A little while ago I had asked if anyone had any requests for recipes. Our buddy, Robb, wanted to know how to cook fish on the grill the healthy way (i.e. sans the fish & butter foil packet idea, the one he knew well). Our favorite little person, Grace, had a request for a healthy summer-inspired lunch idea, other than the obvious choice of leftovers. Robyn wanted to know why she has paprika in her spice rack. All excellent requests so thanks guys! I hope I killed two three birds with one stone with this idea!
Now, let’s get down to brass tacks:
Believe it or not, there are several types of paprika ranging from mild and sweet to hot and spicy. OK, I hear you, Robyn–What exactly IS paprika? Paprika is made from ground peppers (think bell peppers or tomato peppers). “Paprika” is actually the name of the spice and any kind of fresh pepper in Hungarian and along with Eastern European foods, paprika is a staple in both their cuisines.
In American cooking it’s usually considered a garnish (think the infamous deviled egg).
Heck, even sun worshippers in Arizona and hawaii have been found to have low levels of Vit. D (thanks to effective sunscreen use)
And if that wasn’t enough, today’s research shows a strong connection between obesity and low levels of Vitamin D.
More specifically, the researchers found that amongst people trying to lose weight, (high Vitamin D) dieters lost more weight than (low Vitamin D) dieters.
And if that wasn’t enough, the researchers found that the Vitamin D dieters lost more of that fat from their abdominal region.
Well, I’m sold.
So, how much Vitamin D do I need and where do I get it?
The National Academies of Sciences says that:
Children and adults up to age 50 need 200 IUs per day
Adults over the age of 50 need 400 IUs
However, the American Academy of Pediatrics now recommends 400 IU a day for children
And some researchers say that these levels should be raised up to 1000 IU per day.
Winter’s over, Spring is in full bloom and Summer is on the way.
That can mean only one thing.
It’s allergy season.
Sneezing, sniffling, red eyes, anaphylaxis…
ahhhhhh-chooooooooo
Misery – pure unadulterated misery.
All brought on by an overcompensation of your immune system.
And why has your immune system gone haywire?
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One theory is that as our Western Diet evolved, the ratio of Omega 6 : Omega 3 fatty acids has shifted from a healthy 2:1 ratio to an unhealthy 10:1 ratio.
And because of that imbalance, our bodies have been flooded with inflammatory molecules, leading to “systemic inflammation and a higher incidence of problems including asthma, allergies, diabetes, and arthritis”.
However, according to this study in the Journal of Biological Chemistry, there is hope.
The Science
In this study, researchers took 27 healthy human test subjects, and for 5 weeks, fed them a special diet designed to reproduce the Omega 6 : Omega 3 fatty acid ratio our caveman ancestors would have enjoyed.
They then looked at the gene levels of immune signals and cytokines (protein immune messengers), that impact autoimmunity and allergy in blood cells and found that many key signaling genes that promote inflammation were markedly reduced compared to a normal diet, including a signaling gene for a protein called PI3K, a critical early step in autoimmune and allergic inflammation responses.
It’s as simple as eating more fish, walnuts, flax seeds and eating less processed foods, less snack foods, less junk foods, less fast foods and less soy and other polyunsaturated oils.
When I was a kid, one of my favorite treats was chocolate milk.
A great big glass of milk (whole milk, not skim) with a heaping tablespoon of Nestle Quik.
mmmmmmmmmmmmm good. I can almost taste it now.
True, it wasn’t the healthiest choice of beverage for a growing boy, but like I said, it was an occasional treat, and all of the good stuff in the milk helped to make up for the overdose of sugar in the chocolate milk powder.
Well, things certainly are different today.
Today, good old fashioned chocolate milk has been re-placed, re-packaged, re-formulated and re-branded as PediaSure. And PediaSure is being marketed to parents as the pediatrician recommended choice for your child’s nutritive needs.
Ahhhh, wasn’t that adorable. The poor little kid doesn’t like broccoli or chicken or waffles. But she sure likes her PediaSure.
And that’s okay, because PediaSure is “a source of complete balanced nutrition…for healthy growth”.
Note – I included a whole milk and a reduced fat chocolate milk in the comparison because I realize that no one drinks whole milk anymore because of the fear of cholesterol. And I am glad I did. It provided an interesting observation.
PediaSure v.s Chocolate Milk
Here are some of my observations:
PediaSure is higher in calories than both of the chocolate milk samples.
The higher calories is due primarily to a higher fat content
The higher fat content is a design feature of PediaSure. PediaSure is fortified with life’sDHA by Martek Biosciences Corporation. DHA is an Omega3 fatty acid that has been shown to support brain development.
