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Olive Oil Hunter News #239

Posted on by The Olive Oil Hunter

Pepper-and-Herb-Crusted Filet Recipe, Spotlight on Condimento Barili Exclusivi, Grinding Peppercorns, You can Be Too Thin, and Everyday Habits That May Shield You from Dementia

The holiday season is almost upon us, so I’m delighted to share my recipe for a fabulous beef tenderloin, guaranteed to wow you and your guests. It’s also a good time for a reminder on the importance of healthy habits, some of which get shelved for the next two months as parties and dinners take precedence. Maintaining good-for-you strategies isn’t as hard as you might think and, as you’ll read in the Fitness Flash below, they can be transformative.

Pepper-and-Herb-Crusted Filet

  • Pepper-and-herb-crusted filet Pepper-and-Herb-Crusted Filet

    Balsamic vinegar enhances this most tender cut of beef and adds richness to the pan juices.

    Ingredients

    • 8 garlic cloves, peeled 
    • 2 tablespoons coarse sea salt
    • 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil, plus 2 tablespoons for searing 
    • 1 tablespoon Condimento Barili Exclusivi, plus more for drizzling
    • 1 tablespoon fresh coarsely cracked black pepper
    • 2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves
    • 1/4 cup fresh rosemary needles from a 3- or 4-inch sprig 
    • 2 tablespoons grainy mustard
    • One 3-pound center-cut beef tenderloin, trimmed as needed

    Directions

    Step 1

    Preheat your oven to 450ºF. In a small food processor, process the garlic and salt until the garlic is finely chopped. Add the 1/3 cup olive oil, vinegar, black pepper, thyme, and rosemary, and process until the herbs are evenly chopped. Stir in the mustard and set aside.

    Step 2

    Heat a large cast-iron skillet or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. When hot, add the 2 tablespoons olive oil and then the beef, searing it on all sides until nicely browned, 3 to 4 minutes per side, making quarter turns with tongs. Transfer the meat to a cutting board and let cool slightly.

    Step 3

    Coat the tenderloin evenly on all sides with the reserved herb mixture, and then transfer it to a meat rack set in a roasting pan. Roast it until the internal temperature reaches your desired doneness on an instant-read thermometer, about 20 to 30 minutes for medium-rare (depending on its thickness). Let it rest for at least 10 minutes to seal in the juices before you carve it into thick slices. Serve with a drizzle of pan juices and a few drops of vinegar.

    Yields 8 servings

Healthy Ingredient Spotlight: Condimento Barili Exclusivi

Healthy Ingredient Spotlight

Condimento Barili Exclusivi

Condimento Barili Exclusivi

With so many bottles on supermarket and gourmet shop shelves labeled “balsamic,” it’s important to know that true balsamic vinegar can only come from Modena, Italy. The highest designation is Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale DOP (Denominazione di Origine Protetta,or Protected Origin Denomination), which is crafted exclusively from cooked grape must, the result of cooking down all parts of the grapes. This kind of vinegar is aged for a minimum of 12 years, and a few ounces cost well over a hundred dollars, so it’s not used for cooking or making vinaigrettes but for drizzling sparingly as a finishing touch.

Aceto Balsamico di Modena IGP (Indicazione Geografica Protetta, or Protected Geographical Indication) is made from grape must and wine vinegar and aged in wooden barrels for at least two months. It gets sweeter and more harmonious as it achieves the perfect ratio of density to acidity. 

Since I first introduced the T. J. Robinson Curated Culinary Selections, I’ve always included a very special balsamic, Condimento all’Aceto Balsamico di Modena IGP Barili Exclusivi—meaning “from exclusive barrels.” The condimento designation allows vinegar vintners to go beyond the strict requirements set by the consortiums in Modena, whose job it is to make sure their rules are adhered to. This year’s is our richest yet. The barrels used during the aging process impart complex flavors and a richer texture through contact with the wood. The result is a truly unique balsamic full of character. I love it in marinades and sauces and as a drizzle on finished dishes.

Quick Kitchen Nugget: Grinding Peppercorns

Quick Kitchen Nugget

Grinding Peppercorns

Ground black pepper starts to lose its flavor within a matter of days, so the taste of packaged ground pepper, which has likely been sitting around for months, is going to be disappointing. That’s why I prefer buying whole black peppercorns. The question then becomes whether to use a pepper mill to grind it as you need it or run small amounts through a bean or spice grinder and transfer it to a shaker jar.

The answer depends on how fast you’ll use it. If you cook every day, you’re likely to go through the jar in short order, and this approach can be a time and labor saver. I also like to have a dedicated grinder for pepper so I don’t run the risk of transferring flavors, which can happen if you use the same grinder for coffee or a strong spice like cumin. (Most grinders can be washed, but follow manufacturer directions carefully.) On the other hand, if you mostly use black pepper to season cooked food, use a pepper mill at the table. The classic hourglass-shaped mill works well for many people, but if you have hand arthritis or any other limitations, consider getting an electric one that requires less effort.

