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Olive Oil Hunter News #216

Posted on by The Olive Oil Hunter

Skillet Torta Recipe, Spotlight on Fresh and Dried Chiles, How to Choose Better Tortillas, The Brain and Processed Foods plus Does Cold-Water Immersion Impact Good Health?

When you have the fresh spiciness of extra virgin olive oil to lavish on food, the dishes themselves don’t need to be complicated to taste delicious. This one-skillet torta meal is a case in point—prep time is minimal and it bakes in short order. You’ll also read about a provocative study that shows how the brain is involved in obesity and type 2 diabetes and another study that looked at the potential benefits of cold-water plunges. 

Skillet Torta

  • Skillet Torta Skillet Torta

    This is a fun breakfast or lunch dish that can be made fresh…or it’s a great way to add zest to leftover vegetables. It has the cheesy goodness of a quiche but without a heavy crust. I’m giving it a Spanish flair with Manchego, a sheep’s milk cheese, but you can use whatever cheese you like, even a mix of cheeses if you have a little bit of this and a little bit of that in the fridge.

    Ingredients

    • 5 large eggs  
    • 1 cup shredded Manchego cheese 
    • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
    • 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt 
    • 3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 
    • 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided use, plus more for drizzling
    • 4 ounces red onion, finely diced
    • 1 red bell pepper, finely diced
    • 1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and finely diced, or 1 dried chipotle, soaked and diced
    • One 12-inch round corn, whole wheat, or grain-free tortilla 
    • Optional toppings: sour cream, chopped cilantro, salsa, avocado slices

    Directions

    Step 1

    Preheat your oven to 375°F. Whisk the eggs, cheese, cilantro, salt, pepper, and 1 tablespoon olive oil in a bowl; set aside.

    Step 2

    Heat a 10-inch cast-iron skillet over medium heat. When hot, add the remaining 3 tablespoons olive oil, the red onion, bell pepper, and jalapeño, and sauté until tender. Transfer the vegetables to a separate bowl.

    Step 3

    Use tongs to place the tortilla in the skillet and press the edges against the sides of the pan. Add back the vegetables and then pour in the egg mixture. Bake until firm, about 20 minutes. 

    Step 4

    Keeping an oven mitt on the handle of the hot skillet, run a spatula around the edge of the torta and then cut it into quarters. Plate each serving and top with your choice of optional garnishes and a drizzle of olive oil.

    Yields 4 servings

Healthy Ingredient Spotlight: Chiles, Fresh and Dried

Healthy Ingredient Spotlight

Chiles: Fresh and Dried

Red chilis - dried and flakes

Go to any garden nursery in the spring and you’ll see a huge selection of chile peppers for planting—a few varieties are a great addition to the vegetable garden. But which to choose? The amount of heat a chile adds to a dish varies widely, from about 1,000 Scoville units to well over a million (with few people finding those varieties pleasant to eat). An unusual fact is that many fresh chiles get renamed when they’re dried. Chipotle, for instance, is a dried jalapeño and ranges from 2,500 to 8,000 Scoville units. A poblano is a dried ancho chile, rather mild at 1,000-1,500 Scoville units, and a mirasol becomes a guajillo, in the 2,500-5,000 range. These are all relatively mild dried chiles that are great to have in your pantry. When you need to turn up the heat, chile de árbol has between 15,000 and 30,000 Scoville units. Online spice stores and Latin food markets usually have a good selection to choose from. 

If you want to sprinkle on dried chiles the way you would red pepper flakes, toast one or two in a hot, dry pan for about 30 seconds to bring out their flavor, then chop in a spice grinder with or without the seeds, depending on how much heat you want. To use dried chiles for part of a salsa or other sauce, rehydrate them with a 20-minute soak in warm water before removing the stems and seeds and then chopping. 

