The pandemic upended how we eat and where we eat. Those changes are still shaking out. - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
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Monday, August 2, 2021
The pandemic upended how we eat and where we eat. Those changes are still shaking out. - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
The pandemic upended how we eat and where we eat. Those changes are still shaking out. - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
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Why Migraine Sufferers May Want to Eat More Fish - The New York Times
A diet high in omega-3s, the fats found in fish, and low in omega-6s, found in many vegetable oils, led to fewer headaches.
For most of her life, Tanya Kamka suffered migraine headaches on a weekly basis.
The headaches would usually come on gradually and then build, causing excruciating pain and pressure behind her left eye that would culminate in her vomiting or visiting the emergency room. The ordeal would often leave her feeling weak and exhausted for days afterward.
“Anytime I had a migraine I’d be wiped out for three or four days,” said Ms. Kamka, 58, a post office clerk who lives near Fort Bragg, N.C. “I missed a lot of work because of migraines.”
But a few years ago, Ms. Kamka and 181 other people who routinely experience migraine headaches joined a clinical trial, sponsored by the National Institutes of Health, which was designed to test whether a special diet could alleviate their frequent headaches. The diet that Ms. Kamka was assigned to follow emphasized foods that contain large amounts of omega-3 fatty acids, the oils found in some fish, while limiting foods that are rich sources of omega-6 fatty acids, such as many vegetable oils.
Omega-3s and omega-6s are both considered essential fatty acids — critical for health, and because our bodies can’t make them, they must be obtained from foods. Historically humans consumed roughly equivalent amounts of both fatty acids. But the typical American diet today tends to contain a much larger proportion of omega-6 fats. Some health authorities see this as a good thing: Vegetable oils and other rich sources of omega-6 fats have been found in many studies to be beneficial for cardiovascular health. But others argue that this could be problematic because omega-6 fats have been shown to promote pain and inflammation, while omega-3 fats tend to have the opposite effect in studies, helping to reduce pain and inflammation.
The authors of the new study wanted to know: Could a diet that boosts omega-3 fats while lowering omega-6 fats make life easier for people burdened by frequent migraine headaches?
For Ms. Kamka, the benefits of a change in diet were striking: After a few months of increasing her fish intake and avoiding many common vegetable oils, she noticed that her headaches had all but disappeared. Other people on the new diet also reported fewer headaches. Although the trial ended after 16 weeks, Ms. Kamka has remained on it ever since. Gone are the days when she ate foods like fried chicken, French fries and potato chips that were cooked in vegetables oils rich in omega-6 fats. She now makes a point of eating foods like cod, tuna, sardines, spinach salads, hummus and avocados, and she cooks with olive oil instead of corn, soybean and canola oils.
“I haven’t had a migraine, not even a mild one, in over two years,” she said. “Going from having one a week to not having any was just amazing to me.”
Migraine headaches are one of the most common causes of chronic pain, affecting about 12 percent of all Americans, most of them women. For many people, the condition can be debilitating, causing intense pain, nausea and other symptoms and sharply increasing the likelihood of developing depression and anxiety. Studies have found that migraine attacks can take a toll on workplace productivity, too, causing people to lose, on average, about four work days per year.
But the new study provides evidence that the right diet could provide relief to some people who experience frequent migraine attacks, helping them reduce the number and severity of their headaches. Similar studies are underway to assess whether dietary changes could help ease other kinds of painful chronic ailments, such as low back pain.
Dr. Christopher E. Ramsden, the lead author of the study, said the findings suggest that dietary changes could be a useful complement to existing treatments for chronic pain. “Many people with chronic pain continue to suffer despite taking medication,” said Dr. Ramsden, a clinical investigator in the National Institute on Aging Intramural Research Program. “I think this is something that could be integrated with other treatments to enhance their quality of life and reduce their pain.”
For the new trial, published in the BMJ in July, participants were randomly split into three groups and followed for 16 weeks. One group, which included Ms. Kamka, followed a diet that was high in omega-3 fats and relatively low in omega-6 fats: They ate plenty of foods like wild salmon, albacore tuna and trout, while trying to minimize rich sources of omega-6 fats such as corn, soybean and canola oils. To make it easier to follow the diet, all of the subjects were given meals, snacks and recipes prepared by a dietitian throughout the course of the study.
Vegetable oils high in omega-6s are abundant in the American diet. They are often used for cooking and found in many packaged foods and restaurant meals. To see whether reducing these fats could have an impact on migraine headaches, the researchers had a second group of people add more fish and other rich sources of omega-3s to their diets without decreasing their intake of omega-6s. A third group of people, serving as controls, consumed typical amounts of both types of fats.
