Special Reports

No wonder we think about eating when the calendar turns to the holiday season. Even the songs about the holidays are filled with references to food and drink: chestnuts roasting on an open fire, figgy pudding, wassail, latkes, candy canes. We go over the river and through the woods to grandmothers house in a song that ends, Hurrah for the pumpkin pie! When grandma gets run over by a reindeer in another song, its because shes been drinking too much eggnog.

As a reader of this newsletter, you know that the Mediterranean diet has been associated with a wide range of health benefits. Most recently, weve reported on findings from the Spanish PREDIMED study linking such a diet to reduced risk of heart disease (June 2013) and cognitive decline (August 2013). Other studies have suggested preventive benefits against certain cancers, diabetes, Parkinsons disease and depression. The Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends the Mediterranean diet as one…

You already know that eating fish is healthy for your heart, but new research suggests it may also be good for your head. In a study presented at a meeting of the Radiological Society of North America, older adults who ate fish at least once a week-baked or broiled, not fried-had a greater volume of gray matter in the brain in areas important in Alzheimers disease. Fish consumption was also associated with sharply lower rates of developing mild cognitive impairment or dementia.

Nuts are among the oldest human foods, with records of eating pistachios dating back to the Stone Age. You might describe the Stone Age as the time of discovery of the first trail mix, says Jeffrey Blumberg, PhD, director of Tufts HNRCA Antioxidants Research Laboratory. Prehistoric nomads mixed ground almonds and pistachios with chopped dates, sesame oil and breadcrumbs. Its also interesting that almonds were found in Tutankhamens tomb in Egypt.

With the US drought predicted to cause food-price increases of up to 5% next year, it might be time to take a harder look at whats in your grocery cart-especially those items that arent really groceries, such as pricey dietary supplements. Nutrition experts agree that its best for generally healthy people to obtain the vitamins, minerals and other nutrients you need from food, not pills.

You can hardly pick up a newspaper these days without reading about the debate over labeling genetically modified (GMO) ingredients in foods. This summer, following the narrow defeat of a GMO-labeling initiative in California, Connecticut and Maine passed labeling legislation that would go into effect if other states follow. On Nov. 5, Washington State voters will decide on a ballot initiative, I-522, The Peoples Right to Know Genetically Engineered Food Act. The Chipotle food franchise recently started identifying menu items with GMO ingredients on its website, and the Whole Foods grocery chain announced it would require GMO labeling in its stores by 2018.

Are you feeding your bones a healthy diet? If not, the consequences could be serious. According to the National Osteoporosis Foundation (NOF), some 10 million Americans suffer from osteoporosis, which makes bones less dense and more susceptible to fractures. Another 34 million people are at risk for the condition. Osteoporosis will cause about half of all women over 50 to break a bone at some point in their lifetime, the NOF estimates. One-third of those who suffer hip fractures will require nursing-home care, and one-fifth will die in the first year after the fracture.

Nothing starts a cold winter day better than a steaming bowl of hot cereal. Besides warming and filling you up, hot cereal gives you plenty of reasons to feel good about what youre eating. Its packed with fiber, protein, vitamins and minerals, and pouring low-fat or fat-free milk over your cereal adds still more protein, calcium and vitamin D. If you also top your bowl with fruit instead of a glob of sugar, youre off…

With questions raised about calorie counts, vitamins and fish, it pays to shop smart.

Discover the nutritional benefits of these tasty plants.