Battling High Cholesterol

It’s been awhile since my last post, hasn’t it?! I blame this lapse on organic chemistry – it is quite the challenge!

I was inspired to write this post because my friend told me he had found out he has high cholesterol levels. Cardiovascular diseases, including high cholesterol is common in my family, too and according to the American Heart Association, cardiovascular diseases are the biggest cause of death in the U.S., to which high cholesterol levels in the blood contribute (1). I myself had just a slightly elevated cholesterol level a few years ago, before I had become fully vegetarian. Now my cholesterol level is in great shape, not just because I am a vegetarian, but because overall I have improved my eating habits quite a bit since then.

Oatmeal a'la Herbivore: banana, cinnamon and non-dairy milk

Cholesterol is a substance that we need – it is an essential part of every cell in our bodies. Also, cholesterol is used by our bodies to make steroid hormones, which are necessary for many bodily functions and it is a part of bile, which helps fat absorption in the small intestine. However, our bodies are able to produce cholesterol and thus we don’t need to consume it in our diets. It is OK to eat some every day and the daily allowance recommended by many organizations, such as the American Heart Association, is 300mg per day, or as little as possible (2: 200-201).

All animal based foods contain cholesterol. Some of the biggest sources are eggs, shrimp and red meat – just one egg provides 200 mg of the daily recommendation of 300mg. Plant based foods don’t contain any cholesterol, and in fact they can help you lower your cholesterol levels (2: 200-201). Here is a quick list of some of the foods that can help control cholesterol levels.

1.       Soluble fiber. Oats, legumes, fruits and berries are great sources of soluble fiber. Soluble fiber binds bile (whose one ingredient is cholesterol) in the small intestine and prevents its reabsorption, thus helping to reduce cholesterol levels. A sudden increase in fiber might cause some gassiness and bloating, but our bodies are remarkable in that they get used to it very quickly and the gassiness and bloating tend to go away if the high fiber diet is maintained (2: 157). Check out my very first blog about oatmeal for tips how to make oatmeal delicious!

2.       Omega-3 fatty acids. They cannot be produced by the body. They increase the levels of “good cholesterol” (HDL’s), which carry excess cholesterol away from the tissues to the liver. Good sources are flax seed, walnuts, chia seeds and fatty fishes (2: 203). I put ground flax seed into my oatmeal, which is a very easy way for me to get my omega-3’s. 

3.       Prefer vegetable oils high in unsaturated fat. Polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats are abundant in most plant oils, but in animal fats saturated fats usually dominate. Poly- and especially monounsaturated fats help to increase HDL levels similar to omega-3’s. Canola oil and olive oil are excellent choices in the kitchen, but virtually all plant oils (except coconut and cocoa butter) are rich in good fats (2: 201-202). I often put avocado oil in my salad and if I make popcorn, I spray it with a small amount of canola oil. 

Thank you for reading! Hopefully my next post won’t take as long as this one did!

As always, comments and questions are highly appreciated.

Love,

Anna-Kaisa

References:

1.       American Heart Association http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/

2.       Byrd-Bredbenner, Carol. Moe, Gaile. Beshgetoor, Donna. Berning, Jacqueline. Introduction to Human Nutrition. The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. 2013. Print.

Universal Studios

Hi everyone! 

I hope you all had a wonderful and relaxing Christmas and New Year's!

 

This Christmas break my husband and I decided to pay a visit to Los Angeles. Where we really wanted to go was Hawaii or Japan, but the holiday pricing changed our minds. Fortunately there is a lot to see and do in LA, so it wasn’t really a bad choice in the end. Also, we have been meaning to visit Universal Studios for a while now, and this would be our chance to go.

Universal Studios was a nice place, the rides were awesome and the actual studios were very interesting to see and experience. It wasn't perhaps the best day to go, as the place was packed and anything you wanted to do required waiting, including eating. 