Quick Kitchen Nugget: Roasting Bell Peppers

Quick Kitchen Nugget

Choosing Better Tortillas

Prepackaged white flour tortillas are not among the healthiest of foods, but there are now many alternatives available, not only whole wheat options but also wraps made from corn or other whole grains with beneficial fiber included. Be sure to read labels to find brands with a low sodium level and a minimum of added ingredients. 

For Your Best Health: Napping: A Sleep-Cycle Foe

For Your Best Health

The Brain and Processed Foods

A recent study, done at the Institute for Diabetes Research and Metabolic Diseases (IDM) of the Helmholtz Center Munich at the University of Tübingen and the German Center for Diabetes Research (DZD) in Neuherberg, offered intriguing new insights into the possible origins of type 2 diabetes and obesity as well as detail into the brain’s function as a critical control center and the complex roles of the hormone insulin. 

Most of us think of insulin’s job as regulating blood sugar levels and energy metabolism, but there’s much more to it. When a person is in a healthy state (and at a healthy weight), insulin has an appetite-suppressing effect in the brain. But in people with obesity in particular, insulin no longer regulates eating behavior properly, resulting in insulin resistance. Brain insulin responsiveness is linked to long-term weight gain and unhealthy body fat distribution. The new research shows how little it takes to start this chain reaction. 

The researchers divided 29 male volunteers of average weight into two groups. For five days in a row, the first group had to supplement their regular diet with 1,500 calories of highly processed high-calorie snacks. The second group—the control group—did not eat the extra calories.  

Both groups underwent two separate examinations following an initial evaluation, one immediately after the five-day period and the other seven days after the first group had resumed their regular diet. The researchers used magnetic resonance imaging to look at the liver’s fat content and the brain’s insulin sensitivity. The fat content of the liver of the first group increased significantly after five days of increased calorie intake, and a significantly lower insulin sensitivity in the brain compared to the control group persisted one week after the participants’ return to their normal diet. This effect had previously only been observed in obese people.

“Our findings demonstrate for the first time that even a brief consumption of highly processed, unhealthy foods (such as chocolate bars and potato chips) causes a significant alteration in the brain of healthy individuals, which may be the initial cause of obesity and type 2 diabetes,” said study leader Stephanie Kullmann, PhD, professor and deputy head of the division of metabolic neuroimaging at the University Hospital of Tübingen.

Professor Andreas Birkenfeld, MD, director of the IDM, a DZD board member, and the study’s final author, concluded, “We assume that the brain’s insulin response adapts to short-term changes in diet before any weight gain occurs and thus promotes the development of obesity and other secondary diseases.” More research on how the brain contributes to these illnesses is needed in light of these findings, he added.

Fitness Flash: The Big Chill: Does Cold-Water Immersion Impact Good Health?

Fitness Flash

The Big Chill: Does Cold-Water Immersion Impact Good Health?

Cold water plunge in winter

From frigid showers to icy polar plunges, cold-water immersion is increasingly popular among athletes and wellness warriors. It involves immersing the body partially or fully in cold water, in temperatures typically ranging from 10° to 15°C, or 50°F to 59°F. Is it just good fun or is it also good for you? 

In the most comprehensive review and analysis of its kind, University of South Australia (UniSA) researchers have taken a deep dive into its effects on health and well-being. They analyzed data from 11 studies with 3,177 participants with exposure at or above chest level and for a minimum time of 30 seconds, including cold showers, ice baths, and cold plunges. They found that cold-water immersion may lower stress, improve sleep quality, and boost quality of life…but there are limits.

“Cold-water immersion has been extensively researched and used in sporting contexts to help athletes recover, but despite its growing popularity among health and well-being circles, little is known about its effects on the general population,” UniSA researcher Tara Cain said. “In this study, we noted a range of time-dependent results. Firstly, we found that cold-water immersion could reduce stress levels, but for only about 12 hours post exposure. We also noted that participants who took 20-, 60-, or 90-second cold showers reported slightly higher quality of life scores, but again, after three months these effects had faded.