In fact, PediaSure ran another commercial highlighting the supplemental DHA in their product.
Here is some more info on life’sDHA. Feel free to scroll down if the details are too geeky for you.
life’sDHA™ from algae is a vegetarian source of DHA. It’s produced, from start to finish, in an FDA-inspected facility with controls in place to ensure the highest quality.
Martek’s microalgae are grown in fermentors that range in size from 80,000 to 260,000 liters. The algae are then harvested and processed to extract the DHA-rich oil. The finished product is a clear, amber-colored oil rich in DHA.
As well, it should also be noted that organic milk (or pre-factory farm milk) has been shown to have 71% more Omega3 fatty acids than conventional milk. Just some food for thought.
In my opinion, PediaSure is inferior to whole milk chocolate milk when it comes to feeding your kids.
Kids don’t like broccoli. Never have, never will. But instead of giving up on feeding real, healthy food to your kids, go to your library and take out this book.
Monkey see, monkey do. If you are eating junk for dinner, how are you ever going to convince your kids to eat healthy?
Even if chocolate milk is healthier for your kids than PediaSure, please remember that it is not a wonder-food. It’s a treat…like dessert.
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And please, please, please – pass this article on to anyone you know who has kids and is feeding their kids PediaSure.
Childhood obesity is higher than ever before….and if we’re at the point where laboratory designed chocolate milk is actually being sold as a healthy option for our kids, we have really lost our way.
Good Friday (today) for us good Catholics means a day of fasting, eating only one full meatless (no animal flesh) meal on this day. Well, I might be a mediocre Catholic then, since eating is what I do best. Lucky for me fish & seafood are considered meatless, which is why growing up we only ate fish on Fridays during Lent. Did you know that’s why McDonald’s created the Filet-O-Fish? Not that I advocate eating such a thing! Instead, I push for healthy fresh fish, packed with omega-3 fatty acids. If you’ve read HealthHabits’ Omega 3s – Why you need them and How to get them, you know how important omega-3’s are for your health. Paired with fresh veg you’ve got one nutritious Good Friday.
RECIPE
Serves 4
4 Pacific Sole filets (rated Eco-OK so eat in moderation)
Filling recipe:
1 zucchini – diced
1 yellow squash – diced
2 cups uncooked baby spinach
S&P
1/2 lemon – zested
Begin by preheating saute pan on medium heat for 1 minute. Add 1 tbsp olive oil and saute zucchini and squash for 3 minutes approx or until soft. Once soft add spinach and saute along with veg for 1 minute or until spinach is cooked. Add lemon zest. Taste and season with S&P. Let cool.
To assemble: Lay the sole filets on a clean surface. Place a spoonful of the cooled filling in each and roll ensuring the filling stays within. Use toothpicks to keep the filets closed.
Moules Jus: (mussel juice)
1 lb mussels
1/2 cup white wine
2 roma tomatoes – diced
1/2 cup fresh fennel – diced
1 tbsp fresh thyme
Before cooking mussels ensure all the shells are closed. Throw away any opened shells. Preheat saute pan on medium-high heat for 1 minute. Add mussels and very carefully add the remaining ingredients. Cover with lid and cook mussels for 1-2 minutes until all the shells have opened. Remove pan from the heat. Remove all the mussels and discard any unopened shells. Place the stuffed sole filets in the mussel juice in the same pan and return to medium heat with lid on. Cook for 4-5 minutes.
Meanwhile as fish is cooking, remove the mussels from the shells and return to the pan along with the sole.
Once fish is cooked through, place in bowl along with some mussels and spoon tomato broth over fish.
Hope you guys enjoy this and give it a go. Don’t be afraid. If you have any requests or questions, please leave a comment! To see more of my recipes and learn about me and my healthy food philosophies head over to thehealthyirishman.com.
.The Healthy Irishman Fueling your body with healthy food. Fueling your mind with the wealth of health.
When Omega 3 consumption increases, your risk of cardiovascular disease decreases
High levels of the Omega 3 fatty acid – DHA are required for optimal mental performance and vision
Low levels of Omega 3s have been associated with depression, Alzheimer’s disease, ADHD, as well as developmental coordination disorder.
Omega 3 supplements have been shown to improve the condition of chronic inflammatory diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, various skin disorders, and gastrointestinal disorders such as Inflammatory Bowel Disease and Crohn’s disease
Omega 3s may help men reduce their risk of prostate cancer.
And if that isn’t enough, various population studies have also shown that diets high in Omega 3s have been effective in preventing:
chronic eye conditions (cataracts, dry eye),
epilepsy,
allergic sensitivity in very young children,
pneumonia,
lung/breathing capacity and chronic pulmonary disorders,
bone health, and
fibromyalagia
Now you know why you need Omega 3s.