At the start of the study, the participants experienced, on average, about 16 “headache days” per month. But after 16 weeks, the group that had increased their fish intake and avoided vegetable oils had an average of four fewer “headache days” each month compared to the control group, as well as a 30 to 40 percent reduction in “headache hours” each day. The group that increased their omega-3 intake without reducing their omega-6 consumption benefited as well, though they had a smaller improvement of two fewer days without headaches each month. Both of these groups reported shorter and less severe headaches than people in the control group. They also used fewer pain relievers like acetaminophen.
The researchers also noticed differences in important blood biomarkers. The two groups that increased their fish intake had greater levels of compounds known as oxylipins, which are involved in soothing pain. They had particularly high levels of 17-HDHA, an oxylipin that in other studies has been shown to reduce pain in people with arthritis.
Dr. Rebecca Burch, a neurologist who was not involved in the new study, said that the findings were striking. She wrote an editorial in the BMJ pointing out that recently approved migraine medications have been shown in studies to produce two to two and a half fewer “headache days” per month compared to placebo, which is less than the four-day reduction caused by the high omega-3, low omega-6 diet.
“Four days per month really outperforms anything we’ve seen from a pharmacological preventive,” said Dr. Burch, a headache medicine specialist at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and an assistant professor of neurology at Harvard Medical School.
Dr. Burch said that people who struggle with migraine headaches are often motivated to follow restrictive diets to try to find some relief for their condition. But until now there has not been much evidence that any particular diet works. “This is the first time that we’ve had a robust, solid diet that we can recommend to patients,” she added.
For people who want to try the diet on their own, the researchers said that the simplest way to increase omega-3 intake is to eat more fatty fish, such as sardines, anchovies, mackerel, salmon, albacore tuna and trout. Some of the best and most affordable options are canned and pouched fish. For vegetarians, good plant sources of omega-3 fats are ground flaxseeds, chia seeds and walnuts.
Another important component of the diet is avoiding fried, processed and fast foods, which are typically made with oils that are low in omega-3s and high in omega-6s. Beth MacIntosh, a co-author of the new study, said that extra virgin olive oil, avocado oil, macadamia oil, coconut oil and butter tend to contain low amounts of omega-6 fats.
You can use these oils to cook meals or to make your own snack foods, like popcorn, hummus and granola. The researchers also encouraged people in the study to eat at least five servings of fruits and vegetables per day.
“Fruits and vegetables are naturally low in omega-6 fatty acids — and they’re just healthy,” said Ms. MacIntosh, the clinical nutrition manager of the Metabolic & Nutrition Research Core at UNC Health in Chapel Hill.
Why Migraine Sufferers May Want to Eat More Fish - The New York Times
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How to eat — yes, eat — cicadas - The Gazette
University of Maryland entomologist Paula Shrewsbury reaches for a cookie topped with a cicada nymph. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
Annual cicadas — incredibly loud green or black bugs that buzz and hum — emerge in Eastern Iowa every summer.
Sometimes, they’re accompanied by periodical cicadas. Those insects hang out underground for 13 or 17 years before crawling out of the ground, making a ton of noise, mating and dying.
Iowa’s biggest brood will next show up in 2031, but in other parts of the United States billions of cicadas, part of Brood X, emerged this year.
A cicada peers over a ledge in Chapel Hill, N.C., on May 11, 2011. (AP Photo/Gerry Broome, File)
When those special broods of cicadas appear, some people see a rare opportunity — to catch a tasty snack. Here are a few ways people have enjoyed eating cicadas:
1. In ice cream
The cicadas in mid-Missouri emerge every 13 years. The last time they showed up, in 2011, many got mixed into a special batch of ice cream.
The cicada ice cream at Sparky’s Homemade Ice Cream in Columbia, Missouri, was so popular that it sold out before it officially debuted. According to the Columbia Missourian, the shop was going to make another batch, but health officials advised against it.
Still, ice cream lovers hungry for the new flavor were promised another batch — in 2024, the next time the brood will return.
2. Breaded and fried
Fried cicadas are best as a snack or on top of a salad, according to a Washington Post recipe for homemade spicy popcorn cicadas.
Similar to popcorn shrimp — a genetic cousin of the cicada — this crispy snack is made with cicada nymphs. Nymphs are like teenage cicadas, having just crawled out of the ground but still soft and wingless.
The recipe calls for Worcestershire sauce, paprika, cayenne, garlic and onion — and the Post promises this covers most of the buggy flavor.
3. On a pizza
"From a distance this pie looks delightful,“ an Ohio pizza joint posted on Facebook in June. ”But once you get closer you realize those are no raisins …“
The Spicy Thai Cicada Pie was topped with sriracha, mozzarella, mushrooms, mango, spicy sauce and, of course, sauteed cicadas. According to the Cincinnati Enquirer, one taste-tester said it was pretty good, aside from the “goo and the crunch.”
