Is Meat Unhealthy? Part IV

In this post, I'll address the question: does eating meat contribute to weight gain?

Non-industrial cultures

I'll get right to the point: humans living in a non-industrialized setting tend to be lean, regardless of how much meat they eat. This applies equally to hunter-gatherers, herders, and farmers.

One of the leanest populations I've encountered in my reading is the 1960s Papua New Guinea highland farmers of Tukisenta. They ate a nearly vegan diet composed almost exclusively of sweet potatoes, occasionally punctuated by feasts including large amounts of pork. On average, they ate very little animal food. Visiting researchers noted that the residents of Tukisenta were "muscular and mostly very lean", and did not gain fat with age (1, Western Diseases, Trowell and Burkitt, 1981).

!Kung man gathering mongongo fruit/nuts.
From The !Kung San, by Richard B. Lee.

Another remarkably lean hunter-gatherer population is the !Kung San foragers of the Kalahari desert. The !Kung San are so lean that many of them would be considered underweight on the standard body mass index scale (BMI less than 18.5). Average BMI doesn't exceed 20 in any age category (The !Kung San, Richard Lee, 1979). Is this simply because they're starving? It is true that they don't always get as much food as they'd like, but on most days, they have the ability to gather more food than they need. The fact that they are able to reproduce normally suggests that they aren't starving. Richard Lee's detailed work with the !Kung San indicates that approximately 40 percent of their calories came from animal foods during his study period in the 1960s. This was mostly meat, with occasional eggs when available.

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Recent Interviews

For those who don't follow my Twitter account (@whsource), here are links to my two most recent interviews.

Smash the Fat with Sam Feltham.  We discuss the eternally controversial question, "is a calorie a calorie"?  Like many other advocates of the low-carbohydrate diet, Feltham believes that the metabolic effects of food (particularly on insulin), rather than calorie intake per se, are the primary determinants of body fatness.  I explain the perspective that my field of research has provided on this question.  We also discussed why some lean people become diabetic.  Feltham was a gracious host.

Nourish, Balance, Thrive with Christopher Kelly.  Kelly is also an advocate of the low-carbohydrate diet for fat loss.  This interview covered a lot of ground, including the insulin-obesity hypothesis, regulation of body fatness by the leptin-brain axis, how food reward works to increase calorie intake, and the impact of the food environment on food intake.  I explain why I think proponents of the insulin-obesity hypothesis have mistaken association for causation, and what I believe the true relationship is between insulin biology and obesity.  Kelly was also a gracious host.  He provides a transcript if you'd rather read the interview in text form.

Green Edible Holiday Gifts for Kids

Burnaby Food First and Edmonds Community School are pleased to present a FREE community workshop!



Green Edible Holiday
Gifts for Kids



Wednesday, December 10

6:30 pm - 8:00 pm

Edmonds Community School (7651 18th Avenue / Burnaby - map)




Learn how to
make healthy snacks for the holidays with Ivonne Penit! Everyone will make a gift to take home. Bring your own ideas
to share.



This is a family-friendly event. 



**REGISTRATION CLOSED**

----

Enjoy Burnaby Food First workshops? Want to get involved as a
volunteer?

Check out all the great ways you can get involved. All are welcome, and we'd love to have you on
board! For more information, send us an email.

Date & Chorizo Kale Salad

We don�t usually have salad at our Thanksgiving feast, do you? I�ve always felt like, who wants to fill their plates and bellies with lettuce when there are already too many other good things to get through?

But this year, I�m throwing this salad option out there for you, just in case you want a dose of something green and leafy. And it�s kale, so really, no worries about that whole lettuce issue I mentioned above.

I got the inspiration for this salad from the New York Times Thanksgiving by State article. An article which, by the way, has Washingtonians very confused. Glazed shiitake mushrooms with bok choy!? So random. I get the Asian influence, we do have a lot of that here. But they seem to have totally passed over all of our amazing local ingredients that typically go into a Washington fall feast: chanterelle mushrooms, which are in-season and abundant in certain parts of the state right now; apples, for which we have orchard upon orchard upon orchard; Walla Walla sweet onions from, you guessed it, Walla Walla Washington; salmon and dungeness crab� I mean, they had so much to work with! And they failed. Big time.

