For The Love of Food

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

Sorry this is a bit late today, I’m on the road and neither my flight nor my hotel last night had functional internet?! Starbucks, of all places, saved the day.

This week a new perspective on salt, new information on GMO foods and a brilliant strategy for getting drugs out of our meat.

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

• Salt, We Misjudged You <<Confused about salt? I’ve covered it in the past, but here Gary Taubes adds some new info and passes serious doubt on current recommendations. (New York Times)
• GM Myths and Truths: A critical review of the science <<Curious how much we know about all that genetically modified food you’re eating? The evidence was recently reviewed, and it’s a little scary. (Food Politics)
• GMO foods don’t need special label, American Medical Assn. says <<Given that last article, would you agree with me that the AMA deserves to be called out for BS of the week? (LA Times)
• Your meat on drugs: Will grocery stores cut out antibiotics? <<I think targeting grocery stores (as opposed to government agencies) for geting antibiotics out of our meat is a terrific idea. Trader Joe’s, we’re looking at you. (Grist)
• Is It Time to Retire the Low-Carb Diet “Fad”? <<Another brilliant (and hilarious) piece by Denise Minger about how Facebook inhibits the cholesterol lowering effects of Justin Bieber. Ok, it’s about fat and carbs in Sweden, but it’s still funny. (Mark’s Daily Apple)
• Study: No-Fat, Low-Fat Dressings Don’t Get Most Nutrients out of Salads <<I’ve said it before, but just to reiterate salads are healthier when you put oil on them. (ScienceDaily)
• The food politics of… broccoli! <<A totally awesome discussion of how broccoli is being used as a political tool. Must read. (Food Politics)
• 12 Most Toxic Fruits and Vegetables <<The Environmental Working Group put out their new Dirty Dozen list of fruits and vegetables with the most pesticides. Watch those industrial apple peels! (Treehugger)
• The Senate roll-call votes on farm bill amendments <<A new farm bill passed! Here’s an update on what changed. (Food Politics)
• Kale Market Salad Recipe <<I’m going to eat this as soon as I get home. Looks unbelievable. (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 learn who really tells us how much soda we should drink, why there’s something besides fructose that makes it bad for you and the search for the ideal amount of 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

• Limit Soda for Kids’ Sake<<Mark Bittman makes an excellent case for why the government’s health suggestions aren’t as bad as the alternative: the suggestions of soda companies. (New York Times)
• Calories Still Matter <<Just a friendly reminder that there’s no reason to make nutrition any more complicated than it needs to be. No matter how you slice it, we eat too much. (Whole Health Source).
• Melon Pomegranate Almond Smoothie <<BS of the week. This recipe make me almost as angry as bad science journalism. Seriously, in what universe are pomegranates (December) in season at the same time as melons (August)? And this from a writer who claims to emphasize “seasonal” produce. (New York Times)
• Moderation as the Sweet Spot for Exercise <<Interesting look at the value of moderate exercise. Though I’m not entirely convinced by their semi-condemnation of rigorous exercise (see below). (New York Times)
• Serious Exercise May Benefit Middle-Aged Arteries <<Keep in mind that the jury is still out on this subject, and you shouldn’t swallow what the NYTimes says hook, line and sinker. (Medline)
• What’s at stake in the farm bill? <<I didn’t realize what a state of chaos the farm bill is in. Thanks Marion Nestle for the insights. (Food Politics)
• Study questions fructose role in hypertension <<This is about more than fructose. Apparently calorie-free sodas are about as dangerous as full sugar sodas. Interesting, huh? (Medline)
• How Can I Get More Into Cooking at Home? <<This post is chock full of useful tips to make life easier in the kitchen. A great resources. (Lifehacker)
• How Chickens Are Processed <<I know most folks don’t know enough about where food comes from. This is about as honest as you get (but not in the bad way). (Ruhlman)
• asparagus with almonds and yogurt dressing <<It’s awesome to find someone as excited about the farmers market as I am. (Smitten Kitchen)

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 we were better off with quarter pounders, butter is better than “buttery,” and frankenfish are the next Monsanto.

