From Avocado to Zucchini, with Harvard In-Between

I attended the Harvard Medical School's Nutrition Symposium for the last 2 days. Talk about being in a room with a bunch of big brains! The focus of the symposium was "Protective Nutrients". This hot topic drew nutrition research experts (though no RDs presented)from around the globe to discuss the current state of research on probiotics, prebiotics, vitamin D, choline, zinc, antioxidants, and B-vitamins.

Here's the quick and dirty, one-sentence summary on some of the topics discussed:

Day 1
Probiotics: The good bacteria look like they're here to stay; however, there are so many different strains of these bugs that there is not enough evidence to say which ones are most effective for prevention and/or treatment of a variety of diseases. Bottom line: Keep eating your yogurt! Supplementation should only be recommended on a case-by-case basis, especially during a course of antibiotics. Can be dangerous in some situations.

Prebiotics: I was so excited to hear this talk, as the speaker was the one who wrote most of the papers I used as reference to write my Master's grant proposal! To paraphrase Dr. Glenn Gibson, prebiotics are essentially food for the good bacteria living in your gut. Inulin, a prebiotic found in chicory root, asparagus, garlic, and bananas, helps to keep a healthy flora in your gut. Bottom line: The efficacy of prebiotics may be best if combined in supplement form with probiotics. In certain diseases (most gut-related), prebiotics may help to feed the repopulated colonies of good bacteria in the gut.

Did you know...

There are about 10 times more bacteria in your gut than cells in your WHOLE BODY? GI researchers are heading in the direction of learning more about these bacteria. After all, the surely influence our health in some (if not many) ways... stay tuned.

Prebiotics and probiotics have been tested in a number of GI diseases, including colon cancer, Crohn's, IBD, IBS, and infant necrotizing enterocolitis. The results are mixed.

Day 2
Vitamin D: The vitamin D celebrity doctor was in the house! If you read any health/wellness magazine articles about vitamin D, Dr. Michael Holick is sure to be quoted. He's been doing research on vitamin D for decades. Bottom line: Draw a line from Atlanta to LA, and everyone living north of there gets NO vitamin D (from sunlight) during the winter. Therefore, all us New Englanders are probably vitamin D deficient right now! In order to correct this, you must be prescribed a pharmacological dose of vitamin D, and then have your levels rechecked. At this point, Dr. Holick reports that adults may need up to 2,000 IU/day to maintain normal serum levels. This is above the current RDA New recommendations should be coming out next year regarding vitamin D, so stay tuned. Next time you see your PCP and have blood work done, ask for a vitamin D test to see if you're deficient. If you live in New England, you probably are. However, use caution, as vitamin D intake from dietary and supplement sources can be toxic at VERY high doses. Note: You will not reach toxic levels sitting in the sun, but you will get a sunburn!

On my way home yesterday, I stopped at Whole Foods for some essentials. Here's what a nutritionist buys at the store...

Whole wheat sourdough bread, red lentils, Amy's California veggie burgers, organic popcorn kernels (bulk bin!), portabella mushrooms, chick peas, avocadoes, Wallaby plain nonfat yogurt, canned tomatoes, Vermont-made tofu, Lundberg brown sweet rice, Clif Nectar bars, and fresh haddock.

You'll notice no fruits and veggies. My CSA has been providing me with all the necessary vegetables, and I'm still trying to finish off the strawberries and cherries I bought last week!

I also got the cutest recycled (as in bits of plastic, not used), photogenic (I hope!) dishware.

After reading a fellow blogger's site and saw these beautifully grilled zucchini, I decided it would be the perfect time to use up my CSA zucchini and squash. I threw this recipe together, but it was delish!

Zucchini, Summer Squash, Lemon & Mint Salad

2 zucchini, sliced (I used a wiggly slicer to get "grill" lines using my fry pan!)
2 summer squash, sliced
cooking spray
1 avocado, diced
6 mint leaves
juice of 1/2 lemon
3 slices preserved lemons, minced (if you don't have these, use juice of another 1/2 lemon and salt to taste)
pepper to taste

Directions:

On an oiled fry pan (medium-high heat) grill up the zucchini and summer squash until golden brown and fragrant.

Mix in a bowl zucchini, summer squash, avocado, lemon juice, mint, and preserved lemon. Add salt and pepper to taste.

I also enjoyed it with a bowl of Wallaby yogurt and strawberries! I just LOVE this food photo!

Now off for a long run and prepping dinner tonight. I'm thinking Panko-encrusted haddock, steamed green beans, and brown sweet rice. Tonight's dinner sounds blog-worthy!

What are you having for dinner?