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SLICE Act Would Bring Less Pizza, More Veggies To School Lunches
Gotta love a politician who loves his puns—especially if he also wants to get unhealthy pizza out of school cafeterias. I’m talking about Rep. Jared Polis, a Democrat from Colorado, whose proposed SLICE Act would end school lunch programs’ reliance on tomato paste—i.e. pizza sauce—as a qualified vegetable. More »
Why Fat-Free Isn’t All It’s Cracked Up to Be
One of the biggest nutrition myths is that if a food is fat-free, it doesn’t make you fat…or even better, it makes you slim. That idea makes for enticing packaging and alluring ad campaigns, but we now know it’s not the golden ticket to weight loss. Here are a few reasons you shouldn’t be lured in by the promise of ‘fat-free’—and focus on getting good fats in your diet instead: More »
Book Look: Spring’s New Cookbooks And Healthy Eating Guides
Need some fresh inspiration for fresh spring produce? These six recently published or upcoming cookbooks offer diverse takes on cooking with spring’s bounty—vegan, Southern, budget-friendly—but share a similar seasonal, simple and DIY approach to healthy eating. More »
Paleoista: A More Feminine,’No-Cave’ Paleo Diet
“Paleoista” Nell Stephenson envisions a less primal, more “feminine and fashionable” paleo diet. I talked with her about the paleo diet philosophy, why she recommends cutting out whole grains and beans and the need for female-friendly paleo advice.
5 Questions For A Doctor About Why 2-Year-Old Fast Food Doesn’t Rot
Earlier this week, a photo of two-year-old fast food—that hasn’t rotted or aged at all—went viral. Reactions were varied, but most were in two camps: 1) This is a really good reason not to eat burgers and fries, or 2) This photo is totally fake and I’m still going to eat my burgers and fries, dammit. The science of why burgers don’t rot, mold, or get eaten by bugs has been explored elsewhere, but we wanted to know from a doctor what we should really take away from the photo in terms of our health. So we talked to Dr. Frank Lipman, Integrative & Functional Medicine Physician and founder of Eleven Eleven Wellness Center, to find out what he makes of the meme. More »
Beyond Raw: Omega-3s Have Made Raw Food Pioneers Rethink Their Diets
Victoria Boutenko is one of the pioneers of the modern raw foods movement. She’s been a raw gourmet chef, and her books—like Raw Family, about her whole family’s 1994 conversion to a 100% raw diet—have helped scores of people learn about raw foods. But in Boutenko’s latest book, Raw & Beyond, she and co-authors Elaina Love and Chad Sarno (both raw chefs) explain how they’ve moved “beyond raw,” largely due to new science regarding omega-3s. We posted a recipe from Raw & Beyond for merlot pickled onions yesterday (in addition to essays from each author, the book features recipes and a great chart of the ratio of omega-3s to omega-6s in various oils and nuts). The following is an excerpt adapted from Boutenko’s section of the book, explaining what motivated her to start eating (and advocating) cooked foods again after nearly two decades eating 100% raw foods. More »
This Is What 2-Year-Old Fast Food Looks Like
What’s the secret to McDonald’s fries? They’re non-perishable, according to a Facebook photo posted by Illinois’ LiveWell Centers earlier this month. The photo shows four different brands of fast food that were purchased two years ago last Sunday, and according to LiveWell, left out in the open to decay, or…not. More »
This Salad Has Way More Calories Than You Think (Plus, You’re Fat)
Bad news: Most people don’t understand how health works. Between the New York Times article that says most people are in denial about their weight, and Massive Health’s infographic called “We Eat Less Healthy Than We Think” (below) it’s no wonder our country has chronic health epidemics ranging from obesity to heart disease and diabetes. Both stories are a good wake-up call, but still, I have to wonder: How can so many people be so out of touch with basic nutrition and health? It’s not because we’re all stupid. More »
Urban ‘Food Deserts’ Are Probably A Myth
‘Food deserts’ have become a favorite scapegoat of those seeking to find something, anything, to explain why Americans are getting ever fatter and sicker. And fixing these food deserts—a term used to refer to (mostly poor, urban) areas where fast food and convenience stores are omnipresent but fresh fruit, vegetables and other healthy options scarce—has become a rallying cry for the likes of policy makers, health advocates and Michelle Obama. But two new studies reported in the New York Times suggest the whole concept of food deserts might be a myth, and unrelated to obesity. More »
Infographic: 14 Reasons To Eat Less Sugar
The warnings against sugar have reached critical mass; people are finally starting to listen to warnings that the sweet stuff is toxic, and is probably at the root of many serious chronic health problems. But it’s not easy to ditch it completely, and it’s easy to ignore the research because, well, it’s complicated—and it’s easier to go on eating a lot of sugar. More »
Health and Hygiene Advice From 1919
At the thrift store this weekend, I picked up a copy of a book from 1919 called Hygiene And Health, written by Indiana college professors Charles P. Emerson and George Herbert Betts. The book is aimed at elementary school kids, so we are not quite the intended audience. Nonetheless, I think you all might enjoy some pearls of health wisdom from 1919. Click through for how often to eat each of the great groups of food (that would be “milk, eggs, cereal grains, vegetables, fruits, meats, sweets and pure water,” obviously); why our food should be “palatable” and our meal times “cheerful;” bad habits to avoid with your hair; and why to avoid iced drinks at soda fountains between meals. More »
