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Olive Oil Hunter News #213

Posted on by The Olive Oil Hunter

Poached Salmon with Leek Sauce Recipe, Spotlight on Poaching Liquid and Skinning Fish, A New Way to Look at Fiber, Plus “Weekend Warrior” Benefits

As summer approaches, our tastebuds favor lighter dishes that are still big on flavor. Poaching is a minimalist cooking technique that’s fast and virtually foolproof! Perfect for salmon, it’s also great for chicken, especially when making chicken salad. The health news in this edition touches on two interesting topics: how scientists are working to classify various types of dietary fiber in different foods so that we can better gain fiber benefits and how being a weekend warrior when it comes to exercise will still help you get the fitness benefits of daily workouts. 

Poached Salmon with Leek Sauce 

  • Poached salmon with leek sauce Poached Salmon with Leek Sauce

    This recipe is perfect for spring—a light cooking technique and vibrant flavors. Leeks are the unsung heroes of the allium family, delivering a sweet, oniony taste. Just be sure to triple-wash them to remove all the sand before cooking.

    Ingredients

    For the poached salmon:

    • 2-pound salmon fillet
    • 4 fresh dill sprigs
    • 1 large onion, sliced
    • 6 black peppercorns
    • 2 cups white wine  

    For the leek sauce: 

    • 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
    • 1 small garlic clove, minced 
    • 2 large leeks, trimmed, cleaned, and cut into coins or half moons 
    • 1 teaspoon fine sea salt, more to taste  
    • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, more to taste
    • 1 tablespoon unsalted butter

    Directions

    Step 1

    To poach the salmon, place it in a skillet large enough to hold it (you can cut a whole side into pieces to make it fit). Add the rest of the ingredients and enough cold water to cover the fish. Bring the liquid to a boil, lower the heat to a simmer, and cover. Cook for about 10 minutes, until the fish is opaque. Turn off the heat and let sit for 5 minutes. 

    Step 2

    While the salmon is cooking, make the leek sauce: Heat a large frying pan over medium-high heat. When hot, add the olive oil and garlic. Once the garlic has softened, add the leeks, salt, and pepper. Sauté the leeks over medium-low heat until tender, about 8 minutes. Add the butter and stir to melt it into the sauce. 

    Step 3

    Cut the fish into four portions (if not already cut up). Plate the fish and top with the sautéed leeks. Drizzle with olive oil.

    Yields 4 servings

Healthy Ingredient Spotlight: Poaching Liquid

Healthy Ingredient Spotlight

Poaching Liquid

Poaching is a simple cooking technique. The food is submerged in liquid and cooked at a low simmer. Though most of the liquid is water, enhancing it with other ingredients will impart great flavor. Choose aromatics such as vegetables (carrots, onions, and celery, for example), fresh herbs, and/or lemon slices. You can also use a cup or two of wine or broth. 

Quick Kitchen Nugget: Skinning Fish

Quick Kitchen Nugget

Skinning Fish

If you have excellent knife skills, you might find it easy to skin fish when raw. But leaving the skin on for cooking adds to the taste of the finished dish, plus it’s easy to simply peel off the skin after the fish is cooked and still warm. Invert your fillet onto a flat plate or cutting board and use your hand to gently pull off and discard the skin. 

Fiber- and protein-rich foods including salmon with skin on
For Your Best Health: A New Way to Look at Fiber

For Your Best Health

A New Way to Look at Fiber

Australian food scientists have reclassified dietary fiber beyond just soluble and insoluble to better guide nutritional decisions and drive targeted health food products. Dietary fiber in fruit, vegetables, beans and other legumes, and whole grains is one of the most important food components for human health. It helps digestion, weight management, blood sugar control, heart health, cancer prevention, and more. However, according to food scientist and professor Raj Eri, PhD, of RMIT University in Bundoora West, Australia, consumer advice on how best to use it for these various benefits is sorely lacking.

“Quite like how different medicines target different conditions, so too do different types of fiber,” he said. “For example, apples and bananas are both rich in dietary fiber, but the fiber in each works very differently. Our research is helping to understand which type of fiber we should eat to help address certain ailments.”

