Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - January 22, 2025, Winnipeg, Manitoba C2 ● WINNIPEGFREEPRESS.COMWEDNESDAY, JANUARY 22, 2025 Lean and mean Springsteen is on the OMAD diet, so what is it? AT 75, Bruce Springsteen is still going strong. The Boss played more than 100 shows over the past two years, and he isn’t showing signs of slowing down. When speaking to the Times of Lon- don, Springsteen offered some insight into what keeps him going. He’s on a one meal per day (OMAD) diet. What is the OMAD diet? The OMAD diet is an extreme form of intermittent fasting. Intermittent fasting is different from most diets because it dictates when you eat, not what you eat. Dieters can participate in differ- ent ways. Some restrict their calorie intake to eight-hour windows, while others focus on eating all their meals while the sun is still up. “I’ll have a bit of fruit in the morning and then I’ll have dinner. That has kept me lean and mean,” Springsteen told the Times. Johns Hopkins neuroscientist Mark Mattson studied intermittent fasting for 25 years and said it’s similar to how prehistoric humans naturally ate because they lacked consistent access to food. “Intermittent fasting contrasts with the normal eating pattern for most Americans, who eat throughout their waking hours. If someone is eating three meals a day, plus snacks, and they’re not exercising, then every time they eat, they’re running on those cal- ories and not burning their fat stores,” he told Johns Hopkins. Time-restricted dieting, such as OMAD and intermittent fasting in general, works by allowing the body to burn through its sugar stores and force it to burn fat between meals. As the most extreme form of intermittent fasting, the OMAD diet restricts eaters to a single daily meal — ensuring the longest fat-burning period between calorie intake. The OMAD diet does have potential advantages, including weight loss. According to Canadian nephrologist and intermittent fasting expert Dr. Jason Fung, eating only one meal a day could be beneficial to people with Type 2 diabetes. By participating in the OMAD diet three times a week for a month, a diabetes patient of Fung’s no longer needed insulin medication. “Fasting really impacts weight and sugars because that’s the way calories are stored — as sugar and fat,” he told Fox News Digital. Is it safe to eat only one meal a day? The OMAD diet isn’t for everyone. According to Healthline, overly re- stricting calorie intake can potentially do more harm than good. Restricting calories to only one meal a day can increase a person’s odds of developing hypoglycemia, increase their LDL (bad) cholesterol and height- en their blood pressure, according to the health news outlet. “When someone deprives themselves of food for 24 hours, they tend to lose control and overeat when it’s time to eat again. This can lead to choosing unhealthy options and eating way more than what feels natural in one sitting,” dietitian Natalie Rizzo, registered dietician and author of The No-Brainer Nutrition Guide For Every Runner, told Health. Eating only a single meal a day has also been associated with nausea, dizziness, irritability, low energy and constipation. Brigham and Women’s Hospital obesity specialist Dr. Caroline Apovian went as far as to say “one meal a day is not a good idea,” when asked about the diet fad by the New York Times. “If I tell my patients to eat one meal a day, they’re going to be starving all day,” she added. The obesity specialist said extreme calorie restriction often leads to overeating. The bottom line So should you try the OMAD diet? A yearlong study found time-restricted dieting in general isn’t significantly better at shedding pounds than other diets, and eating only one meal a day comes with notable health risks. Something less extreme, such as 2024’s highly lauded Mediterranean diet, might be a better fit for most people. — Atlanta Journal-Constitution HUNTER BOYCE MIKAELA MACKENZIE / FREE PRESS FILES Bruce Springsteen eats fruit in the morning and a full meal at dinner. Danger of red food dye No. 3 not proven: Health Canada Banned in U.S., but OK up here T ORONTO — A synthetic dye newly banned from the U.S. food supply will remain avail- able in Canada, where the federal regulator has deemed it is not a health risk to the general population. With the latest decision by the U.S. Food and Drug Food Administration, Canada stands as a bit of an outlier on the food additive known as Red 3, which is also restricted for use in food in Europe, Australia and New Zealand. McGill