“[Other] benefits may be gained from cold showers as well, with one study reporting that participants who took regular cold showers experienced a 29% reduction in sickness absence. We also found some links to cold-water immersion and better sleep outcomes, but the data was restricted to males, so its broader application is limited. And while there have been many claims that cold-water immersion experiences can boost your immunity and mood, we found very little evidence to support these claims.”

Co-researcher Ben Singh, PhD, said the study also showed that cold-water immersion caused a temporary increase in inflammation. “At first glance this seems contradictory, as we know that ice baths are regularly used by elite athletes to reduce inflammation and muscle soreness after exercise,” Dr. Singh said. “The immediate spike in inflammation is the body’s reaction to the cold as a stressor. It helps the body adapt and recover and is similar to how exercise causes muscle damage before making muscles stronger, which is why athletes use it despite the short-term increase. Knowing this, people with preexisting health conditions should take extra care if participating in cold-water immersion experiences, as the initial inflammation could have detrimental health impacts.”

The researchers pointed out that while the findings highlight the potential benefits of cold-water immersion, they also underscore the highly time-dependent and contextual nature of its effects.

“Whether you are an elite athlete or everyday wellness seeker, it’s important to understand the effects of what you put your body through,” Cain said. “Right now, there isn’t enough high-quality research to say exactly who benefits most or what the ideal approach is to cold-water immersion. More long-term studies, among more diverse populations, are needed to understand its lasting effects and practical applications.”

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Olive Oil Hunter News #215

Posted on by The Olive Oil Hunter

Muffaletta-Style Olive Salad Recipe, Spotlight on Anchovies, Roasting Bell Peppers, Napping: A Sleep-Cycle Foe and Walk This Way

One of the classic New Orleans specialties, muffaletta, is a delectable mix of meats and cheeses served on crusty bread. But its uniqueness comes from the olive salad that fills the hollowed-out top half of the loaf. I always make more than I need because it’s such a tasty condiment, as well as a great topping for grilled bread slices, a wonderful dressing for green salads, and a “sauce” for grilled fish, chicken, and other proteins. 

Most people don’t realize that good sleep is one of the building blocks of health and fitness or that an innocent nap can be a roadblock to restorative ZZZs. Even more important, needing to nap often can be a sign of a health condition. Something else important for wellness is good posture—remember Mom always telling you to stand up straight? Scientists have developed special shoe sensors that may soon help you follow her directive more easily! 

Muffaletta-Style Olive Salad

  • Muffaletta-style olive salad Muffaletta-Style Olive Salad

    This flavorful mix of peppers, olives, and onions defines the muffaletta sandwich—you can choose a mix of your favorite meats and cheeses, like capicola, prosciutto, salami, mozzarella, and provolone, but don’t leave off the olive salad! A batch will stay fresh in the fridge for about a week.

    Ingredients

    • 1 small red onion, peeled and quartered
    • 1 cup pitted kalamata olives
    • 1 cup pitted Castelvetrano olives
    • 2 cups frozen artichoke hearts, thawed
    • 8 Italian hot peppers
    • 1 large red bell pepper, roasted and seeded (see “Quick Kitchen Nugget” in weekly newsletter)
    • 6 tablespoons capers, drained
    • 4 anchovy fillets or 1 tablespoon anchovy paste
    • 1 tablespoon dried oregano 
    • 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
    • 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
    • 1/4 cup best-quality red wine vinegar

    Directions

    Step 1

    To the bowl of a large food processor add the onions, olives, and artichokes and pulse until coarsely chopped. Add in the hot peppers, bell pepper, capers, anchovies, oregano, and red pepper flakes and pulse again until finely chopped (don’t let the mixture turn into a paste).

    Step 2

    Transfer to a large bowl and fold in the olive oil and vinegar. Let sit for 30 minutes so that the flavors can meld before using or refrigerating.

