April 20, 2019 — We are in the midst of a great change in how our food is labeled for nutrition. The Nutrition Facts label goes back to 1993, with no changes since 1999. That’s when trans fats gained a place on the label. Now, starting in 2020, the label will call out added sugar. That should be simple, […]
April 17, 2019 — Noom is an app and a program that climbed into the top trends for diet and nutrition searches on Google in 2018. So now it’s putting considerable pressure on the old guard of the diet industry at a time when consumers have very mixed feelings about that business. Weight Watchers is now WW – Wellness […]
April 15, 2019 — We’re not especially fond of rankings for obesity. They can spark sensationalism. Back in 2008, journalists had great fun with a CDC report that identified Huntington, WV, as “America’s fattest city.” Jamie Oliver swooped in to offer an enlightened diet to the city and its children. He sobbed for the cameras when the city didn’t […]
April 13, 2019 — Beware. Gendered generalizations will almost always get you into trouble. But they surround us. And in the Washington Post, Monica Hesse points out Twitter founder Jack Dorsey can utter meaningless drivel about what to eat and it’s a “biohack.” However, from a female opportunist – say, Gwyneth Paltrow – it’s simply whacky. Hack or whack? […]
April 4, 2019 — It’s a impressive factoid. According to a new study in Lancet, poor diets are a factor in one fifth of the world’s deaths every year. The biggest culprits are too much salt, along with too little fruit and whole grains. All of this comes from the Global Burden of Disease project at the University of […]
April 3, 2019 — Just about three years ago, FDA started working on a new definition to guide your healthy eating. Don’t worry, they’re on it. Yep, they’re definitely going to issue new rules for what it takes to make a claim that a food product is good for you. But you have to understand. This takes time. We’ve […]
April 1, 2019 — A broad coalition of health, nutrition, environmental, and animal rights activists are creating quite a stir today with an ambitious new policy proposal. The Lean New Deal aims to stop the obesity syndemic in its tracks. At the same time, it will erase the problem of climate change if fully implemented. This is the product […]
March 31, 2019 — How do smart people hold onto some stupid ideas? Motivated reasoning is one very important way. People start with a belief that’s very important to them. Then, they collect information to support it. Also, they arrange their information into a rationale that supports their belief. The result is a fortress of conviction. But one thing […]
March 29, 2019 — Are you ready for vegetables by prescription? That’s what nutrition policy wonks are pushing with a new publication in PLOS Medicine. Yujin Lee, a postdoctoral fellow and lead author, sums up their bold claims: We found that encouraging people to eat healthy foods in Medicare and Medicaid – healthy food prescriptions – could be as […]
March 25, 2019 — Whatever you do, don’t make the vegans mad at you. Yovana Mendoza Ayres is finding this out the hard way. She’s a social media star, known as Rawvana, who built her brand around a raw vegan lifestyle. She sells meal plans like the Raw Vegan Detox and Yoga Challenge, which goes for $49 on her […]
