Friday 13 June 2008

The Optimal Diet for 21st Century Living

Last night, Dr Walt Willett, Professor at Harvard School of Public Health and at Harvard Medical School, gave a lecture in 'The Optimal Diet for 21st Century Living', the second in the University of Edinburgh Enlightenment Lecture series.
www.ed.ac.uk/explore.av

Dr Willett has spent the last 25 years studying the impact of diet on the occurence of major diseases. His lecture covered the impact of different food stuffs, such as types of fat, dairy and carbohydrates, as well as consumption of fruits and vegetables on illnesses such as coronary heart disease, types of cancers, osteoporosis and others. While some of the terms were technical and some charts less easy for the untrained eye, his messages were clear. We can make very real positive impacts on the health of our bodies if we make changes in our lifestyle and eating habits, even at later age.

The lecture was packed with information, but a few key messages stood out for the general member of the public and can frame the way we look at what we eat:
1. Dairy- debunking the myth we need to drink more milk to save our bones
2. Fats -a more decadent diet rich in transfats is deadly, while one rich in polyunsaturated fats, omega 3s, can reduce risks of disease
3. Glycemic Index- as a helpful way of chooseing which foods are healthiest
4. The 'Healthy Eating Pyramid' - a simple illustration on how to plan our eating in a balanced and healthy way

I have summarised these points below but a great deal more can be found at the Harvard University website: http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/what-should-you-eat/pyramid/index.html. This includes further details of good foods, what to avoid and some delicious-looking recipes.

1. Dairy
Daily calcium intake does not seem to be as high as recommended in the US (1200mg/day) or the UK (700mg/day), as the World Health Organisation recommends 500mg/day with no adverse risk of osteoporosis. This dietary requirement in adults can be met with a well-balanced diet and one portion of dairy a day. Increasing milk consumption does not decrease risk of osteoporosis, in some instances can increase possible risk of fractures and in men can increase risk of fatal prostate cancer (the latter based on a study of men who drank more than 3 glasses of milk a day).

2. Fats
The fats that we choose to consume, and importantly not consume, has a very clear impact on our health. Transfats (those which for the main are solid at room temperature) greatly increase risk of coronary heart disease, as do saturated fats (animal fats) to a lesser extent. These should be avoided. Interestingly the consumption of certain other fats (such as unsaturated fats) actually decreases risk. The healthiest fats are in the polyunsaturates omega 3 family, which include fish oil and plant oils (soya, olive and rapeseed). If you consume both healthy and unhealthy oils, they provide some sort of balance. If you want to decrease risk of various diseases, you should limit all oils but unsaturated fats which you can enjoy to your heart's content. As Dr Willett put it, load on the salad dressings, these can improve your health and make the salad taste a lot better too.

3. Glycemic Index
The Glycemic Index is a sound way to approach what foods to eat as this focuses on a slow, sustained release of glucose. In layman's terms, it leaves you feeling fuller for longer. Dr Willett reported that eating a diet with a high Glycemic Load increases risk of heart disease. Sadly as such, high GI goods include both potatoes and bagels. More details on nutritious delicious low GI foods to come.

4. The Healthy Eating Pyramid
This summarises very simply what principles we should employ to eat a healthier diet:
  • the foundation of a good diet is to be active and take exercise
  • a plant-based diet rich in wholegrains, fruit, vegetables and plant oils is most important
  • this should be supplmented with smaller portions of protein, fish and chicken for meat-eaters, and nuts and pulses for vegetarians
  • dairy products should be eaten in smaller quantities again, and
  • red meats and refined carbohydrates (white bread, flour, pasta and potatoes) should be eaten only in very limited amounts.

Tuesday 10 June 2008

pasta fantastica - Salute from Sainsbury's

I have found one really good wheat-free pasta that is tasty, a great texture and enough like the real thing that not even unsuspecting Wheat-Eaters really notice the difference.

Salute Gluten Free Spaghetti from Sainsbury's (£2.12 for 500g online, £1.89 in shops) is only marketed as gluten-free, but a quick squiff at the ingredients reveals that low and behold it's wheat-free, lactose-free, egg-free and milk protein-free. [Ingredients: Maize Starch, Pre-Treated Maize Flour, Rice Starch, Pre-Gelatinised Rice, Green Pea Concentrate, Lupine Flour*, Emulsifier: (E471)]

The Meadowbank branch is a dead cert for finding a packet, but it is more widely available as it's included on their online shopping and delivery service. The bonus of going to the shop though is I've also found Salute Fusilli, which isn't mentioned online. The Straiton shop also had Salute Penne last time I was in.

