Twenty-five years ago the only gluten-free bread came in a can and was so hard it could have doubled as a weapon. Today even Betty Crocker has a line of gluten-free cakes and brownies, and there's a gluten-free superstore online (www.thegfreview.com; click store).
The group that dubbed fettuccine alfredo ''a heart attack on a plate'' is now sounding alarms about some healthy foods. The latest report from the Center for Science in the Public Interest, a not-for-profit consumer advocacy organization, concerns the safety of our food supply.
Bad news about salt keeps pouring out of research labs. A RAND study funded by Harvard University and published in the September/October issue of the Journal of Health Promotion is the most recent. It concluded that if Americans followed the USDA-recommended guidelines of no more than 2,400 mg of sodium a day, our country could save $18 billion annually in healthcare costs and improve quality of life with lowered incidence of high blood pressure and stroke.
As the daughter of a deli man, rye bread -- not white -- was my bread of choice. I covered my rye with mustard, piled on roast beef, turkey or corned beef and I was in sandwich heaven.
Finding the time to exercise and work up a sweat at least three times a week, as recommended by the American Heart Association, is an accomplishment. But there is confusion about what to eat after exercise to replace energy, boost muscle development and optimize the benefits of your activity. Is it a brightly colored sports drink such as Gatorade or Powerade, a special shake or some other high-tech product that will bring the best results? The answer is easier and less expensive than you think.
No one knows how the health care debate will end but one inarguable fact is we all need to stay as healthy as possible. Exercise and nutritious eating are a given, but what about adding supplements? Since heart disease is the leading cause of death for men and women, that seems a good place to begin the discussion.
Do dating and good nutrition go together? Perhaps not, according to a recent study by Cornell University's psychology department.
The study, ``Dating and Eating: Beliefs and Dating Foods Among University Students,'' was not intended to measure health or nutrition factors, but to clarify date food etiquette. But we may glean some insight from it as we weigh menu choices.There are many paths to dietary enlightenment. Exotic location diets such as the Mediterranean and South Beach Diet are flavorful and heart healthy. Nutrient-specific diets like low carb or high protein will lead to weight loss and sometimes monotony.
Gut-friendly bacteria have become a diet staple, so today I will make the case for fungi. Not just any fungi but the long neglected and often odd-looking mushroom. It's no wonder mushrooms are overlooked as health food staples, since they grow on dead and rotting wood or compost, not lush farmland.
Chia Pets have been a staple of infomercials for years. The terra cotta figures, ranging in shape from lambs to U.S. presidents, grow a fluffy green coat when watered regularly.
While using a drive-through at a local fast-food franchise, I asked for the calorie content of a new blended coffee drink. The startled voice from the speaker said, ``I wouldn't know about that.''
If put on a pedestal, you can only go down. That's what happened to soy foods, which were once touted, then controversial, and now more greatly understood.
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