Eat less!

A new article in the British Medical Journal explores an interesting "natural experiment" that took place in Cuba from 1990 to 1995. During this time of economic crisis, Cuba experienced a shortage of food and fuel for transport and agriculture. The result was that people ate less and exercised more. (For transportation, Cuba distributed more than a million bicycles and people walked more.) During this five years, the average adult weight dropped 5 kg (10 pounds).
It is unusual to have an entire population go on a low calorie diet like this and also increase their exercise.
The result was immediate and dramatic. Deaths from heart attacks and stroke dropped precipitously almost from the start. Deaths from diabetes and rates of diabetes started to drop after a few years.
After 1995 economic conditions improved and people started to gain back the weight they had lost and also had access to more motorized transportation so they exercised less. The result then was an increase in heart attacks, strokes and diabetes.
The message here should be clear. Eat less. Exercise more. Live longer. Live healthier.

Oka, Kokoda, Ceviche

In the South Pacific, many of the islands have a traditional food which is fish marinated in lime juice and coconut milk.  Add in chopped tomatos and onions with some seasoning (corriander seems to be popular) and you have a delicious meal.

We are in Samoa now and this is their version, called Oka.  It's served here with taro chips on the side.  This is absolutely delicious!
We were in Fiji last week and their version is called Kokoda.  Here is an example:

You can make this at home easily.  Ingredients include fresh fish (tuna, snapper, mahi mahi or other firm white fish), lime juice, coconut milk, cucumber, tomatoes and onions with some corriander or cumin and maybe a little hot pepper.  Marinate the fish in lime juice for a few hours then add coconut milk and the other ingredients.

Mediterranean Diet Again Shown to Be Best

I have often spoken of the advantage of the Mediterranean Diet in improving health, particularly in reducing cardiovascular disease.  More confirmation of this comes from a new study published in the New England Journal of Medicine:

Medpage-Mediterranean Diet Study


"Eating a Mediterranean diet rich in olive oil and nuts lowered the rate of major cardiovascular events, at least among people at increased risk for heart disease, researchers reported.

In a randomized trial in Spain in high-risk people, those who ate the Mediterranean diet supplemented with extra-virgin olive oil or mixed nuts saw a reduction in the rate of major cardiovascular events by nearly 30% compared with a control group eating a low-fat diet, according to Ramón Estruch, MD, PhD, of the Hospital Clinic in Barcelona, and colleagues.

The results support the use of the Mediterranean diet for "primary prevention" of heart disease, the researchers wrote online in the New England Journal of Medicine."


The Mediterranean diet recommended for the study had olive oil, fruit, nuts, vegetables, legumes, some fish and poultry, and limited amounts of dairy products, red meat, soda drinks, processed meats, and sweets.

This study is interesting in that they compared a "low fat" diet with a Mediterranean diet high in olive oil, fish and nuts.  The results show that it is not the amount of fat but the kinds of fat in your diet.  Olive oil, fish and nuts contain large amounts of healthy unsaturated and mono-saturated oils.  The Mediterranean Diet also has reduced amounts of saturated fats from meat and dairy.  This reinforces my belief that it is saturated fat from farm animals (beef, chicken, pork, etc.) that is the major contributor to heart disease and (as other studies have shown) cancer and metabolic disorders.

Eat fish, fruit, vegetables, nuts and whole grains. Avoid meat, dairy and sugar.

By Land or by Sea?

Get off the range.

For many years, the evidence has been accumulating and now clearly shows that fats from land animals are bad for you.  Consumption of saturated fat and cholesterol lead to cardiovascular disease, heart disease, high blood pressure, strokes and raise the incidence of cancer.  In addition, these fats contribute to many other chronic degenerative diseases.  That is why I have made a concerted effort to eliminate these from my diet.  My goal is to not consume any saturated fat or cholesterol and this means eliminating all land based animals from my diet.  This include beef, pork, poultry.  It also includes dairy products: milk, cheese and eggs.
I should note that these land based animals are also significant contributors to agricultural pollution and global warming since they are very inefficient concentrators of protein and calories.  They waste 10 to 20 times as much nutrition as they produce.  It is much better for the environment and for your health to just say no to land based meat and dairy products.
Meat is a major source of protein and many people worry that if they don't eat meat, they won't get enough protein.  I cover this subject in detail here but suffice it to say that it's easy to get all of the protein you need from a vegan diet containing no meat of any kind.  However, many people would like to have some "meat" in their diet.

