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Health Food Headlines

FitSugar — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 03:00:44 -0700

I love food. Not just eating it, but reading about it too. Here are three food-driven headlines that caught my eye.

Calorie Postings Don’t Change Habits, Study Finds - New York Times
Remember all the controversy about chain restaurants in the Big Apple being forced to post calorie counts? Well, it looks like you can post the calories, but consumers will consume what they want. A study performed in NYC neighborhoods where obesity rates are high found that although folks said the calorie counts helped them make healthier food choices, they actually ordered higher calorie items than before the calorie counts were posted.

10 Foods Most Likely to Make You Sick - Web MD
Oh, the irony. The Center For Science in the Public Interest researched food-borne illnesses and found that some health foods topped the list, including eggs, tomatoes, and sprouts.

Starting Good Food Habits in Kids From the Womb - Time
As a baby is being formed in utero, so is its sense of taste. A fetus in the second and third trimester has a highly sensitive palate, and what the mother eats helps determine the child's early flavors of choice. All the more reason to eat a variety of foods when pregnant and nursing.

Food Pairings For Your Health

FitSugar — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 14:30:00 -0800

Food is more than fuel for your body - it's a tool to help you improve your health. Eating for your health can be as simple as adding certain ingredients to the food you're already accustomed to consuming.

Small changes can add up to improvements in your well-being while satisfying your hunger. Get inspired by these simple formulas from Prevention and keep them in mind the next time you're making a grocery list.

Meal Base	Add-In	Health Benefit
Whole grain cereal	1/2 cup sunflower seeds	Better immunity
Scrambled eggs	1/2 cup red peppers	Smoother skin
Smoothie	1/4 cup wheat germ	Faster healing of cuts and bruises
Sandwich	3 spinach leaves	Decreased risk of night blindness

To see the rest read more.

Meal Base	Add-In	Health Benefit
Garden salad	3 ounces canned wild salmon	Healthier brain and heart
Stir-fry	1/2 cup kale	Stronger eyes
Salsa (or another low-fat dip)	1/2 cup chickpeas	Lower body weight
Low-fat pudding	1/3 cup nonfat powdered milk	Less PMS
Green tea	Lemon	Lower cancer risk

Visit MSNBC to learn more about how these pairings work as well as more food pairings for your health.

Source

5 Not-So-Healthy Health Foods

FitSugar — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 08:00:00 -0700

When it comes to "health" food, many seemingly healthy foods rely on reputation. Check out these five foods that seem healthy, but that actually fall a bit short.

Source

View Slideshow ›

What's the Diff: Omega-3s vs. Omega-6s

FitSugar — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 07:00:10 -0800

Omegas are all the buzz right now, and it seems like everywhere you turn, new foods are being enhanced with this essential fatty acid, or labeled as an excellent source. What people don't know is that there are different types of omegas, and eating too much of one kind can actually be harmful to your body.

Omega-3s are found in flax seeds, walnuts, cod liver oil, and fatty fish like mackerel, lake trout, albacore tuna, and salmon. Fish are the best sources because they are high in two particular fatty acids that are crucial to good health, DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) and EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid).

Then there are omega-6s. These fats are found in eggs, nuts, chicken, and vegetable oils such as corn, soy, safflower, and sunflower oil. Omega-6s are high in LA (linoleic acid), which is converted by the body into GLA (gamma-linolenic acid), and then further broken down to AA (arachidonic acid).

Do you know which type of omega fatty acid we should be eating more of? To find out, keep reading

Do You Only Shop at Health Food Stores?

FitSugar — Thu, 15 Nov 2007 13:30:00 -0800

I will admit that I'm lucky to have access to a wide variety of grocery stores, from health food stores to large chain stores to little ethnic markets. My heart lies with the health food stores though, especially the little privately owned ones or, better yet, the worker-owned co-ops. Occasionally though, I must stray to a big time chain grocery store to find exactly what I need.

So I'm wondering, do you only shop at health food stores?

Source

Not-So-Healthy Health Foods

FitSugar — Thu, 03 May 2007 10:15:00 -0700

A lot of times we have the impression that something is healthy just by its name but that is not always the case. I came across this great article from MSNBC.com that exposes foods that are typically labeled as healthy, but aren't:

Enhanced waters: Why drink ordinary water when you can drink “nutrient-enhanced water”? Well, maybe because these “enhanced” waters are just sugar water with a touch of nutrients and a lot of hype. There is no evidence that the ingredients prevent colds, boost health and energy, or reduce disease risk. They also come at a high price, some cost up to $1.50, two to three times the price of plain bottled water.

Watch out for the serving sizes, too. A Glaceau VitaminWater says it supplies half of your daily need for some of the nutrients. But you have to drink the entire bottle, which according to the label would be 2.5 servings and 125 calories, almost the same amount of sugar calories as you'd get in a cola. In reality, you're getting only 7 out of the 40+ nutrients you need. Even then, the amount is miniscule. For example, the vitamin C you'll get from drinking an entire bottle of Glaceau VitaminWater could easily be gotten from eating two strawberries, for a fraction of the calories. You are much better off taking a moderate-dose multiple vitamin and mineral supplement and leaving these enhanced waters on the grocery store shelf.