Why Your Hair And Nails Don’t Grow (And How To Fix It)
During a recent Blisstree editorial meeting, the staff got to talking about our hair and nails. Chiefly, whether or not we believed that anything that we could purchase) could actually, as rumored, speed our slow hair and nail growth. We’d all heard about the miracles of pre-natal vitamins and an unattainably stress-free existence, but was any of it true? Is there actually anything you can take or eat do to get long, strong nails and hair, or are some of us (like me) doomed to brittle, pathetic nails for life? More »
Study: Red Meat Makes Ladies Happy
Last month, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics published a study that says eating too little red meat makes women more prone to mental health issues like depression and anxiety disorder. Eating less meat has become fashionable in the mainstream, thanks to studies like the one published earlier this year that says red meat will kill you, and endless headlines about pink slime that have scared everyone away from supermarket ground beef. And to be sure, there are a lot of reasons not to eat the amount and type of meat that’s consumed as part of today’s Standard American Diet…but this study highlights why it might not be entirely beneficial to cut out all meat, all the time. More »
Cameron Diaz Wants To Be A Nutrition Educator: This Could Get Ugly
InStyle‘s interview with their May cover model, Cameron Diaz, covers a lot of ground…kind of like her own career goals, which apparently include becoming a nutrition educator in addition to acting and producing. This could, of course, get ugly: She’s a celebrity and former model, so there will be a lot of opportunity to critique how well she can relate to the average woman. But as someone who’s made a concerted effort to prioritize her health and fitness (and bucked body norms by working out to build muscle instead of losing weight), we’re actually hopeful she could do some good. More »
5 Ways To Serve ‘The Worst Dinner Guest Ever’
This awesome illustration is a cute way of describing one of the most frustrating problems with having people over to eat: Between everyone’s food sensitivities and allergies, it can be hard to find something everyone can eat. And that’s not even counting anyone’s voluntary choices or preferences. And, as someone who has experienced the task of serving a group of people who are allergic to nuts, gluten-intolerant, vegan, lactose intolerant, and/or allergic to eggs, I can tell you that this graphic got it right: When these factors converge you pretty much have the worst dinner guest(s) ever. More »
Diets Decoded: The Macrobiotic Diet
Here’s what I (thought I) knew about the macrobiotic diet: a) It’s a lot like veganism, b) except you’re supposed to avoid “nightshade” vegetables like potatoes and eggplant, and c) there’s some sort of philosophical component to it. Turns out, however, that while the macrobiotic diet emphasizes whole foods and ample veggies, macrobiotic eaters aren’t necessarily vegan, or even vegetarian. To learn more about macrobiotic eating, I turned to nutritionist Jonathan Bechtel, owner of the health supplement company Health Kismet. Bechtel says macrobiotics is a “fantastic diet if done well,” and “adoption is easier than one might presume with the right information.” Oh yeah? Well, then, let’s get informed. More »
Rethink Your “Healthy” Drink: How Much Sugar Is In That Coconut Water, Anyway?
Last week, a photo which illustrates the amount of sugar in various drinks was making the rounds on Facebook. It surprised a lot of people, and illustrated one of the main arguments for changing current food labels: most folks just don’t know what “65 grams” of sugar looks like. But it also, it seemed, gave a lot of people (including myself) a false sense of smugness. Pffft, I thought, I don’t drink soda! I’m a healthy person! I know better than all of those silly Mountain Dew drinkers! Don’t they understand?
And then I looked at how much sugar was in the “healthy” juice drink I was sipping. Whoops. More »
Science Says Sugar Is Toxic; Are ‘Natural’ Sweeteners Better?
We’ve known for a long time that eating sugar wont’ exactly further our weight loss goals, but increasingly, studies and media reports are telling us that sugar is actually toxic: It fuels cancer growth, speeds aging, and contributes to obesity, heart disease and diabetes. The good news is that many health-conscious consumers have already started to proceed with caution when buying sweetened products. The bad news is that, with so many so-called “healthy” or “natural” sweeteners on the market, it can be pretty hard to figure out which, if any, are okay to consume. More »
Ditch Your Concealer and Fix Dark Circles and Puffy Eyes For Good
If you find that you are spending more and more money for the perfect under-eye concealer, or treatments to combat puffiness in your face, you should look at the root causes. In my practice I have found that the culprit behind those dark circles and puffy eyes can range from thyroid problems to food allergies. Here are some solutions to the five common causes More »
Most Americans Do Get Enough Vitamins
We’re relentlessly bombarded with how poor the standard American diet is, so it may come as a bit of a surprise that most Americans do get enough vitamins and nutrients. A report published this week by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found only about 10% of the population have nutritional deficiencies. More »
