For The Love of Food

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

This week we learn that probiotics fight colds, raw food limits brain growth, and why longevity may require more than diet and exercise.

Want to see all my favorite links? 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

• The Island Where People Forget to Die <<A healthy lifestyle means more than just diet and exercise. This is long, but a great read for anyone interested in longevity and traditional diets. (New York Times)
• Omega-3 Intake Heightens Working Memory in Healthy Young Adults <<Improving the cognitive performance of healthy, young adults was thought impossible, but it seems fish oil might make us smarter still. (ScienceDaily)
• The Roots Of The Anti-Genetic Engineering Movement? Follow The Money! <<BS of the week. Follow the money indeed. Shocking that organic producers support legislation that requires more transparency from food companies, right? But take a look at who is funding the anti-prop 37 campaign, and don’t forget to notice the amounts contributed. (Forbes)
• Probiotics Are Secret Weapon for Fighting Symptoms of the Common Cold in College Students <<This week I gave some suggestions on how to avoid the flu, but if you do come down with something it looks like probiotics could help ease symptoms. (ScienceDaily)
• Raw Food Not Enough to Feed Big Brains <<This is not the first evidence I’ve seen that cooking food is largely what made us human. In fact, I’ve read a whole book about it. (Science)
• When it comes to food, how does your lawmaker stack up? <<This is awesome. Finally we have a resource to see how our representatives vote on food issues. (Grist)
• American Academy of Pediatrics Weighs in for First Time On Organic Foods for Children <<This is interesting, but honestly I think it’s worth erring on the side of caution when it comes to children and their developing nervous systems. We know high doses are dangerous for young children, but the effects of lower doses of pesticide exposure at a young age could be more subtle. (ScienceDaily)
• Moderate Drinking Decreases Number of New Brain Cells <<College students, take note. (ScienceDaily)
• Nearly 80 Million Americans Won’t Need Vitamin D Supplements Under New Guidelines <<Based on these arguments I’d consider 20 ng/ml to be the bare minimum, and there’s no reason not to try for over 30 if you can. Keep in mind too that for most of us it’s impossible to tell how much vitamin D we should take without knowing our levels at various times throughout the year (our main source is sunshine). (ScienceDaily)
• Celery Stir Fry <<I was just thinking about how celery is underrated as a flavor and ingredient, then Elise goes and features it in a simple and delicious sounding recipe. How serendipitous! (Simply Recipes)

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 we learn that multivitamins might fight cancer, TV is killing us all, and less exercise may be better for weight loss.

Want to see all my favorite links? 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

• Multivitamin Use Linked to Lowered Cancer Risk <<I’ve always been a fan of the basic multivitamin, but this is the first significant finding confirming a benefit. In a placebo controlled, double blinded clinical trial, a multivitamin cut cancer risk by 8 percent in already very healthy men. That’s impressive. (New York Times)
• After counseling, people ate more fruit — not more vegetables <<This is incredibly common. When you tell people to eat more fruits and vegetables, they typically skip the vegetable part. This is unfortunate since veggies are the most important thing you can add to you diet. (LA Times)
• Get Up. Get Out. Don’t Sit. <<Seriously, TV is killing you. Even if you go to the gym. Please read this one. (New York Times)
• Eating Lots of Carbs, Sugar May Raise Risk of Cognitive Impairment <<Have a sweet tooth? It’s not good for your brain. (ScienceDaily)
• LESS EXERCISE BETTER FOR WEIGHT LOSS <<This is consistent with my own experiences, particularly cardio exercise, that more than 30 minutes just makes me extra hungry. Adding strength training to 30 min of cardio, however, is the ultimate for improved physique in my experience. (Dr. Weil)
• Antioxidants in Tea, Fruit, Veggies Might Fight Prostate Cancer: Study <<If you read that multivitamin study carefully you’d notice it didn’t apply to prostate cancer. Here’s your solution for that one. (Medline)
• British Eggs: MYSTERY SOLVED <<Ever notice that British people don’t refrigerate their eggs? Here’s the reason (hint: it’s not because they’re crazy). (London Syndrome)
• My quibbles with quinoa <<I’ll be honest, I’ve never really loved quinoa. Here’s a story from someone with similar issues, and how they were solved. (Washington Post)
• Healthy Lifestyle Boosts Survival Odds for Older Women With Cancer <<People tend to think that cancer strikes randomly, which is partially true. But as we’ve seen this week there’s a lot you can do to reduce risk, and improve outcome even after diagnosis. (Medline)
• Carrot and Squash Soup <<This looks like a delicious fall recipe, and super easy too. (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.