In their study, published in Food Research International, the RMIT University team proposed a more nuanced fiber classification based on five key features: backbone structure, water-holding capacity, structural charge, fiber matrix, and fermentation rate. Study lead author and RMIT PhD candidate Christo Opperman said that by starting with the key active features of fiber, this “bottom-up approach” more accurately described each fiber’s health impacts.

“For example, suppose you want to promote colonic health. In that case, you identify a fiber’s properties as defined by the bottom-up approach, which align with your desired outcome—in this case, fermentation rate,” Opperman said. “Applying this framework can assure consumers, dietitians, clinicians, and food technologists that they are receiving their desired health effect, which previously was a vague guessing game.”

Opperman said the RMIT team has now taken 20 different types of fiber and studied how they interact specifically with the gut’s microbiome. “Until now, these types of specific interactions have been understudied, but with this framework as a beginning, we are on the verge of a much more helpful and detailed understanding,” he said.

Dr. Eri said there was already strong interest among both practitioners and consumers on how to better integrate fiber into diets. “In the countries surveyed, including Europe and the US, every single population had a deficiency of fiber,” he noted. “Considering fiber is one of the most important nutrients, this is extremely worrying.” While recommended dietary fiber intake is 28 to 42 grams per day, Americans on average get only 12 to 14 grams per day and Europeans only 18 to 24 grams per day.

The current classification of dietary fiber has it grouped into soluble and insoluble fiber, which is based on whether it dissolves in water. Insoluble fiber is seldom fermented in the large intestine and helps keep us regular. Soluble fiber is more readily fermented and can reduce cholesterol, glucose absorption, and food cravings. But it’s not always so straightforward. For example, insoluble fiber can often also rapidly ferment and reduce glucose absorption.

“Despite our evolving understanding of how central different types of fiber are to nurturing a healthy gut biome, our dietary fiber classifications remain simplistic between broad categories of soluble and insoluble types,” Dr. Eri said. “This binary classification insufficiently captures the diverse structures and complex mechanisms through which dietary fiber influences human physiology. Our framework is an essential step in addressing this gap.” The researchers are now planning to investigate how a specific type of fiber (based on their new classification) modulates the microbiota and how to utilize such knowledge for specific health applications.

Fitness Flash: “Weekend Warrior” Benefits 

Fitness Flash

“Weekend Warrior” Benefits 

Being physically active for one to two days a week is often called being a “weekend warrior” because workouts are done on Saturdays and Sundays. This approach may provide comparable health and life-prolonging benefits to smaller doses of daily physical activity if the physical effort is moderate to vigorous and totals 150 minutes a week, in line with recommended guidelines for weekly physical activity, according to new research published in the Journal of the American Heart Association. To achieve health benefits, both the World Health Organization and the American Heart Association recommend that throughout each week adults engage in 150 to 300 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic physical activity, 75 to 150 minutes of vigorous-intensity aerobic physical activity, or an equivalent combination of moderate- and vigorous-intensity activity.

“You don’t need to exercise every day to stay healthy. As long as you get 150 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity per week—whether packed into one to two days or spread out—you can significantly reduce your risk of dying from cardiovascular disease, cancer, or other causes,” said study corresponding author Zhi-Hao Li, PhD, an epidemiologist in the School of Public Health at Southern Medical University in Guangzhou, China.

“This message is encouraging news for busy people who struggle to fit in daily workouts but can manage a concentrated burst of activity on weekends or over a couple of days,” Dr. Li said. “The research provides reassuring evidence that even sporadic physical activity can have lasting health benefits, making it easier for people to prioritize their well-being amid busy schedules.”

The research examined health and physical activity data for more than 93,000 people in a large biomedical database in the UK to explore how different physical activity patterns may affect the risk of dying from all causes and specifically cardiovascular disease and cancer. The team reviewed physical activity data collected from wrist accelerometers, devices that measure movement and are likely more accurate than surveys that ask participants about their activity.

The study categorized the data into three groups: “active weekend warrior,” or people who completed most of their exercise in one or two days, “active regular,” or those who spread their activity throughout the week, and “inactive,” or those who didn’t complete the recommended minimum of 150 minutes of weekly physical activity.

