Ted Dinan, Professor of
Psychiatry at UCC and I shared a platform at
the Science Foundation of Ireland and IIBN event at the River Lee Hotel
recently.
Professor Dinan at LitFest 2017
Professor Dinan spoke about the ground-breaking research he and his colleagues in UCC have done on the link between our physical and mental health and our gut biome. Given the conclusions of this research project and the indisputable link between the health of our gut biome and several autoimmune diseases including depression, there were many questions from the floor on how to enhance our gut flora…
Was there not a quick fix, a
magic pill or supplement to fast track a solution? Professor Dinan stressed
that very few of the nutritional and health claims on supplements could
actually be substantiated.
Our food can and should be our
medicine – we need a biodiverse diet to feed the approximately 1.5 kilos of
beneficial bacteria in our gut (equivalent to the weight of our brain).
Having observed students from all
over the world responding positively to a diet of fresh naturally produced
seasonal food over more than four decades, Ted’s scientific research confirms
my ‘gut feeling’…pardon the pun!
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| Image: from one of our 12-week students, Shauna from thisbirdcanflysite.wordpress.com |
There are several hugely
beneficial foods that we can consume to enhance our gut flora, but we both
agree that Jerusalem Artichokes (sunchokes in the USA), top the list.... They
have the highest inulin content of any vegetable, which promotes beneficial
bacteria in the gut biome. By coincidence, Jerusalem artichokes are coming into
season right now and will continue to be available until late February or early
March.
The freshly dug Jerusalem artichokes I brought with me to show the audience were eagerly snapped up. Many people had never heard of them before and really wanted to know how to cook them. I explained that they are a prolific winter root vegetable, super easy to grow. In fact given half the chance they spread like crazy. Where you plant just one tuber in Spring, there will be at least ten for you to harvest next year.
Meanwhile seek them out at
Farmers Markets from now on. They look like knobbly potatoes but when they are
freshly dug there is no need to peel. Jerusalem artichokes are nutty, sweet and
crunchy and are also an excellent source of iron.
They are super versatile and can
be cooked in a myriad of ways just like potatoes and parsnips, they make delicious
winter soups and gorgeous gratins. Add them to stews, or sliver them to cook as
artichoke crisps. They roast deliciously whole or in slices and are hugely
appealing added to salads. I love them gently stewed or tucked around a
casserole roast chicken or pheasant so they absorb all the delicious juices.
Despite what the name implies, they
are not in any way related to the globe artichoke although the flavour
resembles the fleshy heart.
Jerusalem artichokes are actually
from the sunflower family, the name may well have been derived from the Italian
word ‘girasole’. Our children love them, their knobbly appearance provides lots
of fun identifying little monsters.
Some modern varieties are less
knobbly and thus easier to peel but in my experience have an inferior flavour.
By the way, the cheery yellow flowers are edible too.
Good to know…
Jerusalem Artichokes, like Globe
Artichoke hearts, oxidise within minutes if exposed to the air, so they need to
be dropped into a bowl or acidulated water as soon as they are peeled. They
also earn their nick name ‘fartichokes’ but that is just proof that they are
doing a good job for your gut biome…
They store for weeks in a cold
dark place – forgot to mention that Jerusalem Artichokes contain more protein
than most root vegetables, a big plus for vegetarians and vegans.
