Wednesday 1 August 2018

August 2018: carbohydrates


WHAT’S SO WRONG WITH CARBS?


The recent rash of books on diet and weight reduction likes to point to carbohydrates as the root cause of obesity and abnormal metabolism - metabolism being the process which transforms our food into fuel.
The truth, however, is the opposite: carbs play an important and positive role in our bodies. They are involved in energy production, water balance and a host of other functions. But you have to use them with intelligence, not with indulgence. So say the College of Family Physicians of Canada [1].

 Many people are confused about carbohydrates. So we do need them to function, but it is vitally important that they should be the right kind of carbs. Just limiting or counting the numbers, is where many of us go wrong.
What are these ‘right kind of carbs’?
You won’t be surprised to hear that whole wheat bread, oats, rye and wholegrain pasta, are better choices than highly refined white, or French fries. The healthiest sources of carbohydrates are unprocessed or minimally processed grains, vegetables, fruits and beans. They deliver vitamins, minerals, fiber, and many important nutrients.
Unhealthy sources include white bread or pasta, pastries, sodas, and other highly processed or refined foods. These are too easily digested, which means that they may well cause weight gain, and promote diabetes and heart disease [2].

Carbohydrates are of special importance for people with type 2 diabetes. Carb counting is often treated as the holy grail of treatment. But plain ‘carb counting’ ignores one very important fact, namely this difference between simple and complex carbs.
Complex carbs, like whole grains, are low glycemic index foods. Which means they take more time to be broken down and digested. This prevents a sudden rise in the level of blood sugar and insulin levels. They also keep you filled for longer, and so reduce the craving for unhealthy snacks.
Consider the four major categories of foods that have carbs: fruits, vegetables, grains, and dairy. Many of the individual foods in those categories are nutrition powerhouses. They contain fiber, and the more fiber a food contains, the less quickly your blood sugar will react. Veggies and fruits are a great source of vitamins and minerals. Dairy products provide calcium and in many cases vitamin D. Carbs like these are a very efficient form of energy.
Simple carbs, like sugar and white bread, have hardly any nutritional value and, worse, cause an almost immediate increase in your blood glucose levels. [3]

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EAT:
veg: aubergines, french/runner/broad beans, calabrese, cauli, cucumbers, fennel, chard, spinach (beet), summer squash, sweetcorn, globe artichokes, beet, carrots, courgettes, cabbage, kohlrabi, lettuce, peas, peppers, radish, turnip, marrow, tomatoes, spring onions, salsify/scorzonera, samphire, rocket, watercress.
Cheap, free range good-for-you meat: rabbit and wood pigeon. Puffballs!
Fish is excellent at this time of year: mackerel, black bream, hake, crab, grey mullet, trout, scallops, sea bass, flounder.

SOW:
Chinese cabbage, spring cabbage, chicory, kohl rabi, lettuce for harvesting November/December, quick variety peas, mooli (=white) and black radish, chard, spinach beet. Lamb's lettuce (corn salad), rocket and especially land cress will survive the winter.
Perpetual spinach, (spinach beet, or leaf beet) tastes as good as 'true' spinach, is more forgiving of soil and weather and doesn't go to seed so quickly. Sow now for winter/spring crop.
Early August only: chard, florence fennel, spring onions, turnip.
And don't forget that for successful winter growing, there are many seeds which can be sown this time of year, in late summer/early autumn: see http://www.verticalveg.org.uk/winter-growing-its-time-to-plan-and-sow/. I specially recommend the lovely white and black radishes, so welcome in winter and early spring. 

RECIPES



FRENCH or RUNNER BEAN PATTIES
300g French or runner beans, 2 small eggs, 25g grated mature cheese, 4tblsp flour, olive oil, 1tsp tomato puree, seasoning. 
Cook the beans, chop quite finely. Mix all ingredients bar the oil and make into patties. Fry in the oil, both sides. 