    Yields about 4 cups

Healthy Ingredient Spotlight: Anchovies

Healthy Ingredient Spotlight

Anchovies

Anchovies might be the least-appreciated fish among Americans. An essential flavoring agent for dishes such as Caesar salad and puttanesca sauce, anchovies are typically sold here jarred or canned. They’re used in many cuisines, but around the Mediterranean, grilled or breaded fresh anchovies, briny yet mild tasting, are often on the menu. 

It’s the salt curing used to preserve anchovies that intensifies their taste—their saltiness lends depth of flavor to cooked dishes without imparting the full-throated taste of an anchovy eaten right out of the can or jar. Indeed, they quickly dissolve right into the other ingredients. Look for tins of anchovies from Italy. If they are packed in olive oil, drain them well before using.

Quick Kitchen Nugget: Roasting Bell Peppers

Quick Kitchen Nugget

Roasting Bell Peppers

Grilled bell peppers

Whenever I’ve got my outdoor grill going, I’ll throw on two or three bell peppers, char them well, then peel, deseed, and store them in olive oil in the fridge to use for the coming week. When you need a roasted pepper without turning on the grill, the oven is the way to go. Here’s how.

Preheat your oven to 400°F. Grab a rimmed sheet pan and line it with high-heat parchment paper (it will be marked as safe to use up to 400°F or higher). Place one or more bell peppers on their sides and lightly drizzle with olive oil. Roast for 20 minutes, flip, and roast for another 20 minutes, or until the skin chars and wrinkles. Take them out of the oven and, with your oven mitts still on, fold up the parchment to make a packet that seals in the peppers. This creates steam, which will make it easy to peel off the skins. Wait 15 minutes, then unwrap the parchment and remove the skins. Transfer the peppers to a cutting board, halve them, cut out the stems, and use a spoon to remove the seeds. 

For Your Best Health: Napping: A Sleep-Cycle Foe

For Your Best Health

Napping: A Sleep-Cycle Foe

Woman napping in hammock

According to a Pew Research Center survey, about 30% of American adults take one or more naps per week, with more than 50% of adults age 80 and older reporting that they had napped in the past day. Among every other age group in the survey, including both young people ages 18 to 29 and older people ages 70 to 79, about a third said they napped in the past 24 hours.

But is all the snoozing good for you? Maria V. Suurna, MD, professor of clinical otolaryngology at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine and director of sleep surgery at UHealth, the University of Miami Health System, set the record straight on the pros and cons of napping.

“Short naps of no more than 30 minutes during the day can help restore alertness and productivity, making you feel more awake. It’s similar to the effect of drinking a cup of coffee. There’s nothing wrong with taking a nap, but it’s important not to make it too long. It may be helpful to set an alarm for 30 minutes, especially if it’s late in the afternoon, to avoid interfering with your nighttime sleep,” said Dr. Suurna. “If you have trouble sleeping at night, it’s generally not recommended to nap during the day, as it can make it harder to fall asleep and get a full 7-9 hours of sleep at night. 

“If you feel excessively sleepy during the day, often falling asleep during meetings or, more dangerously, while driving, it’s important to consult a sleep doctor. Needing to take multiple naps throughout the day could be a sign of sleep problems such as sleep apnea, hypersomnolence, or other sleep disorders. A medical evaluation can help identify and address any underlying issues,” she added.

As a reminder, you may be able to boost nighttime sleep quality with these good sleep habits: 

  • Review your medications with your doctor, as some may have sedating side effects while others may act as stimulants, making it harder to stay asleep. 

  • Go to bed and wake up at the same time every day.

  • Avoid electronics, TV, and other screens starting at least 30 minutes before bedtime.

  • Reduce exposure to bright lights in the evening.

  • Keep your bedroom cool, dark, and quiet.

  • Avoid alcohol and caffeine starting in the early afternoon, as they can interfere with sleep quality and contribute to insomnia.

