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January is apparently National Soup Month (who knew?!), at least, it is according to the good people at Campbell’s, and I feel like they know a thing or two about soup. And here at the Hirsh Health Sciences Library, we know a bit about soup, too.
For example, according to this article published in The Nurse Practitioner, there may just be something to the idea that chicken soup is a valid treatment for the common cold. According to this paper, it provides relief from symptoms and decreases the inflammatory response related to viral illness- in other words, chicken soup might actually make you feel better when you’re sick. SCIENCE!
Cure for the Common Cold?
(courtesy University of Washington Libraries. Digital Collections: http://content.lib.washington.edu/u?/kiehl,360)
Regardless of its efficacy, who doesn’t like a hot bowl of soup in the winter, regardless of whether you’re under the weather? Research and Instruction Librarian Jane recommended this pot of Fire Roasted Tomato Soup for a yummy meal. If you’re looking for a weekend project (it is supposed to snow, after all), make someone’s day with a labor-intensive batch of delicious Chicken Matzo Ball Soup (aka Jewish Penicillin). For vegetarians/vegans/spicy food lovers, this Lentil and Coconut Soup with Cilantro-Habanero Gremolata is delicious and cheap to make. It also makes enough soup to freeze for the next time you feel the sniffles coming on.
There’s a proverb (of Spanish or Portuguese origin, apparently) that states: “Of soup and love, the first is best.” I offer no opinion on the matter, but wish you a wonderful National Soup Month.
We are pleased to announce the Hirsh Health Sciences Library’s Open Workshop series for Spring semester. Workshops are held in Sackler 510 on Thursdays from 12noon-1pm. To learn more about the Open Workshop series and to register for a workshop visit: http://www.library.tufts.edu/hsl/education/workshops.html Upcoming Open Workshops for January and February: Research BaSiCSsss: Literature Search Skills for D’16 Thursday, January 15, 2015 Ovid: Searching for Evidence & Creating Alerts Thursday, January 22, 2015 PubMed: the Basics Thursday, January 29, 2015 Get that stat! Intro to Major Health Data Sources Thursday, February 05, 2015 Research BaSiCSsss: Literature Search Skills for D’16 Thursday, February 12, 2015, Web of Science Thursday, February 19, 2015 EndNote Thursday, February 26, 2015
Inspired by last week’s post about Healthy Oils, the crew at Hirsh Library is bringing a little Health to your Hanukkah (we are the Health Sciences Library after all). Now, Hanukkah is not the time to extoll the (debatable) virtues of a low-fat diet. How often do you get to actually CELEBRATE oil, anyway? But there are some opportunities to slip some nutritional powerhouses into your eight nights of deliciousness!
Maybe you’re looking to cut down on all that brisket, or you’re looking for an excuse to break out the smoked or cured fish. Here’s an easy recipe for Bourbon Cured Salmon with Dill and Fennel from Sydney Kramer at The Crepes of Wrath. Curing the fish takes 72 hours, so if you get started now, you’ll be ready to feast by the Fifth Night!
This little fella from Maine isn’t old enough for the Bourbon treatment… Photo of the Week – Atlantic Salmon Sac Fry by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service – N0rtheast Region is licensed under CC BY 2.0.
The Omega-3 fatty acids in salmon are the subject of research for treatment and prevention of everything from heart disease to depression, and you can read about past and ongoing research at the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine.
Is there a vegetarian joining you for a Hanukkah feast? You might want to try this spicy, comforting Chickpea Stew with Eggplants, Tomatoes, and Peppers, featuring harissa, the addictive North African chile paste. Most of us need to eat more vegetables anyway (check out USDA MyPlate for information about choosing a balanced diet), so make extra! And while I am loathe to mess with the perfection of a traditional potato latke, you can make a latke out of just about any vegetable. Check out Amy Kritzer’s gorgeous array of Rainbow Latkes (Beets! Sweet potato and carrot! Squash! Zucchini! Purple cauliflower!).
© Amy Kritzer
Speaking of fruits and veggies, get an extra serving of fruit and fiber into those Dreidel-spinning chocoholics with Martha Stewart’s Apricot Gelt recipe.
Finally, it’s Hanukkah, and I’m not a monster, so here’s the only sufganiyot (jelly doughnut) recipe you’ll ever need.
Wishing you a Happy and Healthy(-ish) Hanukkah from the Hirsh Health Sciences Library!
In honor of Thanksgiving, the following is a re-post of last year’s description of the ‘evidence-based’ Thanksgiving meal. Enjoy!
Cranberry Sauce
Cranberries for preventing urinary tract infections.
Jepson RG, Williams G, Craig JC.
Cochrane Database Systematic Reviews. 2012 Oct 17
Findings:“…cranberry juice cannot currently be recommended for the prevention of UTIs”
Bottom line: Well, cranberries are still pretty tasty…
Stuffing and Mashed Potatoes
Low-carbohydrate diets and all-cause mortality: a systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies.
Noto H, Goto A, Tsujimoto T, Noda M.
PLoS One. 2013;8(1):e55030. Epub 2013 Jan 25.
Findings: “Low-carbohydrate diets were associated with a significantly higher risk of all-cause mortality and they were not significantly associated with a risk of CVD mortality and incidence.”
Bottom line: Eat the stuffing!!!!
Sweet Potatoes
Sweet potato for type 2 diabetes mellitus.
Ooi CP, Loke SC.
Cochrane Database Systematic Reviews. 2012 Feb 15
Findings: “There is insufficient evidence to recommend sweet potato [as a therapy] for type 2 diabetes mellitus.”
