Tag

health

Browsing
News Bites

Consumer Reports finds alarming levels of heavy metals in kids’ fruit juice

Consumer Reports finds alarming levels of heavy metals in kids' fruit juice

A new study will be hard to swallow for some well-meaning parents. A recent study by Consumer Reports found concerning levels of potentially dangerous metals in many kids’ fruit juices. Arsenic, cadmium, and lead were found in beloved brands including Whole Food’s 365 Everyday Value, Juicy Juice, Honest Kids, Minute Maid, Welch’s, and more. Also see: Learn to make your own juice at home. The watchdog group tested 45 fruit juices sold nationwide, including grape, apple, pear, and fruit blends. More than half of the juices tests for those three heavy metals. Overall, heavy metals in fruit juices have gone down since a similar CR test in 2011, but  Consumer Report’s Chief Scientific Officer James Dickerson, Ph.D. warns we shouldn’t be comfortable with that alone. “People should still be concerned that test heavy metals are still being found in juice products… and take action so they can ensure that they…

Keep Reading
By
News Bites

This is the best way to wash pesticides off your fruit and vegetables, study shows

This is the best way to wash pesticides off your fruit and vegetables, study says

If you splash your fruits and veggies with a little water and consider them clean, you might want to step your game up. It turns out there is only one way that will get rid of the dangerous pesticides coating them. According to a 2017 study published in the Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry, removal of pesticide residues from fresh produce is important to reduce the risk of exposure. Pesticides have been linked to a number of health problems in humans including everything from headaches to respiratory problems to cancer. So what’s the best way to rid your produce of these unwanted chemical residues? Scientists for the study applied three different washing methods to a bunch of Gala apples — Clorox bleach, baking soda, and plain tap water. They tracked the pesticide levels throughout the study and found that apples soaked in a baking soda and water solution for…

Keep Reading
By
News Bites

This is why you need to wash your avocados

This is why you need to wash your avocados

Avocado lovers, your favorite food has a bit of a dirty secret. A new report from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) says that washing avocados before eating them is crucial. A good portion of the avocado skins sampled recently tested positive for bacteria like listeria or salmonella during. Yikes! Of course you don’t eat the skin, but you’re still at risk if you don’t wash your fruit first. That’s because the knife you are using to cut through the avocado’s exterior (and you certainly have to use a knife to break through) can carry these potentially fatal bacteria into the flesh of the fruit — which you do eat. Of the 1,615 avocados sampled in the study, 17 percent carried the harmful bacteria, so this isn’t a one-in-a-million chance — this is very common. The study included avocados grown both domestically and internationally. The good news is that only .24…

Keep Reading
By
News Bites

Ditch the bacon and booze to reduce your risk of cancer, study says

You already know that frequent bacon, greasy cheeseburgers and booze are the fast track to packing on the pounds, but unfortunately, that’s not the only risk. If you live by the diet plan of “everything in moderation,” you may want to reconsider. A new study shows that consuming these items, even occasionally, can increase your risk of cancer. According to new findings from the World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF), ditching booze and bacon entirely could reduce your risk of cancer up to 40 percent. The WCRF research surveyed 51 million people and focused more on making specific dietary recommendations than ever before, according to the Evening Standard. Researchers now urge people to limit consumption of soft drinks, processed foods — like bacon — and reduce drinking, while eating red meat only in moderation. Researchers also recommended staying away from sugar and ditching fast food entirely. As more countries adopt “Western”…

Keep Reading
By
News Bites

10 foods to avoid pre-workout

These two workout classes are dirtier than your toilet

There’s nothing worse than hitting the gym on an empty stomach. That is, except maybe when you’ve jumped into downward dog or hit mile three on the treadmill and realized your pre-workout snack was a horrible choice. But you don’t have to workout on an empty stomach — you just have to snack smart. Eating the wrong foods pre-workout can cause a variety of unpleasant side effects from gas to bloating to diarrhea. So the next time you want to munch on something before getting your sweat on, remember to keep things simple. Grab a small amount of protein and some easy-to-digest carbs to help power your workout. A banana and peanut butter or a whole fruit smoothie do the trick nicely. But whatever you do, be sure to save these 10 foods until after your workout. 1. Alcohol You’re already sweating and losing water from your workout, booze will…