Compared to the inactive group, the weekend warrior and active regular groups had significantly lower risks of death from all causes, cardiovascular disease, and cancer if they completed 150 minutes of physical activity a week.

The analysis also found:

  • No significant differences in the risk of death surfaced between the weekend warrior and active regular groups.
  • For weekend warriors, the risk of death from all causes was 32% lower, the risk of death from cardiovascular disease was 31% lower, and the risk of death from cancer was 21% lower.
  • Among participants in the active regular group, the risk of death from all causes was 26% lower, the risk of death from cardiovascular disease was 24% lower, and the risk of death from cancer was 13% lower.
Vigorous exercise with gardening

While the new research aligns with previous studies, it is the first to analyze the relationship between physical activity patterns measured by accelerometers and the risk of death from cardiovascular disease and cancer.

Some of the findings surprised the research team, who initially expected that spreading activity throughout the week would be more beneficial. They did not anticipate that weekend warriors’ condensed physical activity would reduce the risk of death from disease.

“This reinforces the idea that meeting the 150 minutes of physical activity per week guideline is key to longevity, regardless of the activity pattern,” Dr. Li said. “Any activity, whether structured exercise such as jogging or daily tasks such as gardening, can be included if the intensity is moderate to vigorous.”

American Heart Association expert volunteer Keith Diaz, PhD, said the findings emphasize that the total volume of physical activity is the crucial factor for health benefits, rather than how it is distributed across a week. Dr. Diaz, the Florence Irving Associate Professor of Behavioral Medicine at Columbia University Medical Center in New York and a member of the association’s Physical Activity Science Committee, was not involved in this research.

“Many people struggle to fit in daily exercise during the workweek. However, this research shows that even if you can only be active on the weekends, you can still gain meaningful health benefits,” he said. “One important caveat to remember is that trying to fit 150 minutes of exercise into just one or two days can be a lot on your body. Some research suggests that weekend warriors have a slightly higher risk of musculoskeletal injuries compared to those who exercise more regularly. However, the benefits of exercising just on the weekend far outweigh the potential risks. If you are going to be a weekend warrior, make sure you do proper warm-ups and build up and progress to higher volumes of activity over time. This will help reduce your risk of injuries.”

The researchers said future studies should be conducted to confirm these results in more diverse groups of people throughout the world and with more consideration for contradictory factors such as genetic predisposition or environmental exposures that may influence physical activity and the outcomes.

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Olive Oil Hunter News #212

Posted on by The Olive Oil Hunter

Gourmet Grilled Cheese Recipe, Spotlight on Cheese, A Screening Test for Former Smokers plus More Evidence That Activity Is Good Medicine

Sometimes you just need comfort food, and who doesn’t love a gooey grilled cheese sandwich? My recipe takes this favorite to the next level with a blend of flavorful cheeses and the spiciness of fresh-pressed olive oil. This edition of the newsletter also details a screening test that former smokers might not realize they need, plus new research on how exercise can help reduce the risk for five serious health conditions.

Gourmet Grilled Cheese

  • Gourmet grilled cheese Gourmet Grilled Cheese

    Forget the white bread and American cheese. My version calls for three or four types of cheese—feel free to choose your own favorites—and slices of a crusty loaf enhanced with olive oil for another layer of flavor. I like to cut each sandwich into four lengths and artfully stack them on a plate for an elegant presentation. The following ingredients are for two sandwiches; multiply quantities as desired.

    Ingredients

    • 4 slices of crusty artisanal bread
    • 8 ounces assorted cheeses, such as mozzarella, gruyere, Manchego, and cheddar, thinly sliced
    • Extra virgin olive oil

    Directions

    Step 1

    Heat a griddle, preferably cast iron, over medium-high heat while you assemble the sandwiches. Place the bread on a cutting board or platter and drizzle it with olive oil. Stack equal amounts of cheese on two of the slices, then top with the remaining bread. Drizzle both outer surfaces with olive oil. 

    Step 2

    When the griddle is ready, drizzle it with olive oil and add the sandwiches. Let them cook for 5 minutes over medium heat, pressing them down occasionally with a metal spatula. Flip the sandwiches and continue cooking until the cheese is fully melted.

