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Keith-Thomas Ayoob, EdD, RD, FADA - Arsenic in food: New worry or a tempest in a teapot?

Wed, 28 Mar 2012 00:00:00 -0500

Until recently, no one really thought much about arsenic in food. In water, maybe, but even then, it was assumed that municipal water supplies were monitored well and arsenic was usually off our radar.

Recently a Dartmouth College study found high levels of arsenic in rice and brown rice syrup (1). The latter is often used as a sweetener in organic and gluten-free foods and some foods made for toddlers and young children.

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Keith-Thomas Ayoob, EdD, RD, FADA - Do you eat too fast?Slowing down may slim you down

Tue, 06 Sep 2011 00:00:00 -0500

If you’re trying to lose a few pounds and you’re also someone who finishes eating before the others at the table, then you’re going to be interested in a new study that was just published in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association.

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Keith-Thomas Ayoob, EdD, RD, FADA - Can Brain Supplements Help Your Child Do Better In School?

Tue, 16 Aug 2011 00:00:00 -0500

It’s back-to-school time again, and every parent wants their child to have the best academic advantage. Is there a pill or supplement than might be able to do that?

Parents, some supplement companies are way ahead of you and they’ve started marketing supplements containing DHA –one of the omega-3 fatty acids found chiefly in fish oil – directly to parents for their children. There’s some – I repeat some – preliminary research that suggests that DHA – short for docosahexanoic acid – might help your kids perform better academically.

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Keith-Thomas Ayoob, EdD, RD, FADA - Want Your Family To Eat Better? Give'em A Pizza Your Mind

Wed, 20 Jul 2011 00:00:00 -0500

I hear it all the time. Parents want their kids (and sometimes their spouses) to eat better, but all they want are burgers, fries, hot dogs, and pizza.

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Keith-Thomas Ayoob, EdD, RD, FADA - Michelle Obama's Shake Shack meal will take time to "shake-off"

Thu, 14 Jul 2011 00:00:00 -0500

Michelle Obama recently hit up Shake Shack, a sort of high-end chain of restaurants that specializes in uber-good shakes, fries, burgers, and such. They’re known for tasty food, big portions, and not sparing any expense on good ingredients.

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Keith-Thomas Ayoob, EdD, RD, FADA - The "Creeping Five Pounds": Foods that may contribute

Wed, 06 Jul 2011 00:00:00 -0500

A new study from Harvard was just published in the New England Journal of Medicine and it wasn’t an obesity study. It was a study about how people gain weight over time. Most studies say it’s about diet and lifestyle, but this one goes so far as to say which foods may be the culprits – and which ones could help prevent the “creeping five pounds.”

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Keith-Thomas Ayoob, EdD, RD, FADA - Sports Drinks? Energy Drinks? You Need To Know The Difference And So Do Your Kids

Wed, 29 Jun 2011 00:00:00 -0500

You’ve seen both of these beverage advertised to oblivion: sports drinks that help you replace needed electrolytes lost during sweating when you workout or play hard. Energy drinks for when you need to get through the day but haven’t had enough sleep and don’t have time for coffee. Take a shot and WHAM! Energy for 5 more hours!

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Keith-Thomas Ayoob, EdD, RD, FADA - Good - bye Food Pyramid, Hello "My Plate"

Wed, 22 Jun 2011 00:00:00 -0500

Thursday, June 2, 2011 marked the end of the decades-old Food Pyramid and ushered in a new, simpler icon of healthy eating – the Plate. More specifically, “My Plate” because it’s all about each individual.

Some things make sense about a plate as an icon. After all, we don’t eat from a pyramid, we eat off of a plate (or we used to – now much of our eating is on the run and out of hand, but that’s another article in itself).

It’s all in how you slice it. My Plate, and is divided (not sliced – as in pie, and it’s politically incorrect to call it a pie, so be warned if you’re in the presence of nutritionists or USDA personnel) into 4 wedges: for protein, grains, fruits, and vegetables.

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Keith-Thomas Ayoob, EdD, RD, FADA - Family Meals: There's Proof That They (And You) Matter

Thu, 02 Jun 2011 00:00:00 -0500

I remember a public service advertisement several years ago where David Hyde Pierce (Niles Crane from the show “Frazier”) says, “Want to know what your kids are up to? Get them around the dinner table once a week for a family meal.”

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Keith-Thomas Ayoob, EdD, RD, FADA - Babies and kids who hit the bottle are more likely to be obese

Tue, 24 May 2011 00:00:00 -0500

We’ve all seen it – toddlers and young kids walking around with a baby bottle, taking a suckle here and there, almost as though they were holding a cocktail glass. Well, a new study in the Journal of Pediatrics suggests that prolonged use of the baby bottle ties strongly to obesity by the time these children reach 5½ years of age.

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Keith-Thomas Ayoob, EdD, RD, FADA - For a Longer Life & a Better Life, Have An Active Life

Thu, 05 May 2011 00:00:00 -0500

It’s no secret that America is a fairly sedentary nation. Many of the technologies that have made it possible for us to be “connected” 24/7 also make it possible to be sedentary all the time as well. I’m not just talking about appliances like dishwashers and washing machines, but even more subtle things like keyboards and telephones. If you think I’m kidding, go back to typing on a manual typewriter and see how productive you are at turning out documents. You’re welcome.

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Keith-Thomas Ayoob, EdD, RD, FADA - SALT WARS: Is there a way to win?

Thu, 28 Apr 2011 00:00:00 -0500

OK, so the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans have been issued and I usually agree with them but this year I have a problem: the recommendations come down hard about sodium.

Keith-Thomas Ayoob, EdD, RD, FADA - The HCG Diet: Not new, not better, either

Thu, 21 Apr 2011 00:00:00 -0500

You may have heard by now of a diet called the “HCG Diet”. HCG stands for “human chorionic gonadotropin” and it’s actually a pregnancy hormone. That’s right, and it’s in the urine of pregnant women. It was popular in the early 70’s and it has reared its ugly head again.

Keith-Thomas Ayoob, EdD, RD, FADA - I Want My Umami!

Tue, 12 Apr 2011 00:00:00 -0500

If you’re a “foodie” you may have heard of something called “umami” – often described as “the fifth taste”, joining sweet, salty, sour, and bitter. The latter four tastes have receptors on the taste buds and they even have their own general areas on the tongue where they congregate. Sweet receptors, for example, tend to hang out at the front of the mouth.