GI Health

If you're the "canary in the coal mine" who's always the first to get sick from that undercooked burger or picnic potato salad, blame your genes.

Every five years, your Uncle Sam rounds up the latest scientific evidence about nutrition and serves up advice about what to eat and drink for better health. The resulting Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA) - whose eighth edition was released in January - provides basic guidance to the American public about healthy eating patterns and shapes nutrition education programs.

When the supermarket fish counter fails you, dont hesitate to head for the canned-fish aisle. Canned sardines and salmon are generally sustainable choices; canned tuna, while controversial, typically includes sustainable pole-caught albacore or skipjack varieties.

Q. If you sit in front of a window with sunlight coming through, will your body produce vitamin D or do you have to be outdoors with direct sunlight?

There's good news at your local grocery store. "You should walk into a supermarket with a very positive attitude," says Alice H. Lichtenstein, DSc, director of Tufts' HNRCA Cardiovascular Nutrition Laboratory and executive editor of the Tufts Health & Nutrition Letter. "The availability of healthy and affordable foods has greatly expanded in recent years. There are a lot of options now throughout the store that are really good choices."

Globally, foodborne illness strikes almost 1 in 10 people each year, according to a new report from the World Health Organization. The report looked at 31 different causes of foodborne disease, such as salmonella, E. coli and campylobacter as well as foodborne cholera and typhoid.

Q. Ive read in your newsletter about the benefits of nuts and "seeded" fruits such as blueberries, but I have diverticulitis. Do I need to avoid these healthy foods because of their effects on diverticulitis?

Honey enjoys what marketers call a "health halo" - consumers tend to view products containing honey as healthier than those sweetened with sugar or high-fructose corn syrup. Thats why Kellogg's renamed its Sugar Smacks cereal as "Honey Smacks" and so many other products have "honey" in the name or featured prominently on the package.

A new USDA report concludes that following the dietary guidelines need not cost consumers more, but many Americans would need to re-allocate their food budgets. The analysis identified six changes that could improve consumers diet quality - none costing more and most actually saving money.

The US Department of Agriculture is declaring war on food waste, likening the effort to the anti-littering campaigns of the 1960s and 1970s. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced a goal of cutting the amount of food Americans waste by 50% by 2030.