Healthy Eating

Depending on what you pack in lunches for yourself or family members, you may not do better nutritionally than the cafeterias or eateries you're passing up. Studies suggest it's common for kids' packed lunches to be low in vegetables, fruits, whole grains and dairy products.

Many people are pressed for time (and sometimes energy) when it comes to putting dinner on the table. But, sometimes we make it harder than it needs to be. You'll be ready to whip up a quick meal any day of the week if you stock your kitchen with minimally-prepped, nutritious ingredients (think: frozen vegetables, precooked brown rice and frozen fish fillets) and simple ideas for quick-fix dishes.

Stir-frying is an excellent technique for making a quick and delicious meal with a generous portion of veggies. Frozen vegetables save prep time and are easy to keep on hand. When making a stir-fry, it is important to prepare and measure all ingredients before you start to cook. But in this recipe there is a brief marinating time (Step 1), so you can prepare and measure all remaining ingredients while the chicken marinates.

Why are more than two-thirds of adults and about one-third of kids in the US overweight or obese? Two key factors in weight control are our eating habits and physical activity levels. But, complex interactions between our genetics and environmental factors may play a role, too.

Guessing the effects of a meal on your blood sugar isn't easy, even if you use the glycemic index. That's a ranking of how much standardized (50-gram available carbohydrate) portions of individual foods increase blood sugar. But, people typically eat a mix of different foods at any one time, which makes using the glycemic index less straightforward.

Advice about how to eat for good health sometimes changes. To you, it may seem like scientists can't make up their minds. What's really happening is that scientists are continually learning new things about nutrition and health through research studies. Experts modify dietary guidance based on the totality of scientific evidence on a given topic.

I heard that drinking coffee can cause calcium loss from the body. Is that true?

Q. I recently lost my sense of taste. I can taste spices somewhat. Can you tell me if and how I can get back my sense of taste?

Q. I've been drinking soy milk daily for years. Since it contains phytoestrogens, I wonder if it puts me at higher risk of developing breast cancer?

The FDA has announced that it is extending the date by which manufacturers must implement changes to the Nutrition Facts label. The original deadline was July 2018 (or July 2019 for small companies).