General Nutrition

Does buying organic food really turn you into a jerk? That was the popular interpretation of a widely publicized 2013 study that linked exposure to organic food to "moral licensing" - making self-righteous consumers more judgmental and less inclined to help others. But a new attempt to replicate those findings concluded that "organic food exposure has little to no effect on moral judgments and prosocial behavior."

Summer is picnic and outdoor barbecue time - which also makes it prime time for foodborne illnesses. Warm, humid weather encourages the growth of bacteria, according to the US Department of Agriculture (USDA), but so can human factors such as lax outdoor sanitation and inadequate refrigeration. The combination causes foodborne illness to spike in summer months.

If you're worried about high blood pressure, a new systematic review of scientific evidence has good news: Changing your diet really can make a difference. Not surprisingly, the most effective diet for reducing hypertension was one designed specifically for that purpose - the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) plan. But other interventions, including cutting salt and calories, also were associated with blood-pressure benefits.

Have you ever looked at a "sell by" or "best if used by" date on a food container, checked the calendar, and thrown out something because it had "expired"? Youre part of a $165 billion a year problem. About 40% of Americas food gets wasted, much of it because of a confusing patchwork of state laws that make people think food thats still safe to eat should be trashed.

Substituting colorful fruits and vegetables such as berries, peaches and peppers into your diet could help combat the gradual weight gain with age sometimes referred to as "middle-age spread." A large new study, published in BMJ, links greater consumption of foods high in plant pigments called flavonoids to less weight gain over time.

Every cell in your body needs water to function. Water transports nutrients and oxygen throughout the body, and carries away waste materials. Water makes up most of your body, ranging from about 75% of body weight in infancy to 55% of body weight at older ages. Your brain and heart are almost three-quarters water, your muscles and kidneys are almost 80% water, and even your bones are about 30% water.

If you're eating out often, you're probably overdoing calorie consumption - even if you avoid fast-food restaurants. Meals consumed at fast-food restaurants have been singled out as culprits in America's obesity epidemic. But a new study reports that both chain and local restaurants are routinely serving far more than should be consumed in a single meal - often more than you should eat in a whole day.

Whether for emotional highs or lows, Americans still turn to indulgent "comfort food" - especially pizza.

More evidence that Americans are getting the message about the negatives of added sugars in liquid form comes from a report showing a sharp drop in the percentage of adults drinking at least one sugar-sweetened beverage a day.

The latest Dietary Guidelines for Americans call for limiting sodium intake to no more than 2,300 milligrams daily. Although the 2015 revision put less emphasis on more restrictive limits for people 51 and older, African-Americans, and those with hypertension, diabetes or kidney disease, that shouldnt be interpreted as a green light to load up on salt.