For The Love of Food

Welcome to Friday’s For The Love of Food, Summer Tomato’s weekly link roundup.

A scary new link between BPA and breast cancer, a fascinating new discovery about HDL and how one simple habit can help you live 6 extra years.

Want to see all my favorite links? Be sure to follow me on on Delicious. I also share links on Twitter @summertomato, Google+ and the Summer Tomato Facebook page. I’m very active on all these sites and would love to connect with you.

Links of the week

• BPA Effects Seen in Monkey Mammary Glands <<BPA (the scary chemical in plastic bottles and the lining of cans) can increase breast density (i.e. risk of breast cancer) in monkeys that have been exposed in the womb. Scary stuff. (ScienceDaily)
• Eating Fast Increases Diabetes Risk <<The study didn’t say the reason, but it is likely because fast eating usually results in overeating. So yes, it pays to learn to become a slow eater. (ScienceDaily)
• Some HDL, or ‘Good’ Cholesterol, May Not Protect Against Heart Disease <<For those interested in the biochemistry of heart disease, this is an absolutely fascinating new discovery regarding HDL. Looks like current tests really aren’t sensitive enough. (ScienceDaily)
• Advantage of Body Fat (Video) <<A really interesting perspective on the advantages of body fat for older people. (Dr. Weil)
• Regular Jogging Shows Dramatic Increase in Life Expectancy <<Want to live an extra 6 years? Of course you do. Though right now the finding is just a correlation, it might be worth taking up jogging. (ScienceDaily)
• Bans on School Junk Food Pay Off in California <<There’s really no reason for junk food to be in schools, kids can get plenty of it everywhere else (though apparently, they don’t). (NYTimes)
• For Healthier Eating, Keep Fruits, Veggies Within Reach <<Turns out you’ll eat healthier spontaneously if healthier food is near you. Go figure. (Medline)
• Eating More Foods Rich in Omega-3s May Lower Alzheimer’s Risk: Study <<Have I told you to eat more fish lately? Oh good. (Medline)
• In Sitting Still, a Bench Press for the Brain <<Though I question how much neuroscience the author of this article really understands (“so-called gray and white matter”?, didn’t know that was up for debate), the findings on the power of mediation for cognitive enhancement are still pretty interesting. (NYTimes)
• Seared Sugar Snap Peas <<I’ve never done much with snap peas except eat them raw. This looks delicious (though I’d leave out the sugar). (Simply Recipes)

Tags: Alzheimer's disease, body fat, BPA, breast cancer, cholesterol, diabetes, eating speed, HDL, jogging, Longevity, meditation, omega-3, psychology

For The Love of Food

Welcome to Friday’s For The Love of Food, Summer Tomato’s weekly link roundup.

This week we explore how vegetables make you prettier, a consensus on what’s killing us and why you don’t walk enough.

Want to see all my favorite links? Be sure to follow me on on Delicious. I also share links on Twitter @summertomato, Google+ and the Summer Tomato Facebook page. I’m very active on all these sites and would love to connect with you.

Links of the week

• A reversal on carbs <<So now pretty much everyone (including the nutrition departments at Harvard and Tufts) agrees that fat isn’t bad and processed carbohydrates are the cause of all our problems (though I would add lack of veggies and exercise as well). Took long enough. (LA Times)
• Don’t Just Sit There <<In case you were wondering why I mentioned exercise above. (NY Times)
• Why We Don’t Walk Anymore (plus a Primal Health Challenge) <<I average about 14,000 steps per day according to my Fitbit and Fuelband. How about you? (Mark’s Daily Apple)
• Superfruit, or just a plain old Clark Kent fruit? <<Though I’ve been saying this for years, thank you LA Times for calling BS of the week on superfruit.
• Beauty might be a matter of dietary makeup <<This is not the first study I’ve seen saying that eating vegetables makes you prettier. And clearly it’s true, look at you guys! (LA Times)
• A family who eats together, eats better <<This has been shown over and over again. Dinner may sound trivial, but it’s really a big deal. (National Post)
• Mixing Weight Training and Aerobics <<One of the most interesting articles I’ve ever read on the pros and cons of doing cardio and strength training in the same day. (NY Times)
• Eating Fish, Chicken, Nuts May Lower Risk of Alzheimer’s Disease <<Diet is actually pretty important in preventing Alzheimer’s disease. If being thin doesn’t motivate you enough to eat well, this should. (ScienceDaily)
• Nutritionist’s Notebook: Estimating nutrient requirements <<It’s impossible to know exactly how much of each nutrient you need. Also, the way we got the vague numbers we do have is exceptionally creepy. (Food Politics)
• Beautiful chart tells you how to eat seasonal (in the U.K., at least) <<Cool, right? (Grist)

