Inadvertent new recipe: cold oatmeal

Image by TheCulinaryGeek via FlickrInadvertent new recipe: cold oatmeal

Sometimes the best findings are not by a planned strategy, but by mistake.  Such was my finding that cold oatmeal is REALLY good!

I was rushing out the other day to work with BonaResponds (who is in need of local volunteers over break with all of the students gone, but that is another story) and just made some oatmeal.  But I got sidetracked and was going to be even later than normal to meet so I threw the already made oatmeal into the refrigerator.   When I came back in the evening I was starving, so I tried the oatmeal.  It was excellent!  So good in fact I have made it a couple of times since.


Hint add raisins and a bit of extra water!

Extra hint: add chia seeds if you have them!  

Benefits:

• You can make it ahead.
• Good for you.
• Have for a snack throughout the day.
• Tastes wonderful!
• Cheap

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Happy Thanksgiving

HAPPY THANKSGIVING FROM ALL OF US,  Pie by Nicole

Can of Soup a Day Linked to High BPA Levels in Urine

Can of Soup a Day Linked to High BPA Levels in Urine:

"Eating just one 12-ounce serving of canned soup a day for five days straight may lead to more than a 1,000% increase in the amount of the controversial chemical bisphenol A (BPA) in your urine, a new study shows.

BPA is a chemical used in the manufacturing of many metal food and beverage cans, among other uses.

The canned soup study did not look at how -- or even if -- the BPA spike in urine affects health. This is a major sticking point for many critics of the study who caution against overinterpreting the findings."

Related articles

• Eating Canned Soup Makes BPA Levels Soar (npr.org)
• Canned soup 'poses chemical risk' (bbc.co.uk)

Sugary drinks hurt even skinny women's hearts - TODAY Health - TODAY.com

Sugary drinks hurt even skinny women's hearts - TODAY Health - TODAY.com:

"Whatever the form — sweet tea, soda, or coffee drinks that look like desserts — women who drank two or more sweet beverages a day were at an increased risk for heart disease, even if they did not gain weight over the five-year study, according to the findings presented Sunday at the American Heart Association's meeting in Orlando, Fla"

Fatty Foods Addictive as Cocaine in Growing Body of Science - Bloomberg

Fatty Foods Addictive as Cocaine in Growing Body of Science - Bloomberg:

A growing body of medical research at leading universities and government laboratories suggests that processed foods and sugary drinks made by the likes of PepsiCo Inc. and Kraft Foods Inc. (KFT) aren’t simply unhealthy. They can hijack the brain in ways that resemble addictions to cocaine, nicotine and other drugs.

“The data is so overwhelming the field has to accept it,” said Nora Volkow, director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse. “We are finding tremendous overlap between drugs in the brain and food in the brain.”

BBC News - Aspirin and cancer prevention

BBC News - Aspirin and cancer prevention:

DO NOT GO CRAZY ON THIS...go ask your doctor.

"New research from Newcastle University seems to support the theory that aspirin may have a preventive effect.

Also published in the Lancet, it shows that, over two years, taking aspirin reduced the incidence of bowel cancer by 63% in a group of 861 people who were at high risk of the disease because they had Lynch syndrome.

Last year's study had been designed to look at preventing heart disease, but it also found that long-term use of aspirin reduced deaths from cancer by around 25%."

Eating your greens can change the effect of your genes on heart disease

Eating your greens can change the effect of your genes on heart disease

"The researchers discovered the gene that is the strongest marker for heart disease can actually be modified by generous amounts of fruit and raw vegetables. The results of their study are published in the current issue of the journal PLoS Medicine.

"We know that 9p21 genetic variants increase the risk of heart disease for those that carry it," said Dr. Jamie Engert, joint principal investigator of the study, who is a researcher in cardiovascular diseases at the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre (RI-MUHC) and associate member in the Department of Human Genetics at McGill University. "But it was a surprise to find that a healthy diet could significantly weaken its effect.""

Certain foods may be the best medicine for lowering 'bad' cholesterol - latimes.com

Certain foods may be the best medicine for lowering 'bad' cholesterol - latimes.com:

"...new research has found that when it comes to lowering artery-clogging cholesterol, what you eat may be more important than what you don't eat.