For Your Best Health: You can Be Too Thin 

For Your Best Health

You can Be Too Thin 

Legend has it that Wallis Simpson, the former Duchess of Windsor, famously said you can never be too rich or too thin. As it turns out, at least half that statement may be false. New research presented at the annual meeting of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes in Vienna, Austria, challenges long-held assumptions about body weight and health. 

“Both underweight and obesity are major global health challenges,” says Sigrid Bjerge Gribsholt, MD, PhD, of the Steno Diabetes Center Aarhus at Aarhus University Hospital in Aarhus, Denmark, who led the research. “Obesity may disrupt the body’s metabolism, weaken the immune system, and lead to diseases like type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and up to 15 different cancers, while underweight is tied to malnutrition, weakened immunity, and nutrient deficiencies. There are conflicting findings about the BMI range linked to lowest mortality. It was once thought to be 20 to 25, but it may be shifting upward over time owing to medical advances and improvements in general health.”

To provide some clarity, Dr. Gribsholt, Professor Jens Meldgaard Bruun, MD, also of the Steno Diabetes Center Aarhus, and colleagues used health data to examine the relationship between BMI and mortality in 85,761 individuals (81.4% female, median age at baseline 66.4 years). About 8% of the participants died during the 5-year follow-up period. 

Their analysis found that people in the underweight category were almost three times more likely (2.73 times) to have died than those with a BMI toward the top of the healthy range (22.5 to <25.0 kg/m2, the reference population). People with BMI of 40 kg/m2 and above (categorized as severe obesity) were more than twice as likely (2.1 times) to have died compared with the reference population.

However, higher mortality rates were also found for some BMIs that are considered healthy. People with a BMI of 18.5 to <20.0 kg/m2, at the lower end of the healthy weight range, were twice as likely to have died as those in the reference population. Similarly, those with a 20.0 to <22.5 kg/m2, in the middle of the healthy weight range, were 27% more likely to have died than the reference population.

By contrast, individuals with a BMI in the overweight range (25 to <30 kg/m2) and those with a BMI at the lower part of the obese range (30.0 to <35.0 kg/m2) were no more likely to have died than those in the reference population, a phenomenon sometimes referred to as being metabolically healthy or “fat but fit.” Those with a BMI of 35 to <40.0 kg/m2 did have an increased risk of death of 23%.

Researchers saw a similar pattern when they looked at the relationship between BMI and obesity in participants of different ages, sexes, and levels of education, but they were surprised to find that BMI was not associated with a higher mortality—up to a BMI of 35 kg/m2—and that even a BMI 35 to <40 kg/m2 was only associated with a slightly increased risk.

“One possible reason for the results is reverse causation: Some people may lose weight because of an underlying illness,” said Dr. Gribsholt. “In those cases, it is the illness, not the low weight itself, that increases the risk of death, which can make it look like having a higher BMI is protective. Since our data came from people who were having scans for health reasons, we cannot completely rule this out. It is also possible that people with higher BMI who live longer—most of the people we studied were elderly—may have certain protective traits that influence the results. Still, in line with earlier research, we found that people who are in the underweight range face a much higher risk of death.”

“BMI isn’t the only indicator that someone is carrying unhealthy levels of fat,” Dr. Bruun pointed out. “Other important factors include how the fat is distributed. Visceral fat—fat that is very metabolically active and stored deep within the abdomen, wrapped around the organs—secretes compounds that adversely affect metabolic health. As a result, an individual who has a BMI of 35 and is apple-shaped—the excess fat is around their abdomen—may have type 2 diabetes or high blood pressure, while another individual with the same BMI may be free of these problems because the excess fat is on their hips, buttocks, and thighs. It is clear that the treatment of obesity should be personalized to take into account factors such as fat distribution and the presence of conditions such as type 2 diabetes when setting a target weight.”

Fitness Flash: Everyday Habits That May Shield You from Dementia

Fitness Flash

Everyday Habits That May Shield You from Dementia

Alzheimer’s is on the rise, but evidence shows lifestyle interventions can significantly preserve memory and cognition. Prevention may hold the key to reducing the massive global burden of dementia, according to a commentary from researchers at Florida Atlantic University’s Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine, published in The American Journal of Medicine.

An estimated 7.2 million Americans over age 65 currently live with Alzheimer’s disease. That number is expected to nearly double to 13.8 million by 2060. These increases reflect more than demographic shifts; they point to a growing public health crisis that requires a proactive new approach. While chronological age is the strongest known risk factor for cognitive decline, losing cognitive function is not an inevitable part of aging.

