Fake Resveratrol's Heath Benefits?

Turns out the benefits of red wine due to its content of resveratrol may be fake/falsified after all! Nothing is sure yet but last week, on Jan. 11, after an investigation that lasted 3 years, Dipak K Das, PhD, “one of the world’s great red wine and resveratrol researchers with more than 150 PubMed articles” was charged for allegedly doctoring results in at least 26 peer-reviewed resveratrol papers over 7 years!

Resveratrol is a phytoestrogen and an antioxidant found in the skins of grapes and therefore, has been known to its cardioprotective properties of red wine. It is also found in various types of berries such as cranberries and blueberries, as well as a little amount in peanuts. According to Dr. Das's articles, resveratrol has been shown to be a very important and potent antioxidants, capable of scavenging free radicals that, when accumulated, increase oxidation of the cells, causing premature aging disrupting the cell's functions. Therefore, Dr. Das has been working on more than hundreds of studies to show how resveratrol can be the next anti-cancer/ anti-cardiovascular/ anti-inflammatory molecule! The man was about to replace aspirin with resveratrol!

Investigations are still in progress and you can read the detailed 50 page report about the Special Review Board Report Investigation of Allegation of Research Misconduct by the Office of Research Integrity.

Dr. Dipak's work as the director of Connecticut's Cardiovascular Research Center is now suspended as well as as his 900,000 $ research programs!

We'll just have to wait and see about the future of resveratrol (and red wine) and their nutritional potential!


References: Investigation Report, CTmirror.org, Chicagotribune, Nutraingredients
Photos: Red Wine

Barcelona is Del-iiii-cious!

Barcelona is an amazing historical city! It is pretty easy to move around it even if you haven't been there before thanks to their touristic buses! There's a lot to see here -from monuments, beaches, parks, ancient churches and all the beloved work of Antoni Gaudi, you cant' but fall in love with the city! 

Better yet, the food is not to be missed! Barcelona is famous for many: Tapas, Paella, Churros, Sangria, and the list goes on and on so I couldn't but have "me" some, right?

Tapas Tapas, yum yum!

Tapas are small snacks given when ordering a drink in a bar, in our case it was given with wine Sangria (as opposed to champagne Sangria). As you can see in the photo, any kind of food -seriously- can be served on a delicious baguette as a form of a snack or appetizer served either with or before your meal/drink! In some restaurants, they are offered for free (so we've heard) but in the resto we visited, we ordered them - you just can't visit Spain without having yourself some good Tapas! With any round of drinks, tapas are usually presented, even if it's just a small tapa. They can be served both hot or cold, depending on the type of food served on your tapa.

My 2 favorites were Tortilla de patatas (potato omellete) made from potatoes and eggs served on a white baguette with onions, spinach and cheese as well as the Gambas al ajillo (shrimps) served cold with some creamy garlic bed, yum!

Seafood paella, all the seafood you can have

Paella is another seriously good meal you have to taste when in Spain, after all it's the Spanish daily dish! There are three widely known types of paella: Valencian paella (paella Valenciana), seafood paella (paella de marisco) and mixed paella (paella mixta), along with other types of course.

Valencian paella consists of white rice, green veggies, meat (could be chicken, duck or rabbit) with snails and beans, while seafood paella has no veggies, beans, meats, snails, but instead some an exquisite bouquet of seafood! As for the paella mixta,it's actually free styler with a combination of meats, veggies, seafood and beans! 

What makes the rice yellowish is the addition of saffron to the dish.Some olive oil could go into this dish as well so yes, peeps, it is super delicious!

Churros with molten chocolate

Churros are the Spanish desserts, their version of doughnuts! These are delicious, although I would have to say: the fact that they are deep fried pastries = unhealthy refined sugars! You can even dip them in hot molten chocolate, like how I tasted mine! We bought ours while walking back from the annual Fiesta de Gracia, but they can also be dipped/eaten on the side with cafe latte! So when in Spain, have a taste of their famous Churros, but in moderation, of course!

Zesty Sangria with freshly cut fruit

Last but least, we had some Sangria!

