Gut-Healthy Labneh Orecchiette
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Labneh (a sort of yogurt-cheese made from strained yogurt) is a great probiotic, and there’s plenty of resistant starch in this dish too, from how we cook, cool, and reheat the pasta. Add to this the lycopene from the tomatoes, the ergothioneine from the mushrooms, and the healthful properties of the garlic, black pepper, and red chili, and we have a very healthy dish!
You will need
- 10 oz labneh (if you can’t buy it locally, you can make your own by straining Greek yogurt through a muslin cloth, suspended over a bowl to catch the water that drips out, overnight—and yes, plant-based is also fine if you are vegan, and the gut benefits are similar because unlike vegan cheese, vegan yogurt is still fermented)
- 6 oz wholegrain orecchiette (or other pasta, but this shape works well for this sauce)
- ¼ bulb garlic, grated
- Juice of ½ lemon
- Large handful chopped parsley
- Large handful chopped dill
- 9 oz cherry tomatoes, halved
- 9 oz mushrooms (your choice what kind), sliced (unless you went for shiitake or similar, which don’t need it due to already being very thin)
- 2 tsp black pepper, coarse ground
- 1 tsp red chili flakes
- ¼ tsp MSG or ½ tsp low-sodium salt
- Extra virgin olive oil
Method
(we suggest you read everything at least once before doing anything)
1) Cook the pasta as you normally would. Drain, and rinse with cold water. Set aside.
2) Combine the labneh with the garlic, black pepper, dill, parsley, and lemon juice, in a large bowl. Set aside.
3) Heat a little olive oil in a skillet; add the chili flakes, followed by the mushrooms. Cook until soft and browned, then add the tomatoes and fry for a further 1 minute—we want the tomatoes to be blistered, but not broken down. Stir in the MSG/salt, and take off the heat.
4) Refresh the pasta by passing a kettle of boiling water through it in a colander, then add the hot pasta to the bowl of labneh sauce, stirring to coat thoroughly.
5) Serve, spooning the mushrooms and tomatoes over the labneh pasta.
Enjoy!
Want to learn more?
For those interested in some of the science of what we have going on today:
- Making Friends With Your Gut (You Can Thank Us Later)
- Lycopene’s Benefits For The Gut, Heart, Brain, & More
- “The Longevity Vitamin” (That’s Not A Vitamin)
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How To Make Disease Disappear – by Dr. Rangan Chatterjee
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We’ve previously reviewed a number of other books by Dr. Chatterjee, all of them good. This one’s perhaps his most generalized book that we’ve read, though it has a lot of overlap with his “Four Pillar Plan”, and indeed, each of those four pillars (relax, eat, move, sleep) gets a section in this book, each section getting 5 chapters on how to optimize the thing in question.
You may be wondering why “relax” and “sleep” don’t get one section between them; the idea of “relax” is about stress management, mindfulness (especially mindful eating), and so forth. Thus, it does connect to the other sections, but is very much its own topic also.
The premise is, as per the title, to “make disease disappear”. The way to do that, he argues, is through engaging in progressively healthy habits to accumulate chronic good health. With the 20 things you will be doing from the first four sections of 5 chapters each, you will be soon be well on your way, and he finishes up with “finding your balance”—because the trick, he says, is not to focus unduly on one, two, or even three of the pillar(s) as the expense of the other(s), but to ensure a good balance between them.
The style is light pop-science with a focus on readability; there are many personal accounts and examples, but nothing brash or self-serving, simply, illustrative. Indeed, he shows his mistakes as much as his successes, that we may learn from them.
Bottom line: this is, in essence, a rehash of his Four Pillar Plan, but tailored for an American audience. As such, American readers may find it more easily applicable than the previous book. Either way, the quality is just as good, so by all means take your pick between them.
Click here to check out How To Make Disease Disappear, and make disease disappear!
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Brain Food? The Eyes Have It!
