Olive oil has been touted to consumers as the “heart-healthy” cooking fat since the introduction of the Mediterranean Diet in the late 1990’s. Purveyors of olive oils like to market the oil as having an ancient culinary legacy, however, as discussed in Part I of this series, this is actually just a marketing scheme to get people to use more olive oil in the kitchen. In Part II … [Read more...] about Food for Thought: Olive Oil Primer (Part II)
Maternal Health in Nigeria
Jane Kim is a senior at the University of Southern California studying Biology, Social Sciences emp. Psychology, and French. She enjoys doing community service, traveling, reading, drawing, and watching Netflix. In the future, she plans on attending medical school and working with underprivileged communities in Los Angeles. Her favorite animal is the elephant. THE STATE OF … [Read more...] about Maternal Health in Nigeria
Food for Thought: Olive Oil Primer (Part I)
Unbeknownst to most consumers, the multi-million dollar olive oil industry has powerful lobbying bodies that have carefully crafted a narrative based on tradition, history, and purported health benefits to lure in customers over the past two decades. While cold-pressed extra virgin olive oil is indeed a good source of vitamin E that boasts a nutrient profile with more … [Read more...] about Food for Thought: Olive Oil Primer (Part I)
Food for Thought: Kombucha (Part II)
Health Elixir or Snake Oil: Is Kombucha Good for Your Health? Proponents of kombucha attribute a laundry list of health benefits to this beverage. Many of these have yet to be validated by peer-reviewed science (e.g. kombucha as the cure to cancer), while other claims (such as kombucha’s ability to enhance mental acuity, increase life expectancy, and promote weight loss) are … [Read more...] about Food for Thought: Kombucha (Part II)
Food for Thought: Kombucha (Part I)
Over the past decade, kombucha tea has catapulted from being an obscure home brew made by fermentation fanatics, to being a darling of the American health food scene. Now available to consumers in stores ranging from Whole Foods to the grocery section of the local Target, kombucha has gained a following because of its purported health benefits. But what exactly is … [Read more...] about Food for Thought: Kombucha (Part I)