Matthew Kadey, MS, RD
Article Archive
Almond butter was the first to challenge the decades-long dominance of creamy and crunchy peanut butter. Now, seed butters represent a hot new trend in spreads, each offering a unique flavor and nutritional profile. This trio of no-nut spreads is worthy of pantry space: Sesame Seed Butter Often labeled as tahini, this spread of ground sesame seeds has a rich, smoky flavor and velvety texture. As a good source of mono- and polyunsaturated fats, it can help keep your heart strong.
Read MoreHere is some buzz-worthy news: Scientists seem to have pinpointed how many cups of coffee we can safely drink each day. A large 2017 review of studies published in Food and Chemical Toxicology determined that consuming up to 400 milligrams of caffeine per day—which would include sources like tea and chocolate, too—has no detrimental impact on health measures such as bone strength or cardiovascular well-being. That amount represents about 4 cups of coffee.
Read MoreAs the dangers of drinking too much soda (diabetes, obesity, etc.) become increasingly known to the public, sales continue to drop, but it seems we are simply replacing one nutrition villain with another. According to the marketing firm Packaged Facts, sales of sports and energy drinks are rocketing upward—hitting an estimated $25 billion in 2016 with an annual growth rate of 7%.
Read MoreBecause fast food is thought to be relatively inexpensive, there’s an assumption that people with lower incomes have a bigger soft spot for it than those in higher-grossing socioeconomic groups. Now, a 2017 study in the journal Economics & Human Biology is challenging this assertion. In the paper, which drew from a large sample of Americans, researchers discovered that the guilty pleasure of biting into a Big Mac is shared across the income spectrum, from rich to poor.
Read MoreMuscle men aren’t the only ones needing to load up on more protein. Recent evidence suggests that the current Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) for protein, which is 0.8 gram per kilogram of body weight per day for healthy adults over age 19, is too low for elderly people and those who engage in high volumes of aerobic activity. A May 2017 Frontiers in Nutrition paper makes a strong argument that older adults can have lower rates of muscle and function loss with protein intakes of 1.2–1.5 g/kg BW/day.
Read MoreAmerica’s massive pile of food waste makes up an estimated 30%–40% of the nation’s food supply, or about 1,200–1,400 calories per person each day, says the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The perils of this ugly food trend are many: added costs to grocery budgets, global-warming methane gas production as food decomposes in landfills, and waste of resources used to grow and transport the food.
Read MoreTo stay on good terms with the scale, it might be a good idea to trade T-bone for tempeh more often, according to a June 2017 analysis in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition. Study participants who followed a calorie-controlled vegetarian diet of legumes, grains, nuts, fruits, veggies and just a small amount of dairy shed almost twice as much body weight as those on a more conventional, calorie-equivalent diet that contained meat. The plant-heavy diet was also more effective at reducing muscle fat, which improved blood sugar control and insulin sensitivity.
Read MoreNow that sweater weather has arrived for much of the country, working to keep up vitamin D levels becomes even more important. After all, the sunshine vitamin is not only important for bone health but has also been tied to a lower risk for certain cancers, heart conditions
and depression.
Buttery salmon, sweet-tart berry dressing, crunchy nuts, chewy spelt and sun-kissed vegetables mingle to create an Instagram-ready summer salad that can be enjoyed for lunch or as a light dinner on a sultry night. And each bite packs plenty of health benefits.
Read MoreHemp foods are flying high. According to Vote Hemp, a grass-roots hemp-advocacy organization, total retail sales of hemp foods in the United States reached about $129 million in 2016. (Costco, Whole Foods and some other retailers didn’t release sales data, so this is likely a lowball number.)
Read MoreIn an effort to tackle the mounting problem of childhood obesity, the restaurant industry pledged to trim the fat, so to speak, from its children’s menus. It’s a worthy sentiment, given that about 1 in 5 school-aged children (aged 6–19) have obesity, according to the CDC.
Read MoreIt turns out there may be something to the gym floor “bro science” of exercising on an empty stomach to fire up that coveted fat-burning metabolism. Research published in the March 2017 edition of the American Journal of Physiology–Endocrinology and Metabolism shows that eating versus fasting before a workout can affect gene expression in adipose tissue (your fat stores) in response to exercise.
Read MoreIn the supermarket these days, packaged foods brandishing health, nutrition or environmental claims are easier to find than foods with less-cluttered packaging. And if you’re among the growing number of shoppers who seek out healthier items on store shelves, these labels can end up guiding your purchasing decisions. But a study posted in March 2017 in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Diabetes found that certain nutrition claims are no guarantee you’re dropping the most nutritious option into your grocery cart.
Read MoreThe old saw that “you are what you eat” also applies to cattle, it seems. An investigation posted in April 2017 in the Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture found that if you throw a steak on the grill hailing from an animal raised on forage (that is, “grass-fed”), it’s likely to have a lower omega-6-to-omega-3 ratio than meat from a cow fattened up on concentrates (usually a mixture of grains and soy).
Read MoreIn the film The Great Outdoors, John Candy attempts to choke down an “Old 96er”—a massive 96-ounce steak—as gawkers look on with a mixture of excitement and revulsion. This type of gluttony is not as rare as you may think, especially in men. According to a 2016 Cornell Food and Brand Lab analysis in Frontiers in Nutrition, men are prone to stuffing themselves silly in competitive eating situations, whether they’re structured competitions or simply social gatherings that lend themselves to competitive behavior.
Read MoreOnce a rarity, type 2 diabetes is becoming commonplace in America. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says more than 29 million people have diabetes and another 86 million have prediabetes (blood sugar levels high enough to indicate a risk of developing the disease in the near future). Chilling numbers, yes, but these statistics can be tackled with a fork and knife. Modern research shows that a shopping cart full of these foods can help in the battle against diabetes:
Read MorePeople tend to frown on frozen vegetables and fruits, but fresh isn’t always best.
Read MoreHave you been tempted to become a vegetarian, but the thought of giving up barbecues or your mom’s meatloaf seems too daunting? Thankfully, you can obtain many of the same benefits of vegetarian living without forgoing meat completely. You just have to become a “flexitarian.”
Read MoreHealthy Bones and Plant-Driven Diets
These foods will help you keep a veggie-focused approach without weakening your skeleton.
By Matthew Kadey, MS, RD
Many people embracing a more plant-based diet worry they’re setting themselves up for nutritional shortfalls that will weaken their bones. Where will they get their calcium—the best-known nutrient for bone health—if they’re avoiding dairy? And what about other bone builders like high-quality protein and vitamin B12, which are readily available in meat?Vegetarians and vegans, who focus their eating efforts mainly on plants, still have to build and maintain strong bones to stave off conditions like osteoporosis. After all, nothing slows down a healthy, active lifestyle more than a stress fracture or a broken hip. Fortunately, there’s good news for kale and lentil lovers everywhere. Eating mostly foods grown in soil need not weaken our skeletons.
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