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Olive Oil Hunter News #226

Posted on by The Olive Oil Hunter

Tropical Shrimp Salad Recipe, Spotlight on Shrimp, Choosing and Deveining Shrimp, Fasting to Manage Type 2 Diabetes, plus Weight Gain Despite Exercise

When it comes to classic warm-weather dishes, shrimp salad is often at the top of the list. But when summer’s heat is raging, the traditional mayo dressing can feel heavy. This recipe pairs shrimp with sweet mango and creamy avocado for a tropical taste sensation. Need to tweak your diet for better diabetes control? A new study compared three top options to uncover the best option, while other research I’m sharing found that too many calories rather than a lack of exercise is what’s behind weight gain.

Tropical Shrimp Salad

  • Tropical Shrimp Salad Tropical Shrimp Salad

    This shrimp salad refresh uses a light vinaigrette to bring out the flavors of the shellfish as well as the mango and avocado. For ease, zest the citrus fruits before juicing them.

    Ingredients

    For the vinaigrette:

    • 1 tablespoon orange zest
    • 1/4 cup fresh orange juice
    • 2 tablespoons lime zest
    • 1/4 cup fresh lime juice
    • 2 teaspoons honey
    • 1 teaspoon low-sodium soy sauce
    • 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
    • 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh cilantro or flat-leaf parsley

    For the salad:

    • 1 pound jumbo or extra-large shrimp, preferably wild caught, peeled and deveined if needed
    • 1 large ripe mango, diced
    • 1 large ripe avocado, diced
    • 12 cherry tomatoes, halved
    • 6 cups mixed lettuces such as arugula, radicchio, and green leaf, rough chopped

    Directions

    Step 1

    Boil the shrimp in a large pot of salted water until they turn pink, 3 to 5 minutes; drain and set aside to cool.

    Step 2

    In a small bowl, whisk together the zests, juices, honey, and soy sauce. Keep whisking as you drizzle in the olive oil. Fold in the cilantro or parsley.

    Step 3

    In a large bowl, combine the shrimp, mango, avocado, and tomatoes. Drizzle on half the vinaigrette and toss gently. 

    Step 4

    Divide the lettuces among four plates and top with equal amounts of the shrimp mixture. Pass the rest of the vinaigrette separately.

    Yields 4 servings

Healthy Ingredient Spotlight: Choosing Shrimp

Healthy Ingredient Spotlight

Choosing Shrimp

According to the National Fisheries Institute, each American eats about 5 pounds of shrimp a year. To meet the demand both here and around the world, many countries, including Indonesia, India, Thailand, and Vietnam, farm shrimp for export, often under conditions that could be unsafe and hard to check on. Farmed shrimp clustered in ponds require antibiotics and chemicals to ward off diseases—they’re not only in these shrimp, but they also leech into waterways, raising concerns for the environment. One positive step forward is recirculating farms, which are in early stages in the US, that raise shrimp in large indoor tanks or under hoop houses.

For a variety of reasons, many people choose wild-caught shrimp over farm-raised. The shrimp may be healthier, but there has been the problem of bycatch—other fish and sea creatures that get caught in shrimp nets. Fortunately, more sophisticated equipment and innovations have reduced bycatch amounts in some waters, especially in the Gulf of Mexico and around Oregon’s pink shrimp fishery.

While there’s no single right answer, you can look for packaging that bears the label of an organization that looks out for consumers. The Marine Stewardship Council or MSC is the main certifier of sustainable wild fisheries, and 36 shrimp fisheries currently carry its blue fish label. The Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watchis a program that provides science-based recommendations about which seafood to buy based on sustainability. 

Also to keep in mind: Whole Foods stores have their own standards for both wild shrimp and farmed shrimp. The company’s standards for farm-raised shrimp ban antibiotics and preservatives and prohibit the conversion of sensitive ecosystems such as mangrove forests into shrimp farms, a practice that has devastated parts of Southeast Asia. 

