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!