This post is dedicated to Ted Kyle who is as obsessed with understanding and treating obesity as I am defending ultra-processed foods. He points out that many of the recommendations for overcoming obesity come from correlation studies. A principle of science is that correlation does not mean causation. And yet, on the internet correlation and cause are used interchangeably. To understand the distinction, we must … Continue reading Correlation without Cause

The battle continues between eating whole foods and ultra-processed foods. NOVA classifies foods and their ingredients into four categories from unprocessed to culinary ingredients to processed to ultra-processed. As we go up the scale from unprocessed to ultra-processed, foods become unhealthier. The difference is so stark that it is recommended we only eat processed foods occasionally and ultra-processed ones not at all. The question becomes … Continue reading A Holist and a Reductionist disagree on the importance of the Food Matrix

Conventional wisdom suggests that whole foods are healthier for us than processed foods. We also hear that foods from plants are healthier than those from animals. And yet, the advocate of a whole foods, plant-based WFPB diet is considered extremist and unrealistic. The blueprint for WFPB and the wonders it promises appears in Whole: Rethinking the Science of Nutrition by Colin Campbell. As we drift … Continue reading Will a Whole Foods, Plant-Based Lifestyle Protect Us from Chronic Disease?

April has been a busy month for stories about food. A strong defense of ultra-processed food emerged despite continuing challenges. Food waste and differences between safety and quality were topics of interest. And then there was an off-the-wall story on frozen nuts. Food waste, we learn, is bigger than we ever imagined. In discussing food waste, it is important that we distinguish between food loss … Continue reading Food waste, frozen nuts, food safety & quality, and ultra-processed foods

Food scientists are obsessed with shelf life. Food journalists are obsessed with healthiness. Shelf life relates to the longevity of a food product. Healthiness relates to the longevity of humans. Longevity is more than how long a product is fit to eat or how long a person is fit to live. Quality deteriorates in a food product. Quality of life deteriorates as we age. Food … Continue reading Healthy foods, healthy meals, healthy dietary patterns

by Linn Steward A philosophy of dietary correctness pervades our food environment. I’m particularly aware of this philosophy because as a recipe analyst who has worked over the last 5 years with institutional foodservice and publishers, my job has been to run nutrition stats and “correct” recipes. Linn Steward and I have been dialoging for three years via email, on this site, and even in … Continue reading The Kiss ☠️ Test

OK, these seven words include key phrases in the debate on how to develop a meaningful policy on healthy eating. It turns out that there is a dialogue script between those who support such policies and those who don’t. These words and phrases come from a recent book, Healthy Eating Policy and Political Philosophy: A Public Reason Approach, by Anne Barnhill and Matteo Bonotti. The … Continue reading Seven Contentious Words in Constructing Healthy Eating Policy

From September 28, 2022 to March 28, 2023 is roughly 6 months, 26 weeks, or 181 days. That was the day that the rest of my life changed forever. We left our retirement home never to return, the church I loved, a job she cherished, and many dear friends at each location, the collegiality of the food pantry where we served others, morning bike rides … Continue reading Six months after Ian: a personal update.

The F in the FDA. Bill Marler, the bane of Big Food, and the hero of the anti-food processing movement, is selling tee-shirts. He wants to get the F out of the FDA by separating food from drugs. The idea is to form a Food Agency that will more rigorously pursue a food safety agenda. The new agency would also bring all food safety and … Continue reading Get the F out of the FDA, Erythritol, UPFs and the BMI, Nutritional Misinformation, and Authenticity

As we approach major problems in our lives or in the world, we crave simplistic solutions rather than a true understanding of the situation. We look for solutions that apply universally rather than ones that fit a specific case or variation. We become obsessed with finding the right answer to a question rather than one that meets critical needs. We become irate when others advocate … Continue reading Overcoming binary solutions to complex global problems