Category Archives: Diet And Food

You probably know that Americans consume way too much salt, but a new U.S. government report points the finger at some surprising sources of salt in the diet.

The report said the top 5 culprits were:

Surprisingly, potato chips, pretzels and other obviously salty snacks didnt make it into the top five, though they did ring in at number 7.

Most Americans are consuming too much salt and its coming from a lot of commonly consumed foods about 25 foods contribute the majority of salt, said lead researcher Zerleen Quader. Shes an analyst from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Knowing which foods contribute the most salt is important for reducing your salt intake, she said.

Sodium is an essential mineral that helps the body maintain fluid balance, according to the American Heart Association. But, too much in the diet increases the risk for high blood pressure, which in turn boosts the risk for heart attack and stroke. Table salt contains about 40 percent sodium. One teaspoon of table salt has 2,300 milligrams (mg) of sodium, which is the maximum amount recommended by health experts.

The new CDC report found that in 2013-2014, Americans consumed about 3,400 mg of salt daily. That far exceeds the recommended amount, and is more than double the American Heart Associations ideal intake of 1,500 mg daily.

And, clearly, all that salt doesnt come from the salt shaker. Most comes from packaged, processed and restaurant foods, the report said.

Many of these foods contain moderate amounts of salt, but are eaten all day long, Quader said. Its not necessarily that foods such as bread are high in salt, but eating several slices a day quickly adds to the total amount of salt you consume.

One way to reduce salt is to pay attention to food labels when shopping and choose the lowest salt option, Quader suggested.

When cooking at home, use fresh herbs and other substitutes for salt. When eating out, you can ask for meals with lower salt, she added.

Quader said the food industry can help by lowering the amount of salt it adds to its products. Gradually reducing salt in foods can help prevent high blood pressure (hypertension) and reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease and wont even be noticed by consumers, she said.

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A new study finds that nearly 75 percent of pre-packaged meals and snacks for toddlers have too much salt. A big concern is children who eat a hi...

The CDC researchers found that 44 percent of the salt people eat comes from just 10 foods. These include bread made with yeast, pizza, sandwiches, cold cuts and cured meats, soups, burritos and tacos, salted snacks, chicken, cheese, eggs and omelets.

Seventy percent of salt in the diet is from 25 foods, the report said. Some of the foods included in the top 25 are bacon, salad dressing, French fries and cereal, the researchers found.

In addition, 61 percent of the salt consumed daily comes from store-prepared foods and restaurant meals. Restaurants have the saltiest foods, Quader said.

Processed foods not only raise blood pressure, but may also increase the risk for cancer, one nutritionist said.

Samantha Heller is a senior clinical nutritionist at New York University Medical Center in New York City.

Processed meats such as bologna, ham, bacon and sausage, and hot dogs have been classified as carcinogens by the World Health Organization, Heller said.

In addition, these and other highly processed foods are huge contributors to the excess salt in the Western diet.

Parents need to understand that feeding hot dogs, fries, and ham and cheese sandwiches to their kids (and themselves) is significantly increasing their risk for certain cancers, hypertension and heart disease, Heller said.

Lowering salt in your diet is as simple and as difficult as cooking at home and using fresh ingredients, as often as possible, she suggested.

This can save money and time in the long run, and certainly is better for our health, Heller said. It may take some time to re-pattern your shopping and eating habits, but your health is worth it.

The report was published March 31 in the CDCsMorbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

Continued here:
The top 5 sources of salt in US diet (potato chips didn't make the list) - CBS News

The liver weighs about 4 pounds and is the bodys largest and hardest working internal organ. A healthy liver fulfills over 500 functions, holds about thirteen percent of the bodys blood supply at any given moment, and filters over a litre of blood each minute! In addition, it contributes to production of over 13,000 different chemicals and maintains over 2000 internal enzyme systems.

Main Functions

What Burdens The Liver?

