Your Brain on Potato Chips

Or, more accurately, a rat's brain on potato chips.  Last week, PLoS One published a very interesting paper by Dr. Tobias Hoch and colleagues on what happens in a rat's brain when it is exposed to a highly palatable/rewarding food (1).  Rats, like humans, overconsume highly palatable foods even when they're sated on less palatable foods (2), and feeding rats a variety of palatable human junk foods is one of the most effective ways to fatten them (3).  Since the brain directs all behaviors, food consumption is an expression of brain activity patterns.  So what is the brain activity pattern that leads to the overconsumption of a highly palatable and rewarding food?

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How To Avoid Hitting A Martial Arts Plateau

Martial Artists are no different from other athletes and if you're not careful you can easily hit a plateau. Plateaus must be avoided because it means your martial arts skill and fitness levels aren't improving. Here's The Shaolin Temple's Five Steps to avoid hitting a plateau.

1) Change Your Martial Arts Routine

Our bodies are efficient machines which adapt to whatever we throw at it including our workout. When you first start to train you'll make gains in your training but after a few months these gains will level off because your body has learnt to adapt. To avoid hitting a plateau you need to change your martial arts workout every couple of weeks.  Combining  my Workout, Bootcamp and newly released Circuit Training DVDs will give your body the constant change  it needs so it never reaches a plateau.

2) Do High Intensity Circuit Training

If you're fit and you can run 5k without any problem then you're ready to do circuit training. Though not suitable for everyone, this is the best way to torch fat, build lean muscle and boost your metabolism. Fighting Fit is a saying which we all know means optimal fitness. Fighters need to combine circuit training with cardio runs and if you're serious about your martial arts, alongside training with my DVDs you also need to run.

3) Mind Body Connection

Shaolin is all about the mind body connection. It's the way that Shaolin Monks understand Zen. You may have no desire to understand Zen but do you have desire to be more focused? Centered? At peace with yourself? If you're following Shaolin correctly then this is what you'll gain.

4) Make A Plan

It's not enough to put the time in, you need  a plan and a destination. After you've done your martial art's workout , take a pen and write down how you did. Tracking your progress can help  keep you motivated. Plan ahead as to what DVDs  you'll be working out to on what days. Give your training the respect it deserves.

5) Train the Yin as well as the Yang

Rest is an important factor in our martial arts so you don't burn out. As well as taking one or two days of a week from your training, you also need to do Qigong to regenerate your body from the inside out. And it's important to get a good nights sleep. Research is showing just how important sleep is for the body to regenerate itself.  If you find it hard to sleep then do some of the movement from Qigong Volume 2 before you go to bed at night.

The beauty of Shaolin is that we can shape it around our fitness level, energy levels and lifestyle by constantly adapting the workouts. Listen to your body and work with it.

For more information on Shifu's DVDs please click here. 

Salt Sugar Fat

I'd just like to put in a quick word for a book that will be released tomorrow, titled Salt Sugar Fat: How the Food Giants Hooked Us, by Pulitzer prize-winning author Michael Moss.  This is along the same lines as Dr. David Kessler's book The End of Overeating, which explains how the food industry uses food reward, palatability, and food cues to maximize sales-- and as an unintended side effect, maximize our waistlines.   Judging by Moss's recent article in New York Times Magazine, which I highly recommend reading, the book will be excellent.  I've pre-ordered it.

Food Reward Friday

This week, Food Reward Friday is going to be a little bit different.  I've received a few e-mails from people who would like to see me write about some of the less obvious examples of food reward-- foods that are less extreme, but much more common, and that nevertheless promote overeating.  Let's face it, even though they're funny and they (sometimes) illustrate the principle, most people reading this blog don't eat banana splits very often, much less pizzas made out of hot dogs.

So this week's "winner" is something many of you have in your houses right now, and which was also the subject of an interesting recent study... potato chips!

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Body Fatness and Cardiovascular Risk Factors

I recently revisited a really cool paper published in the Lancet in 2009 on body fatness, biomarkers, health, and mortality (1). It's a meta-analysis that compiled body mass index (BMI) data from nearly 900,000 individual people, and related it to circulating lipids and various health outcomes.  This is one of the most authoritative papers on the subject.

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Menu announced for Feb. 27 Healthy World Cafe lunch!

