Congratulations.  You have just completed the 28-day Perricone challenge.  As one chapter ends, a new one begins.  Today marks the beginning of a whole new way of living.  You now have the knowledge and the good habits to lead you on a path to a long and healthy life and help you look and feel better than you ever thought possible.  Thank you for joining me on this journey.  The best is yet to come.

Nicholas V. Perricone M.D.

Tip of the Day:

This is the final day of your 28-Day Challenge. Finish strong with a exciting salmon receipe!

Sesame Salmon

Ingredients

4 (6-ounce) salmon fillets
4 tbsp. white sesame seeds
2 tbsp. olive oil

For garnish:

fresh cilantro
sushi ginger
low sodium soy sauce

Preparation:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Season salmon with salt and pepper. Combine sesame seeds in shallow baking dish. Brush salmon fillets lightly with oil and dredge the flesh side (not skin side) in the seeds. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Sear the salmon seed-side down in the pan just until it is light golden – do not burn the seeds or they will be bitter. Lightly brown skin side also.  Transfer fillets, sesame seeds up, in the baking dish and place the salmon in the oven. Roast
 for 7 to 8 minutes.

Serve the roast salmon immediately with sushi ginger and low sodium soy sauce.

Tip of the Day:

Oven Baked Apples

Ingredients:

6 large granny smith or Fuji apples, cored (do not peel)
1/3 cup sliced almonds, lightly toasted
1/2 cup  boysenberries
1 tsp. lemon zest
1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp. ground cardamom
1 tbsp. hazelnut oil
2/3 cups apple cider
3 cinnamon sticks, broken in half
6 tbsp. crème fraîche or yogurt
6 sprigs mint

Preparation:

Pre-heat oven to 350°F.  Score apples once around middle to prevent bursting. Set apples in shallow 1 to 1 1/2 quart baking dish, just large enough to hold them without touching. Combine almonds, boysenberries, lemon zest, nutmeg, and cardamom in small bowl. Gently pack into apples. Scatter any remaining filling into pan. Drizzle apples with hazelnut oil. Pour apple cider into pan. Cover loosely with aluminum foil to prevent burning. Bake 20 minutes. Uncover. Baste with juice in bottom of pan. Bake until tender, but not mushy, about 20 minutes more, basting every 5 minutes. Remove from oven. Place juice into saucepan. Reduce by half. Place apples on warm shallow soup bowls. Spoon reduced juice over apples.  Garnish with crème fraîche or yogurt and mint sprig.

Serves 6

Don’t let those munchies during the Super Bowl throw you off course. This recipe can help get you through and is delicious too!

Edamame Guacamole

Ingredients:

1 cup shelled edamame (about 12 ounces unshelled)
1/2 cup unflavored soymilk
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro, without stems
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon chopped chipotle chile (optional)
1 large ripe avocado
2 teaspoons fresh lime juice
Salt and pepper to taste

For garnish:

1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro, without stems

Preparation:

Cook edamame in salted boiling water for 5 minutes. Drain and cool to room temperature.

Combine edamame, soymilk, cilantro, garlic, (and chile if using) in the bowl of a food processor. Process until mixture is very smooth, about 3 minutes. Set aside.

Peel and seed avocado and place in a medium mixing bowl. Add lime juice and mash with a fork, leaving small chunks. Add edamame mixture and stir just to combine. Season with salt and pepper. Garnish with cilantro.

Serves 16

Tip of the Day:

The body needs carbohydrates to function, just be sure to select the right ones.  Choose: almonds, apples, blueberries, cottage cheese, lettuce and certain types of fish.

Jumbo Shrimp, Crab or Lobster

Many of today’s finer supermarkets will cook the shrimp, crab or lobster for you, making this simple yet delicious meal even easier.

Ingredients:

3 – 4 large shrimp per person, or 3 – 4 oz. lump crabmeat or lobster meat chunks.
Lemon wedges

For cocktail sauce
:

3/4 cup ketchup (use Westbrae unsweetened ketchup available at natural food stores or in the natural foods section of the supermarket)
1 to 1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
3 tablespoons drained bottled horseradish (or to taste)
1/4 teaspoon Tabasco

Preparation:

For shrimp:

Arrange shrimp, crabmeat, or lobster meat chunks in a small bowl.  Garnish with lemon wedges.  Serve with the cocktail sauce.

For cocktail sauce:

Blend all cocktail sauce ingredients together with a fork.  Serve chilled.