SIDE DISH of SAUTEED LETTUCE and COTTAGE CHEESE 
Cut your lettuce up in, very roughly, something like 2-3 cm squares. Sauté for a few minutes in half butter and half olive oil, stirring regularly. Mix in some (ideally full-fat*) cottage cheese, herbs and/or spices, maybe olives, and let this heat through. Serve as a side dish, or try on toast. 
* The fat in here helps absorb the nutrients and does not make you gain weight [4]!

CRUSHED NEW POTATOES with CREME FRAICHE (preferred, but you can use sour cream) and CRACKED CORIANDER
1tblsp coriander seeds, 625g new potatoes, sea salt, 120ml creme fraiche, 2tblsp butter, pepper, snipped chives.
Toast the seeds over moderately low heat, shaking the pan frequently, for 3-4 mins or until you can just smell their fragrance. Crush with the flat bottom of a heavy glass. Cook the potatoes until tender. Drain, keep warm. Just before serving, transfer to a shallow dish. With fork or masher, crush gently to just split them open. Sprinkle lightly with sea salt. Spoon the crème fraîche over them. Cut the butter into small pieces. Sprinkle it on top, then the coriander and chives, and more salt and pepper. 

CAULIFLOWER SAUCE 
Gently sauté chopped garlic for 3-4 mins in fat or oil until fragrant, without letting it brown. Add 360ml water, cauliflower, and salt. Bring to the boil, lower heat, cover, and let it simmer for 8-10 mins, until the cauli is tender. Remove from heat. Let cool for a couple of minutes and pour into a food processor or blender. Add 2tblsp milk and, optional, nutritional yeast. Purée until creamy smooth. Season.

For more August recipes, see other years (click on 2018 on the right hand side, then on August). Or go to https://thoughtforfoodaw.wordpress.com, which still has eight recipes for this year. 
Next month: gluten. If you want to see this now, go to https://thoughtforfoodaw.wordpress.com/2018/05/24/september-2018-gluten/.




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[4] https://www.wellandgood.com/good-food/full-fat-dairy-good-for-you/slide/5/
https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/news/hsph-in-the-news/full-fat-dairy-may-reduce-obesity-risk/
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August 2017: did you know?




DID YOU KNOW -


 the one that had aspartame is on the left ....

* Did you realise what happens when you consume aspartame? Ordinary sugar is actually better for you, even if it does have a few more calories:
http://www.holisticmed.com/aspartame/arthritis/
Often, like other sweeteners, aspartame is not listed on labels, because Quantitative Ingredient Declarations are not required for any ingredient weighing less than 2% of the total. And the amount they add is not very much, as it is 200 times sweeter than sugar!
It’s also cheaper to produce than sugar, and therefore more and more used in non-diet full-fat products as well [1].


* Now is the perfect time to sow green manures like vetch, clover or phacelia: http://www.gardenorganic.org.uk/green-manures.


“As a general rule it's a whole lot easier to slap a health claim on a box of sugary cereal than on a raw potato or a carrot. With the perverse result that the most healthful foods in the supermarket sit there quietly in the produce section, silent as stroke victims - while a few aisles further down, Cereal the Cocoa Puffs and Lucky Charms are screaming their newfound "whole-grain goodness" to the rafters.” Michael Pollan, In-Defense-of-Food: www.passionatehomemaking.com/2009/10/in-defense-of-food-an-eaters-manifesto.html. 


* An interesting article about the difference between ‘salts that heal and salts that kill’ - namely table salt and proper sea salt. And why we desperately need this proper salt: http://www.jeffreywarber.com/hc%20pages/salt.html. See also Thought Oct 2015: http://thoughtforfood-aw.blogspot.co.uk/2016/10/october-2015-salt-ii.html.


* Save money and buy quality, local food: if there is a Farmers’ Market anywhere nearby, and you can go there at the right time, that's where you should go to buy your bread, veg, meat and fish. Check on the internet whether there is one near you. 


* There are plenty of flowers around at this time of the year. And quite a few are edible: see http://www.oregonlive.com/hg/index.ssf/2012/06/10_of_the_best_edible_flowers.html.


