For the Love of Food

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

This week skinny people don’t diet, healthy eating is cheaper than junk food, and Starbucks is worse than 6 donuts. I included a couple of extra ones, because they were just too good to leave out.

Too busy to read them all? Try this awesome free speed reading app I just discovered to read at 300+ wpm. So neat!

Want to see all my favorite links? (There’s lots more). Be sure to follow me on Delicious. 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.

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Photo by Paul Holloway

Like it or not, we tend to believe whatever we are exposed to in the media and in advertisements. In nutrition this usually means that as a society we all follow the same diet fads, glorifying some foods over others in the quest for better health. (It’s okay, I love salmon and coconut water as much as you do).

Problem is though, more often than not the news or the health claims made by food manufacturers vastly overstate any potential health benefits, because it makes a more compelling story and sells more products. Our own confirmation biases tend to make us believe what we’re told, we confidently share our insight with our friends, and suddenly our grocery stores are filled with health foods that really aren’t all they are cracked up to be.

Here are my 10 picks for the most overrated health foods.
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For The Love of Food

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

I haven’t published a link love round up since before the holidays (I’ve been traveling and then moving, and still don’t have internet at my new home), so I included some great ones here that you might have missed over the past couple weeks. Below I’ve included some wonderful pieces on weight loss and willpower in the Times, a lamesauce ruling by the FDA on antibiotics use in factory farms and a thoughtful editorial on the state of organic farming.

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 Fat Trap <<I love this piece by NYTimes health writer Tara Parker-Pope about the difficulties of losing weight once you’ve gained it. Excellent food for thought.
• New Year’s Resolutions Stick When Willpower is Reinforced <<Another great one from the Times, this time summarizing one of my favorite books from last year Willpower.
• Antibiotics in farm animals: FDA issues weak rule. <<Thanks to Marion Nestle for calling BS of the week on the FDA for being influenced by the beef, pork and chicken industries, allowing liberal use of antibiotics for non-disease purposes and endangering humanity. (Food Politics)
• Eating Animals <<This is an incredibly thoughtful piece reminding why all animal food industries are not evil (and some are even necessary). (The Atlantic)
• Kids prefer variety of foods and colors on their plates <<Want your kids to eat more vegetables? Choose a lot of colorful ones and arrange them to look like hearts and happy faces. Note: this will not work on your parents or husband. (Los Angeles Times)
• What’s in that OJ? Tropicana is sued <<Remember when we found out recently that supermarket orange juice isn’t really naturally flavored? Well, some folks are demanding an explanation. (Yahoo! News)
• Organic Agriculture May Be Outgrowing Its Ideals <<One of the many reasons I shop at the farmers market but don’t preach organics. (New York Times)
• How Alcohol is Metabolized <<Come on, you know you’re curious. (Nutrition Diva)
• The Truth About Ansel Keys: We’ve Got It All Wrong <<This is a brilliant piece, but it’s super intellectual and science geeky. If you read Good Calories, Bad Calories and were intrigued though, you should definitely read this. (Raw Foods SOS)
• Butternut Squash Stew <<Doesn’t this look like a wonderful winter stew? I’m so there. (Chez Us)

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.

Another week of thought provoking food and health articles including an excellent argument against Anthony Bourdain’s big fat mouth, why high-fat diets probably don’t cause type 2 diabetes, and a couple of unconventional ways to treat depression.

Want to see all my favorite links? Be sure to follow me on on Digg. I also share links on Twitter (@summertomato) and 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

• Unsavory Culinary Elitism <<Excellent piece by Frank Bruni, author of Born Round, about why food snobbery is not productive if our mission is to help Americans eat healthier. (New York Times)
• As Farmers’ Markets Go Mainstream, Some Fear a Glut <<Interesting perspective on possible negative effects of the growing number of farmers markets. (New York Times)
• Does a High-Fat Diet Cause Type 2 Diabetes? <<You probably saw the headlines, and I offer a huge thanks to Denise Minger for doing the honors of calling the BS of the week. (Mark’s Daily Apple)
• Military suicides linked to low Omega-3 levels <<A lot of data is mounting that omega-3 fatty acids, particularly the kind found in fish, may play a role in preventing depression. (Los Angeles Times)
• Bending the Rules on Bacteria <<Fascinating analysis on the dangers of leaving stock on your stove top and whether or not it’s safe to reheat it. (New York Times)
• Exercise Can Substitute Effectively as Second ‘Medication’ for People With Depression, Study Suggests <<Just a friendly reminder that exercise not only makes you healthy and beautiful, it can also help with depression. (ScienceDaily)
• I Never Learned to Cook <<I’m a sucker for stories about people finding their way in the kitchen—probably because I didn’t do it until I was 26. (Esquire)
• 39 Ways to Eat a Tomato <<Tis the season. Thanks to Michael Ruhlman for this piece in Men’s Journal. (Ruhlman)
• Creamy Zucchini Soup <<Until Wednesday evening I wouldn’t have given zucchini soup a second glance, but it was a freezing summer night here in SF and my favorite restaurant was serving it. Boy was I blown away. This recipe looks very similar, and my only additional note would be to use very high quality stock (I would use chicken stock). (Jenn Cuisine)

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.

