Pesticides on Our Plates: Is Our Food Safe to Eat?

The FDA recently released its annual Pesticide Residue Report. As pesticides are one of the things people worry most about, I thought we should take a look at what they found. Here to help us make sense of this very technical and complex data is Dr. Carl Winter of the UC Davis. Dr. Winter is a toxicologist who researches the detection of pesticides and naturally-occurring toxins in foods and how to assess their risks. Below are highlights from our conversation. Please click on the audio player to hear the entire interview.

Nutrition Diva: As part of their ongoing pesticide monitoring program, FDA tested 7,000 foods for residues of over 700 different pesticides and selected industrial compounds. Over half of all the samples analyzed contained no pesticide chemical residues at all. 94% of samples were compliant with federal standards. That means that 6% of the samples were NOT compliant. Does that mean that they were unsafe?

Dr. Carl Winter: When higher than expected (or “violative”) residues are found, it doesn’t mean that these foods are unsafe to consume or expose consumers to unsafe levels of chemicals. The vast majority of these violations aren’t due to levels of a pesticide being higher than expected. They usually indicate the presence of trace amounts of a compound that’s been approved, but not for this particular food.

ND: Also, we should point out that these are not random samples. The FDA is purposely testing those foods that they think are most likely to be in violation—because this part of the program is not designed to assess consumer exposure to pesticides. It’s designed to ensure that these chemicals are being used as directed to control the bugs they are intended to control.

CW: Yes, this is sort of like the cop setting up a speed trap. He or she knows exactly where to set up to catch the maximum number of offenders!

ND: This year, the FDA also used some new methods to test foods specifically for glyphosate or Roundup, in response to public concerns about the presence of this chemical in our food supply. What did they find?

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What Is the Plural of 'Mouse'?

Today’s topic is irregular plural nouns, odd nouns such as “ox” and “oxen.”

Robbie from Keene, New Hampshire, called in with this question:

One of my friends knows that I'm kind of geeky and into grammar and was asking me about adding the “-s” onto words to make the plural but in the same question came up with the question about words like "moose" and "mice" and "ox" and a "goose"—how all of those aren't formed into the plural by adding the “-s.” And I was wondering if you can give any insight? Is there any rhyme or reason into this? Is it only animals that we don't have to add an “-s” on to make it plural?

Robbie made me laugh when he placed a follow-up call asking me to imagine pluralizing all these words like the word "oxen": "goosen," "micen," and "moosen." Very funny. Perhaps we would say some plurals that way if we were all still speaking Old English. More on that in a minute. 

In modern English, most of the time we make a noun plural by adding an “-s.” So the plural of “animal” is “animals.” Robbie, on the other hand, is asking about irregular plurals, and we’re going to delve into the history of English as we learn about three irregular types of plural nouns. Many irregular plurals in English do seem to be animal names, but odd plurals aren't limited to animals.

Plurals Derived from an Old English Form

The first group of irregular nouns we’ll discuss come from an obsolete form in Old English. “Ox” and “oxen” fall into this category. Old English is a West Germanic language that was spoken and written in parts of what are now England and southern Scotland between the mid-5th and late-11th centuries (1). “Beowulf” was written in this language.

If someone from a thousand years ago traveled through time to visit us, we wouldn’t be able to understand each other, but as modern English evolved, it retained some elements of Old English. So we can blame Old English for the plural noun “oxen.” Only two other plural nouns in modern English end this way: “children” and “brethren.” Some other nouns, such as “eye,” “house,” and “hose,” used to be pluralized in a similar way, but the plural forms “eyen,” “housen,” and “hosen” are now dialectic or obsolete (2).

Seeing the word “hosen” reminded me of the German word “lederhosen,” which has a similar plural ending as...

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Why Including Travel on Your Resume Can Land You the Job

When writing your resume, you know to focus on the important stuff: your experience, your best skills, how well you meet the qualifications of the job you want. And while in some cases that can be enough to at least get you invited for an interview, when a recruiter receives dozens of resumes for the same position, a resume that isn’t like everyone else’s is necessary to get you noticed.

If you are looking for that elusive “something” that can get your resume to the top of the pile, consider adding your travel experience. Now, employers aren’t likely to be impressed—or even interested—in your rum-soaked beach vacations or the class trip to Disneyland, but meaningful travel can pique their interest and provide more insight into who you are, your values, and the soft skills you bring to the table.

