Tabbouleh Recipe, Spotlight on Condimento Bianco Menta, Why How You Cut Foods Matters, Hold the Fries and Taking a Global Perspective on Exercise
I love a do-ahead dish like tabbouleh that can also be a grab-and-go lunch. My version is enhanced by the subtle mint notes in my Condimento Bianco Menta, a unique vinegar in my brand-new collection of artisanal vinegars from the T. J. Robinson Curated Culinary Selections. Sweet, fragrant, and infused with real mint leaves, it’s crafted in the style of a fine Italian balsamic (and read below to learn why there’s actually no such thing as “white balsamic”). Get ready for it to be your new favorite.
Also in this issue, you’ll read about the risk of French fries when eaten too often (they have the opposite effect of potatoes roasted in olive oil!). I’m also sharing research on how much exercise is optimal as we get older, based on a new global consensus.
Tabbouleh
TabboulehThis salad features bulgur, a versatile whole grain that’s made from cracked wheat and packed with protein and fiber (it’s also great folded into just-roasted vegetables). This zesty dish can be a side or a meatless meal.
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup uncooked bulgur
- 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
- 2 tablespoons Condimento Bianco Menta
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt, plus more to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste
- 1 cup loosely packed fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
- 1/2 cup loosely packed fresh mint leaves
- 2 ounces shelled walnuts
- 2 large ripe tomatoes or 2 cups cherry tomatoes
Directions
Step 1
Bring 1 1/2 cups water to a boil and add the bulgur. Simmer, according to package directions, until the water is absorbed, about 15 minutes, watching carefully toward the end to avoid scorching. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool.
Step 2
In a large bowl, make the dressing by whisking together the olive oil, vinegar, lemon juice, salt, and pepper.
Step 3
Roughly chop the parsley, mint, and nuts and add to the bowl with the dressing. Coarsely chop the tomatoes (if using cherry tomatoes, halve them) and add along with the bulgur, folding them in well. Taste and add more salt and pepper as desired. Serve with a drizzle of olive oil.
Yields 4 servings
Healthy Ingredient Spotlight
Condimento Bianco Menta
Last year, when I introduced my Condimento Bianco Senape, a white wine vinegar with mustard seeds, I knew it would be a hard act to follow. But lightning can strike twice. This year, I created a mint-infused vinegar for the new collection, Condimento Bianco Menta (which means “white condiment with mint”). It’s reminiscent of a fine balsamic because it’s crafted in a sweet style, but it’s called a condimento and not a “white balsamic” because that is not a recognized type of vinegar in Modena, Italy, the birthplace of balsamic vinegar. A true balsamic vinegar is made solely from grape must, which is the result of cooking down all the parts of Lambrusco and Trebbiano grapes.
My condiment has the perfect ratio of cooked white grape must (from only Trebbiano grapes for the light color) to white wine vinegar. I chose to use classic Italian mint—an important distinction because the peppermint used in holiday cooking can be so overwhelming—and to have the leaves added right at the time of bottling. Unlike vinegars misleadingly labeled “white balsamic” on shelves in the US and containing all sorts of colorings and flavorings, nothing else goes into this naturally sweet vinegar.
Quick Kitchen Nugget
Why How You Cut Foods Matters
Whether you’re cutting up vegetables for a salad, like tabbouleh or Cobb, or for roasting in the oven, it’s often important to cut the different ingredients into pieces of the same size. Uniform cuts enhance the flavors of the foods and help different vegetables cook uniformly, provided the ingredients have similar density—so they should be all root vegetables, such as carrots and beets, or all high-water-content vegetables, like zucchini and eggplant, to name two examples. The prep does take longer and requires careful knife skills, but the finished dishes will taste—and look—even better.
For Your Best Health
Hold the Fries
French fries may be more than just a guilty pleasure—they could raise your risk of type 2 diabetes by 20% if eaten three times a week, according to a study published in the journal The BMJ. While eating the same amount of boiled, baked, or mashed potatoes doesn’t appear to have that effect, replacing any form of potatoes with whole grains seems to lower diabetes risk, and swapping them for white rice was linked to an increase!
