Come dine with me

Hosting a dinner party should, in theory, be one of the simplest things in the world - a few close friends or well-liked relatives, with some food and drinks thrown into the mix. Yet just the thought of entertaining evokes stage fright in many of us.

But if you follow a few simple rules, you can have some fun and entertain memorably:

KEEP IT SIMPLE

Avoid intricate menus as they rarely work. If you're challenging yourself with one course - a magnificent entree or a gorgeous dessert - keep the other courses simple.

How many courses do you want to serve? A three-course meal is usual for a dinner, but if you are clever no one need know that you've bought in the salad or pudding.

Don't bore the tastebuds by using the same ingredients in more than one course. And it's best to test new recipes on your forgiving family first.


KEEP IT MANAGEABLE

Don't invite more people than you can comfortably manage. If you're planning a sit-down dinner, the number will depend on how many can be seated at your dining room table - and on your budget.

Find out if guests will be bringing children and, if possible, set a children's table and serve them familiar foods.

Alternatively, have a buffet or an informal finger supper.


PLAN WELL

In terms of food and drink, err on the side of generosity: there is nothing worse than running out of either.

Draw up a shopping list and get the supplies in advance of the day. Remember to get enough ice at the bottle store when picking up the drinks.


DIETARY DISLIKES

Consider your guests' special dietary requirements. Serving meat and potatoes won't wash with vegetarians, nor will pork with Muslims. Some people are allergic to seafood, and others to dairy. It's thoughtful to send an SMS asking your guests, "Do you eat prawn curry?"


DRINKS

Clearly, your budget will determine what drinks you serve, but don't go too cheap and cheerful. South African wines generally provide excellent value.

Forget about finding the perfect pairing of food and wine: that's a job best left to a sommelier. If you're not an expert, here are a few guidelines: Rich food will respond well to a crisp, acidic wine; big spicy stews are best served with big, spicy wines; rare roast beef or lamb go well with a Bordeaux blend; pork with a young, fruity red wine; and roast chicken with chardonnay.

It's best to have both red and white wine on offer, as guests may prefer one over the other whatever the course.

Always serve drinks at the correct temperature - beer must be cold, red wines slightly chilled in summer, champagne must be on ice and white wine must be in the fridge.

Provide soft drinks for those who've had enough, are driving, or are teetotallers.

Ensure bounty - you don't want to run out.


PREPARE, PREPARE

The day before make sure you tidy the house (toilet paper in the guest loo?), arrange any flowers and decide on your music playlist. Set the table the night before so you are free for food preparation the next day.


CREATE A MOOD

Dress up a room or just the table to set the mood by using lighting, candles, colour, scents, textures and prints. Find some seasonal inspiration by incorporating spices, fruit, leaves, etc in your decor.

The right music is the glue that holds it all together.

A wonderful way of creating atmosphere is by throwing a themed party. This may determine the menu and the music.


FINALLY - RELAX

Try not to get into a spin. Nothing unsettles guests more than a frantic host who never gets a chance to sit down with them.

Entertaining should be fun for you and your guests.

• This article was originally published on page 14 of The Star on April 15, 2010

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Chocolate good for you, as long as it's dark

Paris - Easter eggs and other chocolate may be good for the heart and lower blood pressure, provide you eat a tiny amount each day and prefer dark rather than milk or white chocolate, a medical journal reported.

Nutritionists in Germany monitored 19 357 adults aged between 35 and 65 for at least a decade, comparing episodes of ill health with their lifestyle.

Those who tucked into the most chocolate (7.5 grammes on average per day, or about one square of a 100g bar) had lower blood pressure and a reduction of 39 percent in the risk of a heart attack or stroke compared with counterparts who ate the least (1.7g).

"To put it in terms of absolute risk, if people in the group eating the least amount of chocolate... increased their chocolate intake by six grammes a day, 85 fewer heart attacks and strokes per 10 000 people could be expected to occur over a period of about 10 years," said lead researcher Brian Buijsse of the German Institute of Human Nutrition.

The paper, published online in the European Heart Journal, says further work is needed to explain why chocolate appears to help the heart.

Previous research has suggested that the answer may lie in complex molecules called flavanols, which recruit the gas nitric oxide to the cells that line the inner walls of blood vessels. Nitric oxide causes smooth muscles to relax, which may lower blood pressure.

Flavanols are found in cocoa - and as there is more cocoa in dark chocolate, this could explain why milk chocolate or white chocolate were found to be less effective, says the paper.

The experts warn anyone tempted to gorge on chocolate as a result of these findings.

For one thing, a 100g slab of dark chocolate contains roughly 500 calories, so you would have to subtract this figure from your daily food intake - or do exercise to burn it up - to avoid weight gain.

"Small amounts of chocolate may help to prevent heart disease, but only if it replaces other energy-dense food, such as snacks, in order to keep body weight stable," said Buijsse. - Sapa-AFP



Source : http://www.iol.co.za

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Milking a trend

Coconut milk used to be something that came in a can and was good to have on hand for making pina coladas or Thai curries. These days, coconut milk can also be found in cartons in the milk aisle and in pints in the ice cream section - and as yoghurt, coffee creamer and even the cultured milk beverage kefir.

Some consumers are turning to coconut-milk products because they're eager for a new dairy alternative, but others are switching to them in the belief that they promote weight loss.

Consumers should be aware that the evidence in support of such claims is very slim - and that coconut milk in any form is high in saturated fat, says Ruth Frechman, a spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association.

In the 1980s, coconut products, especially the coconut oil once widely used in processed foods, acquired a bad reputation for being high in heart-harming saturated fat.

And with reason. Traditional coconut milk - the kind that comes in a can - has a somewhat astounding 550 calories per cup and provides more than 250 percent of the daily recommended limit for saturated-fat intake, according to the US Department of Agriculture.

Many of the newer coconut-milk beverages have a far better nutritional profile, however. The "So Delicious" unsweetened coconut milk beverage, for example, contains 50 calories per cup and provides 25 percent of the daily recommended limit for saturated fat. But not all saturated fat is the same. The labels of "So Delicious" declare that the drink is rich in fats called MCFAs.

MCFAs, or medium-chain fatty acids, are a type of saturated fat - found in coconut milk - consisting of eight-to-10 carbon atoms strung together in a row. Long-chain fatty acids, or LCFAs, contain 12 or more carbon atoms in a row and are more prevalent in meat and dairy products.

A few decades ago, animal studies demonstrated that LCFAs were more likely to end up as fat deposits in the body compared with MCFAs, which were quickly metabolised by the liver.

Subsequent studies showed that animals fed a greater proportion of MCFAs gained less weight than animals eating more LCFAs.

In the 1990s, researchers began looking at the effects of MCFA consumption in humans.

Two studies, one conducted in Italy and one in Switzerland, showed that men who ate meals that contained about 30g of MCFAs (in place of LCFAs) had a roughly five percent higher metabolic rate compared with those who ate LCFAs. But the two studies were small, involving just eight and 12 men, respectively, and measured changes in the men's metabolism after only a single meal.

More recently, researchers at McGill University in Canada examined the effects of consuming MCFAs for longer periods of time. In one study, published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition in 1999, 12 women ate meals enriched with either MCFAs from butter and coconut oil or LCFAs from beef fat. After 14 days, the women who ate the MCFA oil were burning 0.14 more kilojoules a minute than the women who had eaten LCFA oil.

But it's not clear that this higher metabolic rate translates into weight loss. In 2003, the McGill researchers published findings from a similar study in the International Journal of Obesity; the women who ate the MCFA-fortified meal (this time for two 27-day periods) burned slightly more calories than women who ate LCFAs, but they didn't shed any more pounds.

There was actually a very small difference in weight loss between the two groups, but it was too small to be considered statistically significant; researchers surmised that the similar weight loss between the two groups may have been due in part to the women in the study incorrectly reporting what they ate.

Other research has reported weight loss, however. In a study of 40 men and women who ate meals containing either LCFA oil or a proprietary blend of MCFA oil while in a weight loss programme for 16 weeks, those who ate the MCFA oil lost an average of just over 3kg, whereas those who ate the LCFA oil lost 1.5kg.

The study was published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition in 2008.

But even if such research suggests that MCFAs, like those found in coconut milk, might help speed up metabolism and help promote weight loss, there's still no proof that they're any healthier for the heart than other forms of saturated fat.

A 2004 study of 17 men published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that total cholesterol levels were 11 percent higher in those who ate a diet containing MCFAs compared with those who ate a diet containing sunflower oil, which is rich in unsaturated fats.

The level of LDL, so-called bad cholesterol, was 12 percent higher in the men who ate MCFAs.

The bottom line: MCFAs' unproven potential to speed up metabolism doesn't make coconut milk products health foods - at least not until researchers confirm their effects on weight and put to bed concerns about their effects on LDL cholesterol levels.

"Every study on the subject links saturated fats, regardless of how short or long chain they are, with heart disease," says Dr Karol Watson, a professor of cardiology at UCLA Medical Centre.

When it comes to fats, she says, "saturated is saturated." - LA Times

• This article was originally published on page 8 of The Sunday Tribune on March 28, 2010

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Junk food rewires the brain - study

New York - People who binge on fatty sausages, French fries and hamburgers can become as dependent on junk food as a junkie is on drugs, according to a report released by US researchers.

The new study, appearing in the magazine Nature Neuroscience, offers detailed evidence to support previous claims about food addiction.

Scientists from the California-based Scripps Research Institute showed how rat brains changed when they had easy access to high- calorie, high-fat food. The study showed a deterioration in the chemical balance in the circuits of the brain wired for reward.

The study "presents the most thorough and compelling evidence that drug addiction and obesity are based on the same underlying neurobiological mechanisms," said Scripps research associate professor Paul Kenny.

