DailyDirt: Don't Eat Fat. Or Sugar. How About Just Less Of Everything?

from the urls-we-dig-up dept

Everything in moderation. Somehow that adage seems to get lost in the media coverage of diets that claim near miraculous health results from totally eliminating X from a person's diet. Sure, there are things that you don't need even moderate amounts of, such as arsenic, lead and other toxins. But just less gluttony could go a long way.

• In the 1990s, there was a fat-free craze that lead everyone to try to avoid fat, resulting in fat-free labels on unexpected items like bottled water. The unintended consequence was also that people tended to eat more carbohydrates, and the substitution of carbs for fat doesn't seem to have positive health benefits. [url]
• Could you live without added sugar in your diet for an entire year? One family did it (almost), but this sample size of two adults and two kids doesn't really mean everyone will experience a positive health transformation from a no-added-sugar diet. Perhaps look for a follow-up book on their family health after a few more years..? [url]
• The World Health Organization is considering a sugar intake recommendation of just five teaspoons. Sugar is looking like the next trending "bad guy" in our diet, but have nutritionists cried wolf too many times now? [url]

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Filed Under: diet, fads, fat, food, health, moderation, sugar, world health organization

DailyDirt: The Next Big Food Is... Weird

from the urls-we-dig-up dept

Food fads are fascinating, especially when they turn previously disgusting biological curiosities into expensive delicacies. Lobsters were once only served to prisoners and lowly servants, but now these crustaceans are highly-priced entrees. Casu marzu is a traditional Italian cheese that contains live insect larvae (with an aftertaste that can reportedly last several hours). The maggots can jump about 6 inches, so diners should be careful to block these bugs from jumping into their mouths if they don't want to eat them. Casu marzu has a questionable legal status (for health and safety reasons), but it's sometimes available on the black market for a hefty markup in price. Here are just a few other menu items that might (or might not) be appetizing to you.

• Civet poop coffee is a delicacy, and you really need to know that your coffee beans have been partially digested by a civet cat from Indonesia. So if you're wondering if your coffee is fake, there's a test that can verify the flavor components of real Kopi Luwak. [url]
• Whelks can refer to any number of unrelated shellfish, but the commonly eaten ones are a particular kind of sea snail of the species Buccinum undatum. Whelks could become the next oyster in the seafood industry, or they could just remain unappetizing snotwinkles, as they're called in Canada. [url]
• In the early 1900s, the US faced "the meat question" -- a crisis over whether or not meat production could match the growing demand for meat products in the US. A seriously debated solution involved importing African hippos to the US -- in the same way that cows, pigs, sheep and poultry were introduced to the Americas -- and trying to convince Americans to eat hippopotamus meat. [url]

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Filed Under: coffee, delicacies, edible, fads, food, hippopotamus, kopi luwak, meat, seafood, shellfish, whelks

DailyDirt: Who Has Time To Exercise?

from the urls-we-dig-up dept

There are all kinds of exercise fads, creating a vast array of gadgets that are supposed to help people get in shape or lose weight or magically make their lives better in every way. But no one really needs plastic handles attached to springs/elastic cords or wheels/pulleys or even weights to improve their health. It takes commitment. And usually that means dedicating some time to exercising regularly. The good news is that the minimum required time for exercise to have any impact seems to be pretty short. Here are some links for those of you looking to start exercising now that it's summer (in the northern hemisphere).

• The American Heart Association recommends about 30 minutes of aerobic activity for 3-5 days per week AND some muscle-strengthening activity for at least 2 or more days per week. But the AHA also says that something is better than nothing, if several hours of exercise per week sounds ambitious. [url]
• High intensity workouts have gotten a lot of media attention recently -- focusing on "7 minute" regimens and similar programs that try to speed things up a bit. CAUTION: these strenuous exercise programs are not for beginners! [url]
• Don't have time for seven minutes? How about just four minutes? Some researchers are even trying to determine if people can get away with less than four minutes, too. [url]

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Filed Under: aerobic activity, exercise, fads, health, high intensity training, workout
Companies: american heart association

DailyDirt: More Trendy Photos

from the urls-we-dig-up dept

The news of several portrait studios shutting down marks an end of an era. Families used to get all dressed up to go to a special corner of Sears where a professional photographer would stage a nice portrait, and fuzzy warm photos would be sold in a respectably-sized frame. Sure, there are still plenty of other places to get your own image held hostage by copyright, but it's just not the same. Digital photography has brought photo-taking to the masses, and almost anyone can take a nice looking (staged) picture. Here are just a few examples of what kids these days are doing with their cameras.

• Fake Dragonball attacks seem to be a growing trend in staged photography these days. Even if you haven't seen the Dragonball anime that inspired these photos, the concept of being able to blow up stuff via telekinesis is a pretty widespread meme nowadays. [url]
• Vadering is another fad where you make it look like you're a Sith lord choking various people. I find your lack of faith disturbing.... [url]
• Owling was a spin-off of the more popular meme of planking. Unfortunately, it didn't catch on and elucidate how many licks it takes to get to the center of a Tootsie roll Tootsie pop.[url]

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Filed Under: dragonball, fads, owling, photographers, photography, photos, picture studios, planking, portraits, star wars, vadering
Companies: cpi, sears