More Fiber, but Not Necessarily Less Fat, Good for Teen Diets

ScienceDaily (Nov. 10, 2011) — A diet high in fiber — but not necessarily one low in saturated fat or cholesterol — is tied to a lower risk of heart disease and type-2 diabetes in teenagers, according to new findings from Michigan State University.

A study led by Joseph Carlson of MSU’s Division of Sports and Cardiovascular Nutrition suggests to reduce metabolic syndrome — a collection of risk factors including high blood pressure and a large waistline — it is more important to emphasize diets including fiber-rich, nutrient-dense, plant-based foods than focus on restricting foods high in cholesterol or saturated fat.

The research is published in Journal of the American Dietetic Association.

"What we found is that as fiber intake increases, the risk for metabolic syndrome decreases," said Carlson, a registered dietitian and associate professor at MSU. "High-fiber, nutrient-dense foods are packed with heart healthy vitamins, minerals and chemicals that can positively affect many cardiovascular risk factors.

"It may be better to focus on including these foods than to focus, as is commonly done, on excluding foods high in saturated fat."

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Americans Find Doing Their Own Taxes Simpler Than Improving Diet and Health

ScienceDaily (May 23, 2012) — Most Americans (52 percent) have concluded that figuring out their income taxes is easier than knowing what they should and shouldn’t eat to be healthier, according to the International Food Information Council (IFIC) Foundation’s 2012 Food & Health Survey.

The Survey found that people think a great deal about the healthfulness of their diets and want to make improvements. Yet, 76 percent agree that ever-changing nutritional guidance makes it hard to know what to believe. And when it comes to making decisions about food, consumers today rely most often on their own research rather than third-party experts. Six out of 10 Americans have given a lot of thought to the foods and beverages they consume (58 percent) and the amount of physical activity they get (61 percent). Yet, only 20 percent say their diet is very healthful and 23 percent describe their diet as extremely or very unhealthful; less than 20 percent meet the national Physical Activity Guidelines.

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Grill Smoked Salmon

This smoked salmon recipe combines the best elements of cold-smoked salmon (it’s cooked very slowly over a low fire to yield supple, moist fish) and hot-smoked salmon (it’s cooked over a hotter fire to yield a flaky, drier fish with tons of smoke flavor). To prepare the salmon for smoking, quick-cure the fish with a mixture of salt and sugar to draw moisture from the flesh, which firms it up, and season it inside and out. Then cook the fish indirectly over a gentle fire with ample smoke to produce salmon that is sweet, smoky, and tender.

• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt
• 6 (6- to 8-ounce) center-cut skin-on salmon fillets
• 2 cups wood chunks soaked in water for 15 minutes and drained (if using charcoal)
• 2 cups wood chips (if using gas)

1)  Combine sugar and salt in bowl. Set salmon on wire rack set in rimmed baking sheet and sprinkle flesh side evenly with sugar mixture. Refrigerate, uncovered, for 1 hour. With paper towels, brush any excess salt and sugar from salmon and blot dry. Return fish on wire rack to refrigerator, uncovered, while preparing grill.

2)  Clean and oil cooking grate. Fold piece of heavy-duty foil into 18 by 6-inch rectangle. Place foil rectangle over cool side of grill and place salmon pieces on foil, spaced at least 1/2 inch apart. Cover grill (positioning lid vent over fish if using charcoal) and cook until center of thickest part of fillet registers 125 degrees and is still translucent when cut into with paring knife, 30 to 40 minutes. Transfer to platter and serve, or allow to cool to room temperature

FOR A CHARCOAL GRILL: Open bottom vent halfway. Light large chimney starter one-third filled with charcoal briquettes (2 quarts). When top coals are partially covered with ash, pour into steeply banked pile against side of grill. Place wood chunks on top of coals. Set cooking grate in place, cover, and open lid vent halfway. Heat grill until hot and wood chunks begin to smoke, about 5 minutes.

FOR A GAS GRILL: Combine soaked and un-soaked chips. Use large piece of heavy-duty aluminum foil to wrap chips into foil packet and cut several vent holes in top. Place wood chip packet directly on primary burner. Turn primary burner to high (leave other burners off), cover, and heat grill until hot and wood chips begin to smoke, 15 to 25 minutes. Turn primary burner to medium. (Adjust primary burner as needed to maintain grill temperature of 275 to 300 degrees.)