Why food companies shouldn’t be regulating themselves for safety, GMO foods should be labeled, and too much exercise is a bad idea.

Want to see all my favorite links? 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

• Food Sickens Millions as Company-Paid Checks Find It Safe <<48 Million Americans are sickened every year because of preventable food poisonings, and yet they are still allowed to regulate themselves. Be outraged, demand better. (Bloomberg)
• Vote for the Dinner Party <<Why everyone who cares about food should support Prop 37 on labeling GMOs in California. (New York Times)
• Are Sprouted Grains And Beans Healthier? Fact Vs. Myth <<Just a note to new readers that I write a weekly mythbusting column over at the ZocDoc blog. Here’s this week’s.
• Why You Shouldn’t Burn More Than 4,000 Calories a Week Through Exercise <<There is such a thing as too much exercise. (Mark’s Daily Apple)
• Why You Should Buy Bulk Foods <<“Organic bulk foods are on average 89 percent less expensive than their organic packaged counterparts.” Plus you waste less. Win-win. (Treehugger)
• High Lead Found in City-Sourced Eggs <<Bad news for home chicken farmers. This is unfortunate, but it may be one of the realities of living in an urban environment. (New York Times)
• How to Make a Better Vinaigrette <<Great article and reminder that you never, ever need to buy bottled salad dressing. (Gilt Taste)
• Fruits and Vegetables: Seven-A-Day for Happiness and Mental Health <<It doesn’t just make you healthier, it also makes you happier. Of course, I agree. (ScienceDaily)
• How to Grocery Shop When You’re Cooking for One <<This is surprisingly excellent advice. A great resource for college students and other single folks. (Lifehacker)
• Baked Shrimp with Tomatillos <<Tomatillos are one of my absolute favorite late summer, early fall ingredients. Pairing with shrimp sounds divine. (Simply Recipes)

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.

Most of the food news this week focused on the controversy over organic versus conventional agriculture, and I’m already tired of it. I normally post 10 links on Friday, but today I could only find seven additional good stories, so I didn’t waste your time by posting three more lame ones. It was a short week anyway, so consider this a holiday.

That said, all these are definitely worth reading. Learn why you should be scared of chicken breasts, romantic dinner settings can help you eat less, healthy eating helps your brain and more.

Want to see all my favorite links? 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

• Farm Use of Antibiotics Defies Scrutiny <<Are you worried about antibiotic resistance caused by the production of industrial meat? Because you certainly should be. Share this far and wide. (New York Times)
• Setting the Mood for Smaller Meals <<It seems that even at a fast food joint my tricks to eat slower and more mindfully can also help you eat less without noticing. And guess what, you can do all these things at home. (New York Times)
• Even in Normal Range, High Blood Sugar Linked to Brain Shrinkage <<Worried about dementia? Better watch your blood sugar. (ScienceDaily)
• Obesity and Metabolic Syndrome Associated With Impaired Brain Function in Adolescents <<Oh and btw, even teenagers have impaired cognition as a result of poor blood sugar control. (ScienceDaily)
• Keeping Up a Healthy Lifestyle Pays Off in Added Years: Study <<This study claims healthy living adds another 5.5 years to your life on average. I’ve seen other studies report as many as 14 years. All you’ve got to do is eat delicious food, avoid cigarettes and move your body a bit. Any takers? (Medline)
• The Benefits of Middle-Age Fitness <<Fitness doesn’t just extend the length of your life, it also improves the quality (by more than a decade). (New York Times)
• Stir Fried Japanese Eggplant with Ginger and Miso <<Eggplant is in season, and Asian preparations are my favorite. Yum yum. (Simply Recipes)