Some factors that negatively affect liver health include obesity, lack of exercise, insulin resistance/blood sugar imbalances, heart problems, chronic stress/insomnia, estrogen imbalance, poor diet (high in sugar/fructose, refined/processed foods, wrong fats, alcohol and low in fibre, water, vitamins, minerals, antioxidants) as well as toxic overload (internal from candida overgrowth, poor digestion leaky gut, poor gut flora, food sensitivities, low enzymes/HCL, constipation or external from chemicals and hormone mimickers in food, personal care & cleaning products, tobacco and environment). Note that the health of the liver is very much dependent on the health of the gut!

What Can Go Wrong?

Sluggish Liver is described by an impairment in the ability to detoxify or remove toxins.

Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease is characterized by progressive stages of fat buildup, inflammation, scarring and hardening, tissue damage, limited blood flow and eventually complete failure.

Gallstones occur due to an imbalanced composition of bile, when production/circulation/quality is impaired. Bile is composed of fats (cholesterol, lecithin, and fatty acids), bile pigment (bilirubin), bile salts/acids, water, and minerals. Approximately, 80-85% are made of cholesterol and 15-20% of calcium/bilirubin (pigment stones).

When the liver is congested, it not only creates inflammation and cell damage, but toxins end up overflowing into the bloodstream and re-circulating, eventually being stored in fatty tissues. A burdened liver leads to various signs and symptoms such as headaches, skin problems, body odor, food sensitivities, poor digestion, excess weight retention, cholesterol buildup, constipation, hormonal imbalances (PMS/thyroid), fatigue, brain fog, mood swings, etc.

Suggestions

1) Eliminate Triggers

2) Ensure Good Nutrition

3) Consider Liver Support Ingredients

Choose a LIVER CLEANSE that enhances both Phase I & II detoxification, supports liver functions (hormone processing, blood sugar regulation) and stimulates bile production.

4) Lifestyle Recommendations

Ask a health care advisor which products are right for your specific needs and lifestyle!

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Liven Up Your Liver - mySteinbach.ca (blog)

One view of the new Baywatch trailer will probably have you saying, "Holy buff Zac Efron !" The actor plays an Olympic swimmer-turned-lifeguard in the film, and he looks more toned and muscular than ever. We found out his body transformation didn't come without hard work. Last year, Efron told Men's Fitness magazine that he trained for 10 weeks for the film, working out five or six days a week, and sometimes twice a day. He paired his intense fitness regimen with a strict low-carb, low-sugar diet, too. He shared some of his healthy meals on Instagram , and they actually looked downright delicious. And Efron said sticking to healthy #eeeeeats helped to curb his junk food cravings.

"After a while your body stops craving junk food and you look forward to these meals," he told the magazine. "You go, 'Holy cow, I want kale and vinaigrette shredded with beets and a little bit of sweet potato!'"

He's right: Eating healthy for a sustained period of time can turn us off from our unhealthy cravings. Tanya Zuckerbrot , M.S., R.D., founder of the F-Factor Diet, tells SELF that studies support Efron's statements. "Theres science that supports why the cravings minimize, and there are studies that support that when you start eating healthier, you start craving healthier foods," Zuckerbrot says.

Related: What You Need to Know Before Starting a Low-Carb Diet

Let's explain junk food cravings. When you eat any type of carb , whether it's a complex carb (found in foods like whole grains, fruits, and vegetables) or a refined carb (like white bread, cakes, pasta, and white rice), your body breaks it down to its simplest formglucose, a form of sugar. When glucose enters the bloodstream, insulin gets secreted to carry the glucose to cells for energythat's the body "burning carbs" for energy, which is the primary fuel for the body. Complex carbs break down slowly, but refined carbs flood your system with this glucose (often with more than you can use at one time). If you eat refined carbs regularly, your body starts to expect a pattern of glucose. "The one day you choose not to have carbs, the body has secreted the insulin anywaythats the vicious cycle," Zuckerbrot says. The insulin is there, and your body is begging for all those carbs you promised it. "When people stop eating carbs or sugars or some of these refined foods or junk foods, the first few days they go through withdrawal. They dont feel wellthey feel weak, tired, shaky, cranky."

