A high intake of saturated fat may have protective effects in people with established coronary artery disease

This study was published in the Journal of Nutrition 2015 Feb;145(2):299-305

Study title and authors:
Dietary intake of saturated fat is not associated with risk of coronary events or mortality in patients with established coronary artery disease.

Puaschitz NG, Strand E, Norekvål TM, Dierkes J, Dahl L, Svingen GF, Assmus J, Schartum-Hansen H, Øyen J, Pedersen EK, Drevon CA, Tell GS, Nygård O.
Departments of Heart Disease Departments of Clinical Science nathalie.genevieve.puaschitz@helse-bergen.no.

This study can be accessed at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25644351

This study investigated the associations between saturated fat intake and risk of subsequent coronary events and mortality in patients with established coronary artery disease. The study included 2,412 patients, average age 61.7 years, who were followed for 4.8 years.

The study found
(a) Patients who consumed the most saturated fat were 10.4% less likely to take statin drugs than patients who consumed the least saturated fat.
(b) Patients who consumed the most saturated fat had a 15% reduced risk of unstable angina pectoris, nonfatal acute heart attack and coronary death compared to patients who consumed the least saturated fat.

Puaschitz comments that: "A high intake of  saturated fat may have protective effects" and "When current prevention guidelines aim to limit the saturated fat intake to below 7–10% of energy, one can speculate whether this is appropriate in patients with coronary artery disease".

Insulin Resistance Strongly Predicts Cardiovascular Disease Risk

I recently came across a very interesting paper by the research team of Gerald Reaven, an endocrinologist at Stanford.  He has long been one of the leading researchers studying insulin resistance, the metabolic syndrome, and their association with obesity.  Reaven's research, and that of many others, suggests that insulin resistance is a central part of the constellation of metabolic disturbances that are so common in affluent nations*.  We also have good reason to believe that it contributes to cardiovascular risk.

All the way back in 1998, Reaven's group published a paper that should raise the eyebrows of anyone interested in cardiovascular health (1).

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Fluffy Carob Banana Ice Cream

It's about time I posted another banana ice cream recipe on here! Especially since I practically live off this stuff. A life without 'nana ice cream is not a life worth living. That is why you simply have to give this a try if you haven't already. Before I first tried this I had myself convinced that I absolutely hated bananas and that my feelings toward these yellow little fellas were never going to change. But it all changed as soon as I:

a. Learnt to wait for those beautiful specks to appear, meaning the bananas were fully ripe and ready to eat.

b. Sliced them, froze them and gave them a good ol' blend.

(I now like (love) raw bananas as well but it's been a long process.)

So have a go at it and let me know what you think! Cheers!

Naked.

Dressed.

Behind the scenes.

Fluffy Carob Banana Ice Cream

Ingredients:

- 330 g frozen banana coins (about 3 medium sized bananas)

- 50 ml or a little less than 1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk

- 1 tbsp carob powder

- 1 pinch pure vanilla powder

Toppings:

- Fresh berries, raw cacao nibs, quinoa pops or whatever you like

How to:

1. Place all ingredients except for the almond milk in a powerful food processor or blender.

2. Process on high until all of the frozen banana coins have reduced to tiny pieces, this usually takes around one minute.

3. Stop to scrape down the sides with a spatula if necessary, then blend on high again and slowly pour the almond milk, little by little, into the food processor while blending (through the hole on the lid).

4. Once you've added in all of the almond milk, the mixture will eventually turn into a fluffy, wonderfully creamy ice cream! Spoon it all up in a bowl, top with whatever you desire and serve immediately! You may have to scrape down the sides a few more times but be patient and you'll end up with the most delicious treat ever :)

The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics say that cholesterol and saturated fat do not cause heart disease

The 2015 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee (DGAC) recently released the new draft dietary guidelines for Americans.

A press release from the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics commented on the draft guidelines. The release contained the following:

(a) The Academy supports the DGAC in its decision to drop dietary cholesterol from the nutrients of concern list and recommends it deemphasize saturated fat from nutrients of concern, given the lack of evidence connecting it with cardiovascular disease.
(b) Low sodium intake levels recommended by the DGAC are actually associated with increased mortality for healthy individuals.
(c) The evidence is strongest that a reduction in the intake of added sugars will improve the health of the American public.

I'm glad the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics are at last coming around to my way of thinking.



York County School of Technology shares video from the cafe

We are tremendously excited to share this video from York Tech - Home of the Spartan Nation, which showcases the students and instructors who volunteered their time during the cafe's construction.

Thank you to everyone involved!


Healthy World Cafe from YorkTech on Vimeo.

Healthy Vegan Chocolate Mousse (Low-Carb Alternative!)

Blogging just got so much more exciting - I've finally begun to grasp the very basics of Adobe Lightroom which makes my pictures look a teeny bit more professional and I don't have to be embarrassed about posting them anymore. Half a year after getting my camera hehe. You know what they say, better late than never!

