obesity
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The Bike Factor: Disability and the ability to ride a bicycle
For many people with disabilities, cars don't just symbolize independence and freedom, they make them possible. But this isn't universally true
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Is your shampoo making you fat?
More research suggests that the toxic chemicals present in our everyday lives play a role in the obesity epidemic.
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How to fight obesity and climate change at the same time
In Louisville, Ky., projects that might normally pitched as good for the planet are being funded because they're good for people, too. Money from private and public investors is going towards building bike lanes, funding community gardens, and increasingly walkability in low income neighborhoods. The motivation behind the investments is not to reduce carbon emissions, […]
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High-fat diet may damage the brain, study finds
There have been many disturbing studies on the effects of a high-fat diet on the brain. I’m thinking in particular of the 2009 study that suggested the American diet can be as addictive to the brain as heroin. But a new study presented at the annual meeting of the Endocrine Society is even more concerning […]
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Fat city: The way your neighborhood is built could be killing you
Road to ruin.Photo: Alfonso SurrocaCrappy urban development isn’t just ugly and noisy and dirty. It is turning out to be lethal. One Toronto study looked at how the quality of a community’s streets can affect people’s health, factoring into drastically reduced life expectancy. It’s the focus of an article in The Globe and Mail that […]
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Mimicking Big Tobacco, Big Soda blows smoke in Philadelphia
Big Soda can blow smoke with the best of ’em.Coke image: Andrew AtkinsonFor years now, numerous commentators (myself included) have made comparisons of the food industry with Big Tobacco. The most recent example should become the poster child for how the most egregious tactics of tobacco companies are alive and well. Last month came the […]
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The last days of the low-fat diet fad
The low-fat trend finally appears to be on its way out. The notion that saturated fats are detrimental to our health is deeply embedded in our zeitgeist — but shockingly, the opposite just might be true. For over 50 years the medical establishment, public health officials, nutritionists, and dietitians have been telling the American people […]
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Why new dietary guidelines can’t solve the obesity crisis
Ahh, breakfast.Photo: Elana’s PantryThe USDA released a new set of dietary guidelines this week and the updated guidelines were enough to put nutritionist Marion Nestle in “shock”: I never would have believed they could pull this off. The new guidelines recognize that obesity is the number one public health nutrition problem in America and actually […]
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The ‘food desert’ in the heart of California’s farming region
The Central Valley of California produces half the fruits and vegetables grown in the US, yet its farmworker families have little access to fresh food