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The Olive Oil Hunter News #48

Posted on by The Olive Oil Hunter

Concord Grape and Olive Oil Harvest Cake Recipe, Spotlight on Concord Grapes, The Power of Pistachios and Naps

When I was growing up, my grandparents had several Concord grapevines. I loved to pick the deep-purple clusters and wished I could have them all year-round. Since early fall is the only time they’re available, I’ve always been excited for this season. The Concord grape and olive oil harvest cake I’m sharing with you in this week’s newsletter also includes one of my favorite nuts—pistachios—and, of course, extra virgin olive oil. Members of the Fresh-Pressed Olive Oil Club can use any of their selections for this recipe, but a bold and fruity choice is wonderful with the fruit and nuts. You’ll love this cake with a scoop of ice cream for dessert or on its own for breakfast the next day…if you have any left!

CONCORD GRAPE AND OLIVE OIL HARVEST CAKE

  • CONCORD GRAPE AND OLIVE OIL HARVEST CAKE Concord Grape and Olive Oil Harvest Cake

    This cake includes one of my favorite nuts—pistachios—and, of course, extra virgin olive oil. You’ll love this cake with a scoop of ice cream for dessert or on its own for breakfast the next day…if you have any left!

    Ingredients

    • 3/4 cup cake flour
    • 1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
    • Pinch of salt
    • 1 cup Concord grapes
    • 1/2 cup unsalted, shelled pistachios
    • 4 tablespoons confectioner’s sugar
    • 2 large eggs
    • 1 cup sugar, divided
    • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
    • 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
    • 4 large egg whites
    • 1 tablespoon sanding sugar (optional)

    Directions

    Step 1

    Preheat your oven to 350ºF. Line the bottom of a 9″ springform pan with parchment paper, and lightly coat it with baking spray. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Over another large bowl to catch the juice, slice the grapes in half and remove and discard the seeds; set aside.

    Step 2

    In a food processor, pulse the pistachios with the confectioner’s sugar until powdery. Add the 2 whole eggs, 3/4 cup of the sugar, and the vanilla extract, and then pulse about 6 times to incorporate the ingredients. Add half of the flour mixture, then the olive oil, and then the remaining flour mixture, pulsing a few times between each addition. Transfer the batter to the bowl you used for the flour, and fold in any juice that’s collected in the bowl of grapes.

    Step 3

    In a clean, large bowl, whisk the egg whites on a low speed until foamy, add the remaining 1/4 cup of sugar, and whip at high speed until stiff peaks form. Fold a large spoonful of the beaten whites into the batter to lighten the mixture. Then gently fold in the remaining egg whites, being sure to incorporate the batter at the very bottom of the bowl. Transfer the batter to the prepared pan, smoothing the top, and then sprinkle on the grapes and, if you’re using it, the sanding sugar. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes, until there’s no wobble in the center and a knife used to test comes out clean. Cool on a rack for 10 minutes, and then release the sides of the pan. Serve at room temperature.

    Yields 10-12 servings

Healthy Ingredient Spotlight: Concord Grapes ​

Healthy Ingredient Spotlight

Concord Grapes ​

Just as deeply colored berries have amazing and healthful antioxidants, so do deeply colored grapes. In fact, a study in the journal Antioxidants that compared Concord, purple, red, and green grapes found that the Concord and the purple grapes had the highest concentration of antioxidants. What’s more, of all the grapes, the Concords had the most not just in their skins, but in their pulp as well. This—and their wonderful intense flavor—makes having to deal with those little seeds worth the trouble.

Healthy Kitchen Tip: Concord Grape Shopping Smarts ​

Healthy Kitchen Nugget

Concord Grape Shopping Smarts ​

Look for bunches with dark blue-purple grapes and a dusty “bloom,” or light whitish finish—this is a natural protectant. It’s common to find a few grapes on any given bunch that haven’t ripened and are still green. Just discard them because they’ll be sour. Store Concord grapes, unwashed, in the crisper drawer of your fridge for up to two weeks; rinse before eating or prepping them. They also freeze well and make an icy treat if you eat them without thawing.