* Organ meats are good for us. Unfortunately, we got out of the habit: https://wellnessmama.com/12579/organ-meats-healthy/.


* Did you know that taking too many supplements can hurt? You have to be careful in particular with calcium and vitamins A and D. Melissa Young MD tells us how, and what to do about it:



* Butter, real butter, is good for you. The experts who tell you different are generally in the pay of Becel-Clover-Flora and their ilk, directly or indirectly [2].
And if you’re older, don’t let them tell you to spread it thinly. As we age, many of us need more fat to make our guts run smoothly. Just cut down on the crisps, or whatever you tend to go for ....


* And if the only reason you buy that Clover or Flora is so that you can spread it straight from the fridge, rejoice, I find that spreading it with the pointy end of a serrated knife helps.

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NB - from the New Scientist 24/9/2016
Do you trust your doctor? They do their best. However: “Just under two-thirds of drug and treatment side effects aren’t reported in journal papers, according to a study that compared what appeared in journals with side effects mentioned elsewhere, such as at conferences or in drug company reports. Not detailing side effects in a paper could mean doctors are less likely to know of them.” (PLoS Medicine, 10.1371/journal.pmed.1002127)

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EAT:
veg: aubergines, french/runner/broad beans, calabrese, cauli, cucumbers, fennel, chard, spinach (beet), summer squash, sweetcorn, globe artichokes, beet, carrots, courgettes, cabbage, kohlrabi, lettuce, peas, peppers, radish, turnip, marrow, tomatoes, spring onions, salsify/scorzonera, samphire, rocket, watercress.
Cheap, free range good-for-you meat: rabbit and wood pigeon. Puffballs!
Fish is excellent at this time of year: mackerel, black bream, hake, crab, grey mullet, trout, scallops, sea bass, flounder.

SOW:
Chinese cabbage, spring cabbage, chicory, kohl rabi, lettuce for harvesting November/December, quick variety peas, mooli (=white) and black radish, chard, spinach beet. Lamb's lettuce (corn salad), rocket and especially land cress will survive the winter.
Perpetual spinach, (spinach beet, or leaf beet) tastes as good as 'true' spinach, is more forgiving of soil and weather and doesn't go to seed so quickly. Sow now for winter/spring crop.
Early August only: chard, florence fennel, spring onions, turnip.
And don't forget that for successful winter growing, many seeds can still be sown this time of the year, in late summer/early autumn: see http://www.verticalveg.org.uk/winter-growing-its-time-to-plan-and-sow/.

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RECIPES


PEAS with BRAISED LETTUCE for 1 or 2. 
Half a head of (cos) lettuce, 2 tblsp butter, a thinly sliced shallot, ab.150ml stock, 100g (frozen) peas.
Chop the lettuce into small pieces. Sauté the shallot for a minute, add lettuce, sauté for another minute. Add stock, bring to a simmer.  Add peas, cook covered for a short while. Season if necessary. Garnish with, for instance, heavy cream, mint, grated carrots or lemon juice.

FRENCH BEANS with HAZELNUTS for 2-4 people.
225g French beans, 75-100ml lightly toasted coarsely chopped hazelnuts, 1 1⁄2 tblsp butter, salt, freshly ground black pepper.
Bring some salted water to the boil and cook the beans in the normal way. Sauté the nuts in butter, add the beans, stir and heat through; season and serve immediately.

