If you have asthma, fatty foods like butter aren't your best pal. (Photo by Alison Ashton)
If you have asthma, pass up the Happy Meal.
A new study from the University of Newcastle in Australia finds a fatty, caloric fast-food meal makes it harder for asthmatics to breathe. Even worse, the high-fat fare renders albuterol, an inhaler commonly used to relieve asthma symptoms, less effective.
The study involved 40 people with asthma, who were randomly assigned to gobble a 1,000-calorie fast-food meal (burger and hash browns) that was 52% fat or low-fat yogurt that was just 200 calories and 13% fat. It’s the first study to examine the effect of high-fat food on airway inflammation, which is the hallmark of asthma, says researcher Dr. Lisa Wood.
The results raise intriguing questions, including whether the type of fat makes a difference. Could heart-clogging saturated fat also inflame airways? And do unsaturated fats have the same effect? “We expect that saturated fat would be driving the inflammatory response, as this type of fat has been shown to have the strongest inflammatory effects in other studies,” says Wood. “We are exploring the effects of fat quality on fat-induced inflammation in asthma in our future work.”
If follow-up studies confirm the link between fat and symptoms, reducing dietary fat may be a smart–and easy–way to manage asthma.
Bacon-Avocado Tartine: A whole mess of issues on one plate. (Photo by Alison Ashton)
Avocados have been on my mind lately, though, of course, I welcome any excuse to eat them.
This current obsession started a few weeks ago with late-night dinner at a swanky pan-Latin eatery in downtown Los Angeles. I ordered “Tortillas Florales with Indian Butter” because I adore handmade corn tortillas under any circumstances.
“What is this Indian butter?” I wondered. Then I was served a plate of pretty handmade tortillas laminated with edible flowers–this was a swanky-danky place, indeed!–with a sidecar of pureed avocado. Of course! Creamy avocado could be considered the New World Indian version of butter (as opposed to Old World East Indian ghee, which is made with…butter). Whatever, it was tasty, and I gobbled it down, though the cynic in me couldn’t help thinking it as a fine example of creative, price-boosting menu writing.
I was at the Santa Monica Farmer’s Market last week, searching for ripe avocados for a recipe that needed testing. This being Southern California, ripe fruit of several varieties was plentiful. I picked up a Bacon avocado, which has thin, smooth skin and mellow, exceptionally creamy, even buttery flesh. No, it doesn’t taste like bacon, though you know I had to ask, but is named for the California farmer who developed the variety in the 1950s. Still, the words “bacon” and “avocado” reminded me of my brother’s all-time fave treat (well, next to fried shrimp, anyway): bacon and avocado sandwiches. Fat on fat, what more could you want?
Bacon-Avocado Tartine
Tartines seemed to be everywhere while I was on a recent trip up to Northern California’s Wine Country. These little open-faced sandwiches are simple to make and visually appealing. This one, inspired by one of my brother’s favorite childhood meals, is a big, ole schizophrenic fat fest, with heart-healthy omega-3 fats from the avocado undermined by artery-clogging fat from the bacon. Aww, well, it’s delicious. If you want a healthier lunch, try Nourish Network’s Obscenely Good Eggplant-Ricotta Tartine.
2 thick slices applewood-smoked bacon
2 slices sourdough bread
1/2 ripe avocado
1 lime wedge
Finishing salt (I used crunchy pink kosher Redmond Real Salt from Utah but any kind of fancy-pants salt you have on hand will do)
Cook the bacon in a nonstick skillet over medium-low heat until crisp. Drain bacon on paper towels. Pour off excess fat from pan. Return pan to burner, and increase heat to medium-high. Add bread to pan; cook on 1 side until toasted.
Mash avocado with juice of lime wedge. Spread avocado evenly on toasted bread slices. Sprinkle with finishing salt. Tear each bacon slice in half; top each bread slice with 2 bacon halves.
Serves 1-2 (Those with restraint will share this with a friend. I ate it all.)
Steel-cut oats: good for breakfast and a whole lot more (photo by Alison Ashton)
Like, well, just about everyone else, as soon as the calender flips to a new year, I renew my pledge to eat better. As in more of the healthy stuff–whole grains, fish, fruits, and vegetables. A recent project got me reacquainted with steel-cut oats.
