Cherry Burgers

I found another great recipe to counteract the carcinogenic effects of grilling meat in the March/April issue of Eating Well magazine. Use the cherry ketchup on your favorite burger recipe or try the one below.

This is also a great way to beef up your spice rack if you don't have one; spices often provide great antioxidants as well as flavor that enables you to cut back on oil and butter.

Cherry Ketchup
1 10-oz pkg (2 cups) frozen pitted cherries (not in syrup)
1/2 c dried cherries
1/2 c cider vinegar
1/3 c water
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 Tbsp sugar
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/8 tsp ground allspice
1/8 tsp ground cardamom
1/8 tsp ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper.

Combine all ingredients in large saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, 15-20 minutes. Let cool slightly, then transfer to a blender and blend until smooth. Serve on top of cherry burgers.

Cherry Burgers
1/2 small sweet onion (Vidalia), cut into thin rounds
12 ounces lean ground beef
1/2 c dried cherries, finely chopped
1/2 c coarse dry whole-wheat breadcrumbs
1 clove garlic, minced
1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

Mix beef, cherries, breadcrumbs, garlic, vinegar, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper. Make 4 patties and grill to taste. Top with fresh or sauteed onions and cherry ketchup and serve on your favorite bun.

Primo Bottled Water

Found this interesting article about Primo bottled water, "the only US bottled water company to use bio-based material for its singe serve 16.9 fl.oz bottles," as of April 24. Here's the link to the rest of the article.

As of May, Primo is also "America's first and only national brand of bottled water for water coolers." These 5-gallon in-home options are more environmentally friendly than individual bottles, are available in retail stores, and are recycled.

Meat Marinades

I was recently horrified to discover that BBQ is very bad for you. Actually, cooking any meat at very high temperatures (350 degrees or higher, grilling over open flame, or smoking) causes the amino acids to break down and produce some very nasty carcinogens called heterocyclic amines (HCAs), which have been directly linked to cancer. See links at WorldHealth.net and Harvard Health Publications. Oh all right, and the National Cancer Institute online.

All this time I thought I was doing myself a favor by eating the BBQ and skipping the mac’n’cheese. And “high temperatures” means 350 degrees or higher; personally, I don’t know anybody who cooks their meat at 200 for fourteen hours, or boils it, or microwaves it prior to cooking, as one study recommends. Um, gross.

Fortunately, I recently came across a Journal of Food Scence study indicating that certain meat marinades block the chemical reaction causing HCAs. According to the study, soaking meat for an hour in an herbal marinade of antioxidant-rich spices reduces formation of HCAs by up to 80%. A Caribbean blend of spices was the most effective marinade tested. This still doesn’t really work for BBQ, but it’s great for steaks, burgers, chicken, fish, and pork just cooked on the grill or in the oven--and yes, your Thanksgiving turkey.

Beneficial spices include basil, marjoram, mint, oregano, rosemary, sage, savory, or thyme. Turmeric and garlic have also proven to be powerful cancer-preventing agents. Study author J. Scott Smith also “suspects that the antioxidants found in red wine and in many fruits and vegetables might also do the trick” (especially citrus fruits) although this wasn’t tested. And a USAweekend.com article specifies that the marinade be a “thin, very liquid sauce” such as a teriyaki marinade or a turmeric-garlic sauce, though they still recommend staying away from thick BBQ sauces.

So am I saying don’t eat BBQ at all? Well, yes. But how realistic is that? As the author of a comment on one of these articles writes, rather appropriately, “You ‘scientists’ won't be happy until people are afraid to do anything, will you. Your next study should be ‘Breathing: A Leading Cause of Death.’ This study would show that 100% of the people who breathe die at some point or another and that people should try and limit their daily air intake to 2-3 times.”

Ultimately, we’re all going to die anyway, so just take it easy on the ribs and fried chicken and, well, BBQ. And other than eating less meat in general (which isn’t a bad idea for environmental reasons as well as a way to detox without detoxing, next week’s topic), there are quite a few things you can do to have your burger and eat it, too.

Beer for Life: Resveratrol and SRT1720

A friend recently asked me if there were a particular beer that was healthier for you than others. I thought he was kidding, but he persisted so I did some research. Of course, there are the generally proven benefits to the moderate consumption of alcohol—quite a few, in fact. According to the Harvard School of Public Health, “moderate” means one drink (12 ounces of beer, 5 ounces of wine, or 1½ ounces of hard liquor) per day for women and two drinks per day for men. I have to keep reminding myself, however, that according to the most recent issue of Women's Health magazine more than one drink boosts my chances of developing metabolic syndrome, a no-fun disease involving low HDL cholesterol, high blood pressure, and excess belly fat . Oops.