(Photo courtesy of Flickr user Clay Irving)

Hope everyone is hungry -- here's what Healthy World Cafe has planned for lunch from 11:30 to 1:30 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 27:

• Chicken and rice soup
• Carrot and ginger soup
• Vegetable and cheese quiche or strata
• Carrot and cabbage slaw
• Twice-baked potato topped with corn beef hash
• French dip sandwich
• Dried fruit cookies

Of course, our menu is always based on whatever is available from our farmer friends, so stay tuned for updates!

At Healthy World Cafe, we always feature our "eat what you want, pay how you can" philosophy.  The ability to pay should never be a barrier to accessing delicious, unprocessed, healthy food.  Take out orders are available by emailing your selections (by 10 a.m. Feb. 27) to healthyworldcafe(at)gmail(dot)com.

Here's a look at volunteer opportunities for this February lunch and other upcoming events:

February's lunch:
-- 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. Monday, Feb. 25 -- Food prep at First Moravian Church
-- 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 26 -- Food prep at First Moravian Church
-- 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 27 -- Food prep and serving at FMC

Private, catered event in March:
-- 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 12 -- Food prep for a private catered event. Meet at FMC.
-- 6 to 10 p.m. Wednesday, March 13 -- Food prep at YorKitchen in Central Market York.
-- 3 to 10:30 p.m. Thursday, March 14 -- Food prep and serving for a private catered event in Central Market York. Meet at YorKitchen. We'll split into shifts for this day: 3 to 7 p.m. and 6:30 to 10:30. Can't make a full shift? Email sarah.e.chain(at)gmail(dot)com and let us know when to expect you.

Find a full list of upcoming events through May at our calendar page.

Sign up for volunteer hours through VolunteerSpot.

Questions? Email us at healthyworldcafe(at)gmail(dot)com.

Diet-Heart: The Role of Vegetarian Diets in the Hypothesis

A recent publication from the EPIC-Oxford cohort with 15,000 vegetarians and 30,000 non-vegetarians found that the vegetarians had a 32% lower risk of hospitalization or death from coronary heart disease.1 These findings are consistent with a previous meta-analysis of 5 cohort studies with 48,000 non-vegetarians and 28,000 vegetarians which found that lacto-ovo vegetarians had a 34% lower risk of fatal coronary heart disease compared to regular meat eaters.2 These findings remained significant even after adjusting for non-dietary factors and alcohol intake. In addition, in each of these 6 cohort studies, vegetarians and non-vegetarians shared a similar interest in healthy lifestyles or were of a similar religious background, therefore limiting the number of potential confounders that could have obscured these findings.

This review will focus on the evidence from randomized controlled trials and long-term prospective cohort studies addressing the influence of vegetarian dietary patterns on the risk of coronary heart disease, and how these findings have contributed to the current understanding of the diet-heart hypothesis. This review will also consider the question as to whether the simple definition of a vegetarian diet is meaningful in the context of a healthy diet to reduce the risk of coronary heart disease. Regarding cohort studies, this review will primarily consider the influence of lacto-ovo vegetarian diets on the risk of coronary heart disease due to limited evidence from these studies addressing the long-term adherence to other types of vegetarian diets. A more informative analysis maybe possible after a longer follow-up of the on-going and largest cohort of vegetarians, the Adventist Health Study 2, which has observed more favorable cardiovascular risk factors within different vegetarian subgroups, particularly vegans.3

Skeptics of the diet-heart hypothesis often suggest that there are no plausible mechanisms in which a vegetarian dietary pattern can lower the risk of coronary heart disease, and often ascribe the observed benefits of vegetarianism to factors other than the avoidance of animal foods. Typically either ignored or downplayed by these skeptics is the convincing evidence that vegetarian dietary patterns can lower LDL cholesterol, which is an established risk factor for coronary heart disease.4 5 6

Establishing Causation

In the 6 cohorts described, a sizable portion of the non-vegetarians consumed significantly less meat than the general population. For example, in the EPIC-Oxford cohort, most participants were either occasional meat eaters, or affiliated with vegetarians or with vegetarian societies. Also, a potential problem in these cohorts is that measurement error of usual dietary intake of meat may have resulted in misclassifying a sizable portion of non-vegetarians as vegetarians. For example, in the Health Food Shoppers Study included among these cohorts, a validity assessment of the survey used to classify the participants vegetarian status suggested that 34% of the participants classified as vegetarians actually consumed meat. This data strongly suggests a much smaller than otherwise expected difference in dietary intake between the groups classified as vegetarians and non-vegetarians, potentially masking a stronger protective effect of a vegetarian dietary pattern.7

