food

How dairy fats can make you smarter

Don't eat this! Don't eat that! Too much fat! Too much cholesterol!

All the know-it-alls spewing that nonsense know absolutely zippo -- because the very foods they're telling you NOT to eat will actually supercharge your brain.

I don't need to see more research to know that. The brain itself is practically a ball of fat and cholesterol, and it needs more of both to stay sharp.

But for you doubters out there, check out the International Dairy Journal, where a new study finds that people who eat the most dairy products -- y'know, products loaded with those supposedly evil saturated fats -- are sharper than people who don't.

The study of 972 people between the ages of 28 and 98 found that the regular dairy consumers had the highest scores on tests measuring visual-spatial ability, verbal memory, working memory, reasoning ability, and executive function.

That last one's a biggie. It's the ability to plan and organize, and it's one of the first things to go when dementia starts to sink in. If boosting it is as easy as eating a hunk of cheese each day -- the most common dairy product consumed by the participants in this study, by the way -- then go for it.

I like mine cheddar, extra sharp.

Of course, there's a flip side to this. If eating real dairy will make you smarter, that means replacing real dairy with soy "milk" and margarine will make you dumber.

Not that anyone actually wants to eat that stuff anyway. It all tastes like garbage, and the only reason anyone even bothers with it is because they've been told it's healthy.

It's not... so feel free to go back to the real stuff you never wanted to give up in the first place.

Along with boosting your brainpower, the fats and cholesterol in dairy (and red meats, for that matter) can actually PROTECT your heart, not hurt it.

I know that's not what you've heard, especially when it comes to cholesterol, but I've got all the details -- and you can read it all right here.

In the meantime, I have more on fats and brain health coming up next. Keep reading!

Plastics chemical linked to heart risk

If you thought packaged food was bad, you should see what's in the packaging itself.

The hormone-like chemical I've been warning you about -- the BPA found in plastic bottles, food wrappers, can linings and more -- can leech into your food and drink and give you heart disease, according to a new study.

That's if the awful food from those BPA-lined containers doesn't do the job first, of course.

British researchers used data on more than 1,600 people who were all healthy and showing no signs of heart disease at the start of the study. Ten years later, the ones with the highest urine levels of BPA were also the ones most likely to develop heart disease.

It's not exactly a smoking gun -- but with several other studies also finding a link between BPA and heart problems, there's at least smoke... and plenty of it.

And let's not forget all the other risks linked to BPA.

As I mentioned, this stuff is like a hormone. In fact, it's so close to estrogen that your body treats it like the real thing, giving you a secret boost with every bite and sip.

Hello, man-boobs!

I'm not even joking -- male breasts have been linked to BPA, but that's a positively minor risk compared to everything else that can go wrong. Obesity, cancer, diabetes, developmental problems, and even serious sexual problems have all been linked to this chemical -- and that's just the beginning of the list.

The feds have had numerous chances to ban this stuff, but of course they've chosen to protect the chemical industry that makes it over you.

That means you need to put your own BPA ban in place by avoiding anything in a can or a plastic container. If the label doesn't say "BPA FREE" assume it's BPA FULL and keep it out of your home.

Believe it or not, that alone won't get your BPA levels down to zero. You simply can't get away from this stuff. It's is in everything from dental sealants to store receipts.

It's even been found on money.

All I can say is, do the best you can here... your health depends on it.