Eats « Weekly Gravy

Two medical groups have declared war on sodas and energy drinks by calling for taxes on what has become the leading source of sugar in the diets of children and teens. In a new joint policy statement, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and the American Heart Association (AHA) also recommended a host of other public policies, all aimed at cutting consumption of the unhealthy drinks. This is the first time the AAP has advocated for such a tax. “Sugary drinks make up more than half the sugar intake in kids’ diets and have no redeeming nutritional value. They are basically sugar water,” said pediatrician Dr. Natalie Muth, lead author of the policy statement. Excess sugar in kids’ diets has contributed to an epidemic of childhood obesity and type 2 diabetes, said Avigdor Arad, director of the Mount Sinai PhysioLab, in New York City. It also increases the risk for tooth decay, heart disease, fatty liver disease and death among children and teens, according to the statement. “The average kid is getting about 30 pounds of sugar from sugary drinks per year, which is enough to fill a small bathtub,” said Muth, a California pediatrician and communications chair of the AAP Section on Obesity. “We’re not talking about a small problem here, or a small amount of intake from drinks. It’s a huge amount.” Evidence… read on >

Fish is a delicious, lean protein with healthy fats, but many people are afraid to cook it and save it for when dining out. Whether you avoid cooking fish because you’re concerned about causing a fishy odor in your kitchen (which only happens when the fish isn’t fresh) or the calories of typical breaded and fried fillets, a nifty technique using parchment paper can solve both dilemmas. What’s more, cooking fish in parchment paper also makes for speedy clean-up. Of course, it’s important to start with fresh fish. A white fish like tilapia, readily available at most fish counters these days, should be odorless and have firm flesh that isn’t breaking apart or discolored. Make friends with your fish monger, whether at your supermarket’s seafood counter or a fish store. Regular shoppers tend to get the freshest catch. While you’re at the market, buy a roll of parchment paper. You’ll find it in the baking aisle or the foil and plastic wrap section. Once you have it in your kitchen, you’ll find many uses for it, such as lining baking sheets for roasting vegetables. Here’s how to use it for baking virtually any type of fish. Note: While this recipe is for small individual fillets, you can use a single, longer piece of parchment for larger fillets or even a whole fish. No-Muss, No-Fuss Baked… read on >

More and more research supports the health benefits of the Mediterranean diet, the way of eating followed by people who live in countries around the Mediterranean Sea, such as Greece and Italy. Various studies have indicated that it may help ward off Alzheimer’s disease and other changes related to thinking and memory. It may also reduce your odds of getting type 2 diabetes. And eating this way when you’re younger can increase your chances of living past 70 without a chronic illness. While some studies have cast doubt on its seemingly infinite health benefits, more definitive evidence of its value was announced in December 2018 in a study done at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School. Researchers found that among women who most closely followed the diet, heart disease was cut by more than 25 percent. It’s also important not to lose sight of the big picture: Because it’s a diet that relies on fresh food rather than packaged or processed choices, it can be a healthful way for everyone to follow general nutrition guidelines for wellness. One aspect that people like about the Mediterranean diet is its flexibility — it’s more of a style of eating than a strict regimen. That means that, within the parameters of what’s acceptable, you have many choices and can build your own daily menus. The Core… read on >

Maybe you rush around with work and activities during the day, then settle in for a large, relaxing meal in the evening. But new research says the later in the day you eat, the more weight you’re likely to pack on. That’s the takeaway from a week-long study involving 31 overweight and obese patients, mostly women. “We evaluated meal and sleep timing in patients with overweight/obesity at the beginning of a weight loss trial, before participants started the intervention,” said lead author Dr. Adnin Zaman, an endocrinology fellow at the University of Colorado School of Medicine. Her team found that “eating later into the day was associated with a higher body mass index (BMI) and greater body fat.” BMI is a measure of body fat based on height and weight. For the study, participants were enrolled in a weight-loss trial comparing daily calorie limits to time-restricted feeding. In other words, once the trial launched, they could only eat during certain hours of the day. Ninety percent of the participants were women. Their average age was 36. A week before the study, they were outfitted with electronic devices to monitor their activity and sleep. They also were asked to snap cellphone photos of everything they ate. The photos were time-stamped using an app called MealLogger. Zaman and colleagues did not define which hours would amount to… read on >