Another potential problem in these cohorts is the possibility that a sizable portion of participants classified as vegetarians stopped consuming meat or other animal foods in response to deteriorating health or unfavorable risk factors that would ultimately become life-threatening. This has been referred to as the ‘sick quitter effect’, which is known to mask the protective effect of smoking cessation in studies due to participants quitting in response to deteriorating health.8 In regards to diet, it has been documented that people tend to lower intake of saturated fat and cholesterol in response to unfavorable serum cholesterol levels, which has actually been shown to bias the association between diet and serum cholesterol in the opposite direction than expected [reviewed previously]. This bias is known as reverse causation, and may explain why in the Adventist studies that participants with short-term adherence (less than 5 years) to a vegetarian diet experienced an increased risk of mortality, while participants with long-term adherence (more than 17 years) to a vegetarian diet experienced a significantly lower risk of mortality compared to non-vegetarians (Fig. 1).8

Figure 1. Life expediencies for long-term vegetarians and short-term vegetarians in the Adventist Health Study and Adventist Mortality Study*

These factors should be taken into account when testing for causality as failing to do so may mask a protective effect of a vegetarian dietary pattern. One of the most important factors in order to establish causality is to address whether the association is biologically plausible, which in this case requires examining how vegetarian dietary patterns can influence cardiovascular risk factors.

Serum Lipids

In 1922, de Langen published what was perhaps the first study that provided strong evidence that a vegetarian dietary pattern favorably effects serum cholesterol when he placed five native Indonesians consuming a rice-based vegetarian diet into a metabolic ward and shifted the diet to one rich in meat, butter and egg fats, resulting in significant elevations in serum cholesterol [reviewed previously]. In 1954, Hardinge and Stare published what was perhaps the first observational study comparing the serum lipids of vegetarians to non-vegetarians in an affluent population. Lacto-ovo vegetarians and especially vegans had significantly lower serum cholesterol concentrations despite relatively high intakes of saturated fat.9 10 In 2009, Ferdowsian and Barnard published a systematic review of 27 randomized controlled trials and observational studies on either vegetarian or predominantly plant-based diets, and found that certain plant-based dietary patterns can lower LDL cholesterol by up to 35%, independent of changes to body weight (Figs 2, 3).4

Figure 2. Effects of plant-based diets in normolipidemic individuals: Randomized controlled trials*

Figure 3. Effects of plant-based diets in hyperlipidemic individuals: randomized controlled trials*

In the Lifestyle Heart Trial lead by Dr. Dean Ornish, intensive lifestyle changes including a vegetarian diet that allowed a small amount of non-fat dairy foods successfully reduced LDL by 37.2%, angina episodes by 91% and regressed coronary atherosclerosis in the experimental group after 1 year. In both the experimental and control group LDL and total cholesterol was correlated with changes in coronary atherosclerosis.11 

A recent meta-analysis of statin based randomized controlled trials found that lowering LDL cholesterol to less than 100 mg/dl was associated with regression of coronary atherosclerosis in participants with coronary heart disease.12 Similarly, a recent mendelian randomization study of over 100,000 individuals found that genetically-predicted higher LDL cholesterol was associated with greater carotid atherosclerosis, but there was no causal association for HDL cholesterol and triglycerides.13 Consistent with these lines of evidence, it has been consistently demonstrated in experiments on non-human primates that coronary atherosclerosis induced by feeding of dietary cholesterol and saturated fat can be reversed by a cholesterol lowering diet [reviewed previously]. Therefore the preponderance of evidence strongly suggests that the findings from the Lifestyle Heart Trial of a correlation between lower LDL cholesterol and regression of coronary atherosclerosis was causal, and can at least partly be explained by the intervention of a cholesterol lowering vegetarian diet. 

