not found anywhere else in the state. OHSU serves patients from every corner of Oregon and is a conduit for learning for more than 4,400 students and trainees. OHSU is the source of more than 200 community outreach programs that bring health and education services to each county in the state.

About CROET

OHSU's Center for Research on Occupational and Environmental Toxicology (CROET) supports basic and applied research that helps workers stay healthy. CROET's mission is to promote health, and prevent disease and disability among working Oregonians and their families.

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-04/ohs-sew042913.php

Need motivation to exercise?

If you haven't caught spring fever yet with the nice weather (unless you're my buddies still in Denver, in which case you are seeing snow today), and are looking for some motivation to exercise, try using these little fellas to help you. On Saturday, May 4, 2013 at 6pm, Churchill Downs will host one of the oldest ongoing athletic contests in organized sports in this country, the 139th running of the Kentucky Derby, the first leg of the triple crown. Currently, 21 horses are entered to start the race though some might scratch come post time (race time) due to injuries or other issues, but there will not be more then 21 contestants. These 3 year old horses will run just over 1 mile in time between 1min 30 seconds and 2minutes. That time makes the fastest man in the world look like a infant crawling to cross the finish line. However, the jockeys are even more amazing. They will fully dress in their uniform (silks), put on their boots, and with helmet on and saddle in hand, most will weigh in between 100-110 pounds. Then each one will climb aboard an animal that weighs between 1200-1400 pounds, maneuver themselves into a perched position, straddling the horse and balancing by putting each foot in a metal stirrup that is about 2" wide, and in that position they will 'ride' that 1300 pound animal running about 35-40mph for just under 2 minutes, hopefully to cross the finish line first and win a purse for the horse owner of about $1million. Oh and did I mention that the jockey also has to weave in and out of the 20 other horses running at roughly the same speed, more densely packed together then the worst, crowded airport terminal you have ever seen, while perched in that position?

If that doesn't give some desire to go out there and do some strength training I am not sure what will!

Spring has Sprung in the Garden

I think it is finally true - we are finally in spring! I went out to vegetable garden yesterday to see what kind of disarray it was in and to my surprise some yummy things were popping their heads up. The asparagus has finally started to grow (now for anyone who does not know/grow asparagus - it comes back up every year for about 25-30 years before it 'retires'), some of the herbs were coming back to life and a few scallions (green onions) who must have been planted last fall and never germinated have decided that they will bust through the earth also. So I gathered myself 4 spears of asparagus, a hand full of chives, 2 scallions and a handful of dandelion greens (that great weed which just runs rampant around yards - we don't use any chemicals at our house on the lawns or gardens so picking the greens is safe for me, but you need to be careful if you use a lawn company to work in your yard!!) I brought my loot inside and made myself this great spring dinner. It does make a lot - so sharing is great or make 1/2 the amount.

2 scallions, sliced
4 spears asparagus, sliced (I did not cook them because they are quite fresh, young and tender)
1/2 cup chopped chives
1 cup dandelion greens
1/2 cup frozen corn
1 cup frozen cauliflower
1/3 cup brown lentils
1/4 cup walnuts
1 oz asiago cheese, shredded
2 tablespoons pesto sauce (see recipe under 'sauce' link)
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

1. Place lentils in a pot of water and bring to a boil. Let cook about 15 minutes until al dente. Add frozen vegetables to thaw and cook about 5 minutes more. Strain.
2. Place lentil mix on top of garden items in a bowl. Mix pesto into lentil mix, drizzle vinegar over the top and then cheese. Mix.

ENJOY!

Local Produce, when is that item actually in season?

Ever wonder when your favorite produce item would actually be available if you could only buy it in season from a local grower? Farm Fresh RI has put together a great map, check it out before you head to the grocery store or farmers' market, you might be shocked to learn that some things really have a very short growing season!

Farm Fresh RI Produce Map

Ricotta Gnocchi

Gnocchi are little dumplings served more like an Italian pasta with sauce then like a Polish dumpling which would be stuffed. Well made gnocchi are soft, light in texture, but rich in flavor from the egg used to make them. More times then not, you will see them made from potato, but ones made from ricotta cheese are my favorites and might be the most favorite thing that I make for my friend Leia. This one's for you Lady Leia! (My bari friends, this is probably not appropriate for you, as they are a bit chewy and can come out heavy.)

1 pound ricotta cheese
1 cup (approx) all purpose flour
1 egg
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon melted butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1. Place a fine grain strainer in a bowl (be sure the strainer doesn't touch the bottom of the bowl). Dump the ricotta into strainer. Cover and let sit in ice box for 1 hour to remove any excess liquid from cheese. Discard any excess liquid.
2. Put ricotta in bowl, add 1/2 cup flour and all other ingredients. Mix dough (be sure to use only one hand so that you keep the other hand clean/dry. Add more flour as you mix dough until you can form it into a ball that holds its shape, but that is still sticky. I frequently will use more then the 1 cup of flour to do this. Once dough is formed. Cover it in the bowl and chill in ice box another 30 minutes.
3. Remove from ice box. Divide dough into 4 equal sized portions. Starting with one portion, roll it into a log shape that is about the size of penny in diameter (you will need to dust the counter top with flour to be able to do this). Once you have it rolled into a dowel looking like object, cut the gnocchi about 1/2" wide. Place each little gnocchi in rows on a cookie sheet dusted with flour. Repeat until all gnocchi are cut. Cover and place in ice box until ready to cook (up to 24 hours).
4. To cook - boil a pot of water (like you would for pasta). On the burner next to the water set up your next cooking station which is a saute pan with about 1 tablespoon of butter in it. Working in batches, place some of the gnocchi into the boiling water, DO NOT STIR (when you do this, turn on the heat under saute pan to medium and let butter melt and heat up). Let gnocchi cook for about 4 minutes, if you do not see them starting to rise to surface take a spoon and carefully scrape it across the bottom of pan to release the gnocchi. As they start to rise to the surface, remove them from water with a strainer or slotted spoon and place into melted butter. You will let them brown in the butter on all sides and then they are ready to be put into ta serving dish. Now put more gnocchi into water as the first batch is browning, repeat these two steps, adding more butter to the pan for each browning session until all gnocchi are cooed. (I like to have a helper at this point to brown the gnocchi - this is usually Leia's job! so that the browning gnocchi don't burn and so that the boiling ones don't overcook).