On top of this, sugar itself is seriously addictive. When you eat it, you get a hit of the feel-good brain chemicals dopamine and seratonin. It's the same basic brain response elicited by cocaine. "You then become addicted to that feeling, so every time you eat it you want to eat more," Gina Sam, M.D., M.P.H., director of the Gastrointestinal Motility Center at the Mount Sinai Hospital, previously told SELF .

The good news: Zuckerbrot says you can kick those cravings in a few weeks by sticking to a diet that's high in fiber and low in refined carbs. (Efron says it took him two to three weeks to get his sugar cravings to subside.) When your body is experiencing "withdrawal" symptoms, it's in a state of very low blood sugar and trying to get back to a stable level. High-fiber foods, like complex carbs, take your body longer to digest, meaning glucose will be released more gradually and evenly. "When that blood sugar spike isn't experienced, the subsequent cravings aren't experienced either," Zuckerbrot says.

Even your taste buds will change to accommodate your new habits. Taste buds regenerate about every 11 days , so by the end of your withdrawal period you'll actually have a tongue that's more used to eating less sugary food, and you'll lose your taste for the sweet stuff (at least to some degree).

And as your body gets used to how good it feels running on healthy fuel, you might find yourself jonesing for kale and beets just like Zac Efron does.

Check out Efron's results below:

h/t Men's Fitness

Related:

Watch: Healthy Egg and Avocado Sandwich Under 300 Calories

See more here:
Zac Efron's 'Baywatch' Diet Helped Him Stop Craving Junk Food - SELF

Men's Health

These 5 Surprising Foods Make Up the Most Salt In Our Diet Men's Health The researchers had nearly 10,000 participants report what they ate within the last 24 hours. They discovered that the average person consumed 3,409 milligrams (mg) of sodium a daywell above the daily recommended guideline of 2,300 mg a day.

Read the original here:
These 5 Surprising Foods Make Up the Most Salt In Our Diet - Men's Health

Exercise

All of this is useless if you don't accompany it with a high-intensity strength training regimen. After all, your body needs muscle to burn fat. I recommend an 80/20 strength-training-to-cardio ratio.

To give you an idea of what that looks like, at the peak of my keto journey, I was weight training for an hour every morning (with one or two rest days per week) and doing about 30 minutes of high-intensity cardio twice a week. I emphasize "high-intensity" because the higher your heart rate, the more fat you're burning. Good cardio exercises include sprinting intervals, spin classes like Soulcycle, and good old-fashioned swimming. Bad (or less efficient) cardio activities include long-distance running or anything that maintains a moderate heart rate.

Now here's where things get tricky: Ketosis is a pretty fragile state, and it's not the same for everyone. You have to figure out the exact cocktail of macronutrients you need to hit every day. There are a few tools online that should help I used the ruled.me Ketogenic Calculator. These calculators take a number of things into account like age, height, activity level, and your own personal goals. The most important thing to remember is that you want your carb intake to be no more than 5 percent of your total caloric intake. Based on what I've read, 20g is a safe daily carb threshold to shoot for. The other thing to remember is that you have to hit a relatively small protein window every day. Eat too little or too much protein, and you risk kicking your body out of ketosis.

You're probably wondering how I kept track of all of this on a daily basis. Fortunately, like any millennial, I turned to a smartphone app for help. There are a few of them out there, but my favorite one is Lose It! It lets you search a user-generated database of almost every food and drink known to the internet, log what you ate, and it breaks down everything from caloric intake to macronutrients to exercise.

Ramy Zabarah

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One of the most helpful things I used during keto was a food scale. Since this diet requires you to know every ingredient going into your body and exactly how much of it, dining out wasn't really much of an option. Therefore, you have to be prepared to cook everything. To make it easy, I did most of my cooking on the weekend and saved leftovers for during the week. With each meal, I'd weigh out the ingredients and log them in the app. That way, I could accurately track exactly how many carbs, fats, and proteins I was taking in.

