 |  | | | |  RECIPE CONTEST WINNERS
Exotic Dishes Stole Top Prizes
Congratulations to the 10 winners of our DNI-Meatless Monday recipe contest, picked from the more than 1,000 entries received in three categories: "slimming side dishes," "sumptuous soups" and "meatless main dishes." Choosing from this cornucopia of flavorful recipes was a daunting -- and delicious -- task. But in the end, the 10 winners listed below won the votes of our judging panel based on several criteria, from nutrition to creativity to ease of preparation.
We'll be featuring many of our contest entries in upcoming issues of the Dole Nutrition News, but if you just can't wait, click on the links below to sample our top 10. These tasty, healthy dishes prove meatless doesn't have to be mundane!
Grand Prize: Seven-day trip to Oahu for two ($2,500 value)
Gloria Bradley -- Asian Shrimp Lettuce Wraps with Orange Ponzu
First Prizes: ($500 each)
Danielle E. Garcia -- Creamy Mango and Strawberry Soup
Loanne Chiu -- Speckled Summer Tofu Salad
Renee Pokorny -- Island Rice Salad with Grilled Lime Vinaigrette
Second Prizes: ($300 each)
Meredith Luree Calhoun -- Curried Plantain and Potato Soup
Mary Hawkes -- Maple Roasted Harvest Vegetables
Roxanne Chan -- Florentine Vegetable Ragout
Third Prizes: ($200 each)
Brenda Prufer -- Hearty Black Bean Soup
Carole Resnick -- Dole-licious Pineapple-Bean Boats
Janice Elder -- Tropical Salmon and Fruit Fandango
MANNA FROM HEAVEN
Praise the Lord, Pass the Veggies
Only the good die young? So Billy Joel's immortal lyrics would have us believe, but according to new research, Virginia and her fellow worshippers may actually live longer. A panel recruited by the National Institutes of Health found that those who went to religious services at least weekly had a 25% lower mortality rate. They also had lower rates of depression, were more social and physically active.
One researcher postulates that turning to prayer or mediation (instead of wallowing in anger or stress) may be the mechanism that lowers risk. But another study by Saint Louis University suggests the advantage could have as much to do with consumption as contemplation.
By cross-tabulating church attendance and dietary patterns, researchers discovered that frequent churchgoers ate 25% more "powerhouse" fruits and veggies -- those that pack the biggest nutritional punch per serving -- than infrequent worshippers. Instead of just sticking to the popular produce items like bananas, corn and iceberg lettuce, regular parishioners were more likely to include citrus fruits, carrots, melons and cruciferous vegetables like broccoli and cauliflower in their diet.
The findings suggest church communities have tremendous potential to encourage and support healthy behaviors such as eating fruits and vegetables. Amen to that.
WEIGHT & WISHFUL THINKING
Overweight Women Overestimate Calorie Burn
The more a woman weighs, the more she overestimates her daily physical activity, according to a recent study from the University of Alabama. Researchers monitored 75 overweight and normal-weight women, asking them to report on time spent engaging in 63 physical activities --ranging from walking up stairs at work, to pumping iron at the gym, to gardening on the weekends.
While both groups overshot the mark, the overweight women overestimated their activity by approximately 50% more than their slimmer peers. "If these ladies were doing as much as they thought, they'd burn almost 1,000 more calories a day," observed lead study author, Gary R. Hunter, Ph.D.
What might cause the descriptive discrepancy? "If you're out of shape, you'll have more difficulty walking and climbing stairs and thus you overestimate the time it takes," says Hunter. True. But on the other hand, the more you weigh, the more you burn in regular daily activities and the higher your metabolic rate.
Doubt it? Say you're about 50 pounds overweight. That's equivalent to one of those big plastic water-cooler refills (unopened). Imagine carrying around one of those all day. You're going to burn more calories. You're also going to gain more muscle in the process -- and that muscle is going raise your resting metabolic rate.
So what came first? Does excess weight make one averse to activity? Or does aversion to exertion lead to love-handles and Buddha-bellies? The answer is both. To break out of the vicious cycle of weighing more and wanting to work out less, start building up strength and aerobic capacity by gradually increasing exercise levels, and gain a clearer understanding of calories burned in various activities.
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 | | | | |  ONIONS BOOST BONE HEALTH
Quercetin-rich Superfood Triggers Detoxification
Pity the poor onion. While blamed for bad breath and teary eyes, this belittled bulb bursts with health benefits, the most surprising of which could be boosting bone density.
A study just published in the May 2005 issue of the Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry suggests regular onion consumption could help prevent osteoporosis. Swiss researchers report that the onion peptide GPCS "significantly inhibited the loss of bone minerals, including calcium," in isolated bone cells from newborn rats. While further research is needed to confirm the effect in humans, bone heal this just the first layer of onion's manifold nutrition benefits.