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Brain Food? The Eyes Have It!
This is Dr. Michael Greger, M.D. FACLM, of “Dr. Greger’s Daily Dozen” and “How Not To Die” fame, and he wants us to protect our brains (and while we’re at it, our eyesight).
And the secret is…
Lutein.
This is a carotenoid, which is super important for the eyes and brain. Which is critical, because Dr. Greger wants you to know about lutein is how important it is for the protection of your brain/eyes, both against cognitive decline and against age-related macular degeneration (the most common cause of eyesight loss in old age).
Important take-away info:
- Two things that hasten brain aging are inflammation and oxidative stress. Antioxidant and anti-inflammatory foods mitigate those.
- Researchers investigated eight different dietary antioxidants, including vitamins A and E. Only lutein was “significantly related to better cognition”.
- The macula in the middle of our retina is packed with lutein, and levels in the retina correspond to levels in the rest of our brain.
- Alzheimer’s patients have significantly less lutein in their eyes and in their blood, and a higher occurrence of macular degeneration.
- Dark green leafy vegetables are lutein superstars. A half cup of kale has 50 times more lutein than an egg.
Want to know more about the Dr. Greger’s Daily Dozen approach to health?
See the Website / Get the App (Android & iOS) / Get the Science Book / Get the Cookbook!
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Can We Drink To Good Health?
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Can we drink to good health?
We asked you for your thoughts on alcohol and heart health, and we got quite an even spread of results!
If perchance that’s too tiny to read, the figures were:
- 32% voted for “Alcohol is a relaxant, reduces stress, and can contain resveratrol too. It’s good for the heart!”
- 32% voted for: “Moderate alcohol consumption can be at least neutral for the health, if not positive ⚖️”
- 36% voted for: “Alcohol is bad for pretty much everything, including heart health ✋”
One subscriber who voted for “Alcohol is a relaxant, reduces stress, and can contain resveratrol too. It’s good for the heart!” added the following thoughts:
❝While it isn’t necessary to consume alcohol, moderate amounts can be beneficial and contribute to well-being through social activity, celebrations, etc.❞
That’s an interesting point, and definitely many people do see alcohol that way! Of course, that does not mean that one will find no social activities, celebrations, etc, in parts of the world where alcohol consumption is uncommon. Indeed, in India, wedding parties where no alcohol is consumed can go on for days!
But, “we live in a society” and all that, and while we’re a health newsletter not a social issues newsletter, it’d be remiss of us to not acknowledge the importance of socialization for good mental health—and thus the rest of our health too.
So, if indeed all our friends and family drink alcohol, it can certainly make abstaining more of a challenge.
On that note, let’s take a moment to consider “The French Paradox” (an observation of a low prevalence of ischemic heart disease despite high intakes of saturated fat, a phenomenon accredited to the consumption of red wine).
As it happens, a comprehensive review in “Circulation”, a cardiovascular health journal, has suggested the French Paradox may not be so paradoxical after all.
Research suggests it has more to do with other lifestyle factors (and historic under-reporting of cardiovascular disease by French doctors), which would explain why Japan has lower rates of heart disease, despite drinking little wine, and more beer and spirits.
So, our subscriber’s note may not be completely without reason! It’s just about the party, not the alcohol.
One subscriber who voted for “Moderate alcohol consumption can be at least neutral for the health, if not positive ⚖️” wrote:
❝Keeping in mind, moderate means one glass of wine for women a day and two for men. Hard alcohol doesn’t have the same heart benefits as wine❞
That is indeed the guideline according to some health bodies!
In other places with different guiding advisory bodies, that’s been dropped down to one a day for everyone (the science may be universal, but how government institutions interpret that is not).
About that wine… Specifically, red wine, for its resveratrol content:
While there are polyphenols such as resveratrol in red wine that could boost heart health, there’s so little per glass that you may need 100–1000 glasses to get the dosage that provides benefits in mouse studies. If you’re not a mouse, you might even need more.