This obviously calls for a celebratory (and nowadays rare) new recipe by yours truly. Apologies for taking so long but here it is, my vegan chocolate mousse recipe! It's vegan (duh), can be made low-carb and tastes absolutely d-e-l-i-c-i-o-u-s if I may say so myself. Although the recipe calls for fresh berries, I could highly recommend squeezing some passion fruit over this beauty as well since chocolate and passion fruit were made for each other (we all know it).

Hopefully it won't be long before the next recipe and if so, please give me remind me of what a lousy blogger I am and I will get to it immediately. Pinkie swear!

'

Serves: 2

Ingredients:

- 300 g silken tofu

- 2 tbsp cocoa or cacao powder

- 1 tbsp mesquite powder (could possibly sub for lucuma powder or omit)

- 25 g 80-90% dark chocolate

- 5-6 dates (50-60 g depending on how sweet you like it) or 3 tbsp erythritol for a low-carb free version

Toppings:

- Fresh strawberries and blueberries

- Coconut chips or cacao nibs for crunch

How to:

1. Place all ingredients in a medium-sized bowl and blend until entirely smooth. Scrape down the sides with a spatula to make sure that no unblended pieces remain.

2. Top with berries and a sprinkle of coconut chips or cacao nibs if you wish and serve immediately or keep in the fridge for a couple of days at most.

Food Reward Friday

This week's lucky "winner"... Hardee's Most American Thickburger!!

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Announcing our new menu for May!

Fresh peas, rhubarb and strawberries, oh my! Celebrate the changing seasons in York County with our May menu, inspired by the freshest ingredients from our local farms and farmers.

Our menus will rotate every 4 to 6 weeks, so hurry in and check it out!

$5.50

-- Sweet Pea Hummus Plate of Focaccia Sandwich, topped with Olive and Mint Salsa Verde (V, MWG, No Onion)

-- Peruvian Chicken Bowl with Black Beans and Rice (MWG)

-- Spinach, Cheddar and Dill Frittata (VEG, No Onion)

-- Chicken Salad Plate or Focaccia Sandwich

3.50

-- Asparagus and Leek Soup (V, MWG)

-- Rhubarb and Strawberries with Mint and Sunflower Seeds, served over Spinach with a poppy seed dressing (V, MWG)

-- Bean Salad with Lemon and Fresh Herbs served over whole grains and a bed of greens (V, MWG)

EXTRAS

-- Dried Fruit and Oatmeal Cookies
-- Seasonal Pickled Vegetables

V — Vegan

VEG — Vegetarian

MWG — Made Without Gluten

No Onion — Pretty self explanatory, right? :)

Water and iced tea are free with your purchase, and all our menu items are sourced from our farmer friends in south-central Pennsylvania and made from scratch.

Lunch will be served 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Friday, at the cafe at 24 S. George St., in downtown York. Take-out orders are available during lunch hours by phone only; please call 717-814-8204.

Recent Interviews

Here are two recent interviews I'd like to share with readers:

Danny Lennon of Sigma Nutrition

Danny Lennon is an evidence-based nutrition coach who publishes a podcast called Sigma Nutriton Radio.  We had a nice conversation about why we overeat, including energy homeostasis and the personal economics of food choice.  The podcast has a high production value.  You can listen to the interview here.

Angelo Coppola of Latest in Paleo

Angelo Coppola and I hit it off recently due to our mutual interests in gardening and self-reliance.  We recently had a nice conversation about hunter-gatherer dietary patterns, the personal economics of food choice, US diet history, legumes and the Paleo diet, and how much meat we should eat.  You also get to hear a personal story about the only existing video of me as a child (that I'm aware of).  This one also has a high production value.  You can listen to it here.

Statins users with existing coronary artery disease have a 15% increased risk of another heart attack

This study was published in Circulation Journal 2004 Jan;68(1):47-52

Study title and authors:
Insulin resistance and fasting hyperinsulinemia are risk factors for new cardiovascular events in patients with prior coronary artery disease and normal glucose tolerance.

Yanase M, Takatsu F, Tagawa T, Kato T, Arai K, Koyasu M, Horibe H, Nomoto S, Takemoto K, Shimizu S, Watarai M.
Division of Cardiology, Cardiovascular Center, Anjo Kosei Hospital, Aichi, Japan. yanase@kosei.anjo.aichi.jp

This study can be accessed at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14695465

This study investigated risk factors for further cardiovascular event in patients with existing coronary artery disease. The study lasted three years and included 102 patients with coronary artery disease.

Regarding statins, the study found that patients who took statins had a 15% increased risk of a further cardiovascular event than patients who did not take statins.

Zucchini Noodles with a Zesty Broccoli Dressing

Sometimes it just so happens that you throw a bunch of ingredients in a bowl, blend them up and end up with some unexpected awesomeness you didn't see coming. I'd like to think that was the case with this dish so I'm going to share the recipe with you even though I've only made it once. This is a perfect side dish to go with anything really, and makes for a nice, refreshing addition to any meal. Because you just can't go wrong with zoodles. Yum. Let me know if you give it a try!