In the meta-analysis of 5 cohorts it was found that in a sample of participants from 3 of the cohorts that serum cholesterol ranged from between 13 mg/dl to 23 mg/dl lower in the vegetarians compared to non-vegetarians. The researchers suggested that the difference in serum cholesterol could have largely explained the difference in fatal coronary heart disease between these groups.2 In the EPIC-Oxford cohort, serum lipids and blood cholesterol were measured in a sample of the participants. Non-HDL cholesterol was 17 mg/dl lower and systolic blood pressure was 3.3 mmHg lower in the vegetarians compared to the non-vegetarians. The researchers calculated that the differences between these two risk factors alone would expect to lower the risk of coronary heart disease by 24%, which is less than the observed 32% lower risk.1 

The researchers from the EPIC-Oxford cohort suggested that the high ratio of polyunsaturated fat to saturated fat largely explained the difference in non-HDL cholesterol between groups, but failed to mention that a number of other plant based nutrients may have also contributed to this difference.1 It has been repeatedly demonstrated in randomized controlled trials that intake of plant protein, particularly from soy, plant sterols, and dietary fiber can also lower LDL cholesterol.14 15 16 In fact in many of the interventions with the greatest diet induced decrease in LDL cholesterol, the decrease could not be explained by changes in dietary fat and cholesterol intake alone, but also likely due to the additive effects of a number of plant based nutrients.17 18 19

It is clear that the LDL cholesterol levels of the vegetarians in these cohort studies far exceeded optimal levels, likely due to a diet deficient in whole plant foods and still relatively rich in animal foods. If these vegetarians had adhered to a much more phytonutrient rich cholesterol lowering diet such as that used in the aggressive dietary experiments, an even significantly lower risk of coronary heart disease may have been observed. Plant Positive recently referred to this informative statement made by Michael Brown and Joseph Goldstein the year before they were awarded the Nobel Prize for their research on the LDL-receptor:20

If the LDL-receptor hypothesis is correct, the human receptor system is designed to function in the presence of an exceedingly low LDL level. The kind of diet necessary to maintain such a level would be markedly different from the customary diet in Western industrial countries (and much more stringent than moderate low-cholesterol diets of the kind recommended by the American Heart Association). It would call for the total elimination of dairy products as well as eggs, and for a severely limited intake of meat and other sources of saturated fat.

Evidence from over one hundred randomized controlled trials has proven beyond plausible doubt that changing from a diet rich in animal foods to a dieter richer in certain whole plant foods significantly lowers LDL cholesterol.4 14 15 16 21 22 Similarly, evidence from over one hundred randomized controlled trials has proven beyond plausible doubt that lowering LDL cholesterol decreases the risk of coronary heart disease and all-cause mortality.5 6 Therefore consistent with the diet-heart hypothesis, there is convincing evidence that an appropriately designed vegetarian diet would reduce the risk of coronary heart disease, and that this reduction can at least be partly explained by lower LDL cholesterol.

Beyond Cholesterol

There are likely a number of dietary related factors that contribute to the lower risk of coronary heart disease observed in people with vegetarian dietary patterns that cannot entirely be explained by lower LDL cholesterol. For example, it has been shown in randomized controlled trials that a number of plant based nutrients can lower blood pressure, which may explain the lower blood pressure observed in vegetarians in a number of observation and intervention studies [reviewed previously]. Furthermore, appropriately designed vegetarian diets likely reduce the risk of being overweight and developing type II diabetes.23 24 25 26 27 Other factors such as reduced oxidation of LDL and changes in blood clotting have also been suggested as explanations for the lower risk of coronary heart disease observed in vegetarians.28 29

Perhaps the main concern with an inappropriately designed vegetarian diet is that it may result in elevated homocysteine due to an inadequate intake of vitamin B12, suggested to be a risk factor for coronary heart disease. Although deficiency of vitamin B12 is rarely observed in some populations in the developed world consuming a predominantly plant based diet, perhaps due to regular contact with vitamin B12 producing bacteria, health authorities strongly recommended that vegetarians diets be supplemented regularly with a bioavailable source of vitamin B12.30 31 Jack Norris, RD regularly posts informative reviews on the latest research on vitamin B12 intake and homocysteine, and updates his recommendations for vitamin B12 supplementation in response to new findings.

