The findings, published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, are similar to those of past research that found red meat may be fine in moderation. The new study, while small, was uncommonly well controlled, with participants’ diets closely monitored.

“It isn’t all that different from what people were saying,” said Dr. Elizabeth Jackson, assistant professor of medicine at the University of Michigan Health Systems, who was not involved in the study.

“It was very well done, and that is one of the things that are difficult with nutrition science,” said Jackson. “You could never do data like this on thousands of patients.”

The new research followed 36 people with high cholesterol as they ate four different diets for five weeks each.

Penny Kris-Etherton, a professor in the Department of Nutritional Sciences at Pennsylvania State University in University Park, and her colleagues closely monitored the men and women between late 2007 and early 2009.

Of the four eating patterns followed by the participants in different stages of the study, the “healthy American diet” allowed for more oils, saturated fat and refined grains compared to the “DASH” diet based on fruits and vegetables, and two other diets that each included lean cuts of beef. But all diets had about the same number of calories.

To make sure each person stuck to the regimens, participants in the study ate one meal a day at Penn State’s Metabolic Diet Study Center between Monday and Friday. The rest of the meals were also prepared by the Center and packed to be eaten later.

At the outset, the mean LDL, or “bad,” cholesterol for the group was 139 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL) and mean total cholesterol was 211 mg/dL. Those are considered borderline-high numbers according to the National Institutes of Health’s standards. The group’s mean HDL, or “good,” cholesterol was 52 mg/dL, which is about the recommended amount.

Compared to the healthy American diet, which slightly raised cholesterol, the vegetable- and fruit-based DASH diet and the diets including lean beef lowered LDL and total cholesterol to a mean of 129 and 200 mg/dL, respectively.

The diets also slightly lowered the group’s mean levels of “good” cholesterol, which the researchers said can be explained by the fact that saturated fat raises HDL.

The lean beef diets were lower in saturated fat than an average American diet, which contains more full-fat cheese and butter.

The beef diets included between 4 and 5.5 ounces a day of lean meats, primarily in the form of top round, chuck shoulder pot roast and 95-percent-lean ground beef. Meats were grilled, braised, or in the case of ground beef, fried.

The study was jointly funded by Penn State and the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association.

Joan Salge Blake, a clinical associate professor at Boston University’s Sargent College of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences and an Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics spokesperson, said it’s important to make sure a person watches their entire diet.

“I think it’s really important that the public understands that and is not going to go hog-wild with beef,” said Salge Blake.

“We just have to make sure that the portions stay lean and small, and that it’s a part of a heart-healthy diet,” Salge Blake told Reuters Health.

SOURCE: bit.ly/tJ8754 American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Online December 20, 2011.

Guest post: DIY Photos on canvas by The Sassy Pepper

This is what your finished product can look like!

Darling of course, and the perfect gift for those grandma’s and grandpa’s, or even yourself!

Mod Podge Photo Tutorial:

Part I

You can also look back to Sassy’s mod podge tutorial for the original instructions.

What you will need:

Pre-stretched canvas

Paper cutter or scissors

Cute paper pre-cut to fit the sides of your canvas

Cute photo’s

Two (2) – Paint Brushes or Sponge Brushes

Wax Paper

Mod Podge in Matte

towel

 

Step 1: Apply a thin coat of mod podge to your entire canvas, sides included.

 

Step 2: Have your strips ready? If not, cut them to fit on each canvas side while the Mod Podge is drying. My strips were 1/8 of a inch smaller that my measured sides.

 

Once Mod Podge is Dry, you will re-paint an additional thin layer on one side of your canvas.

I wanted to make sure that my edges would stick, and stick well. So you have an optional step of applying a thin layer of Mod Podge to each strip.

 

Step 3: Place your strip of paper along the edge of your canvas. Smooth it over with your fingers several times making sure no bubbles form. Repeat step 3 with all sides.

 Your edges don’t have to meet up exactly.

You can cover the exposed canvas with paint in a few more steps.

 

Step 4: Photo Application

If you didn’t already tear off a large piece of wax paper, DO IT NOW! Good job.