Sangria is a wine punch served everywhere you go in Spain! There are many types of Sangria and lots of ingredients can go in this famous drink: white wine, ginger ale, 7 up, amaretto, etc. But it is usually made of:

• Red wine, although there are some Sangria's made from champagne - the wine version tastes much better!
• A small amount of brandy
• Chopped fruit, like oranges, lemons, apples, cherries, strawberries, grapes, pineapple or - the best part - whatever fresh fruit you feel like!
• With some orange juice or honey, sugar or syrup as a sweetener

Fruitful, colorful Mercat

Either way, when in Spain, have yourself some good time, the beach is amazing, the churches are majestic, the monuments are historical and Gaudi's work is not-to-be missed! Bicycle around the city, enjoy some seriously Del-iii-cious food and make sure to pass by the colorful public market in Barcelona: La Boqueria Mercat!

Skinny Drinks this Summer!

This summer time is full of concerts and partays! Fun summer times I bet, yet with hidden calories especially from drinks and beverages you may be having on daily basis.

Choosing the right drinks can help you reduce your total caloric intake, so WebMD divided drinks into 2 categories: Spoilers and Helpers and thus helping us decide what to drink and what not to when we’re watching our diets!

Soda VS Water

A can of soda can contain up to useless/non-nutritious 150 calories of sugar! You can definitely switch to diet versions of these fizzy drinks, yet research is still lost on whether this switch can actually help weight loss! While replacing soda with water can cut those calories, boost your metabolism and make you feel fuller for longer because of the distention it causes to your stomach!

Fruit VS Vegetable Juices – Well juice can have “healthy” written all over them. However, juice can have as many calories as soda (with more nutrients, vitamins, antioxidants to offer of course). So look for 100 % fruit juices (with extra fibery pulp) and mix them with water! However, with half the calories you get from fruit juices, vegetable juices like tomato for example offers you nutritious vitamins, antioxidants and minerals. At WebMD, they even compared that 1 cup of tomato juice has 41 cals while 1 orange juice cup contains 122 cals! Talk about cutting down your calories by more than half!

 

Smoothies VS Low fat milk– With their fruits: bananas, watermelon and strawberries can “seem” the healthy choice for your cocktail! Yea, well, not really. When you blend your own smoothie at home, whether you add alcohol or not, you can actually control the ingredients; whereas, in pubs and restaurants, smoothies can have enormously huge amount of calories especially that they could be done with honey, ice cream and lots of sugar. Go for skimmed milk when you ask for a smoothie or a cocktail containing milk. You can definitely control the content of your drink while enjoying it too!

Energy drinks VS Black Coffee - Energy drinks are “calorie bombs” like soda. Never mix your energy drinks with liquor like vodka for example, they have seriously opposite effects on your body leading to heart arrhythmia, chest pain and sweating! So when you need a shot of caffeine, coffee is a better choice than soda/energy drinks. Black coffee is calorie free and rich in antioxidants, so yea it is a much better choice than energy – useless- drinks.

Cocktails VS Beer - A shot of hard liquor has fewer calories than wine or wine coolers, but once you mix it with soda or cream, watch out for sky rock calories! A glass of white Russian made with light cream has 715 calories so a less fattening option is to mix rum or vodka with diet soda. As for light beer, well OK, so beer is not really going to help you lose weight per se but it’s always my first choice after diet soda! If you are in the mood for alcohol and you’re out with friends, a beer contains 150 cals while a light beer contains 100 cals so go for beer! 


Check here for more drinks and their caloric content!

References: WebMD

Summery cocktails by the beach photo

Bloody mary drink photo

Orangy cocktail photo 

Gourmet's Guide to Sauces

When dining out, I find that the hardest thing to figure out - given that I am not a professional chef - is "what's in the sauce exactly?" Who is this Alfredo that is poured all over my pasta and what do they mean when they just mention the name of the sauce! It's pretty hard since most of the times, everyone assumes that you know what to choose with your pasta, meat, fish or chicken!

This is why using this list as a quick reference would make you a savvy restaurant patron!

Pasta with Alfredo sauce

- Alfredo - Creamy Italian sauce, typically prepared with butter, heavy cream and Parmesan cheese

- Bearnaise - Thick French sauce made with white wine, tarragon, vinegar, shallots, egg yolks and butter

- Bechamel - Basic white sauce made with flour, milk, butter and flavored with onion.

