The fraudulent "Smart Choices" food labeling gimmick that sought to push sugary cereals as "healthy foods" is crumbling amid the pullout of Kellogg, Unilever and PepsiCo. These companies have been distancing themselves from the fraudulent labeling scam ever since the FDA announced the labeling might be "misleading" and said it intended to investigate. [...more]
The evidence is in. Eating a plant based diet is the key to health and longevity. The only question left is how to get the best value for each dollar you have to spend on fruits and vegetables. The Environmental Working Group, a non-profit organization devoted to human and environmental health, has come up with some guidelines that may help you decide. In a recently published listing, they pointed out those fruits and vegetables with the highest levels of pesticides that should be avoided unless they are available from known local growers, grown at home, or labeled as organic. They also identified which conventionally grown fruits and vegetables have low levels of pesticides and can be bought without too much compromise. [...more]
The popular belief that healthy eating starts at home and that parents' dietary choices help children establish their nutritional beliefs and behaviors may need rethinking, according to a study by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. An examination of dietary intakes and patterns among U.S. families found that the resemblance between children's and their parents' eating habits is weak. [...more]
Bottled water across the country contains a wide variety of toxic substances, according to laboratory tests conducted by the Environmental Working Group (EWG). "Our tests strongly indicate that the purity of bottled water cannot be trusted," the study authors write. "Given the industry's refusal to make available data to support their claims of superiority, consumer confidence in the purity of bottled water is simply not justified." [...more]
Providing housing and support services for homeless alcoholics costs taxpayers less than leaving them on the street, where taxpayer money goes towards police and emergency health care. Stable housing also results in reduced drinking among homeless alcoholics, according to a Seattle-based study published today in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA). [...more]
As scientific researchers who have spent our careers establishing the link between diet and disease, we find President Obama's directive on "restoring scientific integrity to government decision-making" very welcome news. We hope this will lead to health care policy that is informed by America's most ignored scientific fact on health: That a whole-foods plant-based diet can prevent and in many cases reverse heart disease, diabetes, cancer and other chronic diseases. [...more]
Preschoolers whose parents forced them to clean their plates, ate 41 percent more snacks when at school. Part of this is because preschool snack time was one place where they could regain control of what they ate. Unfortunately, it was for the worse and not the better. [...more]
The research, published today in the British Medical Journal, highlighted a 44% increase in risk of cognitive impairment when exposed to high levels of second-hand smoke. [...more]
The vast array of toxins and chemicals that are common to many households is cause for concern - both for the environment and for human health. These toxic chemicals can be reduced and even eliminated by first learning about the different chemicals and then learning about the many choices that are available for safe and effective alternatives. The first step is to determine where the toxic chemicals are; the next step is to replace them with safe products. [...more]
Exposure to more television and other electronic media during the teenage years appears to be associated with developing depression symptoms in young adulthood, especially among men, according to a report in the February issue of Archives of General Psychiatry, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. [...more]
