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Weekend Reading: In Defense of Food by Michael Pollan

FitSugar — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 03:00:00 PDT

I have a new food bible. It is not written by a chef, a nutritionist or a dietitian, but a journalist. The irony of dispensing nutritional advice as a journalist is not lost on the author of In Defense of Food ($21), Michael Pollan.
He actively wonders throughout this great little book on the circumstances that led food, the sustenance of life, to become so vulnerable that it needed to be defended from bad government policy and bad science. The complexities of government politics and macronutrients lead the US population down a slippery slope of very processed low fat foods.

There's more so

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Pollan details our recent food history, back to The Senate Select Committee on Nutrition and Human Needs or the late 1970s, and provides a little back history answering questions why cereal became a breakfast staple at the turn of the 19th century. If that sounds overly dry, like a piece of toast with no butter and jam, it is not. This book is a surprisingly exciting read. Yes, this eater's manifesto, as the sub title declares, is truly a page turner and it is useful too. Pollan has created some rules to serve as eating guidelines. The main tenet is simple: Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants. Easy to follow and apply at every meal – these seven words could change your life. There is a catch though; Pollan doesn't consider processed food to be actual food. He's a label reader too and shuns unpronounceable ingredients.

The last third of the book breaks down his basic principle of eating into many sub rules for more guidance. The book is worth reading and the guidelines worth following. You can buy the book at Amazon, but chances are high it is for sale at your local bookstore too.

How Not to Destroy Your Marriage

The Good Men Project — Fri, 18 May 2012 12:30:42 PDT

We're happy to present this story from one of our favorite sites, The Good Men Project. Today, Mark Tyrrell offers eight relationship tools to make your marriage work.

"All marriages are happy. It's the living together afterward that causes all the trouble." - Raymond Hull

So how do you make your marriage work? Or do you just blindly hope it'll take care of itself?

Think of a hot, successful date with someone you’re attracted to. You have fun, great conversation and more sexual chemistry than a warehouse full of pheromones. You don’t have to “work at” the date because it’s self sustaining. It runs as smoothly as the gliding hand of a classical guitar maestro and you can’t wait for another rendition.

Teenage Dating in a Twilight-Hunger Games World

But marriage, or any long term relationship; well that’s a whole other caboodle.

If we’re not careful, marriage can deteriorate into little more than a torturous assault course; littered with routine boredoms, frustrations and resentments. Couple all that with external pressures and sometimes marriage feels not worth the effort. But there are major benefits to being hitched or committed, other than just a beneficial tax regime.

Healthy marriage; healthy people.

Being happily married bestows heaps of health benefits. You might be forgiven for thinking that if you’re married you don’t live longer it just seems like it but, no, a good marriage really can help you clock up more years (1) and married people are happier (2) even though they don’t always look it from the outside.

But when marriage doesn’t work it can feel being manacled to a maniac, marooned with a misogynist or nailed to a nag. And I don’t care what the studies say, that’s not healthy. You may hear couples say stuff like: “We are making our marriage work!” but how do we do this?

Making it work.

We pay lip service to “working on the marriage” but what is the work we need to do? Marriage vows such as “to love and to cherish” and “forsaking all others, for better or for worse” don’t really tell us how to make it work, although they give us a clue.

Fortunately a ton of research has been done on what to do and not do to make your marriage, or any intimate relationship work. Follow the guidelines here to become “good at marriage."

Tip one: Be romantic but keep it real.

We are all (force?) fed romance in movies and novels. The handsome man gets the beautiful woman. But what I wonder is what happens after our romantic couple ride off into the sunset together? What do they do exactly? Bicker? Moan at one another? Start to ignore each other?

After all that romance, our beautiful couple is bound to have massive expectations of their life together. But when rose tinted expectations clash with day to reality, watch out!

Romance is vital in any relationship. Always seeing the best in your partner helps to keep things intimate and love should be expressed. But if you have been raised on Mills and Boon Romance novels or feel-good movies, then your own romantic expectations can work against the sustainability of your long term relationship.