- Bolognese - Italian meat sauce made with ground beef and sometimes pork & ham, sautteed in a small amount of butter and/or olive oil with tomatoes, other vegetables, herbs, and sometimes wine. It is also referred to as a ragu bolognese sauce

- Bourguignonne - French sauce made with red wine, carrots, onions, flour and a little amount of bacon

- Beurre blanc - Thick, smooth, sauce whisked with wine, vinegar, shallot and cold butter

- Carbonara - Italian sauce made with cream, eggs, Parmesan cheese and bits of bacon

- Coulis - Thick puree or sauce such as tomato or squash

Salmon with sauce Hollandaise

- Demi-glaze - Reduction sauce that gets its intense flavor by slowly cooking beef stock and Madeira or sherry to a thick glaze

- Hollandaise - Thick sauce with white wine, vinegar or water, egg yolks, melted butter and lemon juice.

- Marinara - Italian tomato sauce made with tomato, basil and perhaps other seasonings such as onions, garlic and oregano

- Pesto - Uncooked sauce made with fresh basil, garlic, pine nuts, Parmesan or Pecorino cheese and olive oil. And actually it is my favorite with Italian pasta!

- Reduction sauce - Sauce of broth or pan juices boiled down to concentrate the flavor and thicken the consistency. 

Sweet and sour chicken

- Sweet & sour - Sugar and vinegar added to variety of sauces. This is mostly famous here when added to Chinese dishes!

- Veloute - Light, stock-based white sauce. The stock is usually broth left from cooking meat, poultry, fish or vegetables. It is usually thickened with flour and butter but sometimes egg yolks and cream are added.

- Vinaigrette - Simple oil and vinegar combination.

Sauces like bourguignonne, coulis, demi-glace, marinara, reduction sauce, sweet & sour and vinaigrette are usually lower in fat than other cheesy/creamy ones. However, the ingredients tend to vary from one chef to another and so does the fat content!

This was brought to you from the ADA's Complete Food and Nutrition Guide book!

New Year’s Drinking Fiesta

New Year’s is a big deal in Lebanon! Actually, it’s a big deal everywhere. Spending time with friends and family is a great way to celebrate a new year coming, and for most of us, that means getting together and sharing dinner especially with a few cocktails. And yes, holiday drinking is enjoyable, but not for those of us who are trying to watch our waistlines because even few drinks can set that diet back!

All alcoholic drinks contain calories, whether we like to admit it or not, and for those living in denial that drinks are just like water, I hate to burst your bubble. Whether the calories come from alcohol containing 7 calories per gram or from mixers added like soft drinks, fruit juices, sugar or cream, they all definitely count!

So here are some tips to follow when choosing your drinks:

·         Keep your limit to no more than 1-2 drinks for women and 2-3 drinks for men. Actually, guidelines are 1 drink for women and 2 for men, but since these are the holidays, one more drink is OK as maximum.

·         Avoid mixing your drinks with sweetened mixers which only contain huge amounts of calories.

·         If you choose to go for a beer, choose a light one.

·         Drink out of tall skinny glasses.

·         Mix drinks with water or diet soft drinks since they don’t add extra calories. A can of regular soda can add 150 calories to your drink while a diet soda has around 4 calories total, but we’ll discuss these in few seconds.

·         Know the percentage of alcohol and calories in your drink.

·         Fill your glass with ice cubes and then pour your alcohol, this way you’ll get a smaller amount of chilly, diluted alcoholic drink.

·         Drink a glass of water between drinks for 2 reasons. One, to fill up, but more importantly to re-hydrate your body since alcohol can make you lose your body water.

 

Now let’s take a look at popular drinks you will have to face during that party! I gathered the most famous drinks, whether wine, beer, hard liqueurs, cocktails and their mixers we have in Lebanon.
 

