Saturday Stories: Sugar Conspiracies, Abortion, Nature, and Aging
Katherine on her Nutrition Wonk blog with a great piece exploring “the sugar conspiracy”, Ancel Keys, Yudkin, and more. Dr. Jen Gunter on her own blog clearly demonstrates the fact that she’s both a remarkable writer and a badass in her must read piece on sex selective abortion. Annick Rbsn on her own Facebook page and with an inspirational story on predatory marketing that induces self loathing in women. Yvette d’Entremont on her blog SciBabe reminds us that nature doesn’t care if you live or die (but with more swear words). ; ; ; ; ; ; Related StoriesSaturday Stories: Howard Jacobson, Marlene Carter, and Kristopher PenaSaturday Stories: Magic Leap, "Helena", and HIVSaturday Stories: "Functional Medicine", Slavery, Shame, and Sugar ;
Cookbook Review: Zahav: A World of Israeli Cooking (Spoiler – It’s Terrific!)
A month or so ago, our office’s chief RD, Rob Lazzinnaro, brought a copy of Michael Solomonov’ Zahav: A World of Israeli Cooking into the office. After a quick peek, I rushed to my computer to order it. A bunch of weeks later and I’m so glad I did. For those who aren’t familiar with Israeli cooking, plainly, it’s amazing and eclectic, as like Israel, it’s a mishmash of cultures, countries, and religions. Having lived in Israel for a year when I was 14, I developed a taste for the region, and who better than Eater.com’s 2014 chef of the year, 2011’s James Beard best chef of the Mid-Atlantic, and owner/operator of Philadelphia’s Israeli cuisine Zahav restaurant Solomonov to bring Israeli cooking to global kitchens? I …
Real Life Weight Loss: 3 Years, 3 Kicks at the Can, 31{7920e18cf5186565893a18d1f69fa52bf2806dc683a7bfcea51d671d2f7d8125} Loss
Sometimes it takes more than one swing at change to make it stick. The key to success in anything at life is perseverance. The whole if at first you don’t succeed try, try, again adage really is true. Whether it’s relationships, school, work, and yes, weight management and lifestyle change, you’re going to have swings and misses. You’re also likely to have bad weeks, bad months, and potentially even bad years. If you want to see long term success however, dusting yourself off, picking yourself up, and trying again is key. Take the graph up above. It’s from a lovely real life patient my office has been working with for the past 4 years (and who has kindly agreed to allow me to write about her). As you …
Rube Goldberg’s Passover Seder
Happy Passover to those celebrating!Have a great weekend! ; ; ; ; ; ; Related StoriesDoes Your Mom Even Text?If The Weather’s Nice, Julia Roberts Enjoys Wearing Pink Fuzzy HandcuffsPunctuation Matters – Even When Reading The News ;
Saturday Stories: "Functional Medicine", Slavery, Shame, and Sugar
Orac on his blog Respectful Insolence heaps respectful insolence on the so-called genre of functional medicine. Rachel L. Swarns in the New York Times with the story of how slavery bought Georgetown University and what that might mean to those slaves’ descendants. Neal Gabler in the Atlantic discloses his secret shame (and it’s one I bet many share). Kevin Klatt on his blog Nutrevolve with a further deep dive into sugar, fats, Yudkin, and Keys. [And on a lighter note, here’s my friend James Fell on his blog Body For Wife with his now stock response to any angry comments he might receive] ; ; ; ; ; ; Related StoriesSaturday Stories: Howard Jacobson, Marlene Carter, and Kristopher PenaSaturday Stories: Magic Leap, "Helena", and HIVSaturday Stories: Sugar Conspiracies, Abortion, Nature, and …
Has Public Health Ever Affected A Population-Based Increase in Activity?
