Food is often viewed through the lens of cultural dogma — good or bad, healthy or unhealthy — but what scientists have been able to interpret from previous studies is that we may be looking at food’s relative nutrient composition in a bottlenecked way. Certain foods contain varying amounts of macronutrients, vitamins, and minerals, but […]
Eating for pleasure: How enjoying your food can make it healthier Read More »
A growing majority of consumers have begun to make the switch from conventionally-grown to organic produce, hoping to feel a bit better about the food they are eating and where it comes from, even if it means dropping a few extra dollars each week on groceries. Since the latter half of the 20th century, organic
Suspicion of nutrition: Is eating organic really any better for you? Read More »
While cooking dinner the other night, I found myself engaging in tomato discourse with my roommates. I was trying to unpack why they didn’t like the fruit on its own yet liked it in a sauce or salad. What we boiled it down to was the tomatoes’ rheological properties—also known as mouthfeel, and even more
To Chew or Not To Chew Read More »
When my 81-year-old grandmother first told me she was taking turmeric to help her arthritis, I was skeptical. To me, turmeric was the orange spice that sometimes came out of the cabinet when curry was on the menu. Was my grandmother’s venture into the spice world for medicinal solutions based in fact? She reassured me
Peppered with positives: The health benefits of spices Read More »
A drastic difference, in terms of upper-level public health responses to COVID-19, is quite apparent when comparing the East to the West. Even when it comes to personal choices and social distancing practices, a similar degree of contrast is observable. Surgical masks are commonplace in public spaces in many East and South Asian countries, while
COVID-19: An unlikely agent of international sociocultural exposure Read More »
In this uphill battle against COVID-19, many healthcare workers such as doctors and nurses have to suit up in their personal protective equipment on a daily basis to treat COVID-19 patients that are, at times, on the brink of death. While the sick patients are being treated, healthcare workers are being psychologically affected by the
The unspoken symptom of COVID-19 Read More »
At the start of the pandemic, the American Cancer Society recommended postponing non-essential cancer screenings to reduce the strain on the medical system. Because of these reduced screenings, cancer diagnoses have dropped since the first cases of COVID-19 were recorded. As the pandemic persists, understanding this drop in diagnoses is critical to ensure that doctors
We are all avoiding public spaces and participating in “social distancing” to curb the spread of COVID-19, the novel coronavirus at the center of the current pandemic. Guidelines on how to protect oneself and others vary between every authority. Initially, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommended that people not wear masks and
COVID-19: Are six feet enough to protect from aerosol pathogens? Read More »
The silence is palpable on Huntington Avenue these days. During an hour that would have normally seen a frantic commute, an empty Green Line train rumbles by. In a city like Boston that is (wisely) following social distancing guidelines, people’s lifestyles have changed almost overnight — they are staying inside. The act of social distancing
Staying inside: How a new sedentary lifestyle affects the human body Read More »