Also known as oat groats, Scotch oats, and Irish oatmeal, steel-cut oats are oats that have been hulled, toasted, cleaned, and cut, which renders them palatable to humans. (Cattle are fine munching on whole oats.) They have a wonderful chewy, nutty quality that makes them a beloved hot breakfast cereal. They’re rich in vitamin E, B vitamins, and cholesterol-busting fiber.
Shopping tip: Look for steel-cut oats in the bulk bins at the health-food store, where they’ll be far cheaper than the stuff sold in tins.
Steel-cut oats also have a starchy quality that lends them to risotto. Of course, we typically think of risotto as involving a starchy, medium-grain rice like Arborio or Carnaroli, but it’s a method that you can use to cook other grains and even pasta.
Steel-Cut Oat Risotto with Mushrooms and Peas
Possessed of leftover steel-cut oats, a yen for risotto, and a New Year’s desire to eat more whole grains, I made this dish the other night. If you use fresh mushrooms, skip the soaking step and increase the broth to 3 cups.
1/2 ounce dried mushrooms
2 cups hot water
1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1 cup steel-cut oats
1/4 cup vermouth or dry white wine
1 cup frozen peas, thawed
1/4 cup grated pecorino Romano cheese, divided
Salt to taste
Black pepper to taste
Combine mushrooms and water in a medium bowl. Let stand 30 minutes. Drain mushrooms through a fine-mesh sieve over a small saucepan. Add broth to soaking liquid in saucepan; bring a simmer over low heat (do not boil).
Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms to pan; saute 2 minutes or until tender. Set aside
Heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add onion to pan; cook 2 minutes or until onion is translucent. Add oats; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add vermouth; cook until absorbed, stirring constantly. Add 1/2 cup broth mixture to oats, stirring constantly until liquid is absorbed. Repeat, adding remaining broth mixture 1/2 cup at a time and stirring after each addition until liquid is absorbed, until oats are tender (you may not need to use all the liquid). Stir in mushrooms, peas, and 3 tablespoons cheese. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Garnish with remaining 1 tablespoon cheese. Yield: 4 servings.
Warning: Ice cream contains a fat that will send you back for seconds.
I’ve always believed that no food should be completely off-limits. But I’ve also been known to plow through a pint of Ben & Jerry’s Phish Food in one sitting (and, no, I’m not ashamed to admit it).
Now I know why. Apparently, when it comes to ice cream you can’t have “just a taste,” according to a new University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center study. Ice cream contains palmitic acid, a type of fat that causes the brain to suppress the body’s signals of fullness. “Normally, our body is primed to say when we’ve had enough, but that doesn’t always happen when we’re eating something good,” said Dr. Deborah Clegg, assistant professor of internal medicine at UT Southwestern. “Since you’re not being told by the brain to stop eating, you overeat.” In particular, palmitic acid causes your body to ignore appetite-suppressing signals from leptin and insulin, two hormones involved in regulating weight.
Palmitic acid is a type of artery-clogging saturated fat commonly found in butter, milk, cheese, and beef. Researchers also examined the effect of heart-healthy oleic acid–a common type of unsaturated fat–and found it did not have the same effect. “The action was very specific to palmitic acid, which is very high in foods that are rich in saturated fat,” says Clegg.
She says the study’s findings are more reason to limit saturated fat in your diet. In other words, just say “no.”
I won’t, of course, but at least now I know why I should.
Most Americans think they're in great health, though they probably aren't eating their allotment of fruits and vegetables.
Ever optimistic–or crazy and schizophrenic, depending on your point of view–Americans believe they’re in better health than they actually are, according to a new survey from the market research firm Mintel.
“Excellent” or “good” is how 71% of respondents described their overall health, and more than 50% said living a healthy lifestyle is “very important.” Although 65% claimed they strive to eat healthier food, almost 60% admitted they eat whatever they want regardless of calories, and 45% conceded they often overeat. No wonder two-thirds of Americans are overweight or obese, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
“The challenge clearly lies in getting Americans to accept and admit that their health isn’t optimal,” says Krista Faron, senior analyst at Mintel. “Many people need help and guidance to understand where their health is lacking and how they can improve it.”
She’s being polite, of course, since the study reveals mass delusion when it comes to the state of our health. And that, rather than health care options, may ultimately be the biggest hurdle to improving America’s well-being.
You can learn a lot about food just by reading the reams of information on the label, but many of us don't bother.
OK, confession time: I rarely scrutinize the labels on food packaging. Occasionally, I’ll glance at the Nutrition Facts label; I almost never look at the ingredient list.
