“Never before has a nation known so much about nutrition, yet eaten so poorly,” states Dina Rose in It’s Not About the Broccoli. But does America really know that much about nutrition in the 21st Century? When I was growing up in the 60s, American culture was hung up on self-psychoanalysis so we could have a more fulfilling life. There are still many self-help books … Continue reading Seven principles of pop nutrition
by Dana Crater My wife and I have a total of six weeks of experience as parents. Nieces and nephews have come to visit us, one at a time for a week to give us a taste of what it must be like as a parent. Thus, I am completely unqualified to comment on anything resembling parent-child relationships. For help on a follow-up to It’s Not … Continue reading Healthy Eating in Families: Avoiding the Power Struggle
How can a parent deal with children who won’t eat the food on their plate? It is the one common question I have been asked in the two interviews1 I have done for my book. It’s Not About the Broccoli may provide the answer that so many parents have been searching for. Unlike so many of the authors of food books, Dina Rose does not … Continue reading It’s Not About the Broccoli: Three Habits to Teach Your Kids for a Lifetime of Healthy Eating
Fake science seems to be taking over news sources that we have trusted for an insight into our world. An organization that is pushing back against such stories is the American Council on Science and Health. It is a consumer advocacy group founded in 1978 to promote evidence-based science and health policy. In addition to its permanent staff, the organization relies on a Board of … Continue reading Defending the American public from fake news on science and health
Previously In Defense of Processed Food, I pointed out limitations in the BMI as an index of body weight. Unfortunately, the BMI has now become the primary health index. The BMI underestimates obesity in short people and overestimates it in tall people. Children and youth are special cases. Today’s young are evaluated against a reference standard collected over a period between 1963 and 1994. “Overweight is … Continue reading Why is the BMI not useful for postmenopausal women and the elderly?
After being turned down by four food microbiologists to write a guest column on the effect of the microbiome on obesity, I was referred to a member of the faculty of the Department of Foods and Nutrition at the University of Georgia who is conducting research in this area. All of my interactions with Dr. Claire de La Serre have been by electronic communication. Although … Continue reading Microbiota, diet and health
Our guts are much more important to our overall health than most of us believe and understand. At least that is what The Microbiome Diet by Dr. Raphael Kellman tells us. This book reinforces the message I have received in The Good Gut, Missing Microbes and Let Them Eat Dirt. Kellman’s book is the first of these to present a detailed account of what we … Continue reading The Microbiome Diet: The Scientifically Proven Way to Restore Your Gut Health and Achieve Permanent Weight Loss
I first met Jeff Dorfman when he was challenging a specific part of the Strategic Plan proposal for our College which I was defending. After much discussion, some of it heated, we were able to hammer out a better plan than either one of us had envisioned. It was not the only time we ever disagreed. In light of the Harvest Box controversy, I thought it … Continue reading How should the U.S. deliver food aid?
Last month the Trump administration announced a proposal for modifying the food-stamp program as part of next year’s budget. The plan would reduce the money recipients would receive and replace the loss of these funds with Harvest Boxes which were likened to meal kits like those provided by Blue Apron. Individual states would be responsible for the logistics of distributing the boxes to recipients. Like … Continue reading Should the USDA reduce food stamp funds and supplement them with Harvest Boxes?
Blame the food? Blame the child? Blame the parents? Work to find a solution? Each year the latest reading on childhood obesity is released. The information is collected in the NHANES survey, published in a prestigious journal and interpreted by health reporters in media across the country and beyond. Last year gave us good news. The childhood obesity level reported in 2017 was lower than … Continue reading Childhood obesity and a brief note on the BMI
