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8 reasons you should eat more apples

8 reasons you should eat more apples

“An apple a day” isn’t just a cute saying. There are some real research-backed benefits of eating apples. Apples are grown in all 50 states, so you’re never very far from a freshly picked apple. And that’s a good thing because they can greatly improve your overall health and reduce your chance of disease. But let’s get down to the juicy details. Here are eight reasons you should incorporate an apple into your daily diet: 1. Apples are nutritious First and foremost, you should eat apples because they’re just generally good for you. One medium apple has just 95 calories, 4 grams of fiber, 14% of your daily vitamin C, and other beneficial amounts of potassium, vitamin K, manganese, copper, and vitamins A, E, B1, B2, and B6. A medium apple equals about 1.5 cups of fruit (two cups of fruit daily are recommended for a 2,000 calorie diet), so you’re…

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Nutrition labels are about to look different

Nutrition labels are about to look different

The next time you pick up a bag of chips at the grocery store, flip it over and look for the new nutrition label. The Food and Drug Administration announced that nutrition labels would be receiving a makeover that reflects new scientific findings. The changes will ultimately help you make better-informed choices about foods you and your family eat. The new labels will only be required of manufacturers who sell more than $10 million in food a year. Companies in this category have until 2020 to adopt the new label. Some manufacturers have already incorporated the new label into their packaging, so it might already look familiar if you’re a frequent label checker. One of the most noticeable changes comes with the serving size and calories. Serving sizes have been adjusted to reflect how much people actually eat, rather than an arbitrary number some companies were perviously using to skew…

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Nutrition or exercise: Which is better for your bones?

Nutrition or exercise: Which is better for your bones?

Which is better for your bones: a healthy diet or exercise? It’s a question that scientists would love to answer, and one that could greatly benefit humans as we undergo the aging process. A new study conducted by the University of Michigan and published in PLOS One aimed to answer this conundrum. Researchers looked at mineral supplementation and exercise in mice and  were surprised by the results. Nutrition, it appears, has a greater impact on bone mass and strength than exercise. Furthermore, even after the test mice stopped exercising, they retained the bone strength they gained, as long as they ate a healthy, mineral-supplemented diet. While the study was done on mice, it makes sense. David Kohn, a University of Michigan professor in the schools of dentistry and engineering and the study’s lead author, said, “If you think about the progression to humans, diet is easier for someone to carry on…

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5 big ways eating pumpkin seeds could improve your health

5 big ways eating pumpkin seeds could improve your health

They may be small, but pumpkin seeds pack a nutritional punch. Like nuts, pumpkin seeds are a great source of protein and healthy fats including omega-3. Eating only a small amount of them will provide you with substantial levels of many of the nutrients and minerals you need. In a one ounce serving (28 grams), you’ll get 151 calories — mostly from fat and protein — but also zinc (14%), magnesium (37%), iron (23%), vitamin K (18%), zinc (14%), copper (19%), manganese (42%), and phosphorus (33%). Pumpkin seeds may appear on menus or products by the name “pepita” — a Mexican Spanish term. This typically denotes that the white, hard seed you usually see when you carve a pumpkin, has been shelled, and you can expect only the flat, green, oval interior seed. Because of their profile, pumpkin seeds have been linked to improved heart health, prostate health, and protection…

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Hamburgers vs hot dogs: which is healthier?

Hamburgers vs hot dogs which is healthier-4

It’s almost the Fourth of July, and chances are you’re about to face the toughest choice of your summer: hot dog or hamburger? If you’re thinking “Both!” you’re in good company. But if you’re trying to make healthier choices this holiday, “both” probably shouldn’t be your response. Consider what a registered dietitian says about this age-old American debate. The Hot Dog Hot dogs typically have about 150 calories. Add a bun and some condiments, and you quickly hit about 300 calories — still a very reasonable amount of calories for a dinner entree. Their smaller size gives them a caloric advantage over the hamburger, but there are some disadvantages to hot dogs. Hot dogs have about 5 grams of saturated fat, which is pretty high for what you’re getting. They’re also packed with sodium (about 500 mg in contrast to 375 mg a burger might have) and sodium nitrites or nitrates, which may…

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Your workplace is adding 1,300 calories to your diet every week

