Processed Foods Carry a Penalty

Do processed "diet" foods leave you with lingering hunger and a desire to nibble on other foods, thus leading you to consume more calories than if you had prepared a wholesome meal? Researchers have found we burn 50% more calories metabolizing whole foods (WF) than comparable processed food (PF) meals with the same number of calories. Diets with…

Don’t Be Afraid of Your Food

“I’m afraid my food was grown in poor soil and doesn’t have the right nutrition.” “What if my food has been contaminated by pesticides?” “Will I get cancer from my food?” “Did someone irradiate my food?” “Do I need to avoid a certain types of food?” These are questions heard by nutritionists every day from…

Beware of Eating Out

You probably could have guessed this! Eating meals at fast-food and full-service eateries is associated with more calories, sugar, total fat, saturated fat and sodium. This study included over 9400 children and teens. When eating at fast-food places teens consumed 309 more calories and children 128 more per meal, and when at full-service restaurants 267 and 160,…

Can Nutritional Supplements Alter Student Behavior?

A group of researchers reported that children aged 6-12 years given low dose vitamin-mineral supplements were involved in less violence and antisocial behavior than those who did not receive the supplements. [Ref: The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine. February 2000, 6(1): 7-17] The setting for this study was two "working class" schools in Arizona…

Diet and Lifestyle Change Can Significantly Affect Genes

A study was conducted to determine whether a pure vegetarian diet, exercise and stress management could modify the progression of prostate cancer. After one year, those following the program showed significant improvements in weight, abdominal obesity, blood pressure and blood fats. The research found that over 500 genes changed function -- some were turned "on"…

Blood Pressure and those Sugary Drinks

Sugar-sweetened sodas and fruit juice may increase blood pressure according to British researchers who looked at 2,696 U.S. and U.K. participants. For each additional sugary beverage per day systolic blood pressure rose 1.6 mmHg and diastolic by 0.8 mmHg (p<0.001 for both). Perhaps these "empty calories" are displacing calories from the nutrient dense foods like fruits,…

The Importance of Family Meals: Nutritional Quality

This is the third blog in a series exploring the benefits of eating meals together as a family.A report from the University of Florida says that one of the real benefits of family meals is the opportunity for conversation that it brings (see the last post in this series). The report goes on to reveal…

Buying Good Food without Breaking the Bank

Jacob, one of the Old Testament Bible characters, lived through seven years of famine in Egypt. When he was old he wrote, "God...fed me all my life long..." (Genesis 48:15) Today, in the current economic crunch, we can trust Him to feed us, too.However, He does expect us to use judgment and restraint in not…

Expert Advice to Survive Cancer

Do you have cancer?Do you know someone that does? Have you or someone you know survived cancer? If you answered yes to any of these questions, then you need to read on!The American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR) has released an educational DVD called "Food for the Fight, Guidelines for Healthy Nutrition During and After…

What is in the Food I Eat?

Ever wondered what is in the food you eat? You don't have to find a nutritionist, or even look in a big fat textbook, to discover a wide range of food composition knowledge. All this and more is easily available on the web--for free! The United States Department of Agriculture hosts What's In Food, where…