"In the study, the animals completely lost control over their eating behaviour, the primary hallmark of addiction. They continued to overeat even when they anticipated receiving electric shocks, highlighting just how motivated they were to consume the palatable food," Kenny said.

As the so-called pleasures centres of the brain deteriorate and became less responsive, the rats developed compulsive overeating habits and became obese, the study found. The changes in the brains of rats were similar to those in rats which overindulged in cocaine or heroin, the study showed.

Sausage, bacon and cheesecake were among the foods offered to the rats.

"They always went for the worst types of food," Kenny said, "and as a result, they took in twice the calories as the control rats."

The rats refused to eat when offered nutritious, healthy food.

Kenny said that in addiction, the "reward pathways" of the brain become overstimulated and the system turns on itself. The molecular mechanism involved a particular receptor in the brain that plays a major role in vulnerability to drug addiction - the dopamine D2 receptor.

Kenny said the findings of his studies confirmed what many have suspected - that "overconsumption of highly pleasurable food triggers addiction-like neuroadaptive responses in brain reward circuitries, driving the development of compulsive eating." - Sapa-dpa



Source : http://www.iol.co.za

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Stevia herb shakes up sweetener market

Washington - A sweetener derived from the South American herb stevia is taking the global marketplace by storm, promising a zero-calorie product that also has the appeal of being natural.

The global market for stevia sweeteners has already hit $500-million following US regulatory approval and could reach $10-billion in a few years, according to market research firm Mintel.

Stevia, which originated in Paraguay but has been used for decades in Japan and other Asian nations, got a major boost when the US Food and Drug Administration cleared the use of a stevia extract called rebaudioside A (Reb-A) in December 2008.

Since then, stevia-based sweeteners have been adopted by big food and beverage giants such as PepsiCo, Coca-Cola, Nestle, Danone, Unilever and others, and are on its way to becoming a household name.

"Reb-A suppliers report huge growth in a market that is set to explode," Mintel said in a recent report.

"Reb-A and stevia is projected to penetrate 20 to 25 percent of the global sugar and sweetener market, which is currently still growing."

Others say the product comes at the right time with concerns growing in the United States and elsewhere about obesity linked to sugary soft drinks and other products.

"In an era with serious political and social and health ramifications of sugar and high-fructose corn syrup, stevia's new 'natural' label will give it a prime spot as the holy grail of sweeteners," says food policy consultant and blogger Naomi Starkman.

The Reb-A extract from stevia is an estimated 300 times sweeter than sugar, which means it is generally mixed with other ingredients for bulk and to ensure proper sweetening dosing.

It is being used in zero-calorie drinks or foods or reduced calorie items such as Coca-Cola's Tropicana unit's Trop50, which replaces sugar with a stevia extract called PureVia, produced by Malaysian-based PureCircle Limited.

"There is no other solution in the marketplace that can do what stevia can do," said Jason Hecker, group marketing director for PureCircle.

"It has a low glycemic index, so it can be used by diabetics and in diet products... and the product is natural."

The largest producer of stevia leaf is China, which has long supplied extracts widely used for sweeteners in Japan, where stevia has been used since the 1970s.

PureCircle buys the leaf from small farmers in various locations around the world, and operates its own farms in Paraguay and Kenya.

"Stevia is a wonderful sustainability story, it does help small independent farmers," Hecker said.

Another major stevia producer is US-based Cargill, which gets supplies through Canada's GLG Life Tech and markets the Truvia brand of Reb-A called rebiana used in Coca-Cola's Sprite Green, Odwalla drinks and other products including most recently, a yogurt mix from Breyer's.

"Consumers are more interested than ever in knowing where their food comes from and how it is made, continuing to ask for better-tasting, low-calorie, natural products. Truvia brand is answering that demand," said Zanna McFerson, a Cargill assistant vice president.

Most European Union countries still prohibit stevia, with the exception of France, which last year authorised a two-year trial period for certain stevia extracts.

Stevia producers hope for a favourable ruling this year from EU safety officials, and note that it is approved in many countries including Australia, New Zealand and Switzerland.

Yet stevia still has skeptics as well. Some claim it was hastily approved in the waning days of the administration of president George W. Bush as a favour to soft drink companies, after being banned for many years.

"It's hard to know whether stevia is safe or not, as research is minimal," says Marion Nestle, a professor of nutrition at New York University, who argues that it may be a stretch to call stevia products "natural".

"We can debate whether a chemical sweetener isolated from stevia leaves is really 'natural' but here's another problem: stevia doesn't taste like sugar," she said.

"Companies have to fuss with it to cover up its 'off' taste. And they must do so without detracting from the perceived benefits of its natural status." - AFP Read more...

BBQ guru brings gourmet to the grill

Toronto - It takes more than a little snow to deter Canadian chef and pyrotechnic wizard Ted Reader from firing up the barbecue during the cold winter months.

With 106 barbecues, grills and smokers in his backyard, including a trailer rig, Reader proves the art of barbecue can flourish anywhere.

The popular TV and radio personality has published more than a dozen cookbooks and launched his own line of BBQ sauces, planks and grills.

His latest book, Napoleon's Everyday Gourmet Burgers which will be released in the spring, features such culinary concoctions as burgers made with black cherries or stuffed with lobster and brie, as well as hot, sticky and quirky recipes such as a moose burger and a barbell-shaped patty tribute to Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Reader, 46, spoke to Reuters about grilling, gender stereotypes and his childhood inspiration.

Q: What is the secret to grilling a perfect burger?

A: "Don't push it, don't squish it, don't cut it. Leave it alone. High heat lid open, low heat lid closed. It doesn't matter how you cook it, just don't mess with it. Take your time. With burgers usually the lid is open and you watch what's going on. A burger should be icy cold when it hits the grill unlike a steak, which you should bring to room temperature. But don't squish it. They key is every time you want to touch a burger have a sip of beer instead."

Q: What is it about barbecue and grilling that appeals to more men than women?

A: "The kitchen domain seems to be taken over by the women at home and that's by no means a negative. I think ladies do a fantastic job. In fact, women have a higher attention for detail than men do and they often become better barbecuers and grillers than men because they have the patience and that's what men need to find ... I'm married to a divorce lawyer so I have complete and utter respect for women. (Because I know I'm wrong.)

"But men tend to go out there and do it and they don't let the women come near their grill and they should because it should be a family affair. My wife is on the grill all the time, she gets out there and she cooks, and she'll tell me what she wants me to cook and I go out there and do it and it becomes a team effort."

Q: What inspired you to become obsessed with barbecue?

A: "I've always loved to cook. Ever since I was a little kid I had to learn how to grill on a wheelbarrow. My dad had this rickety old grill that fell to pieces with a rusted out bottom and instead of buying a new one ... he went to the woodshed at our property and he pulled out a big rusted out red wheelbarrow and filled it with charcoal, set it on fire, went in and took a shelf from my mother's refrigerator and the next thing you know we were cooking on a wheelbarrow for the next five or six years. Wherever I worked in kitchens as a chef I always seemed to gravitate towards the grill. And it just went from there."

Q: What is the most unusual thing you've ever tried to barbecue?

A: "Bubble gum. Mr. Wrigley asked me to smoke bubble gum to see what I could do on a barbecue. It doesn't work. Tastes horrible ... I've smoked chocolate. I've smoked rice. I've grilled eggs. I've made ice cream out of smoked chocolate. I've made ice cream out of charcoal that I've made from pineapple ... I've done spaghetti and meatballs on the barbecue."

Q: What is your latest favourite gadget?

A: "I love the Cajun Injector where you can inject flavors inside meats and things like that. I do this recipe called Plankies where I plank Twinkies. But I inject the Twinkies with a little bit of Jack Daniel's and so it's kind of evil. You can inject right into a chicken breast so if you want to put barbecue sauce right on the inside or put butter into that turkey as it's grilling outside, why not enhance that flavor. An injection needle is just a wonderful thing."

Q: Do you have any tips for grilling in the winter?

A: "Wear long johns, gloves - and a toque is always great. And pre-heat your grill. Look at things that you can cook a little bit faster than what you would normally do in the summertime. So a steak is a great thing, a burger is a great thing, chicken breasts, things that aren't going to require you to stand out in the cold for a long period of time."

Plankies (Serves 4 to 8)

1 regular cedar plank, soaked in water

8 Twinkies (4 pkg)

3/4 cup Nutella (chocolate hazelnut spread)

6 Oreo cookies, smashed into chunks

1/2 cup mini marshmallows

1/4 cup chocolate toffee pieces

Preheat grill to medium-low heat. Arrange the Twinkies on the plank. Slather the top of the Twinkies evenly with Nutella. Sprinkle with mini Oreo chunks, marshmallows and chocolate toffee pieces.

Place plank on grill and close lid. Allow Twinkies to heat and smoke slowly for 15 minutes, until marshmallows are golden brown and everything is heated through. Remove from grill and serve immediately with a big glass of milk. - Reuters Read more...

Baking your way out of recession blues

Sydney - When Suzan Colon was laid off from her dream job as a magazine editor in New York, her mother came up with some advice that has led to the next chapter of her life - "put up soup," or resort to fortifying foods.

Colon picked up her grandmother's recipe folder and started cooking everything from butter cookies to baked pork chops, realising along the way that her grandmother had cooked her way through the Great Depression and other hard economic times.

"When in doubt, bake," she writes, finding that using food as an avenue to the past can help put life in perspective.

This realisation turned her mood around about being laid off - and inspired her first book, "Cherries In Winter: My Family's Recipe for Hope in Hard Times," which was released this month.

Colon spoke to Reuters about cooking and writing:

Q: Did the loss of your job come as a shock?

