Why science says to skip alcohol
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News & Events for Health Empowerment // January 19, 2023
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 Contributed by Michelle Loy, MD, FAAP, PPMNY Medical Advisor


For Asian families, the Lunar New Year which starts this Sunday is a time of reunion, centered around a communal meal. 

The Chinese name for hot pot, Huo Guo / 火锅, literally means “fire pot”. This tradition, dating back 2,000 years ago to Mongolia and China, involves a pot filled with broth constantly simmered by a heat source underneath, a variety of food items around the pot that are cooked in the broth by every diner and then dipped in sauces for extra flavor. Since Chinese New Year is a holiday laden with symbolism, the banquet meal centers around dishes with auspicious meanings including “longevity” noodles because they are long!

This plant-forward recipe for hot pot soup noodles is delicious, nutritious, practical, and easily adapted for solo cooking or for a large family. The immune boosting broth highlights vegetables, mushrooms, and warming spices — deeply nourishing and perfect for a cold winter evening. Have fun exploring new ingredients and customizing the soup to your taste.

 

 Dr. Loy’s Hot Pot Soup Noodles 
 

Ingredients

    • 1 leek, thinly sliced (or scallion, white onion)
    • 1-2 cloves of garlic, chopped (or shallot)
    • ½ T fresh ginger, grated (or ½ tsp dried ginger)
    • 4 cups low-sodium vegetable stock (or water)
    • One-inch piece of dried kombu (or ¼ tsp kelp powder or salt, or omit)
    • 2 T astragalus root, chopped (optional) 
    • 2 T codonopsis (optional)
    • 1 tsp five spice powder or DIY spice blend: 1 tsp cinnamon, ½ tsp cardamom, ½ tsp cumin, ½ tsp turmeric
    • 1 carrot, julienned (sliced thinly with knife or peeler)
    • ½-1 cup chopped mushrooms (shiitake, maitake, enoki, oyster, etc.)
    • 2 cups chopped Napa or green cabbage, or any greens such as bok choy, watercress, pea shoots, kale, rainbow chard, kale, dandelion
    • 1 T miso paste
    • 14 oz. package of firm tofu
    • Cooked noodles: rice noodles, mung bean noodles, sweet potato noodles, buckwheat noodles, Konjac noodles

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Instructions

    1. Simmer leek, garlic, ginger, kombu, astragalus, codonopsis (if using), and spices with vegetable broth for 5 minutes.
    2. Add carrot and mushrooms. Simmer another 5 minutes.
    3. Add cabbage or greens. Simmer until tender.
    4. Add miso and salt to taste. 
    5. Once broth is to your taste, add tofu and your choice of noodles.
    6. Make the dipping sauce if desired (at right).
    7. Dip your cooked vegetables, mushroom, and tofu into the sauce bowl, or add sauce to your soup bowl.

 

Dipping Sauce  

1 T chopped shallot
1 T chopped garlic
Chili to taste
3 T rice wine vinegar
1 tsp sesame oil (or tahini paste)
1 T chopped scallion

 

Culinary Tips

    • Experiment with other plant foods to add texture (lotus root) or sweetness (jujube dates, goji berries, star anise).
    • When shopping for soy sauce, look for one that says it is naturally brewed and fermented. Light soy sauce is used to finish a dish, or in a dipping sauce. Dark soy sauce is thicker, typically has a stronger flavor, and is more often used for marinating. Tamari is a Japanese soy sauce that is usually wheat free. 
    • You can substitute tofu with cooked chickpeas or edamame.
    • Dried astragalus and codonopsis can be easily found at an Asian market or online.

 

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 Virtual Potluck + Recipe Swap
Monday, January 23, 6:30 - 7:30 PM ET – Online
Suggested donation – register here

Hop into our casual virtual space to connect, share stories, and swap meal ideas for healthy living. We'll gather via Zoom over dinner hour and have some show-and-tell with food! If you're looking for meal inspiration or have questions about eating plant-based, you'll find support from like-minded members of our Plant Powered community.

Are you a healthcare professional? Join an in-person potluck near NYU just for you and your colleagues on January 23, 6:00 - 8:00 PM. Inquire with lianna@ppmny.org.

 

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 Heart to Healthy Heart:
Plant-Based ConversationsThat Could Save Your Life

Wednesday, January 25, 7:00 - 7:30 PM ET – Live on Facebook & YouTube
with Caldwell Esselstyn, Jr., MD
Suggested donation – register here

Next week, we’re joined by Caldwell B. Esselstyn, Jr., MD, an internationally-renowned former surgeon, researcher, and clinician at the Cleveland Clinic, who led a 20-year nutritional study providing evidence that changing what we eat can end our heart disease epidemic. Don’t miss this insightful interview with our team!

 

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Dinner Social at Bunna Cafe
Wednesday, February 8, 7:00 - 9:00 PM – Bushwick, Brooklyn
$10 deposit to hold your seat – register here

Join PPMNY over a dinner of plant-powered Ethiopian cuisine! You'll choose your meal off the menu and get to know other people in our health-seeking community. Hold your seat with a $10 deposit that will be put toward group appetizers. Hosted by Elaine Perlman, Karina Pearse, and Rebecca Johnson as part of PPMNY’s Black History Month festivities

 

 Save the Date!