    Step 3

    Transfer the sandwiches back to your cutting board and cut them into fourths before serving.

    Yields 2 generous servings

Healthy Ingredient Spotlight: Rosemary

Healthy Ingredient Spotlight

Olive Oil for the Griddle

In addition to its wonderful flavor, olive oil is great for cooking with a stovetop griddle, especially cast iron, which conducts heat well. Contrary to popular thinking, it has a high smoke point and helps create that crispy outer texture we love in grilled sandwiches. If you see burned spots on your sandwich, chances are the griddle wasn’t preheated properly. Here’s how: Place your dry griddle across two burners and heat it on medium heat for 10 minutes. To get a nice sear on bread, raise the heat to medium-high for 3 minutes. When a drop of water sizzles, it’s ready. Now you can drizzle the hot griddle with olive oil and get cooking.

Reminder: Be gentle with cast-iron griddle cleanup. Once it’s completely cool, use paper towels to wipe it down. Move it to the sink and wash it using only hot water and a soft-bristle brush or a sponge. Dry it thoroughly to discourage any rust from forming. 

Quick Kitchen Nugget: Slicing Cheese

Quick Kitchen Nugget

Slicing Cheese

Slicing manchego cheese

While you always want to serve cheese at room temperature to appreciate its flavor, for easy-peasy cheese slicing or shredding, whether to set up a charcuterie board or for a sandwich, slice it when it’s cold, right out of the fridge. To prevent plated sliced cheese from drying out, always cover it until serving time.

For Your Best Health: A Screening Test for Former Smokers

For Your Best Health

A Screening Test for Former Smokers

Most people know that smoking increases the risks for atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries) and heart attack, but there are other heart threats that are not as well-known, like having an abdominal aortic aneurysm, a bulge in a blood vessel weakened by the effects of smoking. 

Experts at the UChicago Medicine Center for Aortic Diseases explain that there are two ways in which smoking damages blood vessels: blockages that reduce how much oxygen and blood reach tissues, and aneurysms, when a blood vessel weakens and develops a bulge. The aorta is the body’s largest blood vessel, and it runs through the center of the chest and abdomen. When the bulge occurs in the lower part of the aorta, it’s called an abdominal aortic aneurysm. If it keeps growing, it can burst, leading to potentially fatal internal bleeding. Most aneurysms grow slowly and don’t cause any noticeable signs or symptoms along the way (some people experience indigestion) until they rupture, when sudden intense back or abdominal pain can be a sign.

It’s unclear how much smoking puts you at risk for an aortic aneurysm, but the risk increases the longer and the more often you use tobacco. Men over age 65 are especially vulnerable. Quitting can’t reverse an existing aneurysm (it does help prevent more damage to your body, of course), and that’s why the US Preventive Services Task Force recommends a one-time ultrasound test for men between the ages of 65 and 75 who smoke or who have ever smoked. This way, your doctor can find any aneurysm in its earliest stage, when it can be monitored if small or, if already large, be treated. The task force did not find conclusive evidence that female smokers should be screened, but no matter what population group you’re in, if you smoke or used to, talk to your doctor about your unique health circumstances and whether this test is right for you. 

Fitness Flash: More Evidence That Activity Is Good Medicine

Fitness Flash

More Evidence That Activity Is Good Medicine

healthy, senior woman resting after exercise

People who get moderate-to-vigorous physical activity may be less likely to develop dementia, stroke, anxiety, depression, and sleep disorders, according to a preliminary study presented at the American Academy of Neurology’s 77th Annual Meeting. The study also found that the more time people spent sitting, the more likely they were to develop one of these diseases.

“This research highlights the role of physical activity and sedentary behavior as modifiable factors that may enhance brain health and reduce the incidence of these diseases,” said study author Jia-Yi Wu, MD, of Fudan University in Shanghai, China. “It is promising to think that encouraging people to make these lifestyle changes could potentially lessen the burden of these diseases in the future.”

