Smart Bytes™
Feeling nutrition info overload? I will help you sort through to find what’s important to you. Read more. . .
Video Interview with Dan Buettner: Is community vital to a Blue Zones lifestyle?
What makes a lifestyle that supports a long, healthy life? In the first part of my interview with Dan Buettner, he discussed the components of a healthy lifestyle that he discovered in the Blue Zones of the world, where people live long and healthfully. Now the big questions: what does it take to live this lifestyle? Can we do it on our own? What kind of support matters? Can we create communities that make healthy choices easier than unhealthy ones? That certainly does not describe life in most U.S. communities today. Here’s what Dan Buettner says in the second half of our interview. Please check it out and then join in for discussion.
A Good Kind of Binge
You know that most binges – whether potato chips, booze or chocolate – lead to trouble and leave you no happier in the end. So what’s a good kind of binge? The kind I’ve been on for the last few days: what branding expert Teresa Pangan calls a Gratitude Binge. I was just honored with SCAN’s award for Excellence in Practice in Wellness Nutrition.
Receiving SCAN award for Excellence in Practice in Wellness Nutrition from Carol Lapin, MS, RD, CSSD
Receiving an honor like this from my peers, and listening to the heartwarming tribute given by Carol Lapin, MS, RD, CSSD, has been truly humbling. It’s an occasion for gratitude to the many people who have supported, taught and mentored me throughout my career and personal life. Continue reading
Video interview: Protein & Your Bones. An expert weighs in
It’s easy to feel confused with all the conflicting news of how the protein in our diet affects bone health. Should we be more concerned about getting enough protein? Or is the greater risk from too much protein increasing calcium loss in the urine and bone loss?
While I was speaking in New York City recently, I was delighted to get some time with my long-time friend from graduate school at Cornell University, Jeri Nieves, PhD. Dr Nieves is Associate Professor of Nutrition and Epidemiology at Columbia University and Helen Hayes Hospital, where she is known for research on bone health and osteoporosis.
Here is video from the third and final section of my interview with Dr. Nieves about nutrition for healthy bones. Continue reading
Video with Scoop from a Bone Expert: Magnesium for bone health??
Have you heard people say they need extra magnesium or potassium for their bones? People have asked me about that, but I never saw research clearly supporting the idea.
While I was speaking in New York City recently, I was delighted to get some time with my long-time friend from graduate school at Cornell University, Jeri Nieves, PhD. Dr Nieves is Associate Professor of Nutrition and Epidemiology at Columbia University and Helen Hayes Hospital, where she is known for research on bone health and osteoporosis.
Here is video from Part 2 of my interview with her about nutrition for healthy bones. Continue reading
Video: Bone Researcher Clarifies Calcium Concerns
Almost everybody knows that we need calcium for healthy bones. Beyond that, though, the details often get a little fuzzy when it comes to knowing whether or not you’re getting the right amount.
While I was speaking in New York City recently, I took advantage of the chance to catch up both personally and professionally with my long-time friend from days back in graduate school at Cornell University, Jeri Nieves, PhD. Dr. Nieves is Associate Professor of Nutrition and Epidemiology at Columbia University and Helen Hayes Hospital, where she is known for research on bone health and osteoporosis. Here is some video from our conversation. Continue reading
Fighting Inflammation with Your Fork: What matters?
Identifying a food as “anti-inflammatory” comes close to giving it “super food” status, since avoiding or reducing chronic low-grade inflammation offers potential to reduce risk of cancer, heart disease and more. The scientific-sounding explanations of what makes a food or diet anti-inflammatory, however, aren’t always as solid as they seem.
Anti-Inflammatory Foods?
You may have heard of certain foods that supposedly promote or fight off inflammation. Yet a Columbia University study of more than 2200 adults found that a scoring system, introduced in a book for the general public, that was designed to rate the inflammatory impact of foods turned out to be unrelated to blood values of CRP (C-reactive protein), a marker of inflammation that can be measured in the blood. Continue reading
Buffets: 3 steps to beat a weight control challenge
Scientists have discovered something about mice that may help people trying to avoid weight gain over the holiday season. Turns out that you can’t make a normal mouse overweight on regular lab chow – they automatically eat only the amount needed to maintain a healthy weight. So how do researchers studying obesity get usually normal-weight mice to become overweight? The Cafeteria Diet. When mice get access to many different high-calorie foods, they can’t seem to help but overeat.
Buffets can pose a challenge for healthy eating
This behavior is similar to what happens to many people faced with buffets. Fortunately, humans don’t need to resort to lab chow – we can realize the problem and learn to deal with it.