Onions contain more quercetin than any other common fruit or vegetable. As explored in our previous newsletter, "Quercetin: Star of '05," this potent antioxidant can help reduce the risk of heart disease, Alzheimer's, prostatitis and a variety of cancers (such as prostate and lung cancer). One Finnish study also found that men who ate the most foods high in quercetin had 60% less lung cancer, 25% less asthma, and 20% less diabetes and heart disease deaths.
In addition to such direct antioxidants (that protect you by directly neutralizing free radicals), onions contain indirect antioxidants that trigger your body's own natural detoxification systems. In fact, the same sulfur-containing compounds that give onions their pungent odors are those that activate the phase II enzymes in the liver, prompting a cascade of protective activity that can last for several hours.
Less spectacular, though no less important, are the essential vitamins and nutrients under an onion's skin: With just 60 calories per one medium bulb, onions are an excellent source of vitamin C and a good source of fiber and vitamin B6.
For an unexpected twist on cooking with onions, try this issue's Superfood Recipe -- Pineapple Onion Marmalade. Want to get chopping -- without the onion's less appealing side effects? Read this issue's Dole Spa. Finally, for more bone-building fruits and veggies, see the story below.
BEYOND CALCIUM
10 Dietary Habits for Better Bone Health
We all know that calcium is important for strong bones, and previous newsletters have delved into the healthiest ways to meet requirements for this mineral. But researchers now believe there's more you can do to protect yourself against osteoporosis. Here's an updated list of 10 top dietary habits for optimum bone health.
What You Need:
1) Vitamin D: Helps the body absorb calcium and may be linked to stronger muscles, as well as stronger bones. Get your "D" from: sunshine, pink salmon, fortified orange juice, fortified nonfat milk.
2) Vitamin B-12: Deficiencies linked with lower bone density. Good B12sources include lean meat, poultry, seafood, eggs and low or nonfat dairy products like yogurt and milk.
3) Potassium: May reduce calcium excretion. Get it from plenty of produce including bananas, spinach, broccoli, potatoes, kiwi and plantains.
4) Folate: Lowers levels of homocysteine, an amino acid linked to increased risk of fractures -- as well as cardiovascular and Alzheimer's disease. Get your folate from spinach, asparagus, broccoli, romaine lettuce and oranges.
5) Vitamin K: People who consume more vitamin K have a 65% lower risk of hip fracture compared to folks with lower levels of this fat-soluble vitamin. Get your "K" from: leafy green vegetables like kale, spinach and romaine lettuce; broccoli, cabbage, grapes and blueberries.
6) Magnesium: People who consume more magnesium have higher bone density. One study found that women with osteoporosis had low
serum magnesium concentrations. Good sources of magnesium include spinach, green peas, nuts, seeds and whole grains.
7) Vitamin C: This powerful antioxidant has been linked with
greater forearm bone mineral content in post-menopausal women. This nutrient is also linked to collagen production, which may be related to
calcium absorption. Get your C from citrus fruits like grapefruit and
oranges; plus strawberries, broccoli and sweet red peppers.
What to Avoid:
8) Too much meat: Research has linked excess retinol -- the fat-soluble form of vitamin A found in
animal foods -- to increased fracture risk. Instead of getting vitamin from animal sources, get beta-carotene (a precursor
to vitamin A) from fresh fruits and veggies like carrots, sweet potatoes and cantaloupe, as there's no link between beta-carotene and fracture risk.
9) Excess Dietary Fat: One study found that fat intake
inversely correlated with bone mineral density. Researchers don't know whether
fat has an independent effect, or if a high-fat diet simply lacks the other nutrients important for building and maintaining strong bones.
10) Too much Alcohol: While moderate alcohol (two drinks for men,
one for women) consumption may have healthy bone benefits, "too much of a good thing" can damage bone density -- especially more than two
drinks daily of distilled drinks like gin and vodka. Read on to learn more about alcohol risks to fracture-prone seniors.
GUZZLING IN THE GOLDEN YEARS
When Older Americans Drink Too Much
Alcohol consumption declines as people age, yet too many
older Americans still drink more than would be good for their health, according to
new research published in the American Journal of Public Health. Following1,300 subjects for 10 years, the study found that while alcohol
consumption waned with age, more than a third of subjects still exceeded guidelines
for "moderation" (one drink for women, two for men).
This statistic masks the seriousness of the problem,
as the ability to effectively metabolize alcohol diminishes as we get older, making yesterday's "moderation" tomorrow's "excess."
Study author Rudolf Moos, Ph.D., says "With age, it takes less alcohol to cause
problems." For example, lingering alcohol in the blood can interfere with medication. Other dangers include increased chance of falls
and fractures.
For such reasons, researchers advise older adults to limit
themselves to one drink per day, regardless of gender. Says Moos, "two drinks
are OK on some occasions when there are other people around for safety."
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 | | | | |  LET THEM EAT CROW?
Study Clouds Risks of Excess Weight
Gluttons around the country rejoiced at recent headlines suggesting
the health risks of obesity were overblown. The brouhaha erupted when the
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention downsized its estimate of obesity-related death rates from 400,000 to just about 26,000. Fast-food
industry representatives called the CDC the "agency that cried epidemic," while leading health experts like Harvard's Dr.