Tip of the Day:

Warm-ups are necessary to send extra blood to the muscles and joints, so that they can be ready to take on the work of increased activity.  Are you ready to move? Let’s warm up those muscles!

Cool & Creamy Cucumber Salad

This salad is cool and refreshing and makes a great accompaniment to a spicy dish.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups of yogurt
3 cucumbers, peeled, seeded and diced fine
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
2 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
Dash of sea salt and pepper to taste

Preparation:

Mix all the ingredients well and allow to chill in the refrigerator for 2 hours

Serves 4

Tip of the Day:

Supplements are an essential part of Dr. Perricone’s 3-Tier Approach to beautiful skin and a healthy body.  Try Skin & Total Body supplements to support enhance the look of your skin and support a healthy immune system.

Atlantic Cod with Sichuan Peppercorns

Ingredients:

2 lbs. Atlantic cod fillet
2 tbsp. coarse salt
2 tbsp. Sichuan peppercorns
3 tbsp. pink peppercorns
2 bunches baby spinach
2 tbsp. unsalted butter
3/4 cup fish stock
4 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
juice of 1/2 lemon
salt

Preparation:

The day before, sprinkle the salt over the cod fillet and place on a rack over a rimmed baking sheet. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

Rinse fish and cut into 4 portions. Coarsely grind the peppercorns and sprinkle over the entire cod.

To make the olive oil emulsion: pour the fish stock into a sauté pan, bring to a boil and whisk in the olive oil slowly. Season and finish with lemon juice.

Sauté fish in olive oil and butter until done. Remove from pan and sauté the spinach, turning every ten seconds or so, for about a minute. Place 1/4 of the cooked spinach in the center of each plate, add the piece of cod and drizzle the olive oil emulsion over the fish. Serve immediately.

Serves 4

A Healthy Heart & Lungs

A strong, slow steady heartbeat is the foundation of a healthy body. A strong cardiovascular system is essential for the delivery of oxygen to the cells, the ability of the cells to use oxygen, and for the blood vessels to carry away waste products. Without adequate oxygen, every organ in the body suffers. To improve oxygen delivery, you must build cardiovascular fitness by means of regular exercise.

The heart is a muscle the pumps blood throughout the body. As a muscle, it is made stronger by aerobic exercise that increases heart rate – such as walking, skipping, biking, even jumping rope – increases the hearts ability to supply more oxygen with less effort.

To increase aerobic capacity, it is necessary to work the heart a minimum of twenty to thirty minutes three times a week. I advise my patients to take thirty minute walks and least three times a week. I recommend that they walk as briskly as possible but not to jog or run; walk at a pace at which they are not too winded to carry on a conversation.

For many years, physical trainers believed that effective aerobic exercise had to be performed at near-optimum or optimum training rate, which is 60 to 80 percent of our maximum heart rate. To calculate this rate, subtract your age from 220, then calculate 60 percent and 80 percent of that figure. For example, if you are 40 years old, your maximum heart rate is 80% of 180, or 144; and the lower heart rate would be 60%, or 108. Consequently, you should exercise at your optimum rate –  between 108 and 144 beats. To track you heart rate, trainers tell you to take your pulse fro ten seconds while exercising, then multiply that by six to get the heart rate per minute.

That’s a lot to keep track of, and I feel it is totally unnecessary for our purposes. My goal for my patients is to exercise to increase oxygen to the skin, not train for the next triathlon. In my experience, regimented, intensive exercise programs create enough problems and stresses of their own. If the exercise is too demanding, many people either develop sports-related injuries, or abandon a program that is too time-consuming. Over exercising can trigger the release of cortisol – the stress hormone that accelerates aging. The key to an appropriate routine is regular activity that slowly and steadily builds aerobic strength. It is always better to have regular, moderate exercise than sporadic, sweat-drenched workouts.

As an active researcher, I welcome your comments and suggestions.

Tip of the Day:

February is American Heart Month.  A strong, slow, steady heartbeat is the foundation of a healthy body.

The Heart of Heart Disease

It is no surprise to anyone that cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of mortality worldwide. Because of this, getting a handle on preventing metabolic syndrome  becomes increasingly important.  CVD starts with atherosclerosis, what we used to refer to as hardening of the arteries, from the Greek word athero (“gruel” or “paste”) and sclerosis (“hardness”). This definition is partially accurate but also a gross oversimplification.

