Help Fund High-Quality Research on Diet and Health

University of California, San Francisco researcher Dr. Ashley Mason has asked me to spread the word about a diet-health study she's preparing to conduct in collaboration with Dr. Lynda Frassetto.  Dr. Frassetto is a widely recognized expert on mineral metabolism and bone health, and also one of the few researchers who has managed to wrangle funding to study the health impacts of a Paleolithic-style diet.  Her findings have been quite provocative.  

Together with their collaborators, Drs. Mason and Frassetto are preparing another diet-health trial to study the impact of two different diets on polycystic ovary syndrome, or PCOS.  PCOS is a common hormonal disorder among reproductive-age women, and its signs and symptoms include ovarian cysts, excess hair growth, menstrual irregularity or absence, infertility, and obesity.  Its causes are unknown, but insulin resistance is a core characteristic of it and is thought to play an important role.  PCOS is thought to be influenced by diet and lifestyle. 

A research team including Drs. Frassetto and Mason, as well as Drs. Umesh Masharani, Heather Huddleston, and Michael Cohn will test a Paleolithic-style diet and an American Diabetes Asssociation diet to see if either or both improves insulin resistance and menstrual cycle regularity for women with PCOS.  Each diet will likely have beneficial effects, however it remains unknown which will be more effective at treating PCOS.

Currently, it's exceedingly difficult for researchers to land funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to do nutrition-related research in the context of disease treatment or management, particularly if it involves a Paleo diet. Recognizing the important potential of fleshing out the relationship between diet and health, researchers are looking for other ways to fund their work.  This study will give them the early data they need to start large, truly definitive studies of the links between diet and insulin resistance, and you can help make it happen.

Please check out their crowdfunding website to learn more about the study, the researchers, and make tax-deductible donations to support their work. And, if you're attending the Ancestral Health Symposium, one of the "backer" rewards is having lunch with the researchers.

Click here to see their crowdfunding site! 


This post was prepared in part using content provided by Dr. Mason.

Grilled Sockeye Salmon two ways on CBC's Weekend Morning Show!

 Tomorrow I will be presenting the following grilled Salmon recipes for CBC's Weekend Morning Show with guest host, Laurie Hoogstraten.  The Sockeye Salmon is a wild caught fish from a sustainable source. They are expecting a huge run this year.  Fillets, steaks or whole can be purchased at Gimli Fish.

A classic preparation is quite simple with Lemon, Dill and butter but I thought that listeners may be interested in trying a few other ways.

For  increased enjoyment at the grill, try  a BBQ sheet available at D. A. Niels.  You can get grill marks, keep the moisture of the food and nothing falls through! Also try soaking a Cedar Plank and cooking the fish on the grill on the cedar.

 Marinating Sockeye Salmon Steak

 Marinating Honey Miso Sockeye Salmon Fillet

 Grilling on BBQ Sheet

1. Honey Miso Grilled Sockeye Salmon

1 inch fresh ginger, minced
3 tbs miso (Light coloured, available at Sun Wah or Oriental Market or other Asian markets)
1 green onion, finely chopped (or chives)
3 tbs honey
3 tbs Chinese cooking wine or Mirin
a drizzle of chili oil

A drizzle of sesame oil
1-2 fillets Sockeye Salmon

Combine first 6 ingredients until well blended. Smooth over fish and let marinade for at least one hour. Grill, skin-side down, up to 10 minutes, depending on the thickness of the fillet.   Serve immediately.

Enjoy!

2. Seared Salmon Steaks or fillets

2 steaks Salmon or one whole filet
1/2 teaspoon garlic paste
1/4 teaspoon ginger paste
1/4 teaspoon crushed pepper powder
1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
1/4 teaspoon chilli powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon white vinegar or lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon cumin seed make paste with water (always
make paste with a little water)

Put all the ingredients onto a plate in a little pile.
Sprinkle over the vinegar and mix to a paste with the fingers.
Pat the masala evenly over the sides of the fish and marinate for minimum 1/2 an hour and better still for 4-5 hours.

When ready to cook or grill,  Put 2 tablespoons oil in a pan on a high heat. Sprinkle the fish with a little(pinch) salt more on both the sides of fish , reduce the heat and add the fish. Dip fish in oil on one side, turn over onto the other side and back again so it doesn�t stick to the pan. Increase the heat medium flame and cook for 5 minutes on one side, then 5 minutes on the other.
Enjoy!

Summer Salad Roundup

This weekend is two of my favorite events of the year: Ragnar Relay (my 6th year!) and Burning Beast. Next weekend we�re hiking/camping for Amanda�s birthday, and the following weekend is�wait for it� my bachelorette party weekend! In Sonoma! 

