Joanne Holden of the USDA’s Nutrient Data Laboratory in Beltsville, Md., reported to the Chicago Tribune that the USDA has the world’s largest database with information on 100 nutrients for over 7500 foods.  The lab’s main purpose is to manage databases, including the USDA Nutrient Database for Standard Reference, the “gold standard” for nutritionists and the food industry.   The USDA database of 100 nutrients is remarkably small compared to the thousands of nutrients, like antioxidants and phytochemicals, that we now know exist.

Saw an article on Yahoo! news describing a study in the journal of the American College of Sports Medicine.   Whilst the catchy headline told me to skip breakfast, the research data did nothing to persuade me to give up breakfast before doing activity.  The study looked at only 7 healthy and fit youths, with only 4 of the youths showing only a marginal increase in fat loss but ALL the youths measuring poorer athletic performance compared to their established athletic norms.  

Jeff (MT's Nutrition Dude/Dietitian) 

  It's not just your home that can use some spring cleaning. There are some paths of health that use the natural rhythm of the seasons to help the body or assist the body's own natural systems to cleanse. For instance, in traditional Chinese medicine, each season is associated with a different organ and spring is the season of the liver.  Other systems teach that certain foods or plants assist in this process of cleansing the body.