On June 10, 2014 the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released a new report related to diabetes. It was somewhat discouraging to learn that more than 29 million Americans (9.3 percent of our population – we’re almost at one in ten) have diabetes; the number was up by 3 million over the 2010 […]

Do we want to embrace prevention?  Sometimes it seems not. How much motivation is necessary to encourage us to improve our prevention habits? I don’t know the answer to these questions, but I do know the numbers tell us that it’s worth our efforts to choose preventive practices. The other day I was on the […]

Today I’m celebrating differences. I must admit that there have been times that I wished that some of my friends loved science and math as much as I do. I wished that I could share with them the beauty that I see in both science and math. But today I’ve reminded myself that the reason […]

Have you succeeded or are you still struggling to cut back on sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) (including cola with sugar, caffeine-free cola with sugar, other carbonated beverage with sugar, such as 7-Up or ginger ale, and non-carbonated fruit drinks, such as lemonade or fruit punch)? The research continues to pile up against drinking them. One bit […]

After writing last week’s Apple a Day (keeps the statins away) article, I found a nice piece that may help convince you that making small changes instead of the all-encompassing ‘I’m going to become healthier’ type of change. It’s an LA Time article by Mary MacVean called; With New Year’s resolutions, it’s best to think […]

On November 13, 2013, Ben Hirschler for Reuters in London reported that the battle with diabetes and its disabling, life-threatening complications is being lost. This article notes that the number of people affected has “soared to a new record” this year, the majority of cases being type 2 diabetes – “the kind linked to obesity […]

Are you still dedicated to transitioning to the Mediterranean-style of eating? How are you doing? I hope well. Or are you new to the idea? The Mediterranean-style of eating is certainly not the latest fad diet, but it continues to amass a mound of statistical and epidemiological evidence that makes moving toward it worthy of […]

Last week I read a story about a fruit breeder in Kern County – a rural part of California where I enjoyed shooting the rapids, floating down the Kern River and exploring the mountains during my preteen and teenage years. One on my numerous childhood memories of the ‘50s and ‘60s was the drive to […]

Peanuts are wannabes; I think the little guys want to be nuts, because health-conscious consumers are sprinkling nuts (tree nuts like almonds, Brazil nuts, pecans, walnuts, macadamias, and cashews) on their cereal, stir fries, salads and yogurt. Look up, I remind the humble peanut; reach for the stars! Remember, nothing ventured, nothing gained. Peanuts have […]

In the October issue of the Nutrition Action Health Letter the cover story is: Going Organic What’s the payoff? In the story Charles Benbrook, a research professor at Washington State University is quoted as saying: The single most important diet change you can make is to eat more fruits and vegetables and less bad fat, […]