That’s terrible, because given my background writing about food and nutrition, I know better. It turns out I’m not alone. According to Food & Drug Administration studies, in 2002 (the most recent numbers available) nearly 20% of all American consumers, and 30% of consumers under 35, “never” read food labels when purchasing products for the first time. That was up from 13% in 1994. Hmm, so as manufacturers were required to squeeze more information on labels, fewer customers were actually reading them.
The FDA wants to remedy that and is planning a voluntary consumer Internet survey to find out why people are so reluctant to use the information that’s available to them.
When it comes to items like bread, claims on the front of the package are often undermined by what’s revealed by the ingredient list.
So now I’m going to preach what I rarely practice. Your best bet to know what’s in your food is to examine Nutrition Facts label and the ingredient list. The Nutrition Facts label offers basic info, like serving size, caloric, fiber, sodium, and other content. Keep in mind that “serving size” may not be an accurate reflection of what you’re likely to eat. For example, last night my mate picked up a 5-ounce bag of Kettle New York Cheddar with Herbs potato chips, to which we are addicted. Of course, the two of us plowed through the whole thing. In a case of forensic nutrition, I’m looking at the Nutrition Facts label right now, only to learn that the bag contains 5 (1-ounce) servings at 150 calories a pop. We each gobbled roughly 2 1/2 servings, or about 375 calories. Looks like I could use a Nutrition Anonymous support group (“Hi, I’m Alison A., and I don’t read Nutrition Facts labels until it’s too late…”).
Of course, the Nutrition Facts label is only part of the story. As Nourish Network founder Lia Huber points out, you have to read the ingredient list if you want to know what’s inside. As she notes, using bread as an example, claims on the front of the package are often undermined by what’s revealed in the ingredient list.
Yep, and it also helps to read the labels before you rip open the package to dig in.
Why didn’t Julia Child like Julie Powell’s blog? Food editor/writer Russ Parsons knows and spills the beans.–Los Angeles Times
The dish that made Julia swoon
Well, Meryl Streep playing Julia in “Julie & Julia,” anyway. Here’s a version of Dover Sole Meuniere–Culinary Institute of America
Moveable feast
In my post the other day about fattening food stamps, I noted that a major factor in the obesity epidemic is lack of access to affordable fresh food. Rebecca Rothbaum reports on one possible solution: mobile farmers’ market trucks, similar to the mobile library buses of the 1960s.–The Atlantic
Food culture overhaul
The folks at The Hartman Group, a market research firm that does some of the most insightful research around about food and health, say the debate about the obesity epidemic needs to move from blaming individuals to our overall food culture. “We believe significant shifts in important dimensions of our eating culture (e.g., increased snacking frequency, the tendency toward eating alone, and the shifts in eating occasions) have contributed to much of our health and obesity problems.”
The world’s best
Hmm, maybe our unhealthy food culture is part of the reason why Mexico City is the only North American city to make Forbes.com’s list of the world’s 10 best cities in which to eat well.–Forbes.com
A tight food-stamp budget doesn't leave much room for fresh fruit, and that may contribute to recipients' higher body weight, according to a new study.
It’s certainly not what the federal government intends, but a long-term, nationwide study finds the U.S. Food Stamp Program may contribute to the obesity of recipients. Food stamp users have a body mass index that’s 1.24 points higher, on average, than nonusers.
“We can’t prove that the Food Stamp Program causes weight gain, but the study suggests a strong linkage,” says Jay Zagorsky, co-author of the study and a research scientist at Ohio State University’s Center for Human Resource Research.
The study tracked 10,000 women–both food-stamp recipients and nonrecipients–over a 14-year period. Even after accounting for income (poverty is a known contributor to obesity), race, and education, researchers identified a strong link between food stamp use and higher body weight. “Every way we looked at the data, it was clear that the use of food stamps was associated with weight gain,” says Zagorsky.
Of course, food stamps aren’t exactly generous–just $81 a month in 2002, the last year examined in the study. ”That figure was shocking to me. I think it would be very difficult for a shopper to regularly buy healthy, nutritious food on that budget,” says Zagorsky. Fatty, high-calorie processed foods tend to be cheap, which helps stretch limited food funds.
“Every way we looked at the data, it was clear that the use of food stamps was associated with weight gain.”
Offering incentives like more benefits for purchasing healthier fare and taking nutrition classes may be a solution, he suggests.
