Whole
Health Nutrition News
In this issue:
Is there such a thing? Youll find out in this class where youll
learn how to substitute natural, healthier alternatives to refined sugar and
flour in cooking and baking, while sampling delicious desserts and tempting
treats your whole family will love.
Registration: 206-768-2822 or
206-768-0524, tukparks@ci.tukwila.wa.us
Main Dish Salads, Sat.
July 10th, 1-3PM, Everett Senior Center, Pacific and Lombard. We will be making some wonderful summer salads using
seasonal produce, grains such as quinoa, and other unique ingredients. These
salads are easy to prepare, are meals in themselves and perfect for warm summer
evenings.
Registration:
425-257-8300
Main Dish Salads,
Tuesday, July 13th, 7-9PM. Richmond Highlands Rec Center, Shoreline.
See above description.
Healthy Eating -On the
Run, Sat. July 24th, Noon-2PM, UW Campus. Learn how to prepare healthy and delicious meals and
snacks in a minimum amount of time. Learn shopping tips and how to stock your
pantry. All recipes will be demonstrated and sampled.
Healthy Desserts, Tuesday,
July 27th, 7-9PM. Marysville Senior Center, 514 Delta Ave., Marysville.
Is there such a thing? You'll find
out in this class where youll learn how to substitute natural, healthier
alternatives to refined sugar and flour in cooking and baking, while sampling
delicious desserts and tempting treats your whole family will love.
Registration:
360-651-2555
15
Minute Meals, Sun. Aug. 1st, 12:30-3:30PM. Cooks World, U Village. Learn how to eat healthy without spending hours in
the kitchen. Youll be amazed by how good it tastes, and youll receive great
ideas for stocking your pantry, and how to choose foods to get the most
nutritional bang for your buck.
One of the largest antioxidant
studies was recently conducted and showed that the following foods contained
significant amounts of disease-preventing compounds.
In addition to the highly
touted antioxidant-filled blueberries and cranberries, researchers have discovered
some other surprising antioxidant-rich food sources such as russet potatoes,
pecans and cinnamon. Antioxidants benefit people by providing protection against
chronic diseases like cancer, heart disease and Alzheimer's.
This is why doctors and
nutritionists are always telling people to increase their intake of fruits and
vegetables, particularly those known to contain high levels of antioxidants.
The recent study on
antioxidants consisted of assessing the amount of antioxidants in over 100
types of foods including fruits, vegetables, spices and nuts.
Highest Ranking
Antioxidant Food Sources:
Fruits: Cranberries,
blueberries and blackberries
Vegetables: Beans,
artichokes and Russet potatoes
Nuts: Pecans, walnuts and
hazelnuts
Spices: Ground cloves,
ground cinnamon and oregano
Experts stressed that
consumers should understand that not all antioxidants produce the same benefits
because of the various ways they are absorbed and utilized in the body.
Presently, recommendations
for antioxidant intake do not exist, however until such guidelines are
established, it is recommended that consumers eat a wide variety of fruits and
vegetables to reap their antioxidant benefits.
http://www.Journal of Agricultural of Food Chemistry June 16,
2004;52(12):4026-4037
Last
Updated: 2004-06-24 15:59:23 -0400 (Reuters Health)
By Alison McCook
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) -
Children, pregnant women, and women who are planning to become pregnant should
strictly limit their intake of fish and avoid some types altogether to avoid
potentially harmful levels of mercury and PCBs, experts said on Thursday.
According to new guidelines
released by the Physicians for Social Responsibility and the Association of
Reproductive Health Professionals, women of reproductive age and children
should never eat shark, swordfish, tilefish or king mackerel.
The guidelines also
recommend that women of reproductive age and children should eat no more than
one serving per week of fresh or canned albacore tuna, orange roughy, marlin,
grouper and other types of fish.
Fish that is safe to eat up
to twice per week includes squid, canned chunk light tuna, monkfish, bass,
trout and Pollock, which is found in fish sticks.
While fish and shellfish can
be a good source of protein and omega-3 fatty acids, nearly all seafood
contains traces of mercury. High levels of mercury in the bloodstream of
fetuses and young children can impair development of the nervous system.