The Benefits of Including Travel

So what makes travel meaningful, and what does it add to your resume?

“Meaningful” travel is anything that provides you with an experience that expands your mind, changes your perspective, or gives you new skills. Including this type of travel (and it can be both domestic and foreign) can accomplish a number of things on your resume.

Explain gaps.

If you traveled between jobs, let employers know. An employment gap without any explanation is much worse for your image than saying that you spent several months in Asia or explored National Parks. Not only does the employer learn more about you as a person, but you have evidence of how you spent your time.

Highlight skills.

A growing number of people are working while traveling, giving them a chance to experience a new place more fully, while also paying the bills. Include the work you did overseas in your work experience, highlighting anything that is especially relevant. For instance, if you lived overseas and taught English while pursuing your masters in TESOL online, that experience will give your teaching applications a boost.

Highlight experience.

Did you volunteer while you traveled? Have you blogged about your adventures? Did you improve your photography skills? Think about everything you did while you traveled and how it translated into new skills and experiences that you might use on the job.

Highlight soft skills.

Communication. Negotiation. Budgeting. Planning. Dealing with crises. No, these aren’t just skills required in the boardroom. These skills are vital to successful...

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Want to Jump Higher? 8 Ways to Improve Your Vertical Leap

Leg muscle power and vertical jump performance are considered critical elements for successful athletic performance, not to mention for simply performing successful daily activities. Not surprisingly, a lot of research has focused on the development of vertical jump performance. Here are three studies that I think stand out from the crowd. 

In a study called Does plyometric training improve vertical jump height? A meta‐analytical review, the researchers found that, yes, plyometric training significantly improved vertical jump height. Researchers actually saw an increase in jump height between 4.7% and 8.7%. With results like that, plyometric training appears to be an effective form of physical conditioning for augmenting the vertical jump performance in leaping individuals.

Then there is a study called Improved Maximum Strength, Vertical Jump and Sprint Performance after 8 Weeks of Jump Squat Training with Individualized Loads which concluded that eight weeks of jump squat training resulted in significant improvements in countermovement jump, squat jump, maximum isometric squat force and average force over 100m, as well as 50m sprint time. This suggests that short-term (8 weeks in this case) jump squat training can improve your vertical leap plus a bunch of athletic performance abilities simultaneously.

Finally, a study called Evaluation of Plyometric Exercise Training, Weight Training, and Their Combination on Vertical Jumping Performance and Leg Strength provides support for the use of a combination of traditional weightlifting, Olympic-style weightlifting exercises, and plyometric drills to improve vertical jumping ability and explosive performance in general.

Take a balanced approach to your training inputs in order to maximize the different strength characteristics involved in jumping.

This final study, combined with the other studies, reinforces the importance of taking a balanced approach to your training inputs in order to maximize the different strength characteristics that are involved in jumping. Weight training improves your ability to generate force, while plyometrics help you apply that force quickly. Put them all together and they will help you jump higher.

How High Can You Jump?

I don’t know who said it first (someone smarter than me, for certain) but it is true that you can’t improve what you don’t measure. So, let’s look at how you can measure...

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4 (Science-Backed) Tips on Being More Lucky

In episode 465, we learned how to make your own luck. It turns out that science also wants to make luck. Professor Richard Wiseman’s book The Luck Factor lays out four essential principles (all supported by science) in how to make more luck.

How fortunate that I stumbled across this book in the bookstore...

4 Tips on How to Be More Lucky

1. Make the most of opportunity.
2. Use your intuition.
3. Expect to be lucky.
4. Turn bad luck into good.

Let's break down these concepts and some related ideas. 

Make the Most of Chance

By definition, luck isn’t planned. When you go to a casino and play craps, it’s lucky if the first roll is seven. But if you make sure it’s seven by exercising your psychokinetic powers to levitate and rotate the dice, that’s not luck, it’s magic, and you’ll be escorted out of the casino by two guys named “Bubba.”

Luck is the opportunity you aren’t expecting. If you want lots of chance opportunities, you have to plan to make them happen. 

As we saw in episode 465, luck comes in the form of people. So the more, varied people you bring into your life, the more luck will come your way.

Luck comes in the form of people.

