This weekend the New York Times attacked the topic of “Why You Can’t Lose Weight on a Diet”. The article, written by neuroscientist Sandra Aamodt led with, “The problem isn’t willpower. It’s neuroscience. You can’t – and shouldn’t – fight back.” Dr. Aamodt is the author of the forthcoming book “Why Diets … Read more
Check out the daily videos published by Michael Greger, MD of nutritionfacts.org. Dr. Greger’s entertaining video snippets do an outstanding job of summarizing the vast amount of published nutrition research, delving into what the studies really say (and don’t say) – and saving you a boatload of time by not having to … Read more
“Carbs are destroying your brain,” crows the Grain Brain diet book. While “Wheat is why you’re sick,” screams the Wheat Belly diet book. Despite a recent spate of grain bashing, new research indicates that eating grains has a more positive health impact than refraining from them. The Grain Foods Foundation (who, granted, … Read more
Every fiber fan knows that fiber makes you feel full. But there comes a point when you can only rationalize so much roughage! Well – lucky for you, scientists in the United Kingdom have isolated a food additive that promotes satiety, and its name is proponiate. A small study published in the … Read more
Colleges and universities are back in session, and that means students are busy stocking their dorm room refrigerators. As students are gearing up for a new school year – many have questions about how to eat healthy on campus without gaining the dreaded “Freshman 15”. Here are some tips for staying lean … Read more
If you have a gut problem, then you’ve probably heard these 2 pieces of dietary advice: eat more fiber and try probiotics. But GI disorders are highly personalized and vary from person-to-person, so what works for one doesn’t always work for another. This is certainly the case with probiotics – where ingesting … Read more
A new study published this week in the journal Obesity got a lot of press this week for linking diet soda to weight loss. But what’s the real story on diet soda? Does it cause more weight loss than drinking water will? First, about the study: it was funded by the American Beverage Association, a … Read more
A sizable study recently showed just how little fiber Americans are eating…and just how bad that might be for us. Dr. Cheryl R. Clark of the Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School recently analyzed national-level consumption data from 1999-2010. In her report, published in the American Journal of Medicine, Dr. … Read more
Hot on the tail of news showing that Americans are living longer but not necessarily better lives, comes a large study from Sweden linking fruit and vegetable intake with overall mortality. The study, published in the August edition of the Journal of Clinical Nutrition followed over 71,000 Swedish adults for a period … Read more
A vegetarian diet may be good for your longevity. Or so says a new study published in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine. The study looked at over 70,000 Seventh-Day Adventists over a period of 6 years and found that vegetarians (who ate seafood, dairy, and eggs) had a 12% lower chance of … Read more
Apples top the Environmental Working Group’s (EWG) ninth annual “Dirty Dozen” list of the top 12 fruits and vegetables that show the highest levels of pesticides for 2013. It is EWG’s recommendation, that when possible, you should avoid conventionally (non-organic) versions of the dirty dozen, instead purchasing and consuming their organic counterparts. … Read more
A recent report from the CDC analyzed the sources of foodborne illness in the US from 1998-2008. Cited as one of the most comprehensive analyses of attributing illness to food, the results of this report might surprise you – namely because of the role that fresh produce plays. The researcher found that … Read more
While there certainly remains a number of convincing arguments for buying organic produce – you may be surprised to learn they don’t have to do with nutrition. A review article to be published in the forthcoming issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine found that organic fruits and vegetables do not contain … Read more
Nutrition screeners are a great way to obtain a quick snapshot of the adequacy of a particular person’s nutrient or dietary intake. They can be used in many settings: for weight loss, education, as part of a larger nutrition assessment, or just for fun to figure out how you stack up to … Read more
“Study Finds Working at Work Improves Productivity” proclaims a 2007 headline from the Onion. Turns out so does eating well. A new study published in the Journal of Population Health Management analyzed data from nearly 20,000 American workers and found that the presence of even just one unhealthy behavior increased risk of … Read more
A study published in the most recent issue of the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics indicates that those calorie menu boards you see popping up at sit-down chain and fast food restaurants…they might actually be doing more than just making you feel bad about what you’re about to scarf … Read more