For Your Best Health: Pistachio Power ​

For Your Best Health

Pistachio Power ​

Whenever I read studies about how healthful nuts are, I typically think of walnuts and almonds, but according to a report in the journal Natural Product Research, pistachios pack an enviable nutrient punch, making them a great, guilt-free snack. “Compared to other nuts, pistachios have a lower fat and caloric content, and contain the highest levels of unsaturated fatty acids, potassium, γ-tocopherol [vitamin E], phytosterols, and xanthophyll carotenoids, all substances that are well known for their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory actions.” More details come from a review of pistachios in the journal Nutrients. “Pistachios are also a good source of vegetable protein, with an essential amino acid ratio higher than most other commonly consumed nuts…The amount of total carbohydrates is low to moderate, but they are richer in fiber than other nuts with a 10% by weight of insoluble forms and 0.3% of soluble forms…This complete and diverse set of micronutrients and macronutrients means that pistachio nuts are potentially one of the more health-promoting foods.” They also help you feel full, so you’re less likely to overeat.

When it comes to taste, I especially adore pistachios from Turkey, available from many online purveyors, as well as the Bazzini brand (bazzininuts.com). In Sicily, I fell in love with the pistachios from Bronte, the village on Mount Etna, where they’re called “green gold”—it’s possible to buy them online at gustiamo.com, but they are quite an indulgence at more than $40 per half-pound!

For convenience when cooking, buy raw, shelled kernels. With a few pulses in the food processor, you can turn them into pistachio flour for cakes or pistachio paste for cake or candy fillings. For the smoothest paste, blanch raw pistachios for two minutes in boiling water, drain them, and use a kitchen towel to rub off the skins. Whether or not you skin them, you can toast them for a few minutes in a low-temperature oven or a dry skillet to bring out their flavor. Pre-roasted pistachios typically have a bit of salt, so they’re trickier to use in sweet recipes (you may be able to simply omit any other salt listed in the ingredients). Nuts.com is a great source for both raw and roasted pistachios.

Fitness Flash: A New Look at Naps ​

Fitness Flash

A New Look at Naps ​

A study in the journal Sleep has found that while taking a nap can be a bit helpful, it can’t replace missed sleep. Researchers from Michigan State University tested whether napping could compensate for the cognitive deficits—such as the ability to think clearly—linked with sleep deprivation. “We found that short naps of 30 or 60 minutes did not show any measurable effects,” said Kimberly Fenn, PhD, an associate professor and director of the Sleep and Learning Lab. But there was a positive. Napping does get you some “slow-wave sleep,” considered the most important sleep stage. This can reduce the number of mistakes you make when you’re sleep deprived. The research noted that every 10-minute increase in slow-wave sleep can reduce errors by about 4%, an amount that sounds small but could make a big difference, especially for people in professions that require life-and-death decision-making—think doctors and police officers.

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The Olive Oil Hunter News #47

Posted on by The Olive Oil Hunter

Garden Pasta alla Hermes Recipe, Spotlight on Gluten-Free Pasta, Benefits of Green Foods and Canned Tomatoes, Plus Boosting Your Brain

The tomato purée we used in this recipe is called passata and you can find it at larger supermarkets or online. In a pinch, you can use high-quality canned crushed tomatoes like the San Marzano variety. If you have a bounty of fresh tomatoes from your garden or farmers’ market, as a variation chop them and add to the pan along with the other vegetables, omitting the jarred sauce. I love it in all these ways!

GARDEN PASTA ALLA HERMES

  • GARDEN PASTA ALLA HERMES WITH TOMATOES Garden Pasta Alla Hermes

    My Merry Band of Tasters and I were treated to this recipe at the Di Mercurio family’s farm in Italy after an olive harvest, and master miller Duccio Morozzo and I liked it so much we decided to recreate it back in his Roman kitchen.

    Ingredients

    • 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
    • 1/2 red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and diced
    • 1/2 small eggplant, stemmed, peeled, and diced
    • 1/2 small zucchini, stemmed and diced
    • 1 small red onion, peeled and diced
    • Coarse sea salt
    • 8 ounces dry rigatoni
    • 3 cups tomato purée or crushed tomatoes
    • Parmigiano-Reggiano for serving
    • Crushed red pepper flakes for serving
    • Basil leaves for garnish

    Directions

    Step 1

    Pour the 1/4 cup of olive oil into a cold saucepan. Add the bell pepper, eggplant, zucchini, onion, and a pinch or two of salt. Sauté the vegetables until they’re soft and cooked through, 10 to 12 minutes. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, add the pasta, and cook until al dente according to the package directions.

