Category: Health/Nutrition

Recently, people have become somewhat confused about 100 percent fruit juice - how much to drink, how much to serve their children. According to Dr. Theresa Nicklas, with Baylor College of Medicine, parents should be confident serving their children appropriate amounts of 100 percent fruit juice.

Drinking a glass of 100 percent fruit juice has long been thought of as a healthy daily habit for both adults and children—right up there with brushing your teeth and eating your vegetables. Recently, however, people have become somewhat confused about juice - how much to drink, how much to serve their children - partly because of the natural sweet taste of fruit juice. According to Dr. Theresa Nicklas, professor of pediatrics with Baylor College of Medicine, who has conducted research on juice consumption among children, parents should be confident serving their children appropriate amounts of 100 percent fruit juice.

In a diet-focused culture, desserts often get a bad rap. But some can actually be beneficial.

Desserts made with fruit, nature’s natural sweetener, are ideal, healthy after-dinner treats. Reducing the sugar and fats in a recipe can make favorite desserts more healthful and still taste good.

In the July issue of "Mayo Clinic Proceedings," a group of researchers from Pennsylvania examine whether an alternative approach to treating high blood cholesterol may provide an effective treatment option for patients who are unable or unwilling to take statins.

A great deal of scientific evidence shows that cholesterol-reducing medications known as statins can help prevent coronary artery disease. Although the safety of these medications has been well documented, as many as 40 percent of patients who receive a prescription for statins take the drug for less than one year. Doctors believe that several factors - including cost, adverse effects, poor understanding of statin benefits and patients’ reluctance to take prescription medications long term - may explain why some patients stop taking these medicines. In the July issue of Mayo Clinic Proceedings, a group of researchers from Pennsylvania examine whether an alternative approach to treating high blood cholesterol may provide an effective treatment option for patients who are unable or unwilling to take statins.

Farm-raised tilapia, one of the most highly consumed fish in America, has very low levels of beneficial omega-3 fatty acids and, perhaps worse, very high levels of omega-6 fatty acids. The combination could be potentially dangerous for some patients with heart disease, arthritis, asthma and other allergic and auto-immune diseases that are particularly vulnerable to an “exaggerated inflammatory response.”

Farm-raised tilapia, one of the most highly consumed fish in America, has very low levels of beneficial omega-3 fatty acids and, perhaps worse, very high levels of omega-6 fatty acids, according to new research from Wake Forest University School of Medicine.

Compelling research about the benefits of wild blueberries has prompted a surge of interest in a diet rich in this powerful, nutritious fruit.

The new generation of healthy eaters is eschewing old adages about relying on the usual fruits to keep the doctor away. Instead, they are adopting the wild blueberry as their new dietary favorite. Promising research about the wild blueberry has encouraged today's eaters to go "wild" over the nutrient-rich fruit. New interest in eating well and maintaining health by eating whole foods, natural foods, and organic foods, as well as getting the optimum number of servings of fruits and vegetables per day, has contributed to the swell of interest, prompting many to seek original ways to integrate wild blueberries into their diet.

A load of antioxidants, nutrients and vitamins are available in the produce aisle from white and brown fungi, commonly known as mushrooms. Mushrooms are low in calories, cholesterol and sodium, and they provide plenty of fiber and flavor when cooked. But the big news is that they are high in antioxidants, selenium, riboflavin and other healthful substances that protect the immune system and fight cancer.

Several scientists addressed the health benefits of mushrooms in a session Monday at the Institute of Food Technologists Annual Meeting and Food Expo in New Orleans.

Even though the dollar doesn't seem to go very far these days, you don't have to live on a diet of potato chips and fast food burgers, according to Holly Scherer, a University of Michigan Health System dietitian.

Are you having a hard time stretching your grocery dollars during the current economic downturn?

You’re not alone. But before you stop buying fresh fruit, meat, vegetables and other items often perceived as costing a lot, check out these tips from a University of Michigan Health System dietitian.

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If you buy fruit and vegetables that are in-season, the price typically is very reasonable, a University of Michigan dietitian says.

Loss of memory with advanced age is a significant problem within most societies, and appears particularly severe in advanced industrialized nations. In a seemingly unrelated issue, high obesity rates, particularly in the United States, are often due to a food supply high in cholesterol and saturated fat. Through a new study, researchers have been able to link memory loss to a poor diet.

Loss of memory with advanced age is a significant problem within most societies, and appears particularly severe in advanced industrialized nations. A less visible and often ignored problem comes from a food supply high in cholesterol and saturated fat, which has led to high obesity rates particularly in the United States. In a study published in the June issue of the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease, researchers from the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) have linked memory loss to a diet high in saturated fat and cholesterol.

Commonly used artificial sweeteners may be doing more harm than good. Offered as lean, healthy alternatives to sugar, a dizzying array of artificial sweeteners has infiltrated our food supply - often masquerading as health food.

Shane "The Peoples Chemist" Ellison is offering a "Take Action Report" entitled Great Sex Starts in the Kitchen. It offers simple tips for avoiding sweet sabotage while teaching simple and tasty recipes courtesy of Wellness Bakeries. He insists that the general public must be more aware of the risks associated with commonly used sweeteners. Here is some information from the "Take Action Report" on these common sweeteners:

A new study indicates that three servings of fruits and vegetables per day and drinking green or black tea may protect smokers from lung cancer.

Tobacco smokers who eat three servings of fruits and vegetables per day and drink green or black tea may be protecting themselves from lung cancer, according to a first-of-its-kind study by UCLA cancer researchers.

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Dr. Zuo-Feng Zhang.