vegetables

vegetables /oss/taxonomy/term/616/all en The Unmentionable Effect of Cruciferous Vegetables /oss/article/health-and-nutrition/unmentionable-effect-cruciferous-vegetables <hr /> This article was first published in <a href="https://skepticalinquirer.org/exclusive/facts-and-fiction-of-physiological-phenomena-food-for-thought/">The Skeptical Inquirer</a>. <hr /> While it’s true that cruciferous veggies like cabbage, arugula, broccoli, and cauliflower can lead to an increased rate of flatulence, these vegetables are far from the only culprits despite their reputations. Fri, 01 Mar 2024 15:12:40 +0000 Ada McVean M.Sc. 9851 at /oss Let’s Squeeze the Hype Out of Juice Plus /oss/article/health-and-nutrition-pseudoscience/lets-squeeze-hype-out-juice-plus I first heard about Juice Plus back in 1994, from of all people, O.J. Simpson. I suppose he was a natural to promote these dehydrated juice capsules since, after all, the nickname of the former football star was “The Juice.” His association with National Safety Associates (NSA), the company that launched Juice Plus in 1993, didn’t last long. Just a few months after he had signed a multi-year six-figure endorsement contract, Simpson was arrested for the murder of his ex-wife and her friend. Fri, 29 Apr 2022 17:15:14 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 9101 at /oss Food for thought about healthier eating /oss/article/health-and-nutrition/food-thought-about-healthier-eating <hr /> This article was originally published in the <a href="https://montrealgazette.com/opinion/columnists/christopher-labos-food-for-thought-about-healthier-eating">Montreal Gazette</a> Fri, 17 Sep 2021 21:03:05 +0000 Christopher Labos MD, MSc 8854 at /oss Why does lettuce turn brown? /oss/article/nutrition-you-asked/why-does-lettuce-turn-brown That’s an interesting question. How lettuce turns brown is well known. But why this happens is a different story. Let's deal with the how first. The chemistry that takes place when lettuce leaves become brown is the same chemistry we see when an apple is cut and turns brown, when green guacamole turns brown or when a green olive ripens and turns black. All these reactions occur when chemicals in the fruit or vegetable called polyphenols react with enzymes called polyphenoloxidases. Enzymes are specialized protein molecules made within cells and serve as catalysts. Fri, 04 Jun 2021 20:24:53 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 8755 at /oss The Carnivore Diet: A Beefy Leap of Faith /oss/article/health-nutrition/carnivore-diet-beefy-leap-faith You may be familiar with the carnivore diet through Mikhaila Peterson, daughter of best-selling author and professor of psychology Jordan B. Peterson. In her��<a href="https://youtu.be/wXPqIDx3_DM">first YouTube video</a>, she narrates a long history of health issues: juvenile arthritis, chronic depression, hypomania, chronic fatigue, numerous skin problems. She started eliminating foods from her diet and, through trial and error, arrived at the solution: all beef, all the time. And she reports her health has dramatically improved. And not just hers. Thu, 15 Nov 2018 19:34:05 +0000 Jonathan Jarry M.Sc. 7452 at /oss Are vegetables grown in "tire gardens" safe to eat? /oss/article/health/are-vegetables-grown-tire-gardens-safe-eat When it comes to chemical composition, tires are extremely complex. Different kinds of rubber, carbon black, vulcanizing agents, antioxidants, antiozonants, polymerization accelerators, plasticizers, oils and solvents are all components of tires. Roughly 5% of the weight of a tire is made up of “processing chemicals.”�� When tires are burned, these chemicals can be released, and even more nasties form as a result of their combustion. However, a tire that lies dormant in the back yard is not being incinerated. Thu, 02 Aug 2018 18:18:33 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 7201 at /oss Ward off cardiovascular disease with vitamin and mineral supplements? Not Likely! /oss/article/health-nutrition/ward-cardiovascular-disease-vitamin-and-mineral-supplements-not-likely Numerous studies have addressed the possible effects of such supplements and now Dr. David Jenkins and his team at the University of Toronto have done a spectacular job in scouring the literature for all relevant studies carried out during the last four years. Individual studies don’t mean very much in science, but pooling them offers meaningful results. That is exactly what Jenkins and colleagues did. This is an important effort because some 50% of the population takes some sort of supplement so that a risk-benefit analysis is certainly welcome. Tue, 29 May 2018 13:00:00 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 7117 at /oss Strawberry Fields Forever (With or Without Pesticides) /oss/article/nutrition-environment/clean-ideas-about-dirty-dozen It’s springtime which means it is time for the Environmental Working Group (EWG) to send the media into a frenzy with its annual release of the “dirty dozen” conventionally produced fruits or vegetables that contain the greatest variety of pesticide residues. The implication is that these should be shunned in favour of��their organic versions.�� Thu, 19 Apr 2018 15:55:49 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 7024 at /oss Bananas are Berries. Raspberries are Not. /oss/article/did-you-know/bananas-are-berries-raspberries-are-not It turns out��<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berry_(botany)" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">berry is actually a botanical term</a>, not a common English one. Blackberries, mulberries, and raspberries are not berries at all, but bananas, pumpkins, avocados and cucumbers are. So what makes a berry? <img alt="a venn diagram of common berries vs botany defined berries" height="376" width="500" class="file-extra-large no-float" src="/oss/files/oss/styles/wysiwyg_extra_large/public/fruitinfographic.jpg?itok=nYBQssM_" /> Wed, 06 Dec 2017 20:12:56 +0000 Ada McVean & Cassandra Lee, OSS Interns 6843 at /oss The Conundrum of Associations /oss/article/diets-environment-food-health-household-products/conundrum-associations �� Tue, 03 Jun 2014 10:09:52 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 2150 at /oss Pesticides in Organic Produce /oss/article/health-environment/pesticides-organic-produce You’ve heard of a tempest in a teapot. This is a hurricane in a thimble. I’m talking about a study carried out by Canada’s Food Inspection Agency that found pesticide residues in organic produce. Consumers were scandalized. Their expensive organic food tainted with pesticides! The very chemicals they were trying to avoid because, as everyone knows, pesticides cause cancer! Alright now, let’s just take a deep breath here and examine what this finding by CFIA really means. First of all pesticides in the amounts found as residues on produce do not cause cancer. Thu, 22 Mar 2012 23:22:27 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 1673 at /oss