Serves: 2

Zucchini Noodles:

- 2 large zucchinis

Dressing:

- 200 g broccoli florets (about small head)

- 100 g silken tofu

- 1 tbsp lime juice

- 3 tbsp unsweetened plant-based milk

- 1-2 handfuls fresh basil leaves

- 1 1/2 - 2 tbsp sweet white miso paste

How to:

1. Peel (optional) the zucchinis and spiralize them to make zoodles or make 'zagliatelle' t´ribbons using a carrot peeler.
2. Steam the broccoli until just cooked through.
3. Place all the ingredients for the dressing in a bowl and blend with a hand blender until fairly smooth. This would probably work even better in a real blender so go for that if you, unlike me, have access to one.
4. Dress the zoodles/zagliatelle in the broccoli sauce and add some fresh basil leaves on top for decoration!

Statins and nasal polyps

This paper was published in the Annals of Internal Medicine 2005 Feb 15;142(4):310-1

Study title and authors:
Statins and nasal polyps.

Bucca C, Marsico A, Panaro E, Bigo P, Brussino L.

This paper can be accessed at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15710970

This paper describes the case of a woman who developed nasal polyps (warty growths) after taking statins.

(i) A 57 year old woman with rhinosinusitis (rhinosinusitis is inflammation of the nasal passage and sinuses) and asthma sought medical attention for the recent onset of rhinosinusitis associated with asthma.
(ii) With treatment the patients condition nearly normalised.
(iii) She started to take atorvastatin.
(iv) One month later the patient returned because of severe persistent nasal obstruction with extensive polyp growth.
(v) Tests found she had abnormally high amounts of eosinophil's (white blood cells) and her sinuses were completely stuffed with polyps.
(vi) The polyps were removed, but returned within one month of surgery.
(vii) She stopped taking atorvastatin and within three weeks her condition had dramatically improved with her nasal polyps disappearing.
(viii) She restarted atorvastatin and her nasal symptoms and polyps returned shortly afterwards, together with nasal eosinophilia.
(ix) The patient improved after again stopping atorvastatin.
(x) She later started to take simvastatin and again the polyps recurred.

Bucca concluded: "Statins may lead to development of eosinophilic polypoid rhinosinusitis"

Vegan Sweet Potato Burgers

These past couple of weeks I've been completely stuck in a dinner rut, unable to get out. Or rather, I've been too lazy to cook any proper meals, making hummus and rice cakes my go-to din din companions for better or worse. So today was finally the day to put an end to the dreary repetitiveness and get my ass in the kitchen to actually cook, and not just blend things together and hope for the best.

You see, there was this sweet potato that had been sitting in the fridge for almost a week, glaring at me each time I neglected to acknowledge its existence, giving me a hard time for not putting its beautiful, sweet flesh to good use. So, I pondered. Sweet potato brownies (I'll probably never be able to top Deliciously Ella's, so no), sweet potato pie (come on Tilda, 'tis not the season), sweet potato gnocchi (been there, failed that) or ... sweet potato burgers! Yes, I'd gladly watch your metamorphosis into a burger, sweet potato o' mine.

I got so excited over these burgers, I even went ahead and made my own whole grain spelt buns! Sadly, there won't be a recipe for those as they were a disappointment but I'll try my luck again sometime in the future. As for now, I suggest you either find a better bun recipe on your own, or go buy some from the store. I won't judge. (But the sweet potato might o_o)

Now, time to stop with this nonsense and get down to business. The recipe's right here below, enjoy!

Vegan Sweet Potato Burgers

Burgers:

- 1 medium sweet potato (200 g peeled)

- 1/2 can chickpeas (120 g)

- 1/4 cup quinoa flakes (could sub for oats but then you may have to start with a little less than 1/4 cup)

- 1 tbsp sweet miso paste (you can omit the miso paste if you don't have any but it really takes away from the flavour...)

- 1/4 small bell pepper, finely chopped

- 1 tsp onion powder

- 1 tsp garlic powder

- Salt and pepper to taste

Condiments:

- 4 buns of your choice (bonus points if you make your own.)(I did.)

- Avocado

- Thinly sliced vegetables of your choice such as tomatoes, lettuce, red onions etc.

How to:

1. Start by peeling and chopping the sweet potato into large cubes. Steam until it's soft enough to pierce with a fork (15-20 min).
2. In a large bowl, mash all of the ingredients together with a fork until everything sticks together nicely. Blend with a hand blender for a smoother consistency. (Though I highly recommend keeping the chunks!)
3. Form 4 big or 6 small patties with your hands.
4. Fry the burgers in a non-stick pan or a spoonful of coconut oil over medium to low heat until the patties have a nice colour on both sides, approximately 5-10 minutes on each side.
5. Serve immediately and with all the toppings your heart desires! (That is, stuff as much avocado as you possibly can in there. So worth it.)