Love, love lentils! They’re beautiful (and cheap) bought in bulk and stored in glass jars in the cabinet. They cook fast, compared to all the other beans, and you never need to soak them. The red ones cook quickest of all, so don’t be afraid to make this if you’ve got just one-half hour to get soup on the table. I’ve shared some of Mark Bittman’s recipes in the past. This one’s from his Kitchen Express–quick and easy. If you already pulverized some cilantro (or basil) a few weeks ago, and stuck it in the freezer for safekeeping, pull it out now — this is the recipe to use it on! I guessed at the quantities as it is written as a narrative. Continue reading
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Understanding Your Cholesterol Profile
Several times a month or more, a friend thrusts their latest cholesterol results in front of me and asks for an explanation. “What do you think of these results?” “Are they okay?” “My doctor said the HDL is too low.” “Why are my triglycerides so high?” “What should the LDL be?” “Why is the total cholesterol number high if all the individual numbers are good?” This week I’m talking about what your cholesterol results mean, and how to make them better.
First, let’s discuss how the total cholesterol is computed. Simple. Add the LDL to the HDL, and then add one-fifth of the triglycerides. That’s your answer. So if the LDL is 100, HDL is 50, and triglycerides (TG) are 100, the total cholesterol number will be the sum of 100 (LDL) + 50 (HDL) + 100/5 (TG) = 100 + 50 + 20 = 170. Very good. Here’s a second example: If the LDL is 150, HDL is 50, and triglycerides are 500, the total cholesterol will be the sum of 150 (LDL) + 50 (HDL) + 500/5 (TG) = 150 + 50 + 100, or 300. Not good. You want your total cholesterol below 200 or so, unless the HDL is high, in which case the total may be higher than 200, but that’s good. High HDL levels are beneficial; they lower your risk of coronary artery disease. Continue reading
The Primacy of Prevention
Today I spend a few minutes on the topic of prevention, to which I have devoted my entire professional career.
Early on, it became abundantly clear to me that I could have a more significant impact preventing many of the problems that presented themselves in my office than chasing after them with treatments that did nothing, after all, to prevent them. Americans are not strangers to successful disease prevention. Over the past century, death rates in the United States from malaria, cholera, TB (tuberculosis), scurvy, pellagra, and typhoid, not to mention scarlet fever and rheumatic heart disease, have all plummeted. Illness and injury generally fall into a few major categories: microbial infections, nutritional deficiencies, toxins, and traumatic accidents.
The Wrinkle-Free Diet
It’s been decades since my parents, Chef Ira and The Gardener, first coined a name for the way they eat, the “wrinkle-free” diet. While it started as a joke, an answer to the fact that they didn’t seem to be aging as quickly as their friends, it’s not a joke any more. The wrinkle-free diet’s magic, it turns out, happens not on the surface, but deep inside, through changes to a special part of our chromosomes that scientists call the telomere. Continue reading
YOUR HEALTHY PLATE: Roasted Chicken
This is probably the simplest and most flavorful recipe I have ever tasted. It can be made simply, with red potatoes, fresh lemons, and garlic, or exotic, with sweet potatoes and preserved lemons. I have made it with carrots, too. Any way you make it, it’s sublime. The slow cooking brings out the flavor and seals in the moisture. It makes a special dish for a celebration, but it’s also a great treat at the end of a long day. Thank you to nourishingkitchen.com for this spectacular dish. Prep time is just 10 minutes, cooking time is just under 3 hours. Continue reading
YOUR HEALTHY PLATE: Chickpeas & Kale As You Like It
To understand why this dish is such a great (and delicious) choice, check out this post of mine about a very special patient who taught me a lot about how to take good care of your health. Try this recipe scooped onto a salad, slid into a pita, slathered on a tortilla, snuck in a wrap, or slid into a scooped-out tomato or red pepper. It’s good for lunch, dinner, or any other time you get hungry. Thank you to Nava Atlas at vegkitchen.com.
Harvest 2013!
In the past few weeks I have been the recipient of quite a number of food gifts. I have made it my goal to pass forward as many as possible, sharing the depth and breadth of the bounty that has arrived on my doorstep as the season of harvesting approaches. Here is what is possible. Continue reading
YOUR HEALTHY PLATE: Pomegranate Coleslaw
This is the time of year when the pomegranates ripen and come to market. While I was growing up, my family made a regular annual ceremony of opening the beautiful pomegranates to find them filled with shiny, red, juicy jewels. We shared them among ourselves, appreciating the fruits of our table, gobbling up the seeds, and counting our blessings.
Addition by Subtraction
This week I heard about a concept called “Addition by Subtraction.” My brain started whirring.
I’ve thought about this before, using different words. What, for example, is the cost savings of a heart attack that never happens? Or an asthma attack? An ER visit that never happens? Put the other way, what would a few days away from school cost you? Or a month away from work? Continue reading
YOUR HEALTHY PLATE: Granola with Vitamin Z, a Seasonal Secret
It’s zucchini time! Zucchini has to be one of the best vegetables to hide in food. It contributes moisture and nutrients, not to mention happy bellies. And kids never suspect a thing. But it’s not just for little ones. This recipe is great for breakfast, lunch, snacks, and all kinds of food emergencies. This recipe, from Cookin’ Canuck, will blow your mind. Continue reading