Category — Articles Of Note

In yesterday’s post, I told you about the SSI/BCF study re BPA in food, and about the 60% decrease in the body burden the families realized when they stopped using canned goods. It caught your attention, right? You’re concerned, no? [Read more →]

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Most of you know I’m all about eating fresh foods, limiting your chemical exposures, yada yada yada. You know I don’t use canned goods anymore at home.  Well, listen to this one. The good people at the Silent Spring Institute, along with the Breast Cancer Fund, last week released a small study that showed that food packaging is the major source of exposure to BPA and DEHP in children and adults, and that a fresh food diet reduces levels of these chemicals by half, after just three days. Yowza. [Read more →]

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Hi friends,

Check out the wonderful Macheesmo blog today for my guest post on cultured and fermented foods and why YOU should eat some. 

While you’re there, click around and check out Nick’s awesome recipes and lovely photos.  Don’t forget to fan him on Facebook, and follow him on Twitter!

S.

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I urge you to make it this one.

 I know you’re not all as obsessed with nutrition as I am.  But do you have an appetite for a little more information?  Something practical and easy to read?  Something that empowers you by providing information on current hot topics and foods that “real” people eat like products from conventional supermarkets and items available at chain restaurants?  I have a recommendation for you . . . the Nutrition Action Healthletter, published by the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI).  If you’re going to read one health/nutrition periodical, this should be the one.

First, a little background.  CSPI was founded in 1971 as an independent non-profit consumer health group.  You may never have heard of CSPI, but you’ve felt their impact.  From their website: 

CSPI’saccomplishments include leading the efforts to win passage of laws that require Nutrition Facts on packaged foods (and, later, to include trans fat on those labels), define the term “organic” for foods, and put warning notices on alcoholic beverages. CSPI also conducted eye-popping studies on the nutritional quality of restaurant meals and movie theater popcorn, helped to increase funding for the government’s food safety inspections and nutrition and physical activity programs, and spurred new policies in some cities and states to remove soda and junk foods from schools. CSPI also helped New York City adopt the nation’s first ordinances to ban trans fat from restaurants and list calorie information on menus and menu boards, and is working with other cities and states on similar measures.

CSPI doesn’t accept government or industry funding, and the Nutrition Action Healthletter accepts no advertising, so what you’re getting in this pint-sized publication (issues top out at around 15-20 pp. maximum) is unvarnished and unbiased.  Period.

Why should you spend $24 for 10 issues?  Because it’s readable and relevant.  Take, for example, the April, 2010 issue.  The cover story is about why Americans need to cut down on salt, along with practical advice on how to do it.  You’ll see ways to “defuse a salt mine” – namely, how to add ingredients to a typical Chinese take-out dish or the boxed prepared food you get at the supermarket to bring down the sodium content per serving.  You’ll see a side-bar with popular menu items from large chain restaurants (think Panera, Olive Garden, Chipotle) along with their sodium content.  You will be astounded.

Other features this month include one on probiotics.  The article cuts through the advertising hype and gives you the skinny on how to spend your money on probiotic foods and supplements.  Another article reveals the sugar and calorie-content of coffee drinks and popular menu items at major chains like Starbuck’s, McD’s and Dunkin’ Donuts.  Included here are helpful charts with the calorie, sat. fat, added sugar and caffeine content of popular menu items, along with suggestions for which are considered by CSPI to be a “Best Bites.” You could literally cut these pieces out and tuck ‘em in your wallet for reference if you’re a frequent flyer at any of these chains. 

Interspersed with the big articles are news-bites on various hot-button nutrition issues, along with the monthly “Healthy Cook” feature which serves up inspiration for quick ‘n’ easy whole-foods cooking.

I’ve been a subscriber for something like 15 years, and I’m paid up through 2012.  I pay for my subscription, and I haven’t been approached by anyone to endorse this publication.  I’m inspired to recommend it to you only by my respect for the CSPI and my adoration of the Healthletter’s content.  If you’re looking for some nutrition information to chew on, but not too much, this is the pub. for you.  Find out more here.