“While deaths from cardiovascular disease have declined since 2000, deaths from Alzheimer’s disease have surged by more than 140%,” said commentary coauthor Charles H. Hennekens, MD, the First Sir Richard Doll Professor of Medicine and Preventive Medicine and senior academic advisor at Schmidt. “At the same time, it is estimated that up to 45% of dementia risk could be attributed to modifiable lifestyle and environmental factors.”

Lifestyle risk factors like physical inactivity, poor diet, obesity, alcohol use, and conditions such as hypertension, diabetes, depression, and social or intellectual isolation are believed to contribute to cognitive decline. The authors point out that the same therapeutic lifestyle changes proven effective for reducing risks of cardiovascular and other major diseases may also help reduce cognitive decline, potentially with additive effects when multiple risk factors are present.

The commentary highlights the recently published results from POINTER, the first large-scale US-based randomized trial to test whether intensive lifestyle changes can improve cognitive outcomes in older adults at high risk of decline. In this trial, participants who were assigned at random to a structured, team-based lifestyle intervention showed statistically significant and clinically meaningful improvements in global cognition over two years. These gains were especially notable in executive functions such as memory, attention, planning, and decision-making. The intervention emphasized regular physical activity, a combination of Mediterranean and DASH-style diets, cognitive stimulation, and social engagement reinforced through ongoing professional guidance and group support.

These findings are similar to an earlier Finnish trial, the FINGER trial, in which participants with elevated cardiovascular risk scores assigned at random to a multidomain lifestyle approach experienced cognitive benefits. “The data from both these landmark large-scale randomized trials demonstrate that lifestyle changes—previously shown to reduce heart disease and cancer—also hold transformative potential for brain health,” Dr. Hennekens said.

The researchers also speculated about biological mechanisms that may underlie these benefits. Physical activity, for example, increases brain-derived neurotrophic factor, which supports hippocampal growth, while also improving blood flow and reducing inflammation. Healthy dietary patterns like the Mediterranean and DASH diets can lower oxidative stress and improve insulin sensitivity as well as risks of cardiovascular disease. Quitting smoking may help preserve brain structure and white matter integrity, and regular social and cognitive engagement promotes neuroplasticity and mental resilience.

“The implications for clinical practice, public health, and government policy are potentially enormous,” said Parvathi Perumareddi, DO, coauthor and an associate professor of family medicine at Schmidt. “Clinicians now have powerful evidence-based tools to help their patients prevent or slow cognitive decline, tools that go beyond medications, are generally low-risk, and are cost-effective. Public health agencies could adopt the framework of trials like POINTER and FINGER to develop brain health programs.”

“While more research is needed, the current totality of evidence supports a clear path forward: invest in lifestyle-based strategies to protect brain health,” said Dr. Hennekens. “Doing so will not only benefit individuals at risk but also serve as a powerful tool for reducing national and global health care burdens related to cognitive decline.”

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Olive Oil Hunter News #238

Posted on by The Olive Oil Hunter

Cold Seafood Salad Recipe, Spotlight on Yuzu Rice Wine Vinegar, Overcooking Shellfish, Controlling High Blood Pressure, Plus Exercise and Your Appetite

I love elegant dishes that deliver on taste with a minimum of effort, and my take on a seafood salad is perfect at any time because the ingredients are always available—flash-freezing makes it possible to find them year-round in the freezer case. Another reason to love this dish is that it doesn’t call for any added salt, a contributor to high blood pressure. Read on for other ways to limit sodium in your diet.

Cold Seafood Salad

  • Cold Seafood Salad Cold Seafood Salad

    You can enhance this medley, perfect for a light lunch or dinner, with steamed mussels or, for pure indulgence, lobster chunks.

    Ingredients

    • 1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined
    • 1/2 pound cleaned calamari, cut into rings 
    • 1 pound sea scallops, preferably the dry type
    • 20 cherry tomatoes, halved
    • 1 small red onion, cut into rings
    • 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
    • 1 tablespoon Yuzu Rice Wine Vinegar
    • Juice of half a lemon, plus more to taste
    • 1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
    • Freshly ground black pepper to taste

    Directions

    Step 1

    Prepare an ice bath: Set out a very large bowl and fill it halfway with water, then add 2 cups of ice. 

    Step 2

    Boil the shrimp in a large pot of water until pink, about 5 minutes; use a large strainer to scoop them out and into the ice bath to cool. Add the calamari rings to the boiling water and cook for 2 minutes; use the strainer to scoop them out and into the ice bath. Turn the heat in the cooking pot down to a simmer, add the scallops, cover, and take off the heat; wait 4 minutes, and then use the strainer to scoop them out and into the ice bath. After 5 minutes, drain the seafood and place in a serving bowl along with the tomatoes and onion rings.

    Step 3

    Whisk the olive oil, vinegar, and lemon juice in a small bowl. Add the parsley, then pour over the seafood. Toss lightly, taste, and season with pepper and more lemon juice as desired.

