Glazed Carrots and Pearl Onions Recipe, Spotlight on Carrots, More Nutrients Needed During Pregnancy, and Getting to Know Tai Chi

With the holidays in full view, I’m sharing a crowd-pleasing side dish that can be made in advance and then reheated for a buffet or sit-down dinner. If you’re looking for a new way to de-stress and move more, check out my mini primer on Tai chi, a mind-body practice that welcomes participants at nearly all levels of fitness. And if you’re pregnant or know someone who is, read about a startling discovery on nutrition shortfalls to avoid.

Glazed Carrots and Pearl Onions

• Glazed Carrots and Pearl Onions

  This simple technique concentrates all the sweetness of the two vegetables as it creates a light glaze for the perfect finish.

  Ingredients

  • 2 pounds carrots, scrubbed and peeled if needed
  • 1 pound pearl onions, peeled (see Quick Kitchen Nugget in weekly newsletter)
  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 1 teaspoon coarse sea salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 
  • 1/4 cup freshly chopped flat-leaf parsley

  Directions

  Cut the carrots on the diagonal into slices about 1/2-inch thick. Place them in a large frying pan along with the peeled onions. Add enough cold water to just cover them. Place over medium-high heat and bring to a rapid boil. Immediately lower the heat to a low boil and add the olive oil, butter, sugar, salt, and pepper. Cook for about 20 minutes until all the water has evaporated and the vegetables have a shiny glaze. A knife should be able to easily pierce a few carrots. (If they’re not tender enough once the liquid has nearly evaporated, add another cup of water and continue cooking.) Just before serving, sprinkle with the parsley and drizzle with olive oil.

  Yields 8 servings

Healthy Ingredient Spotlight

Skip the “Baby Carrots”

Though these bagged nuggets seem like a great convenience item, the amount of processing they go through is mind-boggling. First, they’re usually not miniatures—these days, so-called baby carrots are just whole carrots that have been cut down, rounded, and often “polished” into shape. All of that manipulation can make a dent in their nutritional value. What’s more, they go through a chlorine rinse before being bagged, which does nothing to prevent the slimy feeling they often develop in the bag (some sources attribute this to the water added to prevent them from drying out, though this can happen anyway—a white film on the carrots is a sign of dehydration). All that for a lot more money than a bunch of carrots that you can wash, peel, and cut into handy disks yourself. 

Quick Kitchen Nugget

Peeling Pearl Onions

Pearl onions are a sweet addition to carrot and other vegetable medleys. They need to be peeled, but this simple blanching technique makes fast work of the job: Fill a large bowl with cold water and a dozen ice cubes; set aside. Fill a saucepan with water and bring it to a rapid boil. Add the pearl onions to the boiling water for 2 minutes, then drain them and place them in the bowl of cold water to stop the cooking process and cool them slightly. Working one at a time, pinch each onion with two fingers to squeeze it out of its softened peel.

For Your Best Health

More Nutrients Needed During Pregnancy 

According to new research from scientists at Stevens Institute of Technology in New Jersey and New York University, published in The Journal of Nutrition, over 90% of pregnant people are potentially failing to get enough iron, vitamin D, or vitamin E from the food they eat, while over one-third could be short on calcium, vitamin C, and vitamin A. Perhaps most troubling, almost two-thirds may not be getting enough dietary folate, a critical nutrient that helps prevent birth defects in a baby’s brain and spine.

“It’s important to remember that many pregnant people take prenatal vitamin supplements, which might help prevent nutritional deficiencies,” said Samantha Kleinberg, PhD, the study’s lead author and a professor at the Charles V. Schaefer Jr. School of Engineering and Science at Stevens. “Nonetheless, this is a startling finding that suggests we need to be looking much more closely at whether pregnant individuals are getting the nutrients they need.”

Unlike other studies of nutrition during pregnancy that relied on a few days of food diaries or on simply asking people what they remembered eating, the Stevens team asked pregnant people to take before-and-after photos of everything they ate over two 14-day periods. Experts then reviewed the photos to assess the amount of food actually eaten and determine the nutrients consumed during each meal.

That’s a far more accurate approach because people are notoriously bad at estimating portion size or accurately reporting what they’ve eaten, Dr. Kleinberg explained. Taking photos is also much less laborious for participants, making it easy to collect data over a period of weeks instead of just a few days.

“Most surveys only track diet over a day or two, but if you feel off one day and don’t eat much, or have a big celebratory meal over the weekend, that can skew the data,” Dr. Kleinberg said. “By looking at a longer time period, and using photos to track diet and nutrition, we’re able to get a much richer and more precise picture of what people actually ate.”

The study, which was co-authored with Andrea Deierlein, PhD, director of public health nutrition at New York University, found significant dietary variations between individuals, but also among the same individuals from one day to the next, suggesting that shorter studies and population-based reports might be failing to spot important nutritional deficits. “Some people eat really well, and others don’t, so if you just take an average, it looks like everything’s fine,” Dr. Kleinberg explained. “This study suggests that in reality, an alarming number of pregnant people may not be getting the nutrients they need from their food.”