Millions of women in
American currently have levels of mercury in their blood considered unsafe by
the Environmental Protection Agency, and around 630,000 newborns are exposed
every year to unsafe levels of the contaminant.
These guidelines, presented
here Thursday at a press conference, closely resemble recommendations issued in
March by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the EPA.
However, the latest version
also suggests that young women and children limit their intake of fatty fish,
which contains high levels of PCBs, which have also been shown to impair
neurological development in fetuses and young children. According to the
guidelines, to limit their intake of PCBs, women and children should eat no
more than 1 to 2 servings per month of salmon, sardines, herring and bluefish.
Marmagas explained that
there are two different types of canned tuna, chunk light and albacore.
Research has shown that albacore contains around three times the amount of
mercury as chunk light. So while tuna sandwiches are a staple for many
children, make sure you are serving them the lower-mercury option, she
cautioned.
Farm-raised salmon also
appears to contain more contaminants than wild salmon, she noted.
Marmagas cautioned to
Reuters Health that women of reproductive age and children should also be
careful of fish oil supplements, which can contain high levels of PCBs and
mercury. (See my note below)
She added that the best way
to limit intake of mercury and PCBs is to prevent the pollutants from getting
into fish and other foods in the first place by controlling what gets pumped
into the environment from industrial activities. Limiting fish intake is "only
a band-aid," she said.
"The issue really is
upstream," she said.
A complete version of the
latest guidelines is available at http://www.mercuryaction.org,
and http://www.arhp.org/guide.
Note: The following article appeared in a British newspaper
but the implications hold true for us here in the US as well. This is incredibly
important information - and is why I recommend that my clients take fish oil
(an omega-3 source) as a supplement. High quality brands that are free from
mercury contamination are Carlson's and Nordic Naturals - both are available
at health food stores. Flax seed and walnuts are also a source of omega-3s,
but the body must convert these to a usable form, and this conversion is impaired
in people with poor diets or diabetes.
Food defect could make thousands mentally ill
Factory farming has denied us chemicals in our diet that are vital to brain
development, warn scientists
Robin McKie,
science editor
Sunday June 27, 2004
The Observer
Hundreds of thousands of people in Britain are at risk of developing mental
disease over the next few decades because their food lacks a key range of
chemicals.
This
dramatic warning is to be outlined by international researchers when they
gather in Britain this week to discuss new studies which show modern diets are
deficient in substances called omega-3s. Intensive farming methods, increased
use of breakfast cereals and the widespread use of sunflower oils have led to a
dangerous change in our diets, say researchers.
They
have discovered that deficiencies of the omega-3s - substances that are
critical to brain development - are linked to behavioral problems among children
and depression among adults.
'We
are facing a health crisis more serious and more dangerous than that posed by
obesity in the West,' said Professor Michael Crawford, of the University of
North London. 'These studies are very worrying,' added Crawford, a keynote
speaker at this week's annual congress of the International Society for the
Study of Fatty Acids and Lipids (ISSL) to be held in Brighton.
Two
key forms of fatty acids are involved in human diet. One set are the omega-3s,
which are found in fatty fish, and the meat of animals and fowl, such as cattle
and chicken, which graze on grass. The second version are known as omega-6s,
found in cereals and in the meat of animals fed on cereals.
In
the past, diets contained balanced amounts of these chemicals. However,
omega-6s have increasingly come to dominate the shelves of food stores, as
farmers have fed more and more cattle on grain, and food manufacturers have
turned to the use of sunflower and other similar oils. As a result, Western
nations now have serious - and worrying - dietary imbalances.
In
the brain, omega-3s and omega-6s act as building blocks for the membranes that
surround our neurons. However, omega-3 lipids are considered particularly
important for this task.
'Individuals
that are omega-3 rich end up with neurons that run very fast - like Pentium 3
microprocessors,' said Professor Tom Sanders, of the Nutrition, Foods and
Health Research Centre at King's College London. 'Those that have too much
omega-6 are slow and sluggish, like a 20-year-old silicon chip.'
