The U.S. Department of Agriculture has just come out with its latest dietary guidelines. Most of us won’t read them. Many of us should. Media attention immediately went to the cholesterol recommendations. No surprise there. That’s where “the money is,” in terms of drugs and the food industry. A few things which skipped attention you might consider […]
Can Bacteria Make You Fat? (3/1/15)
Bug-Brain-Waistline Forget the screaming headlines and the infomercials – dieting, weight gain and weight loss are not simple matters. Did the faecal transplant received from a daughter make a Rhode Island woman ravenous, rapidly fattening despite liquid diets, exercise and strict medical supervision? Are the supplements sold everywhere as probiotics the answer to irritable bowel […]
Can We Regulate Food Like Tobacco? (7/7/14)
Obesity and Health Many groups, like the Consumers International and the World Obesity Federation, argue food should be regulated as strictly as tobacco. Their claim (BBC News, May 18th) is that deaths from obesity are rising rapidly – about 30% globally from 2005-2010 – and that obesity promotes so many chronic diseases – from diabetes […]
Why You Have a 30 Foot Gut (5/5/14)
Is It Time to Eat Your Fruit and Veg? Consider. Humans adults have a 30 foot gut. Within it live 100 trillion bacteria. Dogs have a six foot gut. Why are dogs so foreshortened? The tale lies not in the tail or the untailed. It’s about what you eat. The Omnivore’s Opportunity There’s […]
Why Diets Don’t Work (2/18/14)
The Short Answer: Because we don’t understand enough of how the body works. That includes why we weigh what we do. Throwing more money at the problem (diets are a $66 billion dollar industry in the US; food vastly larger) has so far led to a bigger population. For every success, there are many […]