Using food photos also allowed the Stevens team to accurately track the exact timing of meals and snacks and explore the way that patterns of eating behavior correlated with total energy and nutrient intake. When pregnant people ate later in the day, the data showed, they were likely to consume significantly more total calories, potentially an important finding as researchers explore connections between eating behaviors and health problems such as gestational diabetes.

The current research didn’t directly study health outcomes, so it’s too early to say whether insufficient nutrition or excessive energy consumption is adversely impacting pregnant individuals or their babies. “We’ll be digging into that in future studies and looking at possible connections with eating patterns and changes in glucose tolerance,” Dr. Kleinberg said.

Fitness Flash

Get to Know Tai Chi

Less well known than yoga, Tai chi is also a mind-body practice with breathing and slow, gentle movements as integral elements. Its roots are in China, where it was first practiced as a martial art. According to the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH), a branch of the National Institutes of Health, these days Tai chi is appreciated more for its health and wellness benefits. And for many people, it can be complementary to traditional therapies used for a variety of health issues. 

Based on a review of studies on Tai chi’s benefits, the NCCIH concluded that it may help to improve balance and prevent falling in older adults and in people with Parkinson’s disease; reduce pain in people with low-back pain, fibromyalgia, and knee osteoarthritis; give a small boost to quality of life and depressive symptoms among older adults living with chronic conditions; and possibly improve sleep and general well-being. 

Because of its low-impact movements, Tai chi is doable for most people and could be a gentle reintroduction to exercise if it’s been some time since you worked out. Here’s how a report on tai chi from Harvard Health described it: “The movements are usually circular and never forced, the muscles are relaxed rather than tensed, the joints are not fully extended or bent, and connective tissues are not stretched. Tai chi can be easily adapted for anyone, from the most fit to people confined to wheelchairs or recovering from surgery.” Of course, before starting any new form of fitness, check with your doctor.

Here are other tips from Harvard Health and NCCIH:

• There are different branches of Tai chi, named after people who devised their key movements. Google “Tai chi near me” to read about the different options in your area and see which approach sounds right to you—some focus on wellness and stress reduction, while others hark back to its martial arts origins. 

• Your research might lead you to classes taught at your local community center or Y as well as to dedicated Tai chi centers. Ask to watch or even take a class to get a feel for the movements and the teacher’s method. Ask about the instructor’s training; there’s no single standard for Tai chi teacher certification, and various Tai chi organizations offer training and certification programs at different levels. If you have any physical limitations, ask whether the movements can be modified for you.

• The right clothing for Tai chi reflects its gentle approach: Wear loose, comfortable clothes that let you move with ease and lightweight, flexible shoes that offer support but have a thin sole to help you feel connected to the ground—a focus of the practice. 

• While Tai chi can be enjoyable on day one, if you’re looking for specific benefits, like pain or stress relief, give yourself about three months of regular practice to gauge the results. 

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Smoked Salmon “Tartare” Recipe, Spotlight on Smoked Salmon, How to Mince by Hand, Understanding Nontraditional Approaches to Healthcare and Exercising to Avoid Afib

Love smoked salmon but looking for a new way to serve it? My take on the popular fish tartare trend uses smoked rather than raw salmon prepped with a simple technique for a sophisticated presentation—enjoy it not only on a bagel but also on toast points, scrambled eggs, baked potatoes…any food you might top with caviar. I’m also sharing insights into how exercise can protect against the irregular heartbeat known as atrial fibrillation and sorting out the meaning of similar sounding terms used in non-conventional medicine.

Smoked Salmon “Tartare”

• Smoked Salmon “Tartare”

  This twist on the classic beef tartare draws on many of the usual accompaniments for smoked salmon but puts them all together in one dish, perfect for a brunch spread or to spread on a piece of dark pumpernickel for a fast workday breakfast.

  Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons roughly chopped red onion
  • 1 tablespoon jarred capers plus 2 teaspoons brine
  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
  • 2 teaspoons lemon zest
  • 1 tablespoon fresh dill or 1 teaspoon dried dill, plus more for garnish
  • 8 ounces smoked salmon
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 lemon quarter

  Directions

  Step 1

  Place the red onion, capers and brine, olive oil, zest, and dill in a small food processor; pulse until combined and transfer to a mixing bowl. 

  Step 2

  Mince the smoked salmon by hand on a cutting board (see Quick Kitchen Nugget in our weekly newsletter) and add to the bowl; mix well. Note: You can mince the salmon in the processor after you chop the other ingredients, but use the pulse function and check the mixture frequently so that it doesn’t turn into a paste. Taste and season with black pepper as desired. Finish with a squeeze of lemon, a drizzle of olive oil, and a sprinkle of dill.  

  Yields 6 portions

Healthy Ingredient Spotlight

Smoked Salmon

Any type of smoked salmon will work beautifully in my tartare recipe, but do you know the differences? Some are indeed smoked while others are cured. Here’s a quick rundown.

