 by Jen Thompson, MPP Why don’t more U.S. women breastfeed their babies for longer? Both the World Health Organization and the American Academy of Pediatrics recommend that babies be exclusively breastfed – meaning that they receive only breast milk, and no formula, other liquids or solid foods -- until they reach 6 months of age. Yet few U.S. mothers follow these recommendations. According to the most recent data available from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, only 19% of babies born in the U.S. in 2011 were exclusively breastfed at 6 months.
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 The FDA recently released two new regulations that provide instructions to restaurants, grocery stores, vending machines and other food establishments for how they will have to comply with the law compelling them to post calories on menus. The idea motivating this law and regulations is that if consumers are aware of the calories of their purchases, they may make lower calorie choices. Is this true? Does the posting of calories or other nutritional information affect consumer choice? And if so, does the nature of the posted information make a difference?
 by Lauren Fiechtner, MD As mammals we have two different types of fat tissue: white and brown. White fat stores energy and plays a role in how full we feel. Brown fat helps regulate the body’s temperature by releasing heat. In mice brown fat has been linked to improved insulin sensitivity and decreased body weight. In humans brown fat has been associated with lower BMI. So we think brown fat is healthier and more efficient than white fat.
 by Kristina Lewis, MD Ask 10 friends or patients who have successfully dieted in the past year what their strategies were, and you’re likely to get 10 different answers. With choices ranging from Atkins and Ornish to the dubious blood type diet, there are so many unique weight loss strategies available that it is difficult to keep track of them all. Despite the cornucopia of options for weight loss, it turns out that the secret to long-term weight loss maintenance involves far less variety. Keeping weight off is not about jumping on board with the latest trend. It has more to do with making some simple changes and sticking with them for the long haul. As it turns out, when thinking about how to keep weight off, “boring” may be the best strategy.
 by Chelsea Jenter, MPH Your thoughts, beliefs, and expectations about what you are eating may actually influence how your body processes food. The idea that weight loss is just a numbers game – calories in versus calories out – may not be as simple as we once believed. Previous blog posts by Stephanie Linakis and Avik Chatterjee refer to the challenges and complexity of diets and food choices. A 2011 study in Health Psychology further complicates things by suggesting that your mindset about the food you are eating can influence how full or hungry you are after you eat it.
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