Push Mob: Olive oil

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Wednesday, June 16, 2010

Mediterranean Diet Linked to Better Cardiac Function

Eating a Mediterranean-style diet might improve an important measure of heart function, a new study of twins shows.

The research was conducted with twins to try to eliminate the possible effect of genetics as much as possible, explained Dr. Jun Dai, an assistant professor of nutrition and epidemiology at Indiana University, and lead author of a report released online June 15 in advance of publication in the July print issue of Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes.

The Mediterranean-style diet differs from standard American fare by featuring a low content of saturated fats and high intake of fish, fruits, vegetables, olive oil, nuts and cereals, with a glass or two of wine a day. Many studies have linked it to a lower incidence of heart disease.

This latest research included 276 male twins, some identical, some fraternal; fraternal twins share 50 percent of their genes while identical twins share 100 percent. The researchers measured their heart rate variability, the variation in the time interval between heartbeats in everyday life. "Higher variability reflects good function of the heart," Dai explained.

The men in the study reported their food preferences on a questionnaire, and were scored by how closely their intake matched that of a Mediterranean diet. Their heart activity was measured and recorded with a portable, battery-operated electrocardiogram monitor.

The study found that higher Mediterranean diet scores were related to greater variability in heart rate. On a nine-point scale, every one-unit difference was associated with a greater heart rate variability of 3.9 percent to 13 percent. This equates to a 9 percent to 14 percent reduction in the risk of heart-related death, the report said.

The results can't be generalized to everyone, because all the twins in the study were white males, the report said. "But this should encourage more people to choose a healthy diet and others in the health-care system to promote it," Dai said.

Heart rate variability is well-known to be related to cardiac health, said Dr. Gordon F. Tomaselli, chief of cardiology at Johns Hopkins University and a spokesman for the American Heart Association. Low variability means that the autonomic system that controls heart rate might not be able to respond properly to increased demand or that the heart "is in crisis mode all the time," he explained.

The results have an inevitable range of uncertainty, since they depended on self-reports of dietary habits, and the physical link between diet and heart rate variability is not completely clear, Tomaselli said. "But all other things being equal, a more Mediterranean-like diet appears to swing the balance to the healthy side of the autonomic system," he added.

Tomaselli said he tries to steer people toward a Mediterranean-type diet, without necessarily using the term. "I see a lot of people who I think should eat more fish and reduce caloric intake, to eat more fruits and vegetables, to use canola or olive oil when they use oil, and to back off salty foods," he said.

[by Ed Edelson]

Tuesday, May 11, 2010

In Season: Ontario Asparagus

It’s May, and all those veggie-loving foodies out there know what that means: Ontario asparagus is here. The plant stalk, which has a six-week growing season from late April to mid June, has been popping up at farmer’s markets and on grocery store shelves with fervour lately.

Once widely maligned by children and dads everywhere for its mushy, stringy quality and uncanny ability to not only make your pee smell, but turn it green as well, that’s changed now that most people understand you don’t have to cook the living tar out of it. Steamed or grilled properly, asparagus has a nice, crisp, clean taste that fills your tummy with a deep-down refreshing feeling.

And it also happens to be ridiculously good for you: asparagus is loaded with vitamins C, K and A, as well as containing high amounts of B vitamin folate and the supposed cancer-fighting anti-oxidant agent glutathione. Asparagus from Peru and Mexico, of course, is available pretty much year round, but nothing is better (in flavour or for the environment) than our own, fresh-from-the-farm, locally grown buds. Here are four simple things you can do to ensure that you get the most out of Ontario’s asparagus bounty this season.

1. You’ve got to steam it! Rinse you asparagus thoroughly to remove any dirt or other contaminates (like others shoppers' fingersprints) and place in a pot on the stove. (Tip: keep the elastic band on to help the whole thing hold together — but keep the elastic out of the water.) Add a cup of water, bring to a boil and let cook until the stalks turn a deep, vibrant green and are slightly tender to the touch (about 3 to five minutes_. Remove from heat and immediately run under cold water to stop the cooking process. Trim off the woody ends (which will also probably be a bit mushy) by cutting a half inch off the bottom of each stalk. Toss with olive oil, salt and pepper. Gently heat in a pan on the stove or in the oven to serve hot, or plonk it on the table at room temperature as a nice crudité. (Or save it in the fridge for another day — cooked asparagus be kept for two to three days refrigerated.)

