/oss/taxonomy/term/1440/all en /oss/article/nutrition/how-caloric-value-food-determined <p>A very good question to tackle because many people do not have a good understanding of calories.  First of all, a calorie is not a thing and therefore cannot be full or empty.  You cannot put calories in a bottle.  A calorie is a unit of measure of energy.  Very specifically, it is the amount of energy that is required to raise the temperature of one mL, (which is also one gram), of water by one degree Celsius.  If you really want to be a stickler for detail, it is the energy needed to raise the temperature from 14.5 to 15.5 degrees C.  The word calorie was actually coined by the great Fren</p> Thu, 06 Sep 2018 18:39:09 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 7337 at /oss /oss/article/controversial-science-environment-food-health-news-toxicity/are-environmental-chemicals-making-us-fat <p>We are getting fatter.  The World Health Organization estimates that a seventh of the world’s population is overweight and about 300 million people can now be classified as obese.  What’s going on?  The answer would appear to be pretty simple.  We are eating more and exercising less.  But that answer may be a tad too simple.  Some researchers maintain that our increased calorie intake and decreased calorie expenditure cannot account for the current “epidemic of obesity.”  We better have a look, they say, not only at the gluttonous amounts of processed foods we consume, but also at the packa</p> Sun, 09 Feb 2014 01:44:30 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 2092 at /oss /oss/article/controversial-science-diets-food-health-news/it-looks-there-something-atkins-diet-after-all <p>Who would have guessed that a song by the Guess Who would become a health anthem? “Silent footsteps crowding me, Sudden darkness but I can see, No sugar tonight in my coffee, No sugar tonight in my tea, No sugar to stand beside me, No sugar to run with me.” Not exactly the most brilliant lyrics, but not a bad message.</p> Tue, 22 Apr 2014 13:01:53 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 2131 at /oss