Released online Tuesday in the Journal of the American Medical Assn., the study found that incorporating several cholesterol-lowering foods — such as soy protein and nuts — into a diet can reduce bad cholesterol far more effectively than a diet low in saturated fat.

In fact, the authors assert, levels of LDL, the "bad" cholesterol, can drop to half that seen by many patients who take statins..."

Read more here

The 'heart attack proof' diet? - CNN.com

The 'heart attack proof' diet? - CNN.com:

" For more than 20 years, the Cleveland Clinic doctor has tried to get Americans to eat like the Papua New Guinea highlanders, rural Chinese, central Africans and the Tarahumara Indians of Mexico.

Follow his dietary prescription, the 77-year-old Esselstyn says, and you will be "heart attack proof" -- regardless of your family history.

"It's a foodborne illness, and we're never going to end the epidemic with stents, with bypasses, with the drugs, because none of it is treating causation of the illness," Esselstyn says.

The Esselstyn diet is tough for most Americans to swallow: no meat, no eggs, no dairy, no added oils."

BTW the Tarahumara Indians are showcased in the Born to Run book. HIGHLY recommended! Here is a good video on them.

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• Heart attack survivors 'unaware of risks' (news.theage.com.au)

Eating dried plums prevent osteoporosis - The Times of India

Eating dried plums prevent osteoporosis - The Times of India:

"The group that consumed dried plums had significantly higher bone mineral density in the ulna (one of two long bones in the forearm) and spine, in comparison with the group that ate dried apples.

This, according to Arjmandi, was due in part to the ability of dried plums to suppress the rate of bone resorption, or the breakdown of bone, which tends to exceed the rate of new bone growth as people age.

Arjmandi encourages people who are interested in maintaining or improving their bone health to take note of the extraordinarily positive effect that dried plums have on bone density."

Phys Ed: How Chocolate Can Help Your Workout - NYTimes.com

Phys Ed: How Chocolate Can Help Your Workout - NYTimes.com:

Good news: eating chocolate and also exercising may create a synergistic response in the body:

"The muscles of all of the animals that had been given epicatechin contained new capillaries, as well as biochemical markers indicating that their cells were making new mitochondria. Mitochondria are structures in cells that produce cellular energy. The more functioning mitochondria a muscle contains, the healthier and more fatigue-resistant it is."

But alas the news is not all good:

"“A very small amount is probably enough,” Dr. Villarreal said. Extrapolating from his group’s mouse data, he said, five grams of dark chocolate daily, or just a sixth of an ounce — about half of one square of a typical chocolate bar — is probably a reasonable human dose if your aim is to intensify the effects of a workout."

It goes on to say that too much chocolate may even reverse the findings. Maybe you can have too much of a good thing.

Chew More, Eat Less?

Chew More, Eat Less?:

Interesting:

From the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition:

Main findings:

• "participants ate 11.9% fewer calories in the meal where they chewed 40 times per bite compared to the meal where they only chewed 15 times per bite.


• In both the lean and the obese participants, chewing 40 times per bite resulted in lower blood levels of ghrelin (a hormone that stimulates appetite) and higher levels of cholecystokinin (CCK, a hormone that signals fulness and tells the stomach to slow down digestion), than chewing 15 times per bite."

Taking daily aspirin to prevent a heart attack? Don't stop, warn doctors - HealthPop - CBS News

Taking daily aspirin to prevent a heart attack? Don't stop, warn doctors - HealthPop - CBS News:

The conclusion of this one: Once you start, don't start without the help of a doctor:

"Doctors have long said taking daily low-dose aspirin helps prevent a myocardial infarction, or heart attack. But a new study warns these patients that they shouldn't stop taking aspirin- or they could die.

Spanish researchers report that patients who stop taking daily low-dose aspirin are 60 percent more likely to have a heart attack within a year."

Some really fast, easy, and good for you recipes

                      Image via WikipediaI feel bad I have not done the blog like I had hoped when I started it. I have only been linking to stories, I rarely give comments to or write my own articles, so I will try again:

* I had one of the best dinners I have had in years tonight. (indeed maybe since my first night in Barcelona back in 2008).  Mushroom, spinach, and Newman's Sockarooni sauce. I cooked the mushrooms (about 5 minutes), the spinach (about 3 minutes) in a frying pan with some garlic and oregano. Then for the last minute I added the tomato sauce. Amazingly good and fast. (Clean up: one bowl, one frying pan, one spoon).