So, what’s the best way to get them?
And here we go.
Currently, there is a bit of disagreement between Omega 3 experts.
On one hand, we have experts like Dr. David Jenkins who prefer we get our Omega 3s from the plant based Omega 3 – ALA.
Dietary sources of the Omega 3 – ALA include:
Flaxseed
canola oil
English walnuts
specialty eggs
Dr. Jenkins believes that ALA is an effective source of Omega 3s and because it can be found in vegetarian sources such as canola, walnuts and soy, it is superior to the fish-sourced Omega 3s -EPA & DHA.
Dr. Jenkins cites the crisis of global fisheries as an important reason to choose vegetarian sources of Omega 3s.
However, critics of Dr. Jenkins position claim that the majority of Omega 3 fish oil supplements rely on smaller, less commercially attractive fish such as herring and anchovies. These fish are available in large numbers due to their lack of market popularity and higher reproduction rate.
In addition, supplement manufacturers are trying to improve the harvesting of algae and krill as potential mainstream sources of Omega 3s.
Dietary sources of the Omega 3 – EPA include:
Fish,
fish oils
marine sources like krill & algae
Dietary sources of the Omega 3 – DHA include:
Fish,
fish oils
specialty egg/dairy products
And if that wasn’t complicated enough
There is significant research that shows that ALA is an inferior source of Omega 3s.
And why is that?
It’s because our bodies require that ALA be converted into EPA and/or DHA for use in our bodies.
Earlier this morning, Arena Pharmaceuticals announced that the Phase 3 trial results for their new obesity drug Lorcaserinmet all efficacy and safety endpoints.
And yet, in just 2 1/2 hours of trading, their share price had dropped by over 32%.
But….they met all their efficacy and safety endpoints.
Why would the market punish a company for meeting all of their efficacyand safety endpoints?
I just don’t get it.
Based on Arena’s data, the average Lorcaserin patient:
started out at 219 lbs,
lost 12.7 lbs, and
ended up at 201.3 lbs.
In contrast, the placebo patient:
started out at 213.6 lb,
lost 4.7 lbs, and
ended up at 208.9 lbs
That means that over the course of 12 months, the Lorcaserin patient lost 8 more pounds than the patient taking the placebo.
8 lbs.
8 lbs over 12 months?
That’s it?
One of my new personal training clients is down 14 pounds in just under 7 weeks.
Another has lost just under 30 pounds since the new year.
Another has lost over 200 pounds over the past few years.
Last week I made twice baked champ. This week, I’m making Ulster Champ (we Irish have many versions of potato dishes!) to accompany fresh roasted cod and blistered cherry tomatoes. Ulster Champ is named after the Ulster Provence in Northern Ireland. Traditionally homemade country butter was used as were leeks instead of peas. Personally I love peas, especially if I can find fresh peas to shuck, so it’s no surprise I love this champ version. I also love simple clean dishes and figured this would be a good one to try leading up to or after drinking your dinner of green beer.
Serves 4
RECIPE:
1 lb. Black Cod (4 x 4 oz portions)
Olive oil spray
3 white potatoes
1 cup fresh garden peas or frozen
1/2 cup fat-free milk
2 tbsp chopped parsley
S&P
Begin by preparing the mash potatoes as you normally would while boiling your peas (if using fresh) until tender.
While potatoes are cooking, preheat large saute pan on high heat for 2 minutes. Spray liberally with olive oil spray. Season fish with S&P. Sear for 3 minutes until golden brown. Remove to a foiled oven tray until ready to cook.
Once the potatoes and peas are cooked, mash the potatoes first with skim milk. Then fold in the peas and parsley. Season with S&P to taste.
Toss the cherry tomatoes with the olive oil, thyme and S&P. Distribute tomatoes on a foiled oven tray and cook in the oven for 5-6 minutes until beginning to blister. At the same time, cook the fish in the oven for 5-6 minutes until firm to touch.
TIP: Cod in general has a lot of bones. Don’t try to remove them before cooking as the fish will fall apart. Wait until the fish is cooked and they’ll come right out.
This fish has a velvety taste and is really moist. One of the great things about cod is that is an oily fish so will not overcook easily. Always good to know!
Let me know how you get on with this recipe. If you have any requests or questions, please leave a comment! To see more of my recipes and learn about me and my healthy food philosophies head over to thehealthyirishman.com.
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The Healthy Irishman Fueling your body with healthy food. Fueling your mind with the wealth of health.
life’sDHA™ from algae is a vegetarian source of DHA. It’s produced, from start to finish, in an FDA-inspected facility with controls in place to ensure the highest quality.
