Eating healthy despite being miles from home

Lunch in St. Jacobs: A delicious stir-fry on a bed of Basmati rice.

Today was a meatless day. No beef, no chicken, no fish -- nothing but veggies. Today was also escape-to-St. Jacobs day. St. Jacobs is a small town about an hour from London. At one time, it was famous for its Mennonite shops.

Then a couple of small malls moved to town and it became a shopping magnet. The town paved the land behind main street and put in parking for the tour buses filled with visiting shoppers. But times have changed. Many of the once popular mall shops have disappeared. For instance, Dansk -- a once popular retail destination -- has closed all its factory outlet stores.

With the downtown mall emptying of stores, the small mall has now been converted to another use. But the town still has Mennonites and, even without the presence of lots of out-of-town retail, it may be able to return to its small town retail roots.

The little stores my wife and I visited were filled with great stuff, much of it locally made. We picked up a loaf of freshly baked sour dough bread in the local bakery and for lunch we enjoyed a non-chain restaurant meal.

I must confess, I miss the Dansk store. But I don't miss McDonald's, Wendy's, et al. My meatless day lunch was great. So far, Dr. Spence has been right: Meatless days can be absolutely delightful.

Leftovers

Leftovers don't have to be second best. Tonight we had left over ratatouille. Judy punched it up with, what else, some other leftovers.

She added roasted red peppers and canned artichoke hearts. It was delicious. (Before Judy served this, she added a sprinkle of Parmesan but it hid the look of the dish. You will have to use your imagination.)

For a ratatouille recipe, just cruise the Internet. There are lots of recipes posted. And if you make too much, punch it up the next day and enjoy it all over again. Weight Watchers rates this dinner as a five and my heart doctor would call this a wonderful Mediterranean dish. Lose weight and possibly arterial plaque all at the same time.

What a great idea. Pass the red wine, please.

Is the CPP Investment Portfolio Struggling?

Maybe my headline is a little too strong -- and maybe not. A financial expert by the name of Mark McQueen has strong feelings about the running of our Canada Pension Plan (CPP). His feelings are not good.

I started thinking about how the CPP is managed after hearing some comments made on the CBC morning news show with Heather Hiscox. The comments seemed to be throw-away filler and not thoughtful insights.

I've followed McQueen online as well as on BNN and he makes a good case for concern. I decided to see if he has published anything recently on the CPP. I found an online post from February of this year (2014): CPP Investment Board’s External Private Equity Managers Continue to Drag Returns.

McQueen tells us: "The CPP Investment Board reports that our hand-picked team produced $1.8 billion of negative value add over four fiscal years . . . " Go to McQueen's post on his Wellington Financial blog for the whole story or at least as much of the story as McQueen is able to report. You see the CPP Investment Board is terribly secretive about its investments and returns. Much of the financial date provided to the Canadian public is intentionally useless, according to McQueen.

CBC's Hiscox needs to widen her reach when it comes to connecting with folk in the business world and in the financial arena. She should stop with the almost daily fawning over Kevin O'Leary and move on. I nominate Mark McQueen as an on-air financial expert willing, and more than able, to point the news organization in the direction of some newsworthy stuff.

Random testing vs. fasting for cholesterol tests

I got a call this afternoon. It was the nurse at my family doctor's office. She told me my doctor wanted me to have some blood work done and soon. No need to fast, I was told, just get to the lab for some cholesterol tests and others. I went immediately.

In the past, I've puzzled over the fasting instructions that have always been part of having these tests. Would there be any to be gained in having test numbers reflective of cholesterol levels occurring after a meal rather than after 8 to 12 hours of fasting? Once I mistakenly had a little coffee before going to the lab. The lab staff insisted I put the test off for a day. Just how damaging can a few sips of coffee be to one's numbers, I wondered.

Today at the lab, I asked a technician about the change from fasting to random testing. She told me she could see advantages and disadvantages in both. She thought it best not to adhere to either approach in all situations. She herself has cholesterol problems she confessed. In her case, it was genetically caused. For her, she knew it was best to have both fasting and random testing done.

I googled the question and learned:

If nonfasting lipid profiles for cardiovascular risk prediction were used, it would simplify clinical care for patients worldwide. Because only minimal, and clinically unimportant, changes in levels of lipids, lipoproteins, and apolipoproteins have been noted in response to normal food intake in the general population and because nonfasting levels predict cardiovascular events, fasting may not be necessary before determining lipid profiles for predicting cardiovascular risk.

For more on this, read: Fasting and Nonfasting Lipid Levels in the American Heart Association publication Circulation.

