gobble gobble?

Today is Thanksgiving, and if you’re like a lot of people you may be feeling prematurely guilty about all the food (and turkey!) you may be eating today. Well, don’t be. Turkey actually has a lot of benefits for your health, and it is a meat that seems to be neglected regularly in favor of that other bird, the ubiquitous chicken. But really, turkey has a lot of positive qualities if you just give it a chance.

Without its skin on, turkey actually is quite lean, having only 1 gram of fat per ounce, is a good source of some vitamins as well as folic acid, and of course, contains tryptophan. Tryptophan has often been associated with the sleepy feeling you get after eating turkey, but really the most important thing to know is that it is an essential amino acid and a precursor to the mood molecule serotonin.

And since I’m off to eat now, I’m leaving you with some useful references about turkey to peruse at your own pleasure:

About Turkey

The Health Benefits of Turkey

Brain Health Recipes

Wikipedia article on Typtophan

Wikipedia article on Turkey (the bird)

Vitamin D, known as the “sunshine vitamin” because it is only produced by the human body when exposed to sunlight, is essential for heath. We have known for years that vitamin D deficiency leads to a weakening of the bones, but more research is suggesting that vitamin D has links to cardiovascular health and depression as well.

During the last century, depression has increased, and vitamin D deficiency has increased as well. And although this correlation may not mean that a lack of vitamin D leads to depression, there is enough evidence mounting to support getting the 10-15 minutes of sunlight a day needed to product vitamin D, or to at least take it in supplement form.

A recent study looked at individuals who had experienced some type of heart disease or stroke, measures their vitamin D levels, and assessed them for depression. Interestingly, those with lower levels of vitamin D were more likely to be depressed than individuals with normal levels of vitamin D.

So as we approach winter and the sun gets dimmer and the days get shorter, remember that the seasonal depression many people experience may just be your body telling you it needs more vitamin D. Do yourself a favor a take a multivitamin and see if you feel better!

For more details on vitamin D and health, visit a story on vitamin D on CNN Health.

Fish of the world, rejoice! The US FDA has just approved for human consumption a genetically modified soybean that can produce Omega-3 oils – you know, like EPA and DHA that have previously been harvested from fish. What this means for you is that in the near future you may be able to get those amazing health benefits seen from Omega-3 oils in a way that doesn’t harm the planet’s diminishing fish stocks. Along with a new process to get fish oil from microorganisms (such as algae) and from other plant sources, we may soon be able to supplement our diets from any number of environmentally friendly sources.

As you may or may not know, there is growing concern about overfishing throughout the world. More and more frequently we are seeing the collapse of breeding populations of large fish (such as the steep decline in San Francisco Bay salmon, where I live). So I for one am very encouraged by this development because I consider taking an Omega-3 supplement every day as one of the key aspects of maintaining my own healthy diet. Not only have they been shown to be beneficial for the cardiovascular system, but Omega-3 fatty acids are necessary for proper brain development and have been linked to a variety of positive long-term benefits.

Newscientist magazine has a thorough story about the new FDA ruling, as well as some of the other future sources of Omega-3 oils, and it’s worth a read if you’re interested in more information.

Hints from Humans that Turmeric Protects Memory

One provocative report from the  American Journal of Epidemiology in 2006 suggests that increased curry consumption in human populations is associated with a lowered risk for developing cognitive impairment, including memory loss, as one ages. Although this was a retrospective study using a population from Singapore these results are exciting, in part since most curries in Singapore are yellow curries which contain turmeric. Therefore, there is evidence that consuming turmeric prevents memory loss. In fact, people who ate curry “often” (once a month or more) were nearly half as likely to have cognitive impairment than were people who ate curry “rarely” (once every 6 months). Though more research needs to be done, these are encouraging results.