Crispy Curried New Potatoes

Here’s another recipe using turmeric, a healthy immune system builder; Sweet new potatoes get a boost of flavor from curry powder and fried shallots. First, shallots are fried until they’re brown and crunchy; then boiled potatoes are smashed, seasoned with curry powder, and fried in the same pan as the shallots until they’re crusty and golden.

1 1/2 pounds new potatoes, all about the same size
1/3 butter
1 medium shallot, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon curry powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more as needed

1)  Place the potatoes in a large saucepan and cover them with water by 1 inch. Season generously with salt, cover with a tightfitting lid, and bring to a boil over high heat. Remove the lid and cook the potatoes until a sharp knife easily pierces them and they easily fall off the knife, about 10 to 15 minutes.

2)  Using a slotted spoon, transfer the potatoes to a baking sheet. Use the bottom of a measuring cup to smash each potato until it bursts and is flattened to about 1/2 inch thick; set the potatoes aside.

3)  Heat the butter in a large frying pan over medium-high heat until bubbly. Meanwhile, line a small plate with paper towels and set it aside. Add the shallots to the pan and fry, stirring often, until browned, about 3 to 5 minutes (be careful not to burn the shallots, as some pieces may brown faster than others). Remove with the slotted spoon to the prepared plate, season with salt, and set aside.

4)  Add the curry powder to the pan and stir until fragrant, about 20 seconds. Using your hands, carefully add the smashed potatoes to the pan. Use a metal spatula to flatten them into an even layer. Season with the measured salt and cook undisturbed until browned and crusty on the bottom, about 6 to 8 minutes. Flip, press into an even layer, and cook undisturbed until browned on the other side, about 4 minutes more.

5)  Sprinkle the fried shallots over the potatoes and toss to combine. Taste and season with additional salt as needed. Serve immediately

Baked Salmon with Dry Rub

Here is my dry rub recipe used on baked Salmon;

1 cup Brown Sugar
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1 Tablespoon smoked paprika
2 teaspoons Granulated Garlic
1 Tablespoon turmeric
1 Tablespoon cumin
1-1/2 teaspoon dry thyme
1-1/2 teaspoon dry oregano
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1-1/2 tsp. salt

Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Store in an airtight container.

Salmon;

Rub a very generous amount of rub on salmon filets. It should be about 1/4 inch thick, I don’t rub it in, just place on top.

Bake at 350 degrees in a preheated oven for exactly 15 minutes.

Turmeric Has a Strong Immune System Building Properties

ScienceDaily (May 25, 2012) — Oregon State University scientists just identified a new reason why some curry dishes, made with spices humans have used for thousands of years, might be good for you.

New research has discovered that curcumin, a compound found in the cooking spice turmeric, can cause a modest but measurable increase in levels of a protein that’s known to be important in the "innate" immune system, helping to prevent infection in humans and other animals.

This cathelicidin antimicrobial peptide, or CAMP, is part of what helps our immune system fight off various bacteria, viruses or fungi even though they hadn’t been encountered before. Prior to this, it was known that CAMP levels were increased by vitamin D.

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Nearly 1 in 4 U.S. Teens Has Diabetes or Prediabetes

From Time News Feed

In less than a decade, the proportion of kids ages 12 to 19 with diabetes or prediabetes has jumped from 9% in 1999-2000 to 23% in 2007-2008.

Cardiovascular disease is the top cause of death among U.S. adults, often leading to stroke and heart attacks. While heart attacks and strokes typically don’t occur until adulthood, CDC researchers found that in many cases, the 3,400 teens studied had an alarming number of cardiovascular risk factors. Most unnerving was the conclusion that 37% of normal-weight teens had at least one risk factor. “I was a little surprised given they are at normal weight,” says Ashleigh May, a CDC epidemiologist and the study’s lead author. “It just speaks to the fact that we have to promote health and wellness for all youth and not just those we know are overweight or obese.”

Millie; Everyone thinks of refined sugars when they think of diabetes but it’s an over abundance of ALL carbs that cause the condition; grains, fruit, high carb veggies (white potatoes, carrots) and fruit juice. Too many carbs, not near enough healthy saturated fats, inactivity…all of these things contribute to diabetes.