What about whole grain bread or salads, read more

Whole grain bread: The brown wrappers of multi-grain, whole wheat, 7 grain, oat or rye breads all look so wholesome and healthy. Think again. Flip it over and read the ingredient list. If you see “wheat flour” or “enriched flour” as the first or second ingredient, you have mostly refined white bread with some whole grains added.
Salads: Salads are often the answer to everything from waistlines to health. However, many fatty concoctions are guzzled under the guise of “salad fixings.” The fact that salad dressing is the number one source of fat in women's diets attests to the confusion over what is really a healthful salad and what is a fat-laden disaster.
Skip anything mixed with oil, mayonnaise, cheese or whipped cream. This includes potato or pasta salads, Mexican meat or cheese sauces, tuna mixed with mayonnaise, egg salad, macaroni and cheese, tartar sauce and Waldorf salad. A one-ladle serving of these foods could contribute up to three tablespoons of fat to the meal. Remember that one small ladle drizzles two tablespoons of dressing onto your plate, or up to four teaspoons of fat and 170 calories. In essence, too much of the wrong dressing can transform four cups of low-fat vegetables into a 70% fat calorie lunch! Place some low-fat dressing in a small dish and dunk your fork lightly into the dressing before each bite.

Speak Up: What's Your Favorite Health Food?

FitSugar — Sat, 14 Apr 2007 02:30:00 -0700

Do you have a favorite health food that you can't live without? Every day I'm telling you about the nutritious and delicious gems I love, (like Annie's Low-Fat Gingerly Vinaigrette) so now it's your turn.

Is there some new health food you've discovered that you think others should know about? Maybe you support a certain brand because you agree with what they stand for. Or maybe you just love the taste or nutritional value of a specific healthy product, and buy it every time you go shopping.

There's got to be something you absolutely love more than anything else and I want to hear all about it, so TELL ME below.

Rise in Obesity Due to Rise in Health Foods

FitSugar — Wed, 05 Sep 2007 08:45:00 -0700

Ever wonder why we are seeing way more 'health' foods being advertised yet, as a nation, we're still getting more and more obese?

Well a new (and interesting) study from the Journal of Consumer Research explains it as the "American obesity paradox": The parallel rise in obesity rates and the popularity of healthier food. In a series of four studies, the researchers reveal that we over-generalize (and overestimate) "healthy" claims. In fact, consumers chose beverages, side dishes, and desserts containing up to 131% more calories when the main dish was positioned as "healthy".

What does this mean? Well just because Jared lost a million pounds by eating at Subway and only Subway, does not mean that everything sold there falls under the healthy realm -- A 6-inch meatball sub has 580 calories. If you're able, then definitely check out the nutrition information available when you're eating out. And remember, just because you are getting a salad does not necessarily mean that you can also have the super sized coke, large fries and jumbo peanut butter cookie, and still call it a healthy meal.

Source

5 Foods That Fight Stress

FitSugar — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 07:00:04 -0800

With the holiday season in full swing - presents to buy, meals to prepare, hardly a moment to hit the gym - it's easy to quickly become stressed out. And stress can trigger a load of other health issues, so it's best to keep our stress levels in check. While we're inclined to choose a not-so-healthy snack to put our stress at ease, there's a better solution in the way of food. Just read on to find out which healthy foods Self magazine suggests can help conquer stress and boost your mood.

View Slideshow ›

With Teen Obesity, Inactivity Is Only Part of the Problem

FitSugar — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 14:32:46 -0800

I panic every time I see another "exercise doesn't work!" story - until I read between the lines and learn once again that exercise is a good thing. On the heels of its conversation-starting cover story on the exercise "myth," Time is tackling a new study of teen obesity that claims inactivity is only partly to blame for heavier kids.

Obesity rates in teenagers have triple between 1976 and 2004, with lack of exercise the suspected culprit. But a new report published in Obesity Reviews says that physical activity levels among teens have actually stayed fairly steady. So does that mean that exercise doesn't matter? Hardly, so read more.

Unfortunately, this latest study only looked at activity levels, not eating habits, and the participants were self-reporting on their own habits, which can lead to unreliable data. These figures merely suggest that the increase in teen obesity can't be explained away by teens' lack of exercise, according to Dr. Youfa Wang, the lead author of the study. Here's more:

So does this mean that exercise isn't important in controlling weight? As tempting as that conclusion might be, Wang and other health experts say that's not exactly what the new data show. . . . While exercise may not contribute directly to weight loss, it is critical for maintaining a healthy weight, since it helps calibrate the balance between energy taken in and energy burned off. "The data is too gross, and too general, to assume that [exercise doesn't count]," warns Dr. Janet Walberg Rankin, a professor in the department of human nutrition, foods, and exercise at Virginia Tech. "We need to have a dual approach to weight involving both activity and diet. I would hate for people to take away from this study that activity has nothing to do with weight."

Phew! Thanks, doc. I also hope that's not what people take away from this study. In fact, to me, it says the opposite. If teen obesity is going up because teens have increased their calorie intake without increasing their activity levels, then that seems to say pretty clearly that exercise does make a difference. Do you agree?