Quick Kitchen Nugget: Deveining Shrimp

Quick Kitchen Nugget

Deveining Shrimp

Deveining shrimp

What looks like a vein running the length of a shrimp’s back is actually its digestive tract. If the shrimp ate before getting caught, the tract can be very noticeable. Though it might be safe albeit gritty to eat, many people like to “devein” their shrimp before cooking. Allow yourself a few minutes: since you’ll be using a sharp knife, you don’t want to rush through the process, which is simple enough.

Once the shrimp is peeled, simply run the tip of a paring knife down the length of its back to expose the digestive tract and then pop it out. Rinse the shrimp under cold water and place it in a colander before moving to the next one.

For Your Best Health: Fasting to Manage Type 2 Diabetes

For Your Best Health

Fasting to Manage Type 2 Diabetes

A new study from the Endocrine Society is the first to compare three popular diets head-on—intermittent fasting (also known as 5:2 intermittent energy restriction or IER), time-restricted eating (TRE), and calorie cutting (continuous energy restriction or CER). 

Researchers found that all three can help people with type 2 diabetes lose weight and lower blood sugar, but one diet stood out: intermittent fasting. This involves eating normally five days a week and restricting calories on the other two. It led to better results in fasting blood sugar, improving insulin sensitivity, lowering triglycerides, and sticking with the plan.

“The research fills a gap in directly comparing 5:2 intermittent energy restriction with 10-hour time-restricted eating in patients with obesity and type 2 diabetes. The findings provide scientific evidence for clinicians to choose appropriate dietary strategies when treating such patients,” said Haohao Zhang, PhD, chief physician at The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University in Zhengzhou, China. 

Dr. Zhang and colleagues performed a single-center, randomized, parallel-controlled trial at the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University from November 19, 2021, to November 7, 2024. Ninety patients were randomly assigned to one of the three diet plans, with consistent weekly caloric intake across all groups. A team of nutritionists supervised the 16-week intervention.

At the end of the study, there were no significant differences in HbA1c reduction and weight loss between the IER, TRE, and CER groups. However, the absolute decrease in HbA1c and body weight was greatest in the IER group. The IER group had the highest adherence rate at 85%, followed by the CER group at 84% and the TRE group at 78%. Dr. Zhang said these findings highlight the feasibility and effectiveness of dietary interventions for people who have obesity and type 2 diabetes.

Fitness Flash: Weight Gain Despite Exercise 

Fitness Flash

Weight Gain Despite Exercise 

Senior woman running on treadmill

We aren’t moving less—we’re just eating more, according to a Duke University study showing that diet, not laziness, is fueling the obesity epidemic across industrialized nations. Our diet, not our activity level, is what has changed the most. 

“Despite decades of trying to understand the root causes of the obesity crisis in economically developed countries, public health guidance remains stuck with uncertainty as to the relative importance of diet and physical activity. This large, international, collaborative effort allows us to test these competing ideas. It’s clear that changes in diet, not reduced activity, are the main cause of obesity in the US and other developed countries,” said Herman Pontzer, PhD, principal investigator with Duke University’s Pontzer Lab, part of the department of evolutionary anthropology at the Trinity College of Arts & Sciences.

The researchers analyzed thousands of measurements of daily energy expenditure, body fat percentage, and body mass index from adults aged 18 to 60 across 34 populations spanning six continents. The more than 4,200 adults included in the study came from a wide range of lifestyles and economies, including hunter-gatherer, pastoralist, farming, and industrialized populations. To further categorize the level of industrialization, the researchers also integrated data from the United Nations Human Development Index to incorporate measures of lifespan, prosperity, and education.

“While we saw a marginal decrease in size-adjusted total energy expenditure with economic development, differences in total energy expenditure explained only a fraction of the increase in body fat that accompanied development. This suggests that other factors, such as dietary changes, are driving the increases in body fat that we see with increasing economic development,” said Amanda McGrosky, PhD, a Duke postdoctoral alumna and lead investigator for the study, now an assistant professor of biology at Elon University.

