All Blog Posts Tagged 'living' (36)

Are artificial sweeteners a healthier option?

Sweet tasting foods are rare in nature. Fruits and vegetables have some sweetness to them, but they’re also packed with lots of fiber, water, micronutrients and phytochemicals, and are nutritious and quite fillin… Continue

Added by Ayala laufer-Cahana MD on December 21, 2009 at 5:16am — 2 Comments

What would you change about the Nutrition Facts Panel?

Nutrition Facts labels became law in the US some 15 years ago, and the familiar panel we all know and strain our eyes over—the one that provides some key nutrition information, an ingredient list and allergen declarations—continues to evolve. … Continue

Added by Ayala laufer-Cahana MD on December 14, 2009 at 5:00am — No Comments

Silly science, silly inventions and other 2009 follies

Who says science can’t serve up some holiday cheer? As 2009 draws to a close, I’d like to share some of the studies I failed to mention during this passing year, and pay tribute to some outstandingly ridiculous achievements in food, health and safety. The food and health related Ig Nobel prizes for 2009 The Ig Noble awards are a parody of the Nobel Prizes, and have been awarded each fall for the past 19 years for funny, ab… Continue

Added by Ayala laufer-Cahana MD on December 7, 2009 at 5:30am — No Comments

Our health report card for 2009: Are we making progress?

As 2009 winds down and the season for gratitude is upon us, this is a great time to reflect on our progress and contemplate the road ahead. This year especially, with the ongoing debate over public-policy directions for the U.S. health-care system, the collective state of our health deserves our attention. America`s Health Rankings’ 2009 report came out just recently, and as a two-decade continuous assessment of our nation’s health, it’s a gr… Continue

Added by Ayala laufer-Cahana MD on November 30, 2009 at 6:00am — No Comments

Recipes for a healthy and happy Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is a time to give thanks, celebrate fall, and enjoy the bounty of nature and the company of family and friends. I love this holiday because it’s so important to take a break from focusing on all the problems in our world and in our lives, and spend time reflecting on the good in the world. There’s much to be grateful for, even in hard times. As a vegetarian cook I follow the traditional Thanksgiving meal quite loosely. The palette of my presentation will definitely abide… Continue

Added by Ayala laufer-Cahana MD on November 23, 2009 at 6:00am — No Comments

Are we exercising less or eating more?

There are many compelling reasons to exercise. Regular physical activity has been shown to reduce the incidence of heart disease, diabetes and hypertension. It improves mental health, fosters strong muscles and strong bones. It also makes most participants happier and improves our looks. Physical activity also burns calories. In the past few decades exercise has therefore become one arm of the two pronged approach to combat overweight and obesity. Exercise is the calories expended in the equati… Continue

Added by Ayala laufer-Cahana MD on November 9, 2009 at 6:00am — No Comments

Walnut yeast “roses” cake: a delicious indulgent dessert

If the photo of this golden, brown delicacy wasn’t enough to whet your appetite, let me describe the smell: It’s the essence of childhood dreams, the aroma of pleasure itself. At least for me. Clearly I’m digressing this week from veggie and whole grain recipes and the science of healthy living to the aroma of… Continue

Added by Ayala laufer-Cahana MD on November 2, 2009 at 6:00am — 4 Comments

Healthy neighborhoods can reduce the risk of diabetes

Do you live in a healthy neighborhood? Is there such a thing as an unhealthy neighborhood? Personal choice has a big impact on many aspects of our health, but do we really have the wherewithal to choose our lifestyle, or do most of us fall into a pattern determined by what’s easy to do and what everyone else is doing? Sure, there are a few motivated individuals who swim against the stream and set their own trend. Most of us don’t. Whether we realize it or not, we follow the lead of our parents… Continue

Added by Ayala laufer-Cahana MD on October 26, 2009 at 6:00am — No Comments

Coke did make America fat

Coca-Cola’s CEO Muhtar Kent recently wrote a much viewed op-ed in the Wall Street Journal titled “Coke Didn't Make America Fat,” in which he claims Americans need more exercise, not another tax, and should “enjoy the simple pleasures of a Coca-Cola.” While it’s perfectly understandable that Mr. Kent would fight the soda tax idea—not because it threaten… Continue

Added by Ayala laufer-Cahana MD on October 19, 2009 at 6:00am — 1 Comment

Food, nutrients and relief from the common cold

Medical science has no cure for the common cold; symptomatic relief is the best we can offer as we wait for our body to overcome the viral illness. Although the common cold is generally a mild di… Continue

Added by Ayala laufer-Cahana MD on October 12, 2009 at 6:00am — No Comments

Whole wheat banana bread with mint sauce

I’ve always wondered why banana bread is called banana bread and not banana cake. Is it because it’s baked in a bread pan, and not in a round pan? Is the name designed to make us feel be… Continue

Added by Ayala laufer-Cahana MD on October 5, 2009 at 5:30am — 3 Comments

Can super-sizing fruit help you shed weight?