To this end, many people prefer resveratrol supplementation. ← link is to an example product, but there are plenty more so feel free to shop around
A subscriber who voted for “Alcohol is bad for pretty much everything, including heart health ✋” says:
❝New guidelines suggest 1 to 2 drinks a week are okay but the less the better.❞
If you haven’t heard these new guidelines, we’ll mention again: every government has its own official bodies and guidelines so perhaps your local guidelines differ, but for example here’s what that World Health Organization has to say (as of January this year):
WHO: No level of alcohol consumption is safe for our health
So, whom to believe? The governments who hopefully consider the welfare of their citizenry more important than the tax dollars from alcohol sales, or the World Health Organization?
It’s a tough one, but we’ll always err on the side of the science.
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Spiced Fruit & Nut Chutney
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‘Tis the season to make the chutney that will then be aged chutney when you want it later! And unlike supermarket varieties with their ingredients list that goes “Sugar, spirit vinegar, inverted glucose-fructose syrup,” this one has an array of health-giving fruits and nuts (just omit the nuts if you or someone you may want to give this to has an allergy), and really nothing bad in here at all. And of course, tasty healthful spices!
You will need
- 2 red onions, chopped
- 1½ cups dried apricots, chopped
- 1½ cups dried figs, chopped
- 1 cup raisins
- ½ cup apple cider vinegar
- ½ cup slivered almonds
- ½ lime, chopped and deseeded
- ¼ bulb garlic, chopped
- 1 hot pepper, chopped (your choice what kind; omit if you don’t like heat at all; multiply if you want more heat)
- 2 tablespoons honey or maple syrup (omit for a less sweet chutney; there is sweetness in the dried fruits already, after all)
- 1 tbsp freshly grated ginger
- 2 tsp sweet cinnamon
- 1 tsp nutmeg
- 1 tsp black pepper
- ½ teaspoon allspice
- ½ MSG or 1 tsp low-sodium salt
- Extra virgin olive oil
Method
(we suggest you read everything at least once before doing anything)
1) Heat some oil in a heavy-based pan that will be large enough for all ingredients to go into eventually. Fry the onions on a gentle heat for around 15 minutes. We don’t need to caramelize them yet (this will happen with time), but we do want them soft and sweet already.
2) Add the ginger, garlic, and chili, and stir in well.
3) When the onions start to brown, add the fruit and stir well to mix thoroughly.
4) Add the honey or maple syrup (if using), and the vinegar; add the remaining spices/seasonings, so everything is in there now except the almonds.
5) Cook gently for another 30 minutes while stirring. At some point it’ll become thick and sticky; add a little water as necessary. You don’t want to drown it, but you do want it to stay moist. It’ll probably take only a few tablespoons of added water in total, but add them one at a time and stir in before judging whether more is needed. By the end of the 30 minutes, it should be more solid, to the point it can stand up by itself.
6) Add the almonds, stir to combine, and leave to cool. Put it in jars until you need it (or perhaps give it as gifts).
Alternative method: if you don’t want to be standing at a stove stirring for about an hour in total, you can use a slow cooker / crock pot instead. Put the same ingredients in the same order, but don’t stir them, just leave them in layers (this is because of the pattern of heat distribution; it’ll be hotter at the bottom, so the things that need to be more cooked should be there, and the design means they won’t burn) for about two hours, then stir well to mix thoroughly, and leave it for another hour or two, before turning it off to let it cool. Put it in jars until you need it (or perhaps give it as gifts).
Enjoy!
Want to learn more?
For those interested in some of the science of what we have going on today:
- Top 8 Fruits That Prevent & Kill Cancer ← figs and apricots appear here
- Apricots vs Peaches – Which is Healthier? ← have a guess
- Almonds vs Walnuts – Which is Healthier? ← almonds won, but walnuts were close and would also work in this recipe
- Pistachios vs Almonds – Which is Healthier? ← almonds won, but pistachios were close and would also work in this recipe
- Our Top 5 Spices: How Much Is Enough For Benefits? ← we scored 4/5 today!