The researchers hope the study helps clarify public health messaging and strategies to tackle the obesity crisis and explain that the findings do not mean that efforts to promote physical activity should be minimized. Instead, the data support an emerging consensus that both diet and exercise should be prioritized. “Diet and physical activity should be viewed as essential and complementary, rather than interchangeable,” the study noted. The researchers will next work to identify which aspects of diet in developed countries are most responsible for the rise in obesity.

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Olive Oil Hunter News #225

Posted on by The Olive Oil Hunter

Caprese Bites Recipe, Spotlight on Summer Squash, Foods that Lower Blood Pressure plus Exercise and Vitamin D Levels

Have a bumper crop of summer squash? Turn a Caprese salad into succulent morsels wrapped in slices of summer squash for a great light meal or party-ready hors d’oeuvres. If you’re a tea or chocolate lover, you’ll be pleased to read about the effects of a micronutrient found in them as well as in apples and grapes. Summer is a great time to add to vitamin D stores—a new study outlines how to better maintain levels come winter.

Caprese Bites

  • Zucchini-wrapped caprese bites Caprese Bites

    Baked summer squash strips are perfect for making finger food roll-ups. For this recipe, I’m filling them with the ingredients of a classic Caprese salad, one of my favorite seasonal dishes. Try to choose squash that are the same thickness from tip to base.

    Ingredients

    • Two 6- or 7-inch yellow summer squash or zucchinis
    • Extra virgin olive oil 
    • Coarse sea salt
    • 8 ounces fresh mozzarella
    • 12 cherry tomatoes, more as needed, halved
    • Basil leaves, to taste
    • Garlic chives (optional)
    • Balsamic vinegar of Modena
    • Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

    Directions

    Step 1

    Preheat your oven to 375°F. Use the straight blade of a box grater or a mandoline to slice the squash into lengths about 1/8-inch thick. Each squash should yield about 8 slices.

    Step 2

    Arrange the squash slices on a rimmed sheet pan lined with parchment paper and lightly brush with olive oil, then sprinkle with salt. Bake for about 15 minutes until soft but not browned. Remove the pan from the oven and let cool.

    Step 3

    Cut the mozzarella into thin lengths; they should be about the width of each squash slice and a third as long. Center a piece of mozzarella on a squash length, top with a cherry tomato half, pressing it in to anchor it, and then with a basil leaf. Roll up the squash and tie it with a chive or secure it with a toothpick. Arrange the bites on a serving dish and drizzle with balsamic and more olive oil. Sprinkle on salt and black pepper to taste.

    Yields 4 to 8 servings

Healthy Ingredient Spotlight: Summer Squash

Healthy Ingredient Spotlight

Summer Squash

Whether you’re choosing yellow squash or zucchini, these thin-skinned veggies are very versatile—they can be enjoyed raw or cooked and don’t need peeling. A key difference between the two varieties is size. While most yellow squash are on the short side, zucchini can be short or long, thick or thin. Similarities include their nutritional profile with good amounts of vitamins A and C, potassium and magnesium, and fiber. When shopping, choose firm vegetables without soft spots and treat them with care because those thin skins can get nicked or bruised easily.

Summer squash

Quick Kitchen Nugget: Storing Summer Squash

Quick Kitchen Nugget

Storing Summer Squash

Summer squash will keep for up to a week in the crisper drawer of your fridge, wrapped in paper towel and then in a cloth vegetable bag for protection. 

For Your Best Health: Foods that Lower Blood Pressure 

For Your Best Health

Foods that Lower Blood Pressure

Apples and grapes - high in flavan-3-ols

A study from the University of Surrey in the UK has found that naturally occurring compounds called flavan-3-ols, a subgroup of flavanols, may improve blood pressure and the health of blood vessels. The research, published in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology, analyzed data from 145 randomized controlled studies and found that regular consumption of flavan-3-ols, found in cocoa, tea, apples, and grapes, can lead to a reduction in blood pressure readings, particularly in people with elevated or high blood pressure. In some cases, the average blood pressure-lowering effects were comparable to those seen with some medications.