Fitness Flash: Walk This Way

Fitness Flash

Walk This Way

A new smart insole system that monitors how people walk in real time could help improve posture and provide early warnings for conditions from plantar fasciitis to Parkinson’s disease, according to a study published in the journal Science Advances. Constructed using 22 small pressure sensors and fueled by small solar panels on the tops of shoes, the system offers real-time health tracking based on how a person walks, which is a biomechanical process as unique as a human fingerprint.

This data can then be transmitted via Bluetooth to a smartphone for a quick and detailed analysis, said Jinghua Li, PhD, co-author of the study and an assistant professor of materials science and engineering at The Ohio State University. “Our bodies carry lots of useful information that we’re not even aware of,” said Dr. Li. “These statuses also change over time, so it’s our goal to use electronics to extract and decode those signals to encourage better self-healthcare checks.”

It’s estimated that at least 7% of Americans suffer from ambulatory difficulties, often having a hard time with basic activities that include walking, running, and climbing stairs. While efforts to manufacture a wearable insole-based pressure system have risen in popularity in recent years, many previous prototypes were met with energy limitations and unstable performances. To overcome the challenges of their precursors, Dr. Li and Qi Wang, the lead author of the study and a current PhD candidate at Ohio State, sought to ensure that their wearable is durable, has a high degree of precision when collecting and analyzing data, and can provide consistent and reliable power. 

“Our device is innovative in terms of high resolution, spatial sensing, self-powering capability, and its ability to combine with machine learning algorithms,” she said. “So, we feel like this research can go further based on the pioneering successes of this field.”

Their system is also unique because of its use of AI. Thanks to an advanced machine learning model, the wearable can recognize eight different motion states, from static ones like sitting and standing to more dynamic movements such as running and squatting. Since the materials used for the insoles are flexible and safe, the device, much like a smartwatch, is low risk and appropriate for continuous use. For instance, after the solar cells convert sunlight to energy, that power is stored in tiny lithium batteries that don’t harm the user or affect daily activities.

Because of the distribution of sensors from toe to heel, the researchers could see how the pressure on parts of the foot is different in activities such as walking versus running. During walking, pressure is applied sequentially from the heel to the toes, whereas during running, almost all sensors are subjected to pressure simultaneously. In addition, during walking, the pressure application time accounts for about half of the total time, while during running, it accounts for only about a quarter.

The smart insoles could support gait analysis to detect early abnormalities associated with foot pressure-related conditions like diabetic foot ulcers, musculoskeletal disorders such as plantar fasciitis, and neurological conditions such as Parkinson’s disease.

Because the system uses machine learning to learn and classify different types of motion, it offers opportunities for personalized health management, including real-time posture correction, injury prevention, and rehabilitation monitoring. Customized fitness training may also be a future use, the researchers said. “The interface is flexible and quite thin, so even during repetitive deformation, it can remain functional,” said Dr. Li. “The combination of the software and hardware means it isn’t as limited.”

Researchers expect the technology will likely be available commercially within the next three to five years. Next steps to advance the work will be aimed at improving the system’s gesture recognition abilities, which, according to Dr. Li, will likely be helped with further testing on more diverse populations. “We have so many variations among individuals, so demonstrating and training these fantastic capabilities on different populations is something we need to give further attention to,” she said.

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Olive Oil Hunter News #214

Posted on by The Olive Oil Hunter

Whole Roasted Cauliflower with Pea Pesto Recipe, Spotlight on Cauliflower, Time-restricted Eating and Exercise, plus Exercise to Fight Mental Fatigue

Perfect for spring, this week’s recipe brings together the goodness of superfood cauliflower and the freshness of pea pesto. It’s a side dish satisfying enough for a main course. Next, I’m sharing two studies with the value of exercise at their core—why exercise is a smart adjunct to time-restricted eating and how it can help you feel less mentally exhausted by challenging tasks.

Whole Roasted Cauliflower with Pea Pesto

  • Whole roasted cauliflower with pea pesto Whole Roasted Cauliflower with Pea Pesto

    This dish gets a double dose of flavor from the cheesy crust on the cauliflower and the pesto sauce. 

