Category Archives: healthy-cooking

9 Surprising Relationships Between Food & Mood

shutterstock_86731981Is a Mediterranean diet protective against depression?

We already know that a Mediterranean diet full of vegetables, fruits, nuts, legumes, fish, and olive oil reduces inflammation and may be beneficial for heart health. A large study with 10,094 healthy Spanish people showed that eating a Mediterranean diet was protective for the prevention of depressive disorders (Sanchez-Villegas et al., Arch Gen Psychiatry, 2009).  If you aren’t going to Spain or Greece on over the holidays, pretend you are there by copying their diet. Add more veggies to your holiday potlucks, or shake on the herbs and spices to reduce inflammation caused by your meal!

Will eating fast foods lead to an increased risk for depression?

Eating fast foods like hamburgers, sausages, and pizza, as well as commercial baked goods such as muffins, doughnuts, and croissants has been shown to be associated with an increased risk of depression (Sanchez-Villegas et al., Public Health Nutr. 2012).  Do your best to balance out your food choices with some healthy, fresh options whenever available.

shutterstock_274989101Will being in a positive mood lead to eating more?

It’s not just a bad mood that can lead to eating more food. Researchers at the King’s College in London Institute of Psychiatry recently showed that negative mood and positive mood BOTH lead to more food intake (Cardi et al., Neurosci Biobehav Rev. 2015).  This research doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t be in a good mood! Try to find balance in your moods, keeping steady and stable without the extreme peaks and valleys that could cause you to overeat.

Can you eat yourself into a bad mood in just two days?

A study with 44 college students at Penn State University revealed that the more calories, saturated fat, and sodium they ate, the more negative mood they reported two days later. The researchers suggest that the food causes mood shifts (Hendy, Appetite, 2012).  If you find yourself in a bad mood, look at what you are eating. You can make some immediate changes that will translate into quick lifts in your mood.

shutterstock_59055922Can snacks impact your well-being?

100 students at Cardiff University were asked to complete an online questionnaire about how they were feeling emotionally and physically. They were then randomly assigned to one of two snacking conditions – chocolate/crisps or fruit – which they ate daily in the mid-afternoon for 10 days.  At the end of the 10 days, they completed the questionnaire again. The results showed that consumption of fruit was associated with lower anxiety, depression, and emotional distress than consumption of crisps/chocolate. Similarly, scores for somatic symptoms, cognitive difficulties, and fatigue were greater in the crisps/chocolate condition (Smith and Rogers,Front Nutr. 2014).  Take note of your snacking behaviors during the holidays! If you find yourself eating too many cookies or indulging in lots of chocolate, shake up your snacking routine by getting some fresh fruit. Your mood will thank you for it (and those around you will, too!).

Can your emotions change how you taste?

A study came out this month that assessed taste and emotions of 550 people who attended hockey games. There were a total of 8 games, 4 wins, 3 losses, and 1 tie. The researchers found that positive emotions during the winning games correlated with enhanced sweet and diminished sour intensities while negative emotions lead to heightened sour and decreased sweet tastes (Noel and Dando, Appetite, 2015).  Take time to taste your food and have awareness that the emotions you are feeling are not only influencing what you are eating, but how things taste. If you take your time to eat mindfully, you’ll be more in the moment, and, as the studies suggest, you’ll likely eat less and feel more satisfied.

shutterstock_65835514Can being bored drive you to eat?

Researchers at the North Dakota State University would say “yes”! In a sample of 552 college students, they discovered that those prone to being bored and lacking emotional coping skills led to inappropriate eating behavior, like eating when bored or in response to negative emotions (Crockett et al., J Health Psychol. 2015).  Being bored is probably the least of your worries during the holidays; however, you may have more down time which means that you could be looking for things to do. Fill your time with healthy communities and physical activity to keep you pleasantly busy!

Does your personality drive your eating habits?

