FOR THE LOVE OF FOOD: Nutrition research is often wrong, stop commenting on people’s weight loss, and this much exercise slows aging

Welcome to Friday’s For The Love of Food, Summer Tomato’s weekly link roundup.

This week nutrition research is often wrong, stop commenting on people’s weight loss, and this much exercise slows aging.

Next week’s Mindful Meal Challenge will start again on Monday. Sign up now to join us!

Too busy to read them all? Try this awesome free speed reading app to read at 300+ wpm. So neat!

I also share links on Twitter @summertomato and the Summer Tomato Facebook page. I’m very active on all these sites and would love to connect with you.

Links of the week

• Almost 40% of peer-reviewed dietary research turns out to be wrong. Here’s why – Amazing. Read this. (New Food Economy)
• Seven reasons not to compliment someone on weight loss — and what to say instead – This is something I’ve been working on lately. Growing up, comments on my appearance were typically the first words out of any family member’s mouth if I hadn’t seen the person in a couple weeks. It infuriated me, and almost certainly led to many of the body image issues I dealt with throughout adolescence. Still I internalized it and it is a challenge for me not to speak and think this way. Time to break the cycle. (Washington Post)
• How More Carbon Dioxide Can Make Food Less Nutritious –More research building up about how climate change doesn’t just impact the quantity of food that can be produced, but also the quality of its nutrition. Scary stuff. (NY Times)
• Scientists have figured out exactly how much you need to exercise to slow your heart’s aging process – Good to know. What are you doing for exercise this weekend? (Quartz)
• Vegan YouTube Stars Are Held to Impossible Standards – This bums me out. Be nice to your fellow citizens. (The Atlantic)
• Framing food: Stanford study shows that teens heed food rules that prioritize health – I’m not convinced that this applies to teens outside of the Bay Area (healthy eating is easily the norm here), but it is at least hopeful. (Stanford News)
• The Thing Inside Your Cells That Might Determine How Long You Live – Super interesting. (NY Times)
• Iowa Residents to Sue the State Over Air Emissions from Industrial Hog Farms – Rural Americans are learning that protecting the environment from factory farming isn’t just a liberal issue, it’s a life or death issue we should all support. (Civil Eats)
• Act with Devotion & Intention, Letting Go of Attachment to Outcome – The term “devotion” makes me slightly nauseous, but I know this is a message many of you need to hear. People frequently ask me if improving health behaviors is “worth it” if they don’t lose a significant amount of weight, as if feeling better and having a better relationship with food and your body aren’t valid goals in and of themselves. (Zen Habits)
• One Pan Harissa Chicken – This looks so delicious (David Lebovitz), and I think it would pair great with Heidi’s turmeric chickpeas (101 Cookbooks).

What inspired you this week?