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Happy Wednesday, friends!  Been a long time since I put up some hotlinks . . . . Here’s a nice collection of holiday links for you – focused on sweets.  I haven’t tried them, yet, but if you do, will you post in the comments and let us know what you think? 

Here’s a great-looking recipe for peppermint cookie bark. (Macheesmo)

This cookie made with pistachios, dried cranberries and candied ginger shouts “Christmas!” (Luna Cafe)

Perhaps you’ll want to loosen your belt and serve The Kitchen Witch’s rendition of Ina Garten’s luscious croissant bread pudding. (The Kitchen Witch)

Go free-form with this fabulous looking cherry almond galette- no hardcore baking skills needed. (The (Wicked) Awesome Whisk)

Here’s a collection of delicious-looking cookie recipes adapted from local bakeries. (Globe Magazine)

And last, but not least, a yummy sweet kugel recipe . . . if you’ve never had sweet noodle pudding, you need to try this one out . . . and you know?  It’d be great (yet decidedly not traditional!) with your Christmas ham. (Bitten)

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Eeek!  A shortage of canned pumpkin!  (NYT)

On the road?  Here’s a clever and funny fast-food flowchart to help you decide where to stop to eat.  (Eating The Road)

Not one, but 2 Brigham’s locations have closed in the last few weeks – High St. in Boston (oh, the memories!) and last week, Mill St. in Arlington.  (Wicked Local)

Good suggestions for how to clean your home effectively, without the use of commercial antibacterials and disinfectants.  (Healthy Child Healthy World Blog)

Some helpful ideas for feeding your toddler.  (Real Food For Real Life)

Mark Bittman’s great list of Thanksgiving make-ahead dishes.  The Thai squash soup idea would be a great way to use some of your CSA butternuts, folks! (The Minimalist)

Just another reason to avoid (or at least view with skepticism) foods that have health claims plastered across the front – usually they’re just not true.  Here’s a chronicle of Cheerios vs. the FDA.  (Fooducate)

And even more on bogus food claims – the Epicurious Blog debunks common claims.  (Epiblog)

See how Sigg bottles (boooo!  hissss!) are made – including the spraying of that evil lining.  Your kids might enjoy this.  (Enviroblog)

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This first link is not, of course, directly related to food and/or toxins, but instead it focuses on another part of healthy living:  living out your dreams.  This post on achieving your dreams is from the Crazy Sexy Life site, created by Kris Carr, who as some of your know, was the subject of the powerful and inspiring documentary called Crazy Sexy Cancer.  But this post isn’t just for people living with cancer, it’s for anyone who might need a little push to remember what s/he would love to do, and who needs a little nudge to start doing it.

Here’s a good little primer on Omega 3′s from Dani Spies – you hear a lot about them, but do you get enough of them?  I have taken Omega 3 supplements for years, but also try to work in food sources as often as possible.  One other thing you should look for in a supplement is one that has been “molecularly distilled” – meaning that it’s been purified so that it contains no heavy metals . . . . would be kinda a bummer to be taking those with breakfast, no?

NYC has banned bake sales in the city’s schools – making their food policies some of the strictest in the country.  One “expert” supporting the decision says that kids don’t need “an extra source of pointless calories.”  Now folks, you know I’m all about healthful eating, but what about the pleasure of eating?  OK with me to take Doritos and soda out of the schools (Ring Dings too) but what the heck is wrong with a little real butter, sugar and/or chocolate once in a while?  This is an awfully utilitarian approach to eating.

Dannon lost a lawsuit filed against it for its claims that Activia yogurt boosts immunity (here’s Tara Parker-Pope’s ditty on probiotics from the Times) . . . what about other health claims?  Marion Nestle says NO food should carry a health claim, that foods are not drugs.  The European Food Safety Authority recently reviewed a ton of food health claims and found many of them unsubstantiated. 

Six reasons why we’re not eating enough fruits and veggies, and some quick tips for how to get more on to your daily plate.

You may have not heard the news yet – after almost 70 years, Gourmet Magazine is folding.  Shocking.  Peter Davis (Henrietta’s Table) & Ana Sortun (Oleana & Sofra) remember Gourmet.   Will all cooking pubs go the way of the Internet and t.v.?  I will miss waiting for those glossies to show up every month – sometimes that’s all the “reading” I’m up for in a given week, and I can’t bear to add to my “must-see t.v.” list – the DVR is already packed.