True smoked salmon can be cold- or hot-smoked. Cold-smoked salmon is usually brined with salt and sugar, then smoked at a very low temperature for many hours. Types of cold-smoked salmon include Nova (short for Nova Scotia) and Western Nova from Pacific salmon, as well as Scottish, Irish, and Norwegian salmon. Each has a different taste, some smokier than others. Sample a few to find out what you like best. Hot-smoked salmon has more of a cooked salmon texture, although it’s still smoked at a relatively low 130°F to 140°F after brining. 

People often use the words “lox” and “smoked salmon” interchangeably, but lox is actually cured—and salt-cured at that, giving it a very salty taste. For a milder cured salmon, try gravlax, prepared according to the Scandinavian method that uses vodka, dill, and lemon to “cook” it over a few days. 

Quick Kitchen Nugget

How to Mince by Band

A mince means nothing more than a very fine chop. It’s easy enough to do in a food processor if you control the intensity and speed, usually by pulsing instead of letting the machine run continuously, especially when you’re mincing a soft food that could quickly turn into a paste in a machine. But there’s something very satisfying about mincing by hand. You’ll need a sharp knife and a secure cutting board (you might want two in your kitchen in general—one for raw meat and other proteins and the other for everything else). For large and hard foods like onions and carrots, a chef’s knife is ideal. For small and soft foods like smoked salmon and hard-boiled eggs, a smaller paring knife is better. 

One mincing technique starts with cutting the food into even, stackable pieces, then making short stacks and using your knife to cut each stack into small pieces. Keep cutting in a back-and-forth rocking motion until the food is fully minced.

For Your Best Health

Understanding Nontraditional Approaches to Healthcare  

You’ve likely seen the terms “complementary,” “alternative,” and “integrative health” used to distinguish a healthcare method that differs from traditional Western medicine. But they don’t all mean the same thing, according to the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH), a branch of the National Institutes of Health (NIH.) 

If a nonmainstream approach is used together with conventional medicine, it’s considered complementary. Complementary approaches can be nutritional, such as supplements, herbs, and probiotics; psychological, such as meditation and mindfulness; or physical, such as massage and spinal manipulation. There can be combinations, too, such as the psychological and physical approaches of relaxation techniques, yoga, Tai chi, qigong, acupuncture, dance, or art therapy, or the psychological and nutritional approaches of mindful eating. There is a lot of research to support certain benefits of many of these approaches, notably meditation, yoga, Tai chi and acupuncture, for easing pain and stress, but they might not be as effective when used in place of traditional care. When an approach is used instead of conventional medicine, it’s considered alternative. 

Integrative health brings conventional and complementary approaches together in a coordinated way (including coordination between different providers) and in various combinations, with the aim of treating the whole person rather than just the ailment. This approach is becoming more mainstream. According to the NCCIH, research efforts are currently exploring integrative health’s potential for pain management among military personnel and veterans, relieving symptoms in cancer patients, and programs that promote healthy behaviors.

Fitness Flash

Exercising to Avoid Afib

Researchers at NYU Langone Health found that adding an extra hour of physical activity every week may lower the chance of developing atrial fibrillation (Afib for short), the most common type of irregular heartbeat, or arrythmia, by 11%. Atrial fibrillation occurs when the heart’s upper two chambers beat rapidly and irregularly instead of at a consistent pace. Left untreated, Afib can lead to stroke, heart failure, and other issues. 

Past studies have linked exercise to a reduced risk of atrial fibrillation, but nearly all that research relied on participants’ (often inaccurate) estimates of their own activity levels, this study’s authors said; one prior study did use activity monitors to investigate atrial fibrillation but tracked participants for only one week. To overcome these limitations, the NYU team used data recorded through Fitbit to objectively measure physical activity in more than 6,000 men and women across the United States and for a period of one year. 

The study showed that those with higher amounts of weekly physical activity were less likely to develop atrial fibrillation. Specifically, study participants who averaged between 2.5 and 5 hours of exercise per week (the minimum amount recommended by the American Heart Association) showed a 60% lower risk of developing atrial fibrillation. Those who averaged greater than 5 hours had a slightly greater (65%) reduction. Notably, the researchers said, even modest amounts of moderate-to-vigorous exercise, which can range from taking a brisk walk or cleaning the house to swimming laps or jogging, were associated with reduced risk.

“Our findings make clear that you do not need to start running marathons to help prevent atrial fibrillation and other forms of heart disease,” said preventive cardiologist Sean Heffron, MD, the study senior author, an assistant professor in the department of medicine at NYU Grossman School of Medicine, and director of cardiovascular fitness and nutrition at NYU Langone’s Center for the Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease. “Just keeping moderately active can, over time, add up to major benefits for maintaining a healthy heart.”

“These results highlight the value of Fitbits and similar monitors in medical research,” said lead author Souptik Barua, PhD, an assistant professor with the Grossman School of Medicine. “By offering an objective way to measure exercise for years at a time, these tools can provide deeper insight into how different patterns of activity can impact health.”

Dr. Barua cautioned that the study was not designed to tell whether exercise alone directly reduced the risk of atrial fibrillation, nor to detect how that might come about or what other factors might be in play in the reduced risk. However, the association between exercise “doses” and the development of the condition in the study participants was strong. The research team next plans to explore whether working out in the morning versus at night may have different effects on heart health.

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