Omega-3-rich
cells also make more complex links with other neurons, scientists have found,
and this lattice of nerve connections forms the basis of our intelligence. The
last three months of pregnancy and the first six weeks after birth are
particularly critical for laying down these brain cell lattices.
'Omega-3
fats are therefore essential in the diets of pregnant women for the healthy
development of brain, retina and nervous tissue in the unborn child,' said Dr
Ray Rice, of the ISSL.
This
point is underlined by a newly completed analysis of the replies of 14,500
families who took part in the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children.
This study has found that pregnant women who had diets low in omega-3s - which
are also found in high levels in fish - and high in omega-6s had an increased
risk of depression. Their children were more likely to suffer problems with
coordination and behavior and come in the bottom quarter of their class in
verbal IQ tests.
Other
studies have produced similar results, suggesting low omega-3 diets during
pregnancy can result in children who are more aggressive and have more behavior
problems.
Similarly,
Dr Christine Albert, of Harvard University Medical School - who will reveal
results of her research at the conference this week - has found that the risk
of a heart attack is greatest in individuals whose omega-3 levels have dropped
below 4 per cent of the fatty acids found in red blood cells. Those with a
level greater than 8 per cent face the least risk of an attack.
Omega-3
is therefore critical to human well-being, scientists will tell this week's
congress. However, they will also warn that the levels in diets have decreased
dramatically, as food production and diets have changed.
Consumption
of fish - which are rich in omega-3s - has decreased, and intensive farming has
meant that fewer cows and poultry are left to graze on grass and are fed on
cereals rich in omega-6s. These fatty acids are not bad for a person,
researchers stress. Indeed, they have important roles to play in our diets.
However, their overwhelming prevalence in our foodstuffs is completely swamping
omega-3s.
Studies
suggest that the ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 should be between equality and
four to one, a pattern typified by those who live on Mediterranean diets rich
in fresh fruit and vegetables, fish, olive oil and garlic, and low in meat. By
contrast, normal Western diets, with their high cereal content, now have ratios
of between 11 to one and 40 to one.
Featured Food of the Month
Wild Alaskan salmon is
abundant this month. Wild Alaskan
salmon is the least chemically contaminated and one of the best sources of the
essential omega-3 fatty acids.
The omega-3 fats found in
salmon have a broad array of beneficial cardiovascular effects. Omega-3s help
prevent erratic heart rhythms, make blood less likely to clot inside arteries
(the cause of most heart attacks), and improve the ratio of good cholesterol to
bad cholesterol.
Cold-water fatty fish like
salmon have often been thought of as a "brain food," because of their
high concentration of omega-3 fats. The human brain is more than 60% fat. For
brain cells to function properly, this fat needs to be primarily omega-3 fats.
This is because our cell membranes are primarily composed of fats. Cell
membranes are the gatekeepers of the cell. Anything that wants to get into or
out of a cell must pass through the cell's outer membrane. And omega-3 fats,
which are especially fluid and flexible, make this process a whole lot easier,
thus maximizing the cell's ability to usher in nutrients while eliminating
wastes.
Four 6-ounce wild Alaska
salmon filets, skin removed
Mango Relish:
1/2 small mango, diced
2 TBS red bell pepper, diced
1 TBS red onion, diced
1 TBS parsley, chopped fine
1 tsp lime zest
1/2 TBS garlic, minced
1 tsp lime juice
1 tsp extra-virgin olive oil
Orange Glaze:
1/2 cup orange juice
2 TBS sugar
2 TBS mango, chopped
2 TBS red onion, chopped
1/2 tsp jalapeno pepper, chopped
1 TBS red bell pepper,
chopped
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Combine all relish ingredients in a medium bowl and chill. In a sauce pot,
combine all ingredients for orange glaze and bring to a boil.
Reduce heat, and simmer for
10 minutes. Strain and reserve the glaze; discard the vegetables.
Place salmon filets on a
sheet pan. Brush filets with half of the glaze. Bake the salmon for
approximately 15 minutes or until filets reach desired doneness. Remove salmon
from the oven and brush with the remaining glaze. Top each filet with the mango
relish and enjoy!
Serves 4