Potatoes contain several nutrients, including fiber, vitamin C, and magnesium, but they also have a high starch content and are high on the glycemic index. They have been linked to a higher risk of developing diabetes, but whether that was influenced by the cooking method used was unclear, as was which food swaps were better or worse.
To address these questions, a group of researchers from various institutions analyzed data from three important US studies: Nurses’ Health Study (1984-2020), Nurses’ Health Study II (1991-2021), and Health Professionals Follow-up Study (1986-2018). In all, more than 205,000 health professionals were represented.
During almost 40 years of follow-up, 22,299 people were diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. After adjusting for lifestyle and dietary factors related to diabetes risk, the researchers found that for every three weekly servings of total potatoes, the rate of type 2 diabetes increased by 5%, and for every three weekly servings of French fries, the rate increased by 20%. However, a similar intake of specifically baked, boiled, or mashed potatoes was not associated with a significant increased risk.
Replacing three weekly servings of potatoes with whole grains lowered the type 2 diabetes rate by 8%. More specifically, substituting baked, boiled, or mashed potatoes with whole grains lowered the rate by 4%, and replacing French fries lowered the rate by 19%. In contrast, replacing potatoes with white rice was associated with an increased risk of type 2 diabetes.
This is an observational study, so no firm conclusions can be drawn about cause and effect, and the researchers say they couldn’t rule out the possibility that other unmeasured factors may have influenced the results. Most participants were also health professionals of European ancestry, so findings may not apply to other populations. Nevertheless, the researchers concluded that their “findings underscore that the association between potato intake and type 2 diabetes risk depends on the specific foods used as replacement. The findings also align with current dietary recommendations that promote the inclusion of whole grains as part of a healthy diet for the prevention of type 2 diabetes.”
Fitness Flash
Taking a Global Perspective on Exercise
An international group of health experts recently authored the paper “Global Consensus on Optimal Exercise Recommendations for Enhancing Healthy Longevity in Older Adults” published in The Journal of Nutrition, Health and Aging, to encourage health professionals to stress the therapeutic value of exercise to their patients. Their core point is this: Staying active and getting exercise can help counteract age-related declines in physical, cognitive, and psychological health, extending the health span and improving people’s quality of life; being sedentary is linked to a range of age-related health issues, including obesity, sarcopenia (muscle loss), frailty, disability, and numerous chronic illnesses.
Exercise has long been called free medicine. Building on that premise, the researchers suggest we look at activity as a form of treatment, with people getting exercise prescriptions tailored to their specific goals, from disease prevention to enhanced fitness and function. But they point out that the value of exercise is rarely addressed or turned into an action plan by doctors during health visits, stating, “This cautious approach to exercise counseling appears to stem from an unfounded fear of exercise-related injuries or the perceived risks of more vigorous activities for older adults, whereas, in reality, the greater danger lies in sedentariness. Integrating evidence-based exercise programs that are comprehensive and adaptable to individual health conditions is crucial across all healthcare settings, including community and institutional settings. By doing so, healthy aging can be promoted, and the growing burden of noncommunicable diseases associated with inactivity can be addressed.”
They noted that evenmodest activities like balance exercises or strength training can pay huge dividends in mobility and independence, and going to fitness classes can reduce isolation and provide people with a sense of community.
With all that exercise can do, you might want to bring it up with your healthcare provider and not wait for them to initiate the conversation. Here are some talking points mentioned in the consensus: Ask for a program individually tailored to you, one that takes into account your abilities, preferences, and any medical conditions you have. Ask that the program include a combination of strength training, aerobic activities, balance exercises, and cognitive challenges for the most benefits. And ask for help setting realistic short-term goals. Ask your doctor to monitor your progress, if possible, and acknowledge when you meet goals because this instills confidence and will encourage you to stick with the plan.
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