"cholesterol" news and stories

Yes, I know this is the second massive meat-laden burger in a row, but it's nowhere nearly as excessive as yesterday's. Today's Hamburger of the Day is the Ghetto Burger from Ann's Snack Bar in Atlanta, Ga. The Ghetto Burger is to burgers as a Katz's pastrami sandwich is to any other pastrami sandwich, that is to say some who dare call themselves gourmands wind up wrapping half of the thing to take home.

The Ghetto Burger, as you can probably make out is a double cheeseburger with bacon. I have ignored the the "salad" on top. But what of that errant pile oozing out of the right side of this megaburger? It's not ground beef, well, at least not ground beef from the patty, it's chili! Did I forget to mention that the whole thing gets a hearty shake of seasoned salt and left a Wall Street Journal reporter swooning?

Garlic is one of those foods to which a very high number of cures are attributed. A quick search reveals citations that it can cure asthma, back pain, yeast infections and even prevent cancer. An analysis undertaken by the researchers at the Stanford Prevention Research Center at Stanford University found that the studies that showed allicin, the ingredient in garlic said to lower cholesterol levels, were all sponsored by the supplement companies that used it and that many of the studies used poor methodology. They did their own test of the stuff and found that, while allicin does lower cholesterol in cells in test tubes and in rats, it does nothing for humans. Stanford says that theirs was the first independent, long-term study to look at both raw garlic and garlic supplements in relation to cholesterol levels and they feel very confident about their results.

Participants and garlic fans alike have reported disappointment on learning that garlic-heavy diets aren't always a medical fix. Fortunately, the study didn't find that it has a negative effect on health, so they can still eat all the garlic they want. And, from the comments of the researchers, it is clear that many of them will because they simply don't believe the study results. One researcher said, "They were such zealots. They were going to keep taking it [in spite of the conclusions found]."

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Usually, we hear about how foods can help to prevent certain conditions and health problems, not about how they actually reverse them, but there is new evidence to support the claim that walnuts just might be able to do that. A study has demonstrated that some of the chemicals that naturally occur in walnuts can help to undo "some of the detrimental effects of a high-saturated-fat diet." The most important chemical seems to be arginine, which aids the body in producing nitric oxide, which in turn prevents the arteries from hardening as a result of the inflammation caused by a high saturated fat diet.

So, does this mean that you can eat all the supersized fast food meals, cheese and butter that you want to, as long as you chase them down with a handful of walnuts? Not yet, since scientists do not know how strong the protective effect of the nuts is. They recommend incorporating a few as a part of a low saturated-fat diet.

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A study done by the USDA has shown that increasing the amount of whole grains in your diet can have multiple health benefits, including lowering the blood pressure of individuals who have slightly elevated cholesterol. The participants went on a controlled diet for a few weeks, then the refined carbohydrates they ate were all replaced with whole grains that had both soluble and insoluble fiber (barley, whole wheat and brown rice). Some diets had an equal amount of the two types of fiber, while others had more insoluble fiber. The blood pressure for all the study participants decreased on the whole grain diets, though women did better on the diet higher in soluble fiber (more barley).

One other interesting result of the study was that once whole grains were added to the diets from the controlled baseline diet, the number of calories that study participants also increased. Even so, they lost an average of 1 kg each (2.2 lbs) during the several-week program.

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Nearly extinct at the turn of the twentieth century, buffalo currently number about 400,000 in the U.S. and Canada. Europeans were to blame: trophy hunting, sport hunting, plain slaughter. For Native Americans though, bison were the perfect compliment on the prey side of a predator/prey relationship as they provided not only nutritious meat and organs, but, as most people know, no part of the animal was wasted. Shelter, sewing material, weapons were all made from what wasn't eaten.

As to what was eaten and why you ought to consider buffalo now: it is lower in cholesterol than other meats, not to mention calories. Buffalo meat is also higher in protein than very lean beef, and pork, and nearly equal to skinless chicken breast; it is lowest in fat of all the common meats. Buffalo burgers, steaks, even prepared fajitas are now easy to find in most supermarkets. You can order from any number of sites online. I have eaten many a buff burger and even tried a buffalo pate. One thing I could never stomach was Rocky Mountain Oysters, but I've known folks with progressive palettes that savor these delicacies...

Buffalo meat is quite lean, so be aware to baste often and cook at low heat when roasting or BBQing a large cut. I recommend thin tenderloin steaks with garlic, onion, dill, and olive oil. You can even find organically raised buffalo to boot.

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