Before you reach for a Monster energy drink, consider this: Are energy drinks bad for you? A growing number of studies are finding that products like Monster, Red Bull, and 5-Hour Energy can result in a variety of health dangers without offering any unique benefits. The extreme acidity, high caffeine, … Read More
Rosehips are the beautiful red berries that form on rose plants after successful pollination of the flower in summer. These fruits, from the plant Rosa canina, commonly known as wild briar rose or dog rose, has been used as a traditional medicine for centuries to treat ailments such as diarrhea … Read More
People in Japan have a longer life expectancy and a significantly lower risk of several serious diseases compared to Americans, including cancer and heart disease.[1,2] Extensive research has looked at differences in the Japanese diet compared to the typical Western diet. Much of the interest has been on higher fish … Read More
Since the 1970s, America’s love affair with sushi has grown. With its simple combination of vinegar-flavored rice, fish, and vegetables, sushi has gone from being a trendy dish mainly found on the West Coast to a regular part of American cuisine. You’ll find it everywhere, from fancy restaurants to simple … Read More
You’ve heard it before—food is fuel. The energy we get from food comes from three “macronutrients”—protein, fat and carbohydrates. Food also provides us with about 40 micronutrients: vitamins, minerals, fiber and phytonutrients (plant chemicals). Nutrients work together (nutrient synergism) and a diet rich in a variety of whole food fruits … Read More
My family makes sure every year to have a large rhubarb crop in the garden for making rhubarb pie, rhubarb crisp, rhubarb sauce, and other delicious dishes. But not everyone knows that rhubarb is also one of the oldest and best-known Chinese herbal medicines. Certain species of this plant, like … Read More
Although the pumpkin is a very nutritious gourd that provides lots of protein, calcium, and zinc, pumpkin pie is another story. Between its buttered crust and the added cream and sugar, the beloved pumpkin pie can be an unhealthy fall dessert. Luckily, we have a healthy pumpkin pie recipe that has … Read More
Every year, my grandma makes three cranberry dishes to serve alongside our Thanksgiving turkey: a pureed cranberry sauce, a whole-fruit sauce, and a cranberry relish. And the days following, the family enjoys turkey sandwiches with those cranberry leftovers as a special, once-a-year condiment. Cranberries are a common food to pile … Read More
When we think of healthy comfort foods, we often think of warm roasts, stews, and other satisfying dishes—the types of foods that typically fill our tables as part of our Thanksgiving feasts. And what ingredients do many of these dishes share? Root vegetables, which happen to be jam-packed with healthy … Read More
Also known as phytochemicals, phytonutrients are chemicals produced by plants. There are more than 25,000 phytonutrients found in plant foods! Some common phytonutrients are carotenoids like lutein, flavonoids, coumarins, indoles, isoflavones, lignans, organosulfates and plant sterols. Carotenoids are found in the cells of a many red, orange and yellow plants … Read More