An interesting publication in the journal Appetite earlier this year brought to light many findings about one’s personality and eating: (1) “…high openness to experience were associated with higher fruit, vegetable and salad and lower meat and soft drink consumption”; (2) “High agreeableness was associated with low meat consumption.” (3) Conscientiousness mainly promoted fruit consumption, prevented meat consumption and intake of sweet and savory foods and of sugar-sweetened soft drinks. (4) Neuroticism promoted consumption of sweet and savory foods by promoting emotional and external eating.   Well, perhaps we can’t change who we are, but we can become more aware of our actions! If you find that you are always on edge and feeling neurotic, try to put yourself in the space of agreeableness and openness, which will contribute positively to your eating habits.

shutterstock_138284549Does being a ‘morning person’ make you less apt to eat emotionally?

If you like mornings more than evenings and you find yourself more alert in the early hours, researchers at the University of Helsinki, Finland, would tell you that you probably have lower depressive symptoms and emotional eating based on their study with 2325 men and 2699 women  (Konttinen et al., Chronobiol Int, 2014).  Make sure you are getting sufficient sleep during the holidays so you do not crave foods. If possible, try to mirror your rhythm with that of nature: waking up early with the sun and going to bed early when it is dark. You’ll be more in balance on the inside through the cues on the outside!

 

Cooking with Vegetable Oils Releases Toxic Cancer-Causing Chemicals

 Dr. Andreas Eenfeldt 

NOT a good idea

Are you cooking with vegetable oils? According to lead scientists, this can be really unhealthy. When heated, these oils release toxic chemicals linked to cancer and other diseases. So do not use corn oil or sunflower oil for cooking. Or any refined oil. 

oils

Olive oil (containing mainly monounsaturated fat) is a better option for cooking, but not great.The best option for cooking is saturated fats, like coconut oil, butter or lard. These fats can stand a lot of heat without transforming into poison.

Don’t use excessive heat when cooking. Make sure the food you cook can handle the heat.

And Stay Healthy.

How to Choose Olive Oil

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 from Steven Wright

I think olive oil is delicious, healthy and a great addition to anyone’s diet. I enjoy it regularly, cook with it 20% of the time and honestly think it tastes WAY better than coconut oil.

Of course, that assumes you’re buying high-quality, non-rancid oil, which I’ve found to be extremely confusing and hard. In fact, if you think olive oil tastes kind of like canola oil or other manmade toxic oils (rapeseed, vegetable oil, soy, etc) — then it’s highly likely you’ve never actually tasted real olive oil.

How to Get Real Olive Oil

Visit any supermarket, gourmet store, or corner grocery and you’re likely to find an intimidatingly large selection of olive oils. Go online and the options multiply a hundredfold. Talk about a paradox of choice! I’ve spent what feels like hours in those aisles trying to figure out what bottle of olive oil to buy.

If the oil is fake, then it will likely not only taste like junk but also be harmful to my health, so it’s worth taking some extra care to figuring this out.

How can you choose the most nutritious olive oil for yourself and your family and avoid being duped?

Use the tips below to help you buy authentic extra virgin olive oil with confidence:

  1. The Olive Oil Secret: freshness is key to flavor and nutritional value. Forget about “use by” or “best by” dates. Look specifically for a harvest date on the label. Be suspicious of bottles that don’t include this information, as many don’t. Unlike wine, olive oil does not improve with age. Anything over a year old is past its prime.
  2. Purchase olive oil from a retailer that has a fast turnover. This increases the likelihood that the oils are fresh.
  3. Always buy olive oil certified to be “extra virgin.” The terms “pure” or “light” indicate that the oil did not meet international standards for “extra virgin” and has been chemically refined to mask defects. Also, ignore terms like “cold-pressed” or “first-pressed.” They are meaningless in today’s olive oil industry.
  4. Buy olive oil in dark glass bottles, tins, or other opaque containers. Clear glass bottles might be aesthetically pleasing, but they do not protect the oils from natural or artificial light. (Prolonged exposure to light hastens deterioration of the oil.) At home, store olive oil in a cool, dark place – not next to the stovetop.
  5. Look for the country of origin on the label. Spain, Italy, and Greece may be the world’s largest producers, but high-quality olive oils are also being produced in Chile, Australia, the US, Argentina, South Africa, New Zealand, and even Croatia. You can maximize the freshness of olive oils in your kitchen by seasonally alternating your purchases between countries in the Northern and Southern Hemispheres. (In September, for example, oils from the Southern Hemisphere are the freshest in the world. In January, the freshest oils will be from the Northern Hemisphere.)
  6. Find the olive oils that create a peppery tickle in the back of your throat or even induce a cough or two. This reaction is common when the oils are fresh and their polyphenol levels (natural antioxidants) are high. If you are not experiencing a certain pepperiness and bitterness with the oils you use, they are likely old, rancid, or fake.
  7. Look past the packaging – fancy bottles mean nothing, and price is not always an indicator of quality. However, high-quality olive oil with character and personality will not be cheap: a lot of labor and expertise go into creating an excellent product. Winners of international olive oil competitions will almost always feature these honors prominently on their labels. Gold and silver medals are especially prestigious, as they mean the oils’ producers have been recognized for their excellence by trained palates.
  8. When you try an oil, know that color is not a predictor of flavor. A golden-hued oil will not necessarily be buttery tasting. An intensely green oil would seem to suggest pepperiness and pungency, but might be very mild on the palate. Even judges fall prey to color prejudices, which is why professional tasters use color-obscuring tasting glasses, usually blue or brown.