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Does Ozempic Cause Hair Loss?
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Dr. Andrea Suarez explains the new research:
There are layers to it
Hair shedding is a recognized issue in some people taking GLP-1 receptor agonists for weight loss or diabetes. A recent study (mentioned in the video) found a higher rate of newly diagnosed hair loss compared with people taking other diabetes medications, but it’s worth remembering that hair loss is an umbrella term rather than one specific thing, so that makes the science a little fuzzy.
The most common explanation is telogen effluvium, a temporary condition in which significant and/or rapid weight loss shifts more hair follicles into the resting phase. For this reason, shedding often begins about three months after the weight loss rather than immediately.
To make matters worse, temporary telogen effluvium can reveal previously mild androgenetic alopecia (genetic pattern hair loss). As shedding resolves, some people find their hair never fully returns to its previous density, because the underlying condition has become apparent.
Possible additional mechanisms:
- Loss of dermal white adipose tissue (DWAT), a specialized layer of fat surrounding the hair follicles, which provides structural support and releases growth factors important for healthy hair growth.
- Reduced food intake can worsen existing nutrient deficiencies, particularly if diet quality was already poor before starting treatment.
- Inadequate protein intake specifically can further limit the building blocks needed for normal hair growth.
Researchers also hypothesize that GLP-1 drugs may alter fat-cell biology in ways that affect DWAT and the hair follicle environment, although this remains unproven and requires more research.
As for what to do about it, Dr. Suarez recommends to prioritize whole, minimally processed foods (especially: meals based on beans, rice, legumes, whole grains, and other home-prepared foods) rather than heavily marketed “high-protein” processed products.
For more on all of this, enjoy:
Click Here If The Embedded Video Doesn’t Load Automatically!
Want to learn more?
You might also like:
What Different Kinds of Hair Loss/Thinning Say About Your Health
Take care!
Don’t Forget…
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Can’t Deep Squat? Try This Hack
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Mobility coach Alisa Zuravskaja shows us how:
Drop it like it’s squat
The deep squat, also called the Slav squat, Asian squat, resting squat, sitting squat, and various other names, has been used for thousands of years as a natural resting position, and is still commonly used in many parts of the world.
So, how to regain the ability to do it, if you’ve lost it:
- Supported version: lower yourself onto a sturdy support about knee height, such as a low bench or yoga blocks, with your feet hip-width apart and your toes slightly turned out, then simply relax in the position.
- Lower the support: progressively reduce the height of the support over time so your hips, knees, and ankles move through a greater range of motion as your mobility improves.
- Heel elevation at first: once you can squat close to the floor, remove the seat and place a rolled mat, books, or small plates (the exercise kind, not dinner plates, please) under your heels to reduce the ankle mobility required while practicing a full squat.
- Reduce heel elevation: gradually use thinner heel supports as your ankle mobility improves until you can squat comfortably with minimal elevation.
- Full deep squat: squat with your feet hip-width apart, your toes slightly turned out, your heels flat on the floor, and your chest upright, holding the position for as long as you comfortably can.
The most important thing is frequent daily practice: use the deep squat (the best version of it you can, be that supported or full or one of the steps between) while doing everyday activities like drinking your coffee, watching TV, or using your phone, gradually increasing the time you spend in the position as it becomes more comfortable. Soon it won’t feel like an exercise, it’ll just be one of the ways you are comfortable resting.
For more on all of this plus visual demonstrations, enjoy:
Click Here If The Embedded Video Doesn’t Load Automatically!
Want to learn more?
You might also like:
The Secret To Better Squats: Foot, Knee, & Ankle Mobility
Take care!
Don’t Forget…
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Learn to Age Gracefully
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