Your workplace is adding 1,300 calories to your diet every week

The next time Karen from accounting brings in a box of baked goods for the big morning meeting, remember to stay strong. All of those extra office goodies are adding an extra 1,300 calories to your diet every week! A large CDC study of 5,222 people found that about a quarter of Americans eat food at work at least once a week. Free food made up most of the excess calories, while food and beverage vending machines in the cafeteria rounded out the count. In other words, employees are eating unnecessary empty calories — almost always of the processed variety — while they’re at work. The food tended to be high in solid fats and/ or added sugars. The most common foods were pizza, soda, cookies, brownings, cakes, and pies, NBC reported. And since most of this food is offered for free, it makes it difficult to avoid temptation. The CDC offered one solution.…

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Calorie counts on most fast food menus are now required

Calorie counts on fast food menus are now requiredKING HUANG, FLICKR / CC. BY 2.0

You know that fast food is totally terrible for you, but if you had nutrition information in front of your face while you ordered, would you practice some restraint? The next time you head to a Taco Bell or even Coldstone Creamery you’ll be tested. Starting May 7, the Food and Drug Administration will require any food outlet with more than 20 locations to list the calorie counts for each menu item — every restaurant from Auntie Annes to Chick-fil-A, Orange Julius and Panera are affected. And the information won’t be posted exclusively online, or in some dark corner of the restaurant either. The calorie counts will be front and center on the menu, so you won’t be able to throw caution to the wind and order those Doritos Locos Tacos and hope for the best. You’ll know exactly the size of the caloric gut-bomb you’re eating. It’s an Obama-era policy that…

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Just how bad is bubble tea for you?

Just how bad is bubble tea for you?

Chances are that just five years ago, you probably never heard of bubble tea, or if you had, you had to venture deep into Chinatown to buy one. Now, you can find a restaurant offering bubble tea or an exclusive bubble tea store every few blocks in most cities in the U.S. — and some even in the suburbs, too. The brightly-colored, Instagram-worthy beverage makes an appearance at just about every fair and festival, as well. Bubble tea is everywhere, but that doesn’t mean it’s a simple, harmless drink like many assume. Just because it has “tea” in the name, doesn’t mean it’s healthy for you. https://www.instagram.com/p/BT09PxUFZhp/?taken-by=bijububbletea The main ingredients in a bubble tea include sweet tea, milk, tapioca pearls, and alarmingly high levels of sugar and sugar flavoring. The pearls are what make this drink so popular. They’re loved for the way they travel up the bubble tea oversized straw, as well as for their chewy, candy-like consistency. Their…

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Incredible facts about eggs you never knew

Incredible facts about eggs you never knew

Whether they’re Benedict, baked, or hard-boiled, Americans sure love eggs. In fact, just last year, we ate 2.7 TRILLION of them, according to the Incredible Egg. But our favorite breakfast protein is hiding some fun facts. Did you know that most eggs are laid between 7 a.m. and 11 a.m.? Or why some eggs float and others sink? Read on to discover more egg-citing facts and learn why eggs are all they’re cracked up to be. america’s egg basket According to the American Egg Board, Iowa is the leading producer of eggs in the United States with more than 54,000 hens and 8,000 employees hard at work. Ohio, Indiana and Pennsylvania are the next top three producers. According to the Incredible Egg, across the country, 251 million eggs are laid each day. inspiring chefs’ hats According to The Culinary Institute of America the folds in a chef’s hat — officially called a toque — supposedly…

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Study shows Nutrition labels aren’t used by many young adults

Study shows Nutrition labels aren't used by many young adults

It wasn’t until 1990, when the Nutrition Labeling and Education Act (NLEA) passed that consumers had a consistent nutrition label they could reference. The label quickly became a vital part of our purchasing power — it showed sodium, fat and sugar content along with calories another other important nutritional information. And it helped consumers make smart decisions regarding their diets. But a new study from the University of Minnesota’s School of Public Health and Medical School reveals that only about 1 of 3 young adults use the label. Certain segments of the young demographic were more likely to read the Nutrition Facts than others. Among those at the top were women with higher education and income. People who regularly prepare food, and those who are physically active or are classified as being overweight are also at the tip. People who were trying to lose, gain or maintain weight were also more likely to use…

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