For me, an average day in meals usually included some sort of variation of bacon and eggs in the morning (substituting bacon with avocado from time to time), a fatty salad or some lamb over lettuce from the halal cart for lunch (or even a bunless burger), and weekend leftovers for dinner. If I had the energy after work, I'd occasionally make pork chops or a steak.

Ramy Zabarah

If you haven't already figured it out by now, arguably the biggest downside of this diet is that you don't get cheat days. If you cheat (miss your protein window or eat too many carbs, for example), you have to start all over again. Keto only works as a constant state; It's more of a lifestyle change than a diet. Another bummer is that since you're taking in a lot of fat and not a lot of fiber, constipation can be a problem. This can be alleviated by taking fiber supplements like Metamucil or psyllium husk.

The good news is once you're in ketosis, you'll notice a lot of changes and not just in appearance. When I was on keto, my skin cleared up, my mood brightened, and I found the energy I was getting from fat to be cleaner and a lot more reliable. I woke up feeling clear headed and had enough energy to sustain me throughout the day. I rarely even needed coffee!

After 5 to 6 months of full-on keto, I hit my target weight (160), and decided to ease myself out of it. To start, I basically continued eating according to the diet's guidelines, but stopped logging and tracking my food, choosing to use my own judgment rather than have the diet dictate my life. Then, little by little, I re-introduced some carbs back into my system, like fruits and some vegetables. I still eat a lot of fatty food and try to stay away from grainy carbs like rice, bread, and pasta. To be honest, I don't know if those will ever be a regular part of my diet again. You really don't notice all the negative effects of sugars and carbs until you quit them completely.

There's a common misconception that fat is the primary cause of obesity, which explains society's obsession with low-fat products (yogurt, milk, desserts, etc.). But that claim is being proven wrong every day. I'm no nutritionist, but from what I've learned, fat is definitely not the boogeyman I grew up conditioned to believe. The issue is most of our fat is hidden behind a lot of carbs, which make it really hard for some metabolically challenged people like myself to burn it efficiently.

It's been about 7 months since my body was last in ketosis, and I'm happy to say I've maintained a healthy lifestyle and have still been able to lose even more fat just by working out and knowing what I'm eating. One great benefit from this diet is that it cuts your portion sizes. If, like me, one of your problems is portion control, nothing will train your body to eat less like filling it with meat, cheese, and butter for a few months. That alone will help you keep the weight off after keto (as long as you don't go straight for the carton of ice cream).

My weight now fluctuates between 155 and 160 pounds (down from 207 last February) and has been that way since last June. I look better, I feel better, and any time I feel myself slipping into old habits, I like to get back into it for a few weeks just to re-center myself. That or I head to the barber shop for more advice and moral support.

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Here's Exactly How I Lost 50 Pounds Doing The Keto Diet - Delish

NBCSports.com

Teams reportedly concerned about Kaepernick's commitment, diet NBCSports.com Via Matt Maiocco of CSN Bay Area, teams are concerned about his commitment to football and his vegan diet. Although we don't question whether one or more people from one or more teams have expressed that viewpoint to Maiocco, we do wonder about ... Colin Kaepernick's Vegan Diet Reportedly Concerns NFL TeamsBleacher Report NFL teams reportedly consider Colin Kaepernick's vegan diet a red flagCBSSports.com Colin Kaepernick's vegan diet is the latest excuse NFL teams are using not to sign himSB Nation NESN.com -Niners Nation -KNBR (blog) -Monday Morning Quarterback all 111 news articles »

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Teams reportedly concerned about Kaepernick's commitment, diet - NBCSports.com

While most celebrity or fad diets have not been scientifically proven to be effective, the alkaline diet can still positively impact your body, especially if you have kidney problems, according to a Baylor College of Medicine expert.

The alkaline diet is used to reduce the amount of acid in the body by consuming foods and drinks that are low in acid and high in alkaline, said Sreedhar Mandayam, associate professor in the nephrology section of the Department of Medicine at Baylor. We usually recommend this diet for those who suffer from kidney stones or who have kidney disease.

