Always a tough one to explain concisely to the uninitiated. Mark does a decent job here:
I’m currently reading (and loving) Robert Sapolsky’s Why Zebras Don’t Get Ulcers.
In chapter six his discussion of “Dwarfism and the Importance of Mothers” gets really interesting, especially in the context of an ongoing debate about whether or not “a calorie is a calorie” with regards to weight gain/loss. The attention the debate has been given can be largely attributed to Gary Taubes’ book Good Calories, Bad Calories, in which he makes the point that the relative inputs of carbs vs. fats makes a big difference. I find myself wanting to believe Taubes’ side, which seems to be advocated as well by others that I respect such as Arthur De Vany.
On page 94 (2nd edition) there is an interesting citation of a study where a kid’s growth rate seemed to sway drastically independent of calories eaten, and implies that in this case it was actually dependent on stress hormones affected by one’s emotional state.
I haven’t read through all of Taubes’ book or much of the existing literature but this stands out as pretty good evidence that hormones do matter when it comes to the body’s energy balance. To borrow Sapolsky’s terminology, stress “liquidates” the body’s assets and this is an expensive process.
The following list points to positive aspects about coffee and your health and the health of the environment.
“My father didn’t believe that a glass, specifically the shape of a glass, could change the flavor of beer.”
Skyler And Dad Drink Beer From A Voodoo Glass from Skyler Tanner on Vimeo.
Wow neither would I have thought..
An interesting study was reported that measured actual antioxidant content of green tea and olive oil. If you buy something and don’t consume it within six months you’re looking at significant loss of antioxidants:
Drink up to get health benefits of green tea & EVOO
For those who swear by antioxidant-rich food and drink, two new studies show those health benefits can wane if the products are stored for too long a time. The findings focus specifically on how well antioxidant activity holds up in commercially available green tea bags and olive oil when stored unopened and unexposed to light or moisture. And, in each case, the research revealed that steep drops in antioxidant activity take place within the first six months.
For olive oil it sounds like you should consume within three months:
To explore the durability of antioxidants found in extra-virgin olive oil, Antonella Baiano and colleagues at the University of Foggia in Italy looked at several varieties of the oil that had been produced within 24 hours of having been plucked as olives from two groves located in the Apulia region of Italy.
After analyzing the oils during both production and packaging, Baianos team found that antioxidant activity remained unchanged throughout the first three months of storage. However, by the six-month mark, most of the oils had lost about 40% of their antioxidant properties.
And of course this is a good tip if you haven’t heard it before:
Diekman also suggested that consumers should generally favor tinted containers over clear ones, to protect antioxidant, vitamins and minerals from exposure to the sun.
