Eating For Health

Food dyes are in the news a lot lately.   Robert F. Kennedy wants to work with the food industry to get artificial food dyes out of our food including out of the National School Lunch Program.   My husband showed me an interesting article in the Wall Street Journal, Removing Artificial Food Dyes Will Be Difficult .   Why?   Because artificial food dyes are in so many of our foods.             1 in 10 foods contain artificial food dyes           40% of food items containing artificial food dyes contain 3 or MORE food dyes The article notes artificial food dyes are in popular foods such as Pop-Tarts and Doritos.   And in foods that even I was unaware of.   I told my daughter that some pickles have artificial dyes.   She didn’t believe me, opened her fridge and looked at her jar of pickles.   Not one but two artificial yellow dyes in the pickles.   I pulled out our pickle relish and it...

Who doesn’t love a good cup of coffee or two to start their day?   I often get asked, “Is coffee good for one’s health?”   What does the research show?     My sister sent me an article describing the latest health benefit of drinking coffee. What are the health benefits of drinking coffee? Johns Hopkins notes 9 reasons coffee is good for you.   What are some of the benefits? Coffee is loaded with healthful antioxidants .   These may lower inflammation and help protect against several diseases. Coffee lowers one’s risk of getting type 2 diabetes . Coffee lowers one’s risk of heart failure.   Enjoy those 2 cups of coffee a day as it makes your heart stronger. Coffee drinkers are less likely to develop Parkinson’s disease .   Coffee drinking is good for your liver .   How?   Coffee drinking promotes good liver enzymes. Coffee drinking reduces your risk of colon cancer – a condition now on the rise in those younger than 50.   (See...

Colon cancer was always a concern for people over the age of 50.   But now, it is becoming increasingly more common for people under the age of 50 to be diagnosed with colon cancer.   While colon cancer has been declining for older adults, since 1990 colorectal cancer has been increasing in younger adults (under 50) with rates increasing 2% a year.   What is the incidence of colon cancer in younger adults? Among those younger than 55 years of age, the proportion of cases increased from 11% in 1995 to 20% in 2019.  Although the overall rate dropped by 1% each year from 2012 to 2021, the drop was mostly in older adults, those 65 and older.    Why is the incidence of colon cancer increasing in younger adults? Research is investigating the reasons but factors being explored are diet, obesity, a sedentary lifestyle and even changes in the gut microbiome, the bacteria in your gut.  (See:  Healthier gut for a healthier you )  Other factors i...

So many people talk about “eating healthier” and then go on a fad diet thinking it is good for their health.   A TV personality said he avoids bread and cereal to eat healthier.   But is avoiding any food group a healthy choice?   What does “eating healthy” mean?   In the classes I taught, students always recommended we should “eat healthy”.   But when I asked them what this means they often struggle to come up with specifics.   Are there healthy diets to follow?   A diet not for weight loss or weight gain, but just a healthy eating pattern? Not a “diet” you go on for a week or two but a lifelong way of eating for a healthier you.         I was watching TV recently and saw the commercial for taking pills to get your fruit and veggies each day.   Rather than take pills, eat your fruit and veggies to eat healthier in 2025.   A popular quote from Hulk Hogan is “Train.   Say your prayers.   Eat your vitamins....

Everyone is complaining about high grocery prices.   And groceries have gotten more expensive.   What are some superfoods that you might want to add to your grocery list?        1.   Choose Extra Virgin Olive Oil over Coconut oil For years my students would say coconut oil was the healthier oil.   I always taught them that was not the case.   Still many people swear by coconut oil, even putting it in their morning coffee.   And many cook with coconut oil thinking this is a healthy thing to do.   What is so bad about coconut oil?   The high saturated fat content, “a whopping 12 grams of saturated fat per tablespoon.”   What’s the problem with saturated fat?   According to Medline Plus , ‘too much saturated fat can cause cholesterol build up in your arteries (blood vessels).   Saturated fats raise your LDL (bad) cholesterol.   High LDL cholesterol increases your risk of heart disease and stroke.”   ...