* Want another fast meal? Take  frozen Birdseye SteamFresh Specially Seasoned Southwestern Corn, microwave for about 1 minute, add some beans and spinach for about another 90 seconds.  Serve with some salsa.  Total cooking time about 3 minutes, 1 bowl.  Delicious.

* One more easy, good for you treat: wash some grapes then freeze them.  Surprisingly good.  Probably better than even room temperature grapes if that is possible.

* Blueberries are in season. Highly recommended. My favorite fruit. Easy, fast, and good for you. Oh and SOOOO good!  Try them in applesauce with walnuts.   Or in Oatmeal.  Or in cereal.  Or by themselves.  You get the idea. 

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‪AtGoogleTalks's Channel‬‏ - YouTube

‪AtGoogleTalks's Channel‬‏ - YouTube

I had NO idea it was that easy to make your own pasta. I will have to try it sometime.

A reversal on carbs - Los Angeles Times

A reversal on carbs - Los Angeles Times

"Fat is not the problem," says Dr. Walter Willett, chairman of the department of nutrition at the Harvard School of Public Health. "If Americans could eliminate sugary beverages, potatoes, white bread, pasta, white rice and sugary snacks, we would wipe out almost all the problems we have with weight and diabetes and other metabolic diseases."

It's a confusing message. For years we've been fed the line that eating fat would make us fat and lead to chronic illnesses. "Dietary fat used to be public enemy No. 1," says Dr. Edward Saltzman, associate professor of nutrition and medicine at Tufts University. "Now a growing and convincing body of science is pointing the finger at carbs, especially those containing refined flour and sugar.""

Eating nuts daily could help control Type 2 diabetes and prevent complications, study suggests

Eating nuts daily could help control Type 2 diabetes and prevent complications, study suggests:

"In the research, published online by the journal Diabetes Care, a team of researchers led by Dr. David Jenkins (University of Toronto Department of Nutritional Sciences; St. Michael's Hospital Risk Factor Modification Centre) reports that consuming two ounces of nuts daily as a replacement for carbohydrates proved effective at glycemic and serum lipid control for people with Type 2 diabetes.

'Mixed, unsalted, raw, or dry-roasted nuts have benefits for both blood glucose control and blood lipids and may be used as part of a strategy to improve diabetes control without weight gain,' said Dr. Jenkins"

Study Recommends Increasing Potassium to Improve Heart Health - WSJ.com

Study Recommends Increasing Potassium to Improve Heart Health - WSJ.com:

"A new study suggests that in addition to cutting the amount of sodium in their diets to improve heart health, Americans should also increase consumption of a key mineral found in many fruits and vegetables: potassium.

Researchers then looked at what is called the sodium-potassium ratio. A high sodium-potassium ratio means a person consumes more sodium relative to potassium. Sodium-potassium ratios could be improved by either lowering sodium intake or raising potassium intake, or both.

The study found that people with the highest ratios were more than twice as likely to die from a heart attack compared with those with the lowest ratios. They also were 46% more likely to die from a heart-related death compared with those with the lowest ratios."

Empirical evidence for something I think I read in Runners World back in High School (Pete Pfitzinger I think?? said it.)

Secondhand Smoke May Boost Risk of Learning Problems, ADHD Secondhand Smoke May Boost Risk of Learning Problems, ADHD

Secondhand Smoke May Boost Risk of Learning Problems, ADHD Secondhand Smoke May Boost Risk of Learning Problems, ADHD:

"Children exposed to secondhand smoke in the home are more likely than children in smoke-free homes to develop behavior and learning problems, according to new research. These include learning disabilities, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and behavior and conduct disorders.

Worse, the problems often come in twos or more.

'We found that children who are exposed to secondhand smoke in the home have a 50% increased odds of having two or three of these common neurobehavioral disorders,' says researcher Hillel Alpert, ScM, at the Harvard School of Public Health."

Avocados and your health

Image by Getty Images via @daylifeI am always impressed with the quality of information from BeachBody. This is no exception. The focus is on avocado, it also talks about olives and coconuts.