Flavan-3-ols were also found to improve the function of the endothelium, the inner lining of blood vessels, which is crucial for overall cardiovascular health. This improvement occurred independently of blood pressure changes, suggesting a broader positive impact on the circulatory system.

“The findings are encouraging for those looking for accessible ways to manage their blood pressure and support their heart health through enjoyable dietary changes,” said Dr. Christian Heiss, lead author of the study and professor of cardiovascular medicine at the University of Surrey. “Incorporating small amounts of commonly consumed foods like tea, apples, dark chocolate, or cocoa powder into a daily balanced diet could provide beneficial amounts of flavan-3-ols. While not a replacement for prescribed medications or medical advice, including more flavan-3-ol-rich foods in a daily routine could be a valuable addition to a healthy lifestyle, especially for those with higher blood pressure. These are findings that, although promising, require ongoing investigation.”

Fitness Flash: Exercise and Vitamin D Levels

Fitness Flash

Exercise and Vitamin D Levels

With all its outdoor activities, summer is a great time to naturally boost the body’s vitamin D levels. But how can you maintain those levels come winter? A study from the University of Bath, University of Birmingham, University of Cambridge, and others in the UK, published in Advanced Science, has found that regular moderate-intensity exercise helps maintain crucial vitamin D levels during the darker months.

Participants who were either overweight or obese and who completed a 10-week indoor exercise program over winter experienced significantly smaller drops in vitamin D levels compared to those who didn’t exercise, even though their body weight was deliberately maintained. The program involved four sessions per week: two treadmill walks, one longer steady-state bike ride, and one high-intensity interval bike session.

Notably, exercise completely preserved the body’s active form of vitamin D (1,25(OH)₂D₃), which plays a key role in supporting bone health, the immune system, and various organs. Previous studies suggested that vitamin D supplements alone do not help maintain this active form.

Key findings:

  • People who exercised saw a smaller drop in their overall vitamin D levels over winter—about 15 percent compared to a 25 percent drop in those who didn’t exercise.

  • Those who exercised kept healthy levels of the active form of vitamin D, which helps support the immune system and bone health.

  • Weight was kept stable throughout the study, indicating the effect was due to exercise—not weight loss.

To ensure sunlight didn’t skew the results, the study ran between October and April, when natural vitamin D production from sunlight is minimal in this part of the UK, and participants were asked to avoid supplements.

A previous study from the team showed that a single workout can briefly boost vitamin D levels. This is the first one to show that regular cardio exercise can maintain basal circulating vitamin D levels and offer lasting protection during the winter months.

As Oly Perkin, PhD, lead author and lecturer from the Centre for Nutrition, Exercise and Metabolism at the University of Bath explained, this is the first study to show that exercise alone can protect against the winter dip in vitamin D. It’s a powerful reminder that we still have lots to learn about how exercise benefits our health.

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Olive Oil Hunter News #224

Posted on by The Olive Oil Hunter

Very Berry Chocolate Bars Recipe, Spotlight on Dark Chocolate, The Differences Between Dark and Milk Chocolate, Melting Chocolate in the Microwave, Outdoor Exercise and Air Quality

Healthy foods aren’t only about whole grains and vegetables. Some can satisfy a sweet tooth, too. That’s because foods like berries and dark chocolate have a wide category of nutrients called flavonoids. Read about newly discovered benefits in the first research piece I’m sharing…then indulge in one of these chocolate bars! With summer upon us, it can be enjoyable to exercise outdoors, but air quality could be a concern. The tips below will help you make smart choices.

