(Herbs by James Baker - flickr)

Few things beat having fresh herbs at your fingertips. If you're lucky, the herbs you started in the spring have been kicking out and you now have a basil bush, stalks of rosemary, and bunches of sage, oregano, dill, etc. If so, you might be wondering what to do with all of those herbs that you have right now, but would like to save for cooler months. Well, it just so happens that Vegetetable Gardner has a "how-to" on drying and preserving fresh herbs.

Check out the link here - there are also videos on drying, freezing, and storing your fresh herbs. Enjoy!

THE STUDY:
- Researchers analyzed relationship between "active travel" -- bicycling or walking rather than driving -- and physical activity, obesity and diabetes.

- Looked at city- and state-level data from the US and international data from 15 countries

RESULTS
- The relationship between active travel and health was discernible at three different geographic levels: international, state and city

Active travel linked to:
- >50% of differences in obesity rates among countries
- 30% of difference in obesity rates among states and cities

- European countries with high rates of walking and cycling have less obesity than car-dependent countries like Australia and North America

- Comparing all 50 states and 47 largest American cities states with higher rates of walking and cycling had:

- A higher % of adults who achieved recommended levels of physical activity
- A lower % of adults who are obese
- A lower % of adults with diabetes

BOTTOM LINE:
- The relationship between active travel and health seems clear: Good sidewaks and bike lanes mean more people use them. The more people use them, the less obesity and diabetes in the community.

- Support local measures to encourage more walking and cycling for daily travel by providing safe, convenient and attractive infrastructure, such as sidewalks, crosswalks, bike paths and lanes, and intersection modifications that protect pedestrians and cyclists.

Citation:
1. Pucher J, Dijkstra L. Promoting safe walking and cycling to improve public health: Lessons from the netherlands and germany. American Journal of Public Health. 2003;93:1509

Food is an integral part of life. It not only sustains us, but is often part of our celebrations and milestones. This past weekend my family celebrated my grandmother's birthday and held a family reunion in North Carolina. Approximately 80 of her 100+ children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren were in attendance. As you might imagine, feeding all those people was quite a challenge. Fortunately, we have several chefs in the family - nonetheless, what transpired was awfully impressive.

This is the BBQ that was used. What is most impressive about this rig is not necessarily the size or scale, but that my cousin Eric built the entire thing in his shop. Wow. Dinner was to feature a whole hog (Claudette), three whole briskets, 16 chickens, and two bushels of corn.

Chef Eric throwing the dry-rubbed briskets on the BBQ next to Claudette.

Eric loading the side stack smoker/roaster the corn and chickens.

Meanwhile, the National Anthem is sung (by my cousin Mark) before a game of kickball.

Chef Chad slicing brisket and breaking down chickens - we're getting close to chow time...

Dinner is served.

Now, does that look like a proud grandmother or what? The family comes together and sings happy birthday to grandma. This was truly a wonderful event.

Cheers,
Larry

I am on my way to a family reunion in North Carolina this weekend. As such, one of the things that I am thinking about (once again) is family and BBQ (and happy birthday grandma!). Please enjoy this post from our blog archives, which includes a piece from NPR's series, "I believe" and a link at the end to some BBQ recipes.

I believe in barbecue. As soul food and comfort food and health food, as a cuisine of both solace and celebration. When I'm feeling good, I want barbecue. And when I'm feeling bad, I just want barbecue more. I believe in barbecue in all its regional derivations, in its ethnic translations, in forms that range from white-tablecloth presentations of cunningly sauced costillas, to Chinese take-out spareribs that stain your fingers red, to the most authentic product of the tarpaper rib shacks of the Deep South. I believe that like sunshine and great sex, no day is bad that has barbecue in it.

I believe in the art of generations of pit men working in relative obscurity to keep alive the craft of slow smoking as it's been practiced for as long as there's been fire. A barbecue cook must have an intimate understanding of his work: the physics of fire and convection, the hard science of meat and heat and smoke -- and then forget it all to achieve a sort of gut-level, Zen instinct for the process.

