Baycrest

• Place the oven bag in a large roasting pan with sides at least 2-inches high. Place the turkey in the bag and pour onion soup mixture over the turkey, making sure the entire turkey is covered with sauce. Seal the bag with the twist tie provided in the package. Cut 6 slits (each 1/2-inch long) in the top of the bag to allow the steam to escape. NOTE: You do not turn or baste the turkey during cooking. • Place the turkey in the oven until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh reaches 180°F and the breast of the turkey at the thickest point reaches an internal temperature of 170°F. Don't be surprised if the turkey takes under 2 hours as the bag dramatically speeds up cooking time...go by the thermometer dial, not the time in the oven. • When the turkey is done, slit the bag and lift out the turkey placing it on a large cutting board. Allow the turkey to rest for 20 minutes before carving. • For the gravy, take the sauce that remains in the roasting pan and strain it into a large saucepan. Allow it to sit for a few minutes and then skim off any fat that has come to the surface. Over high heat, reduce sauce to desired consistency. Taste for salt and pepper and pour over sliced turkey. Serves 10-12. DIRECTIONS FOR SWEET CRANBERRY SAUCE Rinse and drain cranberries. In a large saucepan, combine cranberries, orange juice, sugar, brown sugar and dried cherries. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium and simmer uncovered until cranberries pop open and sauce thickens, about 10 minutes. Spoon off any foam that has formed and cool to room temperature before serving. Makes 2 cups cranberry sauce. For more articles like this visit: baycrest.org/brainmatters Diet soda and brain health Eating healthy and watching your sugar intake? Perhaps you drink diet sodas to avoid the high sugar content in most carbonated beverages. Careful – what you drink may be harmful to your health. A new study indicates diet soft drink consumption may increase your risk for stroke and dementia.* Researchers tracked the health of more than 4,000 people over the age of 45 who completed food questionnaires between 1991 and 2001 and tracked their health over the next 10 years. Results showed that people who drank one to six artificially sweetened drinks a week significantly increased their risk for dementia and stroke. It is important to note that the study shows association – not causation. In other words, the results do not confirm whether drinking diet soda actually caused dementia and stroke. Other factors may come into play. For example, many people with type 2 diabetes drink diet beverages, and people with type 2 diabetes already have an increased risk for Alzheimer's disease. Bottom line, should we stop drinking diet beverages? While we can't say these drinks definitively cause dementia and stroke, we do know that diet sodas have no nutritional or brain health benefits like some other drinks, such as coffee and green tea. *Source: Stroke: Sugar and Artificially Sweetened Beverages and the Risks of Incident Stroke and Dementia – A Prospective Cohort Study, Originally published April 24, 2017. BrainMatters FALL/WINTER 2017 7

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