The IINsider’s Digest gathers all the hottest nutrition topics around the web in one place for your reading pleasure. This week, one study exposes factory farming issues, another compares compulsive behavior between food and drugs, and doctors are learning to heal through healthy cooking.

Doctors Learn to Cook Healthy, ‘Crave-able’ Foods
NY Times

Dr. Eisenberg is the founder and chief officiant of “Healthy Kitchens/Healthy Lives,” an “‘interfaith marriage,” as he calls it, among physicians, public health researchers and distinguished chefs that seeks to tear down the firewall between “healthy” and “ crave-able” cuisine. Although physicians are on the front lines of the nation’s diabetes and obesity crises, many graduate from medical school with little knowledge of nutrition, let alone cooking.

Can Food Really Be Addictive? Yes, Says National Drug Expert
TIME Healthland

The IINsider’s Digest gathers all the hottest nutrition topics around the web in one place for you to easily digest. This week, Integrative Nutrition teacher Dr. David Katz was featured in an MSNBC article on sugar intake among children, while Dr. Andrew Weil, also an IIN nutrition expert, published a piece on the health benefits of walking. It was reported that test-tube meat will be available in the near future, and a lawsuit brought on by thousands of organic farmers against Monsanto was dismissed. 

U.S. Kids Eat Too Much Sugar
MSN Health
Featuring IIN Teacher David Katz, MD

Added sugar in drinks and foods makes up almost 16 percent of the calories U.S. children and teens consume, federal health officials report. That's far more than the daily recommendation of no more than 15 percent of calories from both sugar and fat, according to the report from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, published online Feb. 29 in the National Center for Health Statistics Data Brief.

Walk Like An Australian, Lose 10 Pounds
Huffington Post
By IIN teacher Andrew Weil, MD

The most common objection that I hear to walking as exercise is that it's too easy, that only sweaty, strenuous activity offers real benefits. But there is abundant evidence that regular, brisk walking is associated with better health, including lower blood pressure, better moods and improved cholesterol ratios.

Test-tube Meat to be Available This Fall
Fox News

The world's first "test-tube" meat will be made entirely from a cow's stem cells and will be produced this fall, the AFP reported Monday. Lead researcher on the project, Dutch scientist Mark Post, told a major science conference Sunday that he aims to invent an efficient way to produce skeletal muscle in the lab that exactly mimics meat.

A feed of real-time information from newspapers, celebrities, politicians, and sports teams makes Twitter a continuous newswire. Credible sources? Perhaps not always; but the popular social network is certainly a great place to get updates and articles from your favorite users.

If you have yet to give in to the Twitterverse, here’s how it works: after creating an account you can choose to follow other users based on your interests or your field of work, or just follow friends and family. You’ll then be able to see their tweets (140-character updates) all on one page. Many tweets include links to articles or other websites, or even photos or videos. Here at Integrative Nutrition, we use Twitter to stay in touch with our students and grads, read articles from our nutrition experts, plus follow major news outlets and organizations to stay in the know about current events related to health and wellness.

We previously shared our Twitter lists of doctors and health experts, as well as healthy recipe bloggers, and now we’re sharing our list for health news, so you can stay up to date on the latest nutrition news!

@nytimeshealth – Regular updates from The New York Times Health page, with a ton of content on the health industry, as well as links to the @nytimeswell blog and new recipes.

@NutritionBlogs – Tweets from the Nutrition Blog Network, a site run by dieticians and nutrition experts who share reliable nutrition information, recipes and health tips.

@health_news – A popular user that tweets health-related articles from a variety of sites. There are multiple tweets an hour so you’ll always find something good.

Last January the U.S.D.A. proposed changes to the nation’s school lunch program for the first time in 15 years. The rules would add more fruits and green vegetables to the daily lunch menu, cut the amount of potatoes served, and limit sodium levels. 

On Monday, Congress blocked those proposed rules.

At a time when one-third of American children are obese or overweight, tomato paste on pizza will continue to count as a vegetable.

An article from the New York Times discussed the blocked changes earlier this week, presenting both sides of the issue. For health-conscious parents and other critics, it’s easy to find the new update to the bill appalling. How can pizza and french fries replace leafy greens and whole grains? And if the government truly wants to reverse the health crisis, why would this not be the place to start?

But it’s not that simple. Many factors go into Congress’ decision to block the bill, all backed by supporting arguments. The American Frozen Food Institute said the restrictions would cause schools to serve food that’s not popular among students, resulting in thrown-out, wasted meals.  The National Potato Council argues that 90 percent of potatoes served in schools are baked, boiled or mashed, and not deep-fried.