What inspired you this week?

Tags: Alzheimer's disease, Exercise, refined carbohydrates, sedentary, walking

For The Love of Food

Welcome to Friday’s For The Love of Food, Summer Tomato’s weekly link roundup.

Why the Heart Attack Grill is the least of our worries, how to feel more full from your breakfast, and why we should all just get along.

Want to see all my favorite links? Be sure to follow me on on Digg. I also share links on Twitter (@summertomato), Google+ and the Summer Tomato Facebook page. I’m very active on all these sites and would love to connect with you.

Links of the week

• The Heart Attack Grill Is Not The Problem <<Great insight by Yoni Freedhoff about why the sensationalist headlines on this story are missing the point. (Weighty Matters)
• Families That Eat Together May Be the Healthiest, New Evidence Confirms <<And just in case you’re skeptical about Yoni’s conclusion above, here’s some data. (ScienceDaily)
• Does the Ratio of Omega-6 Fats Really Matter? <<Props to Monica Reinagel for calling BS of the week on Harvard’s nutrition department. Tell ‘em girl! (Nutrition Diva)
• Let’s put an end to ‘dietary tribalism’ <<One thing I love about Summer Tomato readers is we have a good representation of all dietary philosophies, from vegan to paleo. Love this piece reminding us that we have more in common than we think. (Grist)
• Want to Feel Fuller After Breakfast and Lunch? Toss Some Almonds in Your Cereal <<The analysis here is kind of lame, mainly because they credit “low GI” instead of the high-fat almond itself. But at any rate it is an interesting finding, and agrees with my personal experience. (The Atlantic)
• Obesity Epidemic Fueling Rise in Rheumatoid Arthritis Among Women <<Few people realize the link between arthritis and diet. (ScienceDaily)
• Learn About and Solve Three Common Cooking Mistakes with These Recipe “Wheels of Misfortune” <<This handy info graphic is put out by America’s Test Kitchen, so it’s almost certainly all awesome advice. (Lifehacker)
• Gluten Intolerance (Video) <<I go back and forth on the whole “gluten is evil” bandwagon, but I like Dr. Weil’s perspective here.
• The “What the hell is wrong with you, you have a family, stop eating like this!” Restaurant <<Leave it to Conan to call it like it is. This slideshow is hilarious. (Team Coco)
• SHITAKE MUSHROOM + LENTIL ASIAN TACOS <<I’m not one to think tacos can be improved upon, but these look pretty damn good. (Sprouted Kitchen)

What inspired you this week?

For The Love of Food

Welcome to Friday’s For The Love of Food, Summer Tomato’s weekly link roundup.

This week, the risk of storing food in plastic, everything you’ve ever wanted to fight about regarding meat production and consumption, and how an herbal remedy is causing cancer in Taiwan.

Want to see all my favorite links? Be sure to follow me on on Digg. I also share links on Twitter (@summertomato), Google+ and the Summer Tomato Facebook page. I’m very active on all these sites and would love to connect with you.

