Diet and nutrition

May 18, 2013

Gluten-free cake options

Baking has been a challenge for people who maintain a gluten-free diet, especially for people trying to make traditional birthday cakes or re-create a childhood favorite. That's in part because flours made from other ingredients (almonds, chickpeas, rice) don't "behave" in the same manner as flour made from wheat.

May 18, 2013

What is gluten? And other frequently asked questions about gluten

What is gluten?

May 18, 2013

Going gluten-free more common, but not necessarily easier

For more than 20 years, Kristine Kidd tasted what came her way as the food editor at Bon Appetit magazine. But she never felt great.

4:47 PM EDT, May 7, 2013

Spring is the perfect time to taste the rainbow

Spring showers inspire the growth of a colorful array of fruits and vegetables to decorate your dishes, tempt your taste buds and nourish yourself naturally.

8:49 PM EDT, May 14, 2013

Study casts doubt on some findings about sodium

Are Americans getting mixed messages about how much sodium they should be consuming? Lately, yes, and some of those messages are muddled because studies themselves are muddled, a panel of doctors has concluded.

8:00 AM EDT, May 13, 2013

Could giving newborns formula help with breast-feeding?

A new study suggests that there are situations in which limited formula use might actually help some mothers breast-feed their children for a longer period of time.

4:45 PM EDT, May 10, 2013

What do we spend to preserve nature? $40 billion

Some say that you can’t put a price on precious natural resources. As of this week, you can.

7:54 PM EDT, May 9, 2013

Wrigley holds off on caffeinated gum as FDA reviews caffeine

Less than a week after the FDA announced that it would investigate the safety of added caffeine in U.S. food and beverage products, Wrigley North America put its bid to market a caffeinated gum on hold.

3:08 AM EDT, May 9, 2013

What to consume before, during and after exercise

Have you ever been hungry before you workout or even hungrier after you're done? BlueCross BlueShield of Illinois gives tips on what to eat before, during and after workouts.

7:17 PM EDT, May 8, 2013

Posting calories: 'So yesterday' already?

At chain restaurants across the country, the ink is scarcely dry on new menus posting the calorie counts of food and beverage options. But already, public health experts are debating whether there might be better ways to influence Americans' nutritional choices when they're out and about.

2:01 PM EDT, May 8, 2013

Dietary supplement contained erectile dysfunction drug

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has announced the recall of several dietary supplements that contain the undeclared drug tadalafil, which is used to treat erectile dysfunction.

May 9, 2013

Got diet milk?

In the face of troubling childhood obesity rates and what it sees as low milk consumption rates, the dairy industry says it has a solution: Offer kids flavored milk that uses low-calorie artificial sweeteners.

6:53 PM EDT, May 7, 2013

Teens ate 'too many calories' at Subway and McDonald's, study says

Adolescents who went to McDonald’s and Subway in Los Angeles bought about the same number of calories at each, despite Subway's reputation as a healthier place to eat, researchers said.

6:03 PM EDT, May 6, 2013

Grocery shopping on an empty stomach leads to dieting disaster

Attention dieters: If you want to maximize your chances of success, don’t go to the grocery store on an empty stomach.

5:11 PM EDT, May 1, 2013

Addicted to added sugar? It's 13 percent of calories consumed by Americans

Sugar. Honey. Maple syrup. Molasses. High fructose corn syrup. All of these are “added sugars,” and you are probably eating — and drinking — too much of them.

7:21 PM EDT, April 25, 2013

Imported cucumbers sicken 73 people in 18 states with salmonella

More than 70 people in 18 states have fallen ill because of a salmonella outbreak linked to imported Mexican cucumbers, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Thursday.

April 20, 2013

Set a goal but didn't follow through? Tips to resetting habits

OK, you've had nearly a third of the year. Lost that weight? Smoking a thing of the past? Nicer to your husband? If you are like many people, such resolutions have disappeared as completely as the bubbles in your Champagne toast. But you can start again.

3:45 PM EDT, April 15, 2013

Beer's taste, sans alcoholic effect, triggers dopamine in brain

Remember that Jamie Foxx song "Blame It (On the Alcohol)"? If not, perhaps it’s just as well, because scientists say that even the taste of beer (without the intoxicating effects of alcohol) can trigger that flow of striatal dopamine in the brain.

4:07 PM EDT, April 10, 2013

Small dishes mean less food for kids, study says

Everyone who has ever read a diet book knows this tip: Use a smaller plate, and you are likely to put less food on it. Now researchers have found the same is true for children taking food at school lunch.

4:56 PM EDT, April 8, 2013

Red meat and heart disease link: Not all about the fat?

The long-established link between red meat consumption and heart disease may have less to do with the fat in the meat than many have assumed, researchers said Sunday.

1:35 PM EDT, April 8, 2013

The science of a healthful diet explained

Harlan-the-medical-student channeled Harlan-the-chef and wrote "It's Heartly Fare," a guide to healthful eating. His primary advice was simple: "Cut down on saturated fat, sugar and salt."

