This interview sparked a lot of conversation between me and my partner. We share a love for healthy living and like to believe that we eat better than 99%. But still, we learned things! The deliciousness of anything grilled, pan seared steaks, and the salted nuts ... sigh. Buh-bye. Well, not bye forever, but we've agreed to cut back. Such a good interview - thanks Paul!
Heather, thanks for sharing your thoughts. Salted nuts seems to be a thing with Substack readers (including me) who are sad to find out they're a highly processed food that seems to accelerate aging, thanks to AGEs.
Not falling for marketing schemes from Big Nuts, going forward....
Also, like you, I learned a lot during this interview with Dr. Fenn. I'll still sear a filet mignon every once in a while (avoiding it is easier nowadays because it's so expensive compared to chicken/fish) but am now thinking of how to add a protective crust layer, to avoid the AGEs. Annie had mentioned pumpkin seeds, e.g.
Really? I've been thinking about it as kind of a bummer because I really enjoy that slight butter-carmelized crust that comes with a good sear. But I'll try some chickpea flour as a chicken breast batter (with an egg wash) and see what happens.
Also, who knew about chickpea flour?? Asking for a friend....
Ok, yes it's definitely a bummer. I love a good grilled filet or seared anything. But I'm trying to spin it into something positive here... like, yummm, chickpea crust!
Diana, I know. I went to the grocery store today and looked over my shoulder, wistfully, at the lunch meat section. And kept walking. At least you can still have the boiled eggs.
I checked out after “keeping your cholesterol low”. Oh my heck. Former geriatric psych nurse here. I used to check patient’s admitting diagnosis and labs against the patient’s med list. Statins > extremely low cholesterol > dementia. Over and over and over again. I had a patient with a cholesterol of 120. 2 statins. I had nurses tell me “the lower the better.”
Hi Bev! It sounds like you had some anecdotal experience with this as a nurse. As a medical professional, you'll appreicate how far we've have come to understand the relationship between LDL cholesterol and dementia. For example, elevated LDL cholesterol is now considered a modifiable risk factor for dementia according to the Lancet Commission. And although there was a time (decades ago) that statins were suspected of increasing dementia, we now know (thanks to 5 meta-analyses) that taking statins not only reduce heart attack and stroke, it reduces dementia, too. This is great news for everyone, since preventing dementia is definitely something we all want! You can find references for all in a post I wrote about Your Brain On Cholesterol, and there's another one on my site just about statins. https://brainhealthkitchen.substack.com/p/your-brain-on-cholesterol
Bev, thanks for your comment. Sounds like your clinical experience is that you observed an association between statin-induced very low cholesterol in patients and onset of dementia. I've read about the "J curve" for cholesterol risk, because the brain needs cholesterol to function. But managing high cholesterol is important, so I'm not sure what about my interview here turned you off.
This interview sparked a lot of conversation between me and my partner. We share a love for healthy living and like to believe that we eat better than 99%. But still, we learned things! The deliciousness of anything grilled, pan seared steaks, and the salted nuts ... sigh. Buh-bye. Well, not bye forever, but we've agreed to cut back. Such a good interview - thanks Paul!
Heather, thanks for sharing your thoughts. Salted nuts seems to be a thing with Substack readers (including me) who are sad to find out they're a highly processed food that seems to accelerate aging, thanks to AGEs.
Not falling for marketing schemes from Big Nuts, going forward....
Also, like you, I learned a lot during this interview with Dr. Fenn. I'll still sear a filet mignon every once in a while (avoiding it is easier nowadays because it's so expensive compared to chicken/fish) but am now thinking of how to add a protective crust layer, to avoid the AGEs. Annie had mentioned pumpkin seeds, e.g.
Right - thanks for the reminder of protective crust layers. That actually seems very promising for adding new flavors. 👍
Really? I've been thinking about it as kind of a bummer because I really enjoy that slight butter-carmelized crust that comes with a good sear. But I'll try some chickpea flour as a chicken breast batter (with an egg wash) and see what happens.
Also, who knew about chickpea flour?? Asking for a friend....
Ok, yes it's definitely a bummer. I love a good grilled filet or seared anything. But I'm trying to spin it into something positive here... like, yummm, chickpea crust!
Hi Heather! I am writing about better-for-you grilling for an upcoming post, so stay tuned!
Well, darn, just when I'd figured out deli meats, boiled eggs and salted nuts was my perfect lunch. Sigh
Diana, I know. I went to the grocery store today and looked over my shoulder, wistfully, at the lunch meat section. And kept walking. At least you can still have the boiled eggs.
I checked out after “keeping your cholesterol low”. Oh my heck. Former geriatric psych nurse here. I used to check patient’s admitting diagnosis and labs against the patient’s med list. Statins > extremely low cholesterol > dementia. Over and over and over again. I had a patient with a cholesterol of 120. 2 statins. I had nurses tell me “the lower the better.”
Hi Bev! It sounds like you had some anecdotal experience with this as a nurse. As a medical professional, you'll appreicate how far we've have come to understand the relationship between LDL cholesterol and dementia. For example, elevated LDL cholesterol is now considered a modifiable risk factor for dementia according to the Lancet Commission. And although there was a time (decades ago) that statins were suspected of increasing dementia, we now know (thanks to 5 meta-analyses) that taking statins not only reduce heart attack and stroke, it reduces dementia, too. This is great news for everyone, since preventing dementia is definitely something we all want! You can find references for all in a post I wrote about Your Brain On Cholesterol, and there's another one on my site just about statins. https://brainhealthkitchen.substack.com/p/your-brain-on-cholesterol
Bev, thanks for your comment. Sounds like your clinical experience is that you observed an association between statin-induced very low cholesterol in patients and onset of dementia. I've read about the "J curve" for cholesterol risk, because the brain needs cholesterol to function. But managing high cholesterol is important, so I'm not sure what about my interview here turned you off.
Very interesting discussion Paul! Thank you.
Loved this, bought the book. Thank you.
Hi Winifred! I hope you enjoy the recipes. Thanks so much!
OB-GYN (What do these letters represent?).
Obstetrician-gynecologist.
Thank you 😊