Monday, January 30, 6:30 - 7:30 PM ET – Online
Nutrition Support Circle

Jueves 2 de febrero, 7:00 - 8:00 PM hora del Este – En línea
¿Cómo la alimentación plant based puede salvar tu corazón?

Sunday, February 12, 5:00 - 6:15 PM ET – Online
Cooking with Chef Carole

Monday, February 13, 7:00 - 8:00 PM ET – Online
Plant Powered Book Club: How the Other Half Eats

 

Check out our full events calendar!

 

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In March, PPMNY will be 4 years old! We’re gearing up for our 4th anniversary month with fun and meaningful activities including an online auction. Do you have products or services to contribute to our auction?
Fill out this auction submission form by February 15th.

 

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Even a little alcohol can harm your health
Published in the New York Times, January 13, 2023

“The idea that a low dose of alcohol was heart healthy likely arose from the fact that people who drink small amounts tend to have other healthy habits, such as exercising, eating plenty of fruits and vegetables and not smoking…. More recent research has found that even low levels of drinking slightly increase the risk of high blood pressure and heart disease, and the risk goes up dramatically for people who drink excessively. The good news is that when people stop drinking or just cut back, their blood pressure goes down.”

 

Back to brown: how a shift away from refined white rice could cut diabetes
Published in The Guardian, December 20, 2022

“Dr. Vasanti Malik, Canada research chair in nutrition and chronic disease prevention at the University of Toronto, says… that eating two or three servings of white rice a day increases the chances of developing diabetes by 16%, compared with eating smaller amounts. White rice, she says, is quickly absorbed because it lacks fiber and other micronutrients, prompting rapid spikes of blood glucose and insulin levels… Less-refined brown rice, she adds, contains more fiber and magnesium that lower the risk of diabetes in a rice-heavy diet.”

 

Our book club choice for February: How the Other Half Eats
By Priya Fielding-Singh, PhD

Britt van der Poel, PPMNY’s Network Engagement & Data Associate, says, “This book completely shifted my mindset from one of personal responsibility to radical empathy. How the Other Half Eats is a groundbreaking addition to the discourse on the foods we choose to eat and feed our families every day. The author challenges linear interpretations of dietary choices and encourages us to place the lived experiences of families — especially moms — at the forefront of the conversation.”

 Read the book and join our virtual discussion on February 13th! 

 

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More than 70 people came together on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day for our Health Freedom Walks around the metro area. We walked, talked, and dined in health at local Black-owned establishments while recognizing Dr. King’s presence on streets, statues, and plazas — and the remarkable Black history of each neighborhood. PPMNY thanks our hosts for creating such a meaningful moment for our community: Rhotochia AtkinsJones and Magda Slawecka in Brooklyn, Rhonda Carr and Kristen Loudermilk in White Plains, Brandy Cochrane in the Bronx, and Rebecca Johnson in Harlem and the orchestrator of the day’s events! Watch the news coverage from News12 in the Bronx.

 

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Veganuary 2023: Benefits of Plant-Based Diets for Health,
the Environment and Social Justice

Friday, January 20, 12:00 - 1:00 PM ET - Online
Presented by NYU Langone Health
FREE – register here

Learn with local leaders about the many reasons to make the shift to a plant-based diet, featuring Assembly Member Harvey Epstein; Mauricio Gonzalez, MD, NYC Health + Hospitals/Metropolitan; Robin Ortiz, MD, NYU Langone Health; Lianna Levine Reisner, Plant Powered Metro New York; Martin Rowe, Brighter Green; and Stacey Loeb, MD as host.

 

Targeting Ultra-Processed Food to Improve Nutritional Health:
The Value and Limits of a Framing

Thursday, January 26, 3:30 PM ET – Online
Presented by the CUNY Urban Food Policy Institute
FREE – register here 

Recent research suggests that ultraprocessed food — industrially prepared food high in fats, sugar, salt, additives, and preservatives — makes a major contribution to the global and local rise in premature deaths and preventable illnesses caused by unhealthy diets. In this forum, researchers and activists discuss the utility of the ultraprocessed food frame for guiding more effective food policies to improve nutritional health and health equity.

 

Mental Health Symposium:
Impact of Food Insecurity on Emotional Well-Being

Thursday, February 2, 8:30 AM - 12:30 PM – Financial District
Presented by Trinity Wall Street and open to Lower Manhattan residents,
providers, policymakers, and other stakeholders
FREE – register here by January 27th

Engage in conversations about the impact food insecurity has on emotional well-being. The program will feature several speakers, with the keynote provided by Gia Merlo, MD, MBA, Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at NYU Grossman School of Medicine and a member of PPMNY’s Board of Directors.


 
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 Lunar New Year Nutrition Fun Fact from Dr. Loy 

Did you know that shikimic acid, a key part of how of the antiviral drug oseltamivir (Tamiflu) works, comes from star anise? It has a sweet, fennel, licorice-like taste. It is commonly used in Chinese 5 spice powder along with cloves, cinnamon, fennel, and Sichuan peppercorns. Give it a try!

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