    Step 2

    Stir the tomato purée into the vegetables and simmer over medium-low heat for 5 minutes.

    Step 3

    Purée the sauce with a stick blender until it’s fairly smooth. Season with additional salt, if desired. Drain the rigatoni and add to the sauce. Gently stir to combine. Transfer to a warmed shallow bowl and serve with grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, red pepper flakes, and extra olive oil for drizzling. Garnish with basil as desired.

    Yields 4 lunch or 2 dinner servings.

Healthy Ingredient Spotlight: Gluten-Free Pastas with tomatoes

Healthy Ingredient Spotlight

Gluten-Free Pastas Get Creative ​

You don’t have to be on a gluten-free diet to reap the benefits of vegetable- and legume-based pastas. You’ll not only skip the refined flour, but also get a nutrient boost depending on the type you choose, and some are made from a single ingredient—no fillers or other additives. Yellow pea pasta, introduced last year by Zenb, delivers 17 grams of protein and 11 grams of fiber in a three-ounce serving. Black soy bean pasta from O the Only Bean has 25 grams of protein and 10 grams of fiber in just two ounces. There are also pastas made from chickpeas and other lentils, cauliflower, and cassava, a vegetable that has a wheat-like taste.

Healthy Kitchen Tip: Canned Tomatoes ​

Healthy Kitchen Nugget

Canned Goodness ​

Canned tomatoes are one of the most versatile foods to keep in your pantry, and I always have a selection on hand. Tomato purée is great for making smooth sauces, while crushed tomatoes will give your dishes more texture. Whole peeled tomatoes are excellent for slow-cooked sauces, especially meat-based ones. Diced tomatoes are perfect for a fast salsa or when you want to add more texture to a cooked dish—no cutting required and they hold their shape. And, of course, don’t forget tomato paste for adding sweet richness and concentrated taste.

For Your Best Health: Go-To “Green” Foods like tomatoes

For Your Best Health

Go-To “Green” Foods

A landmark study from University of Michigan researchers, published in the journal Nature Food, has ranked more than 5,800 foods by how much they negatively or positively impact both our health and the environment. The researchers used a new epidemiology-based nutritional index, the Health Nutritional Index, or HENI, which they developed in collaboration with nutritionist Victor Fulgoni III from Nutrition Impact LLC. HENI calculates the net beneficial or detrimental health burden of a serving of food in terms of minutes of healthy life. To create their rankings, they also factored in 15 dietary risk factors and disease burden estimates and nutrition profiles of foods from the What We Eat in America database of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Foods with positive scores add healthy minutes of life, while foods with negative scores are linked to outcomes that can be detrimental to health. As just one example, eating a hot dog could cost you 36 minutes of healthy life, but eating a serving of nuts instead could help you gain 26 minutes of healthy time alive.

They also classified food choices according to three color zones: green, yellow, and red. Green represents foods we should eat more of and that have low environmental impacts, with nuts, fruits, field-grown vegetables, legumes, whole grains, and environmentally raised seafood topping the list. As many other health studies have found, processed meats top their list of red foods, which also includes many red meats as well as seafood raised and/or harvested using unhealthy practices. In terms of the big picture, they found that substituting 10% of daily calories from red foods with the aforementioned green foods could reduce your dietary carbon footprint by one-third and let you gain 48 minutes of healthy minutes per day.

As with most food decisions, the researchers advise making balanced choices because nutritionally beneficial foods might not always generate the lowest environmental impacts, and vice versa. You can read a summary of the study at Futurity.org.

Fitness Flash: More Brain Boosts ​

Fitness Flash

More Brain Boosts ​

Building on the link between better cognitive function and engaging in mentally stimulating activities, physical exercise, and positive social interactions, researchers have found that one form of social interaction in particular—having someone in your life who you can count on to listen to you when you need to talk—can improve what’s called cognitive resilience. This is a measure of the brain’s ability to function better than it should in view of one’s physical aging. The new study, published in JAMA Network Open, found that people with “listener availability” had higher total cerebral volume, which is associated with greater cognitive resilience.