A: "I was laid off in September 2008. When the economy started tanking I'd been the magazine business for the past 25 years and I knew the warning signs. In recessions people cut back and magazines, though wonderful, are they essential? I knew it was a definite maybe. But this recession has affected people in any type of job. I could have been a bartender or day trader."

Q: What got you into food?

A: "I was trying to cut back as much as possible and my mother and I started talking about food. I bought a bag of beans for $1.69 and realised I had no idea what to do with them. I asked my mother what to do and she said it is time to get out Nana's recipe book and "put up soup." I had also just started to write about food before losing my job."

Q: Did you know this collection of recipes was there?

A: "I knew it was there but I didn't really make any use of it because I was never much of a cook. My mother and I and my Nana were also so close that I think we have never really gotten over her death although it was about 40 years ago. It was very painful for me to look through her things. This was the first time I really took a hard look at her things and rather than being sad and nostalgic I was fortified and strengthened. I felt her more vividly than I have since she passed. Prior to this I idolised here but I did not identify with her."

Q: But you hadn't cooked much before?

A: "For a long time I wasn't interested in cooking because I was single. I was probably constantly dieting to maintain some kind of slim silhouette to attract a husband, eating lots of vegetables and brown rice and Chinese takeout. This is the first time in my life that I have been interested in cooking, maybe because I have someone else to cook for and also because you can save money by cooking at home."

Q: So how did the book come about, your first book?

A: "I have to give credit to my friends because I was telling them stories from my family history that my mother was telling me about my Nana getting through on a corn muffin and soup each day and surviving it. They all had family members who went through difficult times and that made them feel better about the recession. These friends said write this down in a book."

Q: Did you find it easy to write?

A: "Once I got into it, it flowed naturally because of the way I had heard about the stories. I would show my mother a recipe about beef stew and she'd tell me the story about Nana making the dumplings that were like solid balls that could bounce off the walls."

Q: Do you think people ignore their family stories?

A: "I think we forget. We have wonderfully short memories as a life saving mechanism, really. A lot of people's stories, when you reach people of a certain age, are of parents scarred by the Holocaust and Depression era, parents who maybe became miserly with fear that that might happen to them again." - Reuters Read more...

Become queen of your kitchen

Great Meals Fast by Hilary Biller (Struik Lifestyle)

Even before her move to the Sunday Times as food editor, Hilary Biller became renowned during her years as The Star's food editor, where she worked under the pseudonym Angela Day. She has always pursued the practical approach to simple and seasonal fare, so it's not surprising that the vast majority of family cooks turn to her books for inspiration.

This new title is perfect for stressed parents who would like to spend as little time as possible in the kitchen after a long day at work, but still want to produce something tasty and nutritious.

Opening with a wealth of tips and ingredients to have at hand, the recipes start with ideas for all-day breakfast, good weekend fare that makes use of ready-made sauces, pestos, marinades, and even soups, ready-sliced mushrooms and vegetables, and occasionally frozen and canned produce.

Biller does not spurn convenience items like instant mash when it comes to making fish cakes in a hurry, and there are good ideas for frozen fish bakes. Chicken, meat and veggies come grilled, baked and stir-fried, while a shop-bought bobotie is used to fill peppers, and tortillas wrap pork sausages for new versions of old favourites.



Be My Guest by Fay Lewis (Struik Lifestyle)



Those who make constant use of From My Oven and At My Table, Lewis's earlier titles, won't hesitate to add this to possess a trio of cookbooks that double as culinary reference tools. The fact that the author is both a caterer and food stylist is well illustrated in her books: in this case hosts who want to entertain in style, who are prepared to spend time and money on decor and menu planning will find this an invaluable companion.

Casual braais around the pool will always be popular. But, as trends shift, there is renewed interest in formal affairs, where attention is paid to table settings, food and wine pairing, beautiful glassware and crockery as well as the cooking of delectable food.

Her recipe for successful entertaining starts with a planning guide in the introduction, and among the initial tips is deciding on the style of party you want to host. The chapter headings offer a wide choice, from brunch and pool party through to cocktail gatherings and formal dinners. Picnics and tea parties are not forgotten, along with festive celebrations.



My Hungry Heart: Notes from a Namibian Kitchen by Antoinette de Chavonnes Vrugt (Venture Publications)



It's been a long time coming, but worth the wait: this contemporary Namibian cookbook is the maiden title by a Windhoek caterer and well-known food personality, someone who is clearly passionate about her homeland. The dunes and desert, droughts and downpours, meat and produce of the vast country are all elements to which she pays tribute.

As Namibia is renowned for quality meat, there is a wealth of recipes for lamb, beef and venison. Al fresco cooks will find plenty to please, as will South Africans who enjoy traditional dishes like pumpkin fritters and souskluitjies. Others will enjoy her selection of global favourites like Portuguese chicken, Moroccan flatbread and Nasi Goreng. For the rest, keen cooks will relish seafood soup from Swakopmund, Namibian festive leg of lamb and German specialities that hint at the country's colonial past.

• This article was originally published on page 16 of The Cape Argus on November 29, 2009

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Not your momma's cake decorating

Washington - The crowd sported more biceps tattoos than bifocals. More body piercings than pacemakers. More geeks than grandmas. And that was a bit surprising, because the event was all about cake decorating.

"I made Darth Vader's head once," one cake artiste told me. "It was red velvet cake on the inside."

"A dragon, that was my favourite cake I did," said another. "Claws. Fire from the mouth. It rocked."

"A bride of Frankenstein wedding cake," yet another said.

The world of cake decorating is no longer solely encrusted with sugar roses, frosting swags and buttercream basket weaves. I have watched this world change in the past few years. And to describe this, I'll have to admit my own obsession.

It was about 2 o'clock one morning when my husband realised that my cake jones was worse than he thought. I was hunched over the kitchen counter, hacksawing furiously at a wooden structure.

"I thought you said you were staying up late to make a birthday cake," he moaned.

"I am. This is the internal structure for the rocket ship. It's going to be at least two feet tall, so it needs an infrastructure so it won't fall over," I replied, having just finished my third Red Bull.

"You may want to start thinking about what it is that people say about you when you leave a room," he said, and went back to bed.

When my boys awoke later in the morning (and I hadn't gone to bed yet), they were presented with my vision: a toddler-size purple rocket ship, with edible silver trim and dragee rivets, a bubble porthole and curled fondant flames bursting from its thrusters. It was lemon cream and raspberry on the inside.

"It's official. You have lost your mind," my husband said.

"Wow, Mom! I love it!" my older son squealed.

Case closed.

In addition to that 2am rocket, I've sculpted a train, a Mickey Mouse, a princess, a pirate ship, fat babies, a mini Lego figure, a rubber duckie and a floppy hat. I am currently obsessed with how to depict the suction cups on an octopus.

Like most cake-decorating addicts, I figured I was a little bit alone in this, me and the cake ladies who make those flowery ones for their grandbabies.

Then a guy in Baltimore named Duff Goldman showed up on TV, and people began to understand me. He's bald, has a soul patch, went to art school, can weld and spray paint and comes across a little like Shaggy from Scooby-Doo. His extreme cakes are the subject of one of the Food Network's most popular shows, Ace of Cakes. It can be argued that his shop, Charm City Cakes, has helped to fuel a cake revolution.

Sometime in the past decade, a really cool cake went from being big and flat, with a frosting-piped drawing of a truck, to a three-dimensional sculpture of a truck, wrapped with an edible, Play-Doh-like substance called fondant, airbrushed with food colouring and gilded with edible silver dust. If it was made in Goldman's shop, the wheels probably moved and smoke blew out the exhaust pipe.

For some reason, this subgenre has found itself flourishing with a sort of geeky/rockabilly/goth/ techie vibe. "Oh, I'm totally a techie looking for another way to channel my creativity. We're techies by day, cakies by night," said Andrea Kojan, a tech-support worker who makes wildly gorgeous cakes on weekends. "A lot of people cake."

I knew it. Cake is a verb!

Burton Farnsworth - I swear this is true - made a cupcake depicting an edible Lenin wrapped in a hot dog bun surfing a fondant chunk of dog poop. Farnsworth is a graphic designer in Virginia who wears all black and loves the sculptural quality of contemporary cake decorating. "I didn't even eat cake before I discovered this," said Farnsworth, who cakes on the side at CakeFX.

I met these folks this month in Maryland at a book signing by a woman who makes a living blogging about cakes gone wrong. Because, of course, half the fun of any sport, especially for amateurs, is relishing professional bloopers. And on Cakewrecks.com every day, Jen Yates posts a photo of a cake that is hilariously tragic.

A few fans at the signing weren't decorators; they just appreciate the somewhat dark, edgy humour of the blog.

But those of us who decorate found one another. We exchanged ideas, showed photos (some carry pictures of their greatest cakes in their wallets - really) and lamented our own wrecks.

We debated the chasm between buttercream and fondant, compared tactics for internal structures and decided that, even if it's just us and the grannies, our madness is kinda cool. - Washington Post
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You eat less fat and cheese. Is salt next?

Sydney - You never consume trans fats, have reduced caffeine, and rarely eat cheese. What's next to banish from the menu? Salt, if consumer trend tracker Mintel is right.

Mintel has released its predictions for consumer packaged goods in 2010, saying next year's new products will tend to recreate the familiar, sticking to the current trends of health, wellness, convenience and sustainability.

But Mintel predicted several core trends will impact new product development, with sodium reduction poised to be the next big health push after slowly getting a higher profile on supermarket shelves.

Between 2005 and 2008, the number of food production introductions containing a low, no, or reduced sodium claim rose 115 percent, according to Mintel, as studies linked sodium to hypertension, osteoporosis, kidney damage and stomach cancer.

Recent research found 52 percent of Americans are monitoring the amount of sodium in their diets and in Britain 35 percent of consumers now consider low salt content when buying food.

