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NATURE PILLS AND JAMMY EGGS: how to age well this Easter

April 19, 2019 9 Comments

It’s been quite a week for us – the first part of the serialisation of our book appeared in the Daily Mail on Monday and the book shot straight into the Amazon best-seller lists, which was an incredible feeling. So if you’ve just joined us here at The Age-Well Project, welcome!

And if you missed the Mail article, it’s here:

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-6921463/The-essential-mid-life-mum-makeover.html

NATURE PILLS

We’re looking forward to the Easter break and a chance to recharge. The weather is set fair (or it certainly is here in the UK, I hope it is wherever you are in the world) so it’s time to get outside and enjoy nature. We’ve written extensively about the power of ‘forest bathing’ and how time spent in green space can have significant and wide-ranging health benefits, including a reduced risk of: type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, premature death, high blood pressure and – particularly – stress.

Chronic long-term stress has a significant impact on how we age. It can contribute to the risk of strokes, an increased likelihood of lung, colon, rectal, and stomach cancer and the development of Alzheimer’s. It shortens telomeres: the ‘caps’ which protect our DNA as our cells divide; and depletes BDNF (Brain Derived Neurotrophic Factor) the so-called ‘fertiliser for your brain’. So anything which reduces stress will help us age better.

Now new research, published in Frontiers in Psychology, takes significant strides in working out the specifics of how long, and how often, we need to be in nature for it to have a measurable impact on our health. The results show that 20 minutes makes a huge difference, but a little longer – up to 30 minutes – is best.

The research team call these short bursts of outside time ‘nature pills’ and they hope that, in the future, doctors will prescribe them to combat stress. They certainly sound like our kind of medicine. We hope you get the chance to take a nature pill during the long weekend, we definitely intend to.

JAMMY EGGS

Eggs and Easter go together like Spring and lambs, but we’ll try not to overdo the cheap chocolate version and focus on the real thing instead. Eggs are among our favourite age-well foods, rich in protein, good fats and a remarkable range of vitamins and minerals, including 100mg of choline – a hard-to-find nutrient which supports cell membrane growth and signalling in the brain.

Making ‘Jammy eggs’ is my new favourite way to prepare these nutritional powerhouses. Boiling eggs for around 6 minutes results in an egg that’s half way between soft and hard boiled. Not exactly runny, but definitely jammy (without the fruit and sugar, of course). Jammy eggs can be peeled, cut in half then added to a wide variety of savoury dishes, like the stir fry below.

A note on kimchi: we love this spicy fermented vegetable condiment for its gut nurturing properties, but it’s very high in salt. However, research in kimchi’s home country of South Korea revealed that higher intake did not result in higher levels of hypertension (often linked to salt intake). The researchers suggest that the potassium content of the vegetables helps neutralise the effect of elevated sodium intake on blood pressure levels.

KIMCHI STIR-FRIED RICE WITH JAMMY EGGS (serves 4)

  • 275g brown basmati rice, cooked and cooled
  • 100g kimchi, chopped, plus extra to serve
  • 125g mushrooms
  • 125g kale, roughly chopped and tough stalks removed
  • Juice of half a lemon
  • 4 large eggs
  • 100g fresh or tinned pineapple, chopped (optional)
  • 1 tbs olive oil
  • 1 tbs sesame oil
  • Sesame seeds, to serve

Place the eggs in a pan of boiling water for six minutes. Lift out and plunge into cold water until they are cool enough to peel. Leave the pan of hot water on he hob as you’ll need to warm the eggs through again before you serve them.

Heat both oils in a large frying pan. Add mushrooms and cook until they start to release moisture and shrink. Toss in the kale and a splash of water, let it wilt down. Stir in the kimchi and pineapple (if using) then add the cooked rice. Cook for five minutes until everything is piping hot. Gently replace the peeled eggs in the pan of hot water so they warm up again without cooking any further. Stir lemon juice into the rice mixture and divide between four bowls. Top each one with a halved egg and sprinkle over some sesame seeds.

 

A few of our other favourite egg recipes from the blog:

Kale Shakshuka

Farro salad with eggs and smoked mackerel

Courgette, leek and gruyere frittata 

The simplest fish pie 

 

Happy Easter!

 

Susan

 

  • Meal Types: Dinner, Family
  • Conditions: Ageing
  • Ingredients: eggs, Kale, kimchi, Rice
« EAT MORE MUSHROOMS: ITALIAN MUSHROOM SALAD
IMPROVE YOUR MEMORY BY WALKING BACKWARDS, THROWING PARTIES AND OTHER THINGS BESIDES… »

Comments

  1. Diana Studer says

    April 19, 2019 at 9:39 pm

    Congratulations!

    Reply
    • Annabel Streets says

      April 26, 2019 at 5:36 pm

      Thank you!