Serve with a sauce like a meat ragu or with roasted vegetables
ENJOY!

Great new find - BABY KALE

So while shopping the other day and looking for salad greens, I reached for my staple arugula and saw a container of Olivia's Organics baby kale .

Baby kale? Really? I know that full grown kale can be tough and is usually best in a stew or braised (or as the garnish with an orange slice on your restaurant plate) but I thought, what the heck, I'll give it a try. Last night I made this simple salad with it that was excellent. The greens were very tender and had a flavor part way between arugula and baby spinach. They weren't peppery like the arugula but had a similar flavor. Try it out for yourself!

Salad Fixins:
Baby kale
Sliced radishes
Red pepper slices
Strawberry slices
Asiago cheese, shredded (I used about 2oz)
Chick peas

Dressing: (I just make a batch of this [about 1 cup] and leave it in the ice box)
Juice of 1 lemon
1 teaspoon dijon mustard
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
fresh ground pepper
1 large clove garlic chopped and then mushed into paste with salt
2/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
**whisk all together

Cheese Cake with Strawberries

Its almost time for spring strawberries! The last of Florida's harvest will be coming this month and then it is time for the local berries to take center stage in late May - early June. Here is a head start on what to look forward to preparing for late spring picnics!

(slightly modified) from Abby Shelton

2 cups Greek yogurt, non fat, plain (Fage probably has the best texture for this)
1/2 cup low fat cream cheese like Neufchatel
1 teaspoon vanilla
3/4 cup strawberries (fresh or frozen)
3 each, fresh strawberries sliced
4 graham crackers crushed

1. Let cream cheese sit at room temp until soft. Then whisk together yogurt, cream cheese and vanilla either by hand or in a mixer.
2. Puree 3/4 cup strawberries (with 1 tablespoon water if they seem really thick) and then pour evenly over the yogurt mixture. Using a rubber spatula, fold strawberries in to create a swirl through yogurt mix.
3. Spoon about 1/4 cup into a serving dish, top with a sliced strawberry and 1 crumbled graham cracker.

ENJOY!

In 1/4cup: 7 grams protein

Beef Satay with Peanut Sauce

Abby Shelton does it again!

1.5 pounds Sirloin tip steak, cut into 2" cubes (you could use chicken also or shrimp)
1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
juice of 1 orange
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 cup water
1/2 cup peanut butter (remember to use natural! either creamy or chunky is fine!)
1/2 cup 1% milk
1/2 tablespoon red pepper flakes (because some like it is HOT!)
2 green onions (otherwise known as scallions), sliced thinly

1. Mix OJ, vinegar, water, salt and black pepper in a bowl. Place steak into marinate and let soak for 1 hour at least.
2. While steak marinates, prepare the sauce. Combine peanut butter, milk and red pepper flakes in a bowl. You can change the thickness by adding more milk or the spiciness by adding more red pepper.
3. Once steak has marinated, remove the meat and pat dry, save the liquid.
4. Heat a saute pan over medium-high, spray lightly with cooking spray. Place meat in pan and let brown until meat easily pulls off bottom of pan, flip and repeat until all sides are cooked. ***
5. When you flip meat to its final side, add half of the marinate to pan. Stir briskly, scrapping up any brown bits stuck to the bottom of the pan. Remove meat from pan.
6. Serve beef topped with peanut sauce and some slices of green onion.

**If using shrimp cook only about 3 minutes total but do flip the shrimp half way through - when you flip them add the marinate

ENJOY!

Mini Quiches

With the dawn of a new term comes fabulously creative new students! The next few recipe postings will be from our newest student Abby Shelton, who is looking to join the Food Corps upon graduation in May. Food Corps is like the Peace Corps, but it works with people in the USA to ensure that everyone has access to nourishing food and that no one goes hungry.

6 egg whites
3 egg yolks
1/2 cup 1% milk
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon mustard (I like Dijon best but you could use whatever you favorite is!)
1/2 cup sliced mushrooms
1/2 cup sliced onions
1 cup baby spinach leaves, chopped
2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon olive oil

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
2. Crack 6 eggs, remove 3 of the yolks. Then whisk eggs together with milk and mustard.
3. Saute mushrooms and onions in pan with 1 teaspoon olive oil. When the onions and mushrooms are nearly done (soft) add spinach and let cook another 2  minutes. Remove from heat and let cool.
4. Spray a non-stick muffin tin with cooking spray.
5. Once vegetables are cool, add them to the eggs and mix well. Then add about 1/4 cup of egg mixture into each muffin well.
6. Bake until fully set in center, about 25 minutes. Remove from pan and ssprinkle with cheese.

Enjoy!