Very Berry Chocolate Bars

  • Dark chocolate and raspberries Very Berry Chocolate Bars

    Olive oil enhances dark chocolate by adding a fresh, slightly herbal taste. Raspberries and pistachios add layers of flavor and texture. Tip: Blueberries and almonds are another great combo.

    Ingredients

    • 3 ounces raspberries 
    • 8 ounces dark chocolate discs or pieces, preferably 70% cacao
    • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil 
    • 1 ounce shelled, unsalted pistachios

    Directions

    Step 1

    Rinse the raspberries and pat dry with paper towels; set aside.

    Step 2

    Melt 6 ounces of the chocolate in a glass bowl placed over simmering (not boiling) water, stirring with a silicone whisk or spatula until fully melted. Carefully remove the bowl from the heat and place on a towel or hot pad on your counter. A few pieces at a time, add in the rest of the chocolate. This tempers it, or brings it down in temperature, so that the finish of the chocolate bars will be shiny. (If you have an instant-read thermometer, the chocolate on the stove should reach about 118°F and go down to 90°F after you add in the rest.) Stir in the olive oil until fully incorporated.

    Step 3

    Line a cookie sheet with waxed paper. Pour out the tempered chocolate in three sections and use an offset spatula to smooth each one out to a 4-by-3-inch rectangle (don’t worry about being too exact). 

    Step 4

    Sprinkle equal amounts of raspberries and pistachios on each bar. Let the chocolate harden in a cool spot for two or more hours, then use a spatula to transfer to a glass container. Store in the fridge and enjoy within 3 days. 

    Yields 3 bars

Healthy Ingredient Spotlight: Lentils

Healthy Ingredient Spotlight

The Differences Between Dark and Milk Chocolate

Each type of chocolate has its fans, with some people loving both. But for the better nutritional profile, dark is the winner. First, it tends to have less sugar, though there are sugar-free versions of both. Second, dark chocolate is vegan friendly since it doesn’t contain any milk solids—it’s naturally dairy free. Another edge: it has up to two or three times the antioxidants called flavanols, a type of flavonoid, found in milk chocolate (see For Your Best Health below to learn why that matters). This is thanks to its higher percentage of cocoa solids or cacao, so always look for labels that give this information. There’s no FDA-mandated minimum of cocoa solids for dark chocolate, but many makers list this along with a description of the chocolate’s flavor profile, which is important for bakers. Those cocoa solids also give dark chocolate a much richer flavor than milk chocolate. 

Dark and milk chocolate bars
Quick Kitchen Nugget: Making Lentils in Advance

Quick Kitchen Nugget

Melting Chocolate in the Microwave

This is an easy way to melt chocolate without using the stovetop: Place three-quarters of the needed amount in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave on the 50% setting for 30 seconds to 1 minute at a time, checking between bursts. When the chocolate has melted, add the reserved chocolate to the bowl, let it sit for a minute, then fold it together with a spatula. As the additional chocolate melts, it will also bring down the temperature of the microwaved chocolate.

Note: Chocolate melts better when it’s in smaller pieces. If you don’t want to have to chop up a block of chocolate, buy coin-shaped wafers from brands like Valrhona, Callebaut, and Guittard. Save chocolate chips for cookies because they’re made to not melt completely.

For Your Best Health: The Mediterranean Diet for IBS 

For Your Best Health

Flavonoid-rich Foods for Health

Flavonoid-rich foods for health

A recent study led by researchers from Queen’s University Belfast, Edith Cowan University Perth (ECU), the Medical University of Vienna, and Universitat Wien in Austria found that increasing the diversity of flavonoids in your diet—from foods like cocoa, tea, apples, and grapes as well as blueberries, strawberries, and oranges—could help prevent the development of health conditions such as type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease (CVD), cancer, and neurological diseases and offers the potential of living longer. Published in Nature Food, the study tracked over 120,000 participants from 40 to 70 years old for more than a decade.

