Nutrition Wonderland

Plastic Troubles: Brominated Flame Retardants (PBDEs)

Thursday, September 3, 2009

Almost all pure plastics are inherently flammable. When exposed to heat and flame, the polymers in plastics split into smaller, more volatile pieces. The only thing that keeps most plastics from going up in smoke are the flame retardants mixed into the plastics themselves. But at what cost? (Thanks to dominicspics on flickr for the shot)

Book Review: Mindless Eating by Brian Wansink

Wednesday, August 26, 2009

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Upon searching for research for my last article about the social aspects of eating, I stumbled upon a book with a very intriguing title. It's called "Mindless Eating: Why We Eat More Than We Think", and is written by a nutritional scientist by the name of Brian Wansink. In one word: whoa. This book is simply great.

Plastic Troubles: Bisphenol A

Friday, August 21, 2009

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From grocery bags to drinking bottles, IV bags to the teflon on non-stick pans, plastics really do make everything possible. They're incredibly versatile: the final product can very in hardness, be shaped in almost any way imaginable, and is chemically inert, all for a bargain basement price. Really, it's a magical substance. Unfortunately, the very properties which make it so useful in so many industries are the same properties which make it one of the worst physical pollutant in the world.T hanks to flickr user billaday for the cool shot.

The Social Side of Eating

Monday, August 17, 2009

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Much of nutrition focuses on the individual. You are responsible for picking the right foods, eating healthy, exercising, and doing what's best for your body. Nutrition consultations are one-on-one, focused on the single person's dietary needs and deficiencies. And that's great - if you're single, have no friends, and live and work by yourself. But the truth is most of us are a part of a larger network of people, whether it be because we're married, work in a large office, or have a tight-knit group of friends. Who we eat with, as it turns out, has a big impact on what we eat. To ignore this influence when thinking about diets and food is a recipe for disaster.

New Study Connects Leptin to Dopamine

Monday, August 10, 2009

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As I've been writing the "Understanding Our Bodies: The Physiology of Nutrition" series, I've tried to explain how the various chemical systems in our bodies relate to how and what we eat. For example, two of the biggest hormones that affect our eating habits - Leptin, the fullness hormone, and Dopamine, the brain's reward hormone - seem to have very different and unrelated effects on our bodies. But every day science is discovering just how interwoven and related our bodies different systems are. Just this week, for example, after explaining everything I could find about how dopamine relates to eating, scientists from the University of Michigan have discovered a new way that leptin regulates dopamine levels.

Understanding our Bodies: Dopamine and Its Rewards

Friday, July 31, 2009

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As much as we’d like to deny it, there’s a lot more involved in our decision making when it comes to food than just the advice of our inner and outer nutritionists. For the most part, we know that we should be eating. Yet time and time again when a friend asks us if we [...]

Food as a Household Tool: The Other Uses for Food Besides Eating

Monday, July 27, 2009

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Got some extra food lying around the house that you don't know quite what to do with? Maybe you can use that food for something...more interesting. Food as household tools, coming up following the break >

Understanding Our Bodies: Amino Acids Are Important

Monday, July 20, 2009

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Whether the strategy is to cut carbs or to cut fat or to cut calories in general, just about everyone agrees that protein is good for you. But why? And do the sources make a difference? What about protein makes it so important, and what do you need to include in your diet to reap the benefits? What happens when we don't have it? (Thanks to Flickr user TKnoxB for the image)

Hawaiian Health and the Coconut

Tuesday, July 7, 2009

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Hawaii has some of the lowest rates of heart disease, childhood obesity, cancer, and even deaths by Alzheimer's in the US. While part of this might be due to good health care coverage and availability (Hawaii has the second lowest rate of uninsured individuals in the US), it might also have a lot to do with the food. Thanks to Flickr User Bionic Teaching for the awesome coconut shot!