Um, also�did I mention that Evan and my wedding is in 2.5 months!? Where did the time go!? At this point, we mostly just need to pull together some last minute decorations and things. We have each other and we have the food, so that�s really all that matters in the end. Oh, but we�re having a helluva time picking out the aisle song. We love music and want it to be something special, but most of the bands we love sing about the opposite of happiness and love. Maybe you can help: I love classic rock (think CCR, Stones), bluegrass, Lana Del Rey, and Miley (don�t hate). Evan loves electronic music & Elliot Smith. Together, we�re bigtime fans of DCFC, Colin Meloy, and Neutral Milk Hotel. Annnnd, go! 

So anyway, with all I have going on lately, I�ve been living off of quick salads. Not even exciting ones. I know that�s kind of boring, but it�s true. Sometimes I toss some chicken on the grill and then put that in the salad, or maybe I�ll throw the whole thing in a tortilla, and call it dinner. I�ve been so busy and it�s so warm out that I�ve just had no energy to put together a real dinner. I think Evan loves it, because it means he can eat out whatever and whenever and I just don�t care. The Korean place around the corner probably loves it too, because Evan�s been a very frequent customer (sidenote: their grilled pork & kimchi sandwich is insane, and I�ll probably need to recreate it for you sometime soon!).  

Summer�s a busy time, man. If you�re also living off salads, here�s a little inspiration from the archives:

• Warm Potato Salad with Blistered Shishito Peppers
• Spicy Sesame Soba Salad with Tofu
• Avocado & Orange Salad with Sesame Soy Dressing
• Tuna & Whitebean Salad with Tomatoes & Kalamata Olives
• Wheatberry Salad with Avocados, Strawberries, & Caramelized Shallots
• Fried Green Tomato Salad
• Southwest Quinoa Burrito Bowl Salad

And a few from the interwebz:

• Sweet corn, peach, and cherry salad with creamy goat cheese and a lime dressing from Flourishing Foodie
• Octavia�s Warm Shrimp Salad with Cantaloupe & Feta from Dunk & Crumble
• Grilled Peach and Haloumi Salad from A Cozy Kitchen
• Char-Siu Chicken B�n Bowls from The Pig and Quill (basically a salad...right?)

Instant Pot Electronic Pressure Cooker: Two Years Later

I've had several people tell me that the Whole Health Source post that changed their lives the most was one I published in 2012-- about a pressure cooker.

In 2012, I first reviewed the Instant Pot-- a "pressure cooker for the 21st century" that also doubles as a slow cooker and rice cooker (1). Since then, we've used it more than 400 times, and it has saved us countless hours of kitchen drudgery. It's indispensable for my current cooking style, and a major time saver for anyone who leads a busy life but still wants to cook wholesome food at home. It's extremely satisfying to be able to put your ingredients into the Instant Pot, push a couple of buttons, do something else until it beeps, and then eat a healthy, inexpensive, and delicious meal.

Pressure cookers are one of the most time- and energy-efficient cooking tools, but electronic versions are even more efficient than traditional stovetop pressure cookers. They're more time-efficient because you don't have to fiddle with them-- for example, adjusting the heat. They're more energy-efficient because 1) they stop heating when the interior has reached the appropriate pressure, meaning that they're only using energy for part of the cooking process and they hardly vent any energy-wasting steam, and 2) they're insulated well enough that the sides never get hot.

I've used my Instant Pot for a wide variety of cooking tasks, and this is what it does best:

Read more �

Simple Blueberry Ice Cream

Last weekend, Amanda, Pete, Evan and I were sitting in the sun, drinking beer. Pretty typical. And then our friend Mer showed up. Also typical. So there we were, sweating our faces off, drinking craft beers (Seattle is craft beer heaven, by the way). Aside from the sweating our faces off, this is basically what we always do. So anyway, Amanda started talking about homemade ice cream, and the next thing you know, we were all crammed into my apartment around my ice cream maker. Summer is the best. 

I love a good egg-filled custard based ice cream. All creamy and rich. But for those moments when you want homemade ice cream and you want it right now (er, well, in 20 minutes) this simple milk and cream base can't be beat. No cooking. No extra cooling or anything. The only added step here is throwing some fresh blueberries in a blender with fresh lemon juice to make a tangy, fruity, swirly mix-in. 

It's seriously so easy and basic that I almost didn't share it. But the little bites I've been sneaking from the freezer all week were enough to change my mind. 

Simple Blueberry Ice Cream
Ice cream maker required

2 cups heavy cream

2 cups whole milk

3/4 cup sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla

Pinch salt

2 cups fresh blueberries

Juice from 1 lemon

Whisk together cream, milk, sugar, vanilla, and salt, and pour into your ice cream maker. Follow ice cream maker's instructions. 