ECU research fellow, first author, and co-lead of the study Benjamin Parmenter, PhD, made the initial discovery that a flavonoid-diverse diet is good for health. “Flavonoid intake of around 500 mg a day was associated with a 16% lower risk of all-cause mortality, as well as a ~10% lower risk of CVD, type 2 diabetes, and respiratory disease. That’s roughly the amount of flavonoids that you would consume in two cups of tea.”

Dr. Parmenter added that those who consumed the widest diversity of flavonoids had an even lower risk of these diseases, even when consuming the same total number of milligrams. For example, instead of just drinking tea, also enjoy berries, chocolate, and apples.

“We have known for some time that higher intakes of dietary flavonoids, powerful bioactives naturally present in many foods and drinks, can reduce the risk of developing heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and neurological conditions like Parkinson’s,” said study co-lead professor Aedín Cassidy, PhD, from the Co-Centre for Sustainable Food Systems and Institute for Global Food Security at Queen’s. “We also know from lab data and clinical studies that different flavonoids work in different ways—some improve blood pressure, others help with cholesterol levels and decrease inflammation. This study is significant, as the results indicate that consuming a higher quantity and wider diversity has the potential to lead to a greater reduction in ill health than just a single source.”

Professor Tilman Kühn, PhD, a co-lead author, noted that the importance of diversity of flavonoid intake hadn’t been investigated until now, making this study very significant, as the findings align with the belief that eating the rainbow is invaluable for maintaining good health. “Eating fruits and vegetables in a variety of colors, including those rich in flavonoids, means you’re more likely to get the vitamins and nutrients you need to sustain a healthier lifestyle,” he said.

The first-ever dietary guidelines for flavonoids were released recently, but this research goes one step further. “Our study provides inaugural evidence that we may also need to advise increasing diversity of intake of these compounds for optimal benefits,” Dr. Parmenter said.

“The results provide a clear public health message, suggesting that simple and achievable dietary swaps, such as drinking more tea and eating more berries and apples for example, can help increase the variety and intake of flavonoid-rich foods, and potentially improve health in the long term,” Dr. Cassidy added.

Fitness Flash: Outrunning Alzheimer’s?

Fitness Flash

Outdoor Exercise and Air Quality

According to experts at ACE (American Council on Exercise), a leading certifier of fitness professionals, it’s important to know your local air quality before you go outside to exercise. When the air quality is bad, it can put your overall health at risk, cause increases in resting and exercise heart rate and blood pressure, worsen asthma, and decrease lung function and oxygen-carrying capacity. This is because, in part, your body’s natural air-filtration system process is less effective when you breathe through your mouth and more pollutants reach the lungs. This is true regardless of the cause of bad air quality, including wildfires, pollen, and even heavy traffic. 

ACE has these suggestions:

  • Understand the risk-reward balance between physical activity and air pollution. On some days, it may be safer to bring your workout indoors or at least reduce the intensity at which you work out.
  • Pay attention to the air-quality index in your area. You can check it daily at airnow.gov. 
  • Be mindful of when and where you exercise. Avoid heavily trafficked roads at peak commuting times, for instance. Look at pollen reports before you go out if you’re sensitive to this allergen.
  • Consider wearing a face mask. It will keep you from inhaling allergens and pollutants without impacting your performance.

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Olive Oil Hunter News #223

Posted on by The Olive Oil Hunter

Summer Lentil Salad Recipe, Spotlight on Lentils, The Mediterranean Diet for IBS and Outrunning Alzheimer’s

Lentils are the unsung heroes of the legume family—high in protein and fiber along with other nutrients and fast to cook. They’re the perfect replacement for rice in summer salads and side dishes. They also fit right into the Mediterranean diet, a way of eating that could be a welcome change from the FODMAP diet for people living with IBS, according to a new study. I’m also sharing research that takes a deeper dive into exercise as a weapon in the war against Alzheimer’s.

Summer Lentil Salad

  • Summer lentil salad Summer Lentil Salad

    This protein-packed legume makes a satisfying meatless meal on its own as well as a zesty side dish for grilled tuna or salmon. 