Team Beachbody - Newsletters:

"The avocado. It's hard to believe, really, that something so rich and buttery-tasting is a fruit. To me, an avocado is one of nature's perfect foods, straight from the tree to you. It's simple, packs a lot of energy, and satisfies your hunger.

Ounce for ounce, an avocado has as many total grams of fat as a Big Mac®, something that led to its being vilified during the 'fat free' diet crazes of the past. Seventy-five percent of the calories in an avocado come from fat, whereas most fruits derive their calories from sugars. But ever since nutritionists sorted out the difference between bad and good monounsaturated fats, the avocado has been voted back onto the island.

Half a California avocado has an excellent overall nutrient profile: 114 calories, 2 grams of protein, 4.5 grams of fiber, and 11 grams of fat, most of which (8 grams) is monounsaturated fat.

The monounsaturated fat found in avocados is mostly oleic acid, which, according to a 1996 study by researchers at the Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social in Mexico, may help lower cholesterol. This study found that after seven days of a diet rich in avocados, subjects saw significant decreases in both total and LDL ('bad') cholesterol, as well as an 11 percent increase in HDL ('good') cholesterol."

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HAPPY BIRTHDAY to Cheerios!

Image via WikipediaNice to know that our top selling cereal is also the top selling cereal in America:

From USA Today

One out of every eight boxes of cereal to leave the shelf in America carries the Cheerios name.

ANd as many locals know, they are made in Buffalo:

"The company's waterfront plant in Buffalo has been firing them off since 1941, often cloaking the city with a distinctive toasty-with-a-sweet-finish aroma and inspiring T-shirts announcing "My city smells like Cheerios." ....

Since then, the company's introduced several new flavors, starting with Honey Nut in 1979 and last year, chocolate."

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Quality of food affects weight loss - The Times of India

Quality of food affects weight loss - The Times of India:

"...focusing on calories alone would not keep you slim.Instead, the best way to stay a healthy weight is eat nutritious and filling foods of good quality, especially when it comes to carbohydrates.

'An average adult gains about 1lb per year. Because the weight gain is so gradual and occurs over many years, it has been difficult for scientists and for individuals themselves to understand the specific factors that may be responsible,' the Daily Express quoted study co-author Dr Dariush Mozaffaria as saying....

The findings have been published in the New England Journal of Medicine."

USDA serves nutrition guidelines on 'My Plate' - USATODAY.com

USDA serves nutrition guidelines on 'My Plate' - USATODAY.com:

"The icon (www.choosemyplate.gov), called My Plate, is divided into four sections — fruits, vegetables, grains and protein. It replaces the familiar pyramid image, which was first introduced in 1992 and revised in 2005. Many nutritionists said the pyramid had become too complicated for people to understand easily.

From the NY Times:

"The plate is split into four sections, for fruit, vegetables, grains and protein. A smaller circle sits beside it for dairy products....This is a quick, simple reminder for all of us to be more mindful of the foods that we’re eating,” Mrs. Obama said. “We’re all bombarded with so many dietary messages that it’s hard to find time to sort through all this information, but we do have time to take a look at our kids’ plates.” "

Food addiction: Brain Activity Shows Similarities To Drug Addiction - latimes.com

Food addiction: Brain Activity Shows Similarities To Drug Addiction - latimes.com:

"...the brains of subjects who scored higher on the food addiction scale exhibited neural activity similar to that seen in drug addicts, with greater activity in brain regions responsible for cravings and less activity in the regions that curb urges....

Gearhardt says the findings suggest that certain triggers, such as advertisements for food, have not just a psychological, but a physiological, effect on certain people.

'We found that the high food addiction group showed low inhibition....

That's especially significant, she said, when so many processed foods trigger strong reward responses in our brains."

Fat Alone, Not Where It Sits, May Be Key to Heart Problems

Fat Alone, Not Where It Sits, May Be Key to Heart Problems:

"In a finding that contradicts earlier research, an international study suggests that being obese boosts the likelihood of a heart attack or stroke regardless of where the excess fat is stored in the body.

That challenges the widely adopted notion that not all obesity is alike, with so-called apple-shaped people, who carry fat mainly in their midsections, facing a bigger risk for heart problems than those whose excess fat is carried on the hips or elsewhere.

