Food and Medical Politics
Aspartame is a commonly used artificial sweetener. It’s also, arguably, the most controversial foodstuff in the human diet. Originally passed as ‘fit to consume’ by the FDA in the USA in 1981, its history as a food ingredient has been the subject of scientific and political intrigue. The companies that make it and ‘expert panels’ […]
Diabetes/Metabolic Syndrome
Recently, in an effort to clarify what healthy eating is all about, the UK’s Food Standards Agency (FSA) have launched its ‘eatwell plate’, which the FSA describes as ‘ a visual tool that illustrates the types and proportions of foods that make up a balanced diet’. You can see the eatwell plate here. When I […]
Brain and Behaviour
Here in the UK, the kids are back at school which is usually a cue for some “child-focused stories to emerge in the press. One pearl of a story that recently surfaced concerned a trial in which certain food additives (colourings, mainly) were tested in children aged 3 and 8-9. This research, undertaken in Southampton, […]
Healthy Eating
While the ‘calorie principle’ has underpinned nutritional and weight loss advice over the last few decades, the fact is that different types of calorie are ‘burned’ differently in the body. What this means is that it’s not just the amount of calories we consume, but the form that they come in that dictates the impact […]
Children's Health
On Saturday night I was on a plane winging me back to the UK from Kenya where I’ve been for the last week. I was perusing the in-flight magazine and came across an ‘advertising promotion’ for a company making soft and ‘sports’ drinks. The promotion featured some Q and A’s with a UK GP on […]
Unhealthy Eating!
Diet (artificially-sweetened) drinks are sold on the basis that, compared to sugary varieties, they are better for our health and, in particular, our weight. However, there is at least some evidence that artificially sweetened drinks do not offer the health boons they promise. This week, for instance, saw the publication of a study which assessed […]
Food and Medical Politics
Last Friday’s blog featured a study presented recently at an American Diabetes Association symposium. It found that in a group of individuals with type 2 diabetes, a low-carb diet led to statistically significant reductions in weight, as well as blood sugar and triglyceride levels compared to a low-fat diet. In this blog, I also attempted […]
Healthy Eating
While in conventional medicine skin conditions are generally seen as a problem in the, err, skin, in natural medicine they are generally seen a sign of something deeper within the body. Eczema, for instance, is often found to be related to internal imbalances which may include factors such as food sensitivity and a lack of […]
Healthy Eating
While some doubt the benefits of controlling carbohydrate intake, the fact of the matter is that there is now abundant scientific evidence that this approach is generally effective for the purposes of weight loss, while at the same time helping to improve biochemical markers of chronic disease such as blood sugar levels and levels of […]
Healthy Eating
Rhinitis (or ‘runny nose’ in normal language) is a common problem in children. In natural medicine, it is often seen a potential manifestation of ‘food intolerance’. Food intolerance has the ability to cause a myriad of other unwanted conditions or symptoms too, including asthma. So, it’s not uncommon for naturally-oriented practitioners who see children with […]