National Cupcake Week - Chocolate Orange Cups

National Cupcake Week returns from 12th – 18th September and there is no better way to celebrate than treating yourself to a delicious cupcake. Philadelphia has a variety of simple but tasty recipes for you to enjoy, now is the time to give them a try!
Chocolate Orange Cups

Overview
portions: 8
Times
Marinade: 20 minutes
Cook time: 5 minutes
Chill time: 2 hours

Ingredients
275 ml double cream
100 g dark chocolate
Finely grated zest of half an orange
160 g Philadelphia Light
30 g icing sugar
1 tbsp orange juice

Instructions
1. Heat the cream in a saucepan until almost boiling. Remove from the heat.
2. Break the chocolate into pieces and stir into the cream until melted.
3. Pour the mixture into 8 small dessert glasses. Chill for about 2 hours or until set.
4. Meanwhile mix together the soft cheese, sugar, orange juice and zest until smooth. Spoon or pipe a layer of the soft cheese mixture over each chocolate dessert. Just before serving top with the grated chocolate.

Toad in the pudding

Toad in the pudding

Serves:  4-6

Cooking time:  About 30 minutes

Oven temperature:  Gas Mark 4, 180ºC, 350ºF            

INGREDIENTS:

454g  (1lb)  Pork chipolata sausages

6 Thick slices bread, hand cut

Softened butter for buttering

1 Onion, sliced

2 Cloves garlic, chopped

4 Eggs, lightly beaten

450ml  (¾pt)  Milk

2 x 15mlsp  (2tbsp)  Fresh chives, chopped

1 x 5mlsp  (1tsp)  English mustard

1 x 5mlsp  (1tsp)  Wholegrain mustard

METHOD:

Preheat oven to Gas Mark 4, 180ºC, 350ºF.

Lightly butter each slice of bread and cut in half diagonally.

Stack/place pieces of bread into a large shallow (lasagne style) ovenproof dish.  Place sausages in between the bread slices.  Scatter with onion slices and garlic.

Soy Allergy: How Can You Prevent It?

You may sometimes feel a little deprived if you are not able to enjoy something which others can. For example, you may like the great taste of chili soy, but your system is not able to support its digestion process. In other words your body may not tolerate soy or its products, thereby demarcating you as "allergic" to them. Just see the irony, soybeans and soy based products are the best sources of plant based protein and you are not able to make the most out of it like every other normal guy.

What is Soy Allergy?

Soy allergy is a type of food allergy. It is one of the major and most common food allergies generally caused by hypersensitivity to dietary substances present in soy. The allergy can be mild to life threatening. According to National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease, soy allergies are particularly common in infants and young children. Experts at the U.S. Department of Agricultural Research Service opine that there are up to 15 different proteins in soybeans that may incite allergic reactions in individuals. These proteins are mainly present in the seeds. And the major allergens present in soy are Vicilin and legumin.
The Soy Allergy Symptoms

Some of the symptoms caused by this allergy are:

    * Acne (sudden severe bouts of acne)
    * Angioedema (swelling in some localized areas like face, neck, lips, larynx, hands and feet)
    * Rhinitis (hay fever - inflammation of the nasal passage)
    * Diarrhea
    * Atrophic dermatitis
    * Itching in the mouth
    * Dizziness, lightheadedness or fainting

About Anaphylaxis, a Severe Soy Allergy

A severe soy allergy called anaphylaxis is rare. It affects people suffering from asthma or if they are allergic to other foods such as peanuts. It causes more extreme signs and symptoms including:

    * Restriction in airways, swollen throat and development of lump in the throat which makes breathing difficult
    * Severe sudden drop in blood pressure
    * Rapid pulse rate
    * Loss of consciousness

How Can You Prevent Soy Allergies?

    * Avoid Soy Products: You should avoid consuming soy based products like soybean, tempeh, tofu, soy milk, soy cheese, miso, soy flour and soy sauce.

