Slowing Down School Lunches
Organization plans potlucks to raise awareness.
Food plays a central role in our lives. I can recall what was on the menu from dinners years ago, and I’m sure I’m not alone in associating good times with good food. But on the flip side of those fond memories is the queasy feeling I get when I walk down the frozen food aisle and glance at a package of fish sticks. The horror of school lunches immediately comes back to me. School lunches are in the spotlight every five years when the Child Nutrition Act comes up for reauthorization. The current act, which governs the National School Lunch Program that feeds more than 30 million children every school day, expires on Sept. 30. Read more
Don’t Fear Soy Foods
It’s no wonder that men who have read the recent stories circulating about soy are confused. Some stories claim that soy foods, such as tofu and soy milk, can lead to breast growth or reduce testosterone levels. Other stories tout the benefits of soy, suggesting soy may help protect against prostate cancer. Women have wondered for years whether phytoestrogens affect their health, from menopausal hot flashes to breast cancer. Now men are left to wonder about possible unwanted effects of soy foods.
Soy contains compounds called isoflavones that are known as phytoestrogens, which are weak plant versions of the hormone estrogen. Fears that the amount of phytoestrogens in moderate amounts of soy foods could stimulate men’s breast tissue or reduce their testosterone are not Read more
More Fruits and Vegetables
If all the pre-cut vegetables and fruits in the grocery store and news stories about the importance of produce for health has led you to believe that you’re the only one not eating many vegetables and fruits, relax. Once again, a study shows that most Americans aren’t, even though relatively minor changes in increasing fruits and vegetable consumption could pay off big in good health.
The latest study suggesting we’re still more talk than action when it comes to eating fruits and vegetables compares findings over the last 20 years from NHANES, a large federal diet and health survey. Nutrition experts urged us to aim higher when results from the 1988 to 1994 NHANES showed that among Americans ages 40 to 74, only 42 percent met the minimum recommendation of at least five servings of vegetables and fruits daily. Instead of increasing, the Read more
Where America’s biggest fast-food addicts live
While the state meat of Texas could be steak, the residents of Arlington apparently prefer their beef ground and round—with fries. And if they can’t find a burger (unlikely, given the density of drive-thrus), they’re just as happy to speed-eat a burrito. Even though authentic Mexican is everywhere, Arlingtonians keep seven Taco Bells in business.
We started our search for America’s fast-food addicts by tallying the number of Read more
Ask the doctor: Is canned fish good for the heart?
Q: I know that eating fish is good for the heart. But fresh fish costs a lot and I can’t get to the grocery store very often. Does eating canned fish help?
A: Canned salmon, tuna, sardines, kippered herring, and other types of fish are pretty much on a par with fresh fish. They give you as much heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids as fresh fish, and sometimes more. These essential oils help prevent potentially deadly heart rhythms. They also work against inflammation and the formation of blood clots inside arteries. An Italian study published in 2001 found that people who ate fresh or canned fish at least twice a week were 30% less likely to have had heart attacks as those who ate fish less than once a week. Read more