    Ingredients

    For the cauliflower:

    • 1 head cauliflower, about 2 pounds
    • 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided use, plus more for drizzling
    • 2 garlic cloves 
    • 1/4 cup finely minced fresh herbs or 1 teaspoon dried herb mix
    • 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
    • 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
    • 1/3 cup finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

    For the pea pesto: 

    • 10 fresh basil leaves
    • 4 ounces shelled green peas
    • 2 garlic cloves
    • 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
    • 1-1/2 ounces shelled walnuts
    • 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
    • 1/4 cup cold water
    • Coarse sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

    Directions

    Step 1

    Preheat your oven to 400°F. Drizzle 1 tablespoon olive oil in a Dutch oven or baking dish large enough to hold the cauliflower; set aside.

    Step 2

    Peel off the outer leaves of the cauliflower and trim the core just enough for the cauliflower to sit flat. 

    Step 3

    Place the remaining olive oil in a small bowl and use a microplane grater to grate the garlic cloves into it. Add the herbs, salt, and pepper and whisk well. Brush the mixture over the cauliflower, then press on the cheese. Cover the Dutch oven or baking dish and roast for 40 minutes. Carefully uncover and roast for another 15 minutes to lightly brown the crust.

    Step 4

    While the cauliflower is roasting,make the pea pesto: Place the basil, peas, garlic, cheese, and walnuts in a food processor and pulse until very finely minced. With the machine running, add the olive oil and process until smooth. Add the water and pulse a few times. Season to taste with salt and pepper if needed. 

    Step 5

    To serve, cut the cauliflower into wedges, plate, and drizzle with the pea pesto and a few drops of olive oil.

    Yields 4 servings as a main, 6 as a side dish

Healthy Ingredient Spotlight: The Cauliflower Rainbow

Healthy Ingredient Spotlight

The Cauliflower Rainbow

As delicious and nutritious as regular cauliflower is, with high marks for vitamins C and K, the brightly hued versions available at farmer’s markets and even some grocery stores offer even more.

Surprisingly, cauliflower, an ancient vegetable, was originally naturally pigmented, according to 

the Iowa State University Extension. Over time, white cauliflower evolved thanks to selective breeding and became the norm. (White cauliflower stays creamy white if not exposed to direct sunlight.) So the return to cauliflower of different hues, while again a result of selective breeding, is actually cauliflower getting back to its roots.

With a difference in color comes a (slight) difference in nutrients. Purple cauliflower gets its shade from anthocyanin, the naturally occurring phytochemical that also gives bright red, blue, or purple fruits and vegetables their rich colors. By contrast, orange cauliflower gets its hue from the same carotenoids that are in orange and yellow fruits and vegetables. Green cauliflower, a hybrid of broccoli and cauliflower, has beta carotene, though not as much as pure broccoli.

All shades of cauliflower can be eaten raw or cooked. 

Quick Kitchen Nugget: Cauliflower Prep 

Quick Kitchen Nugget

Cauliflower Prep 

This vegetable needs only minimal prep. Roasting a whole head just involves removing the outer leaves and trimming the core flush with the base of the head. It can be drizzled with any marinade you like and then sliced into wedges or steaks after cooking. 

You can cut a raw head into steaks if your prep calls for it, but keep the core intact for slicing, then use a sharp paring knife to cut out the core from each steak—you’ll lose fewer florets this way.

If you want to make florets for a dish, turn the cauliflower on its head and use a paring knife to cut pieces away from the stem, rotating the head as you go. Halve or quarter any large florets as needed.

