This week, read about misleading wellness gurus, carbs to fuel a fast marathon, running into old age, music for sprint intervals, microwaving and nutrient loss, coffee for cancer prevention, and more.
Pseudoscience and strawberries: ‘wellness’ gurus should carry a health warning
Hadley Freeman writes an excellent article about the proliferation and popularity of “wellness” bloggers promoting nutrition and health advice that isn’t backed by science. Does this sound familiar?
“They write blogs about healthy living, which invariably means randomly cutting out various food groups and gluten . . . They usually have a story about how they fell ill and cured themselves through their diet. They often claim that the modern food industry is killing us all . . . ”
Gwyneth Paltrow and Vani Hari (the Food Babe) are some of the more popular examples, but unfortunately there are many more. (The Guardian)
I am constantly amazed (and discouraged) at the large number of food and health blogs with misleading nutrition and health information. In fact, that was my motivation for starting this website! It’s easy to be confused . . .
In the name of health, should you drink only almond milk? Use coconut oil for fat and agave for sweetener in your cooking? Ditch gluten and grains? Check out my Myths and Misconceptions about Healthy Eating, and here are 10 Ways to Spot Health Quackery.
More Links of Interest This Week
What we can learn about carbs from star runner Haile Gebrselassie. Dietitian and National Post columnist Jennifer Sygo reports on a talk by exercise physiologist and sports nutrition expert Trent Stellingworth showing his work with the world famous distance runner Haile Gebrselassie. He highlighted the high amount of carbs that fueled Gebrselassie’s record setting Berlin marathon in the form of gels and sports drink – about 1 cup of sports drink every 5km – about 15 minutes at his fast pace – including a sports gel every 5km after the 20km mark – that’s 80-100 g carbs and 900 ml water per hour. With a trend to shun carbohydrates, this is an important reminder (supported by much research) that carbs are the fuel for fast performances (Jennifer Sygo).
It’s important to recognize that there’s a BIG difference between sports nutrition for endurance athletes to support training and racing, and “everyday” healthy eating, which shouldn’t include too many simple sugars. You can read more about that here.
Cheat on your diet (or else!). David Despain looks at the potential pitfalls that “clean eating” can have for some athletes (and others), and encourages flexibility in eating plans. (Outside)
The Dietary Guidelines expert panel recommends eating less meat. Is science on their side? Industry lobbyist are working hard to poke holes in this recommendation. Seems experts in the field and science provide good evidence to back reducing our consumption of less meat for health. (Washington Post) Often the arguments focus on heart health, but meat intake and cancer is also important to consider. You can read more about the upcoming Dietary Guidelines report here.
Running into old age. More and more older adults are competing in marathons and triathlons, providing insight into how exercise affects aging bodies. Starting late in life is better than never, and exceeding recommendations likely best for health.
(The Atlantic)
How do treadmill desks impact job performance? A growing body of research is linking sitting too much to chronic diseases. Treadmill desks are one solution, but how do they impact work performance? This study found that treadmill workers do experience a slight drop in productivity for tasks that require fine motor skills or heavy concentration, but the health benefits of such desks outweigh this small decriment. (PLOS One, April 2015)
Why are we so obsessed with fat burning? “Fat burning” can be a confusing concept. Exercise physiologist Asker Jeukendrup does a great job explaining fat burning, and how it might relate to health and athletic performance. (Mysportscience.com)
Great coaches are more than results, they’re magic. An excellent article that questions the benefits of centralized training centers for all athletes. (Outside)
Music enhances performance and perceived enjoyment of sprint Intervals. When study participants completed a high intensity interval session with self-selected music, they performed better and enjoyed the exercise more than when they did the same session without music. (Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, May 2015).
The answer to soreness this spring might just be another workout. The most powerful remedy for delayed onset muscle soreness is exercise. (Even exercising one arm or one leg protects the opposite limb from subsequent soreness!). (Alex Hutchinson, Globe and Mail).
Do microwaves degrade food nutrients? Plenty of confusion surrounds microwaves. Generally any method of cooking can degrade certain nutrients (e.g., Vitamin C), but can enhance other nutrients (e.g., carotenoids). Some experts believe cooking in a microwave can be healthier as cooking times are shorter than other methods, which can preserve some vitamins and minerals, as long as the food is evenly heated. (New York Times Health)
Sugary drinks boost risk factors for heart disease. This short study is the first to show a dose-response relationship between sugary drinks and risk factors for heart disease (the more you drink, the greater your risk). Over only 15 days, researchers observed increases in markers for heart disease (lipoproteins, triglycerides and uric acid ) related to the amount of sugary drinks participants consumed. Unless you are fueling an intense or long workout, best to stick to unsweetened beverages. (American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, April 2015).
Coffee protects against breast cancer recurrence. Women treated with tamoxifen who had a moderate or high coffee consumption had half the likelihood of breast cancer recurrence compared to women who drank little or no coffee. (Clinical Cancer Research, April 2015)
The real side effect of a gluten-free diet: scientific illiteracy. Good interview and interesting perspective on the popularity of avoiding gluten. (Vox.com)
New Recipe: Fabulous Fruit Tart with Walnut Crust
I love fruit tarts, and have been collecting recipes for various tarts for as long as I can remember. The only part that I was ever satisfied with was the fruit topping . . . but how can you go wrong with those vibrant colours and fabulous flavours? So, I set out to make the perfect tart. Of course, perfect means I want the tart to taste great, but also be nutritious.
I think I”ve succeeded! This crust features two nutrition all-stars – walnuts and oats; the filling is protein-rich Greek yogurt; and the topping, nature’s bounty of colourful fruits full of health-promoting compounds. Just one piece has a whopping 1715 mg of potassium, a mineral many people don’t get enough of in their diet.
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