I believe that barbecue drives culture, not the other way around. Some of the first blows struck for equality and civil rights in the Deep South were made not in the courtrooms or schools or on buses, but in the barbecue shacks. There were dining rooms, backyards and roadhouse juke joints in the South that were integrated long before any other public places.

I believe that good barbecue requires no decor, and that the best barbecue exists despite its trappings. Paper plates are okay in a barbecue joint. And paper napkins. And plastic silverware. And I believe that any place with a menu longer than can fit on a single page -- or better yet, just a chalkboard -- is coming dangerously close to putting on airs.

I believe that good barbecue needs sides the way good blues need rhythm, and that there is only one rule: Serve whatever you like, but whatever you serve, make it fresh. Have someone's mama in the back doing the "taters" and hush puppies and sweet tea, because Mama will know what she's doing -- or at least know better than some assembly-line worker bagging up powdered mashed potatoes by the ton.

I believe that proper barbecue ought to come in significant portions. Skinny people can eat barbecue, and do, but the kitchen should cook for a fat man who hasn't eaten since breakfast. My leftovers should last for days.

I believe that if you don't get sauce under your nails when you're eating, you're doing it wrong. I believe that if you don't ruin your shirt, you're not trying hard enough.

I believe -- I know -- there is no such thing as too much barbecue. Good, bad or in-between, old-fashioned pit-smoked or high-tech and modern; it doesn't matter. Existing without gimmickry, without the infernal swindles and capering of so much of contemporary cuisine, barbecue is truth; it is history and home, and the only thing I don't believe is that I'll ever get enough.

Jason Sheehan – James Beard Award-winning restaurant critic

How to BBQ from Fine Cooking

A: Get your hands on some watermelon.

Yesterday we had a severe heat warning in Indiana. Boy, was it hot - my dwarf lime tree started wilting.

There is one fruit, however, that is uniquely suited for this type of hot weather and that is the watermelon. Slightly sweet and full of juice, watermelon is super refreshing on a hot day. Watermelons are a staple for picnics, backyard BBQs, and summer gatherings; however, I rarely buy watermelon when I'm not having a group of people over. I think this is because I don't know what to do with such a large amount of watermelon. As least I didn't until I read this piece from Fine Cooking.

Here they provide recipes for watermelon cocktails like the Watermelon Blush made with Prosecco and the Watermelon Mule made with vodka, lime juice, and ginger beer. Appetizers might include Grilled Watermelon Salsa or Grilled Watermelon Gazpacho. For a main course or a second course, you could make this Watermelon, Grapefruit, and Scallop Ceviche, Watermelon and Cress Salad with Grilled Shrimp and Hearts of Palm, or a Coffee-rubbed Pork Tenderloin with Watermelon Rind Relish (that's right, you can even use the rind!). Lastly, you could finish off the meal with a Watermelon and Tea Granita for dessert.

Enjoy (and stay cool).

Over the years, the life expectancy of an adult in the US has increased dramatically. It is almost a law of nature that with advances in medicine, nutrition, and public health (vaccinations, etc.) life expectancy increases over time. A decrease in life expectancy is a sign of something going seriously wrong.

The figure above is from a recently published paper titled, "Falling behind: life expectancy in US counties from 2000 to 2007 in an international context." It shows changes in life expectancy for women from 1987 to 2007. You will note from the figure legend that the red on this map depicts counties in which the change was less than zero. That means that the life expectancy of women in those counties has decreased over the past two decades.

This comes on the heels of a report from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation titled, "F as in fat: How obesity threatens America's future." Here are a few tidbits:

• Colorado is the only state with an obesity rate below 20% (coming in at 19.8%)
• A state at 19.8% obesity would have had the highest rate in 1995
• No state has had a decline in the rate of obesity
• Over the past 15 years, rates of obesity have doubled in seven states and rates of diabetes have doubled in 10 states

We are experiencing a crisis - and we need to make some changes. There will be no single solution, rather we will have to change our behaviors, policies, environments, practices, etc.

What are you going to change today?

