nutrition
kkrisberg | December 13, 2013On average, eating healthy costs about $1.50 more per day than the least healthy diets, a new study finds. The extra cost seems insignificant at first — a small cup of coffee often costs more — but it all adds up to be a considerable barrier for many low-income families.
Researchers with the Harvard School of Public Health set out to find the evidence behind the conventional wisdom that healthier foods cost more, conducting the most comprehensive meta-analysis to date of price differences between healthy and unhealthy foods. In examining data from 10 high-income nations, researchers found…
lborkowski | October 8, 2013The government shutdown has cut off the flow of funds from USDA to WIC, the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children. Some states have enough money to keep their programs running for a while, but Utah's WIC clinic has already closed its doors to new clients as staff in the state are furloughed.
WIC serves approximately nine million low-income women and children. It provides vouchers for nutritious food (milk, cereal, vegetables, etc) and infant formula, counseling on healthy eating, breastfeeding support, and healthcare referrals. Zoë Neuberger and Robert…
denialism | March 2, 2013There's been an interesting edit in Marc Bittman's sugar post, as he has now changed his tune on the PLoS one sugar study, now Bittman acknowledges obesity too is important. That was big of him, it is after all, the most important factor. Maybe my angry letter to the editor had an effect, but he's grudgingly changed this statement:
In other words, according to this study, obesity doesn’t cause diabetes: sugar does.
To:
In other words, according to this study, it’s not just obesity that can cause diabetes: sugar can cause it, too, irrespective of obesity. And obesity does not always lead to…
denialism | February 28, 2013Diet seems to be all over the New York Times this week, with an oversell of the benefits of the Mediterranean diet, and now Mark Bittman, everyone's favorite food scold, declaring sugar is the culprit for rising diabetes. His article is based on this interesting new article in PLoS One and begins with this wildly-inaccurate summary:
Sugar is indeed toxic. It may not be the only problem with the Standard American Diet, but it’s fast becoming clear that it’s the major one.
A study published in the Feb. 27 issue of the journal PLoS One links increased consumption of sugar with increased rates…
milhayser | May 30, 2012Day and night, the sun is something most of us take for granted. But on Respectful Insolence, disciples stare at it intently in order to gain its energy. Orac writes "sun gazers seem to think that mammals are like plants in possessing an ability to absorb energy directly from the sun"—and diehard gurus claim to have lived for years without food or water. Earnest practitioners risk blindness, dehydration, starvation and death. Orac says "Sun gazing also leaves out the fact that plants get the organic building blocks they use to produce their actual structures from the ground in which they grow…
jtoney | April 4, 2012
Yes, thirty days of McDonald's meals causes weight gain, even heart palpitations. But what happens to your arteries?
For the first time, a short term, six week, study (using mice) shows that a similar diet causes arteries to begin clogging, and worse, affects its structural and mechanical properties. This study used a high fat diet comprised of about 36% of calories as fat; a Big Mac has about 49%.
From the study:
The arterial compliance was compared between control and high fat-fed mice for 6 weeks.We show that the compliance of the TDAs was dramatically reduced in high fat-fed mice…
jtoney | March 17, 2012
Don't get me wrong. I love asian takeout food. Perhaps a bit too much. Here's some really useful advice to avoid common and not so common pitfalls.
Avoid "General Tso's" anything.
Edamame is great, but always asked for steamed.
"Lobster sauce" is a good choice, at about 50 calories per quarter cup.
Avoid those seemingly "light as air" chips, with as much as 14 grams of fat per handful.
Watch out for tofu dishes, as the tofu is sometimes deep fried.
Share entries!
And, last but not least, be careful with those dumplings - I once found a cigarette butt inside of one. So how did that get…
lborkowski | October 21, 2011The Institute of Medicine has released a report recommending that the Food and Drug Administration and the US Department of Agriculture consider "a fundamental shift in strategy" when it comes to nutrition labeling." While the recommendation for a "front-of-package" (FOP) labeling system is not new, the IOM authors don't just want the usual nutrition facts to be moved from the back of the package to the front; rather, new labels should specifically encourage shoppers to choose healthier products.
The authors cite EPA's Energy Star program as a successful government labeling system, because it…
jtoney | July 1, 2011
Photo source su-lin's Flickr photostream
Millions of American families will be celebrating July 4 by grilling hamburgers and hot dogs before enjoying the evening's fireworks. This is a good opportunity to think about the real cost of that burger. Yes, burgers can make an inexpensive and fast meal, but they are the most costly choice, considering the impact on our environment - not to mention your health.
A recent study by Swedish scientists estimates that the energy cost of a classic McDonald's hamburger is more than three times that of a complete chicken dinner with potatoes, carrots and…
pharyngula | June 18, 2011Ben Goldacre and others carried out a very interesting study: they analyzed the top 10 UK newspapers for a week for their health reporting, and categorized the quality of the support for health claims. It's not encouraging.
Here's what we found: 111 health claims were made in UK newspapers over one week. The vast majority of these claims were only supported by evidence categorised as "insufficient" (62% under the WCRF system). After that, 10% were "possible", 12% were "probable", and in only 15% was the evidence "convincing". Fewer low quality claims ("insufficient" or "possible") were made…
jtoney | June 1, 2011
Source.
This venomous lizard, Heloderma suspectum, harbors a billion dollar secret: a special protein in his saliva and tail. That protein, exenatide, is highly effective in treatment for type 2 diabetes.
