Eats « Weekly Gravy

Children will face more food shortages and infections if climate change continues unchecked, researchers from the World Health Organization and 34 other institutions warn. Climate change is already harming children’s health. And they’re at risk for lifelong health threats unless the world meets Paris Agreement targets to limit warming to well below 2 degrees Celsius, the scientists reported in the Nov. 14 issue of The Lancet. “This year, the accelerating impacts of climate change have become clearer than ever,” said Hugh Montgomery, co-chair of The Lancet Countdown on Health and Climate Change. “The highest recorded temperatures in Western Europe and wildfires in Siberia, Queensland and California triggered asthma, respiratory infections and heat stroke. Sea levels are now rising at an ever-concerning rate. Our children recognize this climate emergency and demand action to protect them. We must listen, and respond,” Montgomery said in a journal news release. Montgomery is director of University College London’s Institute for Human Health and Performance, in the United Kingdom. The health impact of climate change needs to be at the top of the agenda at the UN Climate Conference (COP25) next month in Madrid, the scientists urged. Without action, children born today will live in a world that’s an average of more than 4 degrees Celsius warmer by age 71, posing a risk to their health at every stage of their… read on >

Imagine that your doctor could predict your risk of kidney disease in the next five years with a simple calculation. Researchers from Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore report they have done just that. “With the risk equations that we’ve developed, physicians should be able to determine with high accuracy who will or won’t develop chronic kidney disease in the next few years — and our analyses suggest that they can maintain that accuracy in a variety of clinical settings globally,” researcher Dr. Josef Coresh said in a university news release. He’s a professor in the department of epidemiology at the Bloomberg School of Public Health at Hopkins. This new calculation uses a mix of factors that include age, high blood pressure and diabetes to predict if someone is likely to develop chronic kidney disease. The calculator should help doctors identify patients who are most at risk for kidney disease and would benefit the most from early treatment, they said. Although chronic kidney disease is a progressive condition, its progression can be slowed or stopped if caught early, the researchers noted. In the study, Coresh’s team used data on more than 5 million people from 28 countries. Using that data, they developed an equation using known chronic kidney disease risk factors that doctors could use to predict which patients are likely to develop chronic kidney disease.… read on >

Being on a weight-loss diet day in and day out for months on end can be challenging and even discouraging. What’s more, following the same never-ending diet could be the reason you aren’t getting the results you’re looking for. A study in the International Journal of Obesity found an alternative that can provide better weight loss results and is easier to stick with. The “MATADOR” study recruited 51 participants, all obese men. MATADOR is short for Minimizing Adaptive Thermogenesis And Deactivating Obesity Rebound. After four weeks in which their caloric needs were calculated, participants followed either a continuous diet or a “restricted intermittent diet” of two weeks on followed by two weeks off for 16 weeks. Men who followed the restricted intermittent diet achieved greater weight loss at the conclusion of the study. This suggests that a two-week-on, two-week-off diet plan could help you shed unwanted weight and keep it off. One theory is that the breaks keep your metabolism from resetting at a lower caloric need, a reset that makes it harder to keep losing weight without more calorie cuts. There’s one caveat to trying this strategy on your own: It’s important to refrain from overindulging during your off weeks. Make sure your eating during off-weeks is balanced, with a variety of foods totaling about 500 calories a day more than you eat during… read on >

From Halloween through New Year’s, holiday weight gain affects people the world over and, according to a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine, it can happen with any major holiday, not just the winter ones. As you might know firsthand, it’s a lot harder to lose that weight than to put it on. So even if you start every new year with just an extra pound or two, if you repeat this pattern yearly, your weight will just keep rising. That’s why the best approach is preventive — being aware of extra calories, starting now. There is another, separate challenge to healthy eating during the cold weather months in many parts of the country — much less availability of locally grown fruits and vegetables. It’s still possible to buy foods like berries and peppers, for instance, but you’ll pay a higher price, and in some regions, the selection of fresh produce simply shrinks. That helps explain the results of a study that polled women in North Dakota. Researchers found that diet quality was lower in winter when foods like corn, berries, tomatoes and lettuces were less available. What to do? Switch to dark leafy greens, squashes and root vegetables, and supplement with frozen fruits and vegetables, which can be as nutritious as fresh because they’re typically packaged soon after harvesting. Another smart… read on >