Mandayam explained that at the cellular level, if your acid level changes or increases too quickly, proteins that are essential for the functioning of the cells may not work properly. Certain proteins impacted can include those that help form receptors and those that are responsible for nerve firing and muscle contracting.

When people have a slow, steady buildup of acid over a long period of time, they tend to lose bone mass, resulting in osteoporosis, and they lose muscle strength and function and their ability to walk and lift things reduces. There also is a significant reduction in cognitive ability.

The body tries very hard to keep your acid levels in a very narrow range. Its when there isnt enough kidney function to make that happen that these problems can occur, Mandayam said.

For those who have had or are at risk for kidney stones, Mandayam said the alkaline diet helps in two ways: 1) It helps make the urine less acidic so there is reduced formation of crystals in the urine of calcium oxalate and 2) it reduces the crystal formation in urine of uric acid.

For those who have chronic kidney disease, he said the alkaline diet is helpful in slowing down the worsening of the disease, especially if the diet is started by stage three. As the ability of the kidneys to work is reduced, the acid that the body produces cannot be eliminated and circulates in the blood, which can cause problems. One way to combat this is to reduce the acid levels in the blood by increasing the alkaline levels in your diet.

However, Mandayam warned that anyone who is thinking about going on this diet should first talk with their doctor.

They should talk to a primary care physician and let them know that they are putting themselves on this diet so that the doctor can monitor to see if there are any adverse consequences, he said. Each one of us is unique and how each one of us reacts to a particular change is fairly different.

He added that besides increasing the amount of alkaline levels in your diet, he strongly recommends drinking lots of fluid.

Try to keep yourself hydrated and dont ignore when you are thirsty. Most people probably need to drink about 32 ounces a day, he said.

Read the original:
Not just another celebrity diet: benefits of an alkaline diet - Baylor College of Medicine News (press release)

Veterinary nutritionists can be found in universities, teaching veterinary students and treating patients with special dietary needs. We may work in the pet food industry as consultants or by contributing to research, development and education efforts. We also work with veterinarians and their clients, providing answers or input aimed at resolving dietary quandaries.

As a veterinarian with more than 25 years experience and a Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Nutrition (ACVN), I enjoy doing a little of all these.

For example, I may develop a homemade diet for a Labrador with copper liver storage disease, a very particular liver problem. Or Ill check in with one of my consulting clients to see how a picky young German Shepherd with recurring diarrhea is doing with his new diet. A presentation for a large veterinary meeting focusing on diets that can be used to not only treat disease states, but also to perhaps prevent them may be on my to-do list. Conference calls with veterinary students to discuss nutritional biochemistry and how cats differ from humans and dogs also occupy my time.

But my favorite part of the day is reaching out to pet parents through my work with the Companion Animal Nutrition and Wellness Institute (CANWI), a grassroots not-for-profit organization focusing on optimal nutrition and wellness to improve and extend the lives of our furry children and best friends.

At CANWI, we recognize the difficulty people have in accessing companion-animal nutrition information not sponsored by the pet food industry, a multibillion dollar operation instrumental in providing the bulk of consumer information as well as in supporting veterinary nutrition research and education. While we agree that the industrys goals align with the need for safe nutrition, we firmly believe that there is also a need for unbiased information on the subject.

As part of this effort, CANWI raises funds for veterinary education, including forums and programs that educate veterinary technicians, students and the pet-vested community. In fall 2016, CANWI named Danielle Conway, DVM, as its first Veterinary Nutrition Resident; the organization will support her two-year formal training program at the University of Tennessee College of Veterinary Medicine. Typically, this sort of advanced training is funded by the pet food industry. As CANWI president Patricia Micka noted when announcing the award, To the best of our knowledge, this is the first time a nonprofit is funding a Veterinary Nutrition Residency program. It is our intention to make this an ongoing program and not a one-time event.

Another CANWI mission is to fund scientific research to identify healthy, or what we term optimal or best, nutrition for our companion animals. Every day, we field queries from people interested in feeding their dogs and cats the best possible diet, one that will sustain longer, healthier lives.

