nytimes: Vigor Quest, 1/15/10

Vigor Quest

"interest lies in extending the length of “health span,” as opposed to life span."

Assumed side effects for "for testosterone: thickening of the blood, rashes, swelling of the breasts. There is a strong presumption" that it will "supercharge an existing cancer. Some doctors, however, say these effects can be controlled or eliminated by monitoring dosages and screening at-risk patients." ... "Accepted truth was that the higher a man’s testosterone level, the greater his risk of contracting prostate cancer."

Dr. Abraham Morgentaler, associate clinical professor of urology at Harvard Medical School, "has no ties to Cenegenics Medical Institute." He researched testosterone in medical school and "was 'dumbfounded' at all the positive evidence of testosterone’s general health benefits that had been ignored. His research odyssey turned into a book, 'Testosterone for Life.'" He believes of the biological causes of middle-age malaise and its connection to testosterone. He predicts that within five years testosterone will be as popular a yardstick of good health as cholesterol. “There are all these people walking around the United States who are getting older,” he said. “They know they don’t feel right. They’ve lost pep. Their brain doesn’t work as well. Mainstream medicine has no answers for them.”

Woman decides to eat in for 2 years, saves $7,200 and sheds 10 pounds

http://www.nypost.com/p/lifestyle/food/my_personal_kitchen_fMLm6JPFTTTIJB8IMzM7lN/0

"She bought most of her groceries at the green market and occasionally the corner market, and -- incredibly --- spent just $25 a week."

"Cooking for yourself is about being more self-sufficient and more independent as a person rather than someone who has something handed to them - or pays someone to hand it to them," she says.

"There's a really cool bond that develops there. It's like a game you're playing, cooking together. I made a lot of friendships through supper clubs and cook-offs. It's a lot more social than at a restaurant."

study suggests: Beer Is a Rich Source of Silicon and May Help Prevent Osteoporosis

A new study by the Department of Food Science & Technology at the University of California has found evidence that suggests that beer is a significant source of dietary silicon, a key ingredient for increasing bone mineral density. "Beers containing high levels of malted barley and hops are richest in silicon," said Charles Bamforth, lead author of the study.

nytimes: Soda: A Sin We Sip Instead of Smoke?, 2/12/10 (Mark Bittman)

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/14/weekinreview/14bittman.html

“What you want,” says Kelly Brownell, director of Yale’s Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity, “is to reverse the fact that healthy food is too expensive and unhealthy food is too cheap, and the soda tax is a start. Unless food marketing changes, it’s hard to believe that anything else can work.”
...
The penny-per-ounce tax, favored by Dr. Brownell and others, would produce a significant increase in retail costs: the 12-pack of Coke on sale for $2.99 would go for $4.43 and a 75-cent can would rise to 87 cents. These increases, Dr. Brownell estimates, would reduce the annual per capita consumption of soda by more than 11 gallons, to 38.5 gallons. “And the revenue,” he says, “could be used to subsidize fruits and vegetables, fund obesity prevention programs for children and home economic classes in schools, and more.”

Reasons to eat good: #x

BROCCOLI has a chemical in it called indole, which helps the liver detoxify itself.
WALNUTS have protein and omega-3 fats (the good kind) so they're healthy calories.
(info supplied by Dr. Oz)

Gourmet: Food Politics

Learned the other day that Gourmet magazine includes at least one column monthly in their magazine on the business and politics of food. I've discovered that you can read even information on their website:
http://www.gourmet.com/foodpolitics

They also have a section with "the latest in food politics gets served up every week in Politics of the Plate": http://www.gourmet.com/search/query?keyword=politics%20of%20the%20plate

USAToday: Obesity rates climb in most states, 8/27/07

* Trust for America's Health, a research group that focuses on disease prevention, released results of a study measuring obesity rates. They compared data, from 2003-2005 with 2004-2006, "from a survey of height and weight taken over the telephone. Because the information comes from a personal estimate, some believe it is conservative."

* "Obesity rates continued their climb in 31 states last year. No state showed a decline. Mississippi became the first state to crack the 30% barrier for adults considered to be obese. West Virginia and Alabama were just behind, according to the Trust for America's Health, a research group that focuses on disease prevention."

* "Colorado continued its reign as the leanest state in the nation with an obesity rate projected at 17.6%."

* "This year's report, for the first time, looked at rates of overweight children ages 10 to 17. The District of Columbia had the highest percentage — 22.8%. Utah had the lowest — 8.5%."

* "'Unfortunately, we're treating it like a mere inconvenience instead of the emergency that it is,' said Dr. James Marks, senior vice president at the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, a philanthropy devoted to improving health care. Officials at the Trust for America's Health want the government to play a larger role in preventing obesity."

* Jeffrey Levi, executive director of Trust for America's Health, said, 'If we want kids to eat healthier food, we have to invest the money for school nutrition programs so that school lunches are healthier. If we want people to be more physically active, then there have to be safe places to be active. That's not just a class issue. We've designed suburban communities where there are no sidewalks for anybody to go out and take a walk.'"

* "Poverty can lead to less safe neighborhoods, which deter children from playing. It can lead to fewer grocery stores offering fruits and vegetables, and it can lead to greater reliance on fast food, (CDC) officials said."

* "It seems the cheapest foods are the worst ones for you," Dr. Marks said.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2007-08-27-obesity-rates_N.htm