May 23, 2017 — Some parts of the food industry may be leaving us. Rather than adapt, these companies want to keep selling the dietary equivalent of telephone booths. They imagine they can delay or avoid telling their customers how much sugar they’re pouring into their products. They imagine they can keep selling junk food into schools. Ignore Your […]
May 15, 2017 — Is fear a useful tool for promoting public health? Skimming the headlines you might think so. Hopes and fears for our health often take a ride on the beverages we drink and demonize. Fear the Bubbles In the UK, the press seems delighted to hype a rat study of carbonated water, saying that it will […]
April 21, 2017 — “That stuff can’t be good for you.” Diet soda is a fizzy elixir that people love to hate. And so this week, we have yet another round of studies and pseudo-scientific PR pitching “links” as evidence of cause and effect. The scare theme this week is artificial sweeteners will give you a stroke. The Study […]
January 30, 2017 — The French say “non.” No more free refills. As of last Friday, selling unlimited servings of sugary soft drinks for a fixed price is illegal in France. This move continues a steady path of measures intended to curb the rise of obesity there. In 2004, France banned vending machines from schools. In 2011, school cafeterias […]
January 27, 2017 — Here’s an unusual comparison. It contrasts the value of two different options for childhood obesity: a tax on sugary beverages versus bariatric surgery for adolescents. Steven Gortmaker and colleagues published this analysis in Health Affairs. Gortmaker presented the data yesterday in Washington, DC. Calling this an apples and oranges comparison would be generous. The basis for this comparison has two dimensions. First […]
January 16, 2017 — Remember when “breakfast without orange juice was like a day without sunshine”? The Nutrition Source at Harvard, consistent with many public health nutrition experts, presents a different view these days. It classifies fruit juice alongside alcoholic beverages as something to be consumed sparingly. Whole milk gets the same treatment, by the way. Consumer Reports tells us that “fruit […]
December 16, 2016 — Mexico is something of a poster child for using taxes to drive down soda sales and fight obesity. A 10% tax on sugary drinks began nationwide there in 2014. After three years of the tax, soda consumption appears to be down, but obesity is still climbing. New results from Mexico’s 2016 National Health and Nutrition […]
November 29, 2016 — Is factual reporting on sweeteners no longer a possibility? A sampling of recent headlines raises that question. Here are a few: How Sugar Substitutes Prevent Weight Loss Which Is Worse: Artificial Sweeteners or Sugar? Why Researchers Think Aspartame Is Making You Fat Low Calorie Drinks Actually Boost Weight The cause for these headlines was a […]
November 18, 2016 — A certain amount of angst is bubbling up around the subject of food policy under President-elect Donald Trump. That angst crystallizes in speculation about the possibility that Trump would bulldoze the White House vegetable garden. But beyond that symbolic question, many nitty gritty policy details will tell the full story. Certainly, plowing under the vegetable […]
November 17, 2016 — When is a processed, packaged food product thought to be a healthy choice? Hard to say, but you might look at plant milks for some insight. The category is booming. Global sales will grow at a stunning 13% annual rate through 2022, say industry analysts. Consumers opting for the health and sustainability image of a […]