My only brief warning is that as with all wheat-free pastas, cooking time needs to be carefully monitored. The packet suggests cooking it for 7-8 minutes, and its worths putting your pinger on. Overcooked pasta is grim in most circumstances, particularly so here.

*A quick aside on lupine flour. It is derived from the lupine flower family we have in our gardens. Interestingly, this variety of plant is the closest relative to the common peanut! Be mindful anyone who might suffer peanut allergies as this might have similar effect.

an extraordinary loaf at The Manna House

How might I compare thee (oh Spelt and Honey Loaf) to a summer's day... (the heaven that I felt at our union)?

Let me count the ways: you remind me of my freedom and youth when I caroused the local bakeries willy-nilly, eating any wheat delicacy that took my fancy. your chewy crust, crispy to the outside. inside, your yielding and supple ways. like flickers of happy memories, you're flecked with sunflower seeds that keep me singing. you're strong, holding together my sandwich, not tearing at the application of a little butter. and you're gentle and light-hearted, not bloating me with unnecessary concerns. you've brought me so much pleasure.

If you would like to experience this or something similar... or would just like me to get to the point and want to eat some really tasty wheat-free bread, details are listed below.

Location: the Manna House, 22-24 Easter Road (pretty sure closed on a Monday but otherwise open)

The experience if you were me this afternoon: bordering on sensual - you walk in to be approached and seduced by as many gorgeous baked goods as can be held on its shelves. delights that you just want to sink your teeth into. Admittedly, most of these fancies are not wheat-free. Given my near-heaven experience of their chocolate twists, I may go as far to say as not particularly nutritious.

But there is the Spelt and Honey Loaf (featured above at a cost of £1.50). I can't tell you how long it is since I have had a truly scrumptious slice of bread that did not incur equal proportions of guilt (and possible fear for how I'd feel later). It was tremendous.

They also sell completely wheat-free 100% Rye Bread (small oblong) - £1.30
If you are able to limit your wheat-consumption rather than omit it entirely, there are 3 other types of bread available, all at £1.30: 40% Rye (round), 40% Rye with Caraway (round) and 20% Rye Baguette (long). Please note the remain percent is wheat flour.

The Manna House uses Scottish products where and when possible.

Monday 9 June 2008

save your pennies at the Leith Wholefood Co-op

Today I chanced upon a fortuitious thing. I was walking past the Post Office collections building, towards Leith Walk. On the corner of West Montgomery Place and Brunswick Road, sits a very exciting prospect, the Leith Wholefood Co-op. It is open only limited hours (Saturday 11am-6pm Tuesday 1pm-4pm Thursday 6pm-8pm ), so I was delighted to find it open.

A little background: The Co-op is not-for-profit and is run by volunteers at the Autonomous Centre of Edinburgh, founded 'for groups or individuals to use who are trying to make a better society and improve their lives'. It's friendly and helpful atmosphere, accessible to pushchairs and wheelchairs.

Why do I tell you all this? There is cheap, organic and eco-friendly produce on your doorstep for a snip of the price. Food prices are kept low by buying in bulk. A small mark-up is taken in order to pay for the premises.

To see if it really was cheaper, I compared how much I would spend if I were to buy organic chickpeas, rice and honey here and with a few other shops:
£4.45 at the Co-op
£6.62 at Realfoods
£7.57 at Damhead
£5.31 at Sainsbury's (buying own-brand organics products where possible)

Below you'll see that the Co-op was not the cheapest for every item, but the bill in total was considerably cheaper. The Co-op has a good range of staples with which you could fill up your store cupboard (at least until you are familiar enough to know what they have and you will need on a regular basis). It is certainly worth visiting and catching some of their cut price goodies.
http://www.autonomous.org.uk/foodcoop.html

Only one's own circumstances can direct you to save pennies primarily, the degree to which you can and wish to make ethical decisions and if time means you need to get all your goods in one place. Each person is different.

Three Products Compared:

Suma organic chickpeas (tinned):
75p at the Co-op
75p at Realfoods
89p at Damhead
45p at Sainsbury's for own-brand organic chickpeas organic

white basmati rice (non-brand), 1kg:
£1.70 at the Co-op
£3.58 at Realfoods
£3.99 at Damhead
£2.79 for Sainsbury's own-brand

organic Rowse organic honey, 340g:
£2 at the Co-op
£2.29-£2.85 at Realfoods (range of Rowse honeys)
£2.69 at Damhead (for equivalent Capilano organic honey, 340g)
£2.07 at Sainsbury's for Rowse's acacia honey