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01 Jan 2016
•
2 min read
Recipes

Fresh herb falafel pita wrap

Maureen Abood
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Ingredients (serves: 4 wraps)

  • ½ cup dried peeled fava beans
  • ½ cup dried chickpeas (these need not be skinless/peeled)
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 20 or so mint leaves
  • 1 large bunch flat leaf parsley, leaves pinched
  • 1 smaller bunch of cilantro, leaves pinched
  • 1 jalapeno pepper, ribs and seeds removed, coarsely chopped, or ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 1 small yellow onion, coarsely chopped
  • 1 garlic clove
  • 1 tablespoon sesame seeds
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 3 cups neutral oil, such as safflower or canola, for frying
  • Tahini Yogurt Sauce
    • ½ cup yogurt
    • ⅓ cup tahini (stirred before measuring)
    • 1 small garlic clove, minced
    • pinch of salt
    • Juice of 1 lemon
  • 4 loaves thin pita bread
  • ½ cup lift, pink pickled turnips, cut in strips

Instructions

  1. In a medium bowl, cover the chickpeas and fava beans with cool water by 3 inches. Soak them overnight and up to 24 hours.
  2. Thoroughly drain the chickpeas and fava beans. In the food processor, process them with the salt until they are ground to a coarse crumb. Reserving a few leaves of each herb, add the mint, parsley, cilantro, jalapeno, garlic, onion, and sesame seeds. Pulse until the mixture is finely ground to a moist, bright green crumb. Transfer the mixture to a bowl, stir in the baking soda, and chill for at least 30 minutes and up to 1 day.
  3. Make the tahini sauce by combining the yogurt, tahini, garlic and salt in the processor or whisking by hand. Add the lemon juice, then taste and adjust the seasonings as needed.
  4. Heat the oil to 375 degrees in a 3-quart saucepan until a dropped pinch of herb bubbles dramatically. Using an ice cream scoop or falafel mold, pack the falafel mixture tightly into the scoop and fry a few at a time until they are deep golden brown, flipping them over with tongs as soon as they are browned on one side. Remove the falafel from the oil with tongs to a paper towel-lined plate, and fry the remaining falafel.
  5. Place a thin loaf of pita on each of four plates. Lay several falafel along one side of the bread a few inches from the edge. Top with tahini sauce, fresh herbs, and pink pickled turnips. Roll the pita up tightly, cut in half on the diagonal, and serve immediately with more sauce for dipping.
 Author: Maureen Abood

 

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31 Dec 2015
•
1 min read
Recipes

Selected for you: “Just add yogurt!”

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We share with you hot to Choose your favorite ways to enjoy yogurt all day, published by the Dairy Council of California.

You can make almost any meal more delicious (and nutritious!) with calcium-, protein- and probiotic-packed yogurt. Read on and choose your favorite ways to enjoy it, all day long.

Just add yogurt!

 

Source: National Dairy Council of California
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30 Dec 2015
•
1 min read
What is Yogurt?

The typical Italian yogurt consumer is healthier

diet quality italy lifestyle yogurt consumption
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20 Italian regions

1,992 Italian adults were randomly recruited by 200 general practitioners (GP) in 20 Italian regions in 2013 (Liquidi e Zuccheri nella popolazione italiana: liquids and sugars in the Italian population). Food frequency questionnaires, anthropometrics and blood pressure were all measured by GPs.

A young woman, physically active

The typical Italian yogurt consumer (42.4% of the total sample consuming at least 1 yogurt a day) seemed to be a woman, aged<60y, BMI<25, normotensive, physically active, graduated, milk consumer, more aware of nutrition guidelines and taking care of a healthy nutritional practice. This type of yogurt consumer was also younger and had significantly smaller weight and BMI and systolic blood pressure, compared to non-consumers.

These results confirm the positive association between yogurt consumption and a healthy lifestyle. It also substantiate the association between yogurt intake and weight management and lower blood pressure in the Italian population.