David Jago, director of trends and innovation at Mintel, said consumers have been relatively slow to add sodium to their dietary black lists but the trend is finally set to take hold.

"The key difference is that sodium reduction is being pushed by food companies and health organisations, not by consumers. This could mean slow adoption of the 'less salt' mantra by shoppers, even as the food industry moves ahead," said Jago in a statement.

The US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention said this year studies showed most Americans ate 3 436 mg of sodium a day whereas dietary guidelines recommended adults consume less than 2 300 mg a day or about one teaspoon of salt.

As well as the focus on sodium next year, Mintel forecast more companies will print information about calories on packaging, use more boutique style packaging to make buying the mundane seem more enjoyable, and use colour code packaging.

Mintel also forecast that high quality private labels will thrive next year as consumers who turned to private labels during the recession stick with their new purchases and the definition of "local" goods will be expanded.

As for new flavours next year, Mintel predicted that cardamon, sweet potato, hibiscus, cupuacu, rose water and latin spices would find a place in US kitchens. - Reuters Read more...

Red or white - who cares?

Cautious wine drinkers have now and again discovered a red that drinks well, or at least tolerably, with fish - in Derek Taylor's case, usually because he's run out of white.

But far more discerning palates than mine have been unable to explain why or how these few and occasional exceptions have broken the age-old rule of pairing fish with white wines. And it is true: red wine is almost certain to turn seafood into a strongly offensive fishy taste that lingers unpleasantly.

For want of a scientific explanation, this phenomenon has usually been blamed on tannins, the chemicals that cause red wines to taste dry - or even mouth-puckeringly astringent.

Now the splendid Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry (it often features naked pictures of microbes) has reported the solution to this great mystery. The journal says that a brilliant Japanese researcher, Mr Takayuki Tamuri, and his team have tested red and white wines, reinforced wines and dessert wines in coded glasses and random order with consistent samples of scallops.

Seven experienced wine tasters were employed to rate each wine/scallop pairing by the presence of any fishy aftertaste on a scale of zero to four: zero indicating no aftertaste and four an extremely strong one.

They found that the offending red wines were those that contained a high level of iron.

A second experiment with the offending wines treated them with a chelating agent which isolated the dissolved iron and made it chemically inert. The fishy taste vanished.

Then they added iron to red wines that had scored well with fish. They immediately produced the offending foul fishy taste.

The tests also found that high-acid white wines tasted best of all with fish.

There is no way of predicting - from the terroir, the earth in which the vines grow - to what degree red wines will contain iron. But it is now possible from early tank testing to be able to add to the labels of many red wines without a significant iron content: This wine goes well with fish.

Now I'll just have another peek at those nude bacteria.

• This article was originally published on page 12 of The Sunday Tribune on November 15, 2009

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Eat less - your body will thank you for it

New York - Your mother's advice to slow down at meal time may have been wise after all: a new study suggests that shovelling down your food blocks the body's natural appetite-control process.

"Most of us have heard that eating fast can lead to food overconsumption and obesity, and in fact some...studies have supported this notion," Dr. Alexander Kokkinos, the lead researcher on the study, said in a written statement.

What has been missing, however, is biological evidence that a leisurely meal is better for appetite control, according to Kokkinos and his colleagues at Athens University Medical School in Greece and the Imperial College London in the UK.

To study the question, the researchers had 17 healthy men eat a generous portion of ice cream under two different conditions: in one, they ate the treat in two servings over five minutes; in the other, they ate it in small servings over 30 minutes.

Although the groups' feelings of fullness and hunger did not seem to differ, the researchers found that when the men ate slowly, they showed higher blood levels of two hormones - peptide YY (PYY) and glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) - for roughly three hours after the meal.

Both PYY and GLP-1 are released from the digestive tract as a "fullness" signal to the brain, curbing appetite and calorie intake.

The findings, to be published in an upcoming issue of the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, give more weight to the conventional wisdom that people should savour their food.

Some previous research has found that when people take the time to chew their food thoroughly and enjoy a meal, they tend to eat fewer calories than when they have that same meal at an eat-and-run pace.

The reasons for that have been unclear, however.

"Our study provides a possible explanation for the relationship between speed eating and overeating by showing that the rate at which someone eats may impact the release of gut hormones that signal the brain to stop eating," Kokkinos said.

The findings are particularly relevant in a time when many people are relying on fast food and regularly eating on the run, according to Kokkinos. The study suggests that slowing down at meal time could aid appetite control, and ultimately weight control.

They are a possible scientific explanation for "the warning we were given as children that 'wolfing down your food will make you fat,'" Kokkinos said. - Reuters

SOURCE: Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, January 2010.

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The world's healthiest meal?

London - Planning on eating healthily tonight? Ditch the salad and cook up a curry.

An Indian chef claims to have created the "world's healthiest meal" - a chicken and blueberry curry with goji berry pilau rice.

It blends traditional ingredients feted for their health benefits with "superfoods" said to help stave off everything from cancer to Alzheimer's disease.

A single plate is said to contain as many antioxidants as 49 bowls of spinach, 23 bunches of grapes or nine helpings of broccoli.

Gurpareet Bains, who devised the dish, said: "If eaten regularly, the dish could deal a devastating blow to many diseases."

Bains, a nutritionist and former head chef, spent almost two years perfecting the recipe.

Ingredients include blueberries, which are said to provide cancer protection and guard the brain against the sticky protein that clogs the brain in Alzheimer's.

The pilau rice is flavoured with goji berries, a Himalayan "superfood" full of vitamins A and C and iron. Spices have anti-bacterial and antiviral properties and turmeric is said to help keep hearts, brains and joints healthy. Chilli can help relieve pain.

Chicken was chosen because it is low in fat and has wide appeal. - Daily Mail

• This article was originally published on page 4 of The Star on October 30, 2009

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Cereals worse than chips - study

London - Many children's breakfast cereals contain more sugar than a doughnut while others are saltier than crisps, research shows.

At least seven of the most popular breakfast brands were found to be laden with more sugar than a doughnut bought in Tesco.

One of the worst offenders was Kellogg's Frosties with 11,1g of sugar in a 30g serving - almost three teaspoons per small bowl.

In contrast the doughnut, which many would perceive as being less healthy, had just 8,6g of sugar, an investigation for Channel 4's Dispatches found.

High levels are also found in Nestle Cookie Crisp, "the chocolatey cookie crisp cereal that children love". It has 10.59g of sugar per 30g serving.

Nestle's Nesquik, billed as "irresistible for kids", and the firm's Honey Cheerios also have more than two 4g teaspoons of sugar per bowl. So do Sugar Puffs and Kellogg's Coco Pops and Honey Loops.

The figures are for the cereal only, before any more sugar or milk is added at home.

Other cereals do badly in the salt stakes with a 30g bowl of Kellogg's Corn Flakes containing more than a bag of Walker's ready-salted crisps.

Earlier this year, an investigation by consumer watchdog Which? concluded that the vast majority of children's breakfast cereals offer "poor nutrition'.

The data will horrify millions of parents who give their children cereal for breakfast, believing it is the healthiest way to start the day.

It also suggests that even seemingly healthy foods are fuelling the obesity crisis.

Despite many parents failing to recognise their children have a weight problem, a third of youngsters are too heavy for their height.

If the trend continues, two-thirds will be overweight or obese by 2050, putting them at risk of a host of conditions including diabetes, heart disease, infertility and some cancers.

Professor Philip James, chairman of the International Obesity Task Force, told Dispatches: "The level of childhood obesity is quite astonishing in the UK. We have one of the worst rates in Europe.

"And it really is quite atrocious that we have now developed a society that expects to shovel sugar into children when in fact no nutritionists would advocate that was good for them."

Too much salt can lead to high blood pressure, heart attacks and strokes.

The Breakfast Cereals Information Service, which represents manufacturers, said cereals are high in vitamins, minerals and fibre, low in fat and have numerous health benefits.

Adviser Dr Clare Leonard said the salt and sugar in cereals accounts for just five percent of a person's daily intake. Dispatches: What's in Your Breakfast Cereal? is at 8pm tonight on Channel 4. - Daily Mail



Source : http://www.iol.co.za

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Red wine with meat? It comes down to science

Sydney - It's not just culinary etiquette to pair red wine with red meat not fish with a Japanese research team finding there is a scientific explanation.

Researcher Takayuki Tamura and colleagues from the product development research laboratory of Japanese wine producer Mercian have found that wine connoisseurs established the rule of thumb because of the flavour clash between red wine and fish.

Until now, nobody could consistently predict which wines might trigger a fishy aftertaste because of the lack of knowledge about its cause.

But Tamura and his team found that an unpleasant, fishy aftertaste noticeable after drinking red wine with fish resulted from naturally occurring iron in red wine with some wines having more iron than others.

"Strong positive correlations were found between the intensity of fishy aftertaste and the concentration of both total iron and ferrous ion," the researchers said in a statement.

Their study, published in the American Chemical Society's Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, was based on studying 38 commercial red wines from a list of countries, 26 white wines, two sherries, and one each of port, madeira and botrytised wine.

The components of all of the wines was analysed.

Wine samplers then tested the wines while dining on scallops.

"They found that wines with high amounts of iron had a more intensely fishy aftertaste. This fishy taste diminished, on the other hand, when the researchers added a substance that binds up iron," the researchers said.

They said the findings indicate that iron is the key factor in the fishy aftertaste of wine-seafood pairings but this also meant that low-iron red wines might be a good match with seafood. - Reuters Read more...

Fabulous fungi

So, you're in the supermarket fancying a nice mushroom sauce with your steak for supper. You're probably looking at button, brown and maybe portabella. Until fairly recently, exotic and gourmet mushrooms were not available here, and for a good reason.

Buttons are fairly easy to grow, but the exotic ones aren't when not on their home turf.