·         Wine in 114 mL as a serving size

Type	Calories per serving
Red	85
White	80
Rose	88
Sweet	105
Cabernet Sauvignon	88
Chardonnay	88
Light	50
Sherry	128

·         Beer in one bottle, around 340 mL as a serving

Type	Calories per serving
Regular	150 to 160
Light	90 to 110

·         Hard liqueur with a usual serving of 43 mL

Type	Calories per serving
Bourbon	98
Brandy	98
Gin	104
Rum	84
Scotch	105
Whiskey	104
Kahlua	161
Tequila	100
Vodka	100

·          Mixed drinks

Type	Serving Size	Calories per serving
Frozen Margarita	240 (1 cup)	404
Champagne	114 mL	91
Sangria	240 mL	169
Gin and Tonic	240 mL	195
Bloody Mary	240 mL	196
Screwdriver	240 mL	210
Bacardi Breezer lemon Light	1 bottle	96
Creme de Menthe	58 mL	250
Cosmpolitan	150 mL	327
Martini	150 mL	322
White Russian	170 mL	374
Tequila Sunrise	58 mL	75
Daiquiri	58 mL	112
Baileys Irish Cream	43 mL	108
Manhattan	58 mL	178
Black Russian	58 mL	162

·         Mixes

Type	Calories per serving
Red bull energy drink	110 per can
Mineral water	0
Perrier	0
Diet soda	0
Regular soda	150 per can
Tomato juice	25  in 114 mL
Dr pepper	100 per can
Bloody Mary mix	25 in 114 mL
Nestea Iced tea lemon	86 per can
Orange, pineapple, grapefruit, apple	60 in 114 mL

One more thing that could come in handy is this equation:
Calories in your drink = (milliliters / 28.4) x (% of alcohol x 2) x 0.8.

Let’s say you are drinking 50 mL of whiskey that has 40% alcohol (as indicated on label) thus Calories in that drink = (50/28.4) x (40x2) x 0.8 = 112 cals!
Or let’s take Arak; 70 mL of this 80% alcohol!
thus Calories = (70/28.4) x (80x2) x 0.8 = 315 calories!
So now you have actual information that will definitely help you assess whether your drink is high in calories or not. But know that even though you hear that alcohol has benefits, they just go down the drain once you exceed the guidelines we talked about earlier! 

Moreover, keep in mind that it is best that some people avoid drinking alcohol even in big parties such as New Year’s. These include women of childbearing age who may become pregnant, pregnant and lactating women, children and adolescents, people with specific medical conditions and people taking medications that may interact with alcohol.



Coffee or a cold shower will not eliminate alcohol from your blood; time only clears it, so it’s best to stop drinking 2 to 3 hours before you drive. But if you feel dizzy just sleep over wherever you are or hand in the driving responsibility to a non-drinker.
Never drink and drive!

It’s the Season to be Jolly… Not to Eat à la Folie!

The holidays: the time to live your vacation, get lots of gifts and enjoy time spent with friends and family; after all, it’s the season to be jolly, no? However, it’s also the time when you eat, dine, chew, drink and then eat some more.But if you are the type of a person who watches what he/she eats or if you are following a certain diet, the huge amounts and delicious choices of foods will be a major stressor in your life. You’ll have a small bite of this, a larger bite of that and you’ll end up feeling guilty with extra 5 kilograms at the end of the jolly season!
Well, we don’t want that to happen and we don’t want you to sit around not eating anything either!

So, in order to be well equipped, know what is preferable to eat and what is not before, during and after the jolly season. This way, you’ll participate in feasts and end up guilt free!

·         Cheeses – Choose white unfermented cheeses or low to medium fat cheeses  that contain less than 20% fat by weight such as Baladi, Akkawi, Double Cream, Ricotta, Majdoule, Cottage cheese, Feta, Parmesan, Sylphide, Presilege, Hochland light, Philadelphia light, Mozarella and Halloum light. Not all light cheeses are “light”, they are just lighter compared to the non-light version so reading food labels is necessary. The lighter it is, the better. You can find cheeses with 7% fat! Now, cheeses such as Boursin, Kashkawan, Cheddar, creamy cheeses, blue cheeses like Roquefort, Gouda, Gruyere, Halloum and Brie are all high in fat and avoiding them is just best. These contain more than 30% fat, just so that you know.