Above all, remember lesson #1, the biggest thing that matters for olive oil is FRESHNESS! And a peppery or bitter tasting oil is one of the biggest indicators of freshness.

Stay Healthy!

6 Health Benefits of Medjool Dates

1. Decrease Cholesterol

Medjool dates are wise choice when it comes to maintaining healthy cholesterol levels. When you eat them, you increase your insoluble and soluble fiber intake, which in turn can significantly lower cholesterol naturally.

2. Prevent & Relieve Constipation

Dates have high levels of soluble fiber, which keep bowel movements regular by adding bulk to stool and helping it move faster through the intestines. Next time you’re looking for a natural constipation relief remedy, try having a few Medjool dates.

3. Natural Energy Booster

Consuming a few Medjool dates or including them in a snack is an excellent idea when you’re looking for a healthy surge of energy. Worldwide, dates are used for an afternoon pick-me-up to ward off tiredness. Instead of reaching for another cup of coffee, try a green smoothie recipe that includes some Medjool dates!

 

The Medjool dates guide - Dr. Axe

 

4. Reduce Triglyceride Levels

Medjool dates can give your heart a healthy boost. A  study published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry found Medjool dates are high in antioxidative properties in vitro. Ten healthy subjects consumed 100 grams daily of either Medjool or Hallawi dates for four weeks. According to the study, the consumption of Medjool dates reduced blood triglyceride levels by 8 percent.

5. Alternative Natural Sweetener

A delicious fruit, like a Medjool date, provides a truly satisfying alternative to eating a candy bar or brownie loaded with refined sugar.

6. Boost Bone Health

The significant amounts of key minerals found in Medjool dates make them superstars when it comes to strengthening bones and fighting off painful and debilitating bone diseases like osteoporosis — thus, add dates to your osteoporosis diet natural treatment plan.

Dates are high in calcium and a food high in phosphorus, which work closely together to build strong bones and teeth. Eating Medjool dates regularly is one way that you can up your intake of calcium and phosphorus.

 

Medjool dates nutrition - Dr. Axe

The sticky texture of Medjool dates makes them excellent for binding ingredients together whether you’re making a granola bar or tart crust.

Medjool dates can also make a delicious appetizer or snack when stuffed with various ingredients like goat cheese or paneer. Since Medjool dates don’t need to be refrigerated, they make a perfect tasty and healthy addition to a gift basket alongside some nuts, dark chocolate and other dried fruit.

Last but not least, when Medjool dates are made into a paste, they become an awesome, nutrient-dense sugar substitute. Date paste can be used one-to-one in most recipes, unlike stevia, and it adds bulk for baking.

How to make date paste:

  1. Soak Medjool dates in hot water until soft. If the water reaches room temperature and the dates aren’t soft enough, soak in hot water again.
  2. Reserve the soaking liquid, as it’s integral to making a good paste!
  3. Add the soaked dates to your food processor, along with one tablespoon of the soaking liquid. Blend until smooth. Add more water as needed to create a thick rich paste.

You’re looking for the consistency of peanut butter. Use the paste in your favorite cookie or cake recipe to cut out refined sugar and boost the nutrients. You can also use date paste to sweeten your favorite muffins and pies.

Be Healthy!