RUNNER BEAN STIR FRY
400g runner beans, 1 onion, 200g cooked kidney beans: if from a can, rinsed and drained. If frozen, defrosted. 10ml sesame oil (olive will do), 1tblsp soy sauce or tamari, 1tsp honey, 1tsp sesame seeds (optional), 1cm finely sliced fresh ginger or ½tsp ground ginger, maybe a squirt of fresh lemon juice.
Trim the runner beans. Slice into strips 1cm wide, 6cm long. Precook till nearly done. Slice onion finely. Blend soy/tamari, honey, sesame seeds, ginger (and lemon juice). Sauté onion in oil, stir regularly for 3-5 minutes, until nearly soft. Add runner and kidney beans: stir and cover. Cook for about 3 mins, until the runner beans are tender. Add sauce, heat through.
LETTUCE and COTTAGE CHEESE (ideally full fat*!) on toast.
Cut up some lettuce (you can use roughish outside leaves), sauté in half butter half olive oil. Add some tomatoes, maybe part of a tin. Let cook for a few minutes. It’s important to season this well! lots of pepper and any spices/herbs you like. At the last moment add some cottage cheese, stir and heat everything together. In the meanwhile toast a slice of nice bread, put on top, no butter necessary. 
A very healthy, and pleasant little meal indeed. 

For more recipes see August issues from former years - click on August 2017 on the right hand side. Or go to https://thoughtforfoodaw.wordpress.com, which still has eight recipes for this year. 
Next month: number two. To see this now, click on https://thoughtforfoodaw.wordpress.com. 




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August 2016: number one


NUMBER ONE





We can learn a lot from studying our urine. When I was young, in Holland we used to have toilets with a little platform, so we could see what we had produced. I gather they still have them in Germany. Things are less clear with the British, more considerate, system. However, it can be useful to be aware of what's going on.

The LOOK
If everything is normal and healthy, the colour of your urine should be a pale yellow to gold.
If it has no colour at all, you may have been drinking a lot of water or taking a diuretic [1]. But there are other possibilities.
Very dark honey coloured, orange or brown: you’re dehydrated and need to get more fluids right away. It could also warn of liver problems, or bile in your urine.
Pink or red: you’ve eaten carrots, blackberries, beets, or rhubarb. It can also be an effect of medications. If not, there may be blood in your urine, caused by kidney disease, a UTI (urinary tract infection, see below), prostate problems, or a tumor.
Bright yellow or orange: you may have had a lot of vitamins C or B2, carrots, beets - or it can be caused by medications.
Blue or green: shows food dye or medications, or, possibly, a few rare conditions.
Foamy or frothy: a sign of protein in your urine, which may mean you have kidney issues.
Cloudy urine suggests the presence of phosphates, possibly a precursor of kidney stones. Cloudiness can also indicate an infection. If it worsens and you feel burning or urgency, you may have a UTI - see below.

The SMELL
Ammonia means dehydration: drink!
Sweet-smelling urine may be a sign of diabetes or liver disease.
Foul smell can mean you have a UTI. Other symptoms are: burning during urination, fever, chills, and back pain.
Asparagus has its own aroma, but coffee and vitamin B6 supplements can also affect the urine.

The FREQUENCY
If you’re constantly feeling the urge to go, without drinking any extra fluids, this can indicate: an overactive bladder, a UTI, interstitial cystitis, or diabetes. Urgency means you need to go right away, have difficulty holding it in, and wake up several times to use the bathroom.
For men, urgency and frequency could be symptoms of a bladder problem or, more commonly, an enlarged prostate. Prostate problems can also cause incomplete emptying of your bladder, so you still feel like you have to go again minutes later. This is not something to be ignored, and won’t go away on its own.
Increased frequency and urgency in women may be a symptom of infection, kidney stones, or a more serious condition.
Don't assume drinking less water will lessen the trouble, for dehydration can cause urinary issues too.

Check with the doctor if you notice a change in your pee that doesn’t seem linked to new medications or a recent meal - especially if it lasts more than a day or so, or if it comes with fever, back or side pain, vomiting, feeling very thirsty, or discharge. 
For more detail, see http://www.webmd.com/urinary-incontinence-oab/truth-about-urine and http://www.lifescript.com/health/centers/oab/articles/what_your_urine_says_about_your_health.aspx.