Sometimes I feel like everyone on the east coast is like �Washington� DC, right?� And I�m like �Hello! We�re over here! We�re a state!� Like in the 90s, when we first got (dial-up) internet at home and I spent all my time in chatrooms (um, geocities, amiright!?) and whenever I got A/S/L�d, I obviously lied about the A and said I was a cool, older 16 year old�I was really more like 14 (sorry mom), and even though I was supposed to lie about the L (sorry mom), I would say �Washington,� and my chat-mate would always think DC. Every. Damn. Time. Also, I got in trouble when my mom discovered my chat name was something like �cutiegirl16.� IT WAS THE 90S YOU GUYS. To Catch a Predator wasn�t even a thing yet.

Oh, sorry. I digress. Back to this kale salad. I was inspired by California�s non-terrible representation: kale/date/almond stuffing! Since all these ingredients can be saladified with different proportions, I went that route. The bread becomes crunchy rustic croutons, the kale gets a massage but stays fresh and raw. I nixed the ground turkey and cooked onions because texture, and added Spanish chorizo, cranberries, and a little shallot-lemon dressing, because flavor. It all comes together for a fresh, autumn salad, perfect for Thanksgiving or any other fall dinner. 

(PS. this is a husband arm modeling our chorizo, below!)

Date & Chorizo Kale Salad

Makes 4 servings

Unlike its crumbly, un-cooked Mexican cousin, Spanish chorizo is a hard, cured link, similar to salami. If you can�t find it, you can order online: http://www.tienda.com/food/chorizo.html

1 load sourdough bread

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 sprigs of fresh rosemary, chopped

2 sprigs fresh thyme, chopped

Salt & pepper

2 bunches of Lacinato Kale, rinsed and dried

Olive oil

Flaked sea salt

5 large dates, pitted and roughly chopped

� cup toasted almonds, roughly chopped

Spanish chorizo, sliced or diced, about 1 cup

1 cup fresh cranberries, roughly chopped

Juice from half a lemon

1 teaspoon finely diced shallot

1 teaspoon brown mustard

1 teaspoon olive oil

Fresh ground black pepper

First, croutons. Preheat oven to 400.

Cut the crust off the bread, and cut or tear the rest into rustic, large-but-bite-sized chunks. Spread bread chunks on a sheet pan, and drizzle with the 2 T olive oil, rosemary, thyme, and a couple heavy pinches of salt and black pepper. Toss together until the bread is well coated.

Bake for about 15 minutes, until croutons are lightly browned and crunchy. Set aside.

Next, kale.

Remove the stems, and tear the leaves into bite sized pieces. Add kale to a large bowl, and drizzle with a little bit of olive oil (less than tablespoon), and a heavy pinch of flaked sea salt. Massage the salt and oil into the kale leaves with your hands�this helps break down the tough leaves�until the leaves are softer and a more vibrant green.

Add dates through cranberries to kale.

Finally, the dressing.

Whisk together lemon through black pepper, and pour over salad. Toss everything together, and enjoy! Can also be eaten the next day.

Is Meat Unhealthy? Part III

When we consider the health impacts of eating meat, cardiovascular disease is the first thing that comes to mind. Popular diet advocates often hold diametrically opposed views on the role of meat in cardiovascular disease. Even among researchers and public health officials, opinions vary. In this post, I'll do my best to sort through the literature and determine what the weight of the evidence suggests.

Ancel Keys and the Seven Countries Study

Ancel Keys was one of the first researchers to contribute substantially to the study of the link between diet and cardiovascular disease. Sadly, there is a lot of low-quality information circulating about Ancel Keys and his research (1). The truth is that Keys was a pioneering researcher who conducted some of the most impressive nutritional science of his time. The military "K ration" was designed by Keys, much of what we know about the physiology of starvation comes from his detailed studies during World War II, and he was the original Mediterranean Diet researcher. Science marches on, and not all discoveries are buttressed by additional research, but Keys' work was among the best of his day and must be taken seriously.

One of Keys' earliest contributions to the study of diet and cardiovascular disease appeared in an obscure 1953 paper titled "Atherosclerosis: A Problem in Newer Public Health" (2). This paper is worth reading if you get a chance (freely available online if you poke around a bit). He presents a number of different arguments and supporting data, most of which are widely accepted today, but one graph in particular has remained controversial. This graph shows the association between total fat intake and heart disease mortality in six countries. Keys collected the data from publicly available databases on global health and diet:

Read more �

What's Happening in December

If you're tired of being cooped up inside during the December chill, grab your scarf and gloves and check out some of these events around the city!



