IINsider's Digest: The Whole Truth, Healthy Valentine's Day, No GMO and more!

IIN speaker Michael Jacobson and the Center for Science in the Public Interest tops the news this week calling for the real truth about whole grains. A country-wide debate hits Manhattan, when farmers from all over fill a New York courtroom to protest GMO crops. A new study claims a chocolate breakfast can aid weight loss, while the NY Times explores mindful eating. And as a special Valentine's Day bonus: skip the unhealthy sugar laden chocolate treats and opt for some healthy substitutes for your sweetie. 

The Whole Truth About Whole Grains
Featuring IIN speaker Michael Jacobson
ABC News
On Wednesday, February 8, the Center for Science in the Public Interest petitioned the Food and Drug Administration to stop letting manufacturers label their foods “Whole Grain” when they really aren’t and to start putting the percentage of whole grain on the packaging. The government has encouraged Americans to eat more whole grains because they help prevent heart disease, but the FDA has never established a legal definition of what constitutes a whole grain. Read more.

Make this Valentine's Day a Healthy Day for Your Heart!
Super Kids Nutrition
February is American Heart Month; a time to encourage long-term lifestyle changes to keep the hearts in your family healthy. Just remember, the key to healthy living is to always make it fun. Super Kids Nutrition is encouraging schools and families to say "no" to traditional sugar-laden Valentine's parties and offers advice on "heart-healthy Valentine Day celebrations" for schools and families along with most nutritious, easy and delicious ideas that will keep kids happy and their hearts healthy. Read more.

Pastor Rick Warren is Born Again to Healthier Living
Featuring IIN speaker Mark Hyman
USA TODAY
Pastor Rick Warren, author of the best-selling The Purpose Driven Life and head of Saddleback Church in Southern California, has always seemed larger than life. But now he's a smaller, healthier size. And he's spreading the word about how he trimmed down on a program he initiated called The Daniel Plan (danielplan.com). It's a lifestyle program that incorporates healthy eating, regular exercise, stress reduction, prayer and group support from other church members in small home groups. Read more. 

Sugar, on a Slippery Slope
By IIN speaker David Katz
Huffington Post Healthy Living
Regulating nutrients, per se, is a slippery slope. If we regulate sugar, we should certainly regulate trans fat -- which is far less important to palatability, and more toxic in smaller quantities. But what about sodium, which the Center for Science in the Public Interest has argued kills 150,000 Americans a year? The Nature authors argue that fructose should not have GRAS (generally recognized as safe) status from the FDA; the same argument has been made about sodium. Do we regulate both? Read more.

A Suit Airs Debate on Organic vs. Modified Crops
NY Times
Silent in flannel shirts and ponytails, farmers from Saskatchewan and South Dakota, Mississippi and Massachusetts lined the walls of a packed federal courtroom in Manhattan last week, as their lawyers told a judge that they were no longer able to keep genetically modified crops from their fields. Read more. 

Chocolate Cake Breakfast Could Help You Lose Weight
The Telegraph
It sounds too good to be true but new research says having dessert - along with the traditional fry up - burns off the pounds. Morning is the best time to consume sweets because that's when the body's metabolism is most active - and we have the rest of the day to work off the calories, a new study shows. Read more.

New York City Defends Health Ads That Frighten the Viewer
NY Times
The city’s health department uses no sugar-coating in its latest ads, which feature images of overweight people whose mobility is impaired to warn of the dangers of ever-growing portions of unhealthy food and soft drinks. Read more.

Mindful Eating as Food for Thought
NY Times
Mindful eating is not a diet, or about giving up anything at all. It’s about experiencing food more intensely — especially the pleasure of it. You can eat a cheeseburger mindfully, if you wish. You might enjoy it a lot more. Or you might decide, halfway through, that your body has had enough. Or that it really needs some salad. Read more.

What hot topics have you buzzing this week?