In all of the cohort studies, and perhaps most intervention studies carried out on vegetarians, there is little doubt that only very few vegetarians were actually consuming a diet predominantly based on whole plant foods, and as expected although these vegetarians experienced a significantly lower risk of coronary heart disease than their omnivorous counterparts, they still experienced a substantial residual risk of coronary heart disease.32 In Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn’s more recent decade long study (pending publication) of around 200 patients that were advised to consume a whole foods, plant-based diet, it was found that recurrent cardiac events only occurred in 0.5% of adherent participants. This is an approximately 40 fold lower risk than achieved in other dietary or statin based trials, strongly suggesting that these results can only partially be explained by the use of LDL cholesterol lowering medication [reviewed previously]. This is an excellent example of how a whole foods, plant-based diet can confer significant benefit over-and-above favorable changes to traditional risk factors.

Caldwell Esselstyn on making heart attacks history

The definition of a vegetarian diet typically only defines which type of animal foods are restricted and not the quantity and quality of plant foods consumed. As all vegetarian diets are not created equal, studies on vegetarians may only provide limited information of the influence a more nutrient dense vegetarian dietary pattern on the risk of coronary heart disease.33 The restriction of certain animal foods however may encourage at least a modest increase of intake of high quality plant matter, including fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes and nuts in order to make up for calories and certain nutrients otherwise consumed from animal foods. Nevertheless, even the studies examining less than optimal vegetarian diets may contribute more to the knowledge of optimal dietary patterns than many studies on homogenous populations due to greater differences in intake of specific foods and nutrients. Vegetarian diets should be designed according to not only which animal foods are restrict, but also the quality of plant foods consumed in order to minimize and preferably eliminate the risk of developing coronary heart disease. There is very strong evidence that such a diet would also lower the risk of numerous other chronic and degenerative diseases.

Diet-Heart Posts

Part I - Diet-Heart: A Problematic Revisit
Part II - Diet-Heart: Saturated Fat and Blood Cholesterol
Part IV - Cracking Down on Eggs and Cholesterol
Part V - Cracking Down on Eggs and Cholesterol: Part II

Please post any comments in the Discussion Thread.

Benefits of Kopi Luwak for Our Health

Oprah and Kopi Luwak

Are you a true fan of coffee? Perhaps you've often drank cappuccino, black coffee or espresso coffee. We know of two types of coffee, namely Arabica and Robusta. 

According to history, the coffee comes from Ethiopia, Africa and growing from Arabia to Europe, and finally to the present, coffee has been bringing the world together. Coffee has been grown in many countries of Asia, Latin America and of course in Africa.

The taste and enjoyment of coffee is influenced by soil and weather where the coffee is grown. Coffee types and processing methods also affect the taste of coffee. Now we know the instant coffee and ground coffee in our house or we find in coffee shops, or cafes, hotels and anywhere.

Among a variety of original and processed coffee, if you've been drinking organic coffee or civet coffee? Kopi Luwak coffee is unique because of the intervention of a ferret animal called the Luwak. The coffee was freshly picked and eaten by the Luwak, the next morning following discharge Luwak coffee beans. The coffee farmers are washed and dried coffee and coffee as well as other processed. The aroma and taste of coffee Luwak coffee is different from others, because of the unique and special. Best Civet Coffee from Bali, Gayo, Java and other areas in Sumatra Island. 

Luwak and a cup of coffee. Image: kopirama.com

Bucket List, The Movie

Kopi Luwak increasingly popular as introduced by Oprah Winfrey on the Oprah Winfrey Show, you can even see Morgan Freeman and Jack Nicholson discuss and drink civet coffee in the famous movie called Bucket List. You should watch this movie because this movie is very touching millions of viewers around the world.

After trial and research turns Kopi Luwak is very beneficial for our health. What are the benefits of Kopi Luwak are very tasty this?

1. Protect the teeth, which is famous for its coffee and caffeine-stick according to research to protect teeth from bacteria that cause cavities, besides drinking a cup of civet coffee every day is also able to prevent the occurrence of oral cancer.

Luwak in Coffee Plantation. Image: warungkopiluwak.com

 2. According to a study "The Journal of Nutrition": civet coffee 3 cups a day can prevent breast cancer, especially for women who are approaching menopause are very prone to get breast cancer.

 3. Protecting the skin, benefits Luwak coffee is famous for its usefulness is also able to protect the skin from skin cancer disease, according to research by drinking two cups of kopi luwak can reduce the risk of skin cancer up to 17%. This is good news for you who love to sunbathe on Kuta beach, Bali or at Bondi beach in Sydney.

