20 September 2011
What I’m Reading Today
Just a few health/food/nutrition stories catching my eye!
Feed Your Genes: How Our Genes Respond to the Foods We Eat
If you could ask your genes to say what kinds of foods are best for your health, they would have a simple answer: one-third protein, one-third fat and one-third carbohydrates. That’s what recent genetic research from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) shows is the best recipe to limit your risk of most lifestyle-related diseases.
A la Carte: The Artistic and Historical Significance of Menus
There’s no denying that menus hold a certain power. Whether you’re turned on by the typeface or drawn in by the offerings alone, the menu is a restaurant’s calling card of first impressions. In a nod to the cultural value of these documents—and perhaps in reaction to a burgeoning trend toward menu digitization—archivists and designers are giving menus their due credit.
Ingredients of Shady Origins, Posing as Supplements
Pai You Guo, a supposedly natural weight-loss supplement from China that, according to federal authorities, has tested positive in the past for containing two hazardous drugs, including a suspected carcinogen. The product was recalled in 2009. One of Dr. Cohen’s patients in the Boston area ended up in the hospital last year with a range of ailments after taking Pai You Guo, a brand-name that, loosely translated from Chinese, means “the fruit that eliminates fat.”
Travel and Leisure Releases the Top Foodie Cities in America
New Orleans is number one, with San Francisco, Providence, New York City, and Chicago rounding out the top five.
Rachel Wilkerson’s How I Finally Got it Up for Yoga
“This is a really big deal for me because I’ve never been able to get it up for yoga before. Or I would get it up and I’d take a couple classes or try a DVD, but I couldn’t sustain my excitement for very long. I’d go a couple times…and then I’d blow it, disappointing myself and my workout buddies.”