    * Read Labels Carefully: Soy proteins may be present in ingredients such as vegetable protein, natural flavorings or can be used as food additives. So you need to go through the food labels thoroughly.

    * Avoid Foods That Contain Lecithin: Avoid foods containing ingredients like lecithin, mono diglycerides and monosodium glutamate.

    * Avoid HVP Intake: Intake of hydrolyzed vegetable protein (HVP) which is generally obtained from soy should be avoided. So better check with the manufacturer before using them.

    * Check With the Restaurant Staff: While eating out, ask the restaurant staff about the ingredients. Soy flours are used to add proteins to a wide variety of recipes.

    * Decrease the Intake of Processed Foods: If possible, try to decrease the consumption of processed foods, which may contain hidden soy.

    * Avoid Consuming Vitamin E Oil: Vitamin E oil is generally derived from soy. Therefore, you need to avoid taking vitamin E oil.

    * Check the Ingredients of Cosmetics: Check out for cosmetics, as many of these products make use of soy meal and soy oil.

    * Avoid Soy Based Cuisines: Avoid having Chinese and Japanese cuisines, as these recipes contain lots of soy in their preparation.

    * Take Supplements: Try to have supplements that combine the effects of Vitamin C with bioflavonoid. These supplements help the body to cope with allergens while decreasing inflammation and supporting the immune system.

    * Practice Care While Having Peas and Beans: Be careful while having peanuts, green peas, chick peas, lima beans and string beans. These foods can cause severe allergic reactions in soy-sensitive individuals.

    * Avoid Using Soy Oil: Do not use soy oil. It can be used in margarine, salad dressings, mayonnaise, sauces and vegetable shortenings.

One of the best ways to prevent soy allergies is to ensure that it is not present in any form in your food items. Today, soy is an integral part of every cuisine, because of its various health benefits. So, try to be extra careful and more alert.

Subway's new bread does something my mom couldn't

First, Subway became the world's largest fast food chain. Then, they launched the Fresh Fit menu featuring eight subs under 400 calories. The latest announcement from the restaurant? New calcium- and vitamin D-fortified breads for all!

Is it just me, or is it like Subway can do no wrong? Replacing their previous recipe, the new breads will provide 30 percent of the daily recommended value of calcium and 20 percent of the DRV of vitamin D. FYI: Those are the same totals that are in one glass of milk. Eating a turkey sub vs. drinking a glass of milk? I'd pick the sub.

One thing's for sure. Subway can do what my mother wasn't able to: Make me take my vitamins.

Growing up, I refused regular milk and drank fortified calcium orange juice instead. If milk were in the general vicinity, it had better have chocolate in it.

Unfortunately, as I've aged and my tastes have matured, that preference really hasn't. I don't know if it's the consistency or the taste of milk that turns me off. What I do know is that my diet could definitely use a bit more calcium. The thought of being able to get the same amount of calcium in a sandwich as I'd find in a glass of milk just dumbfounds me.

Subway has always been a low-calorie, super-cheap alternative for me on my lunch break. Now, it's also a choice that doesn't make me feel so bad about forgetting to swallow a multivitamin before I head out the door. No added calories, but added benefits? It just seems like it's too good to be true.

It is important to note that too many fortified foods aren't exactly a good thing. In fact, you can overdose on vitamins. So, I wouldn't recommend you pull a Jared and jump on the Subway diet bandwagon all day every day. But one a week? Why not?

Of course, I'm not saying that all restaurants should take Subway's lead by fortifying some of our favorite picks especially if added minerals and things are going to futz with the flavor. But I'm all for big chains playing around with a few recipes here and there in the confines of their test kitchens. I do have one plea: Don't get carried away, Subway. The second my favorite six-inch turkey on honey wheat starts to taste wacky, I'm out.

What do you think of Subway's new fortified breads?

The 10 Best Superfoods for Endurance Athletes

It’s no secret that the long, grueling workouts endured by runners, cyclists, swimmers, and triathletes take a toll on the body. Endurance athletes can suffer up to 200 times the free radical damage of regular folks. But how many of them know which foods and supplements to consume to fight the damage and recover faster?