From a large United Kingdom database, researchers looked at data from 73,411 people with an average age of 56 who wore accelerometer devices continuously for seven days to measure their physical activity, how much energy they used on their activities, and how much time they spent sitting each day. A measurement system called metabolic equivalents (METs) was used to quantify energy expenditure. Moderate-to-vigorous physical activity was defined as activities with an energy expenditure of at least three METs, such as walking or cleaning, and more-intense exercises, like cycling, with around six METs, depending on speed. 

People who had a moderate-to-vigorous physical activity energy expenditure were 14% to 40% less likely to develop the five diseases than those who had lower energy expenditure, depending on how active they were. The more time people spent sitting, the higher their risk of developing one of the diseases, with the increase ranging from 5% to 54% higher than among those who spent the least amount of time sitting. 

“Some previous studies have relied on people reporting on their own levels of activity,” Dr. Wu said. “With our large number of participants and the use of devices that provide objective measurements of activity levels, these results will have implications for assessing risk factors and developing interventions to prevent the development of these diseases.”

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Olive Oil Hunter News #211

Posted on by The Olive Oil Hunter

Butterflied Leg of Lamb Recipe, Spotlight on Rosemary, and Protecting Against Cardiovascular Diseases After Menopause

Lamb is a celebratory dish in so many cultures, yet the idea of preparing a leg of lamb at home can be intimidating. One way to simplify the process plus cut the roasting time is with a butterflied leg—your butcher removes the bone and opens the lobes of meat to create a flat butterfly shape, which allows fast and even cooking. Also in this issue you’ll read about a caution concerning raw milk and a successful two-pronged approach to reduce inflammation, the root cause of so many diseases.

Butterflied Leg of Lamb

  • sliced leg of Lamb with rosemary Butterflied Leg of Lamb

    A roasted butterflied leg of lamb makes a beautiful presentation and is a breeze to carve either at the table or in the kitchen. The olive oil and lemon marinade adds great flavor—if possible, marinate the lamb the day before you plan to cook it.

    Ingredients

    • 1 sprig fresh rosemary or 1 teaspoon dried leaves
    • 6 garlic cloves
    • 2 teaspoons coarse sea salt
    • 6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided use
    • Juice of 1 lemon
    • 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
    • 1 leg of lamb, between 4 and 5 pounds, butterflied and trimmed of excess fat

    Directions

    Step 1

    Strip the leaves from the rosemary, place them on a cutting board along with the garlic and salt, and mince them together. Transfer to a small bowl and add 4 tablespoons olive oil, the lemon juice, and the black pepper. Place the lamb, boned side up, on a platter large enough to hold it and brush the marinade all over both sides of the meat; cover and refrigerate for three hours or overnight. 

    Step 2

    When ready to cook, preheat your oven to 425°F. Place the lamb in a roasting pan and drizzle on the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Roast in the center of the oven until an instant-read thermometer reaches 135°F for medium, about 30 to 35 minutes, or 145°F for medium-well, about 35 to 40 minutes. Let the lamb rest for 10 minutes before slicing (its internal temperature will rise another 5 degrees).

    Yields 8 servings

Healthy Ingredient Spotlight: Rosemary

Healthy Ingredient Spotlight

Rosemary

An herb strongly associated with the Mediterranean cuisines, rosemary, or Rosmarinus officinalis,is endemic to the dry, rocky areas of the region, especially along the coast. According to the Herb Society of America,Rosmarinus comes from Latin ros and marinus,which translate to “dew of the sea.” Rosemary makes a fragrant addition to your outdoor herb garden and is very hardy, but bring any plants indoors for the winter. The herb lends a very distinctive taste to foods, from roasted lamb to potatoes. A little goes a long way—use it judiciously so that it doesn’t overpower the finished dish.

Rosemary sprigs
Quick Kitchen Nugget: Freezing Rosemary

Quick Kitchen Nugget

Freezing Rosemary

Got leftovers? Rosemary sprigs will keep for a week or two when wrapped in a paper towel and placed in the vegetable drawer of your fridge. But you can also freeze them for future use. First, freeze the sprigs. When frozen, use your fingers to strip off the leaves, working from the top of the sprig downward; place them in an airtight, freezer-safe container and then return them to the freezer.   