Eating proved to be the most challenging activity at Universal Studios as the food choices there were pretty poor. Being a vegetarian didn’t make things easier either, as almost every dish had meat in it. Thus, we had to resort to eating popcorn, churro, cheese pizza (horrendously greasy) and cinnabon. These items do give you energy in the form of calories, but close to zero nutrients, like vitamins and minerals. The little “restaurant” we had lunch in advertised that it offers salads – this was the reason we chose the place as we thought we could get something healthy to eat. Well, they had two salads (enough to advertise the salads in plural), one of which contained 90% pasta (not the kind of salad I was looking for) and the only other option was a Caesar salad, whose dressing contained anchovies and hence was non-vegetarian. Cheese pizza it was then. I couldn’t quite finish it, but I made an effort since one has to eat something, right? At that point we were starving and had to wait for almost a half an hour to order, so we didn’t really have it in us to go find something better either.

We were at the Studios for the whole day and thus having only a slice of cheese pizza and some popcorn was not enough to keep us going the whole day. We were trying to figure out a snack to have in the evening and as there wasn’t much variety in the options, we went for cinnabon, at least it is vegetarian. Wow – one cinnabon contains 800 calories! Two cinnabons would cover my daily calorie need in an instant! Our plan of buying two was quickly reduced to just one cinnamon roll.

Luckily Los Angeles is a very forward thinking city and we were able to find lots of healthy things to eat during the rest of our trip. We ate at three different vegan restaurants, each of which was superb. The food in these places tasted amazing and was usually organic and locally produced. The night after Universal Studios we had vegan carrot cake for dessert at one of these vegan eateries: I still had the cinnabon fresh in my memory and compared to that, the carrot cake was like a colored movie to a black-and-white film, I could really taste the difference.

I sincerely hope that Universal Studios will improve their food selection and add a stand or two that sell fresh fruit and items like Greek yoghurt, whole grain sandwiches and granola bars. Otherwise, if you plan to visit the place, be sure to pack plenty of healthy snacks! The problem seems to be that people allow themselves to eat badly that one day they go to Universal Studios and the Studios is simply satisfying the demand. Unfortunately, more people have to ask for healthier food before anything will change. But wouldn’t it be good for their image if they made the amusement park healthier, especially with all those kids hanging around? I dare say it would. What do you think?

Thanks for reading! 

 

Anna-Kaisa

PS.  Comments or questions are highly appreciated :)

Sugar replacers

As the holidays draw nearer, the consumption of sugar seems to increase without us even realizing it. Chocolate, in addition to other holiday treats, is associated with the Christmas time, and for many it is not real Christmas if there are no gingerbread cookies or peppermint candies. As I have mentioned before a couple of times, sugar really is not healthy for you –  processing the sugar we eat and at the same time keeping our systems in balance requires a lot of energy and nutrients (namely B vitamins) (1). It is hard to give up sugar completely, especially at this time of the year, so how is one supposed to decrease the intake of sugar?

One way is to try to replace the sugar with other sweet foods. However, I don’t mean artificial sweeteners, because to me, food is supposed to be natural, not artificial. According to Justin O’Brien, (Ph.D.), “[a]rtificial food products disturb the functioning of your metabolism”(1), which makes sense, as it seems that the body doesn’t know what to do with artificial substances, it doesn’t have enzymes to break them down. Thus instead of aspartame and the like, I recommend stevia as a sugar replacer, as stevia is extracted from a plant and is therefore not artificial and what is more, it may even contain medicinal properties (2).

When baking Christmas treats, instead of white sugar, one can try using raw sugar, maple syrup, molasses, apple sauce, banana and other less processed sugar-like sweeteners. You might get some nice additional flavor to the final product, too! You can find recipes of your old favorites that use alternative sweetening methods, or you can experiment yourself.

Lastly, stock up on fresh and dried fruit. Then, before reaching for the chocolate, you can have a cutie (or an apple or a pear...) to satisfy the sweet craving. The good thing is that the less you eat white sugar, the less you crave it too.

Here is a recipe for a blueberry breakfast cake that uses raw sugar instead of white sugar. It is from the cookbook Everyday Happy Herbivore by Lindsay S. Nixon (3). I used whole spelt flour instead of wheat and only raw sugar instead of raw and brown sugar (I bought mine from Safeway). I also used fresh blueberries, not wild frozen ones and I didn’t sprinkle the cake with additional sugar. It turned out really great!