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

• Fast-food burgers have tripled in size since the 1950s <<Great graphic reminding us of a time when a quarter pounder was an impressive sized burger. Sadly, those times are long gone. (Grist)
• Badvertising: For God’s Sake, Just Frickin’ Eat Butter! <<Sometimes a good rant is exactly what you need to start the weekend. Eat frickin butter! (Weighty Matters)
• Faked Alaska: Is genetically modified salmon coming soon to a table near you? <<And just in case you need one more ridiculous thing to swear at today. How do you feel about the one successful sustainable fishing industry being taken over by the aqua Monsanto? (Grist)
• Dear Mark: I Hate to Exercise <<I’ve written before about how to start working out when you don’t like to exercise, but here’s a few more good ideas. (Mark’s Daily Apple)
• The Science of Tasty Tomatoes Lies in the Chemicals <<While this is kind of a “duh, you mean they’re better because there’s more good stuff in there?” kind of piece, it still makes me happy to see there are physiological reasons my tomatoes taste better. I hope they don’t really think they can manufacture the effect though. (Medline)
• Low Vitamin D in diet increases stroke risk in Japanese-Americans <<This is interesting because they focus on foods with vitamin D, not just sunlight. The only real, non-fortified foods they endorse are egg yolks (hello eggasm!) and fatty fish. (American Heart Association)
• Stevia and other “natural” sweeteners: are they? <<An interesting primer on Stevia. Here’s my take on natural and artificial sweeteners. (Food Politics)
• How Bad is Fructose? David Despain Interviews Dr. John Sievenpiper <<I know, I know. We all love to demonize high-fructose corn syrup. Problem is, the data doesn’t really support an extraordinary role for fructose in weight gain…. (Whole Health Source)
• Optimism, Laughter May Bring Long Life <<Don’t worry, be happy. It’s about more than just genetics, according to a new study. (Medline)
• Smoked Paprika Freekeh Salad with Kale, Tomatoes & Garlic Scapes <<When I met Cathy Erway a few months ago she totally sold me on the idea of freekeh, but I’ve been too busy/lazy to make it happen. Cathy, I’ll buy some and try this recipe, I promise. It even features my beloved smoked paprika! (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.

Why eating organic food doesn’t make you a jerk, how a pastry chef in Paris keeps his man-ish figure, and how NOT to get your husband to eat better.

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 FTC vs. POM Wonderful: the latest round <<Remember when POM Wonderful claimed their mass-marketed juice could cure cancer? Turns out that wasn’t exactly accurate. (Food Politics)
• When you eat may be as important as what you eat <<Timing is important, and so is rest. There is some really interesting new rodent data that overnight fasts help control weight even when the exact same number of calories are eaten. Will be interesting to see how this works in humans. (Obesity Panacea)
• Does organic food make you a jerk? <<Excellent debunking of some pseudo science that was making headlines this week. Thanks Grist for calling BS of the week.
• How I Eat <<Interesting discussion by pastry chef and awesome food blogger David Lebovitz on how he manages to stay thin while eating what he loves. I appreciate his emphases on everyone needing to find their own healthstyle.
• Food Fight or Romantic Dinner? Communication Between Couples Is Key to Improving Men’s Diets <<While I agree that communication in relationships is important, I think this study also brings to light how important it is for us to learn how to make healthy food taste good (or more accurately, what healthy food actually is–––I know plain ground turkey is never on my menu). (ScienceDaily)
• More Physical Education in Schools Leads to Better Grades, Study Suggests <<Nice to see such a carefully designed study. These were very young kids too. Start them young! (ScienceDaily)
• Lower Blood Pressure Naturally <<Hey guess what, it’s not that hard. And you have lots of options. (Whole Health Source)
• 4 Health Benefits of Turmeric <<Turmeric spice lowers the carcinogenicity of grilled meat, and other fun facts. (Dr. Weil)
• Calcium Supplements May Be Bad for Your Heart: Study <<I wasn’t sure if I should post this, but if you don’t know that calcium supplements increase heart risk (and prostate cancer risk) you definitely should. This is not a new finding. But I was annoyed by the commentary they used from an osteoporosis physician that he disagrees with the data for no apparent reason. Did no one tell him that calcium doesn’t protect against osteoporosis either? Don’t you wish doctors bothered to look at the data before giving their opinions? (Medline)
• COCONUT RICE SALAD WITH CHERRY TOMATOES AND CORN <<Um, yum. (The Year In Food)

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 superweeds threaten the US food supply, McDonald’s says soda is a fruit and vitamins that cause cancer.