I also pre-cut my photo 1/8 inch on each size so that there was no edge overlap.

 

Place the photo down onto wax paper and apply a good amount of mod podge to the back of your photo. The photo paper is thick enough that it won’t pucker or bubble at all.

 

Step 5: Turn the photo over and smooth it onto your canvas.

You can cover the image with a soft towel to do the smoothing. It is easier to smooth a photo onto the canvas with something on top to keep front jerky movements. Wait about 20 minutes for Mod Podge to dry.

Step 6: Mod Podge the front of the photo. It will look milky white, but remember it dries clear.

 

The photo on the left is almost dry, the photo on the right was just Mod Podged.

It will take about 20 minutes again for Mod Podge to dry.

 

Step 7: Dry Brush (or sponge) Paint Application.

You can use any dry brush or sponge. Make sure the brush or sponge is DRY to get that vintage look. Before you start to apply, wipe your sponge/brush on a paper plate or paper towel so you use a minimal amount. Then dab your sponge/brush along the edge repeatedly until it is as dark as you want.

Voila!

 

But wait…there’s more.

Mod Podge Photo’s on Canvas

Part II

What you will need:

Mod Podged Photo’s on Canvas

Staple Gun

Ruler

Ribbon

Step 1: Put your canvases in order the way you want them to look on your wall. Also, decide how far apart you want them to be {1 inch, 2 inches…etc}. Multiply that number by 4. Measure your ribbon out to that length. Cut as many as you need for holding up canvases below. For three Canvases you will need four ribbons in this length.

Step 2: Get your ribbon ready to staple.

I like to fold my ribbon with about 1 inch overlap. The double strand will give the ribbon more strength when holding up another photo canvas below.

Step 3: Staple your ribbon to your canvas.

I stapled my ribbon 1 inch in from the edge of my canvas.

I used two Staples on top and on bottom for additional strength. Repeat as needed.

 

Step 4: The Top

I unraveled my ribbon first to “eyeball” how long I wanted it to be.

Then I cut double that length again for extra strength. Hey, that rhymes!

Stretch your ribbon flat, and then fold it over the the other side.

Again, I wanted my ribbon 1 inch from the edge.

Step 5: Staple your ribbon.

I used two staples on each side because I am paranoid.

Now you can hang your finished product! All you need is one cute hook or nail!

Who will you be giving your photo canvas prints gift to?

Cheers,

This beyond cool post comes to us from the amazing blog “Sassy Pepper!” I adore the name of this blog and the content! Be sure to jump on over and check out all that Sassy Pepper has to offer!

Yep that’s right you guessed it sweet cream butter.

Then when you add a toddler, three adults and two mason jars rolling back and forth it becomes a very good time!

On another note here are a few pictures from Christmas that I wanted to share.

Some of the food.

Til Next Time!

Here are a few pictures of all the homemade gifts.

Christmas Ornament Wreath

Salt Dough Hand Ornaments

Canvas Pictures

Canned Peaches

Magnetic Banana Grams Board

More Salt Dough ornaments

We also made homemade hot coco mix, mocha mix, Chi tea mix, chocolate cookie mix, peanut butter cookie mix, hearty pasta soup mix and lentil soup mix, along with mini chocolate bread loaf, mini lemon almond poppy-seed loaf, and banana bread loaf, and peanut clusters.  We gave these to all of our family and friends.

I didn’t get all of the items that I wanted to make done before the big day, but plan on getting them done before this Christmas.  I will have to say that I was very pleased with all of my gifts that I did get done this year!

Til Next Time!

Going back to my Meat Judging days that I have shared will give you a bit of a background as to what I was doing in my life at the time I met Blaine.  You can read the posts here.

It was the end of the Spring semester in 2005.  I had just finished my Sophomore year and moved into my own apartment.  I was living by myself with just my cat “Pussycat Lacey”.  Yes that was his name.  One day I will post his life story, but for now you will just have to accept that his name was indeed Pussycat Lacey.  It was my first week at my apartment.  My friend Missy from the judging team called and invited me to a few graduation parties.  I was staying the summer in FoCo to go to summer school, so I was up for anything since I was done with school and didnt start summer school for another two weeks.