Last week I read a piece in the New York Times that spoke to the seemingly impossible task of getting people to move more. And there have been no shortage of efforts. From school-based efforts that despite absolutely increasing school-based activity levels didn’t lead to increased overall activity levels (as kids more active at school were found to be less active out of school), to the regular publication of national guidelines (and with them national scoldings), to decades long branded awareness campaigns like ParticipACTION, to regular news pieces telling us we’re all sloths, etc. Yet have any worked to affect a sustained population-based increase in activity? And if the answer is, as I believe it to be, a resounding “no”, that no public health …
A Simple Solution to Put an End to Hospital Junk Food Fundraising
So it’s Slices for Smiles time again. That’s the campaign that sees Canada’s children’s hospitals shilling $2 fast food pizzas in the name of fundraising. As I’ve reported in the past, the splashy campaign, when divvied up and considered in the context of a hospital’s annual budget, doesn’t earn all that much. Last year for instance, Slices for Smiles saw its most successful campaign ever and was reported to have raised $50,000 per participating hospital. That $50,000 in turn pays for roughly two hours of a medium sized children’s hospital’s annual operating expenses (and in the case of a large one’s, about 33 minutes worth). In terms of what Slices for Smiles provides Pizza Pizza, well it provides them with a year long campaign, the ability to capitalize …
If The Weather’s Nice, Julia Roberts Enjoys Wearing Pink Fuzzy Handcuffs
I do love Ellen.And despite the headline, today’s Funny Fridays is in fact safe for work.Have a great weekend! ; ; ; ; ; ; Related StoriesDoes Your Mom Even Text?Rube Goldberg’s Passover SederPunctuation Matters – Even When Reading The News ;
Saturday Stories: Magic Leap, "Helena", and HIV
Kevin Kelly in Wired with the most in depth story I’ve yet read on what I think will be a world changing technology (including for medicine) – Magic Leap Sam Biddle in Gawker covers Helena, the amazing new start up that doesn’t seem to actually do anything. Justin Heckert in GQ with a riveting long-read on the life of a boy whose father purposely injected him with HIV tainted blood. ; ; ; ; ; ; Related StoriesSaturday Stories: Howard Jacobson, Marlene Carter, and Kristopher PenaSaturday Stories: "Functional Medicine", Slavery, Shame, and SugarSaturday Stories: Sugar Conspiracies, Abortion, Nature, and Aging ;
The Lasting Damage of The Biggest Loser (Part I)
I’ve written a great deal about The Biggest Loser over the years – none of it good. Today you’re bound to read a lot of headlines about The Biggest Loser and its dramatic, devastating, and likely permanent damage to contestants’ metabolisms (more on that from the author of the recent study in a few days), but that’s not what I’m writing about today. Today I want to talk to you about a different sort of lasting Biggest Loser damage, and to illustrate, the story of Ali Vincent. Vincent is The Biggest Loser’s first female “winner”. Back in Season 5 she lost 110lbs, and now they’re back, and so is Vincent – she’s been on a media tear and she’s joined Weight Watchers in a bid to again lose weight. Now …
The Lasting Damage of The Biggest Loser (Part II) – Lawsuit Edition
By Fayerollinson – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=17999473Yesterday saw the publication of an unbelievably damning paper that unequivocally condemned The Biggest Loser as a show that permanently damages contestants’ metabolisms, and that it does so in a manner far greater than would have been expected by mathematical models based on contestants’ ages, heights, weights, sexes and body compositions. Now I know from chatting with former contestants, the show requires them to sign massive indemnity and non-disclosure agreements, and while I’m no lawyer, I wonder what legal standing former contestants might have to launch a class action lawsuit in response to the show’s trashing of their metabolic futures? Certainly, for consent to now be informed, participants must be told …
Does Your Mom Even Text?
Mine doesn’t. But today’s Funny Friday video Moms sure do. Hope you have a great Mother’s Day weekend! ; ; ; ; ; ; Related StoriesIf The Weather’s Nice, Julia Roberts Enjoys Wearing Pink Fuzzy HandcuffsRube Goldberg’s Passover SederPunctuation Matters – Even When Reading The News ;