Thursday, May 30, 2013

Superfood of the Week: Wild Salmon

Superfood Wild Salmon

Touted for its high Omega-3 content, it's no wonder that the American Heart Association recommends we all treat ourselves salmon at least twice per week. These powerful polyunsaturated fats are the healthy kind of the "f word" that are famed for helping to lower both your bad cholesterol and your risk of developing heart disease. But the good news doesn't end there -- did you know wild salmon has slimming superpowers, too, helping your bod burn fat and fight flab. Just make sure to go with the Wild kind of salmon, which is higher in Omega-3s, more sustainable and void of possible contaminants and toxins. Get your dose of deliciousness with these four sensational salmon recipes.

Almond Crusted Salmon with Caramelized Onions and Basil: This simple recipe from Whole Foods Market is loaded with tasty flavors from the fresh basil, sweet caramelized onions and fresh-out-of-the-oven almond topping. Instead of using traditional breadcrumbs, this nutty salmon is "breaded" with almond meal (crushed blanched almonds, which adds an additional boost of healthy fats. Smoked Salmon Salad Nicoise: If you're a lox lover, this refreshing spin on the classic Nicoise is made for you. Loaded with potassium-rich potatoes, crisp green beans and a delicious dressing (made with reduced-fat sour cream), this salad from Eating Well has really got it all.
Creamy Farfalle with Salmon and Peas: This dish may look super indulgent, but have no fear -- low-fat milk and just a touch of Neufchatel cheese deliver all that creamy goodness without a scary-high fat content. And get this: The peas and pasta provide a whopping 40 percent of your daily value of folate. Garnish with lime zest and fresh dill for extra flair. Salmon Burgers with Goat Cheese and Spinach: These burgers (from my intern, Alexis!) are a real party-pleaser. Feel free to sub feta or shredded cheddar if you're not a fan of goat cheese. This recipe really rocks because it uses convenient canned wild salmon, which is a much cheaper and longer-lasting alternative to buying it fresh. Just don't forget to remove the bones. What's your favorite wild salmon recipe? Tweet me @sarahjaneRD or @SELFmagazine or find me on SELF's Facebook Page!

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Image Credit: Gourmet/Romulo Yanes


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Could Statins Raise Diabetes Risk?

Some popular brands associated with high blood sugar levels in study, but odds of problems are lowNesina, Kazano and Oseni each contain a new

By Margaret Farley Steele

HealthDay Reporter

THURSDAY, May 23 (HealthDay News) -- Certain statins -- the widely used cholesterol-lowering drugs -- may increase your chances of developing type 2 diabetes, a new study suggests.

The risk was greatest for patients taking atorvastatin (brand name Lipitor), rosuvastatin (Crestor) and simvastatin (Zocor), the study said.

Focusing on almost 500,000 Ontario residents, researchers in Canada found that the overall odds of developing diabetes were low in patients prescribed statins. Still, people taking Lipitor had a 22 percent higher risk of new-onset diabetes, Crestor users had an 18 percent increased risk and people taking Zocor had a 10 percent increased risk, relative to those taking pravastatin (Pravachol), which appears to have a favorable effect on diabetes.

Physicians should weigh the risks and benefits when prescribing these medications, the researchers said in the study, which was published online May 23 in the journal BMJ.

This does not, however, mean that patients should stop taking their statins, the experts said. The study also showed only an association between statin use and higher risk of diabetes; it did not prove a cause-and-effect relationship.

"While this is an important study evaluating the relationship between statins and the risk of diabetes, the study has several flaws that make it difficult to generalize the results," said Dr. Dara Cohen, a professor of medicine in the department of endocrinology, diabetes and bone disease at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City. "There was no data regarding weight, ethnicity and family history -- all important risk factors for the development of diabetes."

Cohen added that there was no information on the patients' cholesterol and blood sugar levels, and that higher-risk patients might automatically be prescribed stronger statins such as Lipitor, Crestor and Zocor.

Finnish doctors wrote in an accompanying editorial that this potential risk should not stop people from taking statins.

"The overall benefit of statins still clearly outweighs the potential risk of incident diabetes," researchers from the University of Turku said. Statins have been proven to reduce heart problems, they said, adding that the medications "play an important role in treatment."

Other statins did perform more favorably than Lipitor, Crestor and Zocor in terms of diabetes, the research found.

"Preferential use of pravastatin and potentially fluvastatin ... may be warranted," the study authors said in a journal news release, adding that Pravachol may even be beneficial to patients at high risk of diabetes. Fluvastatin (Lescol) was associated with a 5 percent decreased risk of diabetes and lovastatin (Mevacor) a 1 percent decreased risk.

