Category Archives: Food and Nutrition

Introduction After reviewing Can Fixing Dinner Fix the Planet by Dr. Fanzo in my last blog post, a friend replied with a post about “Sacred Cow”, a book and movie with a very different take on eating beef, basically saying that cattle can help save the planet. The argument was all very well researched andContinue reading “Will Ruminant Cattle Save Us?”

A Review of Can Fixing Dinner Fix the Planet? by Jessica Fanzo, PhD (published 2021 by Johns Hopkins University Press) (I started out to write this as a book review in which I would briefly touch on the book’s content and the author’s point of view and then critique the good and disappointing parts ofContinue reading “Can eating dinner make you healthier, save the planet, and help people in Mozambique?”

Part 2 In the previous post of this series, I explained how apples, as a perennial member of the EWG Dirty Dozen, are not so dirty and are, in fact, surprisingly clean for a fruit that is in a constant battle with an array of natural pesty enemies.  We examined the Toxicology in that previousContinue reading “Not So Dirty Dozen”

(I don’t want to bore you with my credentials, so if you want to see why I think I am qualified to criticize this website scroll to the bottom of this article.) I recently came upon the 2022 version of the Environmental Working Group’s Dirty Dozen.  This is a yearly posting from this group thatContinue reading “Not So Dirty Dozen”

Last week we discussed our rising obesity epidemic, why it is important to all of us to consider, what are some of its causes and what are some of its effects.  This week we will pick up the discussion with a broader consideration of the social context of the issue. So where are we sociallyContinue reading “How did we get so fat? Part 2”

We have an obesity epidemic in our country, in case you hadn’t noticed.  Over two thirds of American adults are overweight or obese.  But why should we be concerned about this in the middle of a COVID pandemic?  Here’s why.  Obesity and its cousins diabetes and hypertension are three of those “comorbidities” that are causingContinue reading “How did we get so fat? Part 1”

I went to my dermatologist last week for my yearly checkup, an experience almost as pleasant as my semiannual trip to the dentist.  I got checked over and we had a distracting conversation while he did his thing.  On the way out he gave me some paper instructions and an interesting flier that is theContinue reading “Dermatology vs. Nutrition, the Case of Vitamin D”

A Nutritionist’s Perspective First, a quick preamble. This is the first in what I hope will be a series of posts on food and nutrition.  This essay was adopted and updated from a talk I gave three years ago on my campus at Appalachian State University in Boone, NC.  I had great help from myContinue reading “Paleo, Keto, and Gluten-free Diets”