When day to day life fails to live up to the giddy, heady lust-filled days of the pre-settled down romance people can become angry, even blame one another: “This wasn’t what I signed up for." They find it hard to take the rough with the smooth because they never really figured there would be any rough.

Expectations not diluted with at least a dash of realism can be a royal road to relationship ruin. Your partner may be an angel, but they have feet of clay. You must learn to love those feet or at least accept them a bit!

Get the rest after the jump!

Link Time: 7 Types of Ballpark Eaters

Camilla Salem — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 10:05:26 PDT

Seven types of ballpark eaters - Food Republic
The best and worst food from Ikea and Costco - HuffPost Food
In defense of the seven-layer salad - The Kitchn
Starbucks is officially replacing red bug dye - The Daily Meal
Genius recipe: shrimp and grits - Food52
The best butters and spreads - Real Simple
Martha Stewart gets a new cooking show on PBS - Grub Street NY

Carbs Without Cause: 8 Foods Worse Than White Bread

Shape — Thu, 29 Mar 2012 04:14:05 PDT

We are pumped to share one of our fave stories from Shape here on FitSugar.

White bread has pretty much become bad-for-you public enemy number one; who doesn't automatically order their turkey and Swiss on whole wheat? The reason, of course, is that white bread is processed - it's had all of its goodness stripped away, leaving a soft, squishy slice that was all the rage in the last century. But even if you're a whole-wheat convert, other processed carbs may be finding their way into your diet, many with more than an entire day's worth of recommended carbohydrates.

Your first line of defense is to opt for whole foods that are as close as possible to their original source, says Manual Villacorta, RD, author of Eating Free: The Carb Friendly Way to Lose Inches. And as always, managing portion sizes is key. Otherwise, here are eight bad carbs that may be sneaking into your diet, even if you've sworn off the white slices forever.

Tori Spelling Asks: Do Kids Belong in Mama's Bed?

Tori Spelling — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 12:11:29 PDT

We're happy to share a new post from ediTORIal by Tori Spelling, Tori's daily blog about everything from food and fashion to parenting and relationships. This week, Tori asks for advice on children in the master bedroom.

When it comes to the bedroom, I say the more the merrier . . . No, this is not taking a turn for the obscene; I'm talking piling the whole family - chickens included - into the bed.

I've already shared my love of TV time in the bedroom, but now Dean and I are onto another debate: whether or not kids and furry family members in the bed create a boundary between us.

Not surprisingly, I love having the kids in our bed to cuddle, and I think the bigger the bed, the better! Dean, on the other hand, wants to up the romance and downsize us to a queen bed! He even put down blue tape on our current bed to show me the size of a queen vs. king. In his defense, we actually did have a queen bed in the beginning, honeymoon phase of our relationship, so I can see why he'd associate that with romance. But now that we have three kids jumping in and out of our sheets that would never work!

Right now, our usual routine is to let the kids fall asleep in our bed, and then move them to their own rooms. So here's my question for you: do you ever let your kids sleep in your bed? What are your bedroom boundaries? And, does a smaller bed equal more hanky panky?

Weigh in on this topic in the comments below!

More great articles from Tori Spelling:
Foodista: Pudding Parade
Mompreneur of the Moment: Katie of KT Steppers
Love Ever After
Baby Makes 6!
To Juice or Not to Juice

How to Get Your Metabolism Moving

Health — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 03:03:06 PST

We are pumped to share one of our favorite stories from Health.com here on our site.

Does your metabolism grind to a halt after 35? Can certain foods rev it up? Answers ahead — and they're good.
By Paige Greenfield

Here's something to feel good about: your body is a calorie-burning machine. You'll even torch a few while reading this article. The point is, every single thing you do — from breathing to eating to sleeping — uses energy. The number of calories it would take just to lie in bed all day is called your resting metabolic rate. And just like your curly hair or warm personality, yours is unique.