It was a very difficult week for my family as well as the food blog community. Heart disease is still the #1 cause of death in this country, and I hope that what I’m doing here at Summer Tomato can make a small (or, hopefully, large) dent in that in the years to come.

The good news is I found a ton of fantastic articles this week, with my top 10 including why carbs aren’t the obvious enemy in obesity, why sitting too much is not the same as working out too little and why being a nudist may extend your life.

Want to see all my favorite links? Be sure to follow me on on Digg. I also share links on Twitter (@summertomato) and 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

• The Carbohydrate Hypothesis of Obesity: a Critical Examination <<I love this analysis calling out Gary Taubes’ over-simplistic view on carbs and obesity. I’m not at all a fan of processed foods, but health is more complicated than any one macronutrient. (Whole Health Source)
• Too Much Sitting is Not the Same as Too Little Physical Activity <<It’s a common misconception that going to the gym regularly can counteract a sedentary day job, but the evidence suggests otherwise. (Obesity Panacea)
• Are you ready for your 15 minutes of exercise? <<Previous article aside, any exercise can be tremendously beneficial (i.e. add 3 years to your life!). And the more the merrier. (Los Angeles Times)
• Picky Eating Might Be Classified as a Mental Illness <<While this is interesting, I’m a firm believer that picking eating can be overcome with an open mind and a decent chef. It’s worth finding out for yourself. (Wall Street Journal)
• Plenty of growth in farmers market industry, but USDA says there’s still room for plenty more <<In a world where a lot of things are going wrong, there are still a lot of things going right. I love this trend, look for it in a town near you. (Washington Post)
• Science Reveals Women Who Wear Less Clothing Live Longer <<In case you were looking for an excuse to be a nudist (who isn’t?!), here’s your chance. (Pssst, this is a joke). (Huffington Post)
• New study finds that fatty foods alleviate sadness <<I’ve also seen several studies correlating lowfat diets (particularly low omega-3 diets) to depression. An interesting area of research to keep an eye on. (National Post)
• Cross-Training by Lifting Weights <<Incorporating strength training was one of the biggest turning points in improving my health and physique. I recommend it for everyone. (New York Times)
• Do you suffer from portion paralysis? <<I love this post addressing our mindless eating habits that so often sabotage our best intentions. This is why eating mindfully can be so valuable. (Weighty Matters)
• Video for Jennifer Perillo: Mikey’s Peanut Butter Pie <<There was too much death and sadness this week. And despite the fact that a peanut butter pie is more likely to contribute to heart disease than help it, sometimes family, friends and memories are more important. Thank you White on Rice Couple for this incredible video dedication to Jennifer Perillo and her late husband Mikey.

For The Love of Food

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

This week the new “Dirty Dozen” list of foods with the most pesticides was released, as did the new sunscreen guidelines (which may or may not be useful, depending on how you interpret the data). We also have a double dose of BS this week, one from KFC and one from Buenos Aires of all places.

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.

Links of the week

• Apples may top pesticide list, but everyone agrees on one point <<Pesticides are really scary, but if you can’t afford organic or don’t have access, not eating fruits and vegetables should scare you even more. (Los Angeles Times)
• Is There an Optimal Ratio of PUFAs, MUFAs, and Saturated Fats? <<I love this analysis on how you should choose fats in your diet. (Nutrition Over Easy)
• Buy a half-gallon of sugar water at KFC, give a dollar to diabetes research <<BS of the week. This is one of the most epic marketing FAILs ever. KFC appears to have no idea what causes diabetes. (Grist)
• Salt shakers disappear from Buenos Aires tables <<BS of the week II. It’s an interesting decision to do an experiment on an entire country. We’ll see how it turns out, but I suspect there will be a little if any benefit. (CNN)
• New sunscreen labels not just for the beach, as skin cancer rates show <<The sunniest states have some of the lowest rates of melanoma. Some argue that people there use more sunscreen, but I think it’s more likely that vitamin D is playing a protective role. Thoughts? (Los Angeles Times)
• I Don’t Want to Get Big and Bulky: Fitness Marketing and its Effect on Women <<I love this article on the myths of women and weight lifting. My physique completely changed for the better when I added free weights and cut down on cardio. (JCD Fitness)
• U.S. food politics in action <<If you’re interested in the politics of why we eat so poorly, this map makes it pretty clear where the money is flowing and why change is hard. (Food Politics)
• Life expectancy for women is slipping overall; your results may vary <<Great source of information on health in the U.S. Data geeks, enjoy. (Los Angeles Times)
• No-Cook Recipes <<New to cooking? Scared of the stove? Recipes that don’t require any actual cooking are a great way to start in the kitchen. (Food52)
• New Potato & Pea Salad from Melissa Clark <<A celebration of the spring pea. Enjoy! (White On Rice)

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.

