Is it really all about the wine?
The French Paradox is a phenomenon describing why heart disease deaths were lower than would be estimated in the French population during the early 1990s despite a high intake of animal products like butter and cheese. This idea is interesting because these types of foods are classically understood to increase the risk of cardiovascular disease yet this was not what the researchers who coined the term “French Paradox” observed.
Why could this be? Are we wrong about which foods increase heart disease risk? Is there something unique about butter and cheese that prevents heart disease? Is something else in the…
Don’t Believe The Headlines From Every Nutrition Study. Here’s Why — From a Nutritional Sciences PhD
A look at two recent studies on vegan diets and eggs
I am always scouring the latest articles published in nutrition journals to find interesting new research on diet and health. Sometimes, I find studies like these two below that advertise striking findings, but actually, turn out to be all smoke and mirrors.
Two recent nutrition studies separately suggested that A) vegan diets can be useful for weight loss and B) egg consumption is associated with type 2 diabetes. Although the results of these studies agree with those themes, what these studies DO NOT show is that C) Vegan diets are superior to other diets for weight loss or optimal health…
These eggs might have more folate than you think!
I am writing this piece as a response of sorts to a claim that I have seen recently that Joel Salatin’s pastured eggs contain somewhere between a whopping 1,000–10,000 micrograms of folate PER EGG! If you are keen on nutrition, you would know that the recommended dietary allowance for folate is only 400 micrograms per day and the “tolerable upper limit” of folate is 1,000 micrograms. So if this claim is true, even eating one of these eggs could put you at or above the maximum recommended daily intake for folate. Why does this matter? Keep reading below. …
Duck fat is a healthy way to up the flavor ante
Duck fat is a traditional cooking fat used in many cultures around the world. It’s well known for making some of the most delicious and perfectly crisp French fries you could find anywhere. However, duck fat is useful far beyond fries.
Duck fat has an excellent nutritional profile and its mild flavor and smooth texture make it a delicious addition to many of the dishes you probably already make. Read on to learn more about why you should consider adding duck fat to your culinary toolbox and how to do it!
The nutritional significance of duck fat
Duck fat has a melting point of 14 degrees…
Eat well and stay warm
We have made it to the second month of 2021 and there is so much happening already. Despite the chaos going on in the world, I think there is no time better than the present to start eating more REAL FOOD. When it comes to food in February a few themes that come to mind are citrus, warm and hearty food, and chocolate for dessert. Here are five ways to eat more real food that are perfect for the month of February.
1. Roast some vegetables in duck fat.
Duck fat is an amazing ingredient to cook with. Anything it coats will gain a nice hint of…
Were their highly vegetarian diets healthy?
Learning more about what different people were eating around the globe and throughout history is something I always find fascinating. In today’s world where our diet quality is poorer than ever, I think it is important to scour the history books and learn about how our ancestors ate. There is a lot we can learn about food and human nutrition from studying the various types of diets consumed by our ancestors.
In this essay, I want to point out an ancestral way of eating shared between two specific groups of people at different times and places in the world: ancient…
Processed does not mean unhealthy
I have written before about how ultra-processed foods are more than just a thorn in the side of the American diet when it comes to their contribution to obesity, type 2 diabetes, and metabolic disease. Cutting out ultra-processed “food-like-substances” in favor of nutrient-dense real foods is one of the lowest-hanging fruits we can reach for when it comes to improving our diet.
But what exactly defines ultra-processed food? Food processing is a very general term and there is even a kitchen tool that many of us use to prepare food at home called a “food processor”. So where do we…
Can a low-carbohydrate diet adversely affect your mood?
The ketogenic diet has re-emerged over the last few years as a popular and powerful weight loss tool. Although we don’t fully understand how ketogenic diets affect human physiology, we do know that many of the biological effects of ketosis come from reducing blood glucose and insulin concentrations and increasing ketone production.
In addition to working on the major metabolic organs of the human body, ketogenic diets also alter energy metabolism in the brain. It is plausible that favorable changes in brain energy metabolism could be why ketogenic diets are so useful for treating epilepsy in children.
However, something that…
Do you consume enough copper in your diet?
Copper is a trace mineral required by humans. We need copper as a cofactor for enzymes that play a huge role in the function of our brain and immune system. Alarmingly, many Americans are not consuming enough copper in their diet (1)!
Here I was to describe for you some of the most important roles of copper in the human body and share some of the best sources of copper in the diet.
Why we need copper
Copper is important for several enzymes in our body to function. Most of these enzymes, like superoxide dismutase, require copper as a redox cofactor. …
How Saturated vs Unsaturated Fat Intake Could Alter the Immune Response to Severe Covid-19 Infection
Unsaturated fat intake was associated with greater Covid-19 mortality
Since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, several studies have demonstrated that diet and nutrition might play a role in our susceptibility and response to viral infection. Vitamin D, melatonin, and glycine are all been proposed to have therapeutic potential.
We also know that being obese is one of the largest risk factors for developing a severe case of Covid-19. However, there hasn’t been much discussion on how the type of fat we eat might protect us or leave us more vulnerable to Covid-19 infection. A small study published late last year sheds some light on this important question.
How the type of fat we eat might affect our response to Covid-19
Brandon J Eudy, PhD
Dr. Brandon J Eudy holds a PhD in nutritional sciences. He blogs about food, cooking, and nutrition at www.realfoodexplored.com
