FOR THE LOVE OF FOOD: Skipping workouts decreases brain circulation, FDA considers what’s “healthy,” and nuts have fewer calories
by Darya Rose | Sep 30, 2016

For the Love of Food
Welcome to Friday’s For The Love of Food, Summer Tomato’s weekly link roundup.
This week skipping workouts decreases brain circulation, the FDA considers what’s “healthy,” and nuts have fewer calories than thought.
Too busy to read them all? Try this awesome free speed reading app to read at 300+ wpm. So neat!
I also share links on Twitter @summertomato 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
- Not All Who Wear Fitness Trackers Are Lost <<I mentioned last week that I thought psychological factors were likely behind the finding that activity trackers didn’t seem to be correlated with weight loss (in fact, they were associated with slight weight gain). Apparently James Hamblin over at The Atlantic agrees.
- Get Your Children Good and Dirty <<Shockingly thorough review of the importance of living in harmony with the bacteria in our environment. Definitely worth a read, even if you don’t have kids. (WSJ)
- Brain Benefits of Exercise Diminish After Short Rest <<Fascinating new research on how your brain circulation changes when you stop exercising, once you’re in the habit. Maybe this is why I go nuts if I go more than a few days without a workout. (NY Times)
- Meditation takes many forms. Quietly ponder these insights <<I especially appreciate tips #3 and #4. (LA Times)
- What does “healthy” mean (on food labels)? <<In case you’re wondering about the process by which food companies are allowed to get the FDA to approve their marketing efforts. The FDA is taking input on the word “healthy,” but only for processed foods. #smh (Food Politics)
- Which is worse: Glucose or fructose? <<Depends on your goals, but eating less sugar is always a good idea. (Nutrition Over Easy)
- The Better, Faster Way to Freeze and Defrost Your Foods <<The package you use matters way more than I realized. (Serious Eats)
- WALNUTS GET A CALORIE CUT <<This should be bigger news. Turns out the 19th century method for determining the calories of common foods wasn’t super accurate. I have a feeling this is why it seems like I can eat so many more calories of real foods compared to processed foods. (Dr. Weil)
- Organic Milk Will Wait and Wait for You <<I didn’t know that organic milk is pasteurized differently than conventional. Super interesting. (NY Times)
- indian-spiced cauliflower soup <<I made this last night and it was delish. I used chicken broth instead of water for extra flavor. (smitten kitchen)
What inspired you this week?
I love these weekly link roundups! You do an amazing job recommending articles that are relevant and interesting each week. 😊
I always read your roundups and love them. I have to say, this Fitbit study is flawed, I think. They should have measured using a tracking device vs. not tracking. Instead they measured it compared with people logging their own exercise. It’s not surprising at all to me that people who logged their own exercise lost more weight than those who let the device do it for them. Because logging your own activity requires more active thought and participation than letting device do it. But I bet people who didn’t track either way would lose the least weight.
Thanks for sharing these links! I’m really psyched about the news on walnuts and almonds getting a calorie cut. If the old method of counting calories isn’t that reliable, then perhaps other healthy foods aren’t such big calorie bombs after all. Of course, it could also be the other way, but I’m keeping my fingers crossed I can eat more dark chocolate. 😉
I love all of these links. I am a firm believer that exercise is amazing for your brain! And that’s awesome about the nuts, I always keep a stash in my purse!