If you've ever prepared a meal or packed a lunch for someone you care about, you might have tried to make the meal extra tasty with a little additional butter or packed an extra cookie in that lunch. Folks over at the Nudge blog highlight a recently published study showing that people tend to choose a variety of healthy and less healthy foods for themselves, but more unhealthy foods for a friend. The lessons here? 1) Do your friends a favor and serve them good, healthy food and 2) Don't allow yourself to be (over)served food that you would not otherwise serve yourself.

This study also reminds me of a 2006 paper by Brian Wansink in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association. In it, he described how the majority of "nutritional gatekeepers" or people who are primarily responsible for purchasing and preparing most of the food in a household believed that other people in the household (e.g., children and husbands) held most of the influence in terms of what foods were consumed by the family. Interestingly, non-gatekeepers responded that they would pretty much eat whatever was prepared and that the gatekeeper held most of the power. The lesson here? A home's nutritional gatekeeper is biggest food influence in the lives of his or her family members.

The National Cattlemen's (do they not recognize women ranchers yet?) Beef Association provides a fact sheet on finishing cattle on feedlots on their website. So, what is "finishing" you might ask? This is what they have to say on the matter:

"Cattle are raised on range or pasture land for most of their lives (usually 12-18 months), then transported to a feedlot for finishing. These cattle usually spend about three to six months in a feedlot, during which time they gain between 2.5 and 4 pounds per day. The cattle are fed a scientifically formulated ration that averages 70 percent to 90 percent grain. On this special diet, cattle will gain about 1 pound for every 6 pounds of feed they consume."

So, the cattle are moved from pasture to a feedlot and are fed grain to rapidly gain weight. "Finishing," therefore means "fattening up."

Thought #1: Eating a bunch of grain seems like a good way to gain weight (for cows, at least, who are actually better equipped than humans to digest grains).

But, how can feeding grain to cows be more profitable than letting them eat grass?

Another quote from the fact sheet: "The abundance of feed corn in this country contributes to the economic viability of producing grain-fed cattle. In fact, it will often cost more to raise cattle on pasture because it takes longer for the animal to reach market weight. That is why grass-finished beef can be more expensive than grain-fed product."

Thought #2: Grains result in rapid weight gain and economic subsidies keep grains cheap and plentiful (not only for cows folks).

So, does finishing cattle on grain simply result in more meat, or are there other differences between grass-fed and grain-fed beef?

To answer this question, we go to a recent scientific review (note: the entire paper is available free of charge) of the fatty acid profiles and antioxidant content in grass-fed and grain-fed beef. First, the abstract of the paper (emphasis added):

"Growing consumer interest in grass-fed beef products has raised a number of questions with regard to the perceived differences in nutritional quality between grass-fed and grain-fed cattle. Research spanning three decades suggests that grass-based diets can significantly improve the fatty acid (FA) composition and antioxidant content of beef, albeit with variable impacts on overall palatability. Grass-based diets have been shown to enhance total conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) (C18:2) isomers, trans vaccenic acid (TVA) (C18:1 t11), a precursor to CLA, and omega-3 (n-3) FAs on a g/g fat basis. While the overall concentration of total SFAs is not different between feeding regimens, grass-finished beef tends toward a higher proportion of cholesterol neutral stearic FA (C18:0), and less cholesterol-elevating SFAs such as myristic (C14:0) and palmitic (C16:0) FAs. Several studies suggest that grass-based diets elevate precursors for Vitamin A and E, as well as cancer fighting antioxidants such as glutathione (GT) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity as compared to grain-fed contemporaries. Fat conscious consumers will also prefer the overall lower fat content of a grass-fed beef product. However, consumers should be aware that the differences in FA content will also give grass-fed beef a distinct grass flavor and unique cooking qualities that should be considered when making the transition from grain-fed beef. In addition, the fat from grass-finished beef may have a yellowish appearance from the elevated carotenoid content (precursor to Vitamin A). It is also noted that grain-fed beef consumers may achieve similar intakes of both n-3 and CLA through the consumption of higher fat grain-fed portions."

Another telling finding is the last column in Table 2 of this paper, which summarizes the differences in the omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acid ratios across the studies reviewed.

