Category: Food/Nutrition Columnist

(HealthNewsDigest.com) – It’s time, once again, to pack lunch for school or daycare. As parents, we want our kids to eat well and we strive to pack tasty, healthy foods to eat. We pay a lot of attention to what goes into the lunchbox, but do we pay enough attention to what happens to that lunchbox and how it is stored until lunchtime? Whether they are in backpacks, lockers, or cubbies, lunches from home often sit around for 3 to 4 hours before the lunch bell rings. They may not be safe.

(HealthNewsDigest.com) – Reserach published in the Journal of Neuroscience, from the Oregon Health & Science University, shows that nerve cells in the eye require vitamin C to work properly. The retina of the eye, which is part of the central nervous system, needs to be bathed in vitamin C to function correctly. This could have implications for glaucoma which is caused by the dysfunction of nerve cells in the retina. It is possible that a vitamin C rich diet could be protective of the retina and prevent deterioration.

(HealthNewsDigest.com) – All the flavors – Chocolate, Chocolate Peanut Butter, Coffee, Cookies & Cream, Mint Chocolate Cookie, Strawberry, and Vanilla Maple – are gluten free, fat free, low in sugar, non-GMO (no genetically modified ingredients), and kosher (Chof-K). The flavors are sweetened with organic cane sugar and organic monk fruit concentrate, a no-calorie sweetener made from a fresh fruit that is 150 times sweeter than sugar.

(HealthNewsDigest.com) – Iced tea has been a summer beverage since someone plopped a few ice cubes in hot tea to cool it down. Today we drink iced tea year round and the marketplace offers a staggering variety to choose from – flavored, unflavored, sweetened, unsweetened, and diet. Enter a new addition from the Lipton line 100% Natural Green Iced Tea. Why green tea you ask?

(HealthNewsDigest.com) – A recent article in the British Medical Journal entitled, “Waterlogged?” once again challenged the idea that we all need to drink 8 glasses of water a day to prevent dehydration. According to the author, Margaret McCartney, a physician, “There is currently no clear evidence of benefit from dinking increased amounts of water, yet the “we-don’t-drink-enough-water” myth has endless advocates.”

(HealthNewsDigest.com) – Most of us love hot dogs but few of us will admit we eat them. Hot dogs often get thumbs down on the healthy foods list. Regardless, this month (July) is National Hot Dog Month and it is estimated that we will each eat 60 hot dogs before the year ends.

(HealthNewsDigest.com) – The first known diet book was published by an English physician. Followed by the first diet book, “The Banting Diet”, named after the author William Banting in 1863. Since then literally thousands of diet books have come and gone with endless suggestions for losing weight. Yet, the waistlines of the world’s population continue to expand.

(HealthNewsDigest.com) – Calvin Harris, a chef with more than 25 years of restaurant and food product development experience founded Harris Food Group (HFG) Inc. in 2006. HFG markets and distributes branded, licensed food products. HFG partnered with The Biggest Loser to produce Simply Sensible refrigerated healthy meals which debuted in the marketplace in early 2011.

(HealthNewsDigest.com) – Throughout much of human history, fats were good. Having fat on your body or eating foods with fat could mean the difference between survival and death. Body fat is equal to reserve energy tucked away for future use. Food fat is a very dense calorie source. Until recently in history, for most cultures, food was scarce and physical labor was necessary to survival. Fat helped humans survive.

(HealthNewsDigest.com) – I love to try new foods. Some are great. Some don’t measure up and some become staples in my kitchen. See what you think.

(HealthNewsDigest.com) – Two recent contradictory findings are important. A study published in the journal Molecular Nutrition and Food Research showed that a substance found in broccoli can help prevent cancer by selectively targeting and killing cancer cells, leaving normal cells unaffected. A newly released Gallup poll, Americans’ Healthy Behaviors Index, showed that fewer Americans, of both sexes and in all age groups, are eating enough fruits and vegetables.

(HealthNewsDigest.com) – I love to try new foods. Some are great. Some don’t measure up and some become staples in my kitchen. See what you think.

(HealthNewsDigest.com) – NEW IN THE MARKET — I love to try new foods and new kitchen gadgets, and read books about food. Some are great. Some don’t measure up and some become staples in my kitchen. Beginning this week, I’ll be doing a weekly column every Wednesday – New In The Market. See what you think.

(HealthNewsDigest.com) – It’s summer, the most bountiful season for fresh fruits and vegetables — early corn, cherries, blueberries, watermelon, peaches, kirby cucumbers and mouthwatering tomatoes. It is also the time of year when produce scares are more likely to occur. Spinach and tomatoes were in the news not that long ago. Many of you may be wondering how to eat these great products without risking illness.

(HealthNewsDigest.com) – Everyone enjoys eating watermelon. As kids we had contests to see how far we could spit the pits and got sticky from the juice running down our arms. April to October is peak watermelon season, but in today’s global market the fruit is available year round. With Memorial Day picnics coming up, many of us will have a watermelon in the frig. You may love the taste, but did you know you have a low calorie, nutrition powerhouse sitting in your house?

(HealthNewsDigest.com) – White foods – sugar, white bread, white flour, and white pasta – have gotten a lot of bad press lately. We’re told that they are unhealthy and should be avoided. This leads many to believe that all white foods are poor choices. This is a perfect example of oversimplification of advice. We’re all to blame for this. We want you to hear the healthy message and make use of it, so we bring it down to the simplest terms. Getting too simple can distort otherwise healthy advice – you can’t eat right without white.

(HealthNewsDigest.com) – Eggs are one of nature’s truly remarkable products – they contain every nutrient needed to support life in a handy container. Eggs have the highest quality protein; contain the pigments lutein and zeaxanthin which protect your eyes; have 12 minerals and 13 vitamins; are low in overall fat and saturated fat; and average 80 calories an egg. Yet many people avoid eggs because they are high in cholesterol. Not anymore.

(HealthNewsDigest.com) – Having high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes or any combination of the three puts you at greater risk for heart disease. All three of these conditions are considered chronic diseases which means they cannot be cured but they can be managed. You can’t change who your parents are, so you cannot alter your genes and your predisposition to certain diseases.

(HealthNewsDigest.com) – Weighing too much is one of the major risk factors for type 2 diabetes. But you may not realize that being of Asian decent increases your risk, too — close to 60% higher than that of whites of European heritage. If you are Asian and American born your risk of developing type 2 diabetes is higher than that of immigrant populations, and the risk increases with subsequent generations in this country.

(HealthNewsDigest.com) – The Go, Slow, Whoa food system separates foods that are loaded with nutrients from foods that are loaded with calories. It was developed by the National Institute of Health to help families and children make smarter food choices.