Wiseman recommends meeting a new person each week. Go out somewhere there are people. Find someone you don’t already know who looks friendly and strike up a conversation. Anyone wearing a T-shirt that says “Shy multibillionaire in search of friends” should be first on your list to approach.

If you don’t know how to strike up a conversation, just say “Excuse me. I was listening to this podcast that told me to meet a new person. You look like someone who’s fun to know. Would you object to making a new friend?” 

Keep In Touch With People

Once you’ve met someone, they’re now a friend. Friendships must be maintained. So also once a week, reach out to a friend you haven’t spoken with in a while. Set up a phone or in-person meeting and renew your relationship.

This isn’t networking in the...

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Do Tattoos Boost Your Immune System?

A series of popular science articles have recently been touting the health benefits of tattoos, specifically their ability to boost your immune system. Most are based on a study from Dr, Christopher Lynn and Johnna Dominguez at the University of Alabama. But is a little ink really the cure for the common cold?

The answer is, as is often the case, not as simple as many of these headlines might suggest. The study focused on a group of 29 people visiting a tattoo parlor in Alabama for a new tattoo. The researchers tested both the levels of cortisol—an indicator of our body’s stress response—and Immunoglobin A (an antibody that helps our body fight infections, called IgA for short) in each person before and after getting their new body art. In addition to monitoring our body’s response to stressful situations, cortisol also is known to act as an immunosuppressant, i.e. an inhibitor to our body’s natural defenses. The tests were meant to quantify any changes in the body’s immune system functions before and after getting a tattoo.

The study revealed that those with no pre-existing tattoos experienced a greater strain on their immune system (a larger dip in their IgA levels) possibly due to greater feelings of stress. Those on their second, third (or twelfth) tattoo instead experienced a surge in their IgA immediately following their inking session. Their bodies appeared to be less stressed by the experience having gone through the process at least once before. The researchers titled the paper releasing their result “Tattooing to Toughen Up.”

However, it’s not clear how long these surges in immune system strength last beyond the few minutes post-inking. The researchers also note the possibility that the pool of repeat tattoo customers could possibly be biased toward individuals with healthier immune systems in general. If someone with a weaker immune system has a bad response or a long healing period after getting their first tattoo, they may not return for a second.

How Do Tattoos Work?

Of course, we can only talk about possible health benefits for tattoos if we are talking in the context of ink applied via clean and sterile tattoo equipment. We are frequently shedding parts of our outermost layer of skin, called our epidermis, so to gain permanence, ink for tattoos is injected into the dermis, a lower, more stable layer of skin about a millimeter deep. So when you view a person’s tattoo, you are actually looking through their first layer of skin.

To get beneath the epidermis, tattoo ink...

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The History of the Word 'Weed' with David Bienenstock

What follows is a lightly edited transcript of a Stitcher Premium bonus podcast.

Grammar Girl: Hey, everyone! I have a special treat for you today because I'm here with David Bienenstock whom I met at the podcast movement conference last year, and he had a really interesting idea for a show about some interesting words because he hosts the “Great Moments in Weed History Podcast with David and Abdullah.” Hi David, thanks for being here today.

David Bienstock: Absolutely. I'm thrilled to talk with you.

GG: Yeah! I'm excited about these special words. So why don't you first tell the audience just a little bit about your podcast.

DB: Sure! We're a weekly podcast. Each episode covers a different—as the title strongly implies, I hope—great moment in weed history...cannabis history if you will, marijuana history if you will—we'll get into all those different words and their meanings. But this is everything from, you know, episode one is Willie Nelson smoked a joint on the roof of the White House to Maya Angelou's first time getting stoned, did Jesus use cannabis in the holy anointing oil to perform healing miracles, and some of this sort of lesser-known people who've had a huge impact on cannabis history and social change in this country and to me and my partner, from our perspective, a really important social movement that's been taking place toward legalization, towards allowing medical use of this incredibly helpful substance. So we're really proud to be telling these stories, sharing this history, and making sure people understand all the struggle and all the joy and and all the culture that's gone into our current moment of of legalization.

GG: Wow, I did not know any of those anecdotes. They all sound really interesting.

So, I live in Nevada, where marijuana recently became legal recreationally. It's been legal as medical marijuana for a little bit longer. Is it legal where you live too?

...

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