If you’re looking for a way to liven up your dishes with a great tasting, low-calorie condiment, zesty gremolata is for you. Gremolata is an Italian chopped herb mix and, as exotic as it sounds, it takes just three ingredients to make: lemon zest, parsley and garlic. It’s full of flavor but has hardly any calories, and it’s naturally fat- and salt-free. You can mix up a batch and then use it as a delicious accompaniment to grilled meats and fish instead butter- or oil-based sauces. Or toss it with pasta for an alternative to tomato sauce. It makes an especially tasty way to flavor mushrooms for a very healthy side dish. Basic Gremolata 1 lemon 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh parsley 3 garlic cloves, minced Use a vegetable peeler to remove yellow zest from the lemon, being careful not to get any of the bitter white pith layer. Mince the peel and transfer it to small bowl. Note: If you have a microplane grater, you can use it instead to make the zest. Add the parsley and garlic. Store for up to five days in the fridge. As an accompaniment to a protein, this makes enough for two servings. Multiply the ingredients as needed. Mushrooms With Gremolata 2 tablespoons olive oil 1 pound mushrooms, such as button or Cremini 1/4 teaspoon sea salt 1/8… read on >

(HealthDay News) — Infants need a balance of nutrients to grow properly and be healthy, says the American Academy of Pediatrics. Although homemade formulas may seem healthy or inexpensive, they may not meet your baby’s nutritional needs. The academy mentions some do’s and don’ts of homemade baby formula: Do choose recipes that have been reviewed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Don’t feed your infant milk made from very young cows or milk substitutes. Don’t use formulas imported from other countries. Don’t add excess water to powdered formula or non-concentrated liquid formula.

Want to get more fish in your diet with a lot more flavor? This two-step technique yields a crispy outside and flaky fish within. Cooking fish in a skillet is a fast and flavorful way to prepare this healthy, low-calorie protein. The trick to searing fish and getting a crisp top is to start with a light dusting of flour. This alternative to breading also saves a lot of calories. Then, to get the same type of crunch without deep-frying, give your filets a short blast in the oven. If you’ve shied away from cod in the past, it’s time to try it again. It’s a high-protein, low-fat fish, and a good source of B12 and niacin. Crispy Cod With Spinach 2 tablespoons gluten-free or whole-wheat flour 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon black pepper 1/4 teaspoon paprika 3 tablespoons grapeseed or safflower oil 2 6-ounce cod filets Cooking spray 2 garlic cloves, minced 1 pound baby spinach 1 tablespoon butter Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place flour on a plate and mix with salt, black pepper and paprika. Dip filets into flour mixture and transfer to another plate. Add the oil to an oven-safe skillet and warm over medium-high heat for about 1 minute. Add the filets and cook, without turning, for 4 to 5 minutes until crispy. Flip the filets in the pan and… read on >

The popular herbal supplement kratom may cause liver damage, researchers warn. Kratom is widely available in smoke shops and online. It’s a botanical product made from Mitragyna speciosa, a tropical evergreen tree found in Southeast Asia. At low doses, it’s a stimulant. At high doses, it has an opioid-like effect. Use of kratom has risen sharply since the start of the opioid epidemic, and more than 90 deaths have been linked to it, researchers say. “There are risks associated with using kratom, and liver injury is on the list of things that are a potential consequence of using it,” said William Eggleston, a clinical assistant professor at the Binghamton University-State University of New York’s School of Pharmacy. He wasn’t involved with the study, but reviewed the findings. There were eight cases of reported liver injury associated with kratom products in the study. Eggleston said this may not seem like a lot, but they are enough to be concerning. “Maybe we need to re-evaluate whether or not this drug should be available as a dietary supplement,” he said. Unlike prescription drugs, dietary supplements don’t need approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. And though kratom is a legal herbal supplement, the FDA has warned against its use. The agency has called it “opioid-like” and cited concerns that it might pose an addiction risk. Some patients… read on >

Want to have your cake and eat nutritiously, too? You can do both if you lighten up your baking. The typical buttery layer cake may taste good, but its main ingredient is white flour, which is basically devoid of nutrition. Using almonds and coconut in place of flour packs in nutrients like fiber, vitamins E, biotin and B2. You get to savor a rich-tasting cake that delivers nutrition in every bite. Eat it plain or glaze it with jam as described in the recipe to keep calories low. But even if you frost it, you’ll have a healthier slice than traditional cakes. Lighter Layer Cake Cooking spray 2 cups whole almonds 3/4 cup unsweetened, shredded coconut 2 teaspoons baking soda Pinch of salt 1/2 cup butter (1 stick), softened 3/4 cup granulated sugar 3 eggs 1/4 cup skim milk 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1/2 teaspoon almond extract 1 cup sugar-free or low-sugar jam in the fruit of your choice 1 tablespoon confectioners sugar Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat two 8-inch round cake pans with cooking spray. Place almonds, coconut, baking soda and salt in a food processor and process until a fine meal forms. Place butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl and beat on high with an electric mixer until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in the eggs one at a time… read on >