The average American consumes 3,400 milligrams of sodium, roughly 1.5 teaspoons of salt, per day. However most of our dietary sodium comes not from the salt shaker at the dinner table, but from processed and prepared foods such as breads, crackers, cheese, and even products that don’t taste “salty,” like breakfast cereals. This week, the […] Continue reading
Super-Tasters and Non-Tasters: Is it Better to Be Average?
By Guy Crosby, PhD, CFS Our sense of taste and smell is clearly linked to our overall health status. Many studies have shown that the flavor of food is by far the most important factor in determining what foods we choose to eat (1). Continue reading
Updated Nutrition Facts Panel makes significant progress with “added sugars,” but there is room for improvement
In the first major overhaul of the Nutrition Facts Panel in over two decades, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced today numerous changes that will be implemented within the next few years. One of the most important updates will be a line disclosing “added sugars,” along with a corresponding 10 percent-Daily Value—representing a limit […] Continue reading
Public health win: San Francisco law requires health warnings on sugary drink advertising
“WARNING: Drinking beverages with added sugar(s) contributes to obesity, diabetes, and tooth decay. This is a message from the City and County of San Francisco.” If you live in San Francisco, you will soon be seeing this message on billboards and bus shelters, as the city is set to become the first in the U.S. […] Continue reading
Does putting on a few pounds help you cheat death? No!
A recent study by Afzal et al., published in JAMA, concluded that the BMI associated with the lowest all-cause mortality (death from any cause) has shifted upwards over the course of three decades, and that optimal body weight for decreasing mortality currently falls in the overweight category (BMI 25-29.9) (1). This finding has received its […] Continue reading
Research Review: Old data on dietary fats in context with current recommendations
(Comments on Ramsden et al. in the British Medical Journal) Our expert examines a recent paper (1) based on 1960’s data that challenges current guidelines on the benefits of replacing saturated fat with polyunsaturated fat. Continue reading
The Whole (Grain) is Greater Than the Sum of Its Parts
Whole grains—think brown rice, steel cut oats, and quinoa—are composed of three edible parts, the fiber-filled bran, the vitamin-packed germ, and the starchy endosperm. Alternatively, refined grains like white rice, bread, and pasta, are all endosperm, as the refining process strips away the bran and germ and all the nutrients they contain. Even though many […] Continue reading
Eat Well & Keep Moving, 3rd Edition
Eat Well & Keep Moving, Third Edition (Human Kinetics), by Dr. Lilian Cheung, Hank Dart, Sari Kalin, Brett Otis, and Dr. Steven Gortmaker, is a school-based program that equips children with the knowledge, skills, and supportive environment they need to lead more healthful lives by choosing nutritious diets and being physically active. Continue reading
NEW! Kid’s Healthy Eating Plate
The Kid’s Healthy Eating Plate is a visual guide to encourage children to eat well and keep moving. It was created by nutrition experts at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, based on the best available science. The Kid’s Healthy Eating Plate is designed to enhance the visual guidance provided by the U.S. […] Continue reading
New Dietary Guidelines remove restriction on total fat and set limit for added sugars but censor conclusions of the scientific advisory committee
The 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines have been released, with updates including limiting added-sugar intake to less than 10 percent of daily calories, and the removal of the restriction on the percentage of calories from total fat. The new guidelines also emphasize healthy eating patterns, with the following key recommendations: Continue reading