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…
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Added by Ayala laufer-Cahana MD on December 21, 2009 at 5:16am —
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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.
…
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Added by Ayala laufer-Cahana MD on December 14, 2009 at 5:00am —
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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…
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Added by Ayala laufer-Cahana MD on December 7, 2009 at 5:30am —
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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…
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Added by Ayala laufer-Cahana MD on November 30, 2009 at 6:00am —
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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…
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Added by Ayala laufer-Cahana MD on November 23, 2009 at 6:00am —
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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…
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Added by Ayala laufer-Cahana MD on November 9, 2009 at 6:00am —
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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…
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Added by Ayala laufer-Cahana MD on November 2, 2009 at 6:00am —
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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…
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Added by Ayala laufer-Cahana MD on October 26, 2009 at 6:00am —
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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…
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Added by Ayala laufer-Cahana MD on October 19, 2009 at 6:00am —
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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…
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Added by Ayala laufer-Cahana MD on October 12, 2009 at 6:00am —
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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…
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Added by Ayala laufer-Cahana MD on October 5, 2009 at 5:30am —
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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…
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Added by Ayala laufer-Cahana MD on September 28, 2009 at 6:30am —
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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…
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Added by Ayala laufer-Cahana MD on September 21, 2009 at 6:00am —
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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…
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Added by Ayala laufer-Cahana MD on September 14, 2009 at 6:11am —
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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…
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Added by Ayala laufer-Cahana MD on September 7, 2009 at 6:39am —
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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…
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Added by Ayala laufer-Cahana MD on August 31, 2009 at 6:00am —
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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…
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Added by Ayala laufer-Cahana MD on August 24, 2009 at 6:30am —
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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).
…
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Added by Ayala laufer-Cahana MD on August 17, 2009 at 6:00am —
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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…
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Added by Ayala laufer-Cahana MD on August 10, 2009 at 6:00am —
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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…
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Added by Ayala laufer-Cahana MD on August 3, 2009 at 6:00am —
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