We went to two parties that night.  Both were house parties.  The first was alright we basically went to make an appearance and say congratulations.  Then we headed to the second party which was located at “The Ramscock”.  Yes I see that this post has a theme of very interesting names.  This house was rented by 5 Ag boys that called it “The Ramscock”. It was a known house on campus.  Anyways we were closer friends with these guys and had a very good time.

When we got there, there was the usual crowd.  But since is was a graduation party there were also other family members and friends that we didn’t know.  So we went around being introduced to some of these people.

This was when I met Blaine.  His brother Bo was one of the 5 boys that lived that this house and gave it its name.  He introduced me to Blaine as his brother.  I did not believe him at all.  Blaine is much taller and thinner than his brother and they don’t look that much alike.  They are definitely not cookie cutters.  I had Blaine squat down to Bo’s level to see if that would help.  I still did not believe them.  Not until multiple people told me that they were brothers did I believe them.

The party went on and someone had a great idea of walking down the street to the IHOP to eat.  So Blaine and I started that way.  But soon realized that no one else was coming so we sat on the tailgate of a pickup waiting for everyone to come.

This is where I proceeded to make a fool out of my self.  Blaine was like so what do you know and I told him how I just had moved to my new apartment and had my cat there and his name was Pussycat Lacey.  Then I was on a roll and told him the entire life story of the cat from the day we got him up to basically that day.  (Have I mentioned that the cat was 9 years old at this time).  Anyway it was a good 45 mins to an hour that I went on and on about my cat!  Blaine just went along with it and listened, he sat there and kept rubbing my back.

Finally, my friend Missy came out and was all oh there you are Jenifer.  At that moment I told Blaine that if he touched me again I would kick is arse.  We left at that point Missy took me home.

The next morning I woke up and thought to my self “What a nerd! Who sits there for almost an hour and only talks about her cat!! Then tells him that you are going to kick his arse. Good thing I will never see that boy again!”

If only I knew…..

Til Next Time!

I was going to post this oh around Halloweenish time but like I just stated I fell off of the map for a while.  So here it is now.  I guess better late than never….

Around the house I have posted signs for Mallory such as “wall”, “bed”, “couch”, “washer”, “dryer”, etc.  Basically labels for everything so she knows what each thing is.  I wrote out the word on index cards and Auntie KT, Auntie RO, Daddy, Papa L, and myself all decorated them so they are not just black writing on a white card.  I will admit that I was ok with the very simple white index card with black writing, but with some convincing by KT we colored them.

So now basically everything in the house is labeled and it is quite convenient when people come over and ask where the bathroom is.  I tell them that it is the door labeled “bathroom”.

In addition to all of the signage I made the ABC’s and numbers 1-10 to hang on the bannister.  Mallory loves all of the signs.

You ask her where something is and she goes and points to it.  As for the ABC’s she will do the same thing except for the T and N she licks, yes you read that correctly licks, those and says yummm!  She loves tomatoes and noodles.  It is the funniest thing.

I hope your 2012 is off to a good start!

Til Next Time!

By Dave Sjeklocha, DVM

Beef Magazine, Vet’s Opinion Column

The Humane Society of the U.S. (HSUS) has been a focus of mine for some time. While I strongly support animal welfare, I am opposed to animal rights and, more specifically, to groups such as HSUS that try to cloud the distinction between animal welfare and animal rights. HSUS is known for releasing “reports” that have a tendency to foreshadow its lobbying and ballot initiative efforts. Some examples of these reports would include: “The Welfare of Animals in the Egg Industry,” “Welfare Issues with Gestation Crates for Pregnant Sows,” and “The Welfare of Sows Used for Breeding in the Pig Industry.”

Even though this magazine’s focus is beef cattle, most of us are surely aware of the ballot initiatives HSUS has pushed that pertain to swine, chicken and egg production. I mention these reports and the ballot initiatives that followed because HSUS released a report this summer entitled “The Welfare of Calves in the Beef Industry.” You can access the report at www.humanesociety.org/assets/pdfs/farm/welfare_calves.pdf.