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

• GM crops in crisis: Roundup-resistant “superweeds” <<Just in case you were wondering if high-tech Monsanto farms work better than real farms, the answer is no. And we may all suffer for it. (Food Politics)
• Nuts and Phytic Acid: Should You Be Concerned? <<I’ve always thought the Paleo crowd takes their hating on phytic acid a little too far, but this is a fairly balanced article with lots of good info (read to the bottom). (Mark’s Daily Apple)
• McDonald’s Helping Kids Get Their “5 A Day” With Fruit Soda? <<This is almost too ridiculous to print. Thanks Yoni for calling BS of the week on McDonald’s for claiming fruit soda counts as a serving of fruit and vegetables. (Weighty Matters)
• Infographic: The later it gets, the more crap we eat <<This is interesting, and possibly gives us another reason to make sure we eat a healthy breakfast. (Grist)
• High Doses of Certain Dietary Supplements Increase Cancer Risk <<This isn’t really a study so much as a commentary, but it’s definitely food for thought (and another good reason to not take mega doses of vitamins or anything else). (ScienceDaily)
• Remedy for Sedentary Desk Jobs <<Sitting all day is one of the least healthy things you can do. Here’s a simple solution. (Dr. Weil)
• Cows cause as much smog in L.A. as cars do <<If you’ve ever driven down the 5 freeway with your windows down north of LA, this will  not surprise you. It also makes you never want to eat industrial meat again. (Grist)
• New Study: Sugar Sabotages Learning and Memory <<So sugar is bad for everything except your brain, right? Oh wait… (Treehugger)
• Fish tied to lower colon cancer risk: study <<More evidence of the benefits of eating fish. This time it’s fighting butt cancer. (Medline)
• Blanched Broccoli Rabe Greens with Soy-Dashi Sauce <<I love recipes that are this simple, healthy and awesome. Trying this next week. (Not Eating Out in NY)

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.

A scary new link between BPA and breast cancer, a fascinating new discovery about HDL and how one simple habit can help you live 6 extra years.

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.

Links of the week

• BPA Effects Seen in Monkey Mammary Glands <<BPA (the scary chemical in plastic bottles and the lining of cans) can increase breast density (i.e. risk of breast cancer) in monkeys that have been exposed in the womb. Scary stuff. (ScienceDaily)
• Eating Fast Increases Diabetes Risk <<The study didn’t say the reason, but it is likely because fast eating usually results in overeating. So yes, it pays to learn to become a slow eater. (ScienceDaily)
• Some HDL, or ‘Good’ Cholesterol, May Not Protect Against Heart Disease <<For those interested in the biochemistry of heart disease, this is an absolutely fascinating new discovery regarding HDL. Looks like current tests really aren’t sensitive enough. (ScienceDaily)
• Advantage of Body Fat (Video) <<A really interesting perspective on the advantages of body fat for older people. (Dr. Weil)
• Regular Jogging Shows Dramatic Increase in Life Expectancy <<Want to live an extra 6 years? Of course you do. Though right now the finding is just a correlation, it might be worth taking up jogging. (ScienceDaily)
• Bans on School Junk Food Pay Off in California <<There’s really no reason for junk food to be in schools, kids can get plenty of it everywhere else (though apparently, they don’t). (NYTimes)
• For Healthier Eating, Keep Fruits, Veggies Within Reach <<Turns out you’ll eat healthier spontaneously if healthier food is near you. Go figure. (Medline)
• Eating More Foods Rich in Omega-3s May Lower Alzheimer’s Risk: Study <<Have I told you to eat more fish lately? Oh good. (Medline)
• In Sitting Still, a Bench Press for the Brain <<Though I question how much neuroscience the author of this article really understands (“so-called gray and white matter”?, didn’t know that was up for debate), the findings on the power of mediation for cognitive enhancement are still pretty interesting. (NYTimes)
• Seared Sugar Snap Peas <<I’ve never done much with snap peas except eat them raw. This looks delicious (though I’d leave out the sugar). (Simply Recipes)

For The Love of Food

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

This week we explore how vegetables make you prettier, a consensus on what’s killing us and why you don’t walk enough.

