FEBRUARY 2017
"Lots of butter is the secret,"
says lovely Welsh 106-year-old
in an article discussing her long and healthy life.
In case you missed any of these newsworthy stories, here is a wrap on the best real-food-more-fat headlines last month.
- Sugar's evil ways continue to be top of mind, as Taubes defends his book, The Case Against Sugar, (WSJ review here), and explains that nutritionists have been Big Sugar's secret ally in a NYT op-ed. In an LA Times op-ed, Taubes asks "How much sugar is too much?" and ponders whether moderation is possible. In The Atlantic, Teicholz calls for clear science before making dietary recommendations about sugar (or fat). Meanwhile, prominent sugar foe Dr. Robert Lustig points his finger at processed food in a new JAMA Pediatrics editorial.
- The New York Times reports that soda tops grocery purchases in SNAP households... then Kristin Lawless counters that this is true in most households. While some call for regulation, cooler heads voice concernabout punishing the poor and a 'nanny state.' Separately, CSPI sues Coke for obfuscating soda's role in diabesity, and a new CDC study shows 60% of US kids have at least one sugary drink each day.
- A shocking analysis by FAIR Health of a pool of over 21 billion health claims shows pediatric claims for type 2 diabetes doubling between 2011 and 2015, and claims with a diagnosis of obesity up 154% for 19-22 year olds in the same period.
- Should you eat breakfast? A new study questions the conventional wisdom, showing that adding breakfast causes weight gain. And an AP reporter explores the tricky-to-interpret nutrition science behind the confusion. Separately, a study finds British children eat far too much sugar at breakfast, although 8/10 parents thought the breakfast served was healthy.
- Scientific American article, The Exercise Paradox, confirms that "physical activity does little to control weight." More on this matter, here.
WANT MORE?
Read "Let's Move" On, a new ETB post reflecting on why the Obama administration's considerable efforts to combat childhood obesity have failed to produce results. Or this ETB post about why it matters that our theory of obesity is (or isn't) correct.
Don't miss ETB's Top 10 Food Rules, restyled... pdf available for your refrigerator!
Read about a very low-carb (ketogenic) diet and its use in training for race walking and other athletic endeavors. Or its use to help this grandfather lose 114 pounds in 6 months.
Or consider The San Francisco Chronicle's food reporter's assertion that fat is back. In support of her thesis, note that both high fat "Atkins" and the "ketogenic diet" were among the top five diets Googled in 2016.
FROM THE ETB WALL OF SHAME:
- We can't believe this one. Unilever's "I Can't Believe It's Not Butter" (aka toxic industrial waste in a tub) is renamed in UK. Going forward, it's "I Can't Believe It's So Good... For Everything." Catchy.
- Fisher-Price introduces a preschooler exercise bike... <sigh>
- 15 kinds of yogurt that have more sugar than a Snickers bar.
- Secondhand sugar... the risks of exposure to sugar in utero, infancy, and early childhood.
- Kellogg's new kid-targeted cereals feature Disney characters, marshmallows, and miniature cookies to hook kids. Nice.
- National Geographic's food maps. America's is made with corn; France's looks tastier, done in cheese. Appropriate. #FrenchParadox?
- A personal brush with the world of SUMO... plus what Sumo wrestlers eat to get and stay big.
- General Mills explains why yogurt needs to be "craveable." As in, you WILL eat more.
FINALLY, SOME FUN WITH BUTTER...
1,000 pounds of butter. Butter talk on The Splendid Table. Butter innovations. Butter nutrition. A brown butter Béarnaise. A gourmet ghee startup. Five minutes in la Beurre Bordier (French butter heaven). Trader Joe's stocks artisanal Welsh butter. Saveur's 30 great butters.
Happy February,
The Moms @ Eat the Butter
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Prior newsletters:
January 2017 — December 2016 — November 2016