Personally, I feel more comfortable having my cardiovascular risks calculated from random tests. First, I am not part of the general populace. I have known cardiovascular problems. The average person doesn't have an ICD hidden in their chest and hardwired to their heart. The average person doesn't have a history of relatively frequent TIAs. The average person doesn't have plaque building up in the carotid artery. How the average person's lipid profile changes, or doesn't, after a meal may not be relevant in my case. I'll leave that to my doctors.

My lipid profile, created from years of blood work done in the morning after a night of fasting, has developed some solid numbers. It will be interesting to see what profile modifications will ensue now that my tests are being based on blood work taken randomly.

Whole Wheat Fusilli with Roasted Red Peppers, Turkey and Goat Cheese

This past weekend was Easter. My wife made a large Easter dinner but she made concessions based on the recent advice I received from my London doctor. As red meat is now just about out, Judy made her stuffing using locally-make low fat turkey sausage. Her potato and leek soup was lighter this year as it contained no heavy cream. Judy took advantage of every opportunity to lighten up on animal fats. The dinner was large but not ridiculously large and we'll work through the leftovers in just a few days.

Today, I uses some of the leftover turkey in a whole wheat fusilli with roasted red peppers, turkey and soft goat cheese concoction. I like the fusilli shape as it offers sauces a surface with good grip. Sauces easily slip free from the twirling fusilli shape.

I served broccoli as the side vegetable. I like the way trimmed broccoli curves along the edge of a pasta bowl. It's too bad I didn't include the broccoli in the picture. It would have added a nice splash of green.

Whole Wheat Fusilli with Roasted Red Peppers, Turkey and Goat Cheese

Serves 2

• 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil or canola oil
• 1 small onion, diced
• 1 garlic clove chopped
• 8 oz. of roasted red peppers*
• ¼ cup vegetable broth
• 3-4 oz. roast turkey
• 200g of whole-wheat fusilli
• 3 oz. soft goat cheese
• Fresh ground black pepper to taste
• 1 Tbsp chopped fresh Italian parsley
• 3/4 oz. grated Parmesan cheese 

* My wife bought local, fresh red peppers last fall, blackened them on the barbecue, stripped off the darkened skins and frozen them in freezer bags. If you don't want to roast your own red peppers, jars of roasted red peppers are available at the grocery store. I believe they come packed in both oil and in water.

Directions

Heat oil in heavy, deep skillet over medium heat. Fry onion and garlic until translucent. Add roasted peppers, vegetable broth, roast turkey and freshly ground pepper. Heat through, simmering until sauce thickens.

Cook pasta and drain. Remember to reserve 2 oz. of pasta water. Toss pasta with sauce and half the soft goat cheese. (I actually topped the pasta with the mixture but next time I may remember to toss with the pasta.) Add some pasta water if needed. Serve in pasta bowls with sprinkle of parsley, the remaining goat cheese and a little grated Parmesan.

Enjoy!

And if you're curious as to what, other than turkey, was on my wife's Easter menu, think memories. She made a beautiful bunny cake that simply delighted our two oldest granddaughters. They will always remember the Easter dinner at which grandma Judy served bunny cake. The cake, by the way, was somewhat heart healthy. The recipe called for egg whites only. No yokes.

Computers can be good for kids

Why a black flower, Fiona? It's a drawing, Gug. It can be any colour I want.

I've read articles claiming that young children should not be allowed to use computers. One story said "technology is damaging young children whose brains are not yet fully formed."

Not true, at least not in my experience. My granddaughter, Fiona, will not be five for months but already she knows how to turn on the computer, find her icon and open the paint program. The other day my wife asked, "What is Fiona doing? She is awfully quiet."

I found her sitting at the computer making art. It was clear that the computer in no way is damaging her ability to concentrate. She watches what happens when clicking on this icon or that icon and she learns. She knows more about the paint program than I do.

She loves to experiment with colour and form. The computer is perfect for doing this. If one doesn't like the result created by one colour, erase it and try another. Do you like to experiment with geometric forms? It's easy with a computer but almost impossible for a four-year-old using paint, brush and paper.

I've noticed her work with traditional paints often resembles the stuff she creates on the computer.
Many times there is no big divide between her work on the computer and her work done on paper.

Fiona's mother used a computer at a very young age. Not as young as Fiona, but under ten. I had one of the first Macs and I bought a typing program for the little computer. Her mother would sit in front of the little black and white screen blasting words tumbling down the monitor. To type faster, she learned where to place her hands to best use all her fingers. She was typing more than 60 words per minute while still in grade three or four.

Using computers to do dumb stuff is not a temptation unique to children. Maybe learning to ignore such temptations at an early age is an advantage of early computer use.

Can arterial plaque build-up be halted? Reversed? Maybe.