University’s Joe Schwarcz agreed with Health Canada’s position that evidence demonstrating human safety concerns is lacking, but he nevertheless would like to see the dye banned because he says it adds no nutritional value while making ultra-processed foods more attractive to consumers. “The important issue is: when you’re going to put something into food, it should be because it serves some sort of benefit other than just making something look more appeal- ing,” said Schwarcz, director of Mc- Gill’s Office for Science and Society. There are plenty of natural alter- natives with no shadow of toxicity fears such as beet juice extract and anthocyanins extracted from berries, he said. Also known as erythrosine or FD&C Red No. 3, the dye is primar- ily used in treats including candy, cakes, cookies and frostings to give foods and drinks a bright, cherry-red colour. The FDA banned the dye over potential cancer risk, noting two studies found it caused cancer in lab rats with a “rat-specific hormonal mechanism” that does not exist in humans. It said the measure was a “matter of law” because a legal provision requires it to ban food additives found to cause cancer in humans or animals. McMaster University scientist Waliul Khan said that while certain effects on rats do not necessarily translate to humans, he sees value in heeding the findings of animal studies that flag potential safety issues for additives that can be easily avoided. “When there is emerging evidence that this is harmful — even in ani- mals — why we are going to keep it in our food?” said Khan, a professor in the department of pathology and molecular medicine. Khan said he would like to see a warning label on foods containing synthetic dyes, and he expressed con- cern over red dye No. 40, sometimes labelled allura red. An animal study he published in 2022 found long-term consumption of allura red can potentially trigger inflammatory bowel diseases. “When we gave it continuously to a mouse for 12 weeks, it caused some harmful effects in the gut and increased the severity of colitis. But when we gave it once a week, we didn’t see that serious effect,” said Khan. “Of course, there should be more studies, potentially, with the human subject.” Two other papers published in 2023 by University of Guelph researchers examined how some dyes break down in the gut, finding they could poten- tially result in toxic byproducts. Microbiologist Emma Allen-Vercoe, who was involved in both studies, said in a release that the studies call for updated regulations to take into account the way compounds are metabolized. Khan said he is investigating the safety of other dyes and he hoped in- creased attention brought by the FDA ban on Red 3 would spur funding for more studies. He noted difficulties in the cost of mounting a trial with a large sample, as well as the ethics of attempting to study on humans a substance known to harm animals. Health Canada also diverges from the FDA in permitting Red 3 in cos- metics — the FDA barred it from use in makeup in 1990 due to a study that found it caused cancer when eaten by rats. Schwarcz again chalks that up two very different regulatory systems, insisting: “There is actually no evi- dence at all that it would be a danger in cosmetics.” Health Canada said if new scientif- ic data reveals a human health risk to using the dye in food or drugs, it would take action, “including, if necessary, no longer permitting it to be used as a colouring agent in food and drugs.” It described the FDA ban as a “legal requirement” triggered by the two rat studies. “Studies in other animals and in humans did not show these effects, and claims that the use of this colour in food puts people’s health at risk are not supported by the available scientific evidence,” it said in an emailed statement. Health Canada said it reviewed a safety evaluation conducted by a joint committee for the United Nations and World Health Organization in 2018. The joint UN/WHO committee looked at studies that involved humans and animals, and found no safety con- cerns for the dye as a food additive. — The Canadian Press CASSANDRA SZKLARSKI HAVEN DALEY / THE ASSOCIATED PRESS FILES Red No. 3 is primarily used in treats to give foods and drinks a bright, cherry-red colour. ARTS ● LIFE I LIFE “I’m not going to buy things if they’re too expensive,” Zaidman says, adding that working with sub- stitutions can pose a fun creative challenge. Other readers shared their tips for stretching a dollar in the kitchen. Jordan Miller keeps a stash of broth in the pantry and makes a