The New York City Mayor is at it again.  In the past few years, Mayor Michael Bloomberg was successful in getting chain restaurants to visibly display calories, and remove trans fats.  Now the Mayor has turned his attention to curbing the salt intake of city residents.

The mayor’s plan, which is voluntary, aims to cut the amount of salt in packaged and restaurant foods in the city by 25 percent over five years.  Since the sodium in salt causes high blood pressure, heart attacks and strokes, the Mayor’s plan is to improve the overall health of New Yorkers.

It sounds like the Mayor is on the right track in his quest to help New Yorkers get healthy, but will a voluntary plan do the trick?  If “Eighty percent of the salt in Americans’ diets comes from packaged or restaurant food,” as the New York Times reports; is the answer for better health to reduce the salt in those foods or to reduce those foods?

Counting calories to lose weight is a tedious way to accomplish the goal.  Weighing food, reading labels, and feeling hungry are all part of the frustrations that go along with a calorie restrictive diet.  Restaurants in New York City and across the country have even started to post calorie amounts on menu items in an effort to help people make healthier choices.  However, a recent study in the New York Times shows that many restaurant foods and frozen meals contain much higher calorie content than what they stated.  The Times reports that “at Denny’s, a serving of grits, listed at 80 calories, tested at 258. The label on Lean Cuisine’s shrimp and angel-hair pasta says it has 220 calories, but the researchers measured it at 319. They found 344 calories in a Wendy’s grilled chicken wrap listed at 260.” 

If you want to lose weight and you are relying on restaurant food and frozen meals, you may want to think again.  An apple has only 44 calories, a banana 65, broccoli 32 and spinach comes in at only 8. 

Eating food that is naturally low in calories but high in nutrition is the way to go when you are looking to lose a few pounds.  Fast food and frozen meals will only keep you starving for more. 

What do you do to keep the pounds off? 

Everyone is talking about the flu, the shot, and whether to get it or not.  There are many ways to boost your immunity during flu season, and avoid getting sick. The most important thing is to eat a healthy well balanced diet full of whole foods, fruits, and vegetables. Specific immunity booster are Vitamin C, found in citrus fruits and Omega 3 fats, found in fatty fish. Garlic, carrots and sweet potatoes, which are loaded with beta carotene, also pump up your immune system. Probiotics, or the "live active cultures" found in yogurt, are healthy bacteria that keep the gut and intestinal tract free of disease-causing germs. Also add Vitamin E and Zinc to your diet for extra defense. 

Get enough sleep. Make sure that during the season of sickness, you take extra care of yourself by resting and reducing stress. Lack of sleep lowers immunity and increases your chances of getting sick, so, ease up on the party people!

Wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water for at least 20 seconds and keep your hands away from your face. Drink plenty of water and hot liquids, like green tea. Green tea is a super-charger for your immune system. Avoid processed foods which are low in vital nutrients that we need to stay healthy.  And exercise to sweat out toxins and keep your immune system in tip top shape.How do you stay healthy during the cold and flu season? 

Immune Boosting Ginger Tea:

Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 25 minutes

Bring 4 cups of water to a boil in a saucepan. Peel a two inch piece of ginger and slice into thin strips. Once water is boiling add ginger. Reduce heat to simmer for 20 minutes. Strain ginger from the liquid and drink. Add honey and lemon to taste if desired.

I think many of us can feel stuck in a rut, when it comes to our day-to-day eating. This ABC News article outlines some nutrient-rich foods that you may not already incorporate into your every day diet.

Kiwi: This fruit is rich in potassium and loaded with dietary fiber. Two of them have twice the vitamin C of an orange!

Broccoli Rabe: This leafy green is generally available year-round and is a great source of vitamin K, A and a great plant-based source of calcium. It can be enjoyed raw, but it’s best when steamed or boiled.

Brazil Nuts: These seeds are an exceptional source of selenium, which is a cancer-fighting mineral. Like other nuts, they are also a good source of protein, fiber and vitamin E. Boil them to soften the shell.  

Red lentils: When these lentils are dried they have a reddish or orangey color, but they turn a golden-yellow hue once they’re cooked. No matter what color the lentils, they are high in protein and fiber. So this is a great option for vegetarians.

Quinoa: This seed is related to spinach and beets. This carbohydrate also has more protein and dietary fiber than most cereal grains. It’s a great option for people on a gluten-free diet.

Many people can get tired of eating the same thing every day, but you don’t have to. You’ll be more likely to stick to a healthy diet if you switch it up every now and then. Try incorporating more of these foods into your diet. How do you like to prepare them?