Source: Marangoni F et al. 12th European Nutrition Conference 2015 Ann Nutr Metab 2015; 67(suppl 1) p 161
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28 Dec 2015
•
2 min read
What is Yogurt?

Do you sweeten yogurt ? (and why you shouldn’t have to)

Added sugar consumption behavior france plain yogurts
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Sugar, honey or jam

The study was conducted on 199 French adults, regular consumers of plain yogurt with sweetening agent. At the end of a standardized meal, participants were asked to consume their usual plain yogurt type (set, stirred, health segment) and were free to use their usual type of sweetener: sugar, honey or jam. The added quantities of sweetening agent were measured indirectly by weighting the package before and after use. These quantities were converted into equivalence of added sugar quantities.

2 sugar cubes per cup

Participants added in average 13.6g of sugar equivalent per cup of yogurt, which is higher than industrialized pre-sweetened yogurts with 10.2g/cup. The quantity was higher, when consumers used jam (24.4g/cup), sugar (11.0g/cup) or honey (12.1g/ cup). Consumers sweetened also more at diner (15.5g/cup), compared to lunch (11.6g/cup).

Higher BMI, heavy user

Age and BMI were also positively correlated with higher quantities of sweeteners. People with a low consumption of sweeteners (6,1g/cup) tend to control their food better, whereas heavy users (19,9g/cup) rather seek immediate satisfaction.  But the most surprising fact is that consumers completely underestimate the amount of added sugar, which is twice the quantity they estimate (6,85g/cup). Although they were able to correctly estimate, whether they were sweetening more or less than pre-sweetened commercial yogurts.

 Source: Leclercq H et al. 12th European Nutrition Conference 2015 ; Ann Nutr Metab 2015; 67(suppl 1) p 515
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28 Dec 2015
•
1 min read
What is Yogurt?

Selected for you: “How does yogurt compare to other foods nutritionally?”

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Selected for you this week: two more nutrition facts about yogurt from New England Dairy & Food Council.

  • Yogurt is a great dairy option for those that have lactose intolerance because its live and active cultures help with digestion.
  • Any type of low-fat yogurt, Greek or traditional, fits into a healthy diet.
Source: New England Dairy & Food Council
More tips from New England Dairy & Food Council here
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25 Dec 2015
•
2 min read
Recipes

Grilled lamb kabobs with mint yogurt sauce

extra virgin olive oil fresh mint garlic clove lamb lemon juice lemon wedges plain yogurt Read more: http://www.foodchannel.com/recipes/recipe/grilled-lamb-kabobs-with-mint-yogurt-sauce
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Ingredients

  • 3/4 cup plain yogurt
  • 1 pound lamb cut from the leg, shoulder or loin, trimmed of fat and cut into 1-inch pieces
  • 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
  • 3 tablespoons chopped fresh mint, plus sprigs for garnish
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • 3 tablespoons lemon juice
  • 6 lemon wedges

Instructions

  1. Line a fine-mesh sieve with cheesecloth and place over a bowl. Spoon the yogurt into the sieve. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours to drain.
  2. Prepare a medium-hot fire in a grill. At the same time, put 6 bamboo skewers in water to cover.
  3. In a bowl, combine the lamb and 2 tablespoons of the olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Toss to coat evenly.
  4. In a small bowl, combine the drained yogurt, the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil, the chopped mint, the garlic and lemon juice. Stir to mix well. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside.
  5. Drain the skewers and thread the lamb pieces onto them, dividing them evenly. Place on the grill rack 4 to 5 inches from the fire and grill until browned on one side, about 5 minutes. Turn the kabobs and continue to grill until browned on the other side and medium-rare at the center, 4 to 5 minutes more, or until done to your liking.
  6. Transfer the kabobs to a serving platter, season with salt and pepper, and drizzle the yogurt sauce over them. Garnish with the lemon wedges and mint sprigs.
  7. Serve immediately, warm or at room temperature.
Author : Williams-Sonoma
Source: The Food Channel
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25 Dec 2015
•
1 min read
Diabetes prevention

A higher intake of yogurt is associated with a reduced risk of type 2 diabetes

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Read more about the specific effet of yogurt on type 2 diabetes here.