"There are so many factors that determine your metabolic rate," says Janet Rankin, PhD, professor of human nutrition, foods, and exercise at Virginia Tech. Among them: your height and weight (bigger people burn more calories), your gender (women have slower metabolisms than men), your age (your metabolic rate declines as you get older), how much muscle or fat you have (muscle burns more calories than fat does), and your DNA.

Health.com: Little Ways to Lose Big Pounds

Although you can't rewire your double helix or switch back the clock, there's still plenty you can do to be a fast burner, Rankin says. All you need to do is remember these four research-backed truths.

Cardio Revs Your Metabolism For Hours Afterward
Resistance training often hogs the metab-boosting spotlight. It's no wonder, since a pound of muscle at rest fries three times as many calories as a pound of fat. However, cardio is every bit as crucial for keeping your metabolism humming.

New research explains why: In a study published in Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, people pedaled a stationary bike as hard as they could for 47 minutes.
The finding: They slashed 190 calories above their resting metabolic rate for 14 hours after their workout. Add that to the 519 calories, on average, the cyclists scorched from the workout itself, and that's one heck of a sweat session.

"If you do just two to three vigorous bouts of exercise per week for 45 minutes, you could lose a pound of fat every two weeks from the combination of calories expended during exercise plus what you burn afterward," says study author David Nieman, PhD, a professor of exercise science at Appalachian State University.

So how can you tell if you're pushing hard enough? Any sweat-inducing activity you can sustain for 45 minutes will do the trick.

More useful tips after the break.

Foods That Improve Dry Skin

Michele Foley — Thu, 22 Sep 2011 12:34:27 PDT

The humid days of Summer leave skin feeling moist and supple, but Fall's cooler temps have just the opposite effect. Since there's less humidity in the air, skin is more likely to become dry, uncomfortable, and itchy - often resulting in a red flaky mess! Besides using a rich moisturizer, turning down the heat, and using a humidifier, eating these foods can also help improve dry skin.

Water
From a food perspective, the best thing you can do to keep skin from getting dry is to keep hydrated. Drinking water is essential in promoting skin circulation at its base. (It’s also a much cheaper option than expensive creams.) Use our stat calculator to find out how much water you should be drinking. Beyond drinking water, eat fruits and veggies that have a high-water content like melon, apples, oranges, pineapple, celery, and cucumbers.

Foods High in Omega-3 Fatty Acids
The good-for-you fats help soften dry skin by holding in moisture and plumping it up, which will can also help decrease the look of wrinkles - instant face lift! In fact, having an omega-3 deficiency can exasperate symptoms of dry skin and in some cases may even lead to eczema. Foods high in omega-3s include salmon, tuna, and trout. If fish isn’t your thing, look for flaxseed, avocado, and walnuts.

See which other foods to add to your diet after the break!

Dirty Secrets of Outlet Shopping

LearnVest — Wed, 16 Mar 2011 00:15:51 PDT

We're thrilled to present this smart LearnVest story here on Savvy!

Oh, the outlet mall.

It gleams like an oasis of designer savings in the desert. It’s a day of promised savings, rewarding the dedicated shopper who will find a trove of off-price goods that were sold at luxury retailers - perhaps last season, but who’s counting?

Right?

That is occasionally still true. But over the last few decades, as retailers recognized the profitability of attracting Americans looking for a deal (yes - they will use this great quality about you against you!), they began to build an industry around outlet shopping that is completely separate from their regular business. And it’s working–there are 13,000 outlet stores around the country, and every year outlets draw more tourists than attractions like Washington D.C.’s museums or Philadelphia’s Liberty Bell.

The industry is based on some secret tactics designed to fool the customer - don’t be suckered.

What to know what they are? Check out the outlet mall's dirty secrets after the break!

