A previous post shared three new “muscles” needed to better withstand the environmental pressure exerted by our Convenience Eating Culture. But these three “muscles” weren’t always a part of my toolbox. In fact, there was a time in the 70s and 80s when I was excited to see ads like the one below. I was … Read more
The next couple weeks are going to be make-or-break time for healthy eating resolutions. That’s when most of them fall by the wayside. So here’s a thought if you start missing the mark on one or more of yours: What if it’s not all your fault?!! What if bigger forces are at work, diligently plotting … Read more
Does the Earth Love Us? Does Food Hold Any Hopeful Evidence? In a recent podcast, storyteller Leah Lamb shared stories about her work with whales and how, among many other amazing contributions, whales are “known as being able to influence fields of energy with voices that calm the nervous systems of all the other animals … Read more
The Good News: We’re eating fewer ultra-processed foods! “The mean percentage of calories consumed from UPFs fell 3 percentage points since 2018.” The Bad News: 53% of our calories are still coming from ultra-processed foods. A Heartening Trend At least the trend shows that we CAN change! We can see through the marketing gimmicks and … Read more
“If you want to solve a problem, be sure to look in the right place for solutions–but the right place may be different than the problem place!” That advice was in a recent newsletter from Elyse Wagner, a health coach who seems to offer pretty sensible guidance. I liked how it ties in exactly with … Read more
Food News You Can Use The last couple newsletters focused on protein, which is unquestionably important for many reasons, like maintaining muscle mass as we age. But as a recent article (1) reminded, “Protein may be hot, but it’s fiber that Americans need to eat a lot more of.” What’s Crazy It’s so easy to eat … Read more
With grocery prices front and center in the news, who doesn’t want to save a few dollars? Here’s a simple way to save both dollars and your health: Steer clear of the snack aisles. In almost all cases, snack foods are highly processed (i.e., ultra-processed) and provide little in the way of nutrition or, more … Read more
You might remember this post: “Do You Put Antifreeze on Your Skin? In Your Mouth?” That article explained how propylene glycol, an ingredient in anti-freeze, is also used in both cosmetics and food. Since posting that article, I’ve run into a couple readers who mentioned that they were now taking a closer look at ingredient … Read more
How Does This Happen to Smart People? (Part 3: Learnings from a Garlic Party) This is part of a continuing series on Food Marketing that explores why we need a different kind of smarts to stay healthy in an unhealthy food environment, i.e., “marketing-smarts.” (Find Part 2 in the series here) A few days ago … Read more
This is part of a continuing series on Food Marketing Shenanigans that explores: How does it happen that when it comes to food, smart people are often not so very smart? It’s because we need a different kind of smarts to stay healthy in an unhealthy food environment, i.e., “marketing-smarts.” Ingredient Listings: The best defense … Read more