 4. Kopi Luwak can prevent diabetes. This deadly disease is greatly feared, many people who become victims. Apparently there is no drug that can cure diabetes officially, but we still were able to prevent diabetes, that is by utilizing civet coffee 2-3 cups every day.

  5. Kopi Luwak can prevent neurological diseases, because the antioxidants and caffeine contained in coffee can prevent Parkinson's. Besides caffeine contained in coffee Luwak was also able to inhibit inflammation in the brain, which can cause neurological disorders or neurological diseases.

 6. Prevent gallstone disease. Cholesterol crystals trapped within the gallbladder, which can be overcome by caffeine, because caffeine has a non-stick substance, so mucus crystals will not precipitate in the bile. To obtain these substances in caffeine luwak coffee rich in caffeine, then you need to drink 2-3 cups of kopi luwak every day to get the benefits of civet coffee perfectly.

Thus some of the benefits of civet coffee were very good for health, because health is the most precious treasure. Keeping the onset of the disease is better than treating with chemical drugs. Although coffee is very useful, but make sure you do not drink coffee in excess, a maximum of 3 cups per day. Reduce sugar in your coffee so you are not obese.

Now you can purchase Kopi Luwak or civet coffee at a cafe or coffee shop in your town or you can buy online. If you want to know the history of coffee and all the information about coffee, please read the article on this blog about coffee: Coffee and Beyond.

Food Reward Friday

This week's "winner"... the Banana Split!

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Domino's "Gluten Free" Pizza

That happened. And by "that", I mean the photo of the Domino's Gluten Free Pizza that accompanies this post. It's a 10 inch pie and it all went in my mouth in one sitting and was DELICIOUS (yes, I'm yelling that).

There has been controversy about Domino's decision to introduce a "gluten free" product that actually makes no claims to be safe for people avoiding gluten. Say what? I know it makes no sense. Basically, it's made with gluten free ingredients but is assembled in the same kitchens where the rest of their pizzas are made. Cross-contamination is a given.

So, why did I order this? I was curious. I generally don't worry about cross-contamination. As long as I don't order food that explicitly contains wheat, I'm fine. I don't get digestive distress at all (even with large doses) and only get the brain fog/moodiness/exhaustion when I eat an actual serving of an offending food. Who the heck knows what's happening under the hood, but as far as I can tell, minute amounts don't phase me. Considering I thoughtfully source and cook the majority of the food I eat on a daily basis, I am not too worried about the things I cannot reasonably control. Thus, the decision to order said pie.

That all being said, I do not support the business decision Domino's made to develop a product that is unsafe for its intended market (duh!) Also, I promptly passed out for two hours roughly 15 minutes after ingesting the pizza. I am not used to that amount of carbs at one time, so it's not surprising. All in all, it was tasty but not at all a healthy choice for me. It will not be a regular part of my life.

I will be trying out the Domestic Man's take on gluten free pizza soon. It is also carb-laden but at least I am clear on all the ingredients and will have to earn it by physically making it myself! I also don't plan to eat an entire pie by myself again (progress!)

Am I the only one with this gluten free pizza obsession? Have you found a good alternative to hit that pizza spot?

Food Reward Friday

This week's lucky "winner"... an unnamed hot dog-laden Pizza Hut monstrosity with tempura shrimp and mayonnaise!

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Join Healthy World Cafe for lunch Feb. 27

Drum roll, please... Healthy World Cafe will be open for lunch Feb. 27!

(Photo courtesy of Flickr user J E Theriot)

Join us from 11:30 a.m.  to 1:30 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 27 at First Moravian Church, 39 N. Duke St., in downtown York. We'll be featuring locally grown produce in soups, salads and warm entrees -- check back soon for a full menu!

At Healthy World Cafe, we always feature our "eat what you want, pay how you can" philosophy.  The ability to pay should never be a barrier to accessing delicious, unprocessed, healthy food.  Take out orders are available by emailing your selections (by 10 a.m. Feb. 27) to healthyworldcafe(at)gmail(dot)com.

To receive periodic updates from Healthy World Cafe, send your email address to us at the email address listed above.  If you'd like to volunteer with Healthy World Cafe for food preparations 6:30 to 9 p.m. Feb. 25 and Feb. 26 or for prep and serving 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Nov. 28, click on the box above and to the right, "Volunteer Spot."