April 6, 2013

Food as medicine? What to make of the claims

What's a healthful food and what's a healing food? Is there a difference? At least since the mid-19th century, when the Battle Creek Sanitarium opened its doors and people flocked there to follow John Harvey Kellogg's regime of whole grains, nuts and frequent enemas, many Americans have sought food as medicine.

7:52 PM EDT, April 3, 2013

Whole truth about which whole-grain foods are best

"Whole grain" has become a healthy eating buzz phrase, and food companies aren't shy about using it to entice us to buy products. Browse the bread, cereal or chip aisles of your favorite grocery store, and you'll see the upsell.

3:27 PM EDT, April 2, 2013

Possible E. coli contamination spurs Farm Rich products recall

Possible contamination with E. coli has prompted the Rich Products Corp. to voluntarily recall the following products: Farm Rich Mini Quesadillas, Farm Rich Mini Pizza Slices, Farm Rich Philly Cheese Steaks, Farm Rich Mozzarella Bites and Market Day Mozzarella Bites, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

3:54 PM EDT, April 2, 2013

Undisclosed soy prompts recall by Lisy Corp.

The Miami-based Lisy Corp. is recalling some of its seasoning blends because their labels do not list the ingredient soy, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

4:15 PM EDT, March 28, 2013

Kids' menus are not healthy, nutrition group says

Ninety-one percent of thousands of children’s meals at the biggest restaurant chains don’t meet standards set by the National Restaurant Assn.’s own initiative for healthful kids’ meals, a study out Thursday from a nutrition advocacy group says. And nine chains have no meals that meet those standards, the study says.

9:12 PM EDT, March 27, 2013

What one woman gained by giving up diet foods

I was 13 years old when I ate my first diet meal.

9:00 PM EDT, March 27, 2013

Dried fruits pale to fresh

Q: Are dried fruits a healthy choice compared to fresh fruits?

12:28 PM EDT, March 27, 2013

Julie Deardorff: Does a low-fat diet increase triglycerides?

It’s easy to assume that a low-fat diet is the healthy way to go, especially since a diet low in saturated and trans fat was recommended by government agencies back in the 1980s.

9:00 AM EDT, March 27, 2013

Food deserts may not be key in what people eat, study says

There’s no strong evidence of an association between living within walking distance of places to buy food and being overweight or not, researchers said after interviewing nearly 100,000 Californians.

2:36 AM EDT, March 27, 2013

Adding fiber to your food

According to the National Fiber Council, fiber is the go-to item to lower cholesterol, feel full longer, lowers the risk of certain diseases (heart attack, diabetes, high blood pressure, stroke, obesity, and certain cancers) and helps with intestinal regularity. Click this photo gallery for food fiber shopping ideas and NFC's infographic to find out more about how fiber works in your body.

3:43 PM EDT, March 26, 2013

Undeclared walnuts prompt recall of coffee cake

Chicago-based Gold Standard Baking has voluntarily recalled Sweet P’s Bake Shop branded Caramel Apple Danish Coffee Cake after discovering that it contained walnuts, but was distributed in packaging that did not state their presence, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

7:34 PM EDT, March 25, 2013

Too many babies start eating solid foods too soon, CDC study says

Four out of 10 mothers surveyed began feeding their infants solid food when they were only 4 months old and their still-developing bodies weren’t able to process it -- and more than half the moms said they had been advised to do so by a medical professional. 

March 26, 2013

Prescription for nutrition

Despite a growing consensus that cardiovascular disease is a "food-borne" illness, many physicians are ill-prepared to advise patients on what they should eat to best protect them from heart attack or stroke.

March 26, 2013

Mediterranean diet: A sample menu

A Mediterranean-style diet emphasizes foods traditionally consumed in countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea. Here is a sample day's menu provided by Dr. Stephen Devries, executive director of the Gaples Institute in Deerfield, which promotes the value of nutrition and natural strategies in medical care.

9:15 AM EDT, March 22, 2013

Warning: Excessive tea drinking can be hazardous to your health

You can never be too rich or too thin, perhaps, but you certainly can drink too much tea. 

12:13 PM EDT, March 20, 2013

Allergy alert issued for soybean paste, FDA says

Daesang America Inc. is recalling  packages of sesame- and garlic-flavored mixed soy bean paste because they may contain undeclared peanuts, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

8:00 AM EDT, March 20, 2013

Genetically engineered tomato mimics good cholesterol

Researchers at UCLA have genetically engineered tomatoes that, when fed to mice, mimic the beneficial qualities of good cholesterol, according to a new study.

4:54 PM EDT, March 19, 2013

Rebates motivate shoppers to buy produce, whole grains, study says

Rand Corp. research released Tuesday shows that offering discounts on healthful foods increases the amounts people eat ¿ and it appears also to reduce how much foods such as cookies and chips they eat too.