2. Toss a couple stalks on the Barbie. Steamed is great, but with barbecue season in the offing, you should know that grilling asparagus imparts the veggie with a nice smokiness, and an ephemeral crunchiness from grill marks. Take your asparagus and snap off the woody ends. (To do this, hold the stalk lightly at both ends and exert gentle pressure. The asparagus will bow, and then break. Keep the top half for eating, and toss the bottoms in a bag for making stock some other time. Note: if you have nice thin asparagus, skip this step.) Toss with some crushed garlic, olive oil, salt and pepper and grill over medium heat until tender. Alternatively, you can also wrap the asparagus in tin foil with some butter, garlic, salt and pepper and place the sealed packet on the warming rack on your barbecue. This will gently cook it while you get the steaks and such ready to eat.

3. Wrap it in bacon. Everything tastes better with bacon, but asparagus especially so. (If you have thick stalks, it would be advisable to follow the steaming directions first, and then proceed with these next steps.) Toss asparagus with some salt, pepper and olive oil. Take three or four stalks, and wrap with a slice of prosciutto. Place on barbecue and grill, or toss under the broiler on medium-high heat, and cook until bacon is crisp. Serve hot with a wedge of lemon.

4. Make it stinky…with gorgonzola. This can be done a number of ways. Take your steamed asparagus and toss it in a bowl with some lemon juice, cherry tomatoes and crumbled blue cheese for a nice salad. Or pop a bit into your bacon bundles from suggestion number 3 above to really make a decadent springtime treat. My favourite is to take a cup of 35 per cent cream and reduce it on the stove with a clove of garlic. Once the cream is all nice and hot and reduced by 20 per cent or so, add a bunch of gorgonzola and whisk until a nice, rich sauce is formed. Toss some fresh herbs into it and pour over your asparagus for a delicious experience.

Monday, May 3, 2010

8 Foods that Pack on Muscle

EGGS: Not from being hurled by the dozen at your boss's house. The protein in eggs has the highest biological value—a measure of how well it supports your body's protein needs—of any food, including our beloved beef. "Calorie for calorie, you need less protein from eggs than you do from other sources to achieve the same muscle-building benefits," says Volek.

ALMONDS: Crunch for crunch, almonds are one of the best sources of alpha-tocopherol vitamin E—the form that's best absorbed by your body. That matters to your muscles because "vitamin E is a potent antioxidant that can help prevent free-radical damage after heavy workouts," says Volek. And the fewer hits taken from free radicals, the faster your muscles will recover from a workout and start growing.

SALMON: It's swimming with high-quality protein and omega-3 fatty acids. "Omega-3's can decrease muscle-protein breakdown after your workout, improving recovery," says Tom Incledon, R.D., a nutritionist with Human Performance Specialists. This is important, because to build muscle you need to store new protein faster than your body breaks down the old stuff.

YOGURT: Even with the aura of estrogen surrounding it, "yogurt is an ideal combination of protein and carbohydrates for exercise recovery and muscle growth," says Doug Kalman, R.D., director of nutrition at Miami Research Associates.

BEEF: More than just a piece of charbroiled protein, "beef is also a major source of iron and zinc, two crucial muscle-building nutrients," says Incledon. Plus, it's the No. 1 food source of creatine—your body's energy supply for pumping iron—2 grams for every 16 ounces.

OLIVE OIL: Sure, you could oil up your chest and arms and strike a pose, but it works better if you eat the stuff. "The monounsaturated fat in olive oil appears to act as an anticatabolic nutrient," says Kalman. In other words, it prevents muscle breakdown by lowering levels of a sinister cellular protein called tumor necrosis factor-a, which is linked with muscle wasting and weakness (kind of like watching The View).

WATER: Whether it's in your shins or your shoulders, muscle is approximately 80 percent water. "Even a change of as little as 1 percent in body water can impair exercise performance and adversely affect recovery," says Volek. For example, a 1997 German study found that protein synthesis occurs at a higher rate in muscle cells that are well hydrated, compared with dehydrated cells. English translation: The more parched you are, the slower your body uses protein to build muscle.

COFFEE: Fueling your workout with caffeine will help you lift longer. A recent study published in Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise found that men who drank 2 1/2 cups of coffee a few hours before an exercise test were able to sprint 9 percent longer than when they didn't drink any. (It's believed the caffeine directly stimulates the muscles.) And since sprinting and weight lifting are both anaerobic activities—exercises that don't require oxygen—a jolt of joe should help you pump out more reps. Skip it if you have a history of high blood pressure, though.

[via MH]