Go Local Nutrition

02/25/2026

Interesting take on current food trends! https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1EGQooJCJH/

🥖 Foods Born Out of Necessity

(When survival created iconic dishes)

Many traditional foods weren’t invented for luxury — they were created to stretch ingredients, avoid waste, survive poverty, or endure harsh climates. Over time, they became cultural staples.

1. 🥣 Porridge (Global)

Why it was created:
Grains were cheap, filling, and could be boiled with water.

Necessity factor:
Stretched small amounts of grain to feed large families.

Modern version:
Oatmeal bowls, millet porridge, congee.

2. 🍲 Congee (China & Asia)

Why it was created:
To make a small amount of rice feed many people.

Necessity factor:
High water ratio = more servings.

Today:
Comfort food and gut-friendly meal.

3. 🥖 Sourdough Bread

Why it was created:
Natural fermentation was the only way to leaven bread before commercial yeast.

Necessity factor:
Preserved grain and improved digestibility.

Today:
Artisan health trend.

4. 🍛 Khichdi (India)

Why it was created:
Simple, affordable rice + lentils = complete protein.

Necessity factor:
Cheap, nourishing, easy to digest.

Today:
Recovery food, baby food, detox meal.

5. 🧀 Fondue (Switzerland)

Why it was created:
To use hardened cheese and stale bread during winter.

Necessity factor:
Prevented food waste in cold months.

Today:
Luxury dinner experience.

6. 🥘 Paella (Spain)

Why it was created:
Farm workers cooked rice with whatever was available.

Necessity factor:
Used leftovers (vegetables, beans, scraps of meat).

Today:
National dish.

7. 🍜 Ramen (Japan)

Why it was created:
Cheap, filling street food after WWII.

Necessity factor:
Affordable calories for struggling populations.

Today:
Global food culture icon.

02/18/2026

Well this is a new one on me. I have tried a sound machine but didn't find it particularly helpful. My fan works well enough if I need white noise but had never heard sounds described as pink noise. Guess it's back to the earplugs!

Pink noise — low-frequency broadband noise often used in sound machines and sleep apps — is associated with a decrease in REM sleep and worse overall sleep recovery.

02/16/2026

Good morning news! https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1ANzm4tdws/

Moderate coffee consumption has been associated with reduced diabetes risk in numerous population studies. New research published in Beverage Plant Research may explain why.

Researchers discovered several novel compounds in roasted Arabica coffee beans that can block a specific enzyme called α-glucosidase. This enzyme breaks down the carbohydrates you eat into sugar. By blocking it, these coffee compounds help prevent blood sugar spikes after meals, the same way certain diabetes medications work. Some of the coffee compounds were even more effective than common anti-diabetic drugs in laboratory testing.

The study identified three new coffee compounds (caffaldehydes A, B, and C) along with three additional trace compounds. These work through multiple pathways in the body, including helping your pancreas release insulin and helping your cells absorb glucose more efficiently.

These beneficial compounds are created during the roasting process. That could explain why people who drink coffee regularly tend to have lower rates of type 2 diabetes in long-term studies.

This research was conducted in cell cultures, so human studies are needed to confirm the clinical benefits. Still, it's encouraging news for the millions of people who enjoy coffee as part of their daily routine.

Read the full study here:
https://www.maxapress.com/article/doi/10.48130/bpr-0024-0035

02/09/2026

We always like the concept of big results from small changes!

A study of 590,000 people finds modest changes to sleep, exercise and diet are linked to better ageing.

02/09/2026

"Coffee, lentils and beans, and rice were the primary dietary sources of melatonin" - sounds like a good meal in the making! https://www.news-medical.net/news/20260128/Eating-melatonin-rich-foods-is-linked-to-lower-obesity-and-depression-rates.aspx?

This cross-sectional analysis of 8,320 Brazilian adults quantified melatonin intake from habitual diets and examined associations with multiple chronic health outcomes. Higher dietary melatonin intake was inversely associated with obesity and depression in a non-linear pattern, with no significant a...

01/30/2026

Reasons to keep up with the oatmeal! (And be sure it's certified organic - oats are among the cereal crops routinely sprayed with glyphosate and/or other chemical dessicants before harvest in Canada)

Oat consumption boosts gut microbiota-derived phenolic metabolites, driving cholesterol-lowering effects and improving lipid metabolism in metabolic syndrome.

01/21/2026

A little bit of microbial wisdom for your new year's diet plan:

Live Microbes in Food May Cut Heart Risk, Study Finds

12/10/2025

I used to teach a class on nutritional literature research and would have highly recommended this advice to nutrition students, where adopting and sharing misinformation can be downright dangerous.

How fear, profit, and cherry-picked data shape your feed—and what to do about it.

09/29/2025

Medscape quizzes link to recent research on their subjects. This one shares some information on artificial sweeteners and connections to health issues such as pancreatic cancer, cardiovascular and digestive health.

Are you up-to-date on the latest research on artificial sweeteners, including adverse effects of daily consumption and links to cancer? Test yourself with this quick quiz.

09/14/2025

Well finally and thank heavens. From NPR Health, bless them always.

What kind of dairy does a body good? Science is updating the answer

If you’ve been struggling to choke down low-fat Greek yogurt or cottage cheese to get more protein in, the following may come as welcome news. For decades Americans have been advised to opt for fat-free or low-fat dairy options, but scientists' views on fat in dairy foods have changed, as NPR's Will Stone reports.

The evidence that low-fat or fat-free dairy is better for you than full-fat alternatives is low quality, says Benoit Lamarche, a nutrition scientist at Université Laval in Quebec. When he and a group of scientists reviewed the research last year, they concluded that generally speaking, fat-free, low-fat and full-fat dairy products had the same effects, he says.

"We don't have the strict and rigorous evidence opposing the two types of dairy and their effect on health," Lamarche says. "We need to stop distracting people with this recommendation."

Some studies have even shown benefits of higher-fat over lower-fat dairy. For instance, one study that followed 18 adults for three weeks found drinking whole milk actually outperformed skim milk when it comes to raising HDL, or "good" cholesterol.

Not all dairy products, as the saying goes, are created equal. For example, research shows butter has the predicted negative consequences on cholesterol; however, that's not true when people consume the same amount of saturated fat in the form of cheese, which comes with calcium, protein and minerals.

Frank Hu, chair of the department of nutrition at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, says where public health is concerned, parsing the amount of fat in dairy products shouldn’t be the focus. He says the much bigger problem is that Americans are mostly consuming dairy products in the form of pizza, burgers, sandwiches and other foods that are "loaded with sodium, refined starch and processed meats."

However "If you're replacing your carbohydrates, especially refined carbohydrates and sugar, with dairy products, even some full-fat dairy products, that's probably a good thing,” Hu says.

In new nutrition guidelines set to be released later this month, the federal government is expected to give a thumbs-up to full fat dairy products.

09/07/2025

Some great tips on dealing with digestive issues like GERD (reflux), constipation, IBS, IBD and more.

Many patients with gastrointestinal issues want advice about natural remedies. Here are recommendations that physicians can share with their patients.

08/20/2025

Harvest time! Get 'em while they're growing, and preserve them for when they're not.