Besides the best-selling, latest diet book, like Paleo (puhleez!) 

lot of research that gets reported in places like Science Daily (www.sciencedaily.com), the Berkeley Wellness Letter (http://www.wellnessletter.com/ucberkeley, among many others.  There are too many for me to summarize, but I thought you may enjoy a few of them.  I've thrown one in from Dr. Weil.  [Remember, when reading any research articles and studies the words "may", "could", "might", etc., are used for a reason.] 

1.  Vicious Cycle of Over-Eating and Feeling Depressed Explained   

Some people may read this and say "'duh', of course my pint of Ben & Jerry's Cherry Garcia at 11 p.m. is related to my low mood, PMS, or call it depression, if you want."  It's no surprise that certain foods can give us a "high" with the attendant "low".  Here's the excerpt and the link is below.    

"Neuroscience research is finding that "In addition to causing obesity, rich foods can actually cause chemical reactions in the brain in a similar way to illicit drugs, ultimately leading to depression as the 'come-downs' take their toll. . . Like with drug addicts, "food highs" are used to combat depression and cycling to the "low" which can add to depressive feelings."  Read it all here.

2.  Feeling Tired? "Social Jetlag" Poses Obesity Health Hazard, Study Shows

We know that most Americans are sleep-deprived.  What with the glaring blue light of the laptop, now iPad/Nook/Kindle, while propped up in bed, it's alluring to continuing surfing, reading, gaming than sleep.  Kids, jobs, busy schedules, and Breaking Bad's 5th season all get in the way.  Did you know that sleep deprivation leads to weight gain.  Here's the excerpt and the link

. 

"Social jetlag -- a syndrome related to the mismatch between the body's internal clock and the realities of our daily schedules -- does more than make us sleepy. It is also contributing to the growing tide of obesity, according to a large-scale epidemiological study reported online on May 10 in Current Biology, a Cell Press publication."

3.  Intermittent Fasting:  A Healthy Choice  

Well, the fast food companies want you to eat a 4th meal.  Great.  That's all we need is another 25% more calories in our already super-sized diet.  We have also been encouraged to eat many small meals throughout the day "to keep our metabolism" up.  As Dr. Andrew Weil reports what people hear is "eat all the time."  I don't remember our ancestors eating all day long-in the car, on the street, in bed, on the couch.  People used to (and I hear some still do) sit at a table 3 times a day and eat a meal.  Dr. Weil reports some interesting studies that showed that intermittent fasting had impressive health effects.  Interesting article.

4.  Dieting? Study challenges notion that a calorie is just a calorie.  

Ah, the never-ending debate.  Is weight maintenance all about calories in and calories out? Dr. Jules Hirsch for the NYT states:

"Perhaps the most important illusion is the belief that a calorie is not a calorie but depends on how much carbohydrates a person eats. There is an inflexible law of physics - energy taken in must exactly equal the number of calories leaving the system when fat storage is unchanged. Calories leave the system when food is used to fuel the body. To lower fat content - reduce obesity - one must reduce calories taken in, or increase the output by increasing activity, or both. This is true whether calories come from pumpkins or peanuts or pâté de foie gras."

Here's an excerpt from another study and you can read the full report here: 

"A new study challenges the notion that "a calorie is a calorie." The study finds diets that reduce the surge in blood sugar after a meal -- either low-glycemic index or very-low carbohydrate -- may be preferable to a low-fat diet for those trying to achieve lasting weight loss."  

That's it. In a previous article, I've covered the topic of weight loss and the practice of yoga.  I'll dig it up, dust it off and post it shortly.  

Again this year, Britt has asked me to come as her assistant.  Yippee!  This is a great opportunity to me to work with Britt and her students and to take a bit of a break myself.  There are still some spots open if you want to join us.  It's wonderful, really.

More info available at: http://www.sfzc.org/tassajara/