Improving access to good food is a related issue, since food-stamp recipients who want better food may have a hard time finding it. A recent USDA report finds many people in poverty live in s0-called food deserts with limited–or no–access to affordable, nutritious food.
Blue- and red-hued foods may help improve cholesterol.
If you’ve been gorging on summer-fresh blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, and other red and purple foods, good for you. They’re loaded with anthocyanins, flavonoids that lend these foods their distinctive shade. Anthocyanins have been credited with fighting cancer, diabetes, inflammation, and neurological disorders.
Now the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition reports the flavonoids may also improve cholesterol. Chinese researchers found that twice-daily supplements containing 160mg of anthocyanins raised blood levels of helpful HDL cholesterol and lowered harmful LDL cholesterol in study volunteers. Of course, you could just eat some berries–100 g (about 3.5 ounces) of blueberries contains 208 mg of anthocyanins–and enjoy other benefits, like the flavor and fiber. They’re great out of hand, or in all manner of sweet and savory recipes.
Sodium patrol: Making salt saltier (so you eat less)–Little Stomaks
Would-be urban gardener: I have the rooftop, but not the garden. Maybe this will inspire my not-so-green thumb.–The New York Times
Are Americans will to pay the cost of good nutrition? Eh, maybe, according to a new survey–NutraIngedients-USA.com
Some people won’t lose weight, even if you pay them. Or, at least, money ain’t a great weight-loss motivator.–Cornell University
Beware the box: Lia Huber, founder of the Nourish Network, has a terrific weekly “Nibble to Noodle” newsletter in which she offers tidbits about nutrition, food, and good eats. Visit Lia’s site to sign up for her e-newsletter (with recipes!). This week, she tackles overblown nutrition claims found on packaged food claims:
I walked up and down the supermarket aisles last week with a keen eye towards what packages were promising and I found that, for the most part, the bolder a product proclaimed its virtues the less likely it was to be good for me.
Take Reduced Fat Ritz Crackers, for instance. The green stripe at the bottom of the box draws my eye towards a sunny icon proclaiming the snack to be a “sensible solution.” They have half the fat of original Ritz, no cholesterol and little saturated fat; more than enough to convince a busy shopper to lob that box into their cart and feel good about it. But let’s take a closer look at those claims, shall we?
No Cholesterol and Low in Saturated Fat – These phrases typically appeal to those looking out for their cardiovascular health (and bravo to you for doing so!). Where it gets misleading is that dietary cholesterol has turned out to have much less effect on our bodies than previously thought; it’s the types of fat we consume, and their respective impact on LDL and HDL cholesterol, that matter. Saturated fat raises harmful LDL, but it also raises helpful HDL so the net effect isn’t too terribly awful. Trans fat–identified either by gram in the nutritional panel or by the term partially hydrogenated in the ingredients list–is by far the worst type of fat because it both raises LDL and lowers HDL. So let’s flip the box over and see what’s there. The nutritional panel lists trans fat at 0 grams, but because a product can contain up to .5 grams of trans fat and still list the amount at 0, I like to double-check the ingredients list for partially-hydrogenated oils. And there, right in the middle of the list, is partially-hydrogenated cottonseed oil. So much for those benefits.
Half the Fat – True, at 2 grams per serving these Ritzes contain half the fat of normal Ritzes which weigh in at 4 grams. But what does that really tell us? If we’re concerned about the fat itself, we already know that these are made with a less-than-ideal type. And if we’re equating fat grams with whether or not the crackers will make us fat, we’re looking in the wrong place. Calories (or more specifically, an excess of calories) cause weight gain, not total fat grams. These Reduced Fat Ritz have 70 calories per serving–not bad, until you consider that a serving is only 5 crackers. Up that to a more realistic 10 and you’re looking at 140 calories, roughly seven percent of an average daily “calorie budget” of 2,000.
So here you have a snack with virtually no value for your body that gobbles up close to a tenth of your allotted calories for the day and includes a downright dangerous type of fat. This is a sensible solution? For whom . . . us or Nabisco?
Mystery solved
The dish that made Julia swoon
Moveable feast
Food culture overhaul
The world’s best
Sodium patrol: Making salt saltier (so you eat less)–
Would-be urban gardener: I have the rooftop, but not the garden. Maybe this will inspire my not-so-green thumb.–
Beware the box: Lia Huber, founder of the 