The Good Fat Swap

There are many different kinds of dietary fats—the lipids found naturally in the foods we eat. “Choosing the right kinds of fats, rather than avoiding fat altogether, is the healthy choice,” says Alice H. Lichtenstein, DSc, director of the Cardiovascular Nutrition Laboratory at the Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging.

Fruit and Vegetable Rx

Programs that incentivize intake of fruits and vegetables are already being piloted across the U.S., with promising impact on diet and health.

Your blood pressure, blood sugar, or weight is high. Your doctor takes out a prescription pad and writes a prescription for…fruits and vegetables? It may sound far-fetched, but healthy-food prescription programs are already operating in some doctors’ offices, and emerging research suggests such programs have the potential to improve health—saving lives and money.

Eggs: Good or Bad?

Eggs can be part of a healthy dietary pattern.

There is no question that eggs are nutritious. The protein in eggs provides all the essential amino acids our bodies need in the proportions we need them. Eggs are also a good source of many essential nutrients, including biotin, selenium, vitamin B12, iodine, riboflavin, pantothenic acid, phosphorus, potassium, and vitamins A and D. Additionally, egg yolks are high in lutein and zeaxanthin, phytochemicals that may help protect against age-related macular degeneration. Egg yolks are also a major source of dietary cholesterol, and therein lies the source of decades of conflicting and confusing nutrition recommendations.

The Facts About Fasting Diets

So-called “fasting” diets have recently received a lot of buzz in the media and attention from researchers as a possible means to promote weight loss and improve health. Data from animal studies are promising on several fronts, but data on humans are limited and short-term. Let’s take a closer look at the current science on this increasingly-popular diet trend.

Could Healthy Gut Microbes Help Preserve Muscle as We Age?

Animal research suggests that nourishing our gut microbes with fiber and other prebiotic foods might help prevent loss of muscle mass and strength.

As we age, the strength and size of our muscles tend to decrease. This loss of muscle mass and function, called sarcopenia, is associated with decreased independence and reduced quality of life. Staying active (and purposefully incorporating muscle-strengthening exercises) is essential, but emerging data suggest that nourishing our gut microbes could be important as well.

Diet and Blood Cholesterol Levels

In honor of the upcoming National Cholesterol Awareness Month, we answer some common questions about cholesterol.

We cannot survive without cholesterol in our bodies. It is an essential part of cell walls, is used to make bile acids (which are critical in fat digestion), and is necessary for the production of vitamin D and a number of hormones. But too much LDL cholesterol and not enough HDL cholesterol in the blood is associated with increased risk for heart attack and stroke. While the liver can produce all the cholesterol the human body needs, we also consume it in the form of animal-based foods like meat and dairy.

Creamy Carrot and Cashew Soup