Category Archives: Healthy eating

Food Is Medicine Update

Food Is Medicine Update
Diet-related chronic diseases The global epidemic of diet-related chronic diseases, coupled with the increasing awareness that many people face major obstacles in acquiring healthy foods, prompted increased attention to food is medicine (FIM). This term refers to the provision of healthy foods to prevent, manage, or treat diet-related chronic diseases in conjunction  with health professionals.…
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Saturated Fats and Dietary Guidelines for Americans

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…
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Animal, Vegetable, Junk

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,…
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Ultra-Processed Foods and Depression

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…
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