Keep Reading
By
News Bites

The most popular diets of 2018

The most popular diets of 2018

Research has shown us that adopting a daily healthy lifestyle and routine is the best way to shed pounds and keep them off. But that doesn’t stop us from looking for the latest strategy for losing weight in a hurry. Google has published its list of the Top 10 Most Searched Diets of 2018. This year, diets fell largely in two categories — those that skip or cut carbs, or those that restrict eating to certain hours or days of the week. Google receives more than 90 percent of the world’s searches, so the search engine’s list is probably a decent gauge of what people were actually interested in a trying out this year, or at the very least, which diets have grown tremendously in popularity from 2017 to 2018. Noticeably absent this year, are former heavyweight diet methods paleo and Atkins. So, how did Google do? Did you search…

Keep Reading
By
News Bites

Yo-yo dieting can lead to early death, study suggests

Yo-yo dieting can lead to early death, study suggests

You pack on some serious pounds, then work hard to drop the weight — but then put it all back on again. Aside from being incredibly frustrating for the individual, experts are now warning that these dramatic fluctuations in weight are linked to a slew of negative side effects — including an increased risk of death. The new study was published in the Endocrine Society’s Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism. Researchers investigated the health risks of yo-yo dieting by examining the results from the 3,600 men and women who participated in the Korean Genome and Epidemiology Study. They found that dramatic weight swings was associated with higher risk of mortality. One exception to this study is for obese individuals who crash diet and experience weight loss. Those people were found to be less likely to develop type-2 diabetes over time. However, perfectly healthy people who quickly lose and gain…

Keep Reading
By
Seasonal

How to avoid gaining weight during a cold winter

How to avoid gaining weight during a cold winter

Winter started early this year, with many areas of the country seeing snowfall even before Thanksgiving. The East Coast was blasted with a freeze that sent frost and snow as far south as the Carolinas. Temperatures across the country dipped into the  low 20s —  And that was just the first few weeks of winter. It’s shaping up to be a particularly long, cold winter. But cold weather is no excuse to binge on booze and fatty comfort foods. It’s easy to reach for that mac and cheese, chili or homemade chocolate chip cookies when the weather stays dreary and cold outside, but you’ll most certainly regret it later. Here are a few tips to help you prevent winter weight gain: Watch your alcohol intake It might be tempting to pour yourself another glass of wine, or spike a little something in your hot chocolate, but on average, an alcoholic drink will add an extra 150…

Keep Reading
By
News Bites

Is it safe to tear off the mold and eat the rest of the bread?

Is it safe to still eat the safe-looking parts of moldy bread?

Bread. It’s one of those foods that you always like to have at your house, yet it gets moldy so quickly. When you see a loaf start to go bad you just rip off the green stuff and use the rest. All is good, right? Wrong. Unfortunately, that one little circle of moldy bread does ruin the whole loaf. In fact, the United States Department of Agriculture recommends that you toss bread at the first sign of mold. It seems excessive, but it’s true. Studies have shown that mold has long, threadlike roots that can penetrate deep into the entirety of nearly any food it grows on. And mold is nothing to take lightly. The microscopic fungi can cause a wide range of health problems including allergic reactions, breathing problems, stomach problems, and some molds — those that produce the substances known as aflatoxins — can even cause liver cancer.…

Keep Reading
By
News Bites

Tips for adjusting to Daylight Savings Time

Tips for adjusting to Daylight Savings Time

Whether you love or hate Daylight Savings Time, you’re probably at least looking forward to getting an extra hour of sleep on Sunday. The National Sleep Foundation reports that about 20 percent of Americans get less than six hours of sleep. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has linked lack of sleep with other issues like vehicle crashes and on-the-job injuries. While, gaining an hour of sleep in thae fall is typically easier for people than the loss-of-sleep in the spring, it can still mess with your body’s rhythm and cause you to miss your body’s natural shut-eye cues. Adjusting to time changes is different for everyone, but there are a few tips you can take to help ease into the new schedule. Start preparing today. Sometimes, make the hour move in one day is too much, especially for families with kids. Begin pushing your daily routine a little…

Keep Reading
By