Lil Links: Dr. Oz Shares His Thoughts on Autism

LilSugar — Mon, 14 Mar 2011 00:05:27 PDT

Dr. Oz's primer on Autism - Circle of Moms
Tina Fey's daughter, Alice, inherited her mom's funny bone - Celebrity Baby Blog
Sandra Bullock and baby Louis head out on the town - Celebrity Baby Scoop
Protect his sperm with an iPad - The Stir
The perfect pregnancy getaway wardrobe - FitPregnancy
Predicting baby's gender - The Bump
Room service on snow day - Momfilter
Dr. Oz's favorite healthy foods - Health
In defense of ugly babies - Momformation
What role does music play in your home? - The Poop

The Best Supplements For Your Skin

Prevention — Mon, 01 Aug 2011 04:27:00 PDT

We are excited to share one of our fave stories from Prevention here on FitSugar!

Skin Health
By the Editors of Prevention

Your birthday suit is pretty good at taking care of itself, but this process changes over time. Through natural exfoliation, your skin sheds dead cells as younger ones, generated deep in the epidermis (skin's top layer), migrate upward to replace them. In young, healthy skin, cells take about 28 days to reach the surface and flake off 12 days later, but as you age, renewal slows; new cells aren't produced as quickly, and old ones hang on longer.

Your skin also loses its luster over time as free radicals - generated from things like stress, cigarette smoke, and the skin's top enemy, the sun--cause cell damage that leads to discoloration and even cancer. Your body starts producing collagen, a protein that helps keep your skin plump and elastic, more slowly, causing the outer skin to become more prone to creasing and wrinkling. Cells also tend to lose moisture faster, due to hormonal changes, so skin becomes drier and less glowy.

Lifestyle factors, like avoiding excess sun exposure and wearing sunscreen when you head outdoors, getting plenty of sleep, washing and moisturizing your face at night, combating stress, and getting plenty of exercise, can all keep your skin healthy and youthful longer. And certain vitamins and supplements can help fight wrinkles, discoloration, and other signs of aging, too. But a key distinction here is that most of them work best when applied topically, not through pills or diet.

11 Foods That Give You Beautifully Radiant Skin

Best supplements

Omega-3s: These supplements aren't just making headlines for heart health - dermatologists also recommend them to help prevent dry skin and problems like psoriasis and eczema. These fats are a key component of the lubricating layer that keeps skin supple, and they aid in the production of hormones that improve skin texture and help combat the inflammatory damage wrought by free radicals--one of the causes of wrinkles and blotchiness. To get enough omega-3s in your diet, supplements are often recommended in addition to eating fish, walnuts, and other food sources.

Topical nutrients

You can get these from food or multivitamins, but for optimal skin health, use products that contain them too.

Vitamin A: Derivatives of this vitamin are known as retinoids, and you can find them in OTC or prescription products. They're proven--through more than 700 studies! - to reduce wrinkles, fade brown spots, and smooth roughness. The downside to their effectiveness is potential side effects. Retinoids can cause redness, scaling, and flaking that can last for weeks or more; OTC products tend to be milder than Rx ones.

More About Retinoids and Products That Contain Them

Vitamin B3: This B vitamin, commonly known as niacinamide, helps boost production of the compounds that comprise your skin's outer barrier, which helps it lock in moisture better. The ingredient is also shown to help reduce redness in rosacea patients and is especially helpful if you have dry or sensitive skin.

Vitamin C: Proven to mop up the free radicals that trigger wrinkling, sagging, and other aging changes, vitamin C also helps smooth and firm skin and fade brown spots. In one study, women who treated sun-damaged skin with a C cream for 6 months saw significant improvement in fine lines and discoloration. Though the benefits of retinoids and vitamin C sound similar, using both delivers more complexion perfection.

Vitamin E: This powerful vitamin eases dry skin (by helping skin retain its natural moisturizers) and bolsters UV defense. A slew of skin care studies document its superstar status. In one, E significantly reduced the number of skin-damaging free radicals created after exposure to cigarette smoke. Others show that when it's used before UV exposure, skin is less red, swollen, and dry, which is why the ingredient is often included in sunscreens.

The Best Supplements For Your Skin