Food for Thought ColumnFitness Journal
Sucralose Increases Appetite and Cravings
A study found that people with obesity experienced an increase in appetite and food cravings after consuming a drink with sucralose.
Color-Coded Nutrition Labels for Healthy Purchases
A new meta-analysis dug into the findings of 134 studies about the impact of the color-coded nutrition labels and warnings on food packaging.
Spirulina: Buy or Bye?
Does research support the claims that spirulina packs a punch of protein, antioxidants and other compounds that strengthen human health?
Recipe for Health: Kale Pear Salad with Hazelnut Dressing
Doing something healthy for ourselves—like eating this colorful kale pear salad—can help us feel a little less frazzled.
Excessive Sodium Intake
Research findings indicate that a higher sodium intake or higher sodium-to potassium ratio was linked with greater cardiovascular risk.
Pesticides and Organic Foods
The pesticides that are sprayed on conventionally grown fruits and vegetables may pose a health risk with consistent exposure over time.
Vegetarian and Vegan Diets High in Ultraprocessed Foods
Going from meat to vegetarian or vegan diets may result in a troubling change in the types of foods people choose to add to their diets.
You Can Get Ripped on Plants
Yes, it’s possible to bulk up on tofu. A joint research study by Canadian and Brazilian scientists, presented at the 2019 American College of Sports Medicine annual meeting, discovered no difference with respect to lean body mass and muscle strength gains between 19 vegan and 19 omnivorous young men enrolled in a 12-week, twice-weekly program of resistance training. During the intervention, each participant consumed 1.6 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight per day, either solely from plants or from a mix of plants and animals.
Prenatal Nutrition is Lacking
Based on data collected from 1,003 pregnant women between 2001 and 2014, a study in JAMA Network Open suggests that many expectant mothers in the U.S. don’t get enough of some nutrients that are vital for a healthy pregnancy.
5 Big Benefits of Plant-Based Diets
People can get caught up in the details of paleo, ketogenic and gluten-free diets, but one of the most buzzworthy eating styles at the moment is also super simple. It’s the plant-based diet—one that places less emphasis on animal-based foods and more on dishes derived from the plant kingdom.
The Rise of Orange Corn
In partnership with Purdue University, American company NutraMaize LLC is forging ahead with plans to increase the commercialization of their orange corn in the United States.
Healthy Diet Pays Off for Gut Health
Looks like a healthy diet may help fertilize the human gut with beneficial bugs. That’s the conclusion of scientists from the Baylor College of Medicine in Houston who recently compared the colonic biopsies of 34 people with their scores on a food questionnaire based on the Healthy Eating Index.
January 2020 Question of the Month: Are Nutrition Supplements a Flop?
Supplements are a multibillion-dollar industry in America, but recent studies continue to call into question their usefulness. In a large analysis of 277 randomized trials, researchers from West Virginia University, Johns Hopkins and elsewhere found no proof that vitamin, mineral and other nutritional supplements could help stave off heart disease or prolong life.