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Recipe: Farro Salad Primavera
Ingredients
3/4 cup farro
3 cups cold water
12 small sugar-snap peas (or zucchini chunks)
5 fresh asparagus spears, cut in 1-inch pieces (or use green beans)
2 large white mushrooms, stemmed
1 lemon
1/2 tsp. salt
Ground black pepper
1 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
10 grape tomatoes, halved length-wise
2 Tbsp. finely chopped shallots
Directions
1. In medium saucepan, combine farro with water. Bring to boil, reduce heat to simmer, cover, and cook until farro is slightly al dente, about 30 minutes. Drain in colander, then rinse farro under cool water and drain well. Place cooked farro in mixing bowl.
2. Steam peas and asparagus for 3 minutes. Immediately plunge them into a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking and keep them crisp-tender. Drain well and add to farro. Add tomatoes and shallots to farro.
3. To cube mushrooms, cut one vertically into 6 slices. Holding it together, rotate mushroom 90 degrees and make 5 cuts. Lay resulting matchsticks on their sides and cut crosswise, making cubes. Repeat to cut second mushroom. Add mushrooms to salad. Grate zest from half the lemon and add to salad.
For dressing, squeeze one tablespoon juice from lemon into small bowl. Mix in salt until it dissolves. Add 4-5 grinds pepper. Whisk in oil. Pour dressing over salad and toss with fork to combine. Serve immediately.
Makes 4 servings: Per serving: 170 calories, 6 g total fat (0.5 g saturated fat), 25 g carbohydrate,
6 g protein 4 g dietary fiber, 300 mg sodium.
Source: www.aicr.org
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Hello !
September is National Cholesterol Education Month. If you can't remember when you last had your cholesterol levels checked, now is a great time.
High cholesterol levels are a significant risk factor for developing heart disease. The scary part is, you can have high cholesterol and not even know it.
While there are many other risk factors associated with developing heart disease, having a poor HDL (good) to LDL (bad) cholesterol profile is one of the most significant. Check out this resource from the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute to see what you can do to optimize your cholesterol profile.
Have a healthy week!
-Debra
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Higher HDL Levels Means Lower Risk for Cancer
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We know that having a good cholesterol profile is one of the best ways to ensure heart health. Now there is research to show that high levels of "good" HDL cholesterol can decrease our risk of bowel cancer.
 In the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) study, researchers found that each rise of 16.6 mg/dl in HDL and of 32 mg/dl in apoA (a component of HDL cholesterol) reduced the risk of bowel cancer by 22% and 18%, respectively, after taking into account diet, lifestyle, and weight. This study is tracking the long term impact of diet on the development of cancer in more than half a million people in 10 European countries. Roughly 1,200 people who developed bowel and rectal cancers -- 779 bowel and 459 rectal cancer -- after agreeing to take part in EPIC, were matched with another 1,200 participants of the same age, gender and nationality. Blood samples taken when they joined the study, and the dietary questionnaires these participants had completed, were compared to see if there were any discernible differences between the two groups. The researchers found that those with higher HDL levels had a lower chance of developing bowel cancer. Bottom Line: Higher HDL levels can mean lower risk of bowel cancer. Yet another reason to know your numbers and do what you can to get them in a healthful range. Source: Gut, 7 March 2011 DOI: 10.1136/gut.2010.225011 |
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Increase HDL to Decrease Alzheimer's Risk
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Researchers at Columbia University's Taub Institute in New York, studied 1,130 older adults to examine the association of blood lipid (fat) levels with Alzheimer's disease. They found that high HDL cholesterol (55 milligrams per deciliter or more) was associated with a decreased risk of both probable and possible Alzheimer's disease.
The study included a random sampling of Medicare recipients 65 or older residing in northern Manhattan, with no history of dementia or cognitive impairment. To determine this association between cholesterol and Alzheimer's development, data were collected from medical, neurological and neuropsychological evaluations.
Additionally, the authors assigned a diagnosis of "probable" Alzheimer's disease when onset of dementia could not be explained by any other disorder. A diagnosis of "possible" Alzheimer's disease was made when the most likely cause of dementia was Alzheimer's disease but there were other disorders that could contribute to the dementia, such as stroke or Parkinson disease.
During the course of follow-up, there were 101 new cases of Alzheimer's disease, of which 89 were probable and 12 were possible. The average age of individuals at the onset of probable and possible Alzheimer's disease was 83 years, and compared with people who were not diagnosed with incident Alzheimer's disease, those who did develop dementia were more often Hispanic and had a higher prevalence of diabetes at the start of the study.
Higher levels of HDL cholesterol were associated with a decreased risk of both probable and possible Alzheimer's disease, even after adjusting for vascular risk factors and lipid-lowering treatments.
Bottom Line: This study adds to the mountain of evidence that having a healthful cholesterol profile is good for more than just heart health.
Source: Arch Neurol., 2010;67(12):1491-1497 DOI: 10.1001/archneurol.2010.297
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| About Sensible Nutrition |
How is YOUR metabolism?
Ever wonder if your metabolism is keeping you from reaching your weight goals? Let a Sensible Nutrition RD measure YOUR metabolism and tell you the truth! Call 781-741-5483 or send an email to nutritionist@sensiblenutrition.com to schedule your appointment. About Sensible Nutrition Sensible Nutrition is a consulting firm established in 1994 that provides nutrition and fitness services to individuals, universities, corporate wellness programs and nonprofit groups. SN's client list includes The United States Coast Guard, Blue Cross Blue Shield, EMC, Putnam Investments, Corcoran Jennison, Harvard Business School, Boston Ballet and Children's Hospital. For more information about our corporate wellness services, please check us out at www.wellnessworkdays.com. SN services: One-to-one counseling, fitness counseling and training, group lectures, metabolism measures and more! Let the Sensible Nutrition staff develop a nutrition program to help you finally reach your health and weight goals! Gift Certificates are available! Debra Wein, MS, RD, LDN, SN President and Co-Founder writes a regular nutrition column for the National Strength and Conditioning Association's Performance Training Journal, has been quoted in Family Circle, Muscle & Fitness, Shape, Self, Men's Health, Allure and Prevention and has appeared on Fox 25, Channel 56, Channel 5, New England Cable News and several radio stations. Contact us at www.sensiblenutrition.com or 781-741-5483. |
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