Research shows that the combinations of antioxidants in whole fruits and vegetables are more effective than isolated nutrients at neutralizing free radicals. Here are the 10 best whole foods for endurance athletes, plus the supplements that aid antioxidant performance and recovery.

Healthy Foods Instead of a Fad Diet

There are several fad diets that will lead to successful weight loss if you follow them exactly as they are designed. That doesn't mean every food that fits into a diet is a healthy food, but it does mean you have to change your eating patterns to fit the diet's rules.

Rather than worry about following a fad diet, think about your health and your lifestyle instead. Start by learning which foods are good for you.

The closer a food is to its natural state, the better it is for you. Fresh fruits and berries are great and will satisfy a craving for sweets. Whole vegetables have lots of vitamins and minerals, so eat more green, orange and yellow vegetables. Steam them to retain the most nutritional value and be careful with sauces, they may be high in calories and fats that aren't good for you.

Any pasta or baked goods should be made from whole grains. Avoid sugary snacks and pastries as well. An apple is good for you, an apple pie really isn't.

Shop for lean meats and don't forget the fish. The omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids in ocean fish are often deficient in our diets, so serve seafood two or three times per week. Baked fish and chicken are healthier than fried, and lean meats like bison or venison may be healthier than higher fat beef.

Processed lunch meats, hot dogs, bacon, and sausages have a lot of saturated fat and nitrates in them you don't want in your body. If you love these meats, you can find healthier versions sold at health food stores.

Remember to eat a variety of foods to get all of the vitamins and minerals you need to be healthy.

Stick to water, milk and 100% fruit and vegetable juices as your main beverages and limit sugary soft drinks. If you get tired of plain water, add a slice of lemon or lime to add a touch of flavor. For kids, try some fruit juice jazzed up with carbonated water.
Unhealthy Foods

    * Battered and deep fried foods
    * Sugary sodas
    * Processed lunch meats
    * Greasy snack chips
    * White bread and refined pasta
    * Most canned spaghetti and ravioli
    * Sugary breakfast cereals
    * Frozen fried chicken, fish sticks and corn dogs

Healthy Foods

    * Green and brightly colored vegetables
    * Dark leafy greens and lettuce
    * Fresh fruits and berries
    * Lean turkey and chicken
    * Nuts, dried fruits and healthy snacks
    * Whole grain breads and pasta
    * Healthy cooking oils like canola and olive oils
    * Grass fed beef and bison
    * Cold water oily ocean fish
    * Low fat milk or soy beverages
    * Nuts, seeds, and legumes

Assess Your Lifestyle

Once you learn which foods are good for you, you need to look at your eating habits. If the foods you eat are not healthy, you might want to work within your habits and current lifestyle conditions, since they are usually tough to change. Consider these questions, then read on for tips to help you add healthy foods:

    * Do you eat because you are bored, sad, or happy?
    * Do you snack in front of the TV without even giving it much thought?
    * Are most of your meals eaten at home or in restaurants?
    * How often do you eat fast food?
    * Do you like to cook?
    * How often do you grocery shop?
    * Do you skip breakfast or lunch, then overeat later in the day?
    * How big are the portions you consume?
    * Do you crave sweets?
    * Are there foods you won't give up?

Healthy Foods for Snackers
If you are an emotional eater, keep the junk food like potato chips, tortilla chips, ice cream, and candy out of the house. Keep healthy snacks like fruits, crunchy vegetables with dips, or nuts handy. If you absolutely feel the need for a treat, then purchase a small piece of high quality chocolate or your favorite treat and enjoy it, just don't buy any to bring home.

The same tips are helpful for those who enjoy TV snacking at home. If you don't want to give up nibbling while watching your shows, keep low calorie foods close by, because it is very easy to eat too much when you are entranced by your favorite drama, football game or cooking show. Eat crisp raw vegetables with your dip instead of greasy chips.

