Nobel Conference Blog

Month: July 2010

  • Nestle: Water and Sports Drinks

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    mkoomen

    It’s summer and we are thirsty. Marion Nestle tackles the “8 glasses of water myth” and the value of sports drinks in her latest blog: Food Matters column: water and sports drinks

  • Are YOU a supertaster?

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    heldke

    Several years ago, when I learned about  “supertasters,” the people Linda Bartoshuk discovered who have extraordinary numbers of taste buds, my first thought was “oh, please, let me be a supertaster!” As luck would have it, I’m not in that superminority. But now I know how lucky I am.  Supertasting is not superfun. Imagine that…

  • Frances Moore Lappe: World Hunger…Again and Again and Again

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    heldke

    In 1979, Frances Moore Lappe and Joseph Collins published a little book called World Hunger: Ten Myths. Subsequently revised to include twelve myths, the book was reprinted countless times and is still a classic in the field of food and justice, a mainstay publication of the organization Food First. In the book, Lappe and Collins…

  • How do you feel about cake?

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    heldke

    If you see a piece of cake, or hear someone say the word “cake,” do you find yourself, well, wanting cake–even if you just got up from a huge meal? Scientists at two conferences this week have been investigating the differences between “hedonic” and “homeostatic” eaters–that is, between eaters for whom the siren song of…

  • Why crop diversity matters

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    heldke

    Here’s an interesting piece, called “Why the UK Should Pay More Attention to Its Food,” which discusses the reasons that diversity in our plant species matters. Read into it and you’ll find a discussion of Cary Fowler and the Global Seed Bank project. ““It would cost $30million to conserve wheat, one of the world’s most…

  • Paul Thompson on the ethics of animal biotech

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    heldke

    “Decisions about the future development and use of animal biotechnology may be more effective and widely accepted if parties from various disciplines increase their commitment to frequent and sustained cooperative efforts,” notes Paul B. Thompson, upon the release of a new issue paper on the ethics of animal biotechnology. The paper, entitled Ethical Implications of…

  • Drink more coffee!

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    heldke

    A piece in the Guardian (UK) finally gives us the news we want to hear: drinking more than four cups of coffee is GOOD for you. Or at least it may guard against head and neck cancers! Check out the story here.

  • Nestle’s Perspective in New England Journal of Medicine

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    mkoomen

    Nestle is an expert at synthesizing information around food in a manner that is readable, informative and enlightening. A recent issue of the New England Journal of Medicine featured her Perspective on the subject of calorie labeling. (New England Journal of Medicine 2010;362:2343-2345). Nestle weighs in almost daily on her blog: www.foodpolitics.com She writes the…

  • Bina Agarwal to Head International Economics Society

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    heldke

    Bina Agarwal has been named president elect of the International Society for Environmental Economics, the first woman to hold this position. The ISEE is “dedicated to advancing understanding of the relationships among ecological, social, and economic systems for the mutual well-being of nature and people.” Agarwal was one of the founding members of the Indian…

  • Nestle’s new book: Feed Your Pet Right

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    mkoomen

    Marion Nestle is no stranger to the media spotlight. Her most recently published book Feed Your Pet Right “is an entertaining and informative examination of the booming pet food industry—its history, constituent companies, products, and marketing practices—written by two experts who took an objective look at the science behind pet food industry practices and claims.” …