Could a Smiley Face Make Healthy Foods More Appealing to Kids? While schools in the United States are providing healthier food options in their cafeterias as part of a federal initiative, getting kids to put more nutritious items on their plate can be a challenge. Researchers have found that adding a smiley face label to…

New Broccoli Reduces Cholesterol. Eating ten or more weekly servings of a new variety of broccoli has been demonstrated to reduce Low-density lipoprotein (bad cholesterol) levels by about 6%. This new broccoli variety known as Beneforte was bred to contain two to three times more glucoraphanin, a compound that is converted to sulphoraphane inside the…

Dietary Fiber Supplement May Help with Weight Control. An animal study found that rats fed a fiber supplement along with a high-fat and high-sugar diet gained less weight than subjects fed the same diet without the supplement. Despite having constant access to food high in both fat and sugar, researchers found that rats given supplemental…

Are American Kids Eating Less Fast Food? According to a new report, the percentage of children eating fast food on any given day fell from 38.8% in 2003-04 to 32.6% in 2009-10. The authors of the report also observed a decrease in the average number of calories children consumed at hamburger, chicken, and pizza fast…

Another Reason to Eat Lots of Fruits and Vegetables… Chinese researchers analyzed data from fourteen published studies regarding inflammatory bowel disease and found that participants who consumed the most servings of fruits and vegetables per day were 30-40% less likely to be diagnosed with either Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis when compared with those who…

Omega-3 Fatty Acids May Reduce Damage After Heart Attack. High doses of omega-3 fatty acids may protect the heart against further damage following a myocardial infraction. In a recent study that included 374 heart attack survivors, those who took a daily 4g dose of omega-3 fatty acids in addition to standard treatment had lower resulting…

Fried Food Intake Associated with Heart Failure Risk. Men who consume fried food one to three times a week have an 18% increased risk of developing heart failure compared with those who do not eat fried food. The risk rises to 25% for those who consume fried food four to six times a week, and…

 Can Eating Nuts Extend Your Life? Three large prospective studies have discovered that a diet high in nuts is linked to greater longevity. Researchers found that those who ate the most nuts were 17-21% less likely to die during the 5-12 years they followed-up with study participants. They add, “We found consistent evidence that high…

Toddler Snacks & Meals Have Plenty of Salt & Sugar. Many prepackaged meals for toddlers contain high levels of salt, and many snacks, desserts, and juices for infants and toddlers contain added sugar. Researcher Dr. Mary Cogswell writes, “It was surprising that more than seven of ten packaged toddler meals contained too much sodium (salt)……

Vegetarian Diets Boost Weight Loss. According to a new meta-analysis, a vegetarian diet causes weight loss, even without exercise or calorie counting. Researchers found that individuals who switched to a vegetarian diet lost an average of about 10 pounds (~4.5 kg) over 44 weeks. People who were heavier to begin with lost more weight, and…