Great information this week around the web, and I didn’t even need to call BS! Read about why being a foodie isn’t elitist, what scientists think about US agriculture policy, and what’s the big deal about dietary fat.

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.

Links of the week

• Why being a foodie isn’t ‘elitist’ <<I agree with this so much it hurts. Huge props to Eric Schlosser. (The Washington Post)
• Expert Panel Calls for ‘Transforming US Agriculture’: Changes in Markets, Policies and Science Needed for More Sustainable Farming <<This is so refreshing to read. Finally scientists are being vocal about US food policy. (ScienceDaily)
• Low-Salt Diet Ineffective, Study Finds. Disagreement Abounds. <<I’m still very suspicious about the true dangers of salt. This is a good analysis. (New York Times)
• The Great Fat Debate <<Every scientist agrees total fat consumption isn’t important in heart disease, and the polyunsaturated fats can help. From there it gets complicated. (Nutrition Blogma)
• ‘Bad’ Cholesterol Not as Bad as People Think, Study Shows <<In case you’re wondering why there is a debate about fat, it’s because of data like this. (ScienceDaily)
• Mouse Study Turns Fat-Loss/longevity Link on Its Head <<Dropping body fat doesn’t increase lifespan? The most important lesson from this study is that everybody is different. (ScienceDaily)
• How Sugar Affects the Body in Motion <<Great article reminding us that sugar, like most things in nutrition, is complicated. (New York Times)
• Young adults have a ‘disconnect’ between behavior and their health <<I was totally like this when I was a kid, and it’s good to bring it into public awareness. (Los Angeles Times)
• Munchery Wants To Bring Personal Chefs To The Masses <<This sounds like a fantastic idea to me. What do you guys think? (TechCrunch)
• Cucumber Peanut Salad Recipe <<This looks light, delicious and healthy. And if you haven’t checked out Heidi’s cookbook yet, you should! (101 Cookbooks)

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 I was introduced to the concept of food “ultra-processing”, learned how to best convince friends to eat more vegetables and was re-horrified at a fellow scientist’s ignorance of the relationship between dietary cholesterol to personal health.

On and unrelated note, I’ll be at the Foodbuzz Festival this weekend. If you’ll be around, come say hi 🙂

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 reading list join me on Digg. I’m very active on all these sites and would love to connect with you.

Links of the week

• The food movement’s new frontier: “ultra-processing” <<I know how the media hates subtle nuance, but this is a fascinating analysis of the differences between degrees of food processing. In my experience, this kind of critical thinking is necessary for finding the happy medium between health and pleasure in food. (Food Politics)
• No link seen between high-carb diet, colon cancer <<What I like about this study is that it is in Chinese women, and not American women. This likely pulls out a difference between carbs from regular foods (rice) and highly processed foods (anything American). This may also explain why Eastern strokes are different from Western strokes. (Medline)
• How to give (unsolicited) nutrition advice <<Great tips for those healthy foodies looking to make a positive impact on the eating habits of friends and loved ones. I agree 100% with this advice. (Nutrition Data)
• Learning to Love Veggies: Readers Weigh In <<On a similar note, I’m happy to say I was one of the 600 emails explaining the value as selling vegetables as delicious and wonderful, and not just healthy. This is a great read. (New York Times)
• Egg Yolks Versus Fast Food In Cholesterol Showdown <<BS of the week. Sadly, this is science at its worst. The study clearly finds that eggs are healthier than fast food despite higher dietary cholesterol, but argues that this doesn’t make sense so hand-waves the finding away. Why not just look at the facts about the relationship between dietary and blood serum cholesterol? Yoni Freedhoff also explains. (Slashfood)
• Adding monounsaturated fats to a diet low in saturated fat may improve cholesterol levels <<Speaking of cholesterol, here’s a great reason for vegetarians to make an effort to eat MORE fat. (Los Angeles Times)
• 11 Influential Eco-Chefs Who Are Changing the Way We Think About Food <<I follow food pretty closely, and I learned a lot from this article about sustainable chefs and their restaurants. (EcoSalon)
• 6 Meat-Based Beverages Sure to Make You Queasy <<I realize this sounds gimmicky, but it’s surprisingly interesting. And yes, those are real P2 mice. (TreeHugger)
• An Ode to Brining <<How to make pork even better, by Ruth Reichl.
• Cinnamon tea smoked duck with green mango slaw <<Amazingly, this recipe can be done on a stove top and does not require a smoker. (No Recipes)

What inspired you this week?