February 2018 News Round-Up

I’m laying out the news round-up a bit differently this month: a new header image; bold bulleted headlines and brief personal comments. If you like the new style let me know by liking or leaving a comment

FAKE NEWS: ‘BEST DIET 2018’

Following our recent fake news post #2 calling out the US News & World Report ‘Best diet 2018’ you may be interested to read further condemnation from authors  Gary Taubes and Nina Teicholz/Los Angeles Times (msn, Jan 31)

PALEO NEWS

• 13 Benefits Of Paleo Diet (Reports Healthcare, Feb 27) – a nice quick summary explaining the Paleo rational.
• Americans used to eat pigeon all the time—and it could be making a comeback (Popular Science, Feb 16) It’s reviled by city slickers, but revered by chefs – a really interesting article about the history of pigeons for food. Looking forward to seeing it in the supermarkets (soon?)
• How the Paleo diet changed the way some Ashevilleans eat (Mountain Express, Feb 13) – a personal account of making the switch

“For most people, it’s going to be an improvement over what they’re already eating. It’s focusing on good-quality, whole foods,”

We recently flagged up Mikhaila Peterson’s blog – Don’t Eat That – where she shares her story of managing her autoimmune disease with a meat only diet – she literally can’t eat anything else and stay well! Such extreme diets, it turns out, are popular with “Bitcoin Carnivores” – although it’s not for the same reasons as Mikhaila. Anyway, here is an article from a journalist who tried the diet. Interesting and detailed…

• I Ate Nothing but Meat for 2 Weeks. Here’s What It Was Like (inc.com, Feb 8)

JUNK FOOD (AKA DON’T EAT THAT)

• Sugar consumption plays a greater role in heart disease than saturated fat (Professor Health, Feb 15)
• Vegetable oils – or more specifically n6-PUFAs – appear to cause sedentary behaviour (Professor Health, Feb 11)
• How fruit juice affects the gut (MedicalNewsToday, Feb 6) – interesting!
• Cutting back on carbs could help treat fatty liver disease (NAFLD) (MedicalNewsToday Feb 19)

“we showed that short-term intervention with an isocaloric low-carbohydrate diet with increased protein content promotes multiple metabolic benefits in obese humans with NAFLD.”

WE ♥ EGGS

Eggs are making a comeback as they are recognised as healthier than once believed, so with Easter round the corner why not give real eggs – as opposed to the chocolate kind – a central place in your diet?

• New Study Reveals Whole Eggs Build Muscle Drastically Better Than Egg Whites (Stack, Jan 3) – Yes, obviously. Don’t eat just the whites. The yolks are the best bit!
• Experts say eggs are A-OK (Popsugar, Feb 9) – Well thank goodness we have eggs-perts to make the blindingly obvious clear to us plebs.

“Studies show that eating eggs for breakfast reduces hunger and decreases calorie consumption at lunch and throughout the day. In an egg versus bagel challenge, dieters who ate an egg breakfast versus the same-calorie breakfast of bagels lost 65 percent more weight and significantly more belly fat compared to those who ate the bagel breakfast,”

• Norway Winter Olympics Team Accidentally Places Order For 15,000 Eggs (News18, Feb 10) – Ha ha!

FISH & SEAFOOD NEWS

• Should you eat salmon skin? (Medical News Today, Feb 6) – yes, and here’s why.
• Fish derived omega-3 better than plant-derived forms for breast cancer prevention (Medical News Today, Jan 29)
• Fish oil during pregnancy ‘slashes the risk of child food allergies’ (Telegraph, Feb 28)

KETO DIET NEWS

The Keto diet is this year’s celebrity fad diet (mores the pity) but don’t forget that it has significant medical applications beyond getting the Kardashians more column inches. Lets look at some of the more serious stuff this month…

• Five-year-old no longer has 60 fits a day after switching to Keto diet (MailOnline, Jan 30) – life changing stuff. Not just a throw-away fashion thing.
• How the Keto Diet Could Help Cancer Patients Fight Back with Food (Inverse, Feb 13) – a neat explanation of the ideas behind keto for cancer
• The Keto diet can slow aging: Following a low-carb, high-fat eating plan may prevent a host of diseases including Alzheimer’s (MailOnline, Feb 5) – in mice at least.
• Ketone monoester supplements trialled in diabetes control (MailOnline, Feb 14)
• What foods should you eat on a ketogenic diet? (Medical News Today, Feb 8) – a good look at the subject.
• What Happened When I Went Keto For 30 Days — and Then Went Off It (Popsugar, Feb 27) – I like these personal accounts as they show what real people – (pause) – OK so perhaps thats too generous a term for journalists – (play) – experience.

ODDS AND ENDS

• What are the signs of Iodine deficiency? (Medical News Today, Feb 12) – it’s a common deficiency. Take a look at the signs – perhaps it explains your symptoms?
• Are there any home remedies for ringworm? (Medical News Today, Feb 14) – nice to see a medical site actually giving advice on home remedies.
• There’s no such thing as naturally orange cheese (Popular Science, Feb 16) – just in case you wondered.
• DIY faecal transplants can spread diseases such as hepatitis, experts warn (Independent, Feb 16) – Charming – that’s put me right off my food. And, well, yes. Best left to a specialised clinic… Thanks for reminding me.

FEBRUARY RECIPES

Never Be Bored Again: 5 Creative Brussels Sprouts Recipes (c/o BodyBuilding.com Feb 15)