11 Ways to Get Portions Under Control

One of the biggest determining factors of weight loss success is portion control. On average, we eat way too much at meal time, and often our snacks are super-sized. It is very easy to overeat when oversized portions and all-you-can eat buffets surround us. For many people, food also acts as a drug. You can become addicted and need a bigger amount of food to satisfy your hunger.

A "portion" is how much food you choose to eat at one time. Portion size dramatically impacts the calories that you consume. Portion sizes began to increase in the 1980s and have been skyrocketing ever since. Dietitians agree that portion control is central to healthy eating and keeping our weight under control. Here are some tips that can help you in keeping your portion size under control at meal time and contribute to your overall health:

1. Eat High Quality, Not Quantity: Avoid fast foods and eat fiber-rich foods such as vegetables and cereals.   These fiber-rich foods have the ability of making you feel fuller over a long period of time. Thus you eat less throughout the day if you have fiber rich food. Fast foods are stripped of nutrients, so your body will make you eat more calories in its hunt for nutrients. Replace chips and sweetened soft drinks with healthier raw veggies, fruits, whole-grain biscuits and low-fat cheese.

2. Don't Clean Your Plate: Some people will clear their plate no matter how much food is presented in front of them. This is bad habit when it comes to weight loss. By skipping on the leftovers, you'll save on a lot of calories.

3. Use Smaller Dishes: Our dish size is also increasing day by day. The common psychology is the bigger the plate, the more food you can put on it. Same is true for bowls and glasses. Using smaller dinnerware may help you consume fewer calories. Eating with a small spoon will help you eat more slowly and savor your meal.

4. Focus on Eating: Don't multitask when you are eating. Watching the TV or working on the computer leads to over eating. Try to sit down to dinner as a family, relax and savour your dinner.

5. Eat Regularly: Eating at regular intervals throughout the day is the best way to keep your metabolism high. If you wait until you're hungry, you're more likely to overindulge at the next meal. The ideal meal plan is to have three balanced meals and two snacks a day.
6. Drink water: Water keeps you hydrated to avoid overstuffing. It also reduces your appetite to some extent. Don't like water, have green tea. Drinking green tea, at least thirty-minutes before meal time, will help curb your appetite. However, other drinks like sodas and fruit juices can contain a lot of extra calories and carbohydrates.

7. Eat slowly: Slowing the pace a little gives your body time to send the message that you are full. So put your fork down between bites. Take time to savor each bite throughout your meal. 'Mindful eating' is a great way to help you with portion control.

8. Avoid Eating Out: Portion sizes at restaurants can be up to 4 times as big as they should be. Avoid eating out as much as possible. Also, do not visit a restaurant starving. This would lead to over eating. Even if you have to eat out ensure that you order fiber-rich foods and vegetables on the menu.

9. Don't eat out of the container: Don't eat directly out of large packages of snack foods. The larger the package, the more you are likely to eat. Take the food out of the bag or container and put it in a bowl or plate, and put the box or bag away. That way you can see exactly how much you're eating.

10.Count Calories: Weighing and measuring everything you eat helps in maintaining portion control. Make the measuring cup; spoons and weight scale your best friend. Read the labels carefully.

11. Share a meal: Share your meal with a dining partner. Both of you can share and still go away full. It's also a great way of socializing.

Cutting one's portion size can be a very efficient way to continue one's new health focus. Initially it will be tough but the results speak for themselves.

Eating fish whole: Sardines

Different parts of a fish have different types of nutrients that are important for our health; this includes bones and organs. Therefore it makes sense to consume the fish whole, not just filets made from it. This is easier to do with small than big fish.

Small fish have the added advantage that they have very low concentrations of metals, compared to large fish. The reason for this is that small fish are usually low in the food chain, typically feeding mostly on plankton, especially algae. Large carnivorous fish tend to accumulate metals in their body, and their consumption over time may lead to the accumulation of toxic levels of metals in our bodies.

