Muhammara

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This is a Levantine dish, Syrian in origin (although Lebanese cuisine uses it plenty too) and popularly enjoyed all the way up to Turkey, down to Egypt, and across to Armenia. And today, perhaps rather further afield! It’s first and foremost a spicy dip/spread, though it can be lengthened into a sauce, and/or made more substantial by adding an extra protein. We’ll give you the basic recipe though, and let you see where it takes you! Healthwise, it’s very nutritionally dense, mostly thanks to the walnuts and red peppers, though spices and olive oil bring their healthy benefits too.

You will need

  • ½ cup chopped walnuts (ideally: toasted)
  • 3 red peppers, from a jar (jarred over fresh not only improves the consistency, but also makes it extra gut-healthy due to the fermentation bacteria present; if you must use fresh, roast them first)
  • 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 tbsp pomegranate molasses (you can omit if you don’t like sweetness, but this is traditional)
  • 1 tbsp tomato purée
  • 1 tbsp Aleppo pepper flakes (less, if you don’t like heat) (substitute another hot pepper if necessary)
  • ½ bulb garlic, crushed
  • 2 tsp ground smoked paprika
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • ½ tsp MSG or 1 tsp low-sodium salt
  • Juice of 1 lemon
  • Optional: handful of pomegranate seeds
  • Optional: herb garnish, e.g. cilantro or parsley

Method

(we suggest you read everything at least once before doing anything)

1) Add everything except the pomegranate seeds and herbs to a blender, and blend to a smooth consistency.

2) Add the pomegranate seeds and herbs, as a garnish.

3) Serve! Can be enjoyed as a dip (perhaps using our Homemade Healthy Flatbreads recipe), or as a spread, or used as a sauce poured over chickpeas or some other bulky protein, to make a more substantial dish.

Enjoy!

Want to learn more?

For those interested in some of the science of what we have going on today:

Take care!

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  • 10% Human – by Dr. Alanna Collen

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    The title, of course, is a nod to how by cell count, we are only about 10% human, and the other 90% are assorted microbes.

    Dr. Collen starts with the premise that “all diseases begin in the gut” which is perhaps a little bold, but as a general rule of thumb, the gut is, in fairness, implicated in most things—even if not being the cause, it generally plays at least some role in the pathogenesis of disease.

    The book talks us through the various ways that our trillions of tiny friends (and some foes) interact with us, from immune-related considerations, to nutrient metabolism, to neurotransmitters, and in some cases, direct mind control, which may sound like a stretch but it has to do with the vagus nerve “gut-brain highway”, and how microbes have evolved to tug on its strings just right. Bearing in mind, most of these microbes have very short life cycles, which means evolution happens for them so much more rapidly than it does for us—something that Dr. Collen, with her PhD in evolutionary biology, has plenty to say about.

    There is a practical element too: advice on how to avoid the many illnesses that come with having our various microbiomes (it’s not just the gut!) out of balance, and how to keep everything working together as a team.

    The style is quite light pop-science and, once we get past the first chapter (which is about the history of the field), quite a pleasant read as Dr. Collen has an enjoyable and entertaining tone.

    Bottom line: if you’d like to understand more about all the things that come together to make us functionally 100% human, then this book is an excellent guide to that.

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  • Vitamin C (Drinkable) vs Vitamin C (Chewable) – Which is Healthier?

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    Our Verdict

    When comparing vitamin C (drinkable) to vitamin C (chewable), we picked the drinkable.

    Why?

    First let’s look at what’s more or less the same in each:

    • The usable vitamin C content is comparable
    • The bioavailability is comparable
    • The additives to hold it together are comparable

    So what’s the difference?

    With the drinkable, you also drink a glass of water

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  • I’m Moving Forward and Facing the Uncertainty of Aging

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    It takes a lot of courage to grow old.

    I’ve come to appreciate this after conversations with hundreds of older adults over the past eight years for nearly 200 “Navigating Aging” columns.

    Time and again, people have described what it’s like to let go of certainties they once lived with and adjust to new circumstances.

    These older adults’ lives are filled with change. They don’t know what the future holds except that the end is nearer than it’s ever been.

    And yet, they find ways to adapt. To move forward. To find meaning in their lives. And I find myself resolving to follow this path as I ready myself for retirement.