While we humans are told to eat plenty of fresh foods, most of our dogs and cats are fed processed commercial foods throughout their lives. What effect does this have do processed foods provide optimal nutrition and support longevity?

Heat processing improves nutrient availability, shelf life and food safety, but it is also known to cause the Maillard reaction, chemical reactions between amino acids in proteins and sugars that give browned food its distinctive and appealing flavor. Similar Maillard reactions occur in body tissues, especially with aging, and form what are termed advanced glycation end products, or AGEs. Diets high in Maillard reaction products (MRPs) have been shown to increase levels of AGEs in the body.

Studies in humans and rodents have revealed that elevated levels of AGEs in tissues are associated with a number of age-related ailments, including diabetes, cataracts, osteoarthritis, atherosclerosis and vascular diseases. The absorption of MRPs from the diet and their accumulation in the bodys AGE pool may be one of the ways foods have an impact on age related diseases in both humans and animals.

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Do Better Canine Diets Support Longer Lives? - The Bark (blog)

Testing blood sugar level. Patients are usually diagnosed with type 1 diabetes before the age of 14 and must have daily shots of insulin to control their blood sugar levels. Photograph: Trevor Smith/Alamy

Scientists have raised hope for the prevention of early-onset diabetes in children after a fibre-rich diet was found to protect animals from the disease.

More than 20 million people worldwide are affected by type 1 diabetes, which takes hold when the immune system turns on the body and destroys pancreatic cells that make the hormone insulin.

It is unclear what causes the immune system to malfunction, but patients are usually diagnosed with type 1 diabetes before the age of 14 and must have daily shots of insulin to control their blood sugar levels.

Working with Australias national science agency, CSIRO, researchers at Monash University in Melbourne created a diet rich in fibre that is broken down in the lower intestine into molecules known as short-chain fatty acids.

The team, led by immunologist Charles Mackay, believe that short-chain fatty acids called butyrate and acetate dampen down the immune system, and have the potential to treat a range of disorders from asthma to irritable bowel syndrome.

For the latest study, the scientists monitored the health of mice that were bred to develop the rodent equivalent of type 1 diabetes. On a normal diet, more than 70% of the animals had developed the condition after 30 weeks. But another group that received the high fibre diet was nearly entirely protected from the condition.

What we saw was dramatic, Mackay said. When we give the diet to mice that spontaneously develop type 1 diabetes, we could almost completely eliminate their disease.

Mackay said it was too early to know whether such medicinal foods could protect people from type 1 diabetes. There have been frustrations in the past that findings in these animals have not translated particularly well to human patients, but at other times they do, he said. But we think our study establishes the concept that we can stop a disease with natural medicinal food.

The diet is rich in a specific type of fibre that comes from a plant product called high amylose corn starch. The fibre is resistant to digestion in the upper intestine, and instead is fermented into acetate and butyrate by bacteria in the large intestine, or colon.

Tests on the mice found that acetate and butyrate may work in different ways to cool down the immune reaction that destroys pancreatic cells in type 1 diabetes. Acetate appeared to lower the number of immune cells primed to attack the pancreatic cells, while butyrate boosted other cells that dampen the immune reaction. The study is reported in the journal Nature Immunology.

Mackay now hopes to test the diet in humans. If trials show that it can slow or prevent type 1 diabetes, children could potentially have it as a powder on their meals, or dissolved in a drink.

John Cryan, professor of anatomy and neuroscience at University College Cork, said: It really reinforces the importance of diet at shaping physiology and offers potential for tailored dietary-based interventions for diabetes. It highlights how little we know about short-chain fatty acids despite them being the among the most important microbial-mediated dietary breakdown products.

But he said more work was needed on the potential side effects of diets that boost levels of short-chain fatty acids. One recent study found that in the brain, the compounds could affect immune processes that underlie Parkinsons disease. Of course, all diet studies in mice need caution as human diet, the microbiome, and their interactions, are so much more complex, he added.