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 learn why Coca-Cola is afraid of Twitter, health isn’t the best reason to exercise, and cutting calories might prevent cancer but probably won’t extend your life.

Want to see all my favorite links? 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

• The Long Angry Arm of Coca-Cola <<Please read this, so you know what we’re up against (and why we might win). (Weighty Matters)
• Does Calorie Restriction Extend Lifespan in Mammals? <<The latest data suggests calorie restriction isn’t as promising as people hoped in prolonging lifespan in primates, but it does seem to protect against cancer and make you look better. This is a great analysis. (Whole Health Source)
• Should You Fast – At Least Briefly? <<While we’re on the subject of eating less, it’s worth mentioning that intermittent fasting is also encouraging for improving health. (Dr. Weil)
• How much does obesity cost American society? <<I wish the politicians would put this in their deficit pipes and smoke it. (Food Politics)
• Changing Our Tune on Exercise <<I love this. I’ve long been a believer that the hardest part of living healthy is not knowing what to do, but knowing how to do it. The cool part about this particular method is that it’s based in reality: exercise really does make your life better. (New York Times)
• ‘Study: Fruits, vegetables may be key to long-term weight loss <<This article is filled with annoying speculation and few facts, but the take home message is interesting. Basically vegetable consumption is the best predictor of long-term weight control, but not short-term. (LA Times)
• Many Trendy ‘Microgreens’ Are More Nutritious Than Their Mature Counterparts <<Suddenly want to eat more vegetables? Why not throw some microgreens in there? They are really cute too. (ScienceDaily)
• Living Against the Clock: Does Loss of Daily Rhythms Cause Obesity? <<Another poor write up describing something interesting. I’m only sharing because this is not the first data I’ve seen suggesting circadian rhythms are important in body weight regulation, and I recommend putting yourself on the most regular sleep and eating schedules you can manage. (ScienceDaily)
• Chipotle Salmon <<This is the first time I’ve been intrigued by a new salmon recipe in awhile. ‘Tis the season! (Barefeet in the Kitchen)
• PandoHouse Rock — The GMO Song: “OMG GMOs!” <<Not sure how cool this is, but it is a pretty succinct explanation of why I’m voting yes on Prop 37 in November. (PandoDaily)

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 learn why banning healthy food is a good idea, industrial chicken will kill us all, and cows are being fed candy instead of corn.

Want to see all my favorite links? 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

• Investigation: Drug Resistance, Chicken And 8 Million UTIs <<If you aren’t worried about antibiotic use in livestock and poultry, you should be. (Wired)
• Banning “Healthy Food” From Our Diet <<I love the ideas here. I’m not sure this is the best approach, but I can’t tell you how many people have told me they don’t like “vegetables or healthy foods.” So much of this game is psychological. (Huffington Post)
• Farmers are dealing with corn shortages by feeding cows candy instead <<BS of the week. I mean I guess it makes sense, since most of the corn goes to making candy anyway. (Grist)
• Drop the Pasta, Dad, and No One Gets Hurt <<Are your kids making you fat? If so (no point in kidding yourself), there’s some great tips at the end of this article. (NY Times)
• 30 Minutes of Daily Exercise Does the Trick: Same Effect in Half the Time <<Shorter workouts more effective than longer ones? Interesting stuff here. (ScienceDaily)
• How to Make Summer Your Training Partner <<Really cool new data on training in the heat. (NY Times)
• Entertaining nutrition research: “nutrifluff” <<Hahaha, nutrifluff. We’re bombarded with it. (Food Politics)
• Gender Differences in Fat Metabolism <<Super interesting info on how women store fat. Geeky chicks, you’ll love this. (Mark’s Daily Apple)
• Clear Links Found Between Inflammation, Bacterial Communities and Cancer <<In my opinion, the intersection of gut flora, nutrition and disease is one of the most interesting new subjects in biology. (ScienceDaily)
• Roasted Tomato Corn Soup with Yogurt & Basil <<Summer in a bowl. I love it. (Not Eating Out In New York)

