DYING, ILLNESS, AND AGING WITH GRACE

Feb 08, 2016 10:30 AM EST

This Japanese School Puts All Other Schools To Shame. Excellent approach to educating children about food (nutrition, attitude, technique, manners) -- and they allow 40 minutes for lunch, unlike many hurried-up 20-minute lunch periods in the U.S.

- PM

Feb 16, 2016 5:33 AM EST

Wonder what the data show? Why Full-Fat Dairy May Be Healthier Than Low-Fat (Markham Heid, Time, 3-5-15)

- PM

Feb 19, 2016 5:55 PM EST

Do You Know What’s Really In Your Tea?. Food Babe explains that she buys only organically grown tea to avoid the pesticides found in teas such as Lipton and Celestial Seasonings. Be sure also to read Why Microwave Popcorn Is An Absolute Health Nightmare and this story about which breads are healthy and which unhealthy. (Hint: Sprouted grains are good.)

- PM

Feb 19, 2016 6:03 PM EST

Joan Young recommended this advice: How to Optimize Your Nutrition for Vibrant Health (Mark Hyman, on video) Carbohydrates are good for you: fruits, vegetables, seeds, nuts, etc. -- not pies and cakes. Eat plant foods, which contain the micronutrients we need for good health. As Michael Pollan said, "Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants." Food is not just energy: it is also instructions to our cells. What you put on your fork is more important than you think.

- PM

Feb 20, 2016 7:50 AM EST

More on What Not to Eat:• 6 Unexpected Heart Attack Triggers (Leah Zerbe, Prevention, 8-15-13) Nonstick pots and pans ("If you use nonstick pots, pans, and bakeware, replace them with uncoated stainless steel, made-in-America cast iron, or glass the minute you start seeing chips in the finish.), climate change (take omega 3 fish oil supplements), antibacterial soap (soap and water works just as well), canned food (as little as possible, to reduce exposure to bisphenol A, or BPA, a potent hormone disruptor tied to breast cancer), traffic jams, and certain seafood (tuna, fish with the highest levels of mercury, usually the big predatory species, such as swordfish, king mackerel, and any kind of shark, but high mercury levels are also found in some freshwater species, such as trout and bass. See The Surprising Heart Attack Trigger in the Seafood Aisle (Emily Main, Prevention, 2-2-12). Via Joan Young.

- PM

Feb 27, 2016 10:41 AM EST

Thinking of Becoming a Vegetarian? Well, You Can’t. (Alex McKechnie, Drexel News Blog, 2-24-16) McKenhnie reviews Andrew Smith's book, A Critique of the Moral Defense of Vegetarianism, writing "Smith argues that what matters more than whether we eat plants or animals is how we treat what — or who — will become our food....According to Smith, “The world would be made better — far better — if we could embrace that we are full-fledged members of the community of life: constituents of a closed-loop system [the cow eats the grass, we eat the cow, the worms eat us, the grass eats the worms] from which we have borrowed, are now using and will one day return the fire of life that burns in us all. See another academic's piece: A Utilitarian Argument for Vegetarianism (PDF, by Nicholas Dixon).

- PM

Apr 12, 2016 9:48 AM EDT

The End of Dietary Guidelines for Americans? (Paul Marantz, The Doctor's Tablet, 1-14-16) He's against the guidelines. Among reasons: Years of dietary guidelines focused on a reduction in dietary fat intake. "...we’ve all seen the unintended consequences of this well-meaning advice. One of the ways saturated-fat intake was reduced was by increasing trans-fat intake (for example, replacing butter with margarine), with its attendant consequences. Health educators developed the Food Pyramid—a logical approach that unfortunately led to the belief that people could safely eat as much bread, cereal, rice and pasta (the “base” of a “healthy” diet) as they wanted. The food industry capitalized on this belief, marketing such high-carb, low-fat treats as SnackWell’s cookies—no doubt exacerbating the public’s misconception that food that is fat-free can’t make you fat. We know this was a misconception, because as the population ate less fat (i.e., dietary lipids) it became fatter (i.e., more overweight or obese)."

- PM

Jun 26, 2016 9:33 AM EDT

Fiber: The Rx for Disease-Free Aging (Alan Mozes, HealthDay, 6-23-16) 'Foods rich in fiber not only keep you "regular," they may help you live longer without disease, new research suggests. Fiber-rich foods include fruits and whole grains. "People can achieve the recommended intake of fiber consumption -- around 30 grams per day -- by eating a wide range of foods such as whole-grain breads and cereals, fruits, vegetables and legumes," study lead author Bamini Gopinath noted."Based on our study we can't exactly pinpoint as to how fiber influences aging status," said Gopinath. But she said that her team speculates that fiber may affect blood sugar levels, minimizing inflammation throughout the body.

- PM

Jun 18, 2021 6:27 AM EDT

Hi! I love how informative and great your articles are. Can you recommend a List of Citrus Fruits or blogs that go over the same topics? Thanks a lot!

- mansi