Atherosclerosis, which is more aptly defined as the clogging, narrowing and hardening of the body’s large arteries and medium-sized blood vessels, can lead to stroke, heart attack, eye problems and kidney problems, and is at the very heart of heart disease. We know that diabetics have more AGEs (Advanced Glycosylation End Products) than non-diabetics, and that CVD is the leading cause of death for diabetics. However, the playing field appears to be leveled when it comes to the development of atherosclerosis, leading to CVD and the other problems listed above. In fact, there is now a large amount of evidence linking AGEs with the development and progression of atherosclerosis, regardless of diabetic status.

With CVD being the leading cause of death, finding strategies to prevent AGE formation should be one of the scientific community’s top priorities. However, there have not been significant, safe and effective pharmacological therapies. This is why many scientists, physicians and researchers, myself included, stress the importance of prevention, by avoiding sugars, high-glycemic starches, and processed, packaged foods as much as possible. In addition, fatty fish and fish oil should be important parts of our daily diet.

There is ample evidence that diets high in fish or supplemental omega-3s can improve key cardiovascular functions and reduce major factors for heart disease, including metabolic syndrome. The American Dietetic Association recommends two to three servings of fish per week – advice echoed by the American Heart Association. I recommend even more for optimum health, especially with the recognition of the role that AGEs play in CVD. Omega-3s will also aid in general disease prevention, weight control (as long as you are not frying the fish), improved cognition, decreased stress, increased skin health, and an increased sense of well-being.

Try this delicious recipe – it’s heart smart and delicious!

Greek Salmon Salad

Savor the flamboyant flavors of the Greek isles with this simply super salmon salad. It’s nutritional levels reach Olympic proportions – rejuvenating and refueling your body.

Ingredients:

3 tbsp. organic olive oil
2 tbsp. red wine vinegar or fresh lemon juice
1 tbsp. organic Dijon mustard
2 tsp. oregano
1 tsp. dill
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
1 can 15.5 oz wild salmon, drained
1 cup red pepper, diced
1/8 cup purple onion, finely diced
1 cucumber, peeled, seeded and diced
8 Kalamata olives, pitted and diced
1/4 cup feta cheese, crumbled
2 cups romaine lettuces, torn into bite size pieces

Preparation:
In large bowl, make the dressing by whisking together the olive oil, vinegar, mustard, oregano, dill, salt and pepper. Gently fold in the salmon, red pepper, onion, cucumber, olives and feta.

Serves 4

Tofu with Eggplant and Peppers

As we have learned, it is not just meat and seafood flavors that can benefit from enjoyment with a glass of fine wine. This is a vegetarian recipe that is delightful with resveratrol-rich wines. A scrumptious concoction of fresh vegetables and tofu, this traditional Vietnamese dish is excellent with earthy red wines such as our Domaine des Blagueurs Syrah Sirrah. Resveratrol, which occurs naturally in red wine, has powerful anti-glycating properties.

Ingredients:

3 tbsp. peanut oil
1 1/2 lbs. extra-firm tofu, drained and cut into 1-inch cubes
1 onion, chopped
3 tbsp. soy sauce
3 large tomatoes, peeled and cut into eighths
3 large red peppers, chopped
1 small jalapeño or other hot pepper, seeded and minced
1 large eggplant, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 1/2 lbs. mushrooms
2 summer squash, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 bunch of scallions, coarsely chopped (white and green parts)
1 1/2 tbsp. tomato paste
6 fresh cilantro sprigs, for garnish

Preparation:

Place tofu cubes into a steamer and allow to steam for 20 to 30 minutes while chopping vegetables.

Meanwhile, heat oil in a wok or large skillet until very hot. Transfer tofu to pan and sauté until brown on all sides, then remove from pan and set aside.

In same pan, sauté onion for one minute. Add soy sauce and one tablespoon water if necessary. Add tomatoes, red peppers, hot peppers, eggplant, mushrooms, squash, scallions, and tomato paste and reduce heat. Simmer for about 10 minutes, or until vegetables are soft. Add tofu and continue cooking until tofu is heated through.

Serve on platter, garnished with cilantro and rice or noodles. We recommend Forbidden rice, though not exactly traditional, for its exotic nutty flavor and psychedelic color that beautifully compliments the eggplant and peppers.

LAST CHANCE :

As always, supplements are an important part of your daily routine – they keep your body supplied with essential nutrients. Click here to sign up and receive 10% off of your supplement purchases for the entire month of January.