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 learn why a knife can help you eat less, eggs aren’t really as bad as smoking, and how to tell real from fake olive oil.

Want to see all my favorite links? 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

• Scrambled messages about eggs <<The best explanation I’ve found about why the “eggs are as bad as smoking” headlines this week were unconscionable. (nutsci.org)
• Food In Smaller Pieces May Help Control Weight <<I’m so excited! A new trick to eat less without noticing: cut up your food into smaller bites. (Medical News Today)
• What Is the Nocebo Effect? <<Ever wonder what happens when someone tries to commit suicide with 26 placebo pills? It almost works. (Smithsonian)
• Is Your Olive Oil Really Olive Oil? <<This is an awesome review of the horrible contamination of fake olive oils on the market. I absolutely agree with Mark’s conclusion that domestic is best. (Mark’s Daily Apple)
• A Host of Ills When Iron’s Out of Balance <<A decent summary of the importance of getting enough, but not too much iron. I get the impression most people aren’t aware of the serious risks of both. (NY Times)
• Meditation for Multitasking <<Have trouble focusing at work? Meditation could help. (Dr. Weil)
• DIY Frozen Meal Packs for Your Slow Cooker <<I wouldn’t necessarily use the recipes shared here (not that they are bad, just wouldn’t be my choice), but it’s a great idea for saving time on easy dinners. (Babble)
• Don’t box me in: The unstoppable growth of CSA-style produce delivery <<Really cool update and analysis on the state of Community Supported Agriculture, if you’re into that sorta thing. (Grist)
• Parmesan Celery Salad Recipe <<Celery is so underrated. It has amazing flavor for how wet of a vegetable it is, and I’m totally going try this next week. (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, artificial butter flavor linked to Alzheimer’s, the value of “cheat day,” and why to vote for GMO labels.

Want to see all my favorite links? 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

• Big Food puts its back into fighting GMO labeling in California <<Whether you believe GMOs are safe or not, labeling is a good idea. Yes on 37. (Grist)
• Dear Mark: Should I Increase Carb Intake for Weight Loss? <<Great article, particularly for those of you interested in “cheat day.” (Mark’s Daily Apple)
• Americans Gaining More Weight Than They Say <<Haha, science calls BS of the week on us! Turns out we’re lying to ourselves about how fat we are. Of course this problem is easy to solve with a FitBit Aria. (ScienceDaily)
• The Terrible Tragedy of the Healthy Eater <<Ever obsess over the healthfulness of your food? You’ll adore this parody. (Northwest Edible Life)
• The last days of the low-fat diet fad <<I must have missed this story when it originally came out, but it’s worth reading. (Grist)
• Dieting vs. Exercise for Weight Loss <<Hint: You need both, but mostly diet. (NY Times)
• High-carb diet tied to breast cancer risk for some <<If you read the fine print, by “high-carb” they mean lots of processed food. (Medline)
• 20 TASTY APHRODISIACS TO PUT SIZZLE IN YOUR SEX LIFE <<Don’t take these too literally, but it’s a fun read. (Ecosalon)
• Artificial Butter Flavoring Ingredient Linked to Key Alzheimer’s Disease Process <<This doesn’t prove a direct cause, but it should give you pause about all the random chemicals in processed foods and the things we don’t know they are doing. (ScienceDaily)
• Clams in a light fennel and shallot broth <<Looks and sounds amazing. I’m in. (Cannelle et Vanille)

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.