In previous research, Crestor was associated with a 27 percent higher risk of diabetes, while Pravachol was linked to a 30 percent lower risk.

For this study, the researchers used patient information from three Canadian databases on 66-year-old men and women who were newly prescribed statins and followed for up to five years. Lipitor accounted for more than half of all new statin prescriptions, followed by Crestor, Zocor, Pravachol, Mevacor and Lescol.

The researchers said between 162 and 407 patients would have to be taking statins of various kinds for one extra patient to develop diabetes.

Results were similar for patients already diagnosed with heart disease and those taking statins to prevent it. Older patients using Lipitor and Zocor were at an increased risk regardless of dose, the researchers found.

People with type 2 diabetes have higher than normal blood sugar levels because their bodies don't make or properly use insulin. The researchers said it is possible that certain statins impair insulin secretion and inhibit insulin release, which could help explain the findings.


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what is going on?

so i just logged in my work hours i have a active job i work four hour **** and in our reasturant we have stairs that i go up and down from the whole time im usually sweating enough to wear i have to go wipe my face i logged it and it says that i burn 1004 calories from work and i also workout on my own and burn 400 which means i burn 1404 calories i only eat 1200 so im in the negative that doesnt make much sense to me because 1004 calories seems a little to high a estimate for what im burning at work but i mean i do sweat a lot at work and those stairs are no joke so now im confused do i need to eat more then 1200? i think going over is a little to high even though ever since i started working and working out i have been a little more hungry and craving bananas and peanut butter like crazy any ideas? 


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A World Map of Flavors – 36 Regions, 36 Herb and Spice Combinations

tim ferriss typographic map of flavors

Inspired by The 4-Hour Chef, the friendly folks over at the startup Maptia (launching soon) have created this fun typographic map of flavors from around the world. You can download a large version by clicking here.

Aside from the map, this post showcases 36 simple recipes and flavor combinations from the 36 regions covered in the map…

Maptia has ambitious plans to re-imagine mapping. They want to make it easy for everyone to create beautiful maps of their lives and the places around them.

Here in Morocco, in the kitchen of Maptia HQ, there lies a somewhat battered copy of The 4-Hour Chef – a little dog-eared and spice-stained from enthusiastic use.

Being naturally rather map-obsessed, we loved Tim’s flavor and place pairings on pages 148-149 of his book. They come from all over the world, and range from the perfumed and fragrant herbs of Provence (thyme, rosemary, and sage) to the sweet and spicy tastes of Indonesia (tamari, brown sugar, peanut, and chili). One of our favorite recipes Tim has since shared, based on another of these pairings, is scrambled eggs mixed with garlic, cumin, and dried mint for a tasty North East African twist.

typographic map of flavors

For the more adventurous food lovers out there, we reached out to a few of our favourite chefs and food bloggers to put together a collection of recipes from all of the places Tim featured on the above flavor map.

Thank you to all of you who took the time to share recipes, ranging from mouthwatering main meals to tempting desserts. To give you a quick taste of the spectrum (pun intended) – we have everything Shaheen Peerbhai‘s grandma’s homemade Chicken Curry recipe from India, while from the more temperate European climate, we have a traditional Normandy Apple Tart by Imen McDonnell.

If you’re getting hungry by now, bookmark this page so you can come back to cook these recipes later… It’s possible travel around the world in your kitchen.

Here are the 36 flavor combinations in action!

1. Yucatán (map) | Traditional Sopa de Maiz shared by Sarah Kieffer who told us, “This soup is one of my absolute favorites – so many good flavors happening at the same time. The drizzle of lime juice is the best part.”

2. Mexico (map) | Homemade Tacodeli-style Salsa via Tribeza – thanks to Noah Kagan for the suggestion!

3. India (General) (map) | Homemade Chicken Curry from Shaheen Peerbhai

4. Northern India (map) | Garlic Chicken by Prerna Singh who says, “You don’t need to rush to the supermarket or an Indian grocery store to buy ingredients for this recipe. It’s pretty straightforward! You just need chicken and tons of garlic along with some basic ingredients like lemon and whatever you have in your spice shelf.”

