This week whizzed by me, thanks to having traveled. Even though it feels as though I just posted weekend reading, I’m back with more articles and more recipes for you to gaze upon, each and every one of them scrumptious looking.
Gabby’s raw almond butter and caramel apple cheese squares are, quite simply, ridiculous. Must make now.
This is from my friend Clotilde’s archives, but it’s so perfect for this time of year: lentil kohlrabi salad with cumin and sesame oil.
Wendy has gone ahead and veganized a Greek classic, tzatziki. My mom would be proud.
Ella’s cabbage roll casserole looks like a perfectly nutritious, boldly flavored, and filling entree.
Finally, Erin’s sesame roasted turnips and barley is everything I want in a bowl of comfort food. Cannot wait to make it.
Reads
2. Finally: California Democratic State Assembleyman Richard Bloom has proposed legislation that will outlaw San Diego’s SeaWorld from breeding orcas in captivity and ban their import and export for performance purposes. To quote HuffPo coverage: “the bill has three goals. First, it seeks to end the practice of making orcas perform in shows. It also seeks to ban captive breeding. Finally, the legislation hopes to prohibit the import and export of killer whales across state lines. The ban would apply to any establishment in California, though SeaWorld in San Diego is the only such establishment in the state, according to CBS8 in San Diego.”
While the park will not have to free whales already in captivity, the bill is still a major step forward, and I was excited to hear about it.
3. I’m sure a good many of you already saw this article, which covers a new study suggesting that diets high in meat, eggs, milk, and cheese may be as harmful as smoking. The study, which seems to echo The China Study, is already getting quite a bit of attention, because it “throws doubt on the long-term health effects of the popular Atkins and Paleo diets that are rich in protein. Instead, it suggests people should eat a low-protein diet until old age when they start to lose weight and become frail, and then boost the body’s protein intake to stay healthy. In the over-65s, a high-protein diet cut the risk of death from any cause by 28%, and reduced cancer deaths by 60%, according to details of the study published in the journal Cell Metabolism.”
While I’m certainly intrigued, I’m going to read the study carefully before drawing any conclusions. Observational studies of this kind can suss out certain associations, they’re often confounded by a wide array of variables. The Guardian quotes Peter Emery, head of nutrition and dietetics at King’s College London, who says “I would urge general caution over observational studies, and particularly when looking at diet, given the difficulties of disentangling one nutrient or dietary component from another.” So: food for thought, for sure. But I look forward to the fine print.
4. NB: images in this article may be triggering, but I wanted to mention the New York Times coverage of a new art exhibit called “Body Conscious,”, on display at SUNY Westbury, which explores preoccupations and fixations on size and weight. I’m not entirely sure I’d want to go see it, but I think it’s interesting to say the least.
5. NEDA week is definitely in the past, but I just caught up on some fellow bloggers’ posts, and I was touched (as I always am) by my friend Melissa’s reflections on how her disorder began.
Enjoy the reading, folks. Night!
xo
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Denise Minger did a really thorough analysis of the article on diets high in meat, eggs, milk, and cheese being as bad as smoking. There are problems with the study, which Minger discusses here: http://rawfoodsos.com/
One of the problems with diets high in protein is that they also tend to be high in the amino acid methionine, which is found in muscle meats, dairy, etc. Methionine has been shown to lower life expectancy. However, consuming proteins that are high in the amino acid glycine (found in bone broths and animal skin) has been shown to have the same positive effect as methionine restriction in the diet.
Hey Jeanette,
Yes, I read Denise’s response after Melissa linked to it. It’s good stuff, very thorough. Thanks for mentioning!
Gena
Ah, thanks for the link up Gena. 🙂 <3 you lady!
Love you so much back!
Love this post as always Gena! Although I don’t eat meat, like you I was sceptical about the sensationalist high protein/meat study headlines. I came across this basic breakdown of it: http://www.nhs.uk/news/2014/03March/Pages/high-protein-diet-may-be-harmful-for-middle-aged.aspx
At the end of the day I think it is a case of everything in moderation, if you do want to eat meat.
I agree, Sophie. While I obviously don’t consume animal protein for numerous reasons, I’m not persuaded by arguments claiming that animal protein is, ipso facto, unhealthy. From a health perspective, everything in moderation (maybe more moderation than usual when it comes to red meat and dairy) seems to be validated by most evidence.
Gena, this weekly reading feature is such a favorite of mine! I completely agree with you about the protein issue. It deserves more attention, especially to those most sensitive to high carbohydrate diets, though I am on board the vegan side of it. Thanks for sharing these links!:)
oh cabbage rolls! i grew up on those! excited to try this since my meat consumption has drastically gone down the past 1-2yrs.
as for #3, i want to direct you to http://rawfoodsos.com/2014/03/09/new-animal-protein-study/ because i could not agree with her more. i also want to note that the glycine study was NOT a peer reviewed study–it was accepted for presentation, not publication. FASEB often publishes abstracts etc from the meetings. i also felt they should have taken a closer look at alcohol since that skews protein effects.
Thanks, lady. Denise always does fairly incredible research. Good to know (and rather surprising to know, given how widely circulated the study has become) that it isn’t peer-reviewed!
What a great roundup! 😉
Thank you so much for including my Cabbage Roll Casserole 😉
Love your site 😉
xox
Ella
And I love yours! That casserole looks divine. I look forward to trying it.
Thanks for linking to my recipe! It was a huge hit at the pot luck that I brought it to. Have you tried making your own yogurt yet? It’s soooo yummy!
I’ve never attempted my own, except for raw yogurt. Really want to!
Thanks so much for sharing my lentil kohlrabi salad, Gena! I love your weekend reading posts and it’s a real treat to be a part of it this week.
Aw, thanks friend! Your recipes are always, always inspiring. Hope you’ve been well.
And I’m so happy you like Weekend Reading — that makes me happy to hear. I love the look of your new site!
I am having reading guilt now but I will ignore and focus on that tzatziki recipe.
Great round up.