      Reply
  2. Charles says

    April 26, 2019 at 10:52 am

    When we lived in the USA in the 1960s my parents did a lot of entertaining because of my father’s job. One of my favourites was to take your jammy egg, cut them in half, mix with curry powder, a splash of Tabasco and some chutney. Mix it well and then spoon it back into the empty eggs whites. I think my mother used to pipe them in, it was the 1960s after all. They have a lovely deep red yellow colour and were very much in demand at drinks parties.

    I am now off to make your lentil soup. Congrats on your success.

    Reply
    • Annabel Streets says

      April 26, 2019 at 5:38 pm

      Thanks Charles. I have similar memories of 1960s piped eggs – they always looked rather good!

      Reply
      • Charles says

        April 27, 2019 at 2:38 pm

        The red lentil soup with baharat was a great success, made it this morning and it has been voted onto the approved soup list.

        Reply
        • Annabel Streets says

          May 3, 2019 at 10:16 am

          Thanks, Charles. So glad it met with house-wide approval!

          Reply
        • Annabel Streets says

          May 20, 2019 at 6:36 pm

          Great news! Thanks for letting us know. Actually we’ve just been it eating it in my house tonight – oddly!

          Reply

Trackbacks

  1. HOME-COOKING, EGGY MUFFINS AND EASTER RECIPES! - The Age-Well Project says:
    March 27, 2021 at 1:45 pm

    […] Kimchi stir-fried rice with jammy eggs – jammy eggs go with everything (as does kimchi) […]

    Reply
  2. Grab some GABA - and your invitation! + Easter recipes - The Age-Well Project says:
    May 6, 2023 at 4:07 pm

    […] Kimchi stir-fried rice with jammy eggs […]

    Reply

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Welcome to The Age-Well Project

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Make the most of the light summer evenings (in the Make the most of the light summer evenings (in the northern hemisphere at least) by going on a scented walk!

Our olfactory bulb (the cluster of smell cells at the top of our nostrils) more receptive in spring and summer, and not only are plants more likely to be in full perfumed bloom, but the warmer air also traps these molecules for longer. 

Now, here’s the interesting bit. Loss of smell has been linked to neurodegenerative disease, with some researchers suggesting that smell tests should be routinely offered by doctors. A 2022 study found that loss of smell (known as anosmia) was an important early sign of Alzheimer’s-related cognitive impairment.

But there’s no need to panic, because studies also show that our olfactory system is much like a muscle – use it or lose it. So get out there and sniff the air! There’s more on the blog - link in bio 

#longevity #womenover50 #agewell #ageingwell #agingwell #longevityblog #healthblog #agewellblog #over50bloggers #womenover50 #healthspan #womenover60 #postmenopause #postmenopausalhealth #alzheimers #preventalzheimers
What do you want to achieve for your bones?’ T What do you want to achieve for your bones?’ 

This interesting question came from Rebekah Rotstein, who has worked with the Royal Osteoporosis Society and is founder of movement system Buff Bones @gotbuffbones when Susan interviewed her for The Power Decade. 

We thought the answer was that we wanted them to be dense, because that would protect them in the years ahead. Rebekah invited us to view this another way, ‘Your goal is not just to have high bone density,’ she explained. ‘Your goal is to not fracture and to live a full, independent life. You do this by strengthening your bones and body. But you also need to maintain and improve your balance and responsiveness to avoid falls because falls lead to fractures.’

We’re big fans of the ‘brushing your teeth standing on one leg’ trick to add extra age-well benefits to this most regular of tasks by improving balance. When we do it, we can feel movement – and a bit of a wobble – in our feet. Rebekah explains that this movement is also a form of calibration, helping us maintain balance. She urges us to try this barefoot because, as we age, we lose dexterity in our feet: we want to be able to feel the messages they’re sending us.

There’s more on better bone health on the blog - link in bio

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Beans for breakfast?! Yes please. On a recent trip Beans for breakfast?! Yes please. On a recent trip to Jordan, Annabel started her day with foul, made from fava beans. 

The Jordanians mash the cooked beans and serve them warm from a swan-necked vessel using a Harry Potter-ish long-handled ladle.  The beans are then drizzled and scattered with various spices, sauces and olive oil. 

Full of protein and fibre, it’s a great way to start the day. The (super-simple) recipe is on the blog, link in bio 

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Grab some GABA! This neurotransmitter is linked to Grab some GABA! This neurotransmitter is linked to better sleep and mood - but needs progesterone to produce it. This is why post-menopausal women are more likely to experience insomnia and anxiety. 

But there are actions we can take to produce more GABA naturally. Save this post for future reference and check out our GABA blog post - link in bio

And save this for future reference 😊

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A three-page interview of Annabel in today’s @ob A three-page interview of Annabel in today’s @obsmagazine extolling the benefits of walking, and of being outdoors. Just in case you’ve had your fill of the coronation… ´Walking is freedom, an escape for the mind and the body.’ 

Hear hear!
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