Fitness Flash: Protecting Against Cardiovascular Diseases After Menopause

Fitness Flash

Protecting Against Cardiovascular Diseases After Menopause

Healthy senior woman cooking

Researchers at the University of Jyväskylä’s Faculty of Sport and Health Sciences in Finland have found that women with a disordered eating behavior, such as restricting food to control weight or body shape, and low physical activity tend to have more central body fat and a higher risk of metabolic low-grade inflammation. This, in turn, increases the risk of cardiovascular diseases, which become more prevalent after menopause. Body fat distribution changes as menopause progresses and estrogen levels decrease, causing the adipose tissue concentrated in the hips and thighs to gradually shift to the midsection as harmful visceral fat. 

The researchers investigated the connections between this inflammation and health behaviors—sleeping, eating, and physical activity—and found that the combined effect of exercise and healthy eating offers the most effective protection against inflammation and may also reduce it after menopause.

“In line with previous studies, a higher amount of visceral fat was, as expected, associated with low-grade inflammation,” said Hannamari Lankila, a doctoral researcher at the Faculty of Sport and Health Sciences. “Visceral fat accumulated in the midsection secretes cytokines that increase inflammation, and this can increase the risk of metabolic diseases.”

When eating and physical activity were examined together, higher physical activity was associated with lower visceral fat, especially in those women who did not display disordered eating behavior. “The connection was weaker, meaning that the protective effect of even a high amount of exercise was less, if the individual had eating-related difficulties,” Lankila continued. “Surprisingly, sleep was not a significant factor in this equation.”

The combined effects of health behaviors during menopause have not previously been studied. The menopause phase is significant, as women live more than a third of their lives after menopause, on average. During this period, the risk of metabolic and cardiovascular diseases increases significantly.

“It’s good to remember that even after menopause, it is possible to reduce the accumulation of harmful visceral fat and thus prevent metabolic and cardiovascular diseases that may result from it,” Lankila concluded.

The study is part of the larger EsmiRs (estrogen, microRNAs, and the risk of metabolic dysfunctions) study, which was carried out from 2018 to 2022 at the Gerontology Research Center at Jyväskylä. The study participants were women living in Central Finland who were between the ages of 51 and 59. 

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Olive Oil Hunter News #210

Posted on by The Olive Oil Hunter

Taiwanese Chicken Recipe, Spotlight on Ginger, Toasted or Untoasted Sesame Oil, Why Being a Pet Person is Good for You and Why You Could Really Be As Young As You Feel

Part of my mission as the Olive Oil Hunter is to share recipes from all different cuisines and show how they can be made healthier and more flavorful with fresh-pressed olive oil. You might think that Asian stir-fries are synonymous with peanut oil, for instance, but olive oil lends itself beautifully to dishes cooked at high heat and works in perfect balance with traditional Asian ingredients. Case in point: delectable Taiwanese chicken, a one-pan wonder that’s as easy as it is delicious. I’m also sharing research on the health benefits of having a pet and news about a simple blood test that can reveal a person’s biological age, a more accurate health indicator than whatever the calendar says. 

Taiwanese Chicken

  • Taiwanese Chicken stir fry Taiwanese Chicken

    Looking for a midweek dinner recipe that’s high in flavor and short on time? This filling stir-fry is the answer. If leeks aren’t available, substitute a large yellow onion. Serve as is or over rice.

    Ingredients

    • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, more as needed 
    • 2 tablespoons untoasted sesame oil
    • 4 boneless, skinless chicken thighs, sliced into thin strips
    • 1-inch piece ginger, peeled and sliced into thin coins 
    • 12 garlic cloves, peeled
    • 4 scallions, trimmed and cut on the diagonal into 1-inch pieces
    • 2 large leeks, trimmed, triple-rinsed, and sliced into coins
    • 1 red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and cut into slivers
    • 8 ounces asparagus, trimmed and cut on the diagonal into 1-inch pieces
    • 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
    • 1/2 cup Chinese rice wine
    • 2 tablespoons soy sauce

    Directions

    Step 1

    Heat a large wok or frying pan over high heat. When hot, add the olive and sesame oils and the chicken. Use tongs to turn the chicken pieces until they’ve browned on all sides and are just about cooked through. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the chicken to a large bowl.

