April 20, 2018 — Can strapping a fitbit on a cow make that animal healthier? For that matter, can it make the dairy industry and perhaps even the planet healthier? Artificial intelligence and new tech for connecting cows to the web are dangling this possibility before us. Monitoring Health and Activity Sensor tags and collars for cows are not […]
April 19, 2018 — Facts matter. Right? We like to think so. But the truth is that people act on emotion – beliefs and feelings – every bit as much as they do on facts. For a case study in how beliefs and feelings can triumph over facts, let’s take a look at a nutrition education program. Teaching Children About Gardens […]
April 18, 2018 — Step right up! Many people are handing out unsolicited advice about obesity and what’s best for you. This sort of advice comes from two dramatically different extremes. We hear it from ignorant, biased individuals who think that solutions are easy. But it also comes from people who say, forget it. Obesity is no big deal […]
April 17, 2018 — Little more than a month from now, the European Congress on Obesity (ECO2018) promises a global view of obesity. Though it’s a European meeting, the programme offers up a global perspective on this pandemic. A few themes stand out. Gaps in Understanding Obesity Obesity has been slower to develop in most of the world compared to […]
April 16, 2018 — Athleisure has taken over popular culture. It seems like everyone is working out. Runners are everywhere we turn. People move through their their days ready for yoga with their mats and togs. And yet, we’re also more sedentary than ever. How can this be? Could it be that our appetite for exercise plays a role? […]
April 15, 2018 — Is it true pasta doesn’t make you gain weight, and could even help you lose it? Most people think eating pasta will lead to weight-gain, but a recent study found otherwise. It’s no suprise such a conclusion made headlines. Business Insider claimed: Eating pasta 3 times a week won’t make you gain weight, according to a […]
April 14, 2018 — Is there any objective difference between the pleasure we feel in viewing Monet’s paintings or eating M&Ms? Perhaps this seems like an odd question. But it’s the subject of intense scientific controversy. And it’s relevant to our thinking about food. Hungry for Pleasure Julia Christensen started this scientific scuffle last year by publishing a provocative […]
April 13, 2018 — You might have thought that all the news this week was about Syria and the FBI. You would be wrong. While everyone else was focused on those lovely distractions, CMS was busy issuing new rules for health insurance. The net effect is hard to predict. But broadly speaking, you can expect to see higher costs […]
April 12, 2018 — If you skim headlines of health reporting on obesity, you might think fake news is creeping in. But what’s the bigger picture? How does media shape ideas about obesity? Fatima Cody Stanford, Zujaja Tauqeer, and Ted Kyle offer a new review in Current Obesity Reports. Body Positivity The subject of body positivity might be one area […]
April 11, 2018 — A colleague recently asked: How do you keep doing what you do in the face of so much awful stuff? By awful stuff, she meant flagrant examples of weight bias. Like the Guardian’s recent Op-Ed by Lizzie Cernik, proclaiming “It’s not fine to be fat.” The short answer to our friend’s question is this. Bias […]