garlic chicken northern india

5. Southern India (map) | Deliciously simple Nan Khatai baked by Tanvi Srivastava

6. Bengal (map) | Bengali style Aloo Dum from Archana Doshi

7. Middle East (map) | Quick but tasty Baba Ganoush from Cara Eisenpress

8. North Africa (map) | Harissa Turkey Meatballs by Lydia Walshin

9. Morocco (map) | Vegetable Tagine from David & Luise

10. East Africa? (map) | Pigeon Peas in a mild Coconut Curry by Sukaina

11. West Africa (map) | West African Ginger Drink via The Kitchn

12. North East Africa (map) | Ful Medames on Serious Eats

13. Greece (map) | Greek Nachos from Ashley Rodriguez

greek nachos

14. Italy (map) | Spaghetti with fresh Soppressata by Lindsay & Taylor

15. Northern Italy (map) | Tomato Flatbreads with Anchovy Oil from Nicole Gulotta

16. Southern Italy (map) | Arancini Di Riso by Michael Natkin

17. France (map) | Spectacular baked Mont d’Or cheese from David Lebovitz

baked Mont d'Dor

18. Southern France (map) | Old-fashioned Merveilles by Mimi Thorisson

19. Normandy (map) | The traditional Apple Tart baked by Imen McDonnell

20. Provence (map) | Provencal Vegetable Tian by Martha Stewart

21. Spain (map) | Gazpacho from Matt Armendariz

22. Hungary (map) | Hungarian Pork Stew by Cheri

23. Eastern Europe (map) | Wild Mushroom and Onion Kasha via Bon Appétit

24. Northern Europe (map) | Swedish Kalops? from Kimberly Killebrew

25. Central Asia (map) | Risotto Balls with Mango Chili Sauce by Sneh Roy

26. Burma (map) | Burmese Tofu Salad from Katherine

27. Nepal (map) | Sekwa Chara (Nepalese Chicken Roast) via Awesome Cuisine

28. Thailand (map) | Thai Shrimp Cakes from Leela Punyaratabandhu

29. Vietnam (map) | Beef Pho Noodle Soup from Andrea Nguyen via Jodi Ettenberg

30. Laos (map) | Spicy Laotian Beef Salad by Katherine Foshko via Victoria Frolova

31. Japan (map) | Mouthwatering Takoyaki from Stephane Lemagnen, who says, “It’s my favourite street snack in Osaka.”

32. Indonesia (map) | Nasi Goreng from Jun

nasi goreng

33. Korea (map) | Warm Tofu with Spicy Garlic Sauce by Alexandra Stafford, who says, “Both healthy and satisfying, this warm tofu costs next to nothing to prepare, comes together in 10 minutes, and is completely delicious.”

warm tofu with spicy garlic sauce

34. China (map) | Stir-fried Nai Bai via Noob Cook

35. Szechuan (map) | Peppercorn Roasted Chicken from Jaden Hair

36. Canton (map) | Char Siu (Barbecued Pork) by Diana Kuan who reckons that, “Along with Wonton Noodle Soup, Char Siu is the Cantonese people’s greatest contribution to mankind.”

Whoever shares the most interesting or unusual recipe (with accompanying photo or video) by 5pm PDT this Sunday (24 March) will receive a one-off wall print of our original hand-painted typographic map above.

Your submission could be a family recipe that has been passed down through the generations, or perhaps one of your own experiments in the kitchen. Bonus points for creativity!

Here’s how it works:

1) Post your recipe and accompanying photo or video (perhaps a 6-second Vine snapshot?) somewhere online.
2) Tweet the URL of your submission (and the place it is from) to @Maptia and @tferriss, and make sure to include the hashtag #RTWflavors.
3) Make sure to tweet us your submission before 5pm PDT this Sunday (24 March).

Rules of thumb:

- The recipe must come from (or be inspired by) one of the 36 places listed above in the photographic tributes to the flavors.
- It must be an original recipe, or your own twist on an existing recipe. Do not violate copyrights or other intellectual property.
- The photo or video must be your own and must be of the recipe you are submitting.

As soon as the deadline (5pm PDT, Sun 24 March) has passed we will choose the person who has submitted the most interesting or unusual recipe, and send them the one-off wall print of the typographic flavor map. We will also feature the winning recipe over on our Maptia blog.

We’re really excited to try out some of your recipes and to see where in the world your culinary imaginations have taken you… Good luck!

With such diversity and color among the different flavors Tim wrote about, we decided what better way to get people inspired about using them in their cooking than to create a photographic tribute for each place and each set of flavors on the map. Here they are:

flavors from around the world

(Photos: Sources listed here)

Posted on March 17th, 2013


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Sunscreens Not Created Equal: Consumer Reports

Sunscreens Not Created Equal: Consumer ReportsSix of 12 sunscreens rated ''very good,'' but pricier not always better.http://img.webmd.com/dtmcms/live/webmd/consumer_assets/site_images/article_thumbnails/news/2013/05_2013/new_sunscreen_label/69x75_new_sunscreen_label.jpgWebMD Health News

May 24, 2013 -- In its new sunscreen ratings evaluation, Consumer Reports found that paying more for sunscreen doesn't always mean better protection.