Emily Burns at Diabetes UK said: We know that our immune system and gut work closely together. Understanding how the gut works in more detail could shed light on how to combat conditions that involve an immune attack, like type 1 diabetes. But theres still a lot we dont know.

The idea that a special medicinal diet could help to regulate the immune system and prevent type 1 diabetes from developing is interesting, but this research is at a very early stage. We wont know how effective this approach could be in people at risk of type 1 diabetes until research moves into human clinical trials.

What we currently know is that type 1 diabetes is not linked to diet or lifestyle and it cant be prevented. Diabetes UK is funding a great deal of research to find ways to stop the immune attack against the pancreas, in order to prevent type 1 diabetes in the future.

This article was amended on 29 March 2017. An earlier version referred to type 1 diabetes as juvenile diabetes.

Read more from the original source:
High fibre diet 'could prevent type 1 diabetes' - The Guardian

Food Tank has compiled 17 books to educate, inform and inspire us this season. Whether youre looking to dip your toes into the world of modern, sustainable agriculture or searching for a new hobbylike making cheese with no dairythese books about food, agriculture, and sustainability offer something for everyone. Including both seasoned and new authors, writing about health, food, the environment, and the intersection of all three, hopefully you will find inspiration this spring through these 17 reads.

1. Women in Agriculture: Professionalizing Rural Life in North America and Europe, 18801965, edited by Linda M. Ambrose and Joan M. Jensen

Studies of women in rural life, agriculture, and the home are fairly extensive, but the role of women in other agricultural roles has been examined less. This series of essays explores the role of women as agricultural researchers, producers, marketers, educators, and community organizers in North America and Europe and the expertise they have contributed to rural life and modern agriculture.

2. The Presidents Kitchen Cabinet, by Adrian Miller

African-American culinary traditions have significantly influenced American food culture at its roots. In the past few centuries, soul food has pervaded more than the kitchens of American households and restaurants. It has left its mark on one of the most vital kitchens in the countrythe White House. This book compiles the stories of more than 100 black men and women who served and fed our nations presidents.

3. Building the Agricultural City, by Robert Wolf

Wolf offers a plan for the future of rural economies based on the concept of regionalism, in which widespread, isolated communities become large cities, or agricultural cities. He implores rural communities to decentralize the wealth, work cooperatively to rebuild their economies, and move toward a stronger future.

4. Scraps, Wilt & Weeds: Turning Wasted Food into Plenty by Mads Refslund and Tama Matsuoka Wong

With the new cookbook from Noma chef Mads Refslund, otherwise wasted foodssuch as the presumably inedible parts of vegetables or stale and wilted foodstransform into impressive dishes. Overripe fruit becomes sweet glazes for meat dishes. Vegetable leaves and stalks become the savory bases of soups and sauces. Refslunds tips and recipes enforce a new respect for the foods we exploit in our kitchens.

5. Natural Defense: Enlisting Bugs and Germs to Protect Our Food and Health by Emily Monosson

The chemicals we have relied on for more than a century to keep our crops clean and healthy are no longer living up to their job. Diseases are outsmarting our defenses. Fortunately, Monosson offers a positive outlook on the future of plant protection and our subsequent health benefits with innovative scientific advancements that look to germs and bugs to work with nature instead of fighting against it.

6. The Food Lovers Garden: Growing Cooking and Eating Well by Jenni Blackmore

Whether youre working with a small backyard plot or a few pots on your balcony, The Food Lovers Garden will offer what you need to get started growing your own food. This guidebook/cookbook has the essentials for those who have a piqued interest in gardening but are not sure where to start. Blackmore then takes you beyond the growing phase with recipes for cooking, as well as preserving, the fruits (and vegetables) of your labor.

7. The Tropical Oil Crop Revolution by Roz Naylor

This information-packed book provides an outlook for an industry on the cusp of change. The oil crop revolution is gaining momentum and with it, the power to influence the food we eat, feed for our animals, the landscape, biofuels, and the economy. The industrys biggest stakeholders and harshest critics arent the only ones to chime in on its impact. The Tropical Oil Crop Revolution analyzes the major costs versus benefits while exploring the sustainable options that could balance out its future.

