Eat
Crowd Pleasing Pool Party & BBQ Fare
As the long weekend approaches, fantasies of sun, fun and sizzling BBQ treats whirl in our minds. If you’ve promised to turn over a new leaf and avoid the abundance of junk food and grease laden meals this year, take heart. You can still have a wonderful pool party and BB...
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5 Snacks That Won’t Expand Your Waistline
Snacking can often either make or break your diet. While it’s advisable to break up your daily food intake into five or six smaller meals throughout the day, depending on your lifestyle, snacking may be inevitable. The good news is that there are loads of healthy snacks o...
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2013 Farm Bill Becomes a Battleground for State GMO Labeling Laws
When it comes to the fight to label genetically modified foods, the 2013 Farm Bill is proving to be a battleground. The House Agriculture Committee passed an amendment to the Farm Bill on May 15 that would prohibit states from passing laws that put conditions on the means...
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Naturally Savvy Health Brief: Benefits of Potassium, Protein and Mental Decline, Vitamin D and Mental Health
Consuming more potassium reduces cardiovascular risk factors and diseaseA recent study was done to see what impact potassium has on health, primarily blood pressure and cardiovascular disease.Higher intakes of potassium were shown to reduce systolic and diastoli...
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10 Best Sources for Omega-3 Fatty Acids
Omega-3 fatty acids are essential fatty acids that are not made in our bodies, so we must get them from our diet. There are two forms: docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), and alpha-linolenic acid (ALA). There is evidence from studies, according to ...
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Muscle Fatigue? Recharge with Potassium!
Most individuals who maintain a healthy and balanced diet should have no trouble with their potassium levels. However, with the hectic schedules that most are forced to endure, proper nutrition can often take a back seat at times. Potassium is a vital mineral that is inte...
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What is Annatto? A Natural Food Coloring Exposed
Have you heard of annatto? It is a red plant extract that is used as to color food, textiles and even body care products. Annatto comes from achiote shrub seeds, and is mainly used as a red food coloring. Produced in South America, achiote seeds have been used by tribes f...
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How to Avoid Contaminated Fish
Fish presents a tricky tradeoff--it’s a low fat, protein-filled source of healthy omega 3 fatty acids, but it can also be loaded with dangerous contaminants including mercury, PCBs, and pesticides. Contaminants end up in fish as a result of industrial and municipal discha...
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Peru Moves Closer to a National Junk Food Ban
Junk food manufacturers got a rude awakening last week when Peru's Congress approved a law that would strictly regulate the advertisements of foods and beverages containing trans fats, and high levels of sugar and sodium. Peru's President, Ollanta Humala signed ...
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The Dangers GMOs Pose to Children
For the past couple of years, an excerpt from advocate and activist Jeffrey M. Smith's book about the dangers genetically modified (GMO) foods pose to children has circulated virally on the internet. Taken from the book titled, "Genetic Roulette: The Documented ...
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No Caffeine Necessary: 4 Superfoods for Energy
In the midst of the exceptionally busy working world, it’s easy to reach for that extra cup coffee or energy drink in an attempt to stay alert. It’s simple to justify making such a decision as it's quite convenient to grab a dose of caffeine and continue on with your...
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5 Spring Greens to Eat Before the Season Ends
If you eat by the seasons, and you live somewhere not in, say, Southern California, then you may have been consuming a lot of kale, potatoes and winter squash since last fall. But now that the thermometer is making its slow climb to warmer temperatures and the days are ge...
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Beef and Chicken Carry Highest Risk for Contamination
Meat and poultry are popular in the American diet. The average American eats about 130 pounds of beef, pork and poultry every year. Some of that can carry dangerous pathogens, particularly chicken and ground beef, which are responsible for the largest numbers of outbreaks...
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Vermont Passes GMO Labeling Bill
The Vermont House of Representatives passed a bill (H.112) that will require labeling of GMO foods sold in the state. The House voted 107 to 37 on May 10. This is the farthest any bill requiring labeling has made it through the legislative process in the U.S. Since the Ho...
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Banned in Europe: Controversial Food Practices Approved in U.S.
Unfortunately, food practices and safety regulations are not entirely universal. Different governing bodies may place different rules and regulations on the manufacturing of food products. According to a recent article on Mother Jones, the European Commission “voted to pl...
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Subway is Almost as Unhealthy as McDonald's
There is a perception that Subway offers healthier fare than its fast food counterparts like McDonald's. That is not necessarily the case, as a recent study shows. Researchers from the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) found that adolescents who bought S...
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Dark Chocolate Can Enhance Your Mood
The health benefits of consuming dark chocolate are becoming more well known; and the antioxidant makeup in chocolate is a great way to justify indulging in your sweet tooth (on occassion, of course). Furthermore, there is evidence that dark chocolate can also lower your ...
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"Healthy" Food Claims Continue to Deceive Consumers
When it comes to reading food labels, long gone are the days where calorie counting was the only thing to consider, as today, the myriad of questionable ingredients in many food products is becoming increasingly important to shoppers worldwide. However, as consumers becom...
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13 Reasons to Eat Berries (Right Now!)
