Fruit Juices vs. Fruit Beverages Kids love the taste of pure fruit juice, and parents love it because it’s a healthy source of nutrients. When choosing healthy pure juice for your children, it’s important to note what kind of juice you are serving and how much you are offering. Here’s what families should know about fruit juice versus […]
Junk Food Facts and Its Effects We define a junk food as, a food that is likely to do more harm than good to the body. We’ve used hot dogs as our, pardon the expression, model junk food. They’re high in saturated fats, hydrogenated fats, added sugars, additives, food colorings, nitrates, and nitrites. The […]
Healthy Meat: Yes or No? What’s the beef with red meat? This question can be answered in two nutritional words: fat and cholesterol. Recent nutritional guidelines have recommended eating 18 ounces or less of red meat per week. Listed are the top health concerns about red meat, tips on choosing healthier meat options, and getting […]
FAQs About Organic Foods What does the term “organic” mean? It depends upon whom you ask. To a biochemist, “organic” means anything that contains carbon. Plastic, derived from petroleum, contains carbon, therefore plastic is organic. Carbon is the mark of a living organism or of something that once was a living organism. When applied to […]
Facts About Pasta Pasta is one of the greatest things that ever happened to grains. Pasta may have its origins in Asia and the Mediterranean, but its growing popularity has made it truly an American health food. Here are the most common questions asked about this favorite family food. What is pasta? “Pasta” is the […]
FAQs About Pesticides in Food Do organic foods contain lower levels of pesticides? Yes. In 1997, Consumer Reports did a study on 100 pounds of produce, some with organic labels and some not, and selected randomly from supermarkets across the country. Twenty-five percent of the organic samples had traces of pesticides compared with 77 percent […]
Choosing Poultry Debate Poultry holds the middle ground in the eating-of-animal-flesh debate. It’s better for you than beef, but not as good for you as seafood. Compared with beef, poultry is: • slightly lower in calories, depending on the cut • lower in fat, depending on the cut • lower in vitamin B-12 • lower […]
Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDA) History The Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDAs) was originally set up by the National Academy of Sciences during World War II as general guidelines for feeding the country’s soldiers. These recommendations have grown to be guidelines for the general public and were last revised in 1997 and given a new name. RDAs […]
What’s in the Standard American Diet If you were to list the factors that increase the risk of cancer, heart disease, stroke, intestinal disorders – just about any illness – the standard American diet has them all: • High in animal fats • High in unhealthy fats: saturated, hydrogenated • Low in fiber • High […]
Why Teens Need Better Nutrition Healthy nutrition — or the lack of it – can affect the three A’s of a teen: athletics, academics, and attitude. During teenage growth spurts, adolescents need extra calories, and they should be nutritious ones. The irony of teen eating habits is at the very stage they need to eat […]
The 12 Top Family Foods Admittedly, any “top family food” list will have a bit of bias based on personal preferences, but we have tried to honor certain criteria in selecting our 12 top family foods. We believe that the key to healthy eating is to fill your plate with foods that provide high quality […]
Why Does Your Family Need Vitamins? Mother is right when she says, “Get your vitamins.” These substances are just that – vital to life. In the early 1900s these nutrients in foods were thought to be “amines” or organic compounds. Since they also appear to be vital to life, they were known as vit-amines. Unlike […]