5:40 PM EDT, March 18, 2013

FDA issues salmonella warning for ProtiDiet protein bars

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is warning consumers not to eat certain ProtiDiet High Protein Chocolate Dream bars due to possible contamination with salmonella, according to an FDA statement Monday.

10:21 PM EDT, March 18, 2013

Low-fat milk doesn't help toddlers' weight, study says

Giving toddlers skim or 1 percent milk to keep them from growing overweight doesn’t seem to work, according to a study out Monday that gives pause over the common advice to avoid whole milk from age 2.

March 18, 2013

Doubts surface about safety of common food additive, carrageenan

Sara Baker says the light went on in her head after a cup of hot cocoa set off a storm in her stomach.

March 16, 2013

Natural Products Expo lays out the latest, with an emphasis on what's real and what's absent

Consumers say they are too busy to sort through complicated labels and want straightforward products they can trust, according to many of the exhibitors at Natural Products Expo West.

3:12 PM EDT, March 15, 2013

'Sugar-free' baked goods, with sugar? What is a dieter to do?

As if studying product labels to keep tabs on calories, carbs and fat grams wasn't painful enough, now dieters have this to worry about: one bakery's "goodies that taste good without being bad" are actually quite naughty, after all.

8:10 PM EDT, March 13, 2013

A diet miracle?

The miracle berry has been described as a hallucinogen for the tongue. It can make sour things taste sweet. But can it help solve the obesity crisis? Not so fast, experts say.

1:45 PM EST, March 7, 2013

Study finds association between processed meat and disease

Another study has found an association between eating meat and premature death, this time linking the consumption of bacon, sausage and other processed meats with cardiovascular disease and cancer in a study of nearly a half-million Europeans.

5:58 PM EST, March 7, 2013

Meat Institute finds fault with study on red meat consumption

The American Meat Institute has weighed in on a study published this week about eating red meat, and it objects to the study’s methods and conclusions.

3:19 PM EST, March 5, 2013

Getting creative with the coconut

Despite its name, the coconut is a fruit from the coconut palm. Tropical cultures have been using this delicious fruit for everything from food to body lotion and even currency.

March 6, 2013

Oh, that old diet

Although some skeptics remain wary, Mary Tapia, of Mount Prospect, is convinced there are benefits to the "Paleo Diet," which promotes unprocessed foods that were the diet of hunter-gatherers during the Paleolithic era — primarily meats, fish, fruits, and vegetables.

8:00 PM EST, February 27, 2013

Photos: 8 ways to eat healthier, from PresidentsChallenge.org

It's so easy to find junk food that eating healthy can be a challenge. Here are eight recommendations for eating healthier straight from the President's Challenge website.

February 27, 2013

Babies of obese moms show lower vitamin D levels

Babies born to women who are obese at the start of pregnancy tend to have one-third less vitamin D than the infants of lean women, according to a new study led by a Northwestern Medicine professor.

7:30 PM EST, February 20, 2013

Ditching dairy

"Canned salmon: It does a body good" doesn't pack quite the same punch as that other slogan.

8:00 AM EST, February 20, 2013

Cooking up toxic air pollution

When UC Davis scientists collected air pollution particles in Fresno and then exposed laboratory mice to them, they found that one of the most toxic sources was the backyard grill.

6:44 PM EST, February 18, 2013

Doctors who cook say they give better nutrition advice

Perhaps the next time you see your doctor, he might finish the visit with a reminder to take a medication and a conversation about cooking salmon.

8:06 PM EST, February 13, 2013

Exercise: Choose your own potential

Long ago I had one of those "choose-your-own adventure" books based on a James Bond movie, and I made bad choices; the poor British spy kept getting consumed in a vat of molten lava, impaled on a bunch of spiky things or became an appetizer for saltwater crocodiles.

4:39 PM EST, February 13, 2013

Nutrition group petitions for federal regulation of sugary drinks

A nutrition advocacy group joined with scientists and health agencies Wednesday to ask the federal government to decide just how much sugar is “safe” in sodas, raising the bar in its crusade to curb the “dangerously high” amounts Americans consume.

February 11, 2013

Nowadays, Valentine's Day is less sweet — and peanut-free

The rules for 7-year-old Riley Krieger's Valentine's Day party recently arrived from school: Bring one valentine addressed to each child on the list attached. Make a heart-covered shoe box on your own time or just bring a bag. Any treats for the class must be individually wrapped and, as always, peanut-free.

1:43 AM EST, February 7, 2013

Photo gallery: Milligrams in Vitamin C

You may hear each winter that vitamin C can fight off the common cold. But is it just hype or does it really help? No, and these foods prove it.

1:39 AM EST, February 7, 2013

Photo gallery: Reduce stress with these foods

In the March 2013 print edition, Women's Health gives nutrition food tips to eliminate stress.

7:46 PM EST, February 6, 2013

There is such a thing as too much vitamin C

You may hear each winter that vitamin C can fight off the common cold. But is it just hype or does it really help?