Bottom line: Sweet potatoes are still very good for you if you have type 2 diabetes (but leave out the marshmallows, capesh!).
and, of course…
Turkey
Does Turkey Make you Sleepy?
Ballantyne, C.
Scientific American. November 21, 2007
Findings: Goble, goble, zzzzzzzzzzz…..
Bottom line: Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!
“More Doctors smoke Camels than any other cigarette…”
Vintage Cigarette Ads are now on display on the 4th floor of the Hirsh Health Sciences Library
“In the 1930s and 1940s, smoking became the norm for both men and women in the United States, and a majority of physicians smoked. At the same time, there was rising public anxiety about the health risks of cigarette smoking. One strategic response of tobacco companies was to devise advertising referring directly to physicians. As ad campaigns featuring physicians developed through the early 1950s, tobacco executives used the doctor image to assure the consumer that their respective brands were safe.
These advertisements also suggested that the individual physicians’ clinical judgment should continue to be the arbiter of the harms of cigarette smoking even as systematic health evidence accumulated. However, by 1954, industry strategists deemed physician images in advertisements no longer credible in the face of growing public concern about the health evidence implicating cigarettes.”
Gardner MN, Brandt AM. “The doctors’ choice is America’s choice”: the physician in US cigarette advertisements, 1930-1953. American journal of public health. 2006;96(2):222-32.
Please note that we have reduced hours on Monday, September 1st for Labor day. The library service desk will be open from 12pm-7pm. We hope that you all have a nice weekend!
Cherry Ice Cream Sundae by Steven Depolo on Flickr https://www.flickr.com/photos/stevendepolo/4605024313/
Did you know that according to a study by research group, Bundle, Massachusetts was the 4th largest consumer of ice cream in 2012?
The dog days of summer are upon us, so now is the perfect time to curate the habit for this beloved and delicious dessert. Especially considering that some ice creameries are only open for the season, here are some tasty places in the greater Boston area you can get your fix this summer:
- Picco (South End): House-made and perfect. Including the “Adult” Ice Cream Soda (raspberry Belgian lambic + vanilla ice cream) and a stout milkshake!
- Fomu (Jamaica Plain, Allston/Brighton): Vegan, made from scratch and local ingredients with flavors such as Avocado, Cardamom Pistachio, Mango Habanero and Sweet Lavender.
- White Mountain Creamery (Boston College, Chestnut Hill): Vermont Maple Walnut, Peanut Butter Banana, Kahlua Brownie and it goes on. They even have sugar free ice cream if that’s your jam!
- Toscanini’s (Cambridge): Some of the best in ice cream since 1981. Too many amazing flavors to choose from, so check it out yourself already!
- Churn2 (Cambridge): Do you like your liquid nitrogen-based ice cream served from a shipping container turned micro-food unit? Then this is your place!
- Christina’s Ice Cream (Cambridge): Over 50 flavors, so there’s bound to be at least one that speaks to your soul. There’s also the adjoining spice store next door.
- Batch (Ice Cream Truck): Batch’s Ice Cream Truck operates only from April to October and can be found Sundays at SoWa Market, otherwise you can always pick up a pint of Brown Sugar Bourbon and Pecan at your local grocer.
- J.P. Licks (all over Greater Boston): While they are open all year round, the flavors in the summer get down right fresh. We’re talking about flavors like Peach, Cucumber, and Mojito Sorbet. Kosher and made in Jamaica Plain with dairy free options abound, including hemp ice cream.
Do you have any other favorites? We would love to hear about them!
Summer is the perfect time to pick up a book for fun at the Hirsh Library! We have some new books that we’ve just added to our collection from the New York Times’ Best Selling List for Science books. Here’s a list of a few new titles that we have out on the shelves:
- David and Goliath: Underdogs, Misfits, and the Art of Battling Giants by Malcom Gladwell
- Brainstorm: The Power and Purpose of the Teenage Brain by Daniel J. Siegal
- Madness: A Bipolar Life by Marya Hornbacher
- Troublesome Inheritance: Genes, Race, and Human History by Nicholas Wade
Is there anything else you’re dying to read but we don’t have? If so, let us know by recommending a purchase.
Join us at the Hirsh Health Sciences Library for another open workshop this Thursday, from noon-1pm, in Sackler 510. This session will be focusing on learning one of our many useful databases – Ovid. All Tufts community members are welcome to attend, and we allow snacks so you don’t have to go hungry!
Ovid Medline 101
Searching the medical literature more precisely can save you time and energy. Come spend 45 minutes exploring and searching Ovid’s MEDLINE database. In this hands-on class, we’ll focus on:
- Formulating and performing a subject search
- Applying basic filters
- Accessing full text articles
- Sending lists of results to yourself
This is a class designed for users new to Ovid – PubMed users welcome! Space is limited, so be sure to arrive promptly for a seat!
If you’re like me, you may not be much of a cook. I tend to live on pasta and sandwiches. However, there is one dish that my family has made over the years that even I can make. It is zucchini pie (well it’s more like a quiche). If you love cheese, feel free to pile it on. I’ve also tried variations with eggplant! Enjoy! – Becky
ZUCCHINI PIE
1 8 oz. package of crescent rolls
2 or 3 medium zucchini, thinly sliced
3 T. margarine
1 clove of crushed garlic or 1 tsp. powder
salt and pepper
2 beaten eggs
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
parsley
Parmesan cheese
Separate rolls into triangles and place in 9″ pie plate. Saute zucchini in margarine until soft – drain. Mix eggs, cheese, parsley, salt, pepper, and garlic. Pour over top of zucchini (in pie plate) and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Bake at 350° for 30-40 minutes. Let stand for 5 minutes before cutting.
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