Food Recommendations - Sugar, Peanuts, Cholesterol, Alcohol, Fiber and "Big Sugar"

"Live Long and Prosper" - farewell to Leonard Nimoy

Some new studies have been released questioning some of our old ideas and raising some red flags about current thinking

Moderate Alcohol may not be Beneficial
In the past, studies have shown that about 1-2 drinks a day is associated with decreased mortality when compared to non or heavy drinkers. In reviewing these studies it was found that former heavy drinkers were included in the non-drinker group. When these were excluded, it was found that the benefit was far less and perhaps non-existent. The good news is that moderate drinking is not harmful; so raise that glass of wine!

Fats and Cholesterol - Not so Bad
After much research it has been found that dietary cholesterol (as opposed to that your body makes itself) has little or no influence on heart disease (in normal amounts). The same was found for natural fats found in food (as opposed to artificial trans fats). If you have a very high lipid level there is no question that statin medication is useful; its just you don't need to be as careful in your WELL BALANCED high fiber diet. No you shouldn't eat eggs, fatty ribs and butter all day!

Sweet it is to be Funded by Big Sugar
Many believe, myself included, that refined and added sugars are unhealthy. Unfortunately most studies into these are funded by "Big Sugar"
Both Coca-Cola and PepsiCo have declared, in filings with the U.S. Securities & Exchange Commission, that research on the adverse health effects of their products is worrisome. Such fears, according to a Union of Concerned Scientists report, have led to a funding strategy that "could produce systematic biases in nutrition research."
In a recent review about 75% of scientists doing research into the effects of sugar had financial relationships with "Big Sugar"

Eat More Fiber
Just as the fat guidelines seem to be changing, a recent study showed that a simple recommendation' "eat more fiber" resulted in a significant decrease in weight, blood pressure and insulin resistance. Of note, the authors found that Americans now average only 16 g/day of fiber, and just 7% of adults between ages 40 and 59 consume 30 g/day or more as recommended.

Let Your Babies Eat!
Finally, the fact that early exposure to peanuts significantly decreased the risk of peanut allergy has received much publicity. In a related study, families who rarely used the dishwasher, and thus left more bacteria and contaminants on dishes, had children with less allergies and asthma. It seems that our bodies develop tolerance to common exposures in early childhood, and avoiding these only leads to allergic reactions and complications. So after about 6 months of age your baby's immune system is capable of protecting itself from common non-toxic exposures. However normal cleanliness is still important