Vancouver Winter Farmers' Market



Location: Nat Bailey Stadium, East Parking Lot (4601 Ontario Street / Vancouver - map)

Dates: November 1, 2014 to April 25, 2015

Hours: 10:00 am to 2:00 pm each Saturday

Credit: Rebekah Mahaffey

Vendors include
farmers, fishers, artisans, food preparers, and more! Also find a
selection of food trucks and hot drink vendors. Bring your food scraps
from home to recycle at the Food Scraps Drop Spot.





In an effort to reduce plastic use at the market, please bring your own shopping bags.



For more information on the market, including transportation and parking at the site, please visit their website: http://www.eatlocal.org/



Homesteader's Emporium


Location: Various (check website)

Cost: Starting from $5


Check
out some of these workshops hosted by the Homesteader's Emporium! For
times, details, and registration for individual workshops, visit their
Workshops page: http://www.homesteadersemporium.ca/calendar/


Upcoming Workshops



December 2: Tallow and Lard from Home Rendering

December 7: Winter Canning

December 10: Homemade Bacon

December 16: Wildflower Seed Bombs

December 17: Fresh Sausage



Holiday Market



Location: Croatian Cultural Centre (3250 Commercial Drive / Vancouver - map)

Date: December 6, 2014, from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm

Cost: Admission at door



Over 80 vendors feature a
selection of artisan foods, high quality crafts, and other goodies. Find
everything from preserves and honey to tea and coffee! There will also be a silent auction, gift wrapping by donation, and a free coat check.



For more information, visit their website: http://eatlocal.org/markets/holiday-market/

Mini Cranberry Tarts

My mom has such a generous heart. Mel�s kitchen has always been open-invite, for any meal, any holiday, any time of year. If you need a place to eat at Thanksgiving, she�ll never turn you away, and you�ll always leave happy, with a full belly.

This year�s Thanksgiving will be no different in that regard. In fact, we�ll have a very full house. There will be one very important person missing this year, but we�re hoping to fill our hearts (and my mom�s home) as much as possible by surrounding ourselves with friends. Lots of friends. Like� around 20 people.

Our Thanksgiving dinner has never been a formal affair. We don�t have place cards at the table, we don�t care if you wear sweat pants (honestly, why wouldn�t you go for the elastic waistband!?), and we don�t have rules about what items to put on the buffet and what items to put on the table. This Thanksgiving etiquette article? Go ahead and read it, and then forget everything you read, because it doesn�t apply at my family�s turkey day celebration. The only rules are that Mel makes the mashed potatoes, Amanda doesn�t make the deviled eggs (she has a problem with over-mustarding things), and that everyone laughs and eats and eats and eats.

This year, with so many guests, I think it will be even more casual. Everyone is bringing a dish or two, there will be seating at the table, counter, couch, floor. And� we�re having a bonfire! I figured that with such a laid-back but also busy and crowded Thanksgiving, it would be good to add some quick finger food snacks to the menu�things that can be eaten standing up, without a plate. Enter: mini cranberry pies!

These little bite sized beauties are tart, buttery, and just a little bit sweet. They�re also really simple, with a quick dough (no chilling, no rolling), and an equally quick filling of fresh cranberries, sugar, cinnamon, ginger, and lemon juice. If you like things a little sweeter, then by all means, up the sugar or top with some sweetened whipped cream.

PS. This is my first baking project and photo shoot in Evan and my new place! Look at all that light! Ignore the makeshift staging area, and focus on all that beautiful light! 

Mini Cranberry Tarts

1.5 cups flour

3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened (1.5 sticks)

3 ounces of cream cheese, softened (the 8 oz packages have easy measurement lines on the foil)

Pinch salt

2 heaping cups fresh cranberries 

1/2 cup sugar

juice from half a lemon

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

Preheat oven to 325. 

For dough, mix together flour, butter, cream cheese, and salt until combined into a ball. Divide into 24 equal sized balls. 

Press each ball into an ungreased mini muffin pan, pressing evenly up the sides as well.

For filling, chop cranberries in a food processor, and toss with remaining ingredients. Spoon filing into each dough cup. 

Bake for 20-25 minutes, until dough is just slightly golden. Loosen tarts by running knife along inside of muffin cup, and let cool before removing. 

Adapted from this recipe