For the Love of Food

For The Love of Food
Welcome to Friday’s For The Love of Food, Summer Tomato’s weekly link roundup.
This week the nutrition of raw vs cooked veggies, the tremendous benefits of sleep for health, and how personal values motivate your food choices.
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
- Report: Feeding antibiotics to livestock is bad for humans, but Congress won’t stop it <<The threat of anti-biotic resistance in bacteria from livestock is one of the primary reasons I avoid industrial meat. This is scary stuff, and it doesn’t look like it’s changing any time soon. If that bothers you, vote with your fork. (Washington Post)
- Ask Well: Does Boiling or Baking Vegetables Destroy Their Vitamins? <<I explain this in Foodist, but there still seems to be a ton of confusion over the value of cooked vs raw veggies. This is a fantastic summary. (NY Times)
- Flu shots may reduce risk of heart attacks, strokes and even death <<An extra reason to get your flu shot, in case you haven’t already. (LA Times)
- Brain may flush out toxins during sleep <<Some of the most interesting research I’ve ever seen on why we sleep. Isn’t it crazy how little we know about how we spend nearly 1/3 of our lives? (National Institute of Health)
- HOW LACK OF SLEEP CAN RUIN YOUR DIET <<One thing we do know is that lack of sleep is detrimental for many reasons, including poorer food choices. (Dr. Weil)
- Personal, Social Concerns Motivate Organic Food Buyers <<It’s no accident that I recommend caring about food issues as a way to make better food choices. It works. (ScienceDaily)
- 10 Things Soup Taught Me About Cooking <<Interestingly, making soup for the monthly Soup Nights I used to host with my roommates in grad school was how I learned most of my kitchen skills as well. (The Kitchn)
- Coffee Consumption Reduces Risk of Liver Cancer, Analysis Suggests <<This has been known for awhile, yet I still see a lot of confusion about the health effects of coffee. (ScienceDaily)
- Lower Blood Sugars May Be Good for the Brain <<Even without a disease state, elevated blood sugars can be detrimental to brain function. Be careful with those processed foods. (ScienceDaily)
- Jamie Oliver’s Chicken in Milk Is Probably the Best Chicken Recipe of All Time <<Intrigued? I know I am. This goes on my immediate to-do list. (The Kitchn)
What inspired you this week?
Hi, Darya!
I appreciate all that you have done to educate your readers on the realities and dangers of industrial animals and animal products.
Your advice on a certain kind of situation would be so appreciated: the situation where you find yourself in a restaurant that very likely procures their animal and animal products from sources that engage in unethical, inhumane, and unhealthy practices.
These situations arise when family and friends select the restaurant and I simply agree and play along for a number of reasons. Given what you have taught us about the health effects of industrial animal meat/product consumption, do you tend to avoid both animal meat and products as much as you can and focus on feeling satiated with veggies? Do you prioritize animal products (e.g. cheese) over meat (e.g. chicken)? Vice versa?
Thank you again for all of your help!
Great question. Whenever I’m in that situation I do my best to avoid the meats, especially beef. I’ll eat eggs if I have to go a long time in this environment (more than a couple days). My skin is sensitive to dairy so I avoid cheese. I’m not perfect though, and do make exceptions. Taste is a factor for me. For instance, when I visit family I have a favorite, super authentic Mexican restaurant where I eat whatever I want (except cream). Prices indicate it isn’t grass-fed, but I do this very rarely.