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Nutrition education for sustainable global food systems
You are what you eat, and so is the Earth.
Our food systems shape our diets, health and nutrition outcomes at the same time as they impact the integrity of the planet and the stability of nations.
Unhealthy diet is now the leading risk factor for deaths worldwide, with billions of people of all ages lacking the nutrients needed to lead an active and healthy life. Around 820 million people suffer from hunger, while over 670 million adults and 120 million boys and girls (aged 5−19) are (...)
What to put in your ears: A potpourri of podcasts
I started listening to some retail grocery-focused podcasts then stumbled upon other interesting podcasts. Most of the grocery/supermarket sponsored podcasts focus on in-store products with a little bit of nutrition; others were more heavily nutrition-focused. Enjoy!
Lost in the Supermarket hosted by Phil Lempert, CEO of Retail Dietitians Business Alliance, looks at food trends and nutrition-focused info such as food intolerances and plant-based eating from registered dietitians. Episodes (...)
How migrants’ eating habits change: the case of Ghanaians in the UK
Do migrants change their food habits when they settle in a new country? This is a question that’s been tackled by researchers looking at the process of migrants adapting their diets in their host country. For example, a study done in 2012 looked at Somalian, Algerian and Egyptians living in Norway. Another done nearly 20 years ago looked at dietary patterns among migrants in the US.
We asked Ghanaians living in Manchester, a major city in the north west of England, about their food pr (...)
Statistically speaking
There are few people I know who feel completely competent in statistics, and yet it is one of the most important parts of research. Large research teams may have a statistician on their team, but many do not. Even with a statistician on the team, there can be differences of opinion among statisticians concerning study design, analyses, and interpretation. After all, statistics is a mathematical science. While the process of descriptive statistics is fairly logical to me, inferential statistics a (...)
What to watch and read online
WATCH online
Phil Lempert, Retail Dietitians Business Alliance CEO, predicts 2020 grocery retail trends in a recorded 44-minute webinar. Known as The Supermarket Guru®, Lempert is an expert analyst on consumer behavior, marketing trends, new products and the changing retail landscape. He's identified and explained impending trends to consumers and some of the most prestigious companies worldwide.
PBS' "The Poison Squad" tells the story of government chemist Dr. Harvey Wiley, who was dete (...)
Getting corporate sponsorship right: Worth the effort
In 1993, the nutrition education video cassette What’s on Your Plate was released. The cardboard VHS jacket (this was the pre-DVD era) describes the contents as “an innovative nutrition education program featuring a series of public service announcements (PSAs) that debuted on the CBS Television Network.”
The video’s production value is high, with each 30-second segment featuring lively, colorful clay animated characters. Each segment starts with host Willie Munchright receiving a l (...)
It’s a plant-based world and we’re just living in it
I’m guessing this won’t be my only post in 2020 about plant-based anything. A 2018 report found that 83% are adding more plant-based foods to their diet. If, like me, you have a hard time keeping up with plant-based meat, here are some resources. Also included below is a look at blending meat with plant-based extenders.
Eating out...
**Burger King to add Impossible Burger to 2 for $6 menu
**Impossible Foods will roll out plant-based pork with less protein and calories than pork. It (...)
Changing unhealthy habits in the new year
What is a habit? It’s a behavior that is routine and occurs without thinking.
Take your pick of new books about changing habits: 1) The Self-Care Solution by Dr. Jennifer Ashton, physician/nutritionist - a year of monthly new health habits attempted by the author; 2) Tiny Habits by BJ Fogg, Ph.D. - an in-depth workbook focused on creating tiny habits. (I especially liked the examples of tiny habits in the book and at TinyHabits.com/1000recipes); or 3) Good Habits, Bad Habits by Wendy Woo (...)
New meat guidelines: A challenge for nutrition educators
In late September, the Annals of Internal Medicine published a dietary guideline recommendation claiming that there is no need to reduce red and processed meat for good health.
According to the journal’s press release, after a “rigorous series of 5 high-quality systematic reviews of the evidence,” a panel of experts had found “little to no health benefits for reducing red or processed meat consumption.” The panel’s guideline concluded that most people “can continue to consum (...)
Scholarship in policy development
It is so exciting to see an issue with several papers related to the science behind policy development! Not that our other papers aren’t exciting because they are as well. However, the number of policy-related pieces seems to be increasing, which to me means more evidence and science will be supporting policy development and change in nutrition education and behavior.
For instance, Prescott et al. discuss their analysis of state-level share table policies across the US, reporting that ab (...)