Tag: diabetes’

“Food Rules” I Can Live By

 - by KitchenPantryScientist

This afternoon, I buzzed through Michael Pollan’s “Food Rules”, which are basically his Cliff Notes on a healthy diet.  His mantra is “Eat food.  Not too much.  Mostly Plants,” which is hard to argue with when you look at the superior health of nations who eat according to those rules.  Here in America, where we eat mostly highly processed, sweetened and fatty foods, we’re on the verge of a national epidemic.  Obesity and diabetes will kill more and more people each year, young and old alike, and further cripple our ailing health care system if we don’t change our eating habits.  Americans literally can’t afford to keep eating this way.

Here are some of my favorite food rules from the book:

#13 “Eat only foods that will eventually rot.” It is scary that there are foods that even bacteria and fungi won’t touch.

#19 “If it came from a plant, eat it.  If it was made in a plant, don’t.”  I can follow this maybe 70% of the time, but I love cold cereal.

#27 “Eat animals that have themselves eaten well.”  Costs a little more, but who wants mad cow disease?

#36 “Don’t eat breakfast cereals that change the color of milk.”  My kids and husband love Fruity Pebbles, but I ALMOST never buy them.

#37 “The whiter the bread, the sooner you’ll be dead.”  Complex carbs rule.

#41 “Eat more like the French.  Or the Japanese.  Or the Italians.  Or the Greeks.” How do you say “yum” in all those languages?

#43″ Have a glass of wine with dinner.” My favorite food rule.

#44 “Pay more, eat less.” Why are people willing to spend money on everything EXCEPT healthy food?

#58 “Do all your eating at a table.”  This is harder than it sounds, but a great rule and teaches your kids good eating habits.

#59 “Try not to eat alone.” Eating is most enjoyable when it’s a shared activity.

#63 “Cook.”  We only order pizza once a week.  That’s not so bad, is it?

#64 “Break the rules once in a while.”  My second favorite rule and essential to the sanity of anyone with kids to feed.

So, this weekend, call some friends, cook a good meal (that includes a salad) and open a bottle of wine.  You’ll just be following the rules.

Posted on “Food Renegade’s” Fight Back Friday July 1, 2010

This Week in Science and Health

 - by KitchenPantryScientist

I found lots of interesting tidbits in today’s Science Times!

In science news, my son was fascinated to learn that ABE, a pioneering undersea robotic explorer, appears to have implodedunder about 10,000 feet of water while searching for hydrothermal vents in the sea of southern Chile.  We also read that “Fearless Felix” Baumgartner is going to jump from a helium balloon in the stratosphere, 120,000 feet above earth in an attempt to be the first skydiver to break the speed of sound.

In health news, The Science Times today tells us that a study showed that when soda prices went up, consumers health improved.  (Not that surprising, really.) There was an interesting article about new research showing that taking an anti-inflammatory related to aspirin helped Type 2 diabetes patients manage their disease and even lower their blood sugar.  This seems to be further evidence that inflammation plays a role in diabetes.  There is also a good article about Dr. Thomas Frieden,the new director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Alanta.  I was happy to read that he’s reorganizing the agency to give scientists better access to top leadership and popping into research labs on a regular basis to see what’s going on.