I’m very skeptical of promises that sound too good to be true. No field is as rife with these as the diet industry, where new dream diets are invented daily and claim to have found a magic trick allowing us to eat as much as we want yet lose weight. But here’s one worth checking out: Can eating more fruit help you shed weight? This diet is worth a second look because we have many other good reasons to increase our fruit consumption—fruit and vegetables are an important component of a… Continue

Added by Ayala laufer-Cahana MD on September 28, 2009 at 6:30am — No Comments

Health experts favor taxing sugary drinks in new report

A recent New York Times article says the debate over a tax on sugary soft drinks is starting to fizz over. The story quotes President Obama as saying taxing sugary drinks is an idea worth exploring, and that “every study that’s been done about obesity shows that there is as high a correlation between increased soda consumption and obesity.” A… Continue

Added by Ayala laufer-Cahana MD on September 21, 2009 at 6:00am — No Comments

How can “cutting added sugar” drive better health?

The American Heart Association’s (AHA) new guidelines published in late August were a refreshing point of clarity contrasting with the vagueness typical of nutrition advice designed not to offend any major food lobby. The new statement, published in Circulation, replaces AHA’s hazier 2006 one to “minimize the intake of beverages and foods with added sugars,” and provides detailed guidance by recommending an… Continue

Added by Ayala laufer-Cahana MD on September 14, 2009 at 6:11am — 1 Comment

Back to school -- five easy tips to improve your kids’ health this school year

I can’t believe the summer vacation is over and kids will be going back to school this week. This summer went by way too fast! I was happy to get a letter from my daughter’s elementary school announcing new snack policies—the school will not be giving out any more snacks, will not give food as incentives, prizes or rewards, and birthday celebrations at school will become "food free." Parents are being encouraged to send healthy snacks from home, including fresh fruit, cut-up vegetables… Continue

Added by Ayala laufer-Cahana MD on September 7, 2009 at 6:39am — No Comments

Poor nutrition driving rise in kidney stones—in adults and kids

A recent study in the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology, found that a high intake of fruits, vegetables, nuts and legumes, low-fat dairy products, and whole grains and low intake of sodium, sweetened beverages, and red and processed meats was associated with reduced ri… Continue

Added by Ayala laufer-Cahana MD on August 31, 2009 at 6:00am — No Comments

Are “functional” foods healthy foods?

I was disturbed by a short exchange I had with my ten-year old-daughter today. I told her we would be cooking a cholesterol-free dinner tonight, because one of our guests is trying to lower her cholesterol without medication, to which my dear daughter replied, “She should eat Cheerios.” Apparently General Mills’ health claims—prominently displayed on every box—have reached my daughter, and she accepts them as fact. Skimming through the New York Times later in the day, I read an Associated Pres… Continue

Added by Ayala laufer-Cahana MD on August 24, 2009 at 6:30am — 4 Comments

A snake visits our summer garden

This week my kids came running into the house screaming “Snake!” They had been playing in the back yard and while looking for the lacrosse ball, they lifted the sled they left under the magnolia tree a week ago (what they were doing with a sled in mid-summer is another topic). … Continue

Added by Ayala laufer-Cahana MD on August 17, 2009 at 6:00am — No Comments

Watermelons: A Healthy Taste of Summer

One of the best things to enjoy on a warm summer day is a cold watermelon. What could be better? Sweet, crisp, refreshing, red and nutritiously healthy. My husband sees it as a personal failure when we open a watermelon and find a pinkish disappointment that tastes like a cucumber. He feels there must be a fool-proof way to pick the perfect fruit. Alas, there’s no secret method, but I can offer a few tips for choosing a good watermelon: Tapping: Tap the watermelon with the pa… Continue

Added by Ayala laufer-Cahana MD on August 10, 2009 at 6:00am — 1 Comment

New evidence that simple healthy lifestyle choices can thwart chronic illness

With healthcare reform on many people’s minds, and awareness of the rising and overwhelming costs of chronic disease, I want to bring to your attention two recent articles in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), both of which study the effects of lifestyle factors on two all-too-common chronic illnesses in two different populations. The first study by Forman et al looks at the r… Continue

Added by Ayala laufer-Cahana MD on August 3, 2009 at 6:00am — 2 Comments

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