They need a carefully controlled environment, and are surprisingly delicate. But Cheryl Castelein's partner is a fridge engineer and together they founded Funki Fungi, "purveyors of exotic and gourmet mushrooms".

Not only have they fine-tuned how to grow shitake, eryngi and multi-coloured oyster mushrooms, but together with a Catholic welfare organisation and the National Development Agency they have provided the means for growing mushrooms in the townships, where people can support themselves and their families by growing mushrooms to supply Funki Fungi.

Castelein is known to many Capetonians as The Mushroom Lady, and you can meet her every Saturday at the Neighbourgoods Market at the Old Biscuit Mill in Salt River. She'll also be trading at the indoor market in Tokai.

Besides the pink, gold and silver oysters, shitake and eryngi cultivated by Funki Fungi, Castelein also sells imported varieties like shemejji and enoki, hand-picked seasonal wild mushrooms such as porcini, and a range of mushroom products like her porcini butter (use it to fry your eggs, you'll never look back), mushroom pate, seasonings and stock powders.

Castelein also has fresh truffle and pungent truffle oil. She's recently added mixed mushroom kebabs to her repertoire, which you can eat there or take home to braai.

If you think a mushroom is just a mushroom, maybe you should give one of those kebabs a try. It's a good way to sample the different varieties; they all have distinct flavours and textures, and they have health benefits.

Shitakes have been shown to reduce cancerous tumours. Packed with minerals and amino acids they are natural immune system boosters, as are shimejji and enoki. Eryngi are good for gastro-intestinal problems as well as kidney or liver dysfunction, while oysters contain the highest plant protein of all the mushrooms as well as the anti-cholesterol drug lovastatin.

Naturally low in sodium, mushrooms are a good source of fibre, and many provide vitamins like thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, biotin, cobalamins and ascorbic acid, and minerals such as selenium, potassium and phosphorus. Best of all, they are yummy.

If you're still a mushroom novice, visit the From The Earth Expo at the Cape Town International Convention Centre, where Castelein will display her wares.

Presented by Agri-Expo, its goals are to promote the image of agriculture, emphasise the bio-diversity in agriculture, introduce the youth to career opportunities in agriculture, and give smaller producers the opportunity to showcase their products.

"We are celebrating Mother Earth for her contribution to the ongoing existence of man and beast," says Mariana Rabie, marketing manager at Agri-Expo.

"The diversity and excitement of the agricultural sector will be showcased in a surprising way that will appeal to farmers, manufacturers, food and fashion lovers, families, those who embrace wellness and the visitor who wants to experience agriculture in all its facets."

In the Earth Stock section, breeders will introduce the city folk to poultry, sheep, cattle, goats, ostriches, alpacas, emus and horses. In the Land Bank Arena, people will be able attend youth shows, where pupils will show their animals.

"Youth shows are a national sport and for the past two years, the Western Cape has walked away with the most gold medals at the national championships," says Rabie.

"Every day there will also be an animal parade in this arena, fashion shows, dog-jumping shows and milking demonstrations. Sheep and goats will also be sheared, the wool and mohair washed."

Earth Expo will include products from all the different agricultural sectors, such as vegetables, fruit, Karoo meat, biltong, fish, chickens and eggs, honey, jams and marmalades, olives, handcrafted cheese, mushrooms, herbs and orchids, organic wines and berry liqueur.

The Earth Snail Trail will have a market atmosphere of slow food. There will also be Earth art stands like ceramics and glass.

At Earth Info, young people will be introduced to career opportunities in agriculture, advice will be offered to emerging farmers and visitors will be given information about the important role agriculture plays.

• This article was originally published on page 7 of The Cape Argus on October 17, 2009

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Uuuuuurgh! Don't eat that

East, West, home food is best, or at least the most acceptable. But the global menu is constantly expanding to take in foreign dishes that range from unusual to downright horrifying. Here are some that will never make haute cuisine.

Sardinian cooking has an Italianate base, which I relished on a brief visit there. But nobody offered me Casa Margu, the jumping cheese. This is made from sheep's milk mixed with piophila-casei or "the cheese fly". The resulting crop of larvae remain impressively athletic while in the cheese and emit an extremely smelly liquid known as lugima or "tears".

The larvae jump 5cm or more from their surroundings, perhaps because they can't stand the smell either.

Another Sardinian delicacy was discovered by the cooker-scholar icon Elizabeth David. She asked a local granny if she knew of any special Christmas dishes. "Ah, Christmas," the old duck said in rapture: "It just wouldn't be Christmas without roast cat."

In Mexico, if you are not careful, someone may offer you Escamoles - a cheese with a cottage-cheese texture made from the eggs of giant, venomous, black ants. The eggs are harvested and mixed with guacamole before being cooked as a taco filling.

Fortunately, I cannot tell you how they taste.

Scandinavians are renowned for their healthy diets, so why not try Norway's great delicacy - lutefisk? Here's why not: it is made by leaving cod or white fish fillets in a bath of caustic soda for around a dozen days. But you must get the fish out at just the right moment - when it is still a glassy jelly but has not yet turned into soap.

This deadly poison will incinerate your stomach unless you get rid of the caustic soda. Soaking in fresh water changed daily for six days and then cooking the residual jelly does the job, surviving Norwegian chefs claim. I don't believe them. The lutefisk is eaten with lots of mustard and crisp-fried bacon, obviously to add a flavour other than that of caustic soda. You must not use silver cutlery when eating this dish, I was told. It eats away the silver while you eat it.

In Korea I managed to resist an invitation to try a health tonic named baby mice wine. The recipe is easy. Find some newborn mice and add a handful of them to a bottle of rice wine. You could call it nice-mice-rice-wine. It is not polite - locally - to pick the bodies of the baby mice from your glass before drinking.

And in Manila, where I had the good luck of interviewing the most wonderfully titled and named Cardinal Sin, I easily resisted his attempts to make me try balute. The recipe: incubate duck eggs until they are ready to hatch. Boil, shell and eat. The feathers, beak, small bones and residual yolk are said to yield a delicious flavour with an unusual, crunchy texture.

Similarly, I had no difficulty refusing two Chinese dishes I encountered in Hong Kong and Saigon (now Ho Chi Min City to everybody except those who live there). One is the famous bird's nest soup. The nests are made annually in caves, mainly in Borneo. They are made from the saliva of two types of swift - which they use to gum together their grass and twig nests. I once tasted the soup. It tasted gummy.

The other great delicacy was available at enormous expense in Saigon's Cholon Chinese town. For one: take a monkey and tie it to a chair. When your guests are ready, slice off the top of the monkey's head and... no, I can't go on with the details.

Any Cholon Chinese gourmet will tell you that this delicacy is no longer on the menu. But what were those monkeys doing in two pet shops I checked in the town?

Last is the injin (engine, because the brains drive the animal) of East Africa, and South Africa's skop: roasted or boiled sheep's or pig's or goat's head. I've eaten a couple braaied in Kenya and Uganda when nothing else was on offer, but I'm not a good enough at picking out the meat to try them again. But I enjoy it when injin is made into brawn - meat fragments in a delicious savoury jelly.

Clare was boasting about her grandmother's brawn once when we were based in Nairobi. Fine, I said, if I get you a pig's head, will you make us some? Sure, said Clare. I ordered one for her from our local butcher. Unfortunately, I had to go to Angola in a hurry for eight days. When I got back and inquired about the brawn, I discovered that the pig's head had been buried in the garden.

"I couldn't face it," said Clare.

• This article was originally published on page 13 of The Sunday Tribune on October 18, 2009

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New tricks with magical mushrooms

BAKED STUFFED MUSHROOMS

Makes 6

300g ricotta cheese

45ml sundried tomato tapenade

100g black olives, pitted and chopped

80ml grated Parmesan cheese

45ml chopped basil

salt and pepper

1 egg

6 large brown mushrooms

olive oil

extra grated Parmesan

rocket for serving.

Combine the ricotta with all the ingredients up to the egg and mix well.

Brush the mushrooms with olive oil on both sides and place on a baking tray. Divide the ricotta mixture among the mushrooms and sprinkle with a little extra Parmesan. Bake at '176C for 15-20 minutes until mushrooms have softened and cheese is golden and bubbling. Serve warm on a bed of rocket.


MIXED MUSHROOM TART

1 roll shortcrust pastry

60g butter

2 red onions, halved and finely sliced

3 cloves garlic, crushed

200g button mushrooms, sliced

100g shimeji mushrooms, stalks removed

100g enoki mushrooms, stalks trimmed

15ml thyme leaves

2 eggs

250ml cream

salt and pepper

100g brie cheese, cut into slices

Roll out the pastry and line a 20cm flan dish. Bake blind until pale golden brown and cool.

Melt the butter and fry the onions and garlic until soft. Add the mushrooms and fry for 5 minutes until softened. Remove from heat and stir in thyme. Allow to cool. Spoon into the pastry case. Beat together the eggs cream and seasoning. Pour over the mushroom mixture. Top with brie. Bake at '176C for 25-30 minutes until set and golden brown. Remove and cool slightly before serving.

Note: Some of the exotic mushrooms may not be readily available, but you can use any variety of mushrooms such as portabellini, oyster or even button mushrooms.


MUSHROOM CURRY

Serves 4

30ml oil

1 large onion, chopped

10ml ground coriander

5ml ground cumin

3ml ground cardamom

3ml ground masala

3ml ground turmeric

1 red chilli seeded and chopped

3 cloves garlic, crushed

15ml chopped ginger

2x 400g cans chopped tomatoes

500g button mushrooms, halved

250g portabellini mushrooms, halved

60ml chopped fresh coriander

salt and pepper

Heat the oil and fry the onion until soft. Add all the spices, the garlic and ginger and cook gently for 2-3 minutes.