Oooh oooh!  Anna Romagnoli (daughter of the couple that did the Romagnoli’s Table t.v. show and were also restaurateurs) is opening an Italian specialties place on Mt. Auburn St. in Coolidge Square in Watertown – practically around the corner from me.  I’ll report here once I’ve checked it out. 

A nice post on how to eat well when you’re on the go, from the Healthy Child, Healthy World blog.  My favorite tip is at the end – preparation is key.  Sometimes, yes, you get caught up short and you have to hit a drive-through, but if you can, plan.  Nuts, cereal, cheese sticks, even sandwiches wrapped in re-sealable foil (or better yet, a re-usable container) can get you through a hypoglycemic meltdown . . . just ask L., queen of the backseat PB&J.

And last, but not least, Tara Parker-Pope again on the top 10 food poisoning risks. . . lots of my favs in there!

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Cell phone safety is all over the news in the last few weeks.  It began after a group called the International EMF Collaborative issued a report warning that cell phones may be more dangerous than users have been led to believe by health authorities.  Last week, the Environmental Working Group released their online guide to cellphone radiation.  And yesterday, Pennsylvania senator and brain cancer survivor Arlen Specter held a U.S. Senate subcommittee hearing to focus on whether cellular phone use causes health problems. At the same time and also in the nation’s capital, attendees at an international conference examined the potential cancer risks of radiation generated by cell phones. 

What is going on?  The EMF Collaborative report, titled “Cellphones and Brain Tumors: 15 Reasons for Concern,” says the latest research indicates that regular use of cell phones can result in a “significant” risk of brain tumors.  It also says kids are at greater risk than adults because their still-developing brain cells are more vulnerable to electromagnetic radiation.  This study adds to the mounting evidence which indicates we should reduce our exposures while research continues on this question.  Consider this:  Americans’ use of cell phones increased 50% last year – fueled in large part by the “smartphone” craze.  If cell phone radiation is indeed a problem, it’s going to be a really huge problem in the coming years.

Last week the Environmental Working Group received a lot of attention when it released its comprehensive online consumer guide to cell phone radiation, which rates more than 1,000 cell phones marketed in the U.S.  The guide is the culmination of a 10-month research review to understand the risks of cell phone usage. The EWG also found that cell phones emit radiation – enough so that scientists are concerned about potential cancer risks. Using their guide, you can:

• Look up your phone;
• Read and download tips to reduce your exposure;
• See the top 10 best phones;
• Read the full Cell Phone Radiation Science Review;
• Take action and tell the government that it’s time to modernize their radiation standards.

What else can you do now to limit your exposure?  If you need a new mobile phone, it’s smart to buy phones with lower radiation emissions – use the EWG guide to figure out which is best for you.  Whichever phone you have, it’s a good idea to keep it as far away from your body as possible.  Researchers say using the speaker, sending text messages or talking on a headset all cut down on radiation exposure.  Opinions differ on whether a wireless Bluetooth headset poses a risk – some scientists at Monday’s hearing said it could be a problem, while others did not. But they all agreed a wired headset is best.  And using any headset means less radiation than if you’re holding the phone directly to your ear.  Also try making calls when the signal is high so that the phone doesn’t have to work as hard. 

What about your kids?  Talk to them about these findings, and help them to limit their exposure:  kids actually can absorb twice as much radiation as an adult from the same cell phone.  If your kids give you flak, let them know that advisories to limit cell phone use have already been issued by numerous countries and advisory boards including: the UK; Germany; France; Russia; India; Israel; Belgium; Japan; the Toronto Board of Health; and the Pittsburgh Cancer Institute. Dr. Devra Davis, Director of the Center for Environmental Oncology at the University of Pittsburgh has said “Children under the age of 12 should not use cell phones unless in an emergency situation. If they must use cell phones, make sure they connect using a headset.”

Read more in the L.A. Times, Wired, Green Living Online, and at CNET.com.

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