The Pizza Bandit in Dayton, Ohio, even decorated the pizza crust with cicada wings.
How to eat — yes, eat — cicadas - The Gazette
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Popular Foods With More Vitamin A Than Carrots | Eat This Not That - Eat This, Not That
It's funny how certain foods get pegged almost inseparably to certain nutrients. When you think of foods with vitamin C, oranges likely come to mind. For a boost of potassium, most of us reach for a banana. And if asked to name a food high in vitamin A, we'd bet you'd say carrots.
Vitamin A is essential for good health. As you may know, getting enough of this nutrient promotes healthy vision (hence all the buzz about eating carrots for eagle eyes). It also plays a major role in supporting your immune and reproductive systems.
Carrots are, of course, an excellent source of vitamin A. Half a cup of the raw veggies contains a sizable 510 micrograms. That's 57% of the recommended daily allowance (RDA) for men and 73% for women.
But as vitamin A-rich as carrots are, they don't own the market for this important nutrient. Several other healthy, whole foods actually contain more vitamin A than these crunchy orange veggies. Here's a look at the surprising variety of foods to choose from. Then, don't miss our list of The 7 Healthiest Foods to Eat Right Now.
Organ meats might not be the most popular option at the butcher counter, but don't pass them by! Beef liver is the ultimate vitamin A powerhouse, with 8,020 micrograms in a 3-ounce serving. That's a staggering 891% of the RDA for men and 1,457% for women. Lamb liver and liver sausage also offer off-the-charts levels of vitamin A.
As a dietary supplement, cod liver oil offers several benefits. It's loaded with heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids and immune-boosting vitamin D. It's also an amazing source of vitamin A at 4,080 micrograms per tablespoon.
Baked sweet potatoes are a simple-but-delicious side dish for just about any meal. And with 1,100 micrograms of vitamin A per cup, they definitely outdo raw carrots. Just be sure to eat the skin to get the full measure of vitamin A from these starchy tubers.
Related: Here are the One Major Effect of Eating Sweet Potatoes, Says Dietitian.
Pumpkin muffins, pumpkin smoothies, pumpkin pies—there's no end to the tasty ways you can use pumpkin puree. (Check out our list of 20 creative things to do with it!) As you enjoy this fall favorite, you'll also soak up plenty of vitamin A. Each cup contains 706 micrograms.
Picking up on the orange vibes? Beta-carotene, the plant form of vitamin A, gives many veggies their signature reddish-yellow color—and butternut squash is no exception! In one cup of cooked cubes, you'll get 1,140 micrograms of vitamin A.
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Popular Foods With More Vitamin A Than Carrots | Eat This Not That - Eat This, Not That
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If You're Over 65, Never Eat These 4 Foods, CDC Warns - Best Life
As you get older, you might find yourself worrying less about what you eat. Changing your eatings habits after so many years can feel like an unnecessary burden, and you might also believe it's too late to affect your health in any major way. But with our aging bodies at higher risk for certain illnesses and and infections, it may actually be even more important to watch what you eat as you get older. In fact, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says there are four types of foods people 65 and older should not be eating at all. Read on to find out what foods you may want to avoid.
RELATED: If You're Over 65, Never Drink This While Eating, New Study Says.
Anyone can get food poisoning, especially if they come in contact with the four major foodborne germs: Salmonella, Campylobacter, Listeria, and E. coli. But according to the CDC, people 65 and older are more likely to get sick with food poisoning and have a more serious illness. "Older adults have a higher risk because as people age, their immune systems and organs don't recognize and get rid of harmful germs as well as they once did," the CDC explains.
According to the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS), older adults have gastrointestinal tracts that hold onto food for a longer period of time, allowing bacteria to grow; livers and kidneys that have a harder time properly getting rid of foreign bacteria; and stomachs that may not produce enough acid to reduce the amount of bacteria in their intestinal tracts.
If you are more likely to get severe illness from food poisoning, the CDC says there are certain foods you should not eat. People 65 and older should avoid eating undercooked or raw food from animals, like beef, pork, chicken, turkey, eggs, or seafood, as well as raw or lightly cooked sprouts. They should also not eat or drink unpasteurized milk products and juices, or eat soft cheeses, like queso fresco, unless there is a label stating that it has been made with pasteurized milk. The CDC notes that children younger than 5, immunocompromised individuals, and pregnant people should also avoid these foods, as they, too, have a higher risk of severe food poisoning.
RELATED: For more health advice delivered straight to your inbox, sign up for our daily newsletter.