Stir in the tomatoes and mushrooms and simmer uncovered for 10-15 minutes. Stir in the chopped coriander.

Season well and serve with basmati rice.


MUSHROOM AND GOATS CHEESE PIZZA


Makes 2

Base

500ml flour

5ml salt

10g instant yeast

5ml sugar

15ml olive oil

200-300ml warm water

Topping

50g butter

2 cloves garlic, crushed

500g mixed mushrooms such as king oyster, shitake and brown mushrooms

150g baby spinach leaves

50ml lemon juice

salt and pepper

2x125g rolls goats cheese

olive oil

sour cream to serve

For the base, combine flour, salt, yeast and sugar in a bowl. Add olive oil and enough warm water to mix to a dough that is soft but not sticky.

Knead well until smooth and elastic. Place in an oiled plastic bag and leave to rise for 30 minutes.

Remove dough and knead gently. Divide into two and roll each out into a disc about the size of a dinner plate.

Place on to a greased baking tray and prick with a fork. Par-bake at 200176C for 5-6 minutes until just turning light brown. Remove and cool.

For the topping, melt the butter and fry the garlic for a minute.

Add the mushrooms and cook over a high heat for 3-4 minutes. Add the spinach and lemon juice and cook until the spinach wilts. Remove from heat and season well.

Spread each base with a roll of goats cheese and divide the mushrooms between them. Drizzle with a little olive oil and bake at 200176C for 10-15 minutes until the base is crisp and golden.

Remove and serve with a dollop of sour cream.



MINI MUSHROOM BUNNY CHOW

Makes 4

Dough

500ml flour

5ml salt

10g instant yeast

5ml sugar

15ml olive oil

200-300ml warm water

Filling

50g butter

1 onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, crushed

250g button mushrooms, sliced

3-5ml green curry paste

50ml flour

200ml coconut milk

50ml milk

salt and pepper

chopped coriander

For the base, combine flour, salt, yeast and sugar in a bowl. Add olive oil and enough warm water to mix to a dough that is soft but not sticky.

Knead well until smooth and elastic. Place in an oiled plastic bag and leave to rise for 30 minutes. Remove dough and knead gently. Divide the dough into four portions and press into four mini loaf pans. Cover and allow to rise for 20 minutes. Brush with beaten egg and bake at '176C for 20-30 minutes until golden brown. Remove and cool.

Filling: Melt butter and fry onion and garlic until soft. Add mushrooms and fry until soft. Stir in curry paste and cook for a minute. Add flour and mix well. Combine coconut milk and milk and add to the mixture, stirring constantly until the mixture boils and thickens. Remove and season well.

Cut the lid off the loaves of bread and set aside. Hollow out the base. Spoon filling among the loaves, sprinkle coriander, replace the lid and serve immediately.

Note: Instead of making mini loaves use small bread rolls for a similar effect. This dish makes a delicious starter.


MUSHROOM STRUDEL

Serves 4

50g butter

1 onion chopped

2 cloves garlic, crushed

300g mushrooms, sliced

50ml dry white wine

60ml cream

5ml chopped fresh thyme

salt and pepper

250ml fresh white breadcrumbs

50ml dukka (optional)

5 sheets phyllo pastry

120g butter, melted

Melt the butter and fry the onion and garlic until soft.

Add the mushrooms and fry until soft. Add the wine and cook until the liquid has evaporated. Stir in cream and cook for a minute.

Remove from heat and stir in thyme and seasoning. Allow to cool.

Combine the breadcrumbs and dukka.

Lay a sheet of pastry on your work surface and brush with melted butter. Sprinkle a layer of breadcrumbs mixture over, top with another layer of pastry, brush with butter then more breadcrumbs and continue until all 5 sheets of pastry have been used.

Spread the mushroom mixture over the top sheet of pastry leaving a 3cm border. Roll up the pastry from the long side, folding in the sides to enclose the filling.

Place on a baking tray, brush with butter and bake at '176C for 25-30 minutes until pastry is golden brown. Remove and cool slightly before serving.

• This article was originally published on page 12 of The Star on October 19, 2009

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Hard cheese - it's bad for you

I've been thinking a lot about cheese lately. More accurately, I always think a lot about cheese. Cheese is my chocolate, the food I crave most, the one that always tastes great, no matter what. I could top cardboard with melted cheddar and find it luscious.

So I was shaken this summer when I read a study showing that consuming lots of animal-based saturated fat corresponds to an increased risk of pancreatic cancer. Pancreatic cancer is among the most deadly of malignancies. It's the one that killed actor Patrick Swayze and Carnegie Mellon University professor Randy Pausch, author of that inspiring "Last Lecture." Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg has been treated for it, too.

At first I found the study vaguely reassuring. After all, I eat barely any fatty meat.

Then it dawned on me that those animal-based fats were found not just in hunks of marbled steak but also in butter, cream, ice cream... and cheese. In fact, according to the federal Dietary Guidelines for Americans, cheese is the leading source of saturated fat in the American diet, accounting for more than 13 percent of our daily intake, compared with 11 percent for red meat.

I know, I know: This should not have been news to me. I think I may have been subconsciously avoiding recognising that cheese - at least the full-fat varieties that I adore - might pose a health risk. I really don't relish the thought of life without cheese.

Neither do most other Americans, it seems.

So dietitians, nutritionists and others who try to improve our eating habits do their best to accommodate our fondness for cheese - just not too much of it. The dietary guidelines say most of us can eat about 1.5 ounces of low-fat natural cheese per day as one of our three one-cup servings of dairy. (Out of sync with the current whole-foods zeitgeist, the guidelines say we can eat a bit more if the cheese is processed: two ounces of a low-fat variety.)

Some nutritionists suggest we rethink cheese's place in the food pyramid, the graphic representation of the dietary guidelines' key principles. Rather than considering cheese a calcium-supplying dairy product or, as some cheese lovers maintain, a source of protein, they consider full-fat cheese a source of "discretionary calories," the category that includes alcohol and sweets.

Sarah Krieger, speaking on behalf of the American Dietetic Association, favours treating cheese as a condiment, choosing intensely flavoured kinds such as Parmesan and Romano to grate over a salad "instead of just cutting off a chunk and eating it with a cracker." (Rule of thumb, Krieger says: The higher in fat, the more flavorful the cheese.) She adds: "Enjoy your saturated fats in moderation, and not with other saturated fats."

If you make a sandwich with a slice of cheese, for instance, substitute extra vegetables for the sandwich meat. Or include brie in a meal that features fat-free sorbet and skinless chicken breast. "An ounce of brie goes a long way," Krieger says.

Finally, Krieger says, "everyone should try" using low-fat (and, happily, low-cost) ricotta or cottage cheese as a spread. "Spread some on a muffin, and you'll get some amount of protein without a lot of fat," she says.

Naturally, the National Dairy Council remains gung-ho for cheese. Gregory Miller, the council's executive vice president for research, regulatory and scientific affairs, rattles off a number of health benefits associated with this favourite snack. A Danish study showed that people who ate cheese "didn't see the rise in blood cholesterol you'd expect," he says.

Miller makes some other points in cheese's favour: Like other dairy products, cheese supplies antioxidants, zinc, selenium, Vitamin B6, Vitamin B12 and Vitamin D (of which most of us get way too little). It can serve as a calcium source for those who are lactose-intolerant, because most of the lactose from the milk used to make cheese leaves the product with the whey. That remaining in the curd is fermented and becomes lactic acid, which many lactose-intolerant people can tolerate.

Cheese is not only good for your bones but also for your teeth. Eaten after a meal, cheese can form a buffer against harmful bacteria and neutralise acid in your mouth that otherwise might damage teeth.

Miller also makes a claim familiar to every parent of a picky eater already knows: Kids eat more vegetables if you pair them with cheese.

Further complicating its nutritional profile, cheese is full of sodium. Miller says that cutting those numbers down is a huge challenge for the industry. "Consumers start to dislike cheese pretty quickly when we reduce the salt," he notes.

In summary, we should focus mostly on eating low-fat or nonfat cheeses, saving full-fat cheeses for small, special treats. Which stinks, because even Miller admits that while reduced-fat cheeses have been getting much better lately, they don't taste - or melt - the same as full-fat cheese. "We have recently cracked the code on good-tasting, low-fat processed cheese," he says. "But as for natural cheese, we haven't cracked the code. When we take out the fat, it loses flavor and texture."

"If you like real cheese," Miller allows, "it probably won't meet your expectations."



Source : http://www.iol.co.za

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Are you nuts?

Still not convinced by the health benefits of the Mediterranean diet? Now there is another reason to follow it: it makes you happy.

People who eat a diet rich in the classic ingredients consumed in the countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea - vegetables, fruits, nuts, whole grains and fish - are less likely to develop depression, researchers have found.

Mental disorders are less common in the Mediterranean countries than in those of northern Europe and scientists believe the reason may lie with the diet.

People accustomed to the gloomy skies may imagine that the weather has a bigger impact on mood, but the researchers corrected for this effect by limiting their study to Spaniards living in Spain who were compared for the rigour with which they stuck to the classic Mediterranean diet.

Previous studies have suggested that olive oil, which contains high levels of mono-unsaturated fatty acids - and without which no Mediterranean meal is complete - may be protective against depression. Researchers from the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria and Clinic of the University of Navarra, Pamplona, Spain, asked 10 000 participants to record what they ate and ranked them on their adherence to nine components of the Mediterranean diet.

After following the participants for more than four years, they identified 480 new cases of depression and showed the risk of developing the illness was 30 percent lower in those who adhered most closely to the healthy diet.

"The specific mechanisms by which a better adherence to the Mediterranean dietary pattern could help to prevent the occurrence of depression are not well known," the authors write in Archives of General Psychiatry. Components of the diet may improve blood vessel function, fight inflammation, reduce risk for heart disease and repair oxygen-related cell damage, all of which may decrease the chances of developing depression.

