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| Fish in spicy tomato sauce with pasta |
Food Diary (March 01, 2012)
Breakfast: Rolled oats with pear, sunflower seeds and flax seeds
Lunch: Fish in spicy tomato sauce with pasta
Dinner: Polenta pajeon (Korean pancake)
Baking/sweets:
I am not sure if I can call the polenta pancake pajeon. The idea came from pajeon but adding polenta makes it partially Italian. Doesn’t matter, it was crispy, simple and delicious.
Today's Favourite Photo
Durian banana chocolate mousse cake
Today’s Favourite Blog
Salt has been receiving bad reputation. Like fat, people think it should be avoided. Doctors and dietitians, along with the USDA dietary guidelines, recommend eating a diet low in sodium to prevent high blood pressure, risk of cardiovascular disease, and stroke; and doctors have been putting their patients on low-salt diets since the 1970s. But like fat, salt is an essential component of the human diet.
A study, published in The Journal of the American Medical Association, found that low-salt diets actually increase the risk of death from heart attack and stroke — and in fact don’t prevent high blood pressure. This study’s findings have been criticized.
Another study published in 2006 showed that death from heart disease and all causes rose with lower salt consumption. The report found that lower sodium has been associated with stimulation of the sympathetic nervous system, that, in turn, has been associated with adverse [cardiovascular disease] and mortality outcomes. Sodium restriction may also influence insulin resistance.
The insulin resistance association is compelling since so many Americans are exhibiting signs of insulin resistance, the precursor to diabetes. Michael Alderman, a blood-pressure researcher at Albert Einstein College of Medicine said “The problem with reducing sodium enough to change blood pressure [is that it] has other effects — including increasing insulin resistance, increasing sympathetic nerve activity, and activating the renin-angiotensin system and increasing aldosterone secretion. All bad things for the cardiovascular system.”
I am not sure what the verdict it. I guess we will never know the truth because its complex. Different studies will come to different conclusions, and the conclusions may be valid. Too much salt is bad, so is too little, the right amount must be good!
I love durian but won't eat it in a banana chocolate mousse cake! :)
ReplyDeleteI understand, durian is no longer the star in this dessert
DeleteWhat a delicious favorite photo!
ReplyDeleteLooks delicious, but probably durian does not appeal to everyone
DeleteI'm hate durian and won't eat it in a banana chocolate mousse cake either! :) Looks gorgeous tho!
ReplyDeleteThose medical folks are really playing with peoples' lives here. Eat this, don't eat this, eat that, don't eat that, one day it's this and the next ... you'd think until they come up with a more solid conclusion then should they publish it for the world to see. There will be some who'll take their word literally and follow to the letter and then what?
I know, I thought of you when I saw this. I guess you can't just eat the banana chocolate bits because the aroma (or stench!) would be there:)
DeleteThere is so much research and its not clear cut, so I guess there will always be conflicting findings. Its good to know but to take it with a pinch of salt - not a big or little pinch, apparently its unhealthy that way:)
I've never had durian cake. I have however had plenty of salt. No signs of high blood pressure or hardened arteries yet! Surely we can have some salt to bring out the flavour in food - everything in moderation!
ReplyDeleteYes, moderation
DeleteMany food bloggers should write a cookery book, but I think you should write several ones: Cooking with herrings, Dishes with polenta, etc. It's incredible to observe all your experiments! It's almost scientific.
ReplyDeleteI don't add a lot of salt (I see that most people I know add more salt than me), but I couldn't live without it, so I'm happy to learn it's not that bad. We are starting to be used that every nutrition theory is reversed a couple of years afterwards...
Oh, thank you, let me sleep over it:)
DeleteSo much reversals - coconut oil is bad, then its good, butter is bad, then its good, sugar is bad, still waiting for sugar is good...
I guess if researchers agreed then they would have nothing to discuss/debate and they have to find alternative ways to use up their budget
I have a feeling there are a lot of confounding factors in that study since most people on a low salt diet are on it because they're already at risk for heart attacks and heart disease, and probably are unhealthy in a lot of other ways also!
ReplyDeleteDurian cake...now THAT I haven't seen before! Looks awesome.
Thats most probably true.
DeleteDurian banana chocolate mousse cake! Whoa nelly. Nice share there, my friend :)
ReplyDeleteThank you, wish I had a slice too rather than just look at it
DeleteGive me some of that durian cake please!!!!!
ReplyDeleteYour pasta looks really good too! Come to think of it, I don't think i've ever had fish and pasta in the same dish before..hmmmm, why is that???
I also want some!
DeleteI don't know why you've never had fish and pasta. Its not very popular I suppose. Have you had pasta puttanesca, thats made with anchovies
Your fish in spicy tomato pasta looks so delicious. Every time I see some delicious pasta picture, I regret my dinner is already set with rice. Otherwise I'd totally cook pasta. Maybe tomorrow. ;-) The durian cake, hmm very interesting! Looks pretty but not sure how the taste would be. Curious to try.
ReplyDeleteFor salt, every thing in moderation and we would not be alive without it.
ReplyDeleteI tried making durian cake when I bought this fruit...even in a cake I could not stand it lol. Nice pic but no slice for me