    Yields 4 servings

Healthy Ingredient Spotlight: Austrian Red Wine Vinegar

Healthy Ingredient Spotlight

Yuzu Rice Wine Vinegar

Condimento Bianco Menta

Each year, as I contemplate the potential vinegar choices for the T. J. Robinson Curated Culinary Selections, I always want to include a rather exotic one to surprise and delight you. Yuzu Rice Wine Vinegar is exactly that. 

Rice wine vinegar is such an important ingredient in Asian cooking. It’s made from sake, the beloved rice-based Japanese drink. The sake for this vinegar is American-made, a junmai-grade sake from California. Junmai means that it’s pure—nothing other than rice is added to the fermenting mixture. The rice wine is not seasoned, meaning it has no sugar added; it has just the mellowness that comes from aging.

For a completely one-of-a-kind creation, I had the idea to enhance this vinegar with yuzu. Yuzu is an Asian citrus fruit with a strong perfumed aroma and a highly complex flavor profile with notes of grapefruit, lemon, and mandarin orange—it’s tart, sweet, and floral all at the same time. Its thick and bumpy rind goes from green to yellow as it ripens, and its milky yellow juice has deep flavor. It took a lot of experimenting with proportions to find just the right balance of yuzu juice and rice wine so that both tastes would come through, and then it was rounded out with organic blue agave for a little bit of sweetness. The result is a sweet-tart vinegar with a flavor that will wow you as much as it did me.

Quick Kitchen Nugget: Don’t Overcook Shellfish

Quick Kitchen Nugget

Don’t Overcook Shellfish

No one likes rubbery seafood—one bad experience can turn you off to these gifts from the ocean. It’s especially easy to overcook calamari and scallops since, unlike shrimp, their color doesn’t change dramatically when they’re done. However, they do go from translucent to opaque, often in just a few minutes. If you keep cooking beyond this point, they will become tough. Even if you scoop them out of the cooking liquid, the cooking process will continue until the heat dissipates, which is why I suggest dropping them in an ice bath right away.

Shrimp and whole lobsters will turn a bright red-orange as soon as they’re done. Seafood in the shell, like clams, mussels, and oysters, should be steamed on a rack over simmering water just until their shells open. This can take as little as 5 minutes or up to 10, depending on size, so keep watch. They don’t need the ice bath, but it should be used right away.

For Your Best Health: Controlling High Blood Pressure

For Your Best Health

Controlling High Blood Pressure

Despite strong evidence that salt substitutes can safely lower sodium intake and reduce high blood pressure, very few Americans use them, according to preliminary research presented at the American Heart Association’s Hypertension Scientific Sessions 2025. A new analysis of nearly 20 years of national health data found that usage peaked at just over 5% and then declined, even among those with hypertension. Researchers say this represents a major missed opportunity to improve heart health.

High blood pressure occurs when the force of blood flowing through the blood vessels is consistently too high. High blood pressure can lead to other serious events such as heart attack and stroke. Data from 2017 to 2020 showed that 122.4 million American adults had high blood pressure and that high blood pressure contributed to more than 130,000 deaths. Too much sodium and too little potassium in the diet are risk factors for high blood pressure.

“Overall, less than 6% of all US adults use salt substitutes, even though they are inexpensive and can be an effective strategy to help people control blood pressure, especially people with difficult-to-treat high blood pressure,” said lead study author Yinying Wei, MCN, RDN, LD, and PhD candidate in the departments of applied clinical research and hypertension section, cardiology division, at UT Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas. “Healthcare professionals can raise awareness about the safe use of salt substitutes by having conversations with their patients who have persistent or hard-to-manage high blood pressure.”

Salt substitutes are products that replace some or all of the sodium with potassium. Potassium salt tastes similar to regular salt, except it can have a bitter aftertaste if it’s been heated. Many foods contain some sodium in their natural state; however, the largest amount of sodium comes from processed and packaged foods and meals prepared at restaurants. The American Heart Association recommends consuming no more than 2,300 mg of sodium a day, with an ideal limit of less than 1,500 mg per day for most adults, especially for those with high blood pressure. For most people, cutting back by 1,000 mg a day can improve blood pressure and heart health.

The investigation focused on people with high blood pressure, and an additional analysis was conducted among adults eligible to use salt substitutes, including people with normal kidney function and those not taking medications or supplements that affect blood potassium levels. Some salt substitutes contain potassium, and they can raise blood potassium to dangerous levels in people with kidney disease or those taking certain medications or potassium supplements. Excessive potassium can lead to irregular heart rhythms. People with high blood pressure who are thinking about switching from regular salt to a salt substitute should first consult with a healthcare professional.

The study did have some limitations, said the authors. First, information about salt substitute use was self-reported, so there may have been underreporting or misclassification. In addition, all types of salt substitutes were included in the analysis; therefore, the analysis could not specifically separate potassium-enriched salt from other types of salt substitutes. Finally, the survey data did not capture how much salt substitute the participants used.