"However, the role of the overall dietary pattern may be more important than the effect of single components. It is plausible that the synergistic combination of a sufficient provision of omega-three fatty acids together with other natural unsaturated fatty acids and antioxidants from olive oil and nuts, flavonoids and other phytochemicals from fruit and other plant foods and large amounts of natural folates and other B vitamins in the overall Mediterranean dietary pattern may exert a fair degree of protection against depression," they say.

The principal aspects of this diet include high olive oil consumption, high consumption of legumes, high consumption of unrefined cereals, high consumption of fruits, high consumption of vegetables, moderate consumption of dairy products (mostly as cheese and yoghurt), moderate to high consumption of fish, low consumption of meat and meat products, and moderate wine consumption. - The Independent

• This article was originally published on page 8 of The Sunday Tribune on October 11, 2009

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Yearning for a calmer life?

The latest diet craze is nothing like the usual offerings. You don't have to count calories or cut your food intake drastically. There's no promise of instant weight loss, though you will become trimmer.

What this diet will do is help prevent illnesses such as heart disease, Alzheimer's and possibly cancer, and significantly ease the pain of chronic conditions such as arthritis.

The anti-inflammatory diet is based on the principle that many health problems are linked to chronic inflammation caused by an over-active immune system. It uses select foods, including oily fish, pomegranate and ginger, that help calm the immune system - and prevent a handful of ills.

What sets this latest trend apart from other dietary fads is the growing number of medical experts who agree there's much to gain from it.

The idea that chronic inflammation can lead to ill health is well established. It occurs when the immune system begins attacking the body. It's not clear why this happens, but, as a result, the body tissues are damaged. In turn, they release chemicals that cause inflammation.

Because this initially causes no pain, people often don't realise they're suffering from chronic and "silent" inflammation until years later - when the symptoms of arthritis or other conditions emerge.

Until recently, scientists were unsure of the role diet played in preventing inflammatory disease, but evidence suggests it might be more helpful than previously thought.

The key foods are oily fish, fruit and vegetables, legumes and spices.

Research has shown certain nutrients, such as the omega-3 fatty acids in fish oils and compounds in spices, have direct anti-inflammatory properties.

"These nutrients dampen the production of the chemicals that trigger inflammatory processes," says nutritional immunologist Professor Philip Calder at Southampton University.

Antioxidants in fruit and vegetables help curb the action of free radicals, which destroy healthy cells, worsening inflammation damage.

While each of the anti-inflammatory diets takes a different approach - some concentrate on anti-ageing, while others focus on preventing specific diseases - the principles remain the same: eat plenty of omega-3 fatty acids, antioxidants and fibre.

At the same time, limit or cut out foods thought to cause inflammation, such as trans fats (artificially created fats) and saturated fats (found in red meat and dairy foods), processed foods and refined carbohydrates (white bread) and sugars. - Daily Mail

• This article was originally published on page 17 of The Sunday Tribune on September 27, 2009

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Prostate cancer fighters

Men at risk of prostate cancer can do something about it themselves by cooking with foods that are rich in potential anti-cancer agents, an academic nutritionist said this week.

Certain foods cooked in special recipes could have a significant effect on lowering the risk of developing cancer of the prostate, said Margaret Rayman, professor of nutritional medicine at the University of Surrey, citing broccoli, pak choi, rocket and watercress as examples.

There is convincing evidence to suggest that diet plays a leading role in determining whether men develop prostate cancer, and modifying the way food is cooked could help to lower the risk, Rayman said.

"There is a growing body of scientific evidence that strongly suggests that diets rich in certain foods can help to prevent this disease or its spread," she told the British Science Festival.

"There is evidence that eating certain foods in the appropriate quantity and with sufficient frequency can reduce the risk of prostate cancer or slow its progression."

By preparing or cooking food in ways that do not destroy any natural anti-cancer ingredients, men with a family history of prostate cancer, or who are in remission, can also benefit from the psychological boost that cooking can give, she said.

"Consciously making changes to diet and lifestyle is associated with a positive, optimistic attitude and a feeling of being in control," said Rayman. "This has long been known to improve the immune system and can therefore have a direct effect on how disease progresses."

Allium vegetables, such as onion and garlic, are best prepared by leaving them for 10 minutes after chopping them up before heating them in a pan, she suggested. This allows an enzyme called alliinase, which is destroyed by heating, to work on sulphur compounds in the vegetables and turn them into diallyl sulphides, which are known to have an anti-cancer effect and are not destroyed by heat.

Cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli, pak choi, rocket and watercress release an enzyme called myrosinase when chopped, bruised or chewed, which reacts with natural substances called glucosinolates to convert them into isothiocyanates and indoles - both of which have anti-cancer properties.

Myrosinase is also destroyed by heating, so eating these vegetables raw, or steaming them lightly and using the waste water for gravy, can still be beneficial because certain bacteria that live in the gut can produce myrosinase to act on the glucosinolates that pass through the digestive system.

"Prostate cancer is often slow to develop and spread, and so strategies that can influence its progression have considerable potential. For those living with the condition, a controlled diet may provide the only means of active treatment," Rayman said.

"Some of the evidence is very flimsy... [but] on the other hand the principle is that there is nothing here that is going to do you any harm. I wouldn't say that this will definitely make a difference, but there is definitely evidence that suggests that it may make a difference and it gives you the option to do something."

Prostate protection: What you should eat

Breakfast: Porridge with oats and soya milk; raspberry and pomegranate compote (good source of polyphenols, soya and vitamin E).

Lunch: Pea and mint soup; sardines, chickpea and avocado salad (high in legumes, alliums and fish oil).

Dinner: Chicken kebabs and peanut sauce with broccoli; tomato and basil salad; redberry and nut crumble (rich in lycopene, selenium, allium and legumes). - The Independent

• This article was originally published on page 12 of The Mercury on September 21, 2009

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Recipes for radiance

Rawlicious is no ordinary cookbook. "Firstly, no cooking is done. And secondly, it describes a whole new paradigm in relation to food," says Beryn Daniel, co-author with husband Peter of South Africa's gourmet raw food vegan "un-cook" recipe book.

"Raw food is simple," adds Peter.

"It provides your body with the nutritional building blocks for abundant health, energy and vitality."

Retailing at their information packed website www.superfoods.co.za for R265, the self-published recipe book offers scrumptious raw recipes for radiant health.

It includes anecdotes and scientific notes as to why "going raw" is the new health trend or "healthstyle" - not diet, as the Daniels put it.

In the US and the UK, there are now dozens of raw food vegan gourmet restaurants. Having spotted a distinct gap in the market for raw food education and the importing of superfoods, the Daniels arrived back in South Africa to promote the concept here.

Ironically, they had initially gone abroad to work as standard chefs in the French Alps - and Beryn had grown up in her parents' popular bakery, speciality cake and party shop.

"With more than 140 recipes, our un-cook book will guide you to prepare and experience raw food meals that will delight even the most hardened sceptic," Beryn says.

"The sky is truly the limit in terms of raw foodist vegan equivalents for old favourites such as pasta and, need I add, chocolate - yes, you heard me right," enthuses Peter.

The couple have two pet hates when it comes to recipes books:

1 Books that use ingredients you can't get; and

2 Those that have no pictures.

"This is why we have written a raw food recipe book specifically with South Africans in mind.

"We've used ingredients you can find and terminology you can understand."

There are stunning full-colour pictures with nearly every recipe, to capture the vibrancy and energy of raw and living food, he says.

The Constantia-based couple include in their book "how to fillet" an aloe leaf, as well as how to create your own raw, wheat-free tortillas, plus plenty of other raw equivalents for old recipe favourites.

To find out more, visit the website www.superfoods.co.za.

• This article was originally published on page 13 of The Mercury on September 09, 2009

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Calcium-rich dairy may prolong life

Shunned by many as a source of artery-clogging cholesterol, calcium-rich dairy products consumed in childhood may in some cases add years to one's life, reported a study released on Tuesday.

A 65-year follow-up to a 1930's survey of more than 1 300 families in England and Scotland showed that a diet high in milk, cheese and butter did not lead to higher rates of cardiovascular disease.

Moreover, children with the largest intake of calcium from dairy enjoyed a lower death rate from strokes, according to the study, published in the British Medical Journal (BMJ).

Heart disease risk factors begin in childhood, but evidence to date has been inconclusive as to whether dairy consumption at an early age helps or hurts.

Some experts have argued that the high fat content in full-butter dairy products contributes to heart problems later in life.

A team of researchers led by Jolieke van der Pols, a scientist at the Queensland Institute of Medical Research, followed up with 4 374 people who took part as children in the late 1930s in a study of food consumption.

By 2005, 34 percent of them - 1 468 individuals - had died, 378 from coronary heart disease and 121 from strokes.

No evidence was found of a link between intake of dairy products and either of these causes of mortality.

Surprising, however, childhood intake of calcium - mainly from milk and milk-derived comestibles - corresponded to a lower rate of death by stroke.

"Furthermore, childhood diets rich in dairy or calcium were associated with lower all-cause mortality in adulthood," the study concluded.

The authors cautioned that further studies were needed to confirm the findings, which may result in part from other factors such as income levels and occupation. - Sapa-AFP





Source : http://www.iol.co.za

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Raising the bar on chocolate

Chocolate has become the food of connoisseurs, and increasingly consumers are being educated about the benefits and myriad uses of premium chocolate, the kind made from single origin beans. On the eve of a new TV series on chocolate, Angela Day shares more-ish recipes of her own.



