For The Love of Food

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

This week a huge jump in life expectancy for NYC, chewing affects nutrient absorption and the chemicals in cosmetics.

Want to see all my favorite links? (There’s lots more). 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. (And yes, I took that pepper heart pic myself)

Links of the week

• Spicing Up Food Can Make Up for Missing Fat <<Hey guess what! Better tasting food is more satisfying and can help you eat less, even if it’s good for you. Go figure. In this study they used herbs and spices to make up for less fat, but I think the lesson can be applied more broadly. (ScienceDaily)
• Prosper and Live Long: Health-Minded Manhattan Leads in Increased Life Span <<Life expectancy in Manhattan has increased 13 years since 1985?! Wow. Hooray for better lifestyle choices! (NY Times)
• Chew More to Retain More Energy <<It seems scientists are starting to think chewing is interesting again. Hopefully this will result in more and better studies, and techniques for changing our chewing habits (which is difficult). (ScienceDaily)
• 5 Chemicals in Cosmetics You Should Avoid <<I think this title is rather alarmist, but it’s nice to see the research summarized in one place. My take? The evidence against these things isn’t particularly strong at the moment. (Mark’s Daily Apple)
• People Who Eat Nuts More Than Three Times a Week Have Reduced Risk of Dying from Cancer or Cardiovascular Disease <<All this really shows is that people who eat nuts tend to have healthier diets and die less frequently of heart disease and cancer. It does not show that nuts are responsible, but they may be a good proxy for health in some cultures. (ScienceDaily)
• Taste Rules for Kids and Healthy Food Choices <<As I explain in Foodist, parents have a huge influence over the food preferences of their children. If you’ve already got a picky child, repeated exposures to the rejected food and positive food experiences are the keys to getting them back on track. (ScienceDaily)
• Fat in Organs and Blood May Increase Risk of Osteoporosis <<I’ve never seen a good explanation for why obesity increases osteoporosis risk. It seems bone marrow fat (seriously) may be the culprit. (ScienceDaily)
• Monitoring Nutrient Intake Can Help Vegetarian Athletes Stay Competitive <<If you’re vegetarian be sure to pay special attention to the vitamins you need but aren’t getting from animal products. It isn’t that difficult to get them, but it does take a little more work. (ScienceDaily)
• Richard’s 30-minute Steak Frites <<Because meat and potatoes don’t need to be unhealthy. Bonus: a guest appearance by yours truly. (Free The Animal)
• The Sugary Truth <<I like this simple version of the dangers of too much sugar. It’s like a kinder, gentler version of Dr. Lustig’s famous talk.

What inspired you this week?