Food – Page 2

Mediterranean Diet May Help Stave Off Brain Atrophy

A Columbia University study is circulating on the internet right now; the study has found a correlation between eating a Mediterranean diet (heavy on vegetables/herbs, fish, legumes, nuts, and olive oil, but relatively low on meat) and staving off brain shrinkage.

This comes fast on the heels of a Scientific American article entitled Mediterranean Eating Habits Prove Good for the Brain: A Mediterranean-style diet may slow memory loss, even if adopted late in life, which also finds some potential brain health benefits to the Mediterranean diet.

Updated October 26, 2015 to add: In other news, WHO states the obvious that processed meats, especially red meats, are linked to cancer. Freshly cooked meat isn’t as bad as processed meats (bacon, sausage, deli meats, smoked meats, etc.), which have chemicals/preservatives added. Also, I’m working on an in-depth article about longevity which will touch on these kinds of topics, but it’s a huge topic with a lot of dubious science to sort through. Nevertheless, we’re starting to get more and more promising research about the relationship between nutrition and aging well.

All About Coffee: Coffee Beans, Storage, Preparation (Grinding), and Brewing

I worked as a professional coffee scientist for several years and sometimes people ask me for coffee advice. I’ll briefly share some tips here. We’ll go over the process of coffee-making, from start to finish. There are four main parts: bean quality, storage, preparation, and brewing. For the best cup of coffee, you want the freshest coffee beans, ground right before you brew them, using the best water temperature.

[Read more…]

For decades, the government steered millions away from whole milk. Was that wrong?

The molecules that make up food interact in different ways in our digestive tracts depending on a lot of factors, such as what other molecules are there at the same time, our genetic makeup, and the bacterial makeup of our digestive tracts. Our understanding of nutrition is nowhere near as good as some people would like you to believe.

Garlic: anti-cancer and cardiovascular health benefits

HISTORY:

Garlic (Allium sativum) is a species in the onion genus, and thus genetically similar to onions, leeks, shallots, and chives. Garlic originated in central Asia, and humans have grown garlic for at least 7,000 years throughout Eurasia and Africa for use as a panacea for gastrointestinal and other health problems. Garlic has long been treasured for its ability to flavor foods, but what makes garlic especially potent is how it stimulates production of antioxidants.

How it works:

[Read more…]

Maillard Reactions (Why Food Tastes Good)

Cooking food tends to kill pathogens and improve digestibility, so it’s no surprise that humans have evolved to like the taste of cooked foods. But why does cooked food taste so yummy?

Orange Ginger (left) and Lemon Ginger (right) Roasted Chicken

[Read more…]

Does cooking food create toxins and carcinogens?

Does cooking food release toxins and carcinogens?

The short answer is “yes,” based on numerous government studies around the world (including the U.S. CDC, NIH, EPA, etc.), but only if you cook at higher-than-steaming/boiling temperatures. Studies indicate probable links between cancer rates and food fried/grilled at high temperatures (see below).

Thus if you’re serious about maintaining good health, you may want to reduce high-temperature cooked foods in your diet. It doesn’t mean you have to avoid such foods entirely, because your body can detoxify itself to some extent, via organs like the liver. But the less you abuse your body, the greater your chance of having a healthy life and old age.

There are four common ways to get carcinogens in your diet:

[Read more…]