    Ingredients

    For the lentils:

    • 1 cup dried French (du Puy) lentils
    • 3 cups homemade or low-sodium canned chicken stock, more broth or water as needed
    • 2 stalks celery, diced
    • 2 large carrots, diced
    • 1 bay leaf
    • 1 teaspoon coarse sea salt
    • 1 small red onion, diced
    • 1 large bell pepper, diced
    • 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
    • Salt as desired

    For the dressing:

    • 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar, more to taste
    • 1 small shallot, minced
    • 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
    • 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
    • 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

    Directions

    Step 1

    Place the lentils in a sieve and rinse under cold running water, picking through to remove any pebbles. Bring the stock to a boil in a large pot, then add the lentils, celery, carrots, bay leaf, and salt. Turn down the heat to maintain a simmer, cover the pot, and cook until the lentils are tender but still toothsome (think al dente), about 25 minutes. Check 5 minutes in advance to make sure there’s still some liquid so that the lentils won’t scorch. If the lentils aren’t tender once the broth evaporates, add 1/2 cup more liquid and continue cooking 5-10 more minutes.

    Step 2

    While the lentils are cooking, make the dressing. In a medium bowl, mix the vinegar, shallot, black pepper, and Dijon. Slowly whisk in the olive oil. Taste and add more vinegar if desired.

    Step 3

    When the lentils are ready, strain off any remaining liquid and transfer to a large bowl; discard the bay leaf. Fold in the red onion, bell pepper, and parsley. Pour on the dressing and toss to coat. Taste and add salt as desired. Serve at room temperature or chilled.

    Yields 8 servings

Healthy Ingredient Spotlight: Lentils

Healthy Ingredient Spotlight

Let’s Hear It for Lentils

High in fiber, vitamin C, and other antioxidants, strawberries also deliver potassium, folate, and magnesium. But they also have a tendency to get moldy when moisture gets trapped between the berries, especially in typical clamshell plastic containers. A simple storage trick is to unpack them as soon as you get home and transfer them, unwashed, to a paper towel-lined glass container—line them up upside down, leaving a bit of room between them, and store in the fridge, uncovered, suggest the experts at the Utah State University Extension. Wash them just before hulling (a curved grapefruit knife works great) and blot dry with fresh paper towels.

dried lentils
Quick Kitchen Nugget: Making Lentils in Advance

Quick Kitchen Nugget

Making Lentils in Advance

With 22 grams of protein in every cup of cooked French lentils, these nutrient-dense nuggets are great to have in the fridge, ready to sprinkle on green salads, add to other side dishes, or have as a satisfying snack drizzled with olive oil. Once you’ve cooked up a batch, drain them and let them come to room temperature. Transfer to a glass container and pop into the fridge. They’ll stay fresh for up to one week.

For Your Best Health: The Mediterranean Diet for IBS 

For Your Best Health

The Mediterranean Diet for IBS 

IBS, or irritable bowel syndrome, affects an estimated 4 to 11 percent of all people, and most prefer dietary interventions to medication. Many try following the low-FODMAP diet, according to researchers at Michigan Medicine. It improves symptoms in more than half of patients, but it’s restrictive—it cuts out so many foods that people find it hard to follow. Previous investigations from these researchers, who were looking for more acceptable versions, led to their “FODMAP simple” diet, which only restricts the food groups in the FODMAP diet that are most likely to cause symptoms. Still, because any type of restrictive diets can be difficult to adopt, Michigan Medicine gastroenterologist Prashant Singh, MBBS, and his colleagues decided to look at a completely different alternative, the Mediterranean diet. 

Many physicians are already behind the Mediterranean diet because of its benefits to cardiovascular, cognitive, and general health. With so many advantages, they wanted to see whether it could also bring IBS symptom relief. “In addition to the issue of being costly and time-consuming, there are concerns about nutrient deficiencies and disordered eating when trying a low-FODMAP diet. The Mediterranean diet interested us as an alternative that is not an elimination diet and overcomes several of these limitations related to a low-FODMAP diet,” said Dr. Singh.