Rainbow cauliflower
For Your Best Health: A New Way to Look at Fiber

For Your Best Health

Time-restricted Eating and Exercise 

Time-restricted eating—eating within a set number of hours—is an approach that many use to try to lose weight. One concern when dieting is how to lose fat while protecting muscle. A study from the University of Mississippi, published in the International Journal of Obesity, showed that when healthy adults paired an eight-hour eating window with regular exercise for at least four weeks, they lost more fat without sacrificing lean muscle compared to exercise alone. That lean mass preservation is key, Said Nadeeja Wijayatunga, MD, PhD, RDN, assistant professor of nutrition and hospitality management. 

Dr. Wijayatunga and tactical dietitian Michael Hays, PhD, RD, CSCS, began their study after seeing the dramatic rise in time-restricted eating. Together, they conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of 15 studies on time-restricted eating with exercise from the past decade. “People like time-restricted eating because they feel it’s easier to adhere to…they don’t have to think too much,” said Dr. Wijayatunga. “It’s all about time, not calorie-counting or watching out for certain foods.”

According to the 2023 International Food and Health Survey, 12% of Americans have tried time-restricted eating, but the science surrounding it is still developing, Dr. Hays said. “For some people, this may be a good technique to help with body composition goals. It’s just another tool, but more studies need to come out to really understand how this works in humans.”

While the difference between those who exercised while following a time-restricted diet and those who used exercise alone was slight, the individuals in the two groups in the studies were very healthy. “They were already physically fit and already had exercise routines. When you already have athletic, lean people and you decrease their body fat percentage, that’s significant,” explained Dr. Hays.

Time-restricted eating has been criticized for possibly leading to a loss of lean mass—all the muscles, organs, and other tissues that make up the human body. “We need healthy muscles,” Dr. Wijayatunga said. “Muscles are really important for the body and for your metabolism. If we lose muscle, it may impact our metabolic systems, and it just decreases mobility overall.”

“That’s why you want to couple diet with exercise,” Dr. Hays adds. “When you’re losing weight, you never want to lose lean tissue. You want to lose fat.”

While the results are promising, Dr. Wijayatunga warned that more research is needed to confirm the findings and to learn how this would impact people who are not in shape and/or not exercising regularly. “What I’d recommend is implementing healthy habits in a way that you, as an individual, can maintain with guidance from a healthcare professional.”

Senior couple exercising outdoors
Fitness Flash: Exercise to Fight Mental Fatigue

Fitness Flash

Exercise to Fight Mental Fatigue

Ever feel mentally fatigued after a challenging task? It can happen later in life, even if you’re retired. Researchers from the University of Birmingham in the UK and the University of Extremadura in Spain have found that older people who exercise regularly are more able to fight the impacts of mental fatigue. Their study, published in the Journal of Aging and Physical Activity, looked at whether age increased and regular exercise decreased the impact of mental fatigue on a series of cognitive and physical performance tests.

In the first study, sedentary men ages 65 to 79 performed worse in tests than those 52 to 64, and these impairments were greater when they were tested in a state of mental fatigue. A second study with retired men and women ages 66 to 72 found that performance when mentally rested or fatigued was better in the physically active older adults than in their sedentary peers.

Chris Ring, PhD, professor of psychology at the University of Birmingham and corresponding author of the study, said, “This study shows how important physical activity is for adults as they get older and in general for avoiding the worst impacts of mental fatigue on cognitive and physical performance. This research from our ongoing international collaborative venture confirms that regular physical activity has a host of benefits, with increased physical fitness associated with improved cognition, increased exercise capacity, and greater mental fatigue resilience. For older adults in particular, regular exercise represents a simple but effective means to stave off the effects of age in a host of areas, including avoiding the negative effects of feeling mental fatigued after a particularly taxing task.”

Dr. Ring suggested that the following three active steps can be taken by older adults wishing to perform better in demanding situations:

  • First, increase your level of regular physical activity.
  • Second, warm up using a combination of cognitive and physical tasks to better prepare for an upcoming physical performance, especially when feeling mentally fatigued.
  • Third, train using a combination of cognitive and physical tasks, a method called Brain Endurance Training, or BET, to improve mental fatigue resilience and enhance physical performance.

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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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