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.

Links of the week

• A reversal on carbs <<So now pretty much everyone (including the nutrition departments at Harvard and Tufts) agrees that fat isn’t bad and processed carbohydrates are the cause of all our problems (though I would add lack of veggies and exercise as well). Took long enough. (LA Times)
• Don’t Just Sit There <<In case you were wondering why I mentioned exercise above. (NY Times)
• Why We Don’t Walk Anymore (plus a Primal Health Challenge) <<I average about 14,000 steps per day according to my Fitbit and Fuelband. How about you? (Mark’s Daily Apple)
• Superfruit, or just a plain old Clark Kent fruit? <<Though I’ve been saying this for years, thank you LA Times for calling BS of the week on superfruit.
• Beauty might be a matter of dietary makeup <<This is not the first study I’ve seen saying that eating vegetables makes you prettier. And clearly it’s true, look at you guys! (LA Times)
• A family who eats together, eats better <<This has been shown over and over again. Dinner may sound trivial, but it’s really a big deal. (National Post)
• Mixing Weight Training and Aerobics <<One of the most interesting articles I’ve ever read on the pros and cons of doing cardio and strength training in the same day. (NY Times)
• Eating Fish, Chicken, Nuts May Lower Risk of Alzheimer’s Disease <<Diet is actually pretty important in preventing Alzheimer’s disease. If being thin doesn’t motivate you enough to eat well, this should. (ScienceDaily)
• Nutritionist’s Notebook: Estimating nutrient requirements <<It’s impossible to know exactly how much of each nutrient you need. Also, the way we got the vague numbers we do have is exceptionally creepy. (Food Politics)
• Beautiful chart tells you how to eat seasonal (in the U.K., at least) <<Cool, right? (Grist)

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 the Heart Attack Grill is the least of our worries, how to feel more full from your breakfast, and why we should all just get along.

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 Heart Attack Grill Is Not The Problem <<Great insight by Yoni Freedhoff about why the sensationalist headlines on this story are missing the point. (Weighty Matters)
• Families That Eat Together May Be the Healthiest, New Evidence Confirms <<And just in case you’re skeptical about Yoni’s conclusion above, here’s some data. (ScienceDaily)
• Does the Ratio of Omega-6 Fats Really Matter? <<Props to Monica Reinagel for calling BS of the week on Harvard’s nutrition department. Tell ’em girl! (Nutrition Diva)
• Let’s put an end to ‘dietary tribalism’ <<One thing I love about Summer Tomato readers is we have a good representation of all dietary philosophies, from vegan to paleo. Love this piece reminding us that we have more in common than we think. (Grist)
• Want to Feel Fuller After Breakfast and Lunch? Toss Some Almonds in Your Cereal <<The analysis here is kind of lame, mainly because they credit “low GI” instead of the high-fat almond itself. But at any rate it is an interesting finding, and agrees with my personal experience. (The Atlantic)
• Obesity Epidemic Fueling Rise in Rheumatoid Arthritis Among Women <<Few people realize the link between arthritis and diet. (ScienceDaily)
• Learn About and Solve Three Common Cooking Mistakes with These Recipe “Wheels of Misfortune” <<This handy info graphic is put out by America’s Test Kitchen, so it’s almost certainly all awesome advice. (Lifehacker)
• Gluten Intolerance (Video) <<I go back and forth on the whole “gluten is evil” bandwagon, but I like Dr. Weil’s perspective here.
• The “What the hell is wrong with you, you have a family, stop eating like this!” Restaurant <<Leave it to Conan to call it like it is. This slideshow is hilarious. (Team Coco)
• SHITAKE MUSHROOM + LENTIL ASIAN TACOS <<I’m not one to think tacos can be improved upon, but these look pretty damn good. (Sprouted Kitchen)

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, the risk of storing food in plastic, everything you’ve ever wanted to fight about regarding meat production and consumption, and how an herbal remedy is causing cancer in Taiwan.

