USDA Adds Nutrient Data on Branded Foods
The US Department of Agriculture has made it easier for scientists and consumers to check out the nutritional characteristics of popular foods. The agency added a database of 80,000 name-brand packaged and prepared foods sold at supermarkets and restaurants to its existing almost 9,000-item National Nutrient Database.
“Five-Second Rule” Debunked
Don't count on the "five-second rule" to keep dropped food free of bacteria. An exhaustive test of the notion that food touching the floor for no more than five seconds is still safe to eat debunked it with more than 2,500 measurements.
Health Benefits of Whole Grains
Nutrition experts - including those advising this newsletter - have been preaching for years about the benefits of replacing refined grains in your diet with whole grains. The latest Dietary Guidelines for Americans echoed this advice, recommending limiting intake of refined grains and products made with refined grains and starches.
Your Complete Guide to Healthy Holidays
While you're celebrating the holidays this season, your body could be quietly sending out a cry for help. The period from Thanksgiving through New Years can be a disaster for your best intentions of watching what you eat and staying active.
Q. I read in your newsletter that plant sources of zinc such as whole...
Q. I read in your newsletter that plant sources of zinc such as whole grains, beans, nuts and seeds contain phytate, which blocks some of the mineral's absorption. Is there any way to increase the zinc availability from these foods?
Q. Will apple cider vinegar really improve blood pressure?
Q. Will apple cider vinegar really improve blood pressure?
Prolonging Shelf Life of Cut Produce
Plant geneticists at the USDAs Agricultural Research Service may have found ways to prolong the shelf life of fresh-cut peppers and lettuces in supermarkets.
Reversing Trend, US Meat Eating Jumps
So much for the notion that Americans had hit "peak meat" and are beginning to eat less. After US meat consumption dropped in 2014, led by lower intake of red meat, some industry observers speculated that our taste for meat had topped out.
More Time Between Ordering and Eating, Better Food Choices
The longer the time between ordering food and expecting to eat it, the healthier that food tends to be. That's the finding of a trio of Carnegie Mellon University studies published in the Journal of Marketing Research.
Consumption Changes After Sugary Beverage Tax
Does taxing sugary beverages really help cut consumption? A preliminary study of a tax of one cent per ounce enacted in Berkeley, Calif., in March 2015 suggests the answer is yes.