    Patricia Estess, 85, of the Brooklyn borough of New York City spoke eloquently about the unpredictability of later life when I reached out to her as I reported a series of columns on older adults who live alone, sometimes known as “solo agers.”

    Estess had taken a course on solo aging. “You realize that other people are in the same boat as you are,” she said when I asked what she had learned. “We’re all dealing with uncertainty.”

    Consider the questions that older adults — whether living with others or by themselves — deal with year in and out: Will my bones break? Will my thinking skills and memory endure? Will I be able to make it up the stairs of my home, where I’m trying to age in place?

    Will beloved friends and family members remain an ongoing source of support? If not, who will be around to provide help when it’s needed?

    Will I have enough money to support a long and healthy life, if that’s in the cards? Will community and government resources be available, if needed?

    It takes courage to face these uncertainties and advance into the unknown with a measure of equanimity.

    “It’s a question of attitude,” Estess told me. “I have honed an attitude of: ‘I am getting older. Things will happen. I will do what I can to plan in advance. I will be more careful. But I will deal with things as they come up.’”

    For many people, becoming old alters their sense of identity. They feel like strangers to themselves. Their bodies and minds aren’t working as they used to. They don’t feel the sense of control they once felt.

    That requires a different type of courage — the courage to embrace and accept their older selves.

    Marna Clarke, a photographer, spent more than a dozen years documenting her changing body and her life with her partner as they grew older. Along the way, she learned to view aging with new eyes.

    “Now, I think there’s a beauty that comes out of people when they accept who they are,” she told me in 2022, when she was 70, just before her 93-year-old husband died.

    Arthur Kleinman, a Harvard professor who’s now 83, gained a deeper sense of soulfulness after caring for his beloved wife, who had dementia and eventually died, leaving him grief-stricken.

    “We endure, we learn how to endure, how to keep going. We’re marked, we’re injured, we’re wounded. We’re changed, in my case for the better,” he told me when I interviewed him in 2019. He was referring to a newfound sense of vulnerability and empathy he gained as a caregiver.

    Herbert Brown, 68, who lives in one of Chicago’s poorest neighborhoods, was philosophical when I met him at his apartment building’s annual barbecue in June.

    “I was a very wild person in my youth. I’m surprised I’ve lived this long,” he said. “I never planned on being a senior. I thought I’d die before that happened.”

    Truthfully, no one is ever prepared to grow old, including me. (I’m turning 70 in February.)

    Chalk it up to denial or the limits of imagination. As May Sarton, a writer who thought deeply about aging, put it so well: Old age is “a foreign country with an unknown language.” I, along with all my similarly aged friends, are surprised we’ve arrived at this destination.

    For me, 2025 is a turning point. I’m retiring after four decades as a journalist. Most of that time, I’ve written about our nation’s enormously complex health care system. For the past eight years, I’ve focused on the unprecedented growth of the older population — the most significant demographic trend of our time — and its many implications.

    In some ways, I’m ready for the challenges that lie ahead. In many ways, I’m not.

    The biggest unknown is what will happen to my vision. I have moderate macular degeneration in both eyes. Last year, I lost central vision in my right eye. How long will my left eye pick up the slack? What will happen when that eye deteriorates?

    Like many people, I’m hoping scientific advances outpace the progression of my condition. But I’m not counting on it. Realistically, I have to plan for a future in which I might become partially blind.

    It’ll take courage to deal with that.

    Then, there’s the matter of my four-story Denver house, where I’ve lived for 33 years. Climbing the stairs has helped keep me in shape. But that won’t be possible if my vision becomes worse.

    So my husband and I are taking a leap into the unknown. We’re renovating the house, installing an elevator, and inviting our son, daughter-in-law, and grandson to move in with us. Going intergenerational. Giving up privacy. In exchange, we hope our home will be full of mutual assistance and love.

    There are no guarantees this will work. But we’re giving it a shot.

    Without all the conversations I’ve had over all these years, I might not have been up for it. But I’ve come to see that “no guarantees” isn’t a reason to dig in my heels and resist change.

    Thank you to everyone who has taken time to share your experiences and insights about aging. Thank you for your openness, honesty, and courage. These conversations will become even more important in the years ahead, as baby boomers like me make their way through their 70s, 80s, and beyond. May the conversations continue.

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