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

• If the food’s in plastic, what’s in the food? <<A really good question, in my option. (Washington Post)
• To Heal, First Eat <<Woohoo! Some doctors are finally starting to understand why spending time in the kitchen is so important. (New York Times)
• Joel Salatin responds to New York Times’ ‘Myth of Sustainable Meat’ <<It’s no secret that I adore Joel Salatin, and I thank him deeply for calling BS of the week on the New York Times for their reprehensibly irresponsible article on sustainable farming. (And thanks Grist for publishing it).
• The FDA takes action on animal antibiotics, at long last <<And speaking of sustainable farming, it appears the FDA is finally coming around… (Food Politics)
• Is Eating Meat Ethical? <<Mark Sisson does a great job of explaining why this is a loaded question. (Mark’s Daily Apple)
• Herbal Remedy Ingredient Tied to Cancer, Kidney Failure <<Just a friendly reminder that not all natural remedies are helpful, or even harmless. (Medline)
• What Eating Too Much Sugar Does to Your Brain <<This is from a couple weeks ago but it combines my two favorite subjects, so I thought it was worth sharing. I think the main idea here is a bit too oversimplified, but it’s an issue worth thinking about. (Forbes)
• The dilemma of pink slime: cost or culture? <<Interesting take on the pink slime stuff. Honestly I’ve been confused why this is such a hot topic. Didn’t you guys know most ground meat was made from sterilized processed scraps? Is this news? Besides, entrails and offal are among the most trendy items on fancy SF restaurant menus. (Food Politics)
• The magic of mise en place – How a ‘chef secret’ can help you prepare for the busy week ahead… <<Cool kitchen time saver. It’s intuitive, but sometimes we need stuff like this spelled out for us. (Stone Soup)
• Creamy Asparagus Soup <<Nothing says “springtime” like the intoxicating aroma of asparagus pee. Ha! Seriously though, it’s only in season for a few weeks so get your asparagus fill while you can. (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.

Before we get to this week’s top stories I want to announce that I’ll be out of the country for the next two weeks (going to Japan, suggestions welcome!) for my first non-work related vacation in about 5 years (woohoo!). I’ve worked hard to get a full two weeks of new blog posts scheduled for while I’m away, but unfortunately the Friday link posts and farmers market updates will have to wait until I get back.

This week, a wonderful (and true) fish story, lots of bad science, and some interesting news about diet soda.

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

• Fishing for Wild Salmon in Alaska <<A wonderful, inspiring story about how the wild salmon industry is thriving, and unapologetically sustainable. (Eating Well)
• What Reading That Eat Chocolate be Thinner Article Actually Told Me <<Once again Yoni Freedhoff demolishes an over-sensationalized news story. What would we do without him? (Weighty Matters)
• New Evidence On Effects of Green Coffee Beans in Weight Loss <<BS of the week. I’m gonna guess that I’m not the only person unconvinced that looking at 16  young people for 22 weeks is enough to prove a random supplement is “a safe, effective, inexpensive way to lose weight.” (ScienceDaily)
• Too Much Sitting Can Kill You, Study Suggests <<Interestingly, this sensational headline is actually true. (Medline)
• 10 Bad Cooking Habits You Should Break <<A decent list, worth a gander. (Huffington Post)
• Health Impact, Interplay of Diet Soft Drinks and Overall Diet Unraveled <<A clever study design. Basically eating healthy without diet soda is best, but eating healthy with diet soda is better than eating unhealthy with or without diet soda. Make sense? (ScienceDaily)
• Nutritionist’s Notebook: Importance of fiber <<This is a little oversimplified but I like the take home message. (Food Politics)
• Two Things that Mean Lifelong Health (Video) <<I love this. Would you have guessed that it’s physical activity and social connections? (Dr. Weil)
• BEET GREEN CHOPPED SALAD <<Beet greens are entirely underrated, and this salad looks delicious. (Sprouted Kitchen)
• Cadbury Eggs <<And speaking of chocolate and soda, this cartoon made me laugh. (xkcd)

 What inspired you this week?