"Some of our best products were also the least expensive," says Nicole Sarrubbo, associate editor for Consumer Reports.

Up & Up Sport SPF 50, from Target, got top honors in these latest ratings, and is one of the least expensive products tested.

Some of the pricier sunscreens, in fact, did not live up to the SPF (sun protection factor) value on the label, the testers found. Two sunscreens -- All Terrain AquaSport SPF 30 and Badger Unscented SPF 34 -- were rated poor in protecting against UVB rays.

Consumer Reports regularly rates sunscreens, and this time picked 12 popular products from a variety of stores. They took into account protection from UVA and UVB, how much the product stained clothing, and the cost per ounce.

Six got recommended ratings:

Target's Up & Up Sport, at the top spot, costs $1.16 an ounce.Walmart's Equate Ultra Protection SPF 50, is just 47 cents an ounce. It won the CR Best Buy award of the dozen.Coppertone Water Babies SPF 50, at $1.38 an ounce.Walgreens Continuous Spray Sport SPF 50, at $1.33 an ounce. Hawaiian Tropic Sheer Touch SPF 30, at $1.38 an ounce.Coppertone Sport High Performance SPF 30, at $1.67 an ounce.

The six that didn't get recommended ratings include:

California Baby SPF 30+, at $6.90 an ounce (discontinued, but may still be available).No-Ad with Avobenzone, Aloe, and Vitamin E SPF 45, at 63 cents an ounce.Neutrogena Wet Skin SPF 45+, at $3.67 an ounce.Kiss My Face with Hydresia SPF 40, at $5.33 an ounce.Badger Unscented SPF 34, at $5.52 an ounce (discontinued, but may still be available).All Terrain AquaSport SPF 30, at $4.33 an ounce.// init webmdArticle pluginrequirejs(['article/1/article'],function(){$('#dyn-art').webmdArticle({pageData: {title: "Sunscreens Not Created Equal: Consumer Reports", imgPath: "http://img.webmd.com/dtmcms/live/webmd/consumer_assets/site_images/article_thumbnails/news/2013/05_2013/new_sunscreen_label/69x75_new_sunscreen_label.jpg", caption: "", description: "Six of 12 sunscreens rated ''very good,'' but pricier not always better.", type: "article"}});});Are you happy with your skin?

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Parents' Worries About HPV Vaccine on the Rise: Study

Title: Parents' Worries About HPV Vaccine on the Rise: Study
Category: Health News
Created: 3/18/2013 12:56:00 PM
Last Editorial Review: 3/18/2013 12:00:00 AM

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Pain a Common Problem for People With COPD

Narcotic pain relievers frequently used by patients with chronic lung condition, study findsResearchers call for better pain management.

By Alan Mozes

HealthDay Reporter

TUESDAY, May 21 (HealthDay News) -- Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients experience a significant amount of pain, new research suggests.

Pain levels are nearly on par with the kind of discomfort experienced by many osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis patients, according to the study, which is scheduled for presentation Tuesday at the American Thoracic Society annual meeting in Philadelphia.

"Several studies have found high rates of pain medication use among COPD patients, and pain has also been an important determinant of overall health status and quality of life in COPD," study author Melissa Roberts, a senior research associate at the Lovelace Clinic Foundation in Albuquerque, N.M., said in a society news release.

The researchers analyzed data on nearly 8,000 COPD patients over the age of 40. Nearly 16,000 other men and women not diagnosed with COPD also were included in the study. All were enrolled between 2006 and 2010 in the same managed-care insurance system in the southwestern United States.

Pain levels among the participants were determined by reviewing diagnostic codes and pain medication prescriptions as noted in their medical records. COPD patients were found to have more chronic pain indicators and used more pain meds, including both long- and short-acting opioid (narcotic) drugs.

The pain experienced among COPD patients did not appear to be a direct function of their airflow obstruction.

"We found the prevalence of chronic pain among adults with chronic disease to be almost twice as high as among individuals without chronic disease," Roberts said. "Among those with chronic disease, individuals with COPD were similar to those with rheumatoid arthritis or osteoarthritis in their experience of pain, but with even greater use of opioids."

Because this study is being presented at a medical meeting, the data and conclusions should be viewed as preliminary until published in a peer-reviewed journal.


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