    Yields 4 servings

Healthy Ingredient Spotlight: Ginger

Healthy Ingredient Spotlight

Ginger

Fresh ginger

With origins in southern China, ginger (Zingiber officinale) has been cultivated for more than 5,000 years. It was—and still is—widely used as a medicinal, and it is a vibrant flavoring ingredient in cooking. Technically a rhizome (not a root) with a very knobby shape and multiple branches, fresh ginger has a sharp taste that can be too strong for some people, but in cooked dishes, it adds a unique layer of flavor.

Ginger has been used for thousands of years to treat upset stomachs, nausea, colds, and even arthritis. Research attributes its antibacterial, antiviral, and antifungal properties to its hundreds of bioactive compounds like gingerol, the phytonutrient responsible for its distinctive taste. 

When buying fresh ginger, look for a smooth peel—if it’s shriveled, it’s old! Store it wrapped in paper towel in the salad drawer, where it will stay fresh for about two weeks. Use a vegetable peeler or a spoon to remove the thin peel—each has its proponents. I’m partial to using a grapefruit spoon because its serrated edges and pointy tip make it easy to get around the nubs.

Quick Kitchen Nugget: Sesame oil—toasted or untoasted?

Quick Kitchen Nugget

Sesame Oil—Toasted or Untoasted?

If you already have a bottle of sesame oil in the fridge, do you know what type it is? It’s easy to miss that there are two kinds: untoasted sesame oil, made from raw seeds, and toasted (sometimes labeled roasted) sesame oil, made from toasted seeds. Each delivers a different kind of flavor and is used in different phases of cooking. Use untoasted sesame oil when first cooking foods and toasted sesame oil as a finishing oil—since the seeds were already cooked, you don’t want to cook them twice, which could impart unwanted bitterness to your dish.

For Your Best Health: Why Being a Pet Person is Good for You

For Your Best Health

Why Being a Pet Person is Good for You

The unconditional love of a pet is reason enough to have one in your life, but the rewards extend to physical as well as mental well-being. Pets help you ease stress and anxiety and can lower the risk for depression, according to experts at UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine in California, because they provide a calming presence. Caring for a pet also gives people a sense of purpose and adds structure to daily life. 

Having a dog in particular helps keep you fit and lowers your risk of heart disease: Over 60% of dog owners meet the recommended weekly amount of exercise compared to just 24% of the general population. Pet owners typically have a lower resting blood pressure than people who don’t own pets and a better quality of life. If having a pet isn’t an option for you, consider other opportunities for animal interactions, like volunteering at a shelter or joining a friend on a walk with their dog.

Pet ownership for your health
Fitness Flash: Why You Could Really Be As Young As You Feel

Fitness Flash

Why You Could Really Be As Young As You Feel

A recent study from researchers at the Murdoch University Health Futures Institute in Australia found that moderate-intensity exercise can significantly influence appetite-related hormones and perceptions in obese men. It provides new insights into how exercise can aid appetite control and weight management.

According to one of the study authors, Timothy Fairchild, PhD, associate professor at Murdoch’s School of Allied Health, the study confirms their previous work showing the benefits of incorporating regular exercise into daily routines for individuals looking to manage their weight and improve their overall health.

“People understand that exercise helps burn energy. A lot of people assume that exercise also increases hunger and energy intake afterwards,” said Dr. Fairchild. “We have previously shown, using high-intensity exercise, that this is not the case. This latest study shows that even moderate-intensity exercise can have immediate and beneficial effects on appetite control in males with obesity.”

The study not only assessed food intake and appetite but also measured changes in hormones, which help regulate appetite. “Despite a strong focus on weight loss drugs in society at present, this study shows that lifestyle factors still have a strong and relevant role in helping people to live their healthiest life,” Dr. Fairchild added. “In fact, the hormones which have been shown to increase after exercise are the same hormones which the most successful weight loss drugs are mimicking. The added benefit of exercise is that you also receive the physical and mental health benefits of exercise.”

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