Walter Willet to call the new estimate "flawed and deeply misleading."
Last year, the CDC listed deaths from excess weight as the No. 2 cause of preventable death in the U.S. Earlier this year they
lowered the estimate to 365,000, citing calculation errors. The huge drop in
estimates came this past April, when the number plunged to 26,000 and
obesity thus sank to number seven on the list of causes of
preventable death. Even more jaw-dropping and brow-raising, the CDC actually said that
modestly overweight people had a lower risk of death than those of
normal weight. Huh?
The truth has less to do with how you crunch the numbers, than
the semantics of how you interpret "obesity-related ailments." Death
certificates don't list obesity as "cause of death" -- but often other
ailments for which excess weight is a significant risk factor. No one denies the fact that the three leading causes of death --
heart disease, cancer and stroke -- remain linked to excess weight.
Another fundamental problem with the new estimate is that it fails
to sort out people who are lean because of weight loss caused by some
underlying disease. In other words, wasting diseases, like cancer, corrupt the data. This failure conferred a misleading "protective
effect" of being overweight, which, in turn, skewed the rest of the calculations.
Even if obesity did not hasten death, it certainly impairs the
quality of life while living. A recent study by Harris Interactive found that obese respondents reported substantially worse health status
and higher rates of hospitalization. In fact, only 17% of the obese
responded that their health was "excellent" or "very good" compared to41% of all adults.
The good news is that even a modest weight loss and increase
in fitness can pay huge health dividends. In fact, new research in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association suggests it takes just six weeks to lower a person's risk of diabetes, cancer and heart disease after embarking on a moderate exercise regimen and diet rich in fruits, veggies and whole grains. Unfortunately, the CDC's new study not
only clouds the risks of excess weight, it robs people of the clarity and motivation needed to make the changes in diet and
lifestyle that could ultimately save their lives.
# # # # # #
What do you think? Is the obesity epidemic overblown -- or will the
new numbers encourage people to neglect their health? Weigh in on the
controversy in this issue's Dole Poll.
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Pineapple Onion Marmalade
Prep: 15 min.
Cook: 20 min.
Makes: 16 (1/4 cup servings)
1 medium fresh DOLE Tropical Gold Pineapple
2 cups DOLE Red Onions, cubed
2 cups DOLE Yellow Onions, cubed
1 1/2 tablespoons margarine
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon salt
Twist crown from pineapple. Cut pineapple lengthwise in half (refrigerate half for a salad), then in quarters. Cut fruit from shell. Trim off core; dice fruit (2 1/2 cups).
Cook onions in margarine, in nonstick skillet, over medium high heat for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add vinegar and sugar; cook 5 minutes longer. Remove from heat; add pineapple and seasonings. Mix well.
Serve with grilled chicken, turkey or veggie burgers.
Per Serving: 42 calories, 1 g fat (0 g sat.), 0 mg cholesterol, 51 mg sodium, 8 g carbohydrate (1 g dietary fiber, 5 g sugars), 0 g protein, 1%Vit A, 22% Vit C, 1% calcium, 1% iron, 2% potassium, 3% folate.
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DOLE SPA
Onion facial? Hmmmm. I don't think so. We did find anti-acne tips suggesting that rubbing raw onion on your face could help reduce breakouts (and, obviously, interpersonal contact with anyone possessed of a sense of smell), though, eau de onion is not anyone's idea of an appealing scent. So here are some ideas on how to minimize an onion's olfactory side effects.
Banish Onion Breath:
Gargle with lemon juice and water.
Chew on a citrus peel.
Eat some fresh parsley to neutralize odor-causing sulfur compounds.
Cook your onions thoroughly to reduce the pungency.
Dry Onion Tears:
Chill the onions in the refrigerator for 30 minutes prior to chopping.
Cut into the root end of the onion last (the root end has the largest concentration of sulphuric compounds that make your eyes tear).
After chopping onions, open freezer and blink a few times to soothe irritated tear ducts.
Remove Onion Odors:
Rub hands with lemon juice and rinse with cool water.
Rub aluminum and cast iron pots and pans with salt.
Finally, keep in mind that the stronger the onion's pungency, the more disease-fighting phytochemicals they contain. So choose bold (Western yellows, Northern reds and shallots) over bland, even if you have to eat it and weep.
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 | | DOLE POLL
Last issue ...
Which newsletter topics were ranked most popular? Far and away the winners were "Weight Loss Tips" and "SuperFoods Recipes." Fewer votes went to topics like "Children's Nutrition" and "Beauty Treatments. "We'll keep that in mind when it comes to future content. For full results see below.
Topics:
Children's Nutrition (9.48%)
Nutrition Research (27.45%)
Sexual Health (14.71%)
Weight Loss Tips (48.36%)
Features:
Beauty Foods/ Treatments (11.50%)
Fitness Info (23.01%)
Interviews with Health Experts (13.72%)
Superfoods Recipes (51.77%)
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This issue:
Do you think the obesity epidemic is overblown?
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