One of my favorite types of small fish is the sardine. The photo below is of a dish of sardines and vegetables that I prepared recently. Another small fish favorite is the smelt (see this post). I buy wild-caught sardines regularly at the supermarket.

Sardines are very affordable, and typically available throughout the year. In fact, sardines usually sell for the lowest price among all fish in my supermarket; lower even than tilapia and catfish. I generally avoid tilapia and catfish because they are often farmed (tilapia, almost always), and have a poor omega-6 to omega-3 ratio. Sardines are rich in omega-3, which they obtain from algae. They have approximately 14 times more omega-3 than omega-6 fatty acids. This is an excellent ratio, enough to make up for the poorer ratio of some other foods consumed on a day.

This link gives a nutritional breakdown of canned sardines; possibly wild, since they are listed as Pacific sardines. (Fish listed as Atlantic are often farm-raised.) The wild sardines that I buy and eat probably have a higher vitamin and mineral content that the ones the link refers to, including higher calcium content, because they are not canned or processed in any way. Two sardines should amount to a little more than 100 g; of which about 1.6 g will be the omega-3 content. This is a pretty good amount of omega-3, second only to a few other fish, like wild-caught salmon.

Below is a simple recipe. I used it to prepare the sardines shown on the photo above.

- Steam cook the sardines for 1 hour.
- Spread the steam cooked sardines on a sheet pan covered with aluminum foil; use light olive oil to prevent the sardines from sticking to the foil.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Season the steam cooked sardines to taste; I suggest using a small amount of salt, and some chili powder, garlic powder, cayenne pepper, and herbs.
- Bake the sardines for 30 minutes, turn the oven off, and leave them there for 1 hour.

The veggies on the plate are a mix of the following: sweet potato, carrot, celery, zucchini, asparagus, cabbage, and onion. I usually add spinach but I had none around today. They were cooked in a covered frying pan, with olive oil and a little bit of water, in low heat. The cabbage and onion pieces were added to the mix last, so that in the end they had the same consistency as the other veggies.

I do not clean, or gut, my sardines. Normally I just wash them in water, as they come from the supermarket, and immediately start cooking them. Also, I eat them whole, including the head and tail. Since they feed primarily on plant matter, and have a very small digestive tract, there is not much to be “cleaned” off of them anyway. In this sense, they are like smelts and other small fish.

For about a year now I have been eating them like that; and so have my family (wife and 4 kids), of their own volition. Other than some initial ew’s, nobody has ever had even a hint of a digestive problem as a result of eating the sardines like I do. Maybe the Kock family members share a common crocodile-like digestive system, but I think most people will do fine following the same approach. This is very likely the way most of our hominid ancestors ate small fish.

If you prepare the sardines as above, they will be ready to store, or eat somewhat cold. There are several variations of this recipe. For example, you can bake the sardines for 40 minutes, and then serve them hot.

You can also add the stored sardines later to a soup, lightly steam them in a frying pan (with a small amount of water), or sauté them for a meal. For the latter I would recommend using coconut oil and low heat. Butter can also be used, which will give the sardines a slightly different taste.

How long does it take for a food-related trait to evolve?

Often in discussions about Paleolithic nutrition, and books on the subject, we see speculations about how long it would take for a population to adapt to a particular type of food. Many speculations are way off mark; some think that even 10,000 years are not enough for evolution to take place.

This post addresses the question: How long does it take for a food-related trait to evolve?

We need a bit a Genetics 101 first, discussed below. For more details see, e.g., Hartl & Clark, 2007; and one of my favorites: Maynard Smith, 1998. Full references are provided at the end of this post.

New gene-induced traits, including traits that affect nutrition, appear in populations through a deceptively simple process. A new genetic mutation appears in the population, usually in one single individual, and one of two things happens: (a) the genetic mutation disappears from the population; or (b) the genetic mutation spreads in the population. Evolution is a term that is generally used to refer to a gene-induced trait spreading in a population.