What about seafood?

There is, however, another broad category of "meat" we should consider and that is seafood.  This includes fish, shellfish, non-shell fish such as calamari, etc.  These have evolved with a different physiology and body chemistry.  Most significantly from the standpoint of nutrition they have evolved to store their energy in fats that have a much different structure than land animals which maintain their body temperature at 98F.  Because they live in water, their fats much be able to remain liquid at lower temperatures.  The saturated fat and cholesterol of land animals congeal at lower temperatures and it just wouldn't do for a fish to congeal.  Seafood tends to have different fats and these contain high concentrations of omega-3 fatty acids.  These fatty acids are originally created in plants (algae and plankton) and consumed by fish where they become concentrated.  They have been found to be protective of the heart and have anti-inflammatory properties as well as reducing the tendency of blood to clot.  Consumption of omega-3 fatty acids tends to lower your triglyceride levels. These are all good effects since they help your cardiovascular system stay healthy.  The anti-inflammatory effects help prevent arthritis.
The amount of healthy omega-3 fatty acids in seafood varies.  Salmon and tuna and sardines contain high amounts (about 3 grams per 100 gm serving) of omega-3.  Other seafood such as shrimp, cod and crab contain less.  Fresh water fish such as tilapia contain only small amounts (0.13 grams per serving) but are still healthy since they don't contain saturated fat and cholesterol.  It is interesting that flax seed also contains high amount of omega-3 fats.  Flax flour can be added to most cereals and baked good to improve nutrition.
You should also consider the environmental effects of the food you eat.  Land animal farming has many detrimental effects on the environment.  Some fish farming practices can also have detrimental effects.  Tilapia is usually raised in ponds which can easily become sources of pollution   Ocean farmed salmon can also concentrate pollution.  Wild salmon is better.  I usually avoid tilapia since it is low in omega-3 and can contribute to pollution.  The Monterey Bay Aquarium maintains a good list of which seafood is best to eat and which to avoid.  They consider environmental effects so there are differences in the source of the seafood and it is best to consult their guides which are tailored to the seafood found in different regions of the US.

Stick to the water!

Because of this, I include seafood in my diet. It is healthy!
Stay healthy!

Ashe Reshteh (Persian New Year's Soup)

I was looking at soup recipes and found this gem on the About.com web site.  It is delicious!
It consists of a mixture of various kinds of beans and pasta plus generous amounts of greens (spinach, cilantro, dill, mint and Italian parsley) which give it a wonderful flavor.

Persian New Year’s Legume and Noodle Soup (Ashe Reshteh)

Ingredients:

• 3 medium onions
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 3 large cloves garlic, chopped fine
• 1 ½ teaspoons ground turmeric
• 1/3 cup dry black, French or green lentils
• 1 can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 1 can of kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• 2 cups cooked fava beans, canned or frozen (substitute limas or other flat bean if you can’t find them)
• 2 quarts vegetable or chicken stock
• ½ pound vermicelli, linguine or other fine pasta, broken into 2” lengths
• 1 5-ounce container baby spinach leaves OR 1 bunch spinach, washed and coarsely chopped, OR 1 bunch of Lacinato (dinosaur) kale, washed and sliced into thin strips
• 2 cups cilantro leaves (1 bunch)
• 2 cups of fresh mint leaves (1 bunch), roughly chopped
• 1/3 cup chopped fresh dill
• 1/3 cup chopped Italian parsley
• Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
• Plain thick yogurt for garnish (optional)

Preparation:

Chop one of the onions in 1/2 “ dice. Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a soup pot over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook until translucent and golden, about 7 minutes.
Add the turmeric, lentils, chickpeas, kidney beans and favas and stir well. Add the broth and a large pinch of salt and bring the soup to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook for 30 minutes.
While the soup is cooking, prepare the remaining onions. Cut the onions in half lengthwise and slice thin. Heat the remaining olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the sliced onions and sauté, stirring frequently, until the onions are a deep caramel color. Season the onions with salt and pepper and set them to the side.
Add the pasta to the soup, stir well, and cook according to package directions.
When the pasta is nearly cooked, add the spinach, cilantro, mint, dill and parsley. Adjust the seasoning and cook until the greens are wilted, no more than two minutes.
Serve the soup with the browned onions and yogurt as garnish.
Serves 6

