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Sauerkraut and Your Gut

Researchers tested whether sauerkraut’s nutrients could help protect intestinal cells from inflammation-related damage. The study compared raw cabbage, sauerkraut and the liquid brine left behind from the fermentation process. The sauerkraut samples included both store-bought products and fermented cabbage made in the lab.

They found that sauerkraut helped maintain the integrity of intestinal cells, while raw cabbage and brine did not. Marco said that there was also no noticeable difference between grocery store sauerkraut and the lab-made version. University of California – Davis. “The gut health benefits of sauerkraut.”The gut health benefits of sauerkraut https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/04/250414162040.htm (accessed April 15, 2025).

I stopped eating sauerkraut a long time ago when I stopped eating hot dogs.

Tofu dogs anyone?

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Papa Zen #1

I’m starting a random series of posts for the youngest members of my clan.

“Fall in love with some activity, and do it! Nobody ever figures out what life is all about, and it doesn’t matter. Explore the world. Nearly everything is really interesting if you go into it deeply enough. Work as hard and as much as you want to on the things you like to do the best. Don’t think about what you want to be, but what you want to do. Keep up some kind of a minimum with other things so that society doesn’t stop you from doing anything at all.” Richard Feynman

Note: I’ve capitalized the P and Z in Papa Zen so I don’t confused with papa zen.

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Scam Alert!

In the market of rare and expensive Scotch whiskies, it’s not uncommon for people to invest in a cask with the idea of it accruing value over time as the spirit ages. But the industry for buying and selling barrels isn’t very heavily regulated, making it highly susceptible to fraud.

The victims of this particular scheme were duped into buying casks that were either overpriced, sold to multiple people, or didn’t even exist in the first place. The BBC report shared multiple accounts of individuals who have lost large sums of money in the scam, with some victims investing over £100,000 ($129,493). U.K. Whisky Barrel Scam Swindles Hundreds out of Their Life Savings – https://vinepair.com/booze-news/scotch-whisky-barrel-scam/

WTF?

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Lessons Learned From a Lifetime of Cooking #10

I’ve always preferred baking sweet potatoes over boiling and mashing sweet potatoes because my boiled version always turned out watery.

I just learned you have to boil the peeled sweet potatoes whole. After about 45-50 minutes check to see if the potatoes are cooked through. Then drain and return to the cooking pot. Turn the heat on to low and start smashing, and mashing while constantly stirring to avoid burning (I use a wooden spoon). After about five minutes a good amount of moisture will have evaporated from the potatoes. This is why sweet potatoes made this way aren’t too loose and watery. Add a splash of milk or half and half, a bunch of butter, salt and pepper to taste.

Memo to Self – buy more sweet potatoes, eat more sweet potatoes.

Photo by wr heustis on Pexels.com
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We Have a Four Time Pell Cup Champion!

Behind Aspen’s international skiing luster lies a deep, competitive hockey culture that makes for a tough beer league. A drive to win the bragging rights to the battered Pell Cup turns architects, bartenders, contractors, lawyers, teachers, ski bums, and friends into fierce, fist-throwing rivals…former pros, Division I college players, and old goats—or, more accurately, has-beens and never-weres—battle away for what may be the hardest-earned, least-known trophy in nonprofessional hockey: the Pell Cup. Named after longtime Aspenite Peter Pell (a notoriously sharp-tongued player who never won the cup himself), this dented piece of pewter is a horrible, miniature replica of the Stanley Cup, the National Hockey League’s holy grail. If you look past the beer and whiskey stains, you will see nearly a half century of Aspen’s history etched in the names of its hockey clubs, sponsored by bars, camera stores, laundromats, and other long-gone businesses.  Is Aspen a Hockey Town at Heart? – https://www.aspensojo.com/travel-and-outdoors/2019/02/is-aspen-a-hockey-town-at-heart

Image: Courtesy: Pete McBride author of Is Aspen a Hockey Town at Heart?

So proud of you son!

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Why more protein matters for older adults

Current recommendations for protein intake are the same for all adults, regardless of age: 0.8 grams of protein per kilogram of body mass daily (g/kg/d). But estimates suggest that up to 30-76 per cent of older adults aren’t consuming enough protein.

Because older people’s muscles can’t use dietary protein as effectively as younger people to maintain muscle, experts suggest that older adults looking to keep their muscles should consume approximately 50 per cent more protein (1.2 g/kg/d).

Nutrition and healthy aging: The role of protein quality in combating muscle loss – https://theconversation.com/nutrition-and-healthy-aging-the-role-of-protein-quality-in-combatting-muscle-loss

I’ve always felt guilty about the times I didn’t feel like cooking, went to the store to buy a frozen pizza, then proceeded to eat the entire pie. I no longer feel the guilt. I ate 48 grams of protein! I’m combating sarcopenia. https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/23167-sarcopenia

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Eat More Broccoli

In this new study, published in Nature Microbiology, Professor Anders Rosengren and colleagues have instead looked at prediabetes. This condition is a precursor to type 2 diabetes, with slowly rising blood sugar levels due to impaired insulin production.

The study encompassed 89 people with elevated fasting blood sugar, an indicator of prediabetes. Other criteria included the participants being overweight or obese and 35-75 years old.

The participants were randomly assigned sulforaphane or a placebo for twelve weeks. Neither the participants nor the researchers knew who was assigned which. A total of 74 participants completed all stages of the study.

The results show that participants taking the sulforaphane compound had a higher average reduction in fasting blood sugar than those taking the placebo. The difference between the two groups in the study was considerable.

University of Gothenburg. “Reduced prediabetes in people who ate broccoli compound.” ScienceDaily. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/02/250214003212.htm (accessed February 21, 2025).

Eat More Broccoli. Sauteed in extra virgin olive oil and garlic. Lots of garlic.

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Lessons Learned From a Lifetime of Cooking #9

Celery leaves. I always tossed them out until The Boss informed me she doesn’t like big chunks of celery in dishes I make that use celery for an ingredient. I recently discovered you can use celery leaves like a fresh herb, finely chopped and added to your creation in lieu of big chunks of celery. So far I haven’t gotten any complaints about the tiny green stuff floating in the soup.

10 Ways To Use Celery Leaves In The Kitchen.

Read More: https://www.tastingtable.com/1572645/uses-celery-leaves/

Memo to Self – instead of buying celery with less leaves buy celery with more leaves, especially bunches with dark green leaves which have a more intense flavor than the stalks.

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