8. The Art of Plant-Based Cheesemaking by Karen McAthy

Who says a more ethical and healthy diet cant include cheese? Whether youre cutting back on dairy-based products or simply looking to try something new, the world of plant-based cheeses offers the same creamy texture from a new perspective. McAthy, an expert plant-based cheesemaker, shares her experience in unfolding new wonders for dairy-free cheese-lovers.

9. A Conversation about Healthy Eating (forthcoming July 2017) by Nicholas A. Lesica

In A Conversation about Healthy Eating, Lesicas highly scientific approach looks at what hasnt worked in the past and why, and how we can better understand for ourselves the principles behind a healthy diet. So what is the secret, exactly? Lesica finds that its about avoiding processed foods as much as possible, and in the book, he provides lifestyle changes that can help you do just that.

10. Compact Farms by Josh Volk

Amateur farmers and gardeners looking to turn their small farm into a business will find inspiration in the stories of 15 farms profiled in this book. The farms serve as guides for every step involved in building a farm enterpriseon five acres or less.

11. Food Anatomy: The Curious Parts & Pieces of Our Edible World by Julia Rothman

Food and food culture across the globe comes to life in this vividly illustrated book. Julia Rothmans distinctive work makes learning about cheese slicing and challah braiding, among other things, interactive and engaging.

12. Sustainable Diets: How Ecological Nutrition Can Transform Consumption and the Food System (forthcoming March 2017) by Pamela Mason and Tim Lang

This book is a comprehensive look at the sustainable diets, as opposed to the unsustainable diets that currently are heavily impacting the plant. The authors look at both nutrition and public health to understand what a sustainable diet actually entails and how we can shift to these diets in a way that still allows billions of people access to food.

13. The Humane Gardener: Nurturing a Backyard Habitat for Wildlife (forthcoming April 2017) by Nancy Lawson

Lawson wants backyard gardeners to create a symbiotic relationship with the creatures and critters that need the natural habitats to survive. Through her book and an outreach initiative of the same name, she teaches readers how to grow inviting spaces for wildlife to prosper, from the best butterfly bushes and flowers for pollinators to techniques for living in harmony with animals otherwise thought of as pests.

14. The Permaculture Promise by Jono Neiger

Looking for a beginners guide to permaculture? The Permaculture Promise explains the concepts main practices from gardening and housing to transportation, energy, and how we structure our communities. Through 22 profiles of people and communities, Neiger demonstrates the ways that anyone can incorporate permaculture practices in their daily lives in order to contribute to a more sustainable world.

15. Immersion: The Science and Mystery of Freshwater Mussels (forthcoming April 2017) by Abbie Gascho Landis

Step into the secret world of freshwater mussels, an unassuming creature of great value to the worlds waterways. Landis, a veterinarian, takes readers to the riverbeds and streams of the southeastern United States, where her own fascination began, in order to introduce them to a small piece of the delicate ecosystems we rely on.

16. Feast: Recipes and Stories from a Canadian Road Trip by Lindsay Anderson and Dana Vanveller

Ever wonder what defines Canadian food culture? Two friends wanted to find out, so they took off on a road-trip from one edge of the Great White North to the other in pursuit of the curiosities of Canadian gastronomic traditions. Along the way, they tell the stories of the characters they meet from chefs to farmers and First Nation elders. By the end, youll be licking your lips and searching for a ticket north.

17. Never Out of Season: How Having the Food We Want When We Want it Threatens Our Food Supply and Our Future by Rob Dunn

The bananas we eat today come from what modern scientists standardized in the 1960s from dozens into one basic banana, generally the same size, shape, and taste. Never Out of Season outlines how streamlining our cropsbreeding the hardiest, best tasting varieties to be seemingly never out of seasonhas left our food supply without diversity and dangerously susceptible to natures pathogens.

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Food Tank's reading list: 17 books to dig into this spring - Fairfaxtimes.com