However, a Wisconsin microbrewery, BluCreek, has apparently taken things to the next level. They have added “a mix of ingredients that are commonly found in some fat burners or weight loss supplements” to their line of beer, creating Zen (green tea beer), Wild Blueberry Ale (antioxidant beer), Honey Herbal Ale (ginseng beer), and then a regular old German AltBeer (chocolate coffee beer)—and I think we all know the health benefits of anything that tastes like that.

Seriously, though, this is pretty cool. I mean, it’s got to be better for you than “energy” beers like Tilt and B to the E. I have yet to find an ingredient list (if you come across one, let me know), but Associated Content online offers an interesting perspective on this “bizarre crossover fusion and slightly oxymoronic product” that seems to be taking the place of Red Bull and vodka in terms of messing with your heart.

Finally, we’ve got beer that’s supposed to fight cancer. Scientists from Rice University are experimenting by adding resveratrol, a “natural component of grapes, pomegranates and red wine” to beer. Resveratrol is supposed to enable you to eat a high-fat diet without gaining weight or developing heart disease. Studies in mice have shown that this compound promotes heart health and may prevent cancer.

The jury's still out as to whether resvertrol isolated from its natural habitat is a good idea or not, but there has been a development from isolating it that is kinda freaky: srt1720. This new drug is supposed to allow you to eat a high fat diet without exercising and either lose weight or not gain any. They're even hoping it may increase human lifespan. In almost every article I found, some form of "lose weight without effort" was prevalent even over cancer prevention or increased endurance.

This exempilfies the whole problem behind the health care mentality that says, "Fix your symptoms, not your disease--and do it without effort." Srt1720p has been called a "wonder drug" and described as fooling the body into losing weight. Waaaaay down at the bottom of one article, they mention how more testing is needed to determine side effects.

Hmm. Side effects—like leptin drugs being linked to heart attacks and dementia? Or antidepressants being linked to suicide and violence? "Generally, 51% of FDA-approved drugs have serious adverse effects not detected prior to approval. Each year prescription drugs injure 1.5 million people so severely they require hospitalization."

Okay, I've gotten way off topic here. And honestly, it's kind of funny. Based on this scenario, you can drink whatever you want as long as you take srt1720 to counteract side effects of weight gain. Sign me up!

Addendum: Plastics Updates

Here's a link to Safe Plastics from Ken Fox of The Soundings Group, a strategic business and marketing resource.

And, a little information from Dr. Greg Cooper, who is currently writing a book entitled The Reasonable Radical. Check out his site of the same name.

"With regard to the bottled water controversy, it may not be dioxins that break down but the presence of BPA (bisphenol A) and another substance called pthalates that are still causing concern. These are substances (plastics) used to make things smooth and stain resistant. The concern is that they are “endocrine disrupters” and cause our delicately balanced hormonal system to be affected. They are used to make the white lining of canned vegetable cans, in cosmetics (especially lipstick), baby bottles (of marked concern considering the bottles are usually heated before feedings), and even in our medicines (did you ever wonder why some medicines can be taken and will not break down quickly but are sold based on the advantage of “time-released”?). A good book on the subject is Toxic Overload by Paula Baillie-Hamilton."

Bottled Water Controversy

I recently received an e-mail from a friend warning about the dangers of plastic water bottles. Citing Sheryl Crow and Johns Hopkins, it claimed that when bottled water is left out in the sun (in your car, for example), chemicals from the plastic in the bottles can leach into the water and then into your body when you drink it, possibly leading to breast cancer.

I did a little research and found out that not only was Johns Hopkins not behind this study, but that Sheryl Crow never actually attributed bottled water to breast cancer. Also, according to Rolf Haden, PhD, PE, with Johns Hopkins, “there are no dioxins in plastics.” Dioxins are “highly carcinogenic” toxins (Wikipedia), formed during combustion processes that have been linked to cancer.

So, the good news is that the only thing you shouldn't leave in your car on a hot day is a rental DVD. However, there are some other good reasons not to drink bottled water.

1. It’s ridiculously expensive when compared to a filtration system or tap water.
2. Most of it isn’t much better for you than tap water.
3. It creates more waste.
4. It reduces demand for state governments to improve tap water supply.
5. Corporations are usurping groundwater and distribution rights.

If you want to play it safe, forgo plastic altogether: buy a stainless steel thermos ($25) and a Brita pitcher ($40, but cheaper on Amazon.com). If you do find yourself high and dry, however, here are some good sites to help determine which bottled water to choose.

• Which Bottled Water Is the Best?
• Best Mineral and Spring Waters
• Women's Health Best Bottled Water