Links of the week

• If the food’s in plastic, what’s in the food? <<A really good question, in my option. (Washington Post)
• To Heal, First Eat <<Woohoo! Some doctors are finally starting to understand why spending time in the kitchen is so important. (New York Times)
• Joel Salatin responds to New York Times’ ‘Myth of Sustainable Meat’ <<It’s no secret that I adore Joel Salatin, and I thank him deeply for calling BS of the week on the New York Times for their reprehensibly irresponsible article on sustainable farming. (And thanks Grist for publishing it).
• The FDA takes action on animal antibiotics, at long last <<And speaking of sustainable farming, it appears the FDA is finally coming around… (Food Politics)
• Is Eating Meat Ethical? <<Mark Sisson does a great job of explaining why this is a loaded question. (Mark’s Daily Apple)
• Herbal Remedy Ingredient Tied to Cancer, Kidney Failure <<Just a friendly reminder that not all natural remedies are helpful, or even harmless. (Medline)
• What Eating Too Much Sugar Does to Your Brain <<This is from a couple weeks ago but it combines my two favorite subjects, so I thought it was worth sharing. I think the main idea here is a bit too oversimplified, but it’s an issue worth thinking about. (Forbes)
• The dilemma of pink slime: cost or culture? <<Interesting take on the pink slime stuff. Honestly I’ve been confused why this is such a hot topic. Didn’t you guys know most ground meat was made from sterilized processed scraps? Is this news? Besides, entrails and offal are among the most trendy items on fancy SF restaurant menus. (Food Politics)
• The magic of mise en place – How a ‘chef secret’ can help you prepare for the busy week ahead… <<Cool kitchen time saver. It’s intuitive, but sometimes we need stuff like this spelled out for us. (Stone Soup)
• Creamy Asparagus Soup <<Nothing says “springtime” like the intoxicating aroma of asparagus pee. Ha! Seriously though, it’s only in season for a few weeks so get your asparagus fill while you can. (Simply Recipes)

What inspired you this week?

Tags: antibiotics, BPA, brain, meat, pink slime, plastic, sugar, sustainable

For The Love of Food

Welcome to Friday’s For The Love of Food, Summer Tomato’s weekly link roundup.

Before we get to this week’s top stories I want to announce that I’ll be out of the country for the next two weeks (going to Japan, suggestions welcome!) for my first non-work related vacation in about 5 years (woohoo!). I’ve worked hard to get a full two weeks of new blog posts scheduled for while I’m away, but unfortunately the Friday link posts and farmers market updates will have to wait until I get back.

This week, a wonderful (and true) fish story, lots of bad science, and some interesting news about diet soda.

Want to see all my favorite links? Be sure to follow me on on Digg. I also share links on Twitter (@summertomato), Google+ and the Summer Tomato Facebook page. I’m very active on all these sites and would love to connect with you.

Links of the week

• Fishing for Wild Salmon in Alaska <<A wonderful, inspiring story about how the wild salmon industry is thriving, and unapologetically sustainable. (Eating Well)
• What Reading That Eat Chocolate be Thinner Article Actually Told Me <<Once again Yoni Freedhoff demolishes an over-sensationalized news story. What would we do without him? (Weighty Matters)
• New Evidence On Effects of Green Coffee Beans in Weight Loss <<BS of the week. I’m gonna guess that I’m not the only person unconvinced that looking at 16  young people for 22 weeks is enough to prove a random supplement is “a safe, effective, inexpensive way to lose weight.” (ScienceDaily)
• Too Much Sitting Can Kill You, Study Suggests <<Interestingly, this sensational headline is actually true. (Medline)
• 10 Bad Cooking Habits You Should Break <<A decent list, worth a gander. (Huffington Post)
• Health Impact, Interplay of Diet Soft Drinks and Overall Diet Unraveled <<A clever study design. Basically eating healthy without diet soda is best, but eating healthy with diet soda is better than eating unhealthy with or without diet soda. Make sense? (ScienceDaily)
• Nutritionist’s Notebook: Importance of fiber <<This is a little oversimplified but I like the take home message. (Food Politics)
• Two Things that Mean Lifelong Health (Video) <<I love this. Would you have guessed that it’s physical activity and social connections? (Dr. Weil)
• BEET GREEN CHOPPED SALAD <<Beet greens are entirely underrated, and this salad looks delicious. (Sprouted Kitchen)
• Cadbury Eggs <<And speaking of chocolate and soda, this cartoon made me laugh. (xkcd)

 What inspired you this week?

Tags: chocolate, diet soda, fiber, green coffee beans, Longevity, salmon, sitting