INCONTINENCE

There is stress-, urge-, and overflow incontinence [2], each of which needs a slightly different approach. For exercises and other natural remedies, see

The risk of getting a UTI is increased if you don’t drink enough, have frequent baths (retrograde infection) or wait long to urinate; or if you are pregnant, menopausal or use a catheder. With diabetes the risk is worse, as a high sugar level in the urine is very favourable for bacteria.
Make sure you use cotton underwear, wipe from front to back, urinate before and after sexual activity and don’t wear tight clothes.
Though most will want to take their UTIs straight to the doctor, there are things you can do yourself once you have it.
Drink plenty of water! Avoid drinks that may irritate your bladder: coffee, alcohol, and soft drinks containing citrus juices or caffeine. Unsweetened cranberry juice, blueberries, and vitamin C are excellent. For more food and drinks which help, see http://everydayroots.com/uti-remedies.
See also http://www.everydayhealth.com/urinary-tract-infections/helpful-home-remedies-for-urinary-tract-infections.aspx.

And since you ask, yes, unless you have kidney problems, you can drink your own urine. See http://www.innerself.com/Health/urine.htm.


PS
“Full-fat food can reduce obesity."
“Leading public health bodies collude with food industry”
“The recent Eatwell Guide from Public Health England was produced with a large number of people from the food and drinks industry.”
Says the independent professional organisation Public Health Collaboration.
Who knew? If you read Thought for Food regularly, you did. [3]


And some good news: Asda now sells boxes of imperfect in-season vegetables! One box will feed a family of four for a week and costs £3.50 – 30% less than standard lines. [4]



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EAT:
Veg: aubergines, french/runner/broad beans, calabrese, cauli, cucumbers, fennel, chard, spinach (beet), summer squash, sweetcorn, globe artichokes, beet, carrots, courgettes, cabbage, kohlrabi, lettuce, peas, peppers, radish, turnip, marrow, tomatoes, spring onions, salsify/scorzonera, samphire, rocket, watercress.
Cheap, free range good-for-you meat: rabbit and wood pigeon. Puffballs!
Fish is excellent at this time of year: mackerel, black bream, crab, grey mullet, trout, scallops, sea bass, flounder.

SOW:
Chinese cabbage, spring cabbage, chicory, kohl rabi, lettuce for harvesting November/December, quick variety peas, mooli (=white) and black radish, chard, spinach beet. Lamb's lettuce (corn salad), rocket and especially land cress will survive the winter.
Perpetual spinach, (spinach beet, or leaf beet) tastes as good as 'true' spinach, is more forgiving of soil and weather and doesn't go to seed so quickly. Sow now for winter/spring crop.
Early August only: chard, florence fennel, spring onions, turnip.

BRAISED LETTUCE and PEAS for 2.
2 roundhead lettuces, 1 tblsp oil/butter, 3 thinly sliced shallots or 1 onion, 1 tblsp flour, 200ml stock/water, 300g (frozen) peas, (3 tblsp yoghurt or sour cream).
Remove lettuce cores, halve and thinly slice the leaves. Sauté the shallots, ab. 2 mins. Add flour, stir, ab. 30 secs. Add stock, bring to the boil. Stir in the lettuce and peas, cover, and simmer until they are both tender. (Stir in yoghurt or sour cream.) Season.

PARSLEY SALAD: served as a small sidedish to go with meat. Enough for 8 people, but the leftovers will keep. 
100g Italian parsley, 2 tblsp fresh lemon juice, 2 tblsp lemon zest, 6 tblsp walnut oil, 2 tsp dark sesame oil, 1 tsp honey, salt, pepper, 3 tblsp toasted sesame seeds.
Discard parsley stems. Whisk together lemon juice, zest, walnut oil, sesame oil, honey, salt and pepper. Add parsley and sesame seeds and mix. Let sit for at least 30 mins so that flavours meld.

For more recipes, see former August issues: click on 2016 at the right hand side of this page. 


[1] Normally drinking too much does not matter, but if you go really over the top this can lead to hyponatremia, which occurs when someone drinks so much liquid the body’s balance of sodium to water goes off-kilter - a dangerous condition. Other risk factors for hyponatremia include some medications and medical conditions, such as kidney disease.


Next month: forgetfulness or Alzheimer's?




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