“Future research should explore why salt substitute use remains low by investigating potential barriers, such as taste acceptance, cost, and limited awareness among both patients and clinicians,” said Wei. “These insights may help guide more targeted interventions.”

Salt substitutes aren’t the only options for adding more flavor to foods. According to the American Association of Heart Failure Nurses, pure herbs and spices, such as garlic, onion, and chili powder, are great choices. Just make sure you aren’t using garlic salt or onion salt. 

Fitness Flash: Exercise and Your Appetite

Fitness Flash

Exercise and Your Appetite

Researchers at Baylor College of Medicine, Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute (Duncan NRI) at Texas Children’s Hospital, Stanford University School of Medicine, and collaborating institutions recently shared new insights into how exercise helps with weight loss. They discovered a mechanism by which the compound Lac-Phe, which is produced during exercise, reduces appetite in mice, leading to weight loss. The findings appeared in Nature Metabolism.

“Regular exercise is considered a powerful way to lose weight and to protect from obesity-associated diseases, such as diabetes or heart conditions,” said co-corresponding author Yang He, PhD, assistant professor of pediatrics-neurology at Baylor and investigator at the Duncan NRI. “Exercise helps [people] lose weight by increasing the amount of energy the body uses; however, it is likely that other mechanisms are also involved.”

The researchers previously discovered that Lac-Phe is the most increased metabolite—a product of the body’s metabolism—in blood after intense exercise, not just in mice but also in people. They had also shown that giving Lac-Phe to obese mice reduced how much they ate and helped them lose weight without negative side effects. But until now, scientists didn’t fully understand how Lac-Phe helps suppress appetite.

“Understanding how Lac-Phe works is important for developing it or similar compounds into treatments that may help people lose weight,” Dr. He said. “We looked into the brain as it regulates appetite and feeding behaviors.”

The researchers studied two types of brain cells in mice: AgRP neurons, which stimulate hunger and are found in the arcuate nucleus of the hypothalamus, and PVH neurons, found in the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus. Normally, AgRP neurons send signals that inhibit PVH neurons, making you feel hungry. But when AgRP neurons are turned off, PVH neurons become more active, reducing appetite.

The team discovered that Lac-Phe directly inhibits AgRP neurons, which in turn activates PVH neurons. This chain of events resulted in the mice eating less. The animals’ behavior remained normal, suggesting that Lac-Phe doesn’t cause unpleasant side effects. “We found that Lac-Phe acts on a protein on AgRP neurons called the KATP channel, which helps regulate cell activity. When Lac-Phe activates these channels in AgRP neurons, the cells become less active,” Dr. He said. “When we blocked the KATP channels using drugs or genetic tools, Lac-Phe no longer suppressed appetite. This confirmed that the KATP channel is essential for Lac-Phe’s effects.”

This research helped explain how exercise can naturally reduce appetite and improve metabolism. “The results also suggest the exciting possibility of targeting this newly discovered mechanism for weight management,” said co-corresponding author Yong Xu, PhD, currently at the University of South Florida.

Although this study focused on mice, the findings are promising for people. Future research will explore how Lac-Phe works in different metabolic states (like obesity vs. leanness), how it travels to the brain, and whether it can be used safely and effectively as a therapy.

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Olive Oil Hunter News #237

Posted on by The Olive Oil Hunter

Béarnaise Recipe, Spotlight on Austrian Red Wine Vinegar, Who Needs a Dedicated Double Boiler, Shedding Light on Common Allergens and Managing Fitness Setbacks

Every now and then I want an indulgence, and one I find so tempting is the French classic I mastered in culinary school: béarnaise, the 200-year-old sauce said to have been created by accident by the Parisian chef Jean-Louis-François Collinet. It’s as sumptuous today as it was back then. But you don’t have to be a professional cook to make it at home—all you need are the right ingredients and equipment.  

Béarnaise

  • Béarnaise Béarnaise

    Rich and buttery, this is the ultimate sauce for steak—and the perfect dip for roasted potatoes.

    Ingredients

    • 1/4 cup Austrian Red Wine Vinegar
    • 1 shallot, minced
    • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
    • 1 tablespoon fresh tarragon leaves, chopped, or 1 teaspoon dried
    • 12 tablespoons unsalted butter
    • 2 egg yolks
    • 1 tablespoon water
    • Coarse sea salt to taste

    Directions

    Step 1

    In a small saucepan, bring the vinegar, shallot, black pepper, and tarragon to a boil. Lower the heat and cook until the vinegar is reduced by half. Pour into the top of a double boiler (or a metal or heatproof glass bowl that will fit over a saucepan) and allow to come to room temperature. 

