The Olive Oil Hunter News #12

Healthy Ingredient Spotlight

Cannellini (White Beans)

All legumes are great sources of protein, but a number of white beans—cannellini, Great Northern, and Navy beans in particular—also offer a creaminess that can rival potatoes, with a far healthier nutrient profile. One cup of cooked white beans delivers between 15 and 19 grams of protein and about 12 grams of all-important fiber, plus key vitamins and minerals. I’m all for the convenience of buying canned beans, as long as you look for no- or low-sodium varieties and always rinse them well. But if you have the time to soak dried beans, there are even more delicate and creamy varieties to try. Tarbais (the bean used for cassoulets), large white lima beans, and delicate flageolets are wonderful choices, especially for slow-simmered stews and casseroles. They’re all available from artisanal grower Rancho Gordo.

Healthy Kitchen Nugget

Roasting Cannellini

A crunchy and streamlined twist on the above recipe is to roast the cannellini beans almost as you would fingerling potatoes. Here’s how: After rinsing the beans, turn them out on paper towels and pat them dry. Next, transfer them to a sheet pan, spreading them out in a single layer, and pop the pan in the fridge while you preheat your oven to 425°F (an hour’s chill time is even better). When the oven’s ready, add a few thickly sliced garlic cloves to the pan and sprinkle everything liberally with extra virgin olive oil. Add a pinch of salt, a few grinds of fresh black peppercorns, and a few fresh chopped rosemary needles. Roast for 15 minutes, and then use a spatula to flip the beans and roast for another 15 minutes until crisp and golden. Before serving, use a microplane grater to grate some lemon zest over the beans, and serve.

For Your Best Health

Importance of Normal Blood Pressure

We know how important it is for your heart to keep blood pressure in a healthy range. Now we’re learning just how important it is for your brain too. According to Dr. Karolina Wartolowska of the Centre for Prevention of Stroke and Dementia at the University of Oxford (UK) and co-author of a new study published in the European Heart Journal, damage to small blood vessels in the brain can increase not only from aging but also from blood pressure. Dr. Wartolowska’s new research found that having a higher diastolic blood pressure (the second, lower number on a blood pressure reading) in your 40s and 50s is associated with more extensive brain damage in your later years. “This means that it is not just the systolic blood pressure, the first, higher number, that is important to prevent brain tissue damage,” she says. “Many people may think of hypertension and stroke as diseases of older people, but our results suggest that if we would like to keep a healthy brain well into our 60s and 70s, we may have to make sure our blood pressure, including the diastolic blood pressure, stays within a healthy range when we are in our 40s and 50s.” Her research also suggests that even slightly elevated blood pressure—before it meets the criteria for treatment—can harm brain tissue. So, the goal might be to have blood pressure on the lower end of normal, like a reading of 120/70, rather than a somewhat higher level that might still be considered within the normal range.

Lifestyle steps can have a significant impact on your numbers. Here are suggestions to follow from the Mayo Clinic:

• Lose any extra weight.
• Get regular exercise.
• Eat a healthy diet.
• Lower your salt intake.
• Limit alcoholic beverages (one per day for women, two for men, max).
• Stop smoking.
• Reduce caffeine.
• Ease stress.
• Monitor your blood pressure at home and check in with your doctor regularly.
• Get support from friends and loved ones to help you reach these goals.

Fitness Flash

Making Weight-Loss Accessible

Are you stuck on the idea that weight loss is possible only for younger people? Research from the University of Warwick and University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust (UK) found that age is not a barrier to losing weight—what matters is having a plan.

For the study, published in Clinical Endocrinology, researchers looked at the results of dieters who participated in a formal weight loss program held in a hospital setting, comparing those under 60 years old to those over 60. It turned out that both groups successfully lost roughly the same 7% of their body weight by making the same set of lifestyle changes—improving diet quality and getting more active. They were also given emotional support to stick with the program. Commitment counts, too; many stayed involved with the program for more or less three years.

If you’ve shied away from joining an organized weight loss program, know that it could make the difference you’re looking for when it comes to shedding pounds. And, as the study’s lead author, Dr. Thomas Barber, pointed out, “Weight loss is important at any age, but as we get older, we’re more likely to develop the weight-related comorbidities of obesity. Many of these are similar to the effects of aging, so you could argue that the relevance of weight loss becomes heightened as we get older.”