Traits can evolve via two main processes. One is genetic drift, where neutral traits evolve by chance. This process dominates in very small populations (e.g., 50 individuals). The other is selection, where fitness-enhancing traits evolve by increasing the reproductive success of the individuals that possess them. Fitness, in this context, is measured as the number of surviving offspring (or grand-offspring) of an individual.

Yes, traits can evolve by chance, and often do so in small populations.

Say a group of 20 human ancestors became isolated for some reason; e.g., traveled to an island and got stranded there. Let us assume that the group had the common sense of including at least a few women in it; ideally more than men, because women are really the reproductive bottleneck of any population.

In a new generation one individual develops a sweet tooth, which is a neutral mutation because the island has no supermarket. Or, what would be more likely, one of the 20 individuals already had that mutation prior to reaching the island. (Genetic variability is usually high among any group of unrelated individuals, so divergent neutral mutations are usually present.)

By chance alone, that new trait may spread to the whole (larger now) population in 80 generations, or around 1,600 years; assuming a new generation emerging every 20 years. That whole population then grows even further, and gets somewhat mixed up with other groups in a larger population (they find a way out of the island). The descendants of the original island population all have a sweet tooth. That leads to increased diabetes among them, compared with other groups. They find out that the problem is genetic, and wonder how evolution could have made them like that.

The panel below shows the formulas for the calculation of the amount of time it takes for a trait to evolve to fixation in a population. It is taken from a set of slides I used in a presentation (PowerPoint file here). To evolve to fixation means to spread to all individuals in the population. The results of some simulations are also shown. For example, a trait that provides a minute selective advantage of 1% in a population of 10,000 individuals will possibly evolve to fixation in 1,981 generations, or 39,614 years. Not the millions of years often mentioned in discussions about evolution.

I say “possibly” above because traits can also disappear from a population by chance, and often do so at the early stages of evolution, even if they increase the reproductive success of the individuals that possess them. For example, a new beneficial metabolic mutation appears, but its host fatally falls off a cliff by accident, contracts an unrelated disease and dies etc., before leaving any descendant.

How come the fossil record suggests that evolution usually takes millions of years? The reason is that it usually takes a long time for new fitness-enhancing traits to appear in a population. Most genetic mutations are either neutral or detrimental, in terms of reproductive success. It also takes time for the right circumstances to come into place for genetic drift to happen – e.g., massive extinctions, leaving a few surviving members. Once the right elements are in place, evolution can happen fast.

So, what is the implication for traits that affect nutrition? Or, more specifically, can a population that starts consuming a particular type of food evolve to become adapted to it in a short period of time?

The answer is yes. And that adaptation can take a very short amount of time to happen, relatively speaking.

Let us assume that all members of an isolated population start on a particular diet, which is not the optimal diet for them. The exception is one single lucky individual that has a special genetic mutation, and for whom the diet is either optimal or quasi-optimal. Let us also assume that the mutation leads the individual and his or her descendants to have, on average, twice as many surviving children as other unrelated individuals. That translates into a selective advantage (s) of 100%. Finally, let us conservatively assume that the population is relatively large, with 10,000 individuals.

In this case, the mutation will spread to the entire population in approximately 396 years.

Descendants of individuals in that population (e.g., descendants of the Yanomamö) may posses the trait, even after some fair mixing with descendants of other populations, because a trait that goes into fixation has a good chance of being associated with dominant alleles. (Alleles are the different variants of the same gene.)

This Excel spreadsheet (link to a .xls file) is for those who want to play a bit with numbers, using the formulas above, and perhaps speculate about what they could have inherited from their not so distant ancestors. Download the file, and open it with Excel or a compatible spreadsheet system. The formulas are already there; change only the cells highlighted in yellow.

References:

Hartl, D.L., & Clark, A.G. (2007). Principles of population genetics. Sunderland, MA: Sinauer Associates.

Maynard Smith, J. (1998). Evolutionary genetics. New York, NY: Oxford University Press.