We split our food prep into two nights -- Monday and Tuesday -- to move away from the long hours volunteers were spending in the kitchen on Tuesday night. So whether you're available for Monday, Tuesday, or both, please join us!

We'll also have our FABULOUS Healthy World Cafe T-shirts for sale at lunch -- the same ones our volunteers wear. Make a statement around town with your new HWC gear!

Here are some other upcoming dates to keep in mind as well:

• 6:30 to 9 p.m. March 12 and March 13, First Moravian. Prep for a private catered event.
• 5 to 10:30 p.m. March 14, Central Market's YorKitchen. Prep and serving for a private catered event.
• 6:30 to 9 p.m. April 18 and April 19, First Moravian. Prep for Go Green in the City.
• 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. April 20, Central Market's YorKitchen / Beaver Street. Prep and serving for Go Green in the City.

Celebrate all that is local and delicious -- and with a great community of supporters! Hope to see you soon.

Why Do We Eat? A Neurobiological Perspective. Part VIII

In the (probably) last post of this series, I'll take the pieces that I've gradually outlined in previous posts, and put them together into a big-picture, common-sense framework for thinking about human eating behavior, and why we eat more today than ever before.

Why is Eating Behavior Regulated?

Let's start at the most fundamental level.  To be competitive in a natural environment, organisms must find rational ways of interacting with their surroundings to promote survival and reproduction.  One of the most important elements of survival is the acquisition of energy and chemical building blocks, either by photosynthesis, or (in the case of animals) eating other organisms.  This imperative drove the evolution of rational food seeking behaviors long before the emergence of humans, mammals, reptiles, amphibians, fish, worms, and even eukaryotes (organisms with nuclei).

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Why Do We Eat? A Neurobiological Perspective. Part VII

Welcome back to the series, after a bit of a hiatus!  In previous posts, we covered the fact that humans eat because we're motivated to eat, and many things can motivate us to eat.  These include factors related to energy need (homeostatic factors), such as hunger, and factors that have little to do with energy need or hunger (non-homeostatic factors).  These many factors are all processed in specialized brain 'modules' that ultimately converge on a central action selection system (part of the reward system); this is the part of you that decides whether or not to initiate eating behaviors.

This will be somewhat of a catch-all post in which I discuss cognitive, emotional, and habit influences on food intake.  Since these factors are not my specialty, I'll keep it brief, but I don't mean to suggest they aren't important.

Food 'Cost'

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Why Do We Eat? A Neurobiological Perspective. Part VI

In previous posts in this series, I explained that the brain (primarily the mesolimbic system) integrates various factors to decide whether or not to drive food seeking and consumption behaviors.  These include homeostatic factors such as hunger, and non-homeostatic factors such as palatability and the social environment.

In this post, I'll examine the reward system more closely.  This is the system that governs the motivation for food, and behavioral reinforcement (a form of learning).  It does this by receiving information from other parts of the brain that it uses to determine if it's appropriate to drive (motivate) food seeking behavior.  I covered its role in motivation in the first post of the series, so in this post I'll address reinforcement.

Behavioral Reinforcement

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Why Do We Eat? A Neurobiological Perspective. Part V

In previous posts, I explained that food intake is determined by a variety of factors that are detected by the brain, and integrated by circuits in the mesolimbic system to determine the overall motivation to eat.  These factors include 'homeostatic factors' that reflect a true energy need by the body, and 'non-homeostatic factors' that are independent of the body's energy needs (e.g. palatability, habit, and the social environment).

In this post, we'll explore the hedonic system, which governs pleasure.  This includes the pleasure associated with food, called palatability.  The palatability of food is one of the factors that determines food intake.

The Hedonic System

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Why Do We Eat? A Neurobiological Perspective. Part IV

In this post, I'll follow up on the last post with a discussion two more important factors that can affect energy homeostasis and therefore our food intake and propensity to gain fat: age and menopause.

Age

Although it often isn't the case in non-industrial cultures, in affluent nations most people gain fat with age.  This fat gain continues until old age, when many people once again lose fat.  This is probably related to a number of factors, three of which I'll discuss.  The first is that we tend to become less physically active with age.  The second, related factor is that we lose lean mass with age, and so energy expenditure declines.

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