The Mediterranean Diet for IBS 

For the pilot study, 20 participants, all of whom were diagnosed with either IBS-D (diarrhea) or IBS-M (mixed symptoms of constipation and diarrhea), were randomized into two groups. For four weeks, one group followed the Mediterranean diet and the other followed the restriction phase of a low-FODMAP diet.

The primary endpoint was an FDA-standard 30 percent reduction in abdominal pain intensity after four weeks. In the Mediterranean diet group, 73 percent of the patients met the primary endpoint for symptom improvement versus 81.8 percent in the low-FODMAP group. Though the low-FODMAP group experienced a greater improvement measured by both abdominal pain intensity and the IBS symptom severity score, the Mediterranean diet did provide symptom relief with fewer food restrictions.

“This study adds to a growing body of evidence that suggests that a Mediterranean diet might be a useful addition to the menu of evidence-based dietary interventions for patients with IBS,” said William Chey, MD, chief of gastroenterology at the University of Michigan, president-elect of the American College of Gastroenterology, and senior author of the research paper.

Researchers found the results of this pilot study encouraging enough to warrant future and larger controlled trials to investigate the potential of the Mediterranean diet as an effective intervention for patients with IBS. They believe studies comparing the long-term efficacy of the Mediterranean diet with long-term outcomes following the reintroduction and personalization phases of the low-FODMAP diet are needed.

Fitness Flash: Outrunning Alzheimer’s?

Fitness Flash

Outrunning Alzheimer’s?

A Mass General Brigham study, published in Nature Neuroscience, has revealed how exercise rewires the brain at the cellular level. “While we’ve long known that exercise helps protect the brain, we didn’t fully understand which cells were responsible or how it worked at a molecular level,” said senior author Christiane D. Wrann, DVM, PhD, a neuroscientist and leader of the Program in Neuroprotection in Exercise at the Mass General Brigham Heart and Vascular Institute and the McCance Center for Brain Health at Massachusetts General Hospital. “Now, we have a detailed map of how exercise impacts each major cell type in the memory center of the brain in Alzheimer’s disease.”

The research team from Mass General Brigham and collaborators at SUNY Upstate Medical University leveraged advanced single-nuclei RNA sequencing (snRNA-seq), a relatively new technology that allows researchers to look at activity at the molecular level in single cells for an in-depth understanding of diseases like Alzheimer’s, along with a widely used preclinical model for Alzheimer’s disease. Focusing on a part of the hippocampus, a critical region for memory and learning damaged early in Alzheimer’s, they identified specific brain cell types that responded most to exercise. 

They exercised a common mouse model for Alzheimer’s disease using running wheels, which improved the mice’s memory compared to their sedentary counterparts. They then analyzed gene activity across thousands of individual brain cells, finding that exercise changed activity both in microglia, a disease-associated population of brain cells, and in a specific type of neurovascular-associated astrocyte (NVA), newly discovered by the team, which are cells associated with blood vessels in the brain. Furthermore, the scientists identified the metabolic gene Atpif1 as an important regulator to create new neurons in the brain. “That we were able to modulate newborn neurons using our new target genes set underscores the promise our study,” said lead author Joana Da Rocha, PhD, a postdoctoral fellow working in Dr. Wrann’s lab.

To ensure the findings were relevant to humans, the team validated their discoveries in a large dataset of human Alzheimer’s brain tissue, finding striking similarities. “This work not only sheds light on how exercise benefits the brain but also uncovers potential cell-specific targets for future Alzheimer’s therapies,” said Nathan Tucker, a biostatistician at SUNY Upstate Medical University and co-senior author of the study. “Our study offers a valuable resource for the scientific community investigating Alzheimer’s prevention and treatment.”

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