While ice cream maker is doing it's thing, blend together blueberries and lemon juice. Feel free to add a little liquid sweetener if you want (like honey or agave) but I like the tang. 

Right as ice cream is almost done, add 3/4 of the blueberry mixture and continue running machine until it's mixed in. 

To eat as soft serve, top with a little additional blueberry sauce. 

To freeze for hard ice cream, pour ice cream into a freezer safe dish, and pour remaining blueberry mix on top. Swirl with a fork. Freeze until set. 

Based on Emeril's Old Time Vanilla Ice Cream recipe

Upcoming Talks

I have two talks planned over the next two months.  Hope to see you there!

Ancestral Health Symposium 2014: UC Berkeley, August 7-9

If you want to understand the most rigorous science available on leptin resistance-- a key mechanism of obesity and a major barrier to fat loss-- this talk is for you.  This is my primary area of professional expertise; I have years of firsthand research experience on the subject and I've published a number of related papers in peer-reviewed journals.  The talk will be accessible to nearly all levels of expertise.  AHS14 tickets are available here.  I've pasted the talk's abstract below.

What Causes Leptin Resistance?

Leptin is the primary hormonal regulator of body fatness.  Obese people exhibit a resistance to leptin�s effects in the brain, causing the brain to oppose fat loss by multiple mechanisms.  Research in animal models suggests that leptin resistance may be required for obesity to develop.  How does leptin resistance occur, and what causes it?  Research has not yet provided us with definitive answers, but several plausible possibilities have emerged.  This talk will review what is known about leptin resistance and its causes.

McDougall Advanced Study Weekend: Santa Rosa, CA, September 5-7

Dr. John McDougall invited me to speak at his yearly symposium after viewing my TEDx talk "The American Diet: a Historical Perspective".  I look forward to sharing my thoughts and interacting with a different audience than I'm used to.  The talk will be an expanded version of the one I presented at AHS13.  Tickets are available here.  I've pasted a modified version of my AHS13 abstract below.

Insulin and Obesity: Reconciling Conflicting Evidence

The pancreatic hormone insulin regulates the trafficking and metabolism of carbohydrate and fat, and its secretion is particularly stimulated by carbohydrate and protein.  Since circulating insulin is elevated in common obesity, and insulin influences fatty acid flux into and out of fat tissue, this has raised the possibility that elevated insulin causes common obesity, and that dietary carbohydrate is particularly fattening.  A large amount of evidence appears to support the hypothesis that insulin causes obesity, and a large amount of evidence appears to falsify it.  This presentation will outline a framework capable of reconciling this seemingly conflicting evidence.

Glammed up Grilled Cheese on CBC

This morning I had the pleasure of preparing and presenting the following grilled cheese sandwiches on CBC's Weekend Morning Show with guest host Laurie Hoogstraten.  Works beautifully with Tall Grass Prairie Sour Dough Light Rye bread and Nature's Farm eggs.

I served the sandwiches with Rhubarb Chutney made with Ras el Hanout. 
Enjoy!

Glammed up Grilled Cheese Sandwiches

1 loaf Sour Dough Light Rye (Tall Grass Prairie Bakery)

Pear, Blue, Onion Jam and Dijon Grilled Cheese

For each sandwich:
1 heaping tbs onion jam (recipe follows)
thinly sliced pear
Dijon Mustard, to your taste
Benedictine Blue, or other yummy blue cheeses
2 slices bread
1 tbs butter

Assemble sandwich as follows:  Spread Dijon mustard on bread slices topped onion jam, thinly sliced pear and desired amount of blue cheese.  Close sandwich.  Bring skillet to medium - medium high heat and add butter.  Grill sandwich on each side until brown and cheese has melted.  Cut in half, plate and serve immediately.  Enjoy!

Onion Jam
1 -3 medium red onions or up to 12 shallots, thinly sliced
2-5 tbs olive oil
pinch salt
Optional:  1 tbs brown sugar
Pepper, to taste

On low to medium low heat, add olive oil and sliced onions to a skillet.  Let cook for 30 + minutes, stirring occasionally.  Add seasonings and optional brown sugar to speed caramelization.  When fully soften but not dry browned, add liquid to deglaze.  Deglaze with red wine, balsamic vinegar, juice or tea.

Roasted Red Pepper, pesto, Bocconcini, Cave aged Gruyere, soft fried egg

Prepare sandwich as above, stacking with desired ingredients but leave open, frying one slice of bread open.  Prepare a soft fried or over easy egg.  Place in sandwich and cover.  Serve and enjoy the beautiful mess.