    Step 2

    Melt the butter in the microwave or a small saucepan and set aside. Fill the bottom of the double boiler (or another saucepan) with 2 inches of water, bring to a boil, and then lower the heat to a simmer. Whisk the egg yolks and water into the vinegar reduction and place the mixture over the simmering water. Whisk continuously until it doubles in volume. Then slowly whisk in the butter, about 2 tablespoons at a time. Continue whisking vigorously until the sauce becomes thick but is still pourable. Taste and season with salt, if desired. 

    Step 3

    Remove the double boiler/saucepan from the heat. The sauce can sit while you cook your steak. Whisk gently before serving, if needed.

    Yields a scant cup, enough for 4 steaks

Healthy Ingredient Spotlight: Austrian Red Wine Vinegar

Healthy Ingredient Spotlight

Austrian Red Wine Vinegar

Condimento Bianco Menta

Red wine vinegar is a pantry essential, but this one, finely crafted in Austria, is in a class by itself. Rotweinessig is one of the most traditional vinegars in the country—it’s what Austrians use on a daily basis. The Austrian Red Wine Vinegar in my 2026 collection of artisanal vinegars is crafted from fresh wine made from Austria’s own popular Zweigelt grapes. The grapes are grown in the Styria region of the country, which is called the green heart of Austria because of its verdant and hilly landscape and rich agriculture. The wine goes through a second fermentation to convert the alcohol into acetic acid, and then it’s stored for several years in oak barrels, which softens the acidity while maintaining a wonderful fresh taste—mild and harmonious. 

Quick Kitchen Nugget: Who Needs a Dedicated Double Boiler?

Quick Kitchen Nugget

Who Needs a Dedicated Double Boiler?

A double boiler is simply two stacked pots, though the name is somewhat misleading since only the bottom pot holds boiling liquid (water). The top pot is where you place ingredients that could easily burn, like chocolate or butter, or curdle, like egg-based custards, sauces, and curds. The cooking is done by the steam that rises from the boiling water in the bottom pot, which must be filled with only about 2 inches of water. This prevents the boiling water from touching the top pot. The cooking time is somewhat longer, but it’s less risky than placing delicate ingredients over direct heat.

You can easily create a makeshift double boiler by placing a large heatproof glass or metal bowl over a saucepan. The bowl should cover the opening of the pot but not be so deep that it touches the boiling water.

For Your Best Health: Shedding Light on Common Allergens

For Your Best Health

Shedding Light on Common Allergens

Household allergens - woman blowing nose near cat

Sneezing caused by cats, dust mites, or mold may one day be preventable with a flip of a switch. Researchers at the University of Colorado at Boulder found that UV222 light can alter allergen proteins, reducing allergic reactions without dangerous side effects. Within 30 minutes, airborne allergens decreased by up to 25%, according to their study published in the journal ACS ES&T Air.

“We have found that we can use a passive, generally safe ultraviolet light treatment to quickly inactivate airborne allergens,” said study author Tess Eidem, PhD, a senior research associate in the Department of Civil, Environmental, and Architectural Engineering. “We believe this could be another tool for helping people fight allergens in their home, schools, or other places where allergens accumulate indoors,” said Dr. Eidem. 

If you walk into a room where there’s a cat and you sneeze, it’s not actually the cat you are reacting to. It’s likely airborne flecks of a protein produced in its saliva. The protein spreads when the cat licks itself and sends up microscopic flakes of dead skin that float in the air (aka dander). When we inhale these particles, our immune system produces antibodies that bind to the protein’s unique 3D structure, kicking off an allergic reaction.

Cats, dogs, mice, dust mites, mold, and plants all emit their own unique proteins, with their own unique structure. Unlike bacteria and viruses, these allergens can’t be killed because they were never alive. “After those dust mites are long gone, the allergen is still there,” said Dr. Eidem. “That’s why if you shake out a rug, you can have a reaction years later.”

Standard methods of reducing allergens, like vacuuming, washing walls, using an air filter, and regularly bathing pets, can work OK but are hard to maintain, long-term studies show. Instead of eliminating the proteins that cause allergies, Dr. Eidem and coauthors Mark Hernandez, PhD, a professor of civil, environmental, and architectural engineering, and Kristin Rugh, a microbiologist in the lab, sought to change their structure, much like unfolding an origami animal, so the immune system wouldn’t recognize them. “If your immune system is used to a swan and you unfold the protein so it no longer looks like a swan, you won’t mount an allergic response,” explained Dr. Eidem. UV light, their study suggests, can do that.

UV222 lights are already commercially available, mostly for industrial antimicrobial uses. Dr. Eidem envisions a day when companies could engineer portable versions for people to switch on when they visit a friend with a pet or clean out a dusty basement. UV222 systems could also potentially protect workers frequently exposed to allergens, such as those who work around live animals.