Not so, say the researchers behind the new study. When it comes to obesity and heart disease, no excess fat is good fat, regardless of where it ends up, their analysis has found."

Need more evidence why you should be eating more fruits and vegetables?

Pretty impressive! From VegSource.com

A diet higher in fiber, particularly grains, may lead to a longer life, a study finds - latimes.com

A diet higher in fiber, particularly grains, may lead to a longer life, a study finds - latimes.com:

"Those who consumed diets higher in fiber had a lower risk of death. The 20% of men and women who ate the most fiber (29.4 grams per day for men and 25.8 grams for women) had a 22% lower risk of dying compared with those who ate the least amount (12.6 grams per day for men and 10.8 for women).

Diets high in fiber were linked with a lower risk of death from all causes, as well as death from cardiovascular disease, infectious diseases and respiratory diseases in men and women. Eating fiber was associated with a lower death risk from cancer for men, but the same was not seen in women."

Cranberries’ Reputation as Infection Fighter Is Hard to Confirm - NYTimes.com

Cranberries’ Reputation as Infection Fighter Is Hard to Confirm - NYTimes.com:

"Now a large, impeccably designed and executed study of cranberry juice has found that the presumed active compound apparently has no effect. And yet the newest study closed no doors. It may simply mean that the juice works, but by an unknown mechanism.

How can one little berry be so difficult to pin down?

For one thing, the cranberry contains more than 200 active substances in addition to vitamin C, citric acid and an array of other acids.... More to the point, urine from both mice and people who drank modest amounts of cranberry juice also prevented bacterial adherence."

Team Beachbody - Newsletters

Team Beachbody - Newsletters:

"Why we crave sugar. According to AskDrSears.com, 'Sweets trigger an increase in the hormone serotonin—a mood-elevating hormone. The body and brain get used to this higher level of serotonin and even depend on it for a sense of well-being. So when our serotonin level dips, (we dip) into the (sweets) to 'correct' the situation.' According to the Web site, sweets also 'trigger the release of endorphins . . . the brain's natural narcotics, helping you to relax when stressed.'

You've probably noticed that although sugar gives you an initial high (a rapid spike in your blood sugar), you crash several hours later, leaving you wanting more."

Lettuce price soars as fungus spreads | The Packer

Lettuce price soars as fungus spreads | The Packer:

"Cartons of 24 went for $22.56 to $24.50 on Jan. 18, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The week before, it was $12.45 to $13.47. Year-ago prices were in the $7 range..."

Yikes. Higher lettuce prices for a while.

Mark Hyman, MD: How Eating at Home Can Save Your Life

Mark Hyman, MD: How Eating at Home Can Save Your Life:

"Research shows that children who have regular meals with their parents do better in every way, from better grades, to healthier relationships, to staying out of trouble. They are 42 percent less likely to drink, 50 percent less likely to smoke and 66 percent less like to smoke marijuana. Regular family dinners protect girls from bulimia, anorexia, and diet pills. Family dinners also reduce the incidence of childhood obesity. In a study on household routines and obesity in U.S. preschool-aged children, it was shown that kids as young as four have a lower risk of obesity if they eat regular family dinners, have enough sleep, and don't watch TV on weekdays.

We complain of not having enough time to cook, but Americans spend more time watching cooking on the Food Network than actually preparing their own meals. In his series, 'Food Revolution,' Jamie Oliver showed us how we have raised a generation of Americans who can't recognize a single vegetable or fruit, and don't know how to cook."

Eating Advice From the China Study - NYTimes.com

Eating Advice From the China Study - NYTimes.com:

"The book focuses on the knowledge gained from the China Study, a 20-year partnership of Cornell University, Oxford University and the Chinese Academy of Preventive Medicine that showed high consumption of animal-based foods is associated with more chronic disease, while those who ate primarily a plant-based diet were the healthiest.

Last fall, former President Bill Clinton even cited the book in explaining how he lost 24 pounds by converting to a plant-based diet in hopes of improving his heart health"

More reason to visit our produce section! (and btw frozen fruits and vegetables have been shown to be almost as nutritious and keep much better and are cheaper, so don't overlook frozen either :) ).