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High-Fructose diet during teen years sets stress response for life

11/29/2014

 
As promised I would start to discuss some of the recent research in the nutrition world.  This one I found of particular interest since it’s during a life cycle period where there seems to be a lot of stress already, during adolescence.  Neuro-Nutrition has been shown to be so important for our best thinking and therefore feeling as a result. 

What if your teenager eating fast food and a highly processed diet was setting their long term mood thermostat? Well it appears, that might be what is actually occurring.  Researchers from Emory University have discovered that mice fed a high-fructose diet during adolescence led to higher stress response leading to set the neuronal pathways for depression and anxiety.  Yet, this same finding wasn’t evident in the adult mice fed the same high fructose diet.  “It also stimulates neural pathways that affect how the brain responds to stress, which can have important behavioral effects, including the worsening of symptoms related to depression and anxiety. Such effects are of particular concern during the teen years, which is a critical time for the development of the brain's stress response, “as noted by lead author Constance Harrell of Emory University in Atlanta 1.   

So what is a high fructose diet anyways you may ask?  Fruits and vegetables naturally contain fructose, as does honey.  Those foods most likely aren’t the issue.  It’s more like this problematic list of high fructose sources:

·         High Fructose Corn Syrup

·         Agave Nectar

·         Processed foods containing adding sugars

·         Sugar-sweetened beverages

·         High Energy Drinks



Sources: 1. Emory Health Sciences. "High-fructose diet in adolescence may exacerbate depressive-like behavior." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 18 November 2014. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/11/141118141852.htm>.

Please enjoy Dr. Lustig's presentation on excess sugars and their effects on our kids.  If you like this information and want help implementing these changes in your families diet contact us, Think Nutrition!

Pseudo Nacho Tostada's

11/28/2014

 
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This is what you call last minute dinner post-Thanksgiving feast. And yes, I do usually have pre-made pickled red onions ready to go in the fridge, so much flavor.

Looking for a post-Thanksgiving Fiesta style dinner?  Well for some reason, I was.  In a quick hurry scrounged through the fridge & pantry to find these items to make what I call the Pseudo Nacho Tostada.  


Here are the simple ingredients and steps: 
Step 1 Pickled red onions: 
-1 red onion sliced
-2tbsp. raw apple cider vinegar 
-2Tbsp. water
-1.5 tsp. brown sugar
-pinch of sea salt
Place sliced red onion in a collander and rinse with boiling water. Next add all ingredients together in a storage bowl or glass of choice and refrigerate overnight for flavor.  
 


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Final Bean Nacho/Tostada
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Step 2: 
Begin assembly of tostada's on baking sheet covered with parchment paper to save clean-up time.  Lay each tostada shell out, swipe with 1-2Tbsp. refried beans (Amy's refried beans are what we used), next layer picked onion slices, fresh argula, and top with monterey jack cheese or Daiya cheddar cheese or jack if you require dairy free. Bake in oven until cheese is bubbly at 350 for approx 10 min.  Top with dollop of guacamole and devour with pleasure. 

Gluten free Pecan Pie 

11/26/2014

 
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Pecan pie without CORN SYRUP you say!  Yes, it's possible, delicious, and more traditional than its goopy corn cousin.  I adapted the recipe from Whole Foods Market Classic Pecan Pie with a graham cracker crust I made up as I went along. As a testament to how good the pie is, hubby grabbed a slice before I could even take a picture, still hot.  Here is the recipe quick & easy:
Crust:
 -6Tbsp butter or coconut oil melted 
-2/3 cup gluten free graham cracker crumbs 
-2/3 cup gluten free bread crumbs (I used Katz gluten free bread crumbs)
-1/4 turbinado sugar or other unrefined sugar cane
For crust mix all ingredients in a bowl until well combined.  Using a springfoam 9' pan lined with parchment paper, press the crumb mixture into bottom and partly up the sides.  Next onto the filling....
Pecan Filling: 
-2 Tbsp butter or coconut oil
-3 organic eggs
-1 tsp vanilla extract
-1 cup organic maple syrup
-1/2 cup packed brown sugar
-1 1/2 cups pecans
Start by whisking the eggs until blended in a bowl. Whisk in syrup, sugar, vanilla, butter and salt next. Stir your pecans intothe egg/syrup mixture, then pour into prepared gramham cracker pie crust. Bake 50 to 55 minutes or until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool before serving.


Enjoy! I know we will this Thanksgiving! Happy Thanksgiving to you & your families from Think Nutrition. 

Adzuki Bean Bowl

11/20/2014

 
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Fresh Arugula & Onion make this bowl delish!
All these Chipolte restaurants going up in our neighborhood make me crave a bean bowl with fresh veggies. Enter Adzuki bean bowl on a bed of fresh Jasmati rice.

-15oz. can of BPA free Adzuki beans
-Prepare 1 cup of rice of your choice with Organic chicken broth
-1 tsp. cumin
-1/2 tsp. paprika
-1/2tsp chili powder
-1/4 tsp salt
-1/2 cup diced white onion
2-cloves of garlic
1 cup fresh arugula leaves

Saute onion in saucepan for 5 min with garlic added last 2 min. Add beans & all spices into the saucepan over low heat. Remove from stove, add Arugula immediately to wilt slightly. Serve bean/veg mixture over your rice & enjoy your Chipolte-esque quick bean bowl.

    Author

    Jaimie Cole, MS, RD, LD/N
    A lover of good food, good times, while being real about the time constraints of being a busy mom to 3 young children with special food allergy needs, entrepreneur, avid adventurer, researcher, and whole foods chef. Enjoy my take on nutrition news with the occasional recipe thrown in.

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Photos used under Creative Commons from Tony Webster, National Institutes of Health (NIH)