Some truly fantastic articles this week including new data that farmers markets aren’t as expensive as you think, how to cut calories with a knife, and one of my favorite go-to recipes ever.
Want to see all my favorite links? Be sure to follow me on on Digg. I also share links at Twitter (@summertomato) and the Summer Tomato Facebook fan page. I’m very active on all these sites and would love to connect with you.
The “No Nitrites Added” Hoax <<Speaking of nutritionism, here it is at it’s worst. Just because it is natural, doesn’t make it nitrite free–if that even matters. Great investigative work by Michael Ruhlman.
Do Cooking Shows Make You Fat? <<BS of the week. Though the article does a decent job of exploring the pros and cons, the idea that the popularization of food and cooking could be a bad thing makes me nauseated. We’d all be better served by embracing a stronger food culture. (Fox News)
Rethinking Saturated Fat? <<I had the great pleasure of meeting Dr. Weil this week, and was struck by how thoughtfully he fields questions. Interesting to see his take on saturated fat evolve. (Dr. Weil)
How to Make Your Herbs Last Longer <<Just in time for spring! I have a lot of trouble keeping herbs fresh, so am excited to try these tricks. (Serious Eats)
The Antidote to Fructose Fears <<Great perspective here for those of you who are now worried about fruit being dangerous because of the fructose it contains. (Nutrition Overeasy)
Easiest Bean or Grain Salad on the Planet <<I love this because I seriously eat a variety of this several times a week, usually for lunch. Try using miso in place of the dijon mustard on occasion. (Mark Bittman)
For those of you who haven’t been following along with the Tomato Slice newsletter, I recently launched a segment called Office Hours where I make myself available to take any questions subscribers may have.
This week I held a special Office Hours to discuss 2 articles from last week’s For The Love Of Food post:
Since I had so many questions on these papers, I recorded the session and posted it above.
If you’d like to know more about the sugar article, I also recommend Dr. Lustig’s YouTube video mentioned in the article, as well as his interview this week on KQED which I’ve included below.
Feel free to leave your thoughts or ask questions in the comments.
Tough decisions were made this week to narrow it down to 10 stories. Love the calorie infographic, also the commentary by Dr. Ludwig on industrial food and the “small” 32 oz. soda at a SF movie theater.
Want to see all my favorite links? Be sure to follow me on on Digg, Twitter (@summertomato) or the Summer Tomato Facebook fan page. I’m very active on all these sites and would love to connect with you.
Links of the week
Where Do Americans Get Their Calories? (Infographic) <<This is REALLY cool. Notice grain consumption increased nearly 50% (just like the AHA recommends), same with added fat (aka processed vegetable oils) and sugars. Veggie intake hasn’t changed, nor has dairy, and barely “meat, egg and nuts”. Fruit has gone up. Sounds like we’re obeying the food pyramid, yet eating 25% more calories and gaining weight and disease faster than ever. Lovely. (CivilEats)
Sweet! Candy eaters surprisingly slimmer <<Interestingly, this study relied on a 24hr recall questionnaire, meaning that it didn’t actually test candy eating, but the awareness of candy eating. Mindful eating may be the key factor. (MSNBC)
If you haven’t yet, please vote at Quirky to help us pick the final look of my farmers market bag. We’re almost done!
Great reading this week about why the case against saturated fat isn’t as strong as you thought, the role of fish in vision maintenance and the importance of childhood nutrition.
I read many more wonderful articles than I post here each week. If you’d like to see more or just don’t want to wait until Friday, be sure to follow me on Twitter (@summertomato) or the Summer Tomato Facebook fan page. For a complete list of my favorite stories check out my links on Digg. I’m very active on all these sites and would love to connect with you.
Links of the week
The New USDA Dietary Guidelines: Total Hogwash, and Here’s Why <<Please read this. It’s really more about why saturated fat isn’t bad for you, and other nutrition myths promoted by health experts. It’s long and sciencey, but important. (Raw Food SOS)
GM alfalfa: the politics explained <<I’ve had a lot of questions about the genetically modified alfalfa ruling last week, here’s some of the details on what went wrong. (Food Politics)
Exceptional reading this week. Whatever you do, don’t miss Michael Ruhlman’s calling BS on the food industry deceiving us into believing we’re too busy to cook. There’s also new data suggesting your genes may determine what diet suits you best (healthstyle anyone?) and important news for diabetics taking vitamin B supplements.
I read many more wonderful articles than I post here each week. If you’d like to see more or just don’t want to wait until Friday, be sure to follow me on Twitter (@summertomato) or the Summer Tomato Facebook fan page. For complete reading lists join me on the social bookmarking sites StumbleUpon and Delicious. I’m very active on all these sites and would love to connect with you there. (Note: If you want a follow back on Twitter introduce yourself with an @ message).
Links of the week
Message to Food Editors: What 30-Minute Meals Really Mean <<Please read this, it isn’t long and it is important. Michael Ruhlman does a fantastic job of explaining how absurd it is that Americans have stopped making food (i.e. health, family, culture) a priority as essential as showering, sleeping and spending time with family. You do have time to cook and eat well–it doesn’t take much. (Huffington Post)
Fructose: poison or nutrient (or both)? <<People love to make a huge fuss over specific nutrients, but we would be much better off (and less stressed) keeping things in perspective. This is a great example of why. (Nutrition Data)
Individual Response to Weight-Loss Diet May Depend on Genes <<Though we still do not completely understand the interactions between diet and genetics, I can’t imagine how this wouldn’t be true. We have different eye, hair and skin colors. Why would we all metabolize foods exactly the same? Especially since we already know metabolism changes with muscle/fat mass. This is why it is so important to 1) not be dogmatic about diets and 2) find your own healthstyle. (Diabetic Mediterranean Diet Blog)
Your chance to tell the FDA what you think of food-package labels <<My vote: tell them to ban them. Front of package food labels only serve to trick consumers into believing processed foods have nutritional value. They say these are “smarter food choices” but the smartest choices are in the produce aisle (or out of the store completely) and don’t have labels. (Los Angeles Times)
Whole Grains Reduce Heart Attacks and Strokes <<Not particularly surprising, though I know some of you still don’t believe this. The study is a review of the science and is pretty reliable, though most of the experiments don’t even account for differences between intact grains and whole grains. (Diabetic Mediterranean Diet Blog)
How to pick, store and cook peas <<Peas are such a springtime treat. Here’s some useful tips to make the most of them, with a recipe. (SFGate)