Here, what you see in each case, is a significantly lower ratio (which is what you want) of omega-6 (less desirable) to omega-3 (more desirable) fatty acids when the animals are raised on a grass-based diet as compared to grain. So, it does appear that a grain-based diet makes a difference in both the quantity (i.e., greater weight) and the quality (i.e., lower quality) of beef as compared to a grass-based diet.

Thought #3: I don't want to be "finished off," thank you very much. So, I think I will be avoiding the grains that so rapidly pack on the pounds for our bovine friends. I also want to eat the healthiest types of meat that I can. For that, I will be choosing grass-fed beef whenever possible.

Yesterday was the Fourth of July, or Independence Day, in the US. I, like many others, attended a BBQ where we ate burgers and hot dogs, drank a few beers, and finished the meal with some homemade pie. This got me thinking about what it means to be independent and to have food independence.

One form of independence is being able to raise one's own food. Our friends made a delicious pie from cherries and rhubarb that they had grown in their own backyard.

Another form of independence involves having freedom of choice. We were able and chose to drink local beer and bison-beef hot dogs.

A third form of independence involves having a feeling of control over one's diet and food choices. In this way, I avoided the burger and hotdog buns and loaded up on veggies and coleslaw, which left me feeling satisfied with my food choices afterward.

So, what do you think folks? What does food independence mean to you?

(Mozaffarian et al., NEJM 2011)

There is a recent paper out in the New England Journal of Medicine in which the investigators examined relationships between diet, behaviors, and weight over time frames of 10-20 years in over 120,000 adults in the US. The investigators found that people gained an average of 3.35 pounds every four years and that weight gain was significantly associated with higher consumption of potato chips, potatoes, sugar-sweetened beverages, unprocessed red meats, and processed meats (see figure above). Weight gain was inversely associated (less weight gain with greater consumption) with consumption of vegetables, whole grains, fruits, nuts, and yogurt.

So, you might be asking yourself - what's the big deal? How did this paper get into a top-tier journal by confirming what we all already know - that chips and soda are bad for you and fruits and vegetables are good for you? Well, here are a few additional findings and speculations that I think make the paper more interesting than the "potato chip findings" that have been grabbing the headlines.

One of the strengths of this type of work is that the authors have looked at data for a huge number of people. This increases the likelihood that the findings have external validity or that they will be generalizable to the population at large. However, a limitation to this type of study (observational, not interventional or controlled) is that we can only make correlational inferences or talk about "associations" and not "causes."

"You want fries with that?"

What is the "that?" It might be the case that certain types of foods are more likely to be eaten together (think burger and fries). The authors reported that there were only a few correlations between food types. For example, people more likely to eat vegetables were also more likely to eat fruit. Likewise, people more likely to eat unprocessed red meat were also more likely to eat processed meats. And, people more likely to consume low-fat dairy were less likely to consume high-fat dairy. These sorts of findings seem to make sense, probably because we largely recognize that meat of one type can often substitute for meat of another type and that dairy of one type can often substitute for dairy of another type. Less clear, however, is which foods might be serving as economic complements. The consumption of a complement is typically tied to something else. For example, you probably eat very few hot dog buns in the absence of hot dogs - the bun is an economic complement. This brings us back to the question of whether you want fries with that and what is the "that?" Chips and fries often accompany burgers, sandwiches, and sodas. Chips make people thirsty and I rarely see chips paired with water, coffee, tea, or milk. So, perhaps what we're looking at here is clusters of foods or behaviors.

Another way to think about this is to ask yourself what percentage of chips or fries that you have eaten did you make yourself at home? It is likely that fries are often associated with eating on-the-go and chips are often associated with convenience stores and impulse purchases. True, the chips and fries don't help, but they alone are not the entire story.

So, where do we go from here? It's an interesting exercise to think about what foods and behaviors in your life tend to be complements or are associated with each other. It is also interesting to think about foods and behaviors that you might be able to substitute for one another to help you achieve your goals (e.g., a piece or fruit or yogurt in place of a sweet or dessert). If certain foods and behaviors are clustered together, a couple of initial substituions could help the whole house of cards begin to fall...