“We think of cognitive resilience as a buffer to the effects of brain aging and disease,” said lead researcher Joel Salinas, MD, assistant professor of neurology at the New York University Grossman School of Medicine and a member of the neurology department’s Center for Cognitive Neurology. “This study adds to growing evidence that people can take steps, either for themselves or the people they care about most, to increase the odds they’ll slow down cognitive aging or prevent the development of symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease—something that is all the more important given that we still don’t have a cure for the disease.”

Dr. Salinas added that while Alzheimer’s usually affects older people, the results of this study show those under 65 would benefit from this form of social support. For every unit of decline in brain volume, individuals in their 40s and 50s with low listener availability had a cognitive age that was four years older than those with high listener availability. “These four years can be incredibly precious. Too often we think about how to protect our brain health when we’re much older, after we’ve already lost a lot of time decades before to build and sustain brain-healthy habits,” he explained. “But today, right now, you can ask yourself if you truly have someone available to listen to you in a supportive way, and ask your loved ones the same. Taking that simple action sets the process in motion for you to ultimately have better odds of long-term brain health and the best quality of life you can have.”

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The Olive Oil Hunter News #46

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Argentinian Skirt Steak Recipe, Spotlight on Red Pepper Flakes, Grilling with Flavored Wood Chips, Fresh Pressed Olive Oil and Brain Function

I love a sauce that tastes like I spent hours making it but that comes together in a matter of seconds! Chimichurri fits the bill. And if you don’t have the needed herbs and peppers growing in your garden or in pots on your deck, they’re in abundant supply at markets this time of year. Plus read below for more information on the benefits of fresh pressed olive oil and improved brain function!

ARGENTINEAN SKIRT STEAK WITH CHIMICHURRI

Grilled meat with herbaceous chimichurri sauce is a South American staple, popular in Argentina, Brazil, and Chile. Substitute flank steak or hanger steak if you can’t find skirt steak.

  • Argentinian Skirt Steak Recipe Argentinian Skirt Steak With Chimichurri

    Grilled meat with herbaceous chimichurri sauce is a South American staple, popular in Argentina, Brazil, and Chile. Substitute flank steak or hanger steak if you can’t find skirt steak.

    Ingredients

    For the chimichurri:

    • 1 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, stemmed
    • 1/2 cup fresh cilantro
    • 3 to 4 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
    • 1 tablespoon fresh or teaspoon dried oregano
    • 1 fresh jalapeño, stemmed and seeded, or 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
    • 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
    • 3 to 4 tablespoons red wine vinegar
    • 3 to 4 tablespoons water
    • Kosher salt to taste
    • Freshly ground black pepper to taste

    For the Steak:

    • 2 pounds trimmed skirt steak
    • More kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

    Directions

    Make the chimichurri:

    Place the parsley, cilantro, garlic, oregano, and the jalapeño or red pepper flakes in a food processor and finely chop, running the machine in short bursts. With the motor running, add the olive oil in a thin stream, followed by 3 tablespoons of the vinegar and 3 tablespoons of water. Taste the chimichurri, adding another tablespoon of vinegar to make it tarter, if desired. If necessary, add another tablespoon of water to thin the chimichurri to a pourable consistency. Season with salt and pepper to taste; it should be highly seasoned. Set aside for up to 2 hours.

    Preheat your grill to medium-high. Season the skirt steak on both sides with salt and pepper. Grill for 3 to 5 minutes per side, depending on its thickness (medium-rare is best). Let it rest for 2 to 3 minutes, then thinly slice the meat on a diagonal. Arrange on a platter and serve with the chimichurri sauce.