Swedish Christmas Eve

My wife's side of the family is proud of their Swedish heritage and they celebrate this on Christmas Eve by having a "traditional" Swedish dinner.  In the past, this has not been universally loved, probably due to the Swedish foods which were selected.  These consisted of various odd sausages made of leftover animal parts, pickled herring, cheese, dry bread and meatballs.
This year, we hosted Christmas Eve and since I was cooking, I had a chance to prepare a healthier and more appetizing meal.  I have also changed my diet to vegan plus fish which is healthier for me and the environment.
I was able to find a good alternative menu of traditional Swedish dishes that was well received by everyone.
- Poached salmon
- Red cabbage, beet and apple salad
- Cucumber salad (Pressgurka)
- Rosti
- Pickled herring as an appetizer (it seems that only I really like this)

The salmon was poached with lemon and dill and served with a yogurt cucumber dill sauce.

The real find was the cabbage salad:
2 large apples, cored and chopped (Granny Smith)
1.5 cups pickled beets
4 cups red cabbage, finely shredded
3 tablespoons lemon juice

I used the Cuisinart to shred everything.  This gets better over time so you can make it ahead.  Very colorful and delicious.












The Pressgurka (pressed cucumber salad) was also delicious and fresh.
2 fresh cucumbers, sliced (I used the 2mm Cuisinart blade to slice these very thin)
1 tablespoon parsley, chopped
1-2 teaspoons black pepper
1 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons white distilled vinegar
1 teaspoon caraway seeds

Mix all of the seasonings together and pour over cucumber slices in a bowl.  Place a plate over the cucumbers to squeeze out the liquid. Chill for one hour.
I wasn't able to get a good size plate so my "pressing" was not very effective but I'm not sure that I wanted to treat the cucumbers that harshly and they tasted great.

We also added Rosti which is really Swiss rather than Swedish but they were tasty and a good addition.
Rosti is made from small new potatoes which are first boiled then shredded and finally fried with onions (I also add garlic), salt and pepper until crisp.

All in all, a much improved "Swedish Christmas Eve".

Food out of thin air!

Where does food come from?

All food comes from plants. They use photosynthesis to convert CO2 from the air to complex carbon molecules which store energy. These can be carbohydrates such as simple sugars or more complex starches or they can be oils. They also make protein by incorporating nitrogen into specialized carbon molecules called amino acids. Plant oils are unsaturated or monosaturated and these have been shown to be generally healthy.

So, plants literally create food out of thin air!

Plants and Animals

Animals such as cows, pigs and chickens eat plants and convert the carbohydrates and oils into fuel and also store excess energy as saturated fats. Animals build muscle with protein. When humans eat animals (and animal products such as milk, cheese and eggs they ingest this protein and the saturated fat. Unfortunately, the saturated fats (triglycerides and cholesterol) in meat have been shown by many studies to be unhealthy. Dietary consumption of saturated fats from animals leads to cardiovascular disease (hypertension, heart attacks and strokes) among other problems.

Fish, on the other hand, covert the plant carbohydrates and oils into healthy oils (omega-3) as well as concentrating protein. Fish oils have been demonstrated in many studies to improve heart and brain function.

Protein

What about protein? Protein is made up of amino acids which are small carbon molecules which all have a nitrogen atom (amine group). There are 21 amino acids and the body puts these together in different ways to make muscle and also enzymes which facilitate chemical reactions and make everything work. When you eat more protein than you need, the excess is broken down. The carbon bonds release energy and the nitrogen is made into urea which is filtered out by your kidneys.

How much protein to you need? Unless you are a growing child or a pregnant or lactating woman, you need about 40 to 50 grams (1.5 ounces) or protein each day. Any more than this is just broken down in your body. You can get this amount of protein by eating about 10% of your calories from protein. Since most foods (even “low protein” plants) contain about 10% protein, it is really hard to not get enough protein in your diet. (Most junk food such as sugared drinks and chips contain little protein.)

What should I eat?

So, you have a choice. You can eat plants directly which give you healthy oils, complex carbohydrates and protein. You can also eat fish which concentrates the protein and gives you healthy oils. You really shouldn't eat meat from animals since they contain unhealthy fats.

There are lots of other “micronutrients” such as vitamins and minerals which are essential for good health. These are available in plants, fish and animals in various amounts. I won't spend time on these now but suffice to say that you can get a full complement of these from a vegan, vegetarian or fish diet.