 

Should a Low-Carb Diet be Ultra High in Butter?

On June 15, 2105 – that’s just four months ago!! – I posted https://drlilykiswani.com/butter-is-better/.

And today the contention is that butter might be ‘not as good as’ cream. This is how quickly knowledge evolves in the field of nutrition. And that is why consulting our regular physician for advice on nutrition is NOT the wisest thing to do. Medical college syllabus typically spends less than five hours on nutrition, at least when I was a student. And its not too different now.

The best thing to do is to be open to change.

Woman Melting Butter On Frying PanLow-carb diets are incredibly healthy.

They have been shown to cause much greater weight loss than the standard “low-fat” diet, at least in the short-term. They also lead to improvements in many health markers, such as blood triglycerides, HDL cholesterol, insulin sensitivity and others.

However, just because there is no effect seen in a large group, there is a lot of room for individual variability.

Many physicians who treat their patients with low-carb diets note that some of them develop very high LDL levels.

This involves a major increase in both LDL “cholesterol” and LDL particle number (or Apolipoprotein B). This may be a major concern, and should definitely not be ignored. Some have claimed that this may be caused by the high butter content that is typical on a low-carb diet.

Interestingly, a common belief these days is that low-carb diets should be very high in butter, and that people should even add it to their coffeeI used to believe that butter (especially grass-fed) was healthy and that eating plenty of it was fine. However, new evidence has made me reconsider my position.

Is Saturated Fat Bad For You?

Heart and Stethoscope New studies show that saturated fat does not increase the risk of heart attacks or death. It has mostly neutral effects on health.

High-Fat Dairy Products Seem to be Healthy

Cheese And GrapesDespite having been demonized in the past, high-fat dairy products seem to be very healthy. Some of them, like full-fat milk, yogurt and cheese, are highly nutritious.

They are loaded with high quality protein, calcium, vitamin B12 and various other important nutrients.

There is no evidence that high-fat dairy products cause heart disease. They are even linked to reduced heart disease risk in countries where cows are largely grass-fed.

Butter May be Different Than Other High-Fat Dairy Products

I used to believe that the same applied to butter as other high-fat dairy products. However, a recent study has made me reconsider my position.

This was a controlled trial that compared the effects of butter and cream on blood cholesterol levels.

According to this study, dairy fat from butter raised some heart disease risk factors significantly more than dairy fat from cream.

Butter fat raised total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol and the ApoB:ApoA1 ratio significantly more than fat from cream. It also raised non-HDL cholesterol, which went down slightly in the cream fat group.

This graph shows the effects on LDL:

Butter, Cream and LDL cholesterol

This may seem strange, because the fatty acids in butter and cream are pretty much identical. Butter is just cream that has been churned.

However, the fatty acids in cream and other high-fat dairy products are enclosed by a membrane that contains proteins and phospholipids. This membrane is called Milk Fat Globule Membrane (MFGM).

The MFGM membrane seems to reduce the cholesterol-raising effects of the fatty acids in cream. When cream is churned into butter, it loses much of this membrane.

This is one perfect example of why whole foods are more than just their individual components.

In this case, the “food matrix” of butter is different than that of cream.

Because butter has less of this protective MGFM membrane, it may raise cholesterol levels significantly more than other high-fat dairy products.

Just because saturated fat has been shown to be harmless in normal amounts, it does not mean that you should eat tons of it.

 

Butter on a Wooden Plate

Humans evolved eating saturated fat, and we did just fine eating butter before.

However, now some low-carbers are advocating adding several tablespoons of the stuff to your coffee every day – not to mention adding butter to other foods on top of that.

Just because a little bit is okay, it does not mean that large amounts are better – or even safe. More is not always better in nutrition. Balance is key.

Olive OilNutrition is a rapidly developing field, and what seems true today might get debunked tomorrow.

It is absolutely crucial to be willing to change your position when there is new evidence that indicates that you may have been wrong before.

I used to believe that butter was healthy, and that a low-carb diet could include lots of butter without any negative effects.

However, based on new evidence, I have had to reconsider my position somewhat.

I do not believe that butter is harmful by any means, but I do think that eating large amounts of it should be cautioned against. Extra virgin olive oil is good.

Stay Informed, up to date, and Stay Healthy!