For people who carry too much weight and suffer from migraines, dropping some pounds might help ease their pain, new research shows. “When people lose weight, the number of days per month with migraine decreases, as does pain severity and headache attack duration,” said lead researcher Dr. Claudio Pagano. He is associate professor of internal medicine at the University of Padova in Italy. Pagano’s team looked at data from 10 different studies that included 473 migraine patients in total. The analysis showed that weight loss was associated with large declines in migraine frequency, duration, pain and disability. The benefits were similar whether reductions in weight were achieved through weight-loss surgery or changes in diet and exercise, and were similar in kids and adults. How overweight you were to begin with didn’t seem to matter, however. Improvements in migraine were not tied to either the original level of obesity or the overall amount of weight loss, Pagano’s group reported. The findings were to be presented Saturday at the Endocrine Society’s annual meeting, in New Orleans. The bottom line is that “if you suffer from migraine headaches and are obese, losing weight will ameliorate the quality of your family and social life, as well as your work and school productivity. Your overall quality of life will greatly improve,” Pagano said. “Weight loss in adults and children with… read on >

(HealthDay News) — Navigating weight loss information can be daunting. Many popular beliefs are only partly true, MedlinePlus says. MedlinePlus debunked a few common myths: MYTH: “No-fat” or “low-fat” foods help you lose weight. FACT: Many no-fat and low-fat foods have added sugar and salt, and more calories. MYTH: Fasting will help you lose weight quickly. FACT: Fasting is not usually healthy. People who fast tend to lose more muscle than fat. MYTH: Slow weight loss is the only proven weight loss method. FACT: There are many options out there. Be careful and avoid fad diets that are unsafe and promise unrealistic results. Talk to a dietician to see what is best for you and your goals.

(HealthDay News) — For people with diabetes, maintaining a healthy diet can be vital to a treatment plan. Reading food labels can help diabetics make the best choices, the Mayo Clinic says. When reading food labels, the clinic suggests: Choose healthy fats, such as olive, canola or peanut oil. Avoid trans and saturated fats. Pick food with 3 grams or more of fiber. Pay attention to serving sizes. Consider your daily calorie goals.

Recent research shows that eggs can be part of a healthful diet. Eggs are highly nutritious because they deliver the essential amino acids your body needs to build and repair muscle and help keep your metabolism humming. Egg yolks in particular contain many nutrients, including vitamin A, B vitamins and hard-to-get vitamin D. Whether white or brown, commercially raised or free-range, eggs have equal nutrition, because the hens all have the same mostly grain diet. However, if you can afford pasture-raised eggs, they are somewhat superior because those hens have a more diverse diet, which increases the eggs’ nutritional value. If you’ve shied away from eggs in the past, health studies have found that having one egg yolk a day doesn’t increase blood serum cholesterol in healthy adults. Of course, do talk to your doctor about limiting yolks if you have high cholesterol or diabetes. Got five minutes for a fast, hot morning meal? Here’s how to make a delicious scrambled egg breakfast. (One way to extend eggs’ goodness is to have one whole egg plus two extra whites per serving. You’ll get both more protein and volume.) Easy Egg Scramble 1 egg plus 2 egg whites Olive oil-based cooking spray 2 tablespoons of your favorite salsa or hot sauce, to taste 1 tablespoon fresh herbs, such as chives, parsley or cilantro To easily separate… read on >

Are you a sugary soda junkie? If you’re ready to kick the habit, know that the answer isn’t diet sodas. Following up on research that calls the safety of these artificially sweetened drinks into question is a February study published in the journal Stroke that found for women after menopause, drinking more than one diet soda a day was associated with an increased risk for stroke or heart disease. For tasty thirst quenchers, try these easy and better-for-you swaps. Water is great, but if you’re a soda drinker, you want the fizz. So don’t take the bubbles away, but do start with sodium-free sparkling water or seltzer. It hydrates like plain tap water but has the same mouth feel as soda. With this one simple swap, you’ll save hundreds of calories weekly as you trim your sugar cravings and your waistline. Used to the sweet taste of fruity sodas? Rotate among four flavor additions to your sparkling water that give a hint of sweetness along with refreshing aroma: Lemon twist, lime twist, four or five crushed raspberries (fresh or frozen) and vanilla extract. Adding a teaspoon of extract to your seltzer creates a taste similar to old-fashioned cream soda. Are you more of a cola connoisseur? Sugary sodas might give you a lift at first, but then leave you crashing a few hours later. Instead,… read on >