Growing Bolder Community

Over the past decade, nutritional advice on how much and what kind of fat to eat to keep our weight in check has shifted much like the colors and shapes in a revolving kaleidoscope. Ten years ago, most of us thought that eating fat would make us fat. Based on this belief, consumers sought to eliminate all fat from their food. In response to the demand, food manufacturers rushed to fill grocery...

The amount of information and advice swirling around us on how much and what kind of fat to eat is enough to make a person dizzy. We’re told some fats are bad for us (saturated fats and trans-fats) and others are good for us (monounsaturated fats, polyunsaturated fats and omega-3 fats). Some diet experts, such as Dr. Dean Ornish, suggest a low-fat diet. Others, such as the Atkins diet, promote a...

I've always gotten along with kids. Years ago, before I became qualified to be considered of grandfather age, many of my girlfriends had children. I used to tell them things while driving along, like, "Do you see that apartment complex over there, called Hidden Pines? Do you know why they call it that?" "Nope." "Because they had to tear out all the pine trees when they built it. The...

To eliminate the evil of sugar, hundreds of sugar-free products were introduced to American diets over the past several decades. Nonetheless, Americans continued to gain weight. Fats were the next nutrient to be demonized; consequently, a ubiquitous spate of low or nonfat products appeared on grocery shelves. Once again, Americans continued to gain weight. Carbohydrates, especially pasta, rice and...

Over the past few years, trans fat has been targeted as the source of several life-threatening medical conditions, including cardiovascular disease. According to the American Heart Association, trans fats are a real heartbreaker because they raise the bad (LDL) cholesterol and lower the good (HDL0 cholesterol. Trans fats also increase inflammation of the blood vessels. Since 1957,...

Demonizing particular foods and specific categories of foods, such as carbs or fats, is...

If you've been playing the dieting game for any length of time (a game I hope you've given up), you can remember food trends. One year, a food is deemed good for us. A few years later, we're told to avoid it. Do you remember when margarine was supposed to be better for us than butter? Later, because of trans-fats in margarine, we were encouraged to avoid it. Eggs, at one point, were bad for us...