One in three adults and children in the United States have allergies, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Dr. Eidem hopes her research, and more to come, can provide some relief or even save lives. “Asthma attacks kill about 10 people every day in the United States, and they are often triggered by airborne allergens,” she said. “Trying to develop new ways to prevent that exposure is really important.”

Fitness Flash: Managing Setbacks

Fitness Flash

Managing Setbacks

Roadblocks on the route to better fitness are common for almost everyone. Maybe you started off strong, but then, little by little, other responsibilities got in the way and your motivation began to wane. Or maybe you were too ambitious at first and got hurt and sidelined, or you’re simply impatient with the pace of your improvement. Setbacks can be discouraging, but you can overcome them and achieve your goals, say the experts at the American Council on Exercise. Here’s what they suggest:

  • View setbacks as part of your journey rather than as failures. 
  • Keep a progress chart to remind yourself of how far you’ve come.
  • Break big goals into smaller, more attainable steps. If you hope to run a 5K, start by aiming for a 1K or 2K.
  • Pair new habits with existing ones, like doing calf rises while brushing teeth, to help them become permanent. 
  • Build the mental strength needed to navigate challenges and stay committed to goals. This could be through guided meditation or mindful workouts like yoga and tai chi.
  • Try a fitness app that offers daily reminders, progress tracking, and motivational tips. 
  • Celebrate all achievements, even the smallest ones, like every pound lost. 

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Olive Oil Hunter News #236

Posted on by The Olive Oil Hunter

Tabbouleh Recipe, Spotlight on Condimento Bianco Menta, Why How You Cut Foods Matters, Hold the Fries and Taking a Global Perspective on Exercise 

I love a do-ahead dish like tabbouleh that can also be a grab-and-go lunch. My version is enhanced by the subtle mint notes in my Condimento Bianco Menta, a unique vinegar in my brand-new collection of artisanal vinegars from the T. J. Robinson Curated Culinary Selections. Sweet, fragrant, and infused with real mint leaves, it’s crafted in the style of a fine Italian balsamic (and read below to learn why there’s actually no such thing as “white balsamic”). Get ready for it to be your new favorite.

Also in this issue, you’ll read about the risk of French fries when eaten too often (they have the opposite effect of potatoes roasted in olive oil!). I’m also sharing research on how much exercise is optimal as we get older, based on a new global consensus.

Tabbouleh

  • Tabbouleh Tabbouleh

    This salad features bulgur, a versatile whole grain that’s made from cracked wheat and packed with protein and fiber (it’s also great folded into just-roasted vegetables). This zesty dish can be a side or a meatless meal.

    Ingredients

    • 3/4 cup uncooked bulgur 
    • 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
    • 2 tablespoons Condimento Bianco Menta
    • 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
    • 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt, plus more to taste
    • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste
    • 1 cup loosely packed fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
    • 1/2 cup loosely packed fresh mint leaves
    • 2 ounces shelled walnuts
    • 2 large ripe tomatoes or 2 cups cherry tomatoes

    Directions

    Step 1

    Bring 1 1/2 cups water to a boil and add the bulgur. Simmer, according to package directions, until the water is absorbed, about 15 minutes, watching carefully toward the end to avoid scorching. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool.

    Step 2

    In a large bowl, make the dressing by whisking together the olive oil, vinegar, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. 

    Step 3

    Roughly chop the parsley, mint, and nuts and add to the bowl with the dressing. Coarsely chop the tomatoes (if using cherry tomatoes, halve them) and add along with the bulgur, folding them in well. Taste and add more salt and pepper as desired. Serve with a drizzle of olive oil. 

    Yields 4 servings

Healthy Ingredient Spotlight: Condimento Bianco Menta

Healthy Ingredient Spotlight

Condimento Bianco Menta

Condimento Bianco Menta

Last year, when I introduced my Condimento Bianco Senape, a white wine vinegar with mustard seeds, I knew it would be a hard act to follow. But lightning can strike twice. This year, I created a mint-infused vinegar for the new collection, Condimento Bianco Menta (which means “white condiment with mint”). It’s reminiscent of a fine balsamic because it’s crafted in a sweet style, but it’s called a condimento and not a “white balsamic” because that is not a recognized type of vinegar in Modena, Italy, the birthplace of balsamic vinegar. A true balsamic vinegar is made solely from grape must, which is the result of cooking down all the parts of Lambrusco and Trebbiano grapes. 

My condiment has the perfect ratio of cooked white grape must (from only Trebbiano grapes for the light color) to white wine vinegar. I chose to use classic Italian mint—an important distinction because the peppermint used in holiday cooking can be so overwhelming—and to have the leaves added right at the time of bottling. Unlike vinegars misleadingly labeled “white balsamic” on shelves in the US and containing all sorts of colorings and flavorings, nothing else goes into this naturally sweet vinegar. 