big pot of soup with veggies approach- ing their best-before-dates. “I call it everything soup. Then I freeze most of it and pull it out when I am super tired,” she writes, adding she often makes double batches of meat or mashed potatoes and freezes half for later. Janice Scott, a retired home eco- nomics teacher, is also in the habit of saving ingredients for the future. “Setting aside extra food in the pantry and freezer gave my family (including two kids) food savings — as good as money in the bank!” she writes. Scott continues to relish the chal- lenge of “shopping” her freezer and pantry while seeing how long she can avoid the grocery store. Enjoy this week’s Homemade rec- ipes for Kuku Kadoo, an herbaceous egg dish, submitted by Harriet Zaidman; use-it-up Turkey Soup from Barb Howie; and Moujadara, a one-pot rice and lentil dish from Zana Lutfiyya. eva.wasney@winnipegfreepress.com HOMEMADE ● FROM C1 Moujadara (M’jadara) 250 ml (1 cup) whole brown lentils (don’t use split lentils) 190 ml (3/4 cup) rice 190 ml (3/4 cup) olive oil or other neutral tasting oil 2 large onions, peeled, halved and sliced into thin crescents 625 ml (2 1/2 cups) water, plus more for soaking 1 tbsp (15 ml) salt Black pepper, to taste 10 ml (2 tsp) cumin 1 bay leaf 2.5 ml (1/2 tsp) allspice, optional RINSE lentils and let soak for 15 to 30 minutes. Rinse rice until the water runs clear, set aside. Add the oil to a pot and fry the onions, stirring frequently, over medium heat until crispy, about 15 to 20 minutes. Scoop the crispy onions onto a paper towel-lined plate, reserving the oil. Drain lentils and add to the pot with the reserved oil. Cover the lentils with water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and cook, covered, until lentils are tender, about 20 minutes. Add to the pot rinsed rice, salt, pepper, bay leaf, cumin and allspice, if using. Cover and cook over low until rice is done, 20 minutes or longer if using brown rice. Remove from the heat and fluff the mixture with a fork. Serve with crispy onions. Note: This is traditionally eaten with Greek yogurt or labneh, but tzatziki would also work. Possible additional sides include a tomato and cucumber or green salad with vinaigrette dressing or a variety of pickled vegetables. Acidic and sour flavours go well with this dish. “Lentils and rice is a peasant dish from Palestine, Lebanon and Syria. There are different versions, all dependent upon taste and what is available. Together, the lentils and rice form a complete protein, enhanced by adding yogurt to the dish. It is a frugal and filling one-pot dish. When I make it and eat it, I remember my grandmother cooking this dish for her family, and how much we enjoyed it. The word moujadara means ‘pockmarked,’ which is what the dish looks like with the lentils.” — Zana Lutfiyya Grannie’s and Nana’s Turkey Soup Leftover turkey carcass Leftover turkey meat, chopped 250 ml (1 cup) long grain rice, uncooked 625 ml (2 1/2 cups) carrots, peeled and sliced 625 ml (2 1/2 cups) celery, sliced 125 ml (1/2 cup) onion, diced Salt and pepper, to taste ADD turkey carcass to a large stock pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to low. Cover pot and simmer for at least six to eight hours, adding water as needed to keep the carcass covered. The longer you simmer, the thicker your broth will be. Drain the broth into a large bowl and discard the bones, you should have about 2,000 ml to 2,500 ml (8 to 10 cups) of liquid. At this point, you may want to let the broth cool and be- come jellied, which makes it easy to skim off the fat. You can also store some of the broth in the fridge or freezer for another use. Return the broth to the stock pot or a large pot. Add the rice, carrots, celery, onions, salt and pepper. Simmer until rice and vegetables are cooked to your preferred doneness. Taste and adjust seasoning (we taste our soup continually because it’s so good). Serve soup hot with nutty, whole grain bread. “This recipe truly is an heirloom in our family. Being a thrifty Scot, my grannie never wasted one speck of a turkey after a special occasion dinner. This is how she and my moth- er taught me how to use the entire bird. As in many recipes that have been passed down, in- gredients don’t have exact measurements but rather are estimated and tasted for flavour. “When I make this soup my family just can’t get enough and it’s always appreciated on a Winnipeg winter day. The aroma that hit your nostrils as you entered from the cold was most welcoming and comforting. You knew you were home.” — Barb Howie ;