Q: Does one need to eat mostly organic foods in order to have a...
Answer : Alice H. Lichtenstein, DSc, director of Tufts HNRCA Cardiovascular Nutrition Laboratory, replies: The majority of research findings indicate the nutrient content of organic and conventionally grown plants is similar.
Q: Are organic meats safer in regard to foodborne diseases such as salmonella?
Answer : When it comes to livestock, the USDA organic seal verifies that producers met animal health and welfare standards...
Q: Does magnesium help the body absorb calcium from the diet?
Answer : Bess Dawson-Hughes, MD, director of Tufts HNRCA Bone Metabolism Laboratory, says, Im not aware of any evidence...
Q: Do I lose any of the whole-grain benefits by using quick (10- minute)...
Answer : Quick-cooking brown rice has been precooked (parboiled), so its ready in about a quarter the time as regular brown rice.
Q: As a vegetarian, can I get enough omega-3 from walnuts, flax seed, canola...
Answer : The omega-3 fatty acids found in plant foods (ALA) have their own health benefits, but they are not the same as the omega-3s found in fish...
Q: How important is it to get calcium periodically throughout the day, rather than...
Answer : Bess Dawson-Hughes, MD, director of Tufts HNRCA Bone Metabolism Laboratory, responds...
Q: Im low in iron and, since my cholesterol is also very low, my...
Answer : Its true, as a study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition concluded, that meat is apparently the best food in terms of nutritive iron value, not only for its high iron absorbability...
Q: I was interested in your report (September 2011) that the polyphenols in cranberry...
Answer : Jeffrey B. Blumberg, PhD, director of Tufts HNRCA Antioxidants Research Laboratory, answers...
Q: Ive read that eating more than five servings of fruits and vegetables a...
Answer : Lynne M. Ausman, DSc, RD, a scientist in Tufts HNRCA Cardiovascular Nutrition Laboratory, says the serving sizes used in the Dietary Guidelines for Americans and the MyPlate program are a good benchmark.
Q: I eat whole-wheat bread and pasta, but I also eat a lot of...
Answer : Melissa Page, a dietetic intern at Tufts Frances Stern Nutrition Center, dug into this question for us: A product is considered whole grain if it includes all the naturally occurring parts of the grain seed-the endosperm...