    Yields 4 to 6 servings

Healthy Ingredient Spotlight: Red Pepper Flakes

Healthy Ingredient Spotlight

Red Pepper Flakes

Crushed red pepper flakes are a great, quick way to add a little heat to any dish, and there’s probably a generic jar of it on your spice shelf. It’s typically made from cayenne peppers and includes some seeds for extra zing, but it’s just as easy to make your own using whatever type of dried peppers you like best. Pulse one or two stemmed peppers with their seeds in a coffee bean grinder—be careful not to pulverize them—and then transfer them to a spice jar with large holes in the sifter fitment (that’s the technical name of the plastic piece that snaps over the jar).

Have fresh peppers from your garden? Dry them in your oven or dehydrator or tie them up and allow them to air-dry upside down, and then grind them. Just as you do when chopping peppers, wear gloves when transferring peppers from grinder to jar to keep the capsaicin from getting on your fingertips, which could burn your eyes if you touch them.

Healthy Kitchen Tip: Grilling with Flavored Wood Chips

Healthy Kitchen Nugget

Customize Grilling Flavor with Wood Chips ​

Chips made from fruit tree woods, like apple, peach, and pear, as well as alder, provide a mild flavor, great for chicken and seafood. Hickory, oak, pecan, and maple give meat a bolder flavor, and mesquite adds the strongest flavor of all. Experiment with various wood chips, but unless you’re getting the wood straight from your own tree, buy packets of chips designed for a grill or smoker.

If you use a gas grill, you can still get wonderful smoky flavor: Use a smoker box loaded with wood chips or simply make a DIY aluminum foil pouch filled with chips. Place the smoker box as directed in your grill instructions (some suggest putting it on the grill grate, others below it). Once the chips begin smoking, move the box/pouch to the cooler side of the grill before cooking your food.

For Your Best Health: Olive Oil and Brain Function

For Your Best Health

Olive Oil Helps Counter Cognitive Impairment

A study published late last year in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease highlighted the potential of extra virgin olive oil to improve brain function in older adults with a condition called amnestic Mild Cognitive Impairment, or aMCI, characterized by memory loss and the inability to do very complex activities of daily living, and considered an early warning sign of Alzheimer’s. For the first-of-its-kind research, scientists from the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki and the Greek Association of Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Disorders compared the effects of high-phenolic early-harvest extra virgin olive oil (HP-EH-EVOO) to moderate phenolic, or MP-EVOO, and to the Mediterranean diet (MeDi) to see how well the HP-EH-EVOO worked as a therapeutic compound (there is currently no treatment for aMCI). Called the MICOIL study, it built on prior research that found EVOO can protect cognitive function.

Study participants were divided among three groups: Group 1 received 50 mL (about 3 tablespoons) of HP-EH-EVOO every day, Group 2 received the same amount of MP-EVOO, and Group 3 was simply told to follow a Mediterranean diet. Also, they were tested for a genetic predisposition to APOEɛ4, a protein linked to the development of Alzheimer’s. After 12 months, Group 1 had better follow-up performance compared to Group 2 and Group 3 in almost all cognitive domains. Group 2 had significant improvement compared to Group 3 in two important cognitive tests. What’s more, there was a significant difference in the level of APOEɛ4 in Group 1 and Group 2 versus Group 3.

The scientists concluded that long-term HP-EH-EVOO or MP-EVOO was associated with significant improvement in cognitive function compared to the Mediterranean diet alone. This isn’t to say that the diet isn’t helpful—dozens of studies have shown it supports many areas of health, including the heart. But, as the researchers point out, it’s not a single prescribed diet, but rather a general food-based eating pattern that varies by local and cultural differences throughout the Mediterranean region. Having 50 m/L of high-phenol EVOO olive oil daily could help further its known benefits.

Fitness Flash Icon

Fitness Flash

Getting Dirty Is Healthy ​

We’re learning more and more about the benefits of outdoor training. As certified health coach and entrepreneur Preston Blackburn wrote in The Power of Dirt: The Benefits of Outdoor Exercise for the American Council on Exercise, “a good old-fashioned messy, muddy, dirty workout can bring benefits beyond the obvious physical ones by improving cognition and reducing stress, anxiety, and depression.”