Normal symptoms of food poisoning typically include diarrhea, vomiting, upset stomach, or nausea. But if you fall into one of the more at-risk groups, you should be on the lookout for signs of severe food poisoning. According to the CDC, this includes diarrhea and a fever higher than 102 degrees Fahrenheit, diarrhea that lasts for more than three days and is not improving, bloody diarrhea, extreme vomiting that prevents you from keeping liquids down, and dehydration. The agency says you should immediately contact your healthcare provider if you experience any of these issues.
Every year, 48 million people in the U.S. get sick with a foodborne illness, according to the CDC. Of those, 128,000 are hospitalized and 3,000 die as a result. Older adults are more at risk for these serious outcomes. According to the CDC, nearly half of people 65 and older who get food poisoning from one of the four major foodborne germs end up being hospitalized. One of the main germs putting older adults at risk is Listeria, which is the third leading cause of death from food poisoning in the U.S. The CDC says more than half of all Listeria infections occur in people 65 and older, with the bacteria often contaminating foods like deli meats, cheese, and sprouts.
RELATED: Walking Exactly This Much a Week Adds Years to Your Life, Study Says.
If You're Over 65, Never Eat These 4 Foods, CDC Warns - Best Life
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Eat & Run: Great Wave Sushi adds flare to raw fish - Press Herald
Sushi chef Alex Herzog’s tagline for his Great Wave sushi cart is as follows: “A union of traditional sushi with a modern flare diligently prepared to order by a true sushi aficionado.” Based on my recent order from the cart, parked inside Austin Street Brewery in Portland’s so-called Yeast Bayside district, I’d say emphasis on the “modern flare” part.
Where traditional sushi is restrained, almost austere and clean-tasting, Herzog’s more American approach is big and exuberant, with spice, hefty dollops of wasabi, “tempura crunchies,” sliced jalapeno, squeeze bottles with a slew of sauces to squiggle, and menu items like Sushi Burgers, Sushi Tartare Towers, Poke Nachos and Spicy Tuna Crispys. It’s a fun, party-in-your-mouth style of sushi, which suits its brewery setting.
If there were any sushi purists protesting, I did not see them. Instead, on a Friday in July at about 1 p.m., a line of expectant sushi eaters waited patiently to order. Herzog is a one-man show. He’s making the sushi – deftly and quickly – and taking and dispensing the orders solo. My partner and I had to get back to work, so we were anxious about the 30-minute wait (longer than the 15-20 minutes Herzog told us to expect; you cannot order ahead online), but as far as we could tell, other customers cheerfully returned to their tables on the patio, gulping their Patina pale ales and Offset IPAs, socializing with friends and periodically checking in with Herzog on the status of their orders.
Great Wave Sushi Spicy Tuna Rice Bowl. Photo by Peggy Grodinsky
Inside, the casual, giant, sunlight- and plant-filled industrial space was a nice spot for waiting, and you can watch Herzog at work, efficiently plucking rice from a large model rice cooker and quickly rolling, stuffing, slicing and arranging/composing sushi pieces.
Herzog, a big guy in a Great Wave T-shirt and baseball cap, grew up in Portland and launched his cart in the winter. He told us he’d become interested in sushi in college, where he had a Korean roommate. According to his website, he’s a graduate of the California Sushi Academy and worked at a number of Japanese spots in Los Angeles before returning to his hometown. In Portland, Herzog worked at Yosaku, whose owner, Takahiro Sato, took the young man on a several-week culinary trip to Japan, where Herzog further studied soba and sushi-making. He spoke about the trip with great enthusiasm (and about his new baby with even greater enthusiasm). Maybe most amazing, as many restaurants struggle to find help, he told us he has lots of people asking to work for him.
Great Wave Sushi Vegetable Futomaki Roll. Photo by Peggy Grodinsky
We ordered the Vegetable Futomaki Roll ($10) to go, as well as the generously portioned Spicy Tuna Rice Bowl ($17), a special of the day (maybe Herzog should rename it chirashi sushi? That’s a bowl of rice with toppings, Japanese style). Arranged over the bowl, or really a square plastic container of rice, were crab, lots of sliced avocado, cucumber, those crunchies, eel sauce, spicy Kewpie mayonnaise, wasabi and a scattering of black sesame seeds. The dish came with a pile of pickled pink ginger and an envelop of Kikkoman soy sauce (points for that; Kikkoman sauce is aged for several months, unlike many chemically produced soy sauce packets from takeout restaurants). Our vegetable roll, cut into nine neat slices, was filled with crisp lettuce, more avocado and more crunchy bits.
Together, they made a cooling and surprisingly filling lunch on a hot afternoon.
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Eat & Run: Great Wave Sushi adds flare to raw fish - Press Herald
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Let them eat trash: Yoon slammed for 'substandard food' remark - The Korea Herald
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Let them eat trash: Yoon slammed for 'substandard food' remark The Korea HeraldLet them eat trash: Yoon slammed for 'substandard food' remark - The Korea Herald
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