Dr. Chet’s Health Memos
If it’s in the health news today, I’ll be writing about it as soon as I read the research, both old and new. With my email Health Memos, you’ll know more about making lifestyle choices that will help you get and keep good health. These free, concise updates on health are emailed to subscribers twice a week. Subscribe today and get a free MP3, in English or Spanish, of Dr. Chet’s Top Ten Tips—Small Changes for a Healthier Life.
The Bottom Line on Sugary Drinks and Cancer
The question is simple: do we avoid all sugary drinks, including fruit juices? The best I can come up with is to withhold judgment and don’t get excited about it for now. Let’s take a look at what the concerns of the researchers were and then my concerns. Researchers’ Concerns The first is that the […]
Finding the Cancer Risk in Sugary Drinks
In Tuesday’s Memo, I reviewed the methodology of the NutriNet-Santé study in France. As I suggested, it was solid. The sugary drink choices included fruit juices, sodas, sugar-sweetened hot and milk beverages, sports drinks, and energy drinks. In terms of the data collection, I can’t think of anything they could have done better. Turning to […]
Is There a Link Between Sugar and Cancer?
Sugar has been in the news with the publishing of the latest results from the NutriNet-Santé study from France. The headlines of press releases suggest that drinking as little as four ounces of a sugary drink, including fruit juice, per day was related to an increased risk of getting cancer. Sugary drinks of all types […]
MSG Is Safe, But Be Wary
The controversy regarding MSG certainly won’t end with this Memo, but I want you to know what the research says so you can make an informed decision. There’s no question that some people have sensitivities to certain food additives, and I’m not diminishing that response in any way. My point in doing this series of […]
Early Research on MSG
People have been ranting against MSG for decades, but I never paid attention until I read a study on a group of subjects who said they had a negative response to eating Asian foods. The subjects were tested under four scenarios consecutively, dependent on their response to the prior test results. The study demonstrated that […]
A Closer Look at Monosodium Glutamate
People these days love salty, and as I’ve said before many times, I especially love salty: nuts, chips of any kind, cured meats such as ham. I believe if bacon weren’t salty, it wouldn’t be as popular as it is. Mix salt with amino acids, especially glutamine, and it creates a taste called umami. It’s […]
That Sugar Film: A Fantasy
Let me clear up a few things right away. I’m not a fan of overeating sugar, whether pure cane sugar or high fructose corn syrup. But glucose is the perfect fuel because it burns completely with only carbon dioxide and water as the by-products. I think what everyone should do is respect glucose for what […]
That Sugar Film: The Results
I hope that this sunk in on Tuesday: Damon Gambeau, the filmmaker, was going to eat 40 teaspoons of sugar per day. The rest of the story was that he was not going to eat cakes and cookies or drink full-sugar soda. He was going to eat what might be considered health foods: low-fat yogurt, […]
Review: That Sugar Film
Summer gives us a chance catch to up on reading or binge watch a television series, so I thought I’d watch some of the nutrition documentaries that I’ve been asked about. I’ve done some in the past such as Forks Over Knives. It gives me a chance to check the facts on what’s said and […]
BurgerOnTheFourthMaking Burgers Leaner
The series of Memos on meatless burgers generated many interesting comments. With the major holiday for grilling just two days away, I want to show you how to reduce calories in beef burgers. First, use a leaner cut of meat for your burgers. Ground sirloin is often designated 90/10, ground round 85/15, ground chuck as […]