I’m back! Sorry I haven’t posted any link love in the past couple weeks, I travelled to British Columbia and then Hawaii for some much needed relaxation and quiet time to get some work done. The finish line is finally in sight for the big project I’ve been working on. More details soon.

This week sitting may be as bad as smoking, health journalists fail again, and a simple tip to boost willpower.

Want to see all my favorite links? 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

• Inactivity May Kill as Many Worldwide as Smoking: Report <<One day, hopefully soon, we’ll be spending a lot more time talking about the dangers of being sedentary. (Medline)
• Are Low-Carb Diets Killing Sweden? (Also: New Interviews and Raw Vegan Immortality) <<Dear health and nutrition journalists around the world, you’re fired. (Raw Food SOS)
• Mom’s nut consumption tied to less allergy in kids <<Remember when they used to tell pregnant women to avoid eating nuts? Turns out that was the opposite of true. (Medline)
• Cravings could be defeated with two little words <<A really simple, cool approach to bolstering your willpower. (LA Times)
• How Our Habits Would Need to Change for a Soda Ban to Matter <<Instead of fighting over nannystates and big government, let’s look at some data. (The Atlantic)
• New Findings Break Tanning Misconceptions: There Is No Such Thing as a Safe Tan <<Not the best news for someone who just spent a week turning from cashew to chestnut. That said, no mention here of vitamin D, a sun-sent vitamin this cashew was massively deficient in before upping her D3 supplement dosage. (ScienceDaily)
• The 10-Minute Workout, Times Three <<Too busy to workout? Can you spare 10 minutes? (NY Times)
• 7 Companies You Can Trust to Use BPA-Free Cans <<Good info. But please note that it’s still impossible to get BPA-free cans of tomatoes. They are too acidic to be put into the alternative can liners at this point. That’s why I stick to jars. (Treehugger)
• How to Cut a Pineapple <<I recommend going to Hawaii to practice. (Simply Recipes)
• chopped salad with feta, lime and mint <<One of the best looking salads I’ve seen in a long time. (smitten kitchen)

What inspired you this month?

For The Love of Food

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

This week, the final coffin nail for low-fat diets, how to get kids to eat healthier and the truth about food expiration dates.

Want to see all my favorite links? 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

• Which Diet Works?  <<I’m not sure why it still shocks people that the quality of your food impacts how its calories impact you, but here we are again. Guess who eats the healthiest… ? (New York Times)
• Kids Who Cook Are Hungrier for Healthy Food Choices <<People often ask me how to get their kids to eat healthier. The answer: cook with them. (ScienceDaily)
• What Do These Expiration Dates on my Food Really Mean? <<The answer may surprise you. (Lifehacker)
• Remember This Every Time the Food Industry Claims They’re Trying to Help <<They’re really just trying to get you to like them so you’ll buy more of their poison. Don’t take candy from strangers. (Weighty Matters)
• District’s needy get fruit and vegetable Rx <<Definitely one of the coolest food and health success stories I’ve ever read. We need more of this. (Washington Post)
• How Junk Food and Sodas Ruin Kids’ Teeth in Developing Countries <<Need another incentive to kick the soda habit? This should do it. (The Atlantic)
• Use This Chart to Determine When Your Favorite Fruits Are In Season <<Very cool, and useful. (Lifehacker)
• What Puts Fat Into Fat Cells, and What Takes it Out? <<This post is really about how weight regulation is inseparable from neuroscience. As you might imagine, I completely agree. (Whole Health Source)
• Moderate Coffee Consumption Offers Protection Against Heart Failure, Study Suggests <<Good news everyone! P.S. It’s not new. (ScienceDaily)
• Cilantro Lime Shrimp <<Simple, healthy and delicious. Triple win!!! (Simply Recipes)

What inspired you this week?