So, it’s now official – the vegan-promoting, anti-animal agriculture group has set its sights on the beef industry. Obviously, this comes as no surprise. This latest HSUS document is 23 pages long – nine pages constitute the text of the report, while the other 14 pages are bibliography. The bibliography contains 275 references, which is misleading, because most of the references are used multiple times. For instance, a single paper written by Lay, et al, is listed 13 different times in the bibliography.

In the report, “Abrupt Weaning,” “Painful Mutilations” and “Calf Transport” are the main topics discussed. In the “Abrupt Weaning” section, HSUS quotes a reference that states that calves will “wean naturally” at 7-14 months of age. HSUS also references studies on fence-line weaning and “two-step” weaning. When the subject of early weaning (1½-5 months of age) is discussed, HSUS states this “may be economically desirable to producers since cows can be re-impregnated earlier.” Since when is weaning required before a cow can be re-bred?

The section on “Painful Mutilations” refers to castration, dehorning and branding of calves. While these practices are discussed with reasonable accuracy, “mutilate” or some form of the word is used 12 times in the discussion. This is obviously an attempt to sway the reader’s emotions, especially when these practices are compared to common human neonate practices (such as circumcision), the terminology suddenly changes to “surgery.” This change in terminology is probably due to the fact that many HSUS donors may have had a son circumcised. Thus, accusing their donors of “mutilating” their children would most likely have a negative effect on HSUS CEO Wayne Pacelle’s pension fund. Incidentally, HSUS puts five times more money in its pension fund than it does in pet shelters.

The “Calf Transport” section references many industry-generated scientific papers that detail calf stress during transport, the immune competence of calves when transported, and the effects that preconditioning has on post-transport health of calves. HSUS also believes the 28-hour transport law, which limits the length of time animals can be hauled before they must be unloaded and offered feed, water and rest, is under-enforced.

The conclusion HSUS draws from this body of work is that the beef industry should “address the welfare issues in beef production.” I consider this conclusion to be an amazing grasp of the obvious. HSUS references many scientific papers generated by scientists within our industry, thereby proving that the industry is working to address these issues. Then it states that the beef industry needs to address these issues? Hmmm. They surely wouldn’t use the scientific work our industry has generated to raise money for themselves, would they?

Funded by the Beef Checkoff and conducted at Pennsylvania State University, the BOLD study evaluated adults with moderately elevated cholesterol levels, measuring the impact of diets including varying amounts of lean beef on total and LDL cholesterol levels. Study participants experienced a 10 percent decrease in LDL cholesterol from the start of the study, while consuming diets containing 4.0 and 5.4 ounces of lean beef daily.

In a news release from the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, Texas medical doctor and cattleman Richard Thorpe said the BOLD study proves that lean beef not only tastes great but it also plays an important role in a heart-healthy diet.

“As a father, medical doctor and beef producer, I have proudly and confidently served my family beef and have recommended it to my patients for years,” Thorpe said. “The BOLD study is further proof that Americans should feel good knowing the beef they enjoy eating and serving their loved ones is not only a nutrient-rich, satisfying food that provides 10 essential nutrients in about 150 calories, but is good for their heart health as well.”

The release of the BOLD study results was making headlines on major news media web sites yesterday, and various food blogs. One popular blog that announced the results is written by Dr. Mike Roussell, author of “The Six Pillars of Nutrition,” and one of the BOLD researchers.

“The need to remove red meat to reduce saturated fat is a message that has been misinterpreted by media and many health professionals,” Roussell wrote. “Yes, lower quality cuts and processed red meat products do contain higher levels of saturated fat. But red meat doesn’t even make the top 5 list of major contributors of saturated fat to the American diet (full fat cheese is #1).”

Shalene McNeill, PhD, RD, and executive director, human research for NCBA, said, “This research adds to the body of evidence concluding that there are heart-health benefits to including lean beef in your daily diet. The BOLD study provides strong evidence that including daily lean beef in the gold-standard DASH diet has heart health benefits.”

Drovers CattleNetwork - December 16, 2011