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24 Dec 2015
•
1 min read
Weight management

Eating yogurt may curb waist circumference

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While some calorie-conscious people may drop dairy products when they’re dieting, there are some evidence suggesting this strategy could backfire. Recent research reveals that yogurt may help turn up the body’s fat-burning ability – making it easier to lose belly fat while maintaining lean muscle.

Read more about the study here

Source: Wang H et al. International Journal of Obesity advance online publication 18 June 2013; doi: 10.1038/ijo.2013.78
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24 Dec 2015
•
2 min read
Diabetes prevention

Vitamin D3 fortification of yogurt reduces inflammation in diabetics

calcium Diabetes Fortified yogurt inflammation vitamin D
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Daily consumption of yogurt drinks, fortified with vitamin D3, can help to improve inflammation symptoms in subjects, diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. Adding extra calcium showed an additional benefit for the inflammatory biomarker adipokine.

A low-grade inflammatory disease

Previous research suggest that chronic but low-grade inflammation may contribute to the development and/or persistence of type 2 diabetes. A randomized, double-blind study in Iran examined the impact of consuming a daily yogurt drink (2×250 ml) on inflammation markers. 90 participants, aged 30 to 60 years and diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, tested each one of the three yogurts types for 12 weeks: a classic yogurt (150 mg calcium), yogurt fortified with vitamin D (500  IU vitamin D3/150mg calcium) and fortified with vitamin D plus calcium (500 IU vitamin D3/250 mg calcium).

Extra benefit of calcium

The results show that vitamin D fortification of yogurt improved inflammation markers.  They found a decrease in the highly sensitive C-reactive protein, IL-1β, IL-6, fibrinogen, and retinol binding protein-4 concentrations for both fortified yogurts. Adding extra calcium, showed an additional benefit only for the anti-inflammatory adipokine by acting on adiponectin, an hormone produced by adipose tissue, which contributes to regulate the metabolism of lipids and glucose.

Learn here more about the role of yogurt in reducing the risk of developing diabetes.

Reference: Neyestani TR, et al. Improvement of vitamin D status via daily intake of fortified yogurt drink either with or without extra calcium ameliorates systemic inflammatory biomarkers, including adipokines, in the subjects with type 2 diabetes, J Clin Endocrinol Metab June 2012, Vol 97(6), pg.
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23 Dec 2015
•
2 min read
Healthy Diets & Lifestyle

New research: does flavored yogurt makes us feel happy?

emotion happiness mood taste
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We all know what it’s like to take a bite of something and expecting a specific taste, but tasting something different instead- it can be an enjoyable or disgusting experience. New research, published in Food Research International, reveals that being pleasantly surprised or disappointed with a food product, can actually change a person’s mood.

The taste of yogurt

Using different measuring methods for people’s emotional responses, a team of researchers from the Wageningen UR Food & Biobased Research in the Netherlands searched for the emotional effects – if any – that eating different yogurts had on people. Three groups of at least 24 participants were each given a pair of yogurts to taste. The pairs of yogurts were of the same brand and were marketed in the same way, but had different flavors or fat content. Afterwards, the team tested their emotions by using four methods, including a new emotive projection test.

A sensory effect

The team also looked at the sensory effect of the yogurts. There was no difference in the emotional responses to strawberry versus pineapple yogurts, but low-fat versions led to more positive emotional responses. Most strikingly, vanilla yogurt elicited a strong positive emotional response, supporting previous evidence that a subtle vanilla scent in places like hospital waiting rooms can reduce aggression and encourage relationships among patients and between patients and staff.

Reference: “Are implicit emotion measurements evoked by food unrelated to liking?” by Jozina Mojet, Klaus Dürrschmid, Lukas Danner, Max Jöchl, Raija-Liisa Heiniö, Nancy Holthuysen and Egon Köster (doi: 10.1016/j.foodres.2015.06.031). The article appears in Food Research International, Volume 76 (October 2015), published by Elsevier.
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