Five servings of fruits and vegetables a day — in particular, three vegetables and two fruits — provide the greatest mortality benefit, according to an observational study and meta-analysis in Circulation.
Researchers analyzed results from the Nurses’ Health Study and Health Professionals Follow-Up Study. Over 100,000 people regularly completed food-frequency questionnaires and were followed for up to 30 years. During that time, nearly a third of participants died.
After multivariable adjustment, the greatest mortality benefit was seen for five servings of produce a day, compared with two servings (hazard ratio, 0.88). Eating more than five servings a day was not associated with greater risk reductions.
There is a link to download the original study on the NEJM Journal Watch page. The discussion section of the study is worth reading if you’re interested in the details.
Diets high in fructose could cause immune system damage, study suggests: New research deepens understanding of how fructose effects health https://t.co/FIcqKsPvv3
Absolutely no risk of getting COVID-19 from food or its packaging so hope no one is still wiping down groceries or making them sit before putting them away!https://t.co/aDPl3lrY81
Since the initial outbreak, physicians and scientists have learned that infections with SARS-COV-2, severe enough to require hospitalization, can elicit an over-activation of the immune system. The inflammation can become severe enough to cause extensive organ damage, but the degree of damage may not be known or recognized for weeks to months after recovery.
In an effort to mitigate the potential damage, some hospitals have employed strategies to intervene. Mitchell A. Miguel, MD, MHA, a hospitalist and frontline worker at TriHealth Hospital in Cincinnati, Ohio, told me that as a standard of care he provides, hospitalized COVID patients requiring oxygen, with dexamethasone, a steroid, and nutritional supplementation. Both interventions have the capability to decrease inflammation.
To continue reading this article follow the link above (I hope it works!). This list of seven lifestyle mods is pretty much common sense. But the list is useful even if only a reminder to do the things we should be doing to stay healthy. Take a guess what lifestyle mod sits at number one on this list? Diet.
The short and simple answer is no. This eating pattern worked for me until it didn’t.
For example, researchers told 51 adults with overweight or obesity to eat 1,200 to 1,500 calories a day, either as three meals or as mini-meals (with at least 100 calories each) every few hours. After six months, the grazers had lost no more weight than the three-meals-a-day eaters. And when Schoenfeld analyzed the data on weight from 15 trials that lasted two weeks to a year, “there was no difference if people ate, say, one meal or five.”
As a nutrition journalist, I find the whole trend a little baffling. The number of Americans who follow a vegetarian diet hasn’t changed much in recent decades. In fact, adult vegetarians in the U.S. dropped from 6 percent of the population to 5 percent between 1999 and 2019, according to a Gallup poll.
Spoiler Alert – the answer is no. The entire article is still worth reading despite me giving you the answer to the question.
Fast food is fast food whether it’s “plant-based” or contains animal products. There will always be lots of salt and saturated fat for your dining pleasure. It might be time to take another look at my list of foods I No Longer Eat just to see how much fast food is on that list.
Certain COVID-19 measures, including the closure of sport and exercise facilities, as well as remote working practices can lead to sedentary behaviors for both young and old. With less outdoor activity and more indoor time, people reported turning to comfort foods and “pandemic baking.” In fact, grocery stores struggled to keep up with the demand for flour. Dr. John Morton, Medical Director of Bariatric Surgery at Yale New Haven Health Systems, says that during telehealth appointments, he has seen patients who have gained 5-30 pounds [5].
Author Disclaimer – The quote and article link above have been sourced from my employer and is not a shameless act of self-promotion. The paragraphs following this disclaimer are indeed a shameless act of self-promotion to generate interest in purchasing my future best seller which is currently a work in progress.
I have lost over 20 pounds during The Great Pandemic Year One.
Before we get to this year’s chili recipe I’ve decided my Three Bean Chili Madness was a pain in the rump to make because I cooked the beans and meat/veggie mixture separately. This year’s version is more of “everyone in the pool” which truly becomes less of a pain in the rump. So here we go.
This chili cooks all day long but I didn’t use a slow cooker. I was hunkered down in the house and the chili got the stove top treatment. You could easily use a slow cooker but you would still need to brown the meat and veggies before everyone goes in the pool
The beans get an overnight soak and a quick rinse before adding to the pot. Don’t make the same mistake I made. I soaked six cups of dried beans and had way too much beans. So approximately 3-4 cups of soaked beans went into the chili while the remainder is being turned into Sopa de Frijol con Vegetal – Updated 11.10.20
This is a mild chili and you can add heat to your liking. Always easier to add the spice than to put too much in and figure out later how to tame the flame.
So now that you know this is not a pain in the rump recipe…
1 T extra virgin olive and 1 T grape seed oil 1 large sweet onion, diced 2 stalks celery, diced 1 large green pepper, diced 2 tsp garlic powder or several cloves fresh garlic, chopped (or both) 1 tsp each oregano, paprika, chili powder, cumin, dried cilantro 1 can (15 oz) stewed tomatoes 1 can (15 oz) no sodium chicken broth1 small can mild green chilies 3 T tomato paste 1 C each dry Mayocoba beans, pinto beans, and cranberry beans 1 lb ground turkey 85/15 Salt & pepper to taste Cayenne pepper to taste
Place the dried beans into a bowl large enough to hold the beans when fully plumped up. Rinse the beans with water several times. Fill the bowl with fresh water and soak overnight.
In the morning drain then rinse beans. Drain again and set aside.
In a large stock pot heat the oils and saute the onion, celery, and green pepper until softened. Add the chopped garlic and saute for another minute.
Add the meat and brown.
Time to toss everyone else into the pool. Spices, tomatoes, paste, chilies, broth, beans.
Simmer for several hours. Stir occasionally. Add more water or broth if the chili gets too thick. Adjust your seasonings.
Serve with grated cheese, sour cream, and your favorite hot sauce.
Yum.
More odd tips
Don’t add salt until the end. The Mayocobo beans will break apart and make this chili creamy and thick (unless you add more broth or water). The recipe will make approximately eight servings. I used chicken broth and as the chili cooked down and got too thick I added vegetable broth. Note you can use either fresh or dried garlic. I used both. You can never have too much garlic.
Don’t forget to make Texas Corn Bread because if you forget it, you’ll regret it.
Since the early onset of the coronavirus pandemic, the loss or distortion of smell and taste have emerged as one of the telltale symptoms of COVID-19, with an estimated 86 percent of mild cases displaying signs of olfactory dysfunction. In many cases, patients cannot perceive smells (known as anosmia) — and with it the nuances of flavor inextricable from aroma — or any kind of taste (ageusia). In others, the dysfunction eventually manifests as warped senses of smell and taste (parosmia and parageusia, respectively), rendering previously familiar scents and flavors rancid, like being assaulted with the overwhelming stench of rot, feces, and chemicals.
I clearly have no clue if any of my readers click through on the sidebar. So I posted the article link on both websites. This entire blogging thing is getting seriously addictive.
garyskitchen.net 