2 cups whole wheat pastry flour

1 tsp cinnamon

½ tsp ground ginger

1 tsp baking powder

½ tsp baking soda

½ cup unsweetened applesauce

¼ cup light brown sugar

¼ cup raw sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup non-dairy milk

1 cup wild blueberries, frozen 

Preheat the oven to 350°F (175 °C). Grease a 9-inch bread pan or a 9-inch square shaped pan. Mix together flour, cinnamon, ginger, baking powder and baking soda. Add applesauce, sugar, vanilla extract and non-dairy milk, mix lightly. Some extra non-dairy milk can be added if needed. Add blueberries, mixing them in gently. Pour the dough into the pan and sprinkle with some sugar (optional). Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.

Enjoy!

Love,

Anna-Kaisa

References:

     1.      O’Brien, Justin Ph.D. The Wellness Tree. Saint Paul, MN: Yes International Publishers, 2008. Print.

     2.      Goyal SK, Samsher, Goyal RK. “Stevia (Stevia rebaudiana) a bio-sweetener: a review”. Pubmed.gov. Feb 2010. Web. 12/16/2013

     3.      Nixon, Lindsay S. Everyday Happy Herbivore. Dallas, TX: BenBella Books Inc. 2011. Print.

Meatless October

Hi all,

happy October!

October is special this year: in Finland the month of October has been dedicated to vegetarianism. The hosts from the TV-show "Docventures" have challenged everyone in Finland to decrease or stop eating meat for this month. This came to be because one of the hosts, who is known to be very fond of meat, was himself challenged to go vegetarian in October by a guest in the show.

A Facebook event was created and I was also invited to join it. I already am a vegetarian, so my joining the event is a bit on the cheating side. As of today, out of the 120,000 people who received an invite almost 30,000 people have said they would join it, which I think is a very nice number for such a strongly meat-eating country. (Facebook page for meatless October https://www.facebook.com/events/516481648435327/)

I am very happy about this. Many people will be eating more healthily than they probably have been so far; however, I find that the open-mindedness people are showing when they agree to try this is even more impressive. Other benefits from trying to go vegetarian for awhile include acquiring a broader palate and finding new and delicious recipes that can be used also in the future.

I predict that there will be an overall increase in the consumption of vegetables, fruit and fiber and a decrease in the intake of cholesterol and saturated fat in Finland. I hope that restaurants there will recognize this as an opportunity to add more variety and creativity to their menus and add a couple of vegetarian options for those that are going vegetarian this month. It would also make it easier for these people to stay vegetarian when going out for lunch or dinner.

My tips for going vegetarian:
- make what you used to but instead of meat, use fake meat (such as meatless meatballs), if available (in California this is not a problem)
- cook with tofu, beans, lentils or cheese
- try out new recipes boldly, the internet has tons and tons of great recipes
- don't worry about getting enough protein: dairy, eggs, soy, beans, lentils, nuts and even grains have plenty of protein, it is very hard to not get enough to cover daily needs
- consult your friends and relatives and share your experiences with others that are trying vegetarianism out too

If you decide to try going vegetarian for any period of time, let me know how it goes. I would love to hear your experiences and if you have found nice recipes, please share them!

Good luck! It is not as hard as it seems!

Wishing you a great fall,

Anna-Kaisa

Here is a link to the Docventures Internet site (unfortunately it is in Finnish only)
http://yle.fi/aihe/artikkeli/2013/10/01/lihaton-lokakuu-alkoi-mita-nyt-syodaan

Fighting cancer before it happens: antiangiogenetic foods

The first time I heard about foods that inhibit the formation of new blood vessels was during an anatomy class when we were discussing cancer. These foods are very beneficial to cancer prevention, because if a tumor forms in the body, it can´t grow and become cancerous without blood supply. 

This is how angiogenesis i.e. the growth of new blood vessels works (in short): a tumor is able to send a message to our bodies so that it starts growing new blood vessels toward the tumor to bring oxygen and nutrients to it. If blood vessels aren´t able to connect the tumor to the blood supply, the tumor won´t be able to develop into a malignant cancer. Also, if there are no blood vessels to connect the tumor to the blood supply, it won´t be able to send cancer cells to other body tissues, either. (1)

Dr. William Li states that it is possible that we develop tiny cancers in our bodies all the time, but because they are unable to grow without blood supply, they rarely become malignant. (1) For this reason eating antiangiogenic foods is important.

