Wonders never cease! A couple of food industry-funded studies have come up short for the industries that funded them. At UCLA (where I studied for my Masters in Public Health, Nutrition degree) I was taught to always beware of industry-funded studies. Not that industry-funded studies cannot provide good research; but that it is unlikely. Two […]

Yin and Yang, the Chinese symbol used within Taoism symbolize a problem that I struggle with. Yin and Yang seem to be a good metaphor for the information on the Internet. Like many, I object to putting feminine on the dark side and masculine on the bright side, but I’m just using the negative and […]

I’ve been around the grandchildren quite a few hours this week; so I’m thinking of riddles. Can a tear or two contribute to a tasty and healthy recipe? OK, in all honesty, I know that is a silly riddle. Probably most adults know that I’m probably talking about the vegetable in the allium family – […]

The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (AND) has a position statement called the Total Diet Approach to Healthy Eating, which was published in February 2013. There was nothing new about the AND’s statement when it came out: “All foods can fit within this pattern if consumed in moderation with appropriate portion size and combined with […]

This past week I attended the state dietetic association’s annual meeting and conference. In the registration bag there are always some little gifts; one was a copy of Edible Wasatch, which I’ve seen and enjoyed before. I just discovered that the article that I wanted to mention today is posted on line: Who Owns Organic […]

It’s almost as though the FDA was looking to do something significant for National Nutrition Month – which is in March each year. On Thursday, February 27, 2014 the FDA released a press announcement about the proposed updates to the Nutrition Facts label. You can see the proposed format in the preceding link. Note the […]

I like the term junk food; it’s so helpful. It gets right to the identification of the item as something that you’re not counting on to nourish yourself or your family. It says, “This is just a treat;” and “Too much of this stuff is not great for my health.” I belong to the Academy […]

On September 11, 2013 Credit Suisse published a report on the impact of global sugar consumption. You can read a quick summary of their report done by WorldNow and ABC. Because I’ve already written so much about the use of sugar I’m not going to spend much time about the nutritional aspects of sugar intake. […]

In my own family cooking, I shop organic when it is natural, not processed, and not overly price-inflated; but I’m convinced that the term “organic” is increasingly being used to include un-natural substances and to justify increased prices.  A good statement of the Organic Skeptic position is found in the Eden Foods website.  They certify […]

A small bit of information in this week’s food technology news caught my attention. Two reasons why this one stood out from the background of so much food engineering is first that there have already been short-term failures in creating new fat-like molecules in the lab (Olestra); and second, that following the creation of the […]