In keeping with my doctor's orders, I am now eating meat every other day. Red meat will only hit my plate once a month, if that. Fish is about to play a big role in my diet and chicken and turkey will fill in the remaining holes in my menus.

It sounds extreme, at least it did to me but it isn't. According to an article in the Huffington Post, President Bill Clinton is now on on a plant-based diet. He has cut all meat from his diet, except for the occasional fish, as well as dairy. Clinton told CNN that he lives on "beans, legumes, vegetables, fruit."

My doctor, Dr. J. David Spence, made no wild promises to me but he is clearly trying to arrest the build-up of plaque that is taking place in my arteries. He is confident the Mediterranean diet he recommends will be part of the answer. Dr. Spence is not alone in his thinking, there are many in the medical profession who agree with my London, Ontario, doctor. They all believe a plant-based diet can help put the brakes on the insidious growth of arterial plaque.

In the United States, Dr. Dean Ornish and Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn are two doctors gaining fame for the plant-based diets they promote. I believe, Bill Clinton is following Dr. Ornish's dietary advice. Another doctor publicizing a plant-based diet, this one with a bit of a twist, is Dr. Joel Fuhrman.

Dr. Fuhrman has gone so far as to write a cookbook, Eat to  Live, making the claim on the cover that inside are 200 recipes for "reversing disease." My doctor, Dr. Spence, has also written a book, How to Prevent Your Stroke. Dr. Spence makes it clear that although diet plays a major role in fighting stroke, once one is suffering from TIAs (mini-strokes) and has measurable amounts of plaque collecting in the arteries, a change in diet is not the compete answer.

Today doctors have a growing number of weapons in their arsenal for fighting stroke. But stroke research is showing that long before someone at risk sees a doctor, there are actions they could have taken on their own to cut their risk.

• Don't smoke
• Don't drink (to excess)
• Exercise daily
• If overweight, lose it
• Adopt a healthy diet to keep the weight off

I have never smoked. I have one 5 oz. glass of wine with dinner. But until recently, I didn't exercise enough, I was clearly overweight and that was partially because my diet was in need of a major overhaul. Would a better diet have kept my arteries free of plaque? Maybe.

According to a Harvard Medical School publication, "Visceral fat is directly linked with higher total cholesterol and LDL (bad) cholesterol, lower HDL (good) cholesterol . . . " And what would have kept that fat at bay? The Harvard publication says exercise and diet.

Pay attention to portion size, and emphasize complex carbohydrates (fruits, vegetables, and whole grains) and lean protein over simple carbohydrates such as white bread, refined-grain pasta, and sugary drinks. Replacing saturated fats and trans fats with polyunsaturated fats can also help.

In keeping with my new approach to eating, tonight I prepared curried vegetables on a bed of rice for dinner. The rice was white because, at the moment, all we have in our pantry is Indian basmati rice. As soon as this is gone, we will be switching to brown rice. It has a nice nutty flavour and I will make the switch with no fuss.

Recipe

• I put three teaspoons of extra virgin olive oil in a large, deep frying pan.
• I heated the oil for about 30 seconds and then added two teaspoons of mild curry and swirled the heating mixture around in the bottom of the pan. The next time I make this I will add three teaspoons of mild curry to give this dish a little extra pop.
• When the aroma of the heated curry could be clearly noted, I added two chopped onions and two diced garlic cloves to the oil.
• When the onions began to turn translucent, I added 10 oz. of cauliflowers florets and let the cauliflower absorb lots of the flavour of the curry.
• After a couple of minutes I added a 28 oz. can of diced tomatoes, 18 oz. of salt reduced chicken stock, four peeled, sliced carrots, a sliced zucchini about 8 oz. in size and one  medium sized potato cubed.
• I let the whole concoction simmer for about fifteen minutes.
• I added 8 oz. of sliced green beans, a 14 oz. can of chick peas and a small container of heritage cherry tomatoes which had been halved or quartered.
• I ground a little pepper on top and sprinkled some salt onto the bubbling mix and left all to gently simmer.
• Another fifteen minutes and the curried vegetables were ready to be spooned onto a bed of rice along with a little of the light sauce.

Was it good? Honestly, it needed a little more punch. As I said earlier, next time I'll add a third teaspoon of mild curry. The chicken stock I used was low in both sodium and fat but the next time I make this I will experiment with low salt vegetable stock, and I will keep an eye on the salt I add. Many of us consume too much salt.

So, was it healthy? Yes! It was a good choice for a meatless Monday. Will eating like this stop the build-up of plaque in my arteries from continuing? I can't say for sure but I have my fingers crossed and my spare tire on notice.