 

Lingonberries

There is a long list of foods that have been found to contain substances that inhibit blood vessel growth. These include all kinds of berries, citrus fruit, tomato, olive oil and dark chocolate, to name a few (2). A full list can be found at http://www.standup2cancer.org/article_archive/view/foods_that_fight_cancer. 

Another excellent reason to eat plenty of fruit and vegetables!

More information about angiogenesis is available on The Angiogenesis Foundation’s Internet site at www.angio.org.

 

Thank you for reading!

Anna-Kaisa

References

1. Dr. William Li. "Eat to Defeat Cancer... Every Day". Eat to Defeat Cancer. 4 Nov. 2011. Web.  13 Aug. 2013 <http://www.eattodefeatcancer.org/ >

2. Cat Vasco. "Foods that Fight Cancer". Stand Up To Cancer. Web. 13 Aug. 2013 <http://www.standup2cancer.org/article_archive/view/foods_that_fight_cancer >

Finnish food

Finnish food is known for its mild flavors. Very often only salt and pepper are used to spice the food, because Finnish people like pure flavors and do not wish to change the taste of the ingredients with strong spices. The Finns also appreciate local foods and I am glad to have noticed that the foods in the supermarkets in general are becoming more healthy: there are numerous products that contain less added sugar or salt, more fiber or no additives.

Rye bread

Often the first thing I want to have when I visit Finland is rye bread. The best kind is the organic sourdough rye bread made in a small village near my hometown. The ingredients are simple: organic whole rye flour, water and sea salt. When it is fresh, it is the best thing: it tastes amazing and it is very healthy. I like to eat it with a buttery spread only, but sometimes I add cheese and cucumber. Other breads are very good as well, there are many excellent rye and whole grain breads, white bread is not very popular. Sugar is added less often than in the U.S., which I find important both taste-wise and health-wise.

The variety of dairy products is marvelous. In addition to good milk, buttermilk, yogurt and cheese, there are very nice dairy snacks. I don’t even know what some of them are called in English! They make full fat, low-fat and fat-free anything made from milk. There is also a cheese of which milk fat is mostly replaced by a more healthy kind of oil, such as olive oil. One item that I wish would find its way into the U.S. is a cream that is used in cooking and is not as heavy as heavy cream but has a more creamy texture than half-and-half.  There are also different flavors, such as three-cheese cream. The Finns use all kinds in sauces and soups, my mom for instance uses it to make excellent chantarelle or winter mushroom soup.

The Finns like to eat hot cereals and so there are a good variety of different kinds. In addition to oatmeal, the Finns love also cream of wheat, rye porridge and rice porridge to name a few. There are many kinds of healthy muesli and cold cereal that taste very nice with milk or yogurt.

Even though there are many great food products in Finland, finding nice vegetarian friendly restaurants has been more challenging than in the States or in Bulgaria. Each restaurant does offer one or two vegetarian choices, but they are usually pasta, risotto or pizza. Other than a goat cheese salad, the veggie food is often unimaginative and unhealthy. This is not surprising, however, because traditionally meat has been the most important ingredient in Finnish cooking. Thus, eating out is nice for the meat eaters, but usually not very exciting for the vegetarians. The snacks in the cafés and the like are delicious, especially if the choice is some sweet pastry, but unfortunately these pastries are not very healthy (though this is common everywhere).

Chantarelle mushrooms

The best thing about Finland and its food, however, is what you can find in the forest and what you can pick for free even on someone else’s land. There are guaranteed organic blueberries, lingonberries, wild raspberries and many kinds of mushrooms up for grabs. According to a magazine I read lately, only about 1% of all the mushrooms are picked! What is more, picking berries and mushrooms is nice and relaxing exercise and it also calms the mind effectively. Fishing is also very popular in Finland, there are thousands of lakes after all!

In all, if you visit Finland, try the sweet pastries, dairy products and rye bread and get someone to take you into the forest to pick some berries or mushrooms. If you are an omnivore, there are many traditional and delicious meat and fish dishes as well.

See you next time,

Anna-Kaisa