Quick Kitchen Nugget: Why How You Cut Foods Matters

Quick Kitchen Nugget

Why How You Cut Foods Matters

Whether you’re cutting up vegetables for a salad, like tabbouleh or Cobb, or for roasting in the oven, it’s often important to cut the different ingredients into pieces of the same size. Uniform cuts enhance the flavors of the foods and help different vegetables cook uniformly, provided the ingredients have similar density—so they should be all root vegetables, such as carrots and beets, or all high-water-content vegetables, like zucchini and eggplant, to name two examples. The prep does take longer and requires careful knife skills, but the finished dishes will taste—and look—even better. 

For Your Best Health: Hold the Fries

For Your Best Health

Hold the Fries

French fries may be more than just a guilty pleasure—they could raise your risk of type 2 diabetes by 20% if eaten three times a week, according to a study published in the journal The BMJ. While eating the same amount of boiled, baked, or mashed potatoes doesn’t appear to have that effect, replacing any form of potatoes with whole grains seems to lower diabetes risk, and swapping them for white rice was linked to an increase!

Potatoes contain several nutrients, including fiber, vitamin C, and magnesium, but they also have a high starch content and are high on the glycemic index. They have been linked to a higher risk of developing diabetes, but whether that was influenced by the cooking method used was unclear, as was which food swaps were better or worse.

To address these questions, a group of researchers from various institutions analyzed data from three important US studies: Nurses’ Health Study (1984-2020), Nurses’ Health Study II (1991-2021), and Health Professionals Follow-up Study (1986-2018). In all, more than 205,000 health professionals were represented. 

During almost 40 years of follow-up, 22,299 people were diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. After adjusting for lifestyle and dietary factors related to diabetes risk, the researchers found that for every three weekly servings of total potatoes, the rate of type 2 diabetes increased by 5%, and for every three weekly servings of French fries, the rate increased by 20%. However, a similar intake of specifically baked, boiled, or mashed potatoes was not associated with a significant increased risk.

Replacing three weekly servings of potatoes with whole grains lowered the type 2 diabetes rate by 8%. More specifically, substituting baked, boiled, or mashed potatoes with whole grains lowered the rate by 4%, and replacing French fries lowered the rate by 19%. In contrast, replacing potatoes with white rice was associated with an increased risk of type 2 diabetes.

This is an observational study, so no firm conclusions can be drawn about cause and effect, and the researchers say they couldn’t rule out the possibility that other unmeasured factors may have influenced the results. Most participants were also health professionals of European ancestry, so findings may not apply to other populations. Nevertheless, the researchers concluded that their “findings underscore that the association between potato intake and type 2 diabetes risk depends on the specific foods used as replacement. The findings also align with current dietary recommendations that promote the inclusion of whole grains as part of a healthy diet for the prevention of type 2 diabetes.”

Fitness Flash: Taking a Global Perspective on Exercise 

Fitness Flash

Taking a Global Perspective on Exercise 

An international group of health experts recently authored the paper “Global Consensus on Optimal Exercise Recommendations for Enhancing Healthy Longevity in Older Adults” published in The Journal of Nutrition, Health and Aging, to encourage health professionals to stress the therapeutic value of exercise to their patients. Their core point is this: Staying active and getting exercise can help counteract age-related declines in physical, cognitive, and psychological health, extending the health span and improving people’s quality of life; being sedentary is linked to a range of age-related health issues, including obesity, sarcopenia (muscle loss), frailty, disability, and numerous chronic illnesses.

Exercise has long been called free medicine. Building on that premise, the researchers suggest we look at activity as a form of treatment, with people getting exercise prescriptions tailored to their specific goals, from disease prevention to enhanced fitness and function. But they point out that the value of exercise is rarely addressed or turned into an action plan by doctors during health visits, stating, “This cautious approach to exercise counseling appears to stem from an unfounded fear of exercise-related injuries or the perceived risks of more vigorous activities for older adults, whereas, in reality, the greater danger lies in sedentariness. Integrating evidence-based exercise programs that are comprehensive and adaptable to individual health conditions is crucial across all healthcare settings, including community and institutional settings. By doing so, healthy aging can be promoted, and the growing burden of noncommunicable diseases associated with inactivity can be addressed.” 

They noted that evenmodest activities like balance exercises or strength training can pay huge dividends in mobility and independence, and going to fitness classes can reduce isolation and provide people with a sense of community. 

With all that exercise can do, you might want to bring it up with your healthcare provider and not wait for them to initiate the conversation. Here are some talking points mentioned in the consensus: Ask for a program individually tailored to you, one that takes into account your abilities, preferences, and any medical conditions you have. Ask that the program include a combination of strength training, aerobic activities, balance exercises, and cognitive challenges for the most benefits. And ask for help setting realistic short-term goals. Ask your doctor to monitor your progress, if possible, and acknowledge when you meet goals because this instills confidence and will encourage you to stick with the plan.

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