·         Meats & Co. – Always go for lean types of meats, also known as “habra”. Even if fats are not visible to the naked eye, trust me, they are there. So choose from chicken breasts, turkey, lean beef, fish and seafood. Don’t go for the greasy meats, goat and lamb meat, bacon, ham, deli, pork, sausages, gigot, fried eggs and fatty beef. Organ meats are also considered high fats such as liver, heart and brains. You might also want to ask how foods have been cooked because fried and sautéed meats are no good news whereas grilling, broiling, roasting, boiling or steaming them will definitely cut your calories down!

·         Vegetables – Vegetables are your ticket to feel full. When you are invited for a dinner, start with a salad of green veggies with a light dressing and then eat your main course. You should watch out for fried vegetables and in Lebanon, we are famous for the fried zucchinis, eggplants, and cabbage. Note that fried mushrooms and broccoli are also found in Chinese food, well everything is fried about Chinese food! Also know that peas and corn are not considered to be free food like other vegetables, instead they are starches. So have more parsley, lettuce, rocket, cabbage, broccoli, beet roots, carrots, tomatoes, mint, asparagus, mushroom, watercress and palmetto.

·         Fruits – All fruits and vegetables are recommended! They supply your body with vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, water and lots of fiber! However, dried fruits, which you find practically everywhere during this season, should be consumed in smaller amounts because they are more concentrated. It’s also a good idea to avoid any caramelized fruits, dipped in cream, ashta, honey or sugar.

·         Fats – You’ve probably heard this many times now, but it’s true. Butter, ghee (samne), and margarine are best avoided. Instead, use “healthier” types of fat like oils such as corn oil, safflower oil, olive oil and canola oil, but in limited quantities, you know after all, they are fat. Watch out for hidden fats as well: some foods could be sautéed in butter, some sweetes like baklawas, pastries, tarts and cakes could be smothered with extra ghee!

·         Nuts – You’ll see them everywhere during the holidays! Cashew nuts, almonds, hazelnuts, “bzourat” everywhere! Well, nuts are considered as the “OK” fat in the dietetic world. But you know that everything should be in moderation, right? So if you are tempted, just take a handful of unsalted nuts and stick to that!

·         Dressings and dips – Be creative and make your own: mix tomatoes, spices, bell pepper, mustard, ketchup, vinaigrette, herbs, vegetables, lemon, oil, Tabasco, garlic, pickles, onions, even A BIT of mayo or avocado! However, buying ready made dressings like blue cheese, Caesar, sour cream or thousand island dressings are not what I recommend. They’ll just add up to your calories and increase your fat intake.

·         Drinks – It is best if you ingest your drinks before you eat by half an hour or after by an hour and a half, this is because liquids with foods could distent your stomach and decrease enzyme’s efficacy in digesting. Now the serious talk, water is what I mostly recommend but during the holidays, alcohol and soft drinks are what worry me the most. To start with, if you are to take a soft drink, always go for the diet version. But it’s not like I’m recommending you to drink as many cups as you want, try to stick to one. Now for the serious talk, alcohol. Most people relate their happy holidays to unlimited consumption of alcohol which only turns back at them in the end. Know that alcohol is directly associated with fat and thus it is not a free calorie drink like most people think. It’s quite the contraire so be wise. You can have a glass of wine, a can of beer or a small spirit shot just for the holiday’s sake, but that’s just for once or twice during all the holidays. (Just wait for a detailed article about drinks during Jan!)

·         Sweets – Yum yum yum; you see them everywhere during this jolly season: from buche de noel, cheesecakes, chocolate fondants to people insisting that you take the “mlabbas” or the holiday’s chocolate with liquor. Your strong will must take over no matter how many people insist that you’ll just restart your diet after the holidays. Have a piece of plain cake, one “mlabbas” or piece of chocolate and enjoy them, but try control your sweets intake during this season especially that they are just everywhere. Don’t dwell over a piece of cake that you missed, have it, but have the will to stick to ONE piece.

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!The choice of foods is huge! If you eat a tiny bit of every high fat or high sugar food I mentioned, you’ll end up gaining unwanted weight! So it’s ok to eat a piece of cake and have a glass of wine, but know that moderation is the key!

1st Image courtesy of Cooking Confidential Blog, 2nd image courtesy of iskandals, 3rd image is from Sheknows website and the wine image is from the high field wesbite.