Getting sweaty and dirty through sports is fun, as any kid who’s played on a field in the rain and rolled around in the mud knows. As adults, Blackburn wrote, these opportunities are few and far between, and we tend to shy away from them even if they do come along, but that’s a mistake. Benefits of the great outdoors start with the gut microbiome-enhancing, immune-system boosting power of actual dirt and extend to the regions of the brain involved in mood and mental acuity. Add in the known vitamin D boost of being outdoors and the calming effects of green spaces, and you have more than enough reasons to get out your old soccer ball and organize a pickup game with friends in the nearest park. Read Blackburn’s entire post here.

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The Olive Oil Hunter News #45

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Roasted Shrimp with Corn and Burst Tomatoes Recipe, Spotlight on Corn, Handling Shrimp Safely and How to Protect Against Wildfire Smoke

There’s no time of the year like August, when summer gardens are at their height and freshly grown produce is in abundance. I love this week’s recipe because it’s an unusual take on tomatoes and corn—a tasty change of pace from traditional salads, yet oh-so-easy to prepare.

ROASTED SHRIMP WITH CORN AND BURST TOMATOES

  • ROASTED SHRIMP WITH CORN AND BURST TOMATOES Roasted Shrimp With Corn and Burst Tomatoes

    This is a fun dish in the South American style of using round chunks of sweet corn on the cob. If you’d prefer, slice the kernels off the raw ears after husking and add them to the baking dish when you add the shrimp. For a variation, toss the finished dish with cooked pasta.

    Ingredients

    • 1/4 cup dry white wine
    • 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
    • 3 cloves garlic, minced
    • 1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
    • 1 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes or more to taste
    • 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
    • 1 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined
    • 1 pint red cherry tomatoes
    • 2 ears sweet corn, husked, cut crosswise into 1-inch wheels
    • Freshly ground black pepper to taste
    • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro or parsley
    • Crusty bread for serving

    Directions

    Step 1

    Preheat your oven to 350°F. In a large bowl, combine the white wine, lemon juice, garlic, teaspoon of salt, and pepper flakes. Whisk in the 1/2 cup of olive oil. Pat the shrimp dry with paper towels, add them to the marinade, and toss to coat.

    Step 2

    Place the tomatoes and corn in a large glass or ceramic baking dish and drizzle with the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Season to taste with salt and black pepper. Roast for 20 minutes or until the tomatoes begin to split.

    Step 3

    Tip the bowl of shrimp with its marinade over the tomatoes and corn and stir to combine, spreading out the shrimp in a single layer.

    Step 4

    Roast for an additional 15 minutes, or until the shrimp are opaque and cooked through. Stir in the cilantro or parsley. Serve with crusty bread to mop up the juices.

    Yields 4 servings

Healthy Ingredient Spotlight: Shrimp Safety ​

Healthy Ingredient Spotlight

Shrimp Safety ​

Shrimp is not immune to the wild vs. farm-raised debate. Often, both the harvesting/farming practices and the country of origin need to be taken into consideration. According to industry watchdog group Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch, giant tiger prawns farmed worldwide in indoor recirculating tanks with wastewater treatment are a “Best Choice.” This is a sophisticated farming method that minimizes the release of chemicals into the environment and the chances of disease outbreaks. You might see these shrimp sold as freshwater prawns, freshwater shrimp, and giant river shrimp. Whiteleg shrimp farmed in the U.S. are another farmed Best Choice.

In terms of wild, northern shrimp caught with traps in Nova Scotia, Canada, are a Best Choice, with very few concerns about habitat or ecosystem impacts. You might see these shrimp sold as great northern shrimp, Pacific pink shrimp, pink shrimp, and salad shrimp.

Most wild-caught shrimp from the U.S. are considered a Seafood Watch “Good Alternative,” but avoid ridgeback prawns from California and shrimp caught with skimmer trawls anywhere in the Gulf of Mexico with the exception of Florida.

Seafood Watch-assessed sources of shrimp and prawns from Argentina, China, Guyana, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Nicaragua, and Vietnam are on its “Avoid” list due to concerns over catching and/or farming practices.

When possible, buy shrimp that’s been eco-certified by the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC), the Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC), or Best Aquaculture Practices (BAP). You can easily check to see whether a particular species or source is safe on the Seafood Watch website.

