Hi folks! Happy Halloween! Wherever you are, whatever you're doing, I hope you have a fun filled day that includes at least a fistful of those tiny candy bars. Yes, the nutritionist is encouraging you to eat tiny candy bars! Remember life is all about balance and Halloween is just one day. Enjoy it! Then maybe put the candy away and bring it out bit by bit. Moderation, folks!
I'm still working on that Halloween costume that so many of you have been asking about, but I promise there will be pics on instagram later. In the meantime, here's a throwback to Halloween maybe 10 years ago.
I bought a spiralizer almost a year ago and wasn't happy with it so it sat collecting dust for ages. I decided to try it again and either get into using it or give it away, and once I tried it on a different setting I liked it much more. So I'm on a bit of a zucchini noodles kick these days, which is perfect for my lighter eating days. I'm also trying a new version of an old favourite this week, the savoy slaw.
1. So, unless you've been buried under a rock, you've probably heard about the study published in the BMJ saying that drinking milk will cause us all to break our hips and then die early. I've seen a lot of dairy nay-sayers high-fiving and others freaking out about milk consumption, and I'm sure almond milk is flying off the shelves. I think this is yet another case of the mainstream media getting ahold of a nutrition study and blowing it out of proportion without adequately explaining the science behind it. I'm not going to get deeply into the study here, but let me just say if you're a consumer of milk, you don't need to freak out about this. I'm neither for nor against dairy, except to say that people have been consuming it for thousands of years and if you don't have trouble digesting milk and you're consuming it moderately because you like it, then go right ahead. If you're interested in learning more, Dr. Yoni Freedhoff has written an excellent piece on his blog explaining the study, its flaws, and why you shouldn't freak out.
2. Another study published this week says that eating chocolate helps us improve our memories. Good news, right? Except they ain't talking about those tiny chocolate bars you've got so many of right now, so don't consider this license to go bonkers on them.
3. Interesting article coming from the UBC department of Land and Food Systems where I did my undergraduate degree in Nutrition breaking down the health claims related to butter coffee.
4. Are you a breakfast skipper? This study says that skipping breakfast may lead to overeating later in the day.
5. The hypocritical diet of the hipster. Is it all green smoothies and bacon, or what?
Emma
Thanks for giving the milk study some perspective! It has been a hot topic amongst my vegan friends this week, for sure! Butter Coffee? I'm investigating...
Caroline @ Shrinking Single
Another great round up. Is it wrong that I am going to completely ignore the milk study and just read the headline of the chocolate article 🙂
Katie Trant
Not wrong at all! 😉
Jess
Loved the article about the hypocritical diet of a hipster! (Although, I was disappointed to learn that my morning green smoothie doesn't necessarily offset that yummy pan of brownies I made!) Guess I need to take a cue from you and whip up a bowl of savory slaw this weekend!
Katie Trant
No, sadly, your green smoothie doesn't negate those brownies. But I'm sure the brownies were delicious, so I hope you enjoyed every bite!
Cammy
Buttered coffee blows my mind! Like it was some kind of social experiment to see how crazy a health fad needs to be for people to actually reject it... but they didn't lol.
You know I appreciate the balanced perspective on milk. And it seems to me there is still recent and good quality research suggesting that milk does indeed 'do a body good'? In fact I have fairly recently switched over to the highest possible quality organic and largely grass fed milk I can find, and it's absolutely delicious.
Katie Trant
I know, the coffee blows my mind too. Someone at my non-nutrition job was telling me they do coconut oil in their coffee and I was like, ooooh, you're one of those people. And he said yeah, but at least it's not butter! As if coconut oil is so much better! To me it's total insanity, but I guess it's getting popular enough that coffee shops are doing it. If Starbucks starts serving butter coffee I'll lose my mind! And yes, there are many studies on both sides of the milk issue. This one is particularly reactionary, and many people are making sweeping statements about it without a good understanding of the foundational science behind it. This is what happens when the mainstream media gets ahold of nutrition studies, and it drives me crazy!