Category Archives: Healthy eating

Saturated Fats and Dietary Guidelines for Americans

The diet-heart hypothesis Starting in the late 1950s, University of Minnesota physiologist Ancel Keys developed the idea that fats and, subsequently, saturated fats increased blood serum levels of cholesterol and LDL-cholesterol. Many studies show significant associations between elevated blood serum LDL-cholesterol levels and increased risk of cardiovascular disease. Thus, reducing dietary intake of saturated fats…
more

Animal, Vegetable, Junk

Our obesogenic environment We Americans live in an obesogenic environment. Omnipresent ultra-processed food promotes overeating. In his latest provocative book, Animal, Vegetable, Junk, author Mark Bitmann chronicles the history of food and explains that the food industry created foods so tasty and pleasurable that we eat more than we need. As products of our evolution,…
more

Ultra-Processed Foods and Depression

Depressive symptoms in a French cohort Recent studies have linked unhealthy dietary patterns to increased risks of chronic diseases, including obesity, hypertension, metabolic disorders, and cancer. High consumption of ultra-processed foods (UPFs) also predicts increased risk of chronic diseases. European scientists used data from 26,730 participants in the French NutriNet-Sante cohort to determine if high…
more

Carbohydrate Quality vs. Quantity

Shift your focus from carb quantity to quality Human populations have thrived eating widely disparate amounts of carbohydrates. Yet, the Western diet full of low-quality carbohydrates predicts greater risks of cardiometabolic diseases. Recent research suggests that the typical focus on carbohydrate quantity should shift to carbohydrate quality. For example, shift from low-quality carbs with high…
more