PEPPERMINT CRISP BROWNIES

Makes 20 squares

160g butter

180ml castor sugar

200g dark chocolate

3 eggs

5ml vanilla

250ml flour

2 peppermint crisp bars

Icing:

50g butter

30ml water

50ml castor sugar

250ml icing sugar

30ml cocoa powder

1 peppermint crisp bar

Line a 20x24cm pan with non stick baking paper.

Combine butter, sugar and chocolate in a saucepan and heat gently, stirring, until mixture is melted and smooth. Remove from heat, add eggs and vanilla beating with wire whisk. Add flour and mix until smooth.

Break up the peppermint crisp bars and fold into mixture. Pour into prepared pan and bake at 180°C for 30-40 minutes. Remove and cool in pan.

Icing: Combine butter, water and castor sugar in a small saucepan and heat gently until butter and sugar are dissolved. Remove from heat.

Sift the icing sugar and cocoa and add, then mix until smooth.

Spread on brownies and grate over the remaining peppermint crisp. Leave to set. Cut into squares and serve.



WHITE CHOCOLATE AND ALMOND ROLLS

Makes 18

100g slivered almonds, lightly toasted

100g good quality white chocolate

15ml castor sugar

12 sheets phyllo pastry

100g butter, melted

250ml sugar

125ml water

5 cardamom pods, bruised

15ml lemon juice

Berry sauce:

250g berries (fresh or frozen)

30-40ml icing sugar

Put almonds, chocolate and sugar in a food processor and process until finely chopped.

Place one phyllo pastry sheet on the work surface and brush with melted butter. Top with another sheet of pastry.

Cut the sheets into 3 equal strips. At the base of each strip place a generous mound of the chocolate and nut mixture.

Roll over to enclose the filling, fold in the sides and roll up. Brush with butter and place onto a baking tray. Repeat with remaining sheets of pastry and mixture.

Bake at 160°C for 20-30 minutes until golden brown.

Remove from oven and soak generously with the cardamom syrup. Leave to cool and serve with the berry sauce.

Cardamom syrup: Put sugar, water and cardamom into a small saucepan and heat until sugar has dissolved. Bring to the boil and boil for 5 minutes. Add lemon juice. Remove and set aside until rolls come out of the oven.

Berry sauce: Place berries and icing sugar in a blender and blend until smooth. If you like a smooth sauce, press mixture through a sieve.



CHOCOLATE AND THYME SHORTBREAD

Makes 20-25

15ml chopped thyme

80ml castor sugar

150g good quality dark chocolate

430ml cake flour

180ml rice flour

grated rind of 1 orange

200g butter, softened

Combine 10ml of the thyme with 30ml of the castor sugar and, using the blade of a knife, chop the thyme into the sugar on a board until you have a smooth mixture.

Melt the chocolate.

Put the cake flour, rice flour, orange rind, the remaining 5ml thyme and the rest of the castor sugar in a bowl.

Add the butter and rub in until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.

Add the melted chocolate and, using a round bladed knife, bring the mixture together to form a dough.

Turn the dough onto your work surface and shape into a log about 30cm long. Roll in baking paper and refrigerate for one hour.

Roll the log in the sugar and thyme mixture and cut into slices.

Place onto a baking tray and bake at 180°C for 15-20 minutes until pale golden brown. Remove and cool.



CHOCOLATE ORANGE MARBLE CAKE

150g butter

250ml castor sugar

5ml vanilla essence

2 extra large eggs

finely grated rind of 1 orange

500ml flour

10ml baking powder

pinch salt

125ml milk

30ml orange juice

100g good quality dark chocolate, melted

Chocolate glaze:

100g dark chocolate

50ml cream

Combine butter, sugar and vanilla essence in the bowl of an electric mixer and beat well until soft and creamy.

Add eggs one at a time, beating well.

Add orange rind.

Sift flour, baking powder and salt and add to the egg mixture alternately with milk and orange juice.

Spoon half the cake mixture into another bowl and mix in melted chocolate.

Drop alternate spoonfuls of chocolate and vanilla mixture into a greased and lined 20cm x 13cm loaf pan. Once it has all been used up, run a flat-bladed knife through the mixture to create a marbled effect.

Bake at 180°C for 45- 50 minutes or until a skewer inserted comes out clean. Remove from oven and cool in pan five minutes before turning out onto a rack to cool completely. Once cooled, spoon over chocolate glaze and decorate with orange slices or grated orange rind if desired.

Chocolate glaze: Combine chocolate and cream in a heatproof bowl and place over boiling water to melted. Stir to combine and let cool to a spreading consistency.



WHITE CHOCOLATE BISCOTTI

Makes 24

500ml flour

10ml baking powder

250ml castor sugar

100g white chocolate, chopped

100g pecan nuts, chopped

3 extra large eggs, lightly beaten

5ml vanilla essence

Sift flour, baking powder and sugar into a mixing bowl.

Add chopped chocolate and nuts.

Stir in eggs, vanilla essence and mix well.

Using wet hands, shape mixture into 2 slightly flattened logs about 20cm in length and place on a paper-lined baking sheet.

Bake at 180°C for 20-25 minutes until well risen and golden. Remove from oven and leave to cool for 10 minutes.

Cut into 1cm-thick slices and return to the baking sheet.

Reduce the oven temperature to 14°C and bake for a further 10 to 12 minutes, turning halfway through the baking time, until pale golden in colour.

Remove from oven and cool.

GOOEY CHOCOLATE PUDDINGS

Makes 6-8

180g cacao, finely grated

200g unsalted butter

175g golden castor sugar

6 eggs

10ml vanilla extract

40g ground almonds

Preheat the oven to 160°C. Grease 6-8 ramekins. Melt the cacao and butter by placing them, along with 60g of the castor sugar, in a large heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water.

Meanwhile, in another bowl, lightly beat the eggs with the remaining castor sugar and the vanilla extract.

Stir the ground almonds into the melted cacao and butter mixture.

Gradually fold the cacao mixture into the egg mixture. Divide the mixture between the ramekins and bake for 12 -15 minutes. The tops will rise and start splitting when they are ready. Serve at once.

NOTE: As I could not find 100 percent cacao in South Africa, I made the recipe using 70 percent cocoa chocolate. It turned out very well and was absolutely delicious.


Source : http://www.iol.co.za


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The real reason we should eat up our veggies

The Mediterranean diet - sun-kissed, olive-oil drenched - has reigned as the queen of diets, the one true path to health, for at least 20 years. Yet no one really understands why it works. Most medical authorities have said the antioxidants in fruit and vegetables account for its protective effects. (Also, if you eat enough broccoli, you don't have room for a double Big Mac and fries.)

But research on antioxidants - vitamins, by another name - has proved disappointing. Huge studies of populations that swallow vitamin supplements by the bucket have yielded negative findings. Vitamins, at least in supplement form, appear to have no beneficial effect.

Is it possible that scientists are looking in the wrong place? Professor Peter Elwood of Cardiff University has raised this possibility. He was the first researcher to establish the role of aspirin in protecting against heart disease, in 1974, and millions of people worldwide now take a daily aspirin.

Over the past 35 years, Elwood has published more than 60 papers on aspirin. The latest appears in the current Lancet, and in it he discusses the drug's protective effect against cancer and its presence in fruit and vegetables.

"I think this is a very exciting area that should be researched in considerable depth. The whole field of antioxidant research has proved very unproductive... It leads us to wonder if the beneficial effects of fruit and vegetables are because of the salicylates they contain," he said.

A further twist is that plants produce salicylates in response to injury or assault by pests, so the perfect specimens you find in supermarkets grown on farms that cosset them have lower levels than the bruised, misshapen ones grown organically.

So convinced are some researchers that salicylates are responsible for the cancer-protective effects of fruit and veg that they have dubbed them vitamin S. Given that most people don't manage their five a day, a simple aspirin costing pennies may do a lot more good than a fistful of multivitamins.

There is a problem, however. Aspirin has side effects, especially as a cause of internal bleeding. Elwood wants more research into the risks and benefits of aspirin, and the development of a safer version.

Why has this not been done?

Because there is no money in a drug that went off patent more than a century ago. Yet vitamin S might save more lives than all other vitamin supplements put together.




Source : http://www.iol.co.za

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Grapefruit diet almost cost woman her leg

Paris - A woman who ate a grapefruit each day almost had to have her leg amputated because of a dangerous blood clot, according to an unusual case study reported in the Lancet.

Emergency doctors in Olympia, in the US Pacific coast state of Washington, treated the 42-year-old woman in November 2008 after she was admitted with shortness of breath, dizziness and difficulty walking.

An ultrasound scan found she had a large clot blocking the veins of her left leg.

She was in imminent danger of losing the limb to gangrene, but doctors administered a clot-busting drug directly into the blockage and safely dissolved it.

The physicians found she had taken a relatively long car journey, of about an hour and a half, the day before; took a daily dose of oestrogen oral contraceptives; and had a genetic variant, called the factor V Leiden mutation, which is linked to a blood-clot disorder.

All are well-established factors for causing deep vein thrombosis (DVT), as these dangerous events are called.

But what "may well have tipped the balance" is that she had been eating a grapefruit every morning under a weight-loss diet begun three days earlier, the report said.

Grapefruit juice is known to block the action of an enzyme called CYP3A4 which breaks down the contraceptive hormone oestrogen.

This in turn boosts levels of coagulability - the tendency of blood to clot.

Grapefruit juice is broken down only very slowly, which means that it has a cumulative effect if taken daily. Thus, on the third day of her diet, the patient's oestrogen levels would have been many times above normal, helping the clot to form.

DVT has been popularly termed "economy-class syndrome," as it is associated with passengers hunched up on cramped seats in long-haul flights.

But experts say DVT can be inflicted by any kind of immobility - in cars, the office or at home - that causes the leg to be bent for long periods and prevents blood from flowing. The clotting risk is amplified by oral contraceptives and heritability. - AFP Read more...