As American's girth and weight continues to increase, so does type 2 diabetes. It is a vicious cycle:
Increased obesity leads to more enlarged fat cells that respond less and less to insulin needed for control of blood sugar - a hallmark for type 2 diabetes. This leads to increased appetite and overeating and obesity. And the cycle continues.
The protein isolated from the Gila monster…
jtoney | May 23, 2011
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Watching the "Pirates of the Caribbean 4 - On Stranger Tides" this weekend with my children reminded me that pursing a "fountain of youth" is a timeless tale that plays out in our lives in many ways. For example, you see this everyday in our grocery stores, in the form of "functional foods."
Cereals promise to lower your cholesterol, milk to improve brain function, vitamin-enhanced water to boost your immune system. Not surprisingly, it is a big business - US sales in 2009 exceeded $37 billion. Manufacturers have become adept at tip toeing towards the point at which their product…
jtoney | May 15, 2011
Hilary Clinton famously said in 1992:
I suppose I could have stayed home and baked cookies and had teas, but what I decided to do was to fulfill my profession which I entered before my husband was in public life.
Ironically, daily domestic necessities such as baking and cooking have taken on a different twist in a recent partnership between Secretary of State Hilary Clinton and Academy Award winning actor Julia Roberts.
The Global Alliance for Clean Cookstoves' mission, led by the United Nations Foundation, is:
...is a new public-private partnership to save lives, improve livelihoods,…
jtoney | April 18, 2011
Source - Pancreatic beta cells needed to produce insulin.
Atlas carried the weight of the heavens on his shoulders. Americans may be carrying a burden of almost two tons of sugar from a lifetime of satisfying their sweet tooth.
The New York Times article "Is Sugar Toxic?" describes the risk in a compelling way:
Yes, the average American consumes 3,550 pounds of sugar in a lifetime, according to USDA estimates. The recommended daily intake of sugar is far less than the US average of 11.9 teaspoons:
How much is just right?
The American Heart Association recommends limiting the amount of…
jtoney | March 15, 2011A breakthrough infant formula for babies 0 to 12 months * The first infant formula with BIFIDUS Bâ¢--beneficial cultures like those found in breastmilk to help support Baby's healthy immune system1 * Gentle 100% whey COMFORT PROTEINS® designed to be easy to digest * Complete nutrition in a milk-based formula * DHA & ARA for Babys brain and eye development
There's a classic saying in the advertising industry: "Sell the sizzle, not the steak."
Gerber's "Good Start Protect Plus" baby formula commercial, shown in the video above, is an example. The American Academy of Pediatrics and the…
jtoney | March 9, 2011
You're probably familiar with the "Bible Belt," that swath of our nation characterized, for example, by the preponderance of Christian groups, such as Baptists:
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has just released a high resolution map {see above}, "Percentage of Adults with Diagnosed Diabetes," revealing a "Diabetes Belt."
An article in Scientific American {March 8, 2011) points out:
More than 18 million people in the U.S. have been diagnosed with diabetes, which costs an estimated $174 billion annually. Typically, local public health agencies carry out the…
jtoney | March 6, 2011Diets are at the nexus of a multi-billion dollar industry, often the stuff of empty promises and switch and bait advertising. I've had a longstanding interest in nutrition as a science, and was pleased to read an article {The New York Times Magazine, March 6, 2011} about a "Die-Later Diet."
I highly recommend that you consider this model menu as an example of good nutrition for a healthier life, if not a longer one, inspired by David Murdock:
{The good news - there's no monthly fee, you don't have to call an 800 number, and you could even save on your grocery bill.}
David Murdock, a major…
lborkowski | March 2, 2011A few of the recent pieces I've liked:
Deborah Blum at Slate: Bring Back the Poison Squad ("If we look back to a similar crisis of food safety in the last century, we see that federal regulators were willing to risk their lives to protect the rest of us.")
Jenny Gold of Kaiser Health News on NPR: In Pa., Low-income Adults Soon May Be Uninsured (and check out Steve Inskeep's interview with Julie Rovner, which followed this story when it aired)
Jim Morris, Chris Hamby, and M.B. Pell at the Center for Public Integrity: Regulatory Flaws, Repeated Violations Put Oil Refinery Workers at Risk
The…
jtoney | February 2, 2011
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Prescription medications for the management of type 2 diabetes, while effective for many patients, have been fraught with side effects including weight gain that can make the disease worse given its link with obesity. Would it be possible to replace the pill with natural alternatives?
Diet and exercise has long been known to be a highly effective method to manage type 2 diabetes, giving some patients more benefit than typical prescription medications. Since the discovery of the "French paradox" in the early 1990's that noted a low incidence of heart disease in France despite diets…
jtoney | December 13, 2010NBC photo
Contestants on NBC's "Biggest Loser"
In Woody Allen’s Sleeper, Miles awakens after a 200-year sleep, to a world in which healthy food choices have become topsy-turvy:
Dr. Melik: (listing items Miles had requested for breakfast): "... wheat germ, organic honey, and... Tiger's Milk."
Dr. Aragon: "Oh, yes. Those are the charmed substances that some years ago were thought to contain life-preserving properties."
Dr. Melik: "You mean there was no deep fat? No steak or cream pies or... hot fudge?"
Dr. Aragon: "Those were thought to be unhealthy... precisely the opposite of what we now know…