Healthy Kitchen Tip: Quick-Cooked Fresh Corn ​

Healthy Kitchen Nugget

Quick-Cooked Corn ​

Got an abundance of corn on the cob? Here’s a fast and foolproof way to cook it: Fill a stockpot three-quarters of the way with water, add a tablespoon of salt, and bring to a rapid boil. Add your shucked corn, cover the pot tightly with a lid, and take the pot off the heat. After seven minutes, the corn will be ready to serve.

Buying tip: Choose corn with the husk still on since it protects the kernels. Husks should be a bright green color and should hug the cob. Peel back just the tip of the husk to be sure that the silk is still moist and the kernels are bright yellow and/or white, depending on the variety.

For Your Best Health: Fermented Food Is Fab ​

For Your Best Health

Why Fermented Food Is Fab ​

There’s no doubt that fiber is good for health, but new research that compared the effects of fiber to those of fermented foods found that fermented foods can have unique—and rapid—benefits for the all-important gut microbiome and the immune system. Consuming foods and drinks such as yogurt, kefir, fermented cottage cheese, kimchi and other fermented vegetables, vinegar, vegetable brine drinks, and kombucha tea led to greater microbial diversity, with stronger effects from larger servings. “This is a stunning finding,” said Justin Sonnenburg, PhD, an associate professor of microbiology and immunology at the Stanford University School of Medicine. “It provides one of the first examples of how a simple change in diet can reproducibly remodel the microbiota across a cohort of healthy adults.”

For 10 weeks, the study participants followed either a high-fiber diet rich in legumes, seeds, whole grains, nuts, vegetables, and fruits, or a diet high in fermented foods. During the follow-up, four types of immune cells showed less activation in the fermented-food group. Also, levels of 19 inflammatory proteins measured in blood samples decreased, something not seen in those on the high-fiber diet. One of these proteins, interleukin-6, has been linked to conditions including rheumatoid arthritis, type 2 diabetes, and chronic stress.

“We expected high fiber to have a more universally beneficial effect and increase microbiota diversity,” said Erica Sonnenburg, PhD, a senior research scientist in basic life sciences, microbiology, and immunology at Stanford. “The data suggest that increased fiber intake alone over a short time period is insufficient to increase microbiota diversity…It is possible that a longer intervention would have allowed for the microbiota to adequately adapt to the increase in fiber consumption.”

So, this isn’t an either-or finding—rather, it suggests that we enjoy both types of foods. High-fiber diets are linked to lower rates of mortality, while eating fermented foods can help with weight maintenance and may decrease the risk for diabetes, cancer, and heart disease. In fact, the researchers will soon test whether high-fiber and fermented foods can work together to boost the microbiome and immune system.

Fitness Flash: Protecting Against Wildfire Smoke

Fitness Flash

Protecting Against Wildfire Smoke ​

You don’t have to live on the West Coast for your lungs to be affected by the fallout from this season’s wildfires as the smoke travels across the country. As much attention as these horrific fires have received, few people take enough precautions to avoid the toxic smoke and particulate matter that can easily find their way into the lungs and bloodstream. Here are some steps suggested by three Stanford experts: Kari Nadeau, MD, PhD, director of Stanford’s Sean N. Parker Center for Allergy & Asthma Research; Mary Prunicki, MD, PhD, the center’s director of air pollution and health research; and Lynn Hildemann, PhD, professor and department chair of civil and environmental engineering.

Before you go outside to exercise or just run errands, know the outside air quality—track it easily with an app or website. When the Air Quality Index is high, stay inside as much as possible. When you must go out, an N95 mask can be effective at keeping out particulate matter.

Know your indoor air quality, too. See if your utility company offers a home energy audit—free in many areas—to assess how well-sealed your home is. The audit should identify energy-saving measures to better secure areas where smoke could get in.

If you have central A/C, run it on smoky days—its filter is designed to trap dust and small particles, so it offers some protection. Change all air filters in your home regularly. Be sure to use true HEPA filters—those with a high-efficiency particulate air designation—designed to remove 99.97% of airborne particles. It should state this on the box. Skip packages labeled “HEPA-like” or “approaching HEPA” quality. If possible, invest in a high-quality air purifier for your home. If you can’t purify your entire home, pick one room to focus on and maintain healthy air quality there.

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