In the Northern Hemisphere, we're in full spring swing, counting down the days to summer. While curling toes into sandy beaches is pretty much the best way to spend summer days, there's another equally rewarding—if not healthier—way to enjoy the season, too: Eat...
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Worldwide Rallies Planned To Protest Monsanto on May 25th
Back in March, Congress passed a provision in a government funding bill that allows biotech companies including Monsanto to bypass judiciary hearings and makes it easier for genetically modified (GMO) food to be allowed on the market. Specifically, the provision, commonly...
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FDA Rebuts EWG Report on Antibiotic-Resistant Superbugs
The Environmental Working Group’s recent report Superbugs Invade American Super Markets seems to have provoked a harsh rebuttal from the FDA. The agency found fault in the report saying, “the EWG report oversimplifies the NARMS data and provides misleading conclusions. We ...
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Naturally Savvy Health Brief: Slashing Cholesterol Levels, Digestive Health and Pine Bark Extract
Pea Protein And Soluble Fiber May Slash Cholesterol LevelsPea protein combined with either oat, or apple pectin, lowers cholesterol more so than any of the ingredients on their own, an effect referred to as synergy, a new study found conducted on rats. Rats are used ...
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Supreme Court Sides with Monsanto Against Indiana Farmer
The U.S. Supreme Court unanimously ruled against an Indiana farmer and in favor of biotech giant, Monsanto, in a case involving patented soybean seeds.The 75-year-old farmer is Vernon Hugh Bowman, who bought Roundup Ready soybeans from a company affiliated with Monsa...
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FDA Sends Warning Letters to Food Companies
The Food and Drug Administration recently sent out some warning letters to food companies located in Seattle, WA, Melville, NY, and San Juan Bautista, CA. The letters addressed issues that arose during routine inspections. These issues involved both food management as wel...
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The Naturally Savvy Seal of Approval
When people perceive a food as nutritious, they tend to let their guard down, especially when it comes to portion control. This is called the “health halo” and marketing and advertising companies take full advantage of it.Products might be labeled ‘trans fat free’ e...
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Agent Orange Resistant Seeds Receive USDA Pushback
Monsanto and Dow Chemical received some unexpected bad news from the USDA last week when the agency said it would not approve the two companies' genetically modified corn, soybean and cotton seeds without further environmental reviews of the crops.The new seeds ...
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UNPA: GMOs More Significant Than Companies Think
The United Natural Products Alliance (UNPA) has come forward explaining that dietary supplement companies should “consider the implications of possible GMO labeling initiatives," as many supplements on the market contain genetically modified ingredients and consumer ...
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Abbott Laboratories Shareholders Reject Resolution to Remove GMOs
Abbott Laboratories, maker of the popular infant formula, Similac, voted down a shareholder resolution to remove genetically modified (GMO) ingredients from its products. The shareholders voted on the resolution on April 26 during Abbott's annual meeting at the compa...
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How to Read Labels for Added Sugar
With all of the regulations about food labeling, it would seem that reading ingredient lists on packaged food would be pretty simple. But if there’s a way to sneak around the rules to make labels more seductive to consumers, you can generally bet that food and beverage ma...
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Smart Phone App Highlights Gluten-Free Products
People with the autoimmune disease celiac disease (CD) experience a toxic reaction when they eat gluten, the common name for the proteins in certain grains. The toxic reaction does damage to the small intestine, and doesn't allow food to be absorbed properly. People ...
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FDA Less Than Thrilled with Caffeinated Snack Products
There are a number of products in the launch queue of big food companies which contain added caffeine. PepsiCo's Frito Lay created a caffeinated version of Cracker Jack's, called Power Bites Cracker Jack'd. The two-ounce snack contains 70 mg. of caffeine, ...
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Naturally Savvy Health Brief: Kid's Eating Habits, Alzheimer's & Vitamin E and Reducing Muscle Soreness with Vitamin D
Children Who Eat Same Food As Parents Eat Healthiest, Study ShowsA new study from the University of Edinburgh which, looked at different aspects of family meals of more than 2000 five year olds, found that children who eat the same meals as their parents tended to ha...
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What's So Bad About GMOs? Top Ten Reasons to Avoid Them
If you don't know whether or not you're eating genetically modified organisms, you're not alone—at least in the U.S. Despite the many petitions and appeals for state or federal regulations on labeling foods that contain GMOs, none have passed. And that mean...
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Spirulina Might Help Type 2 Diabetics
An Indian study found that spirulina, a blue-green algae, may help people with type 2 diabetes manage blood sugar and cholesterol levels. Published in the Journal of Medicinal Food, the study involved 25 people who either received two grams of spirulina a day or a placebo...
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Oatmeal Can Keep You Fuller Than Regular Cereal
When compared to those ready-to-eat (often sugar-coated) cereals, it turns out that oatmeal can do a much better job of keeping you full. Oatmeal is a versatile food as you can experiment with different flavors and added fruits and nuts, ultimately increasing your caloric...
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Whole Foods, Trader Joe's Sued Under California's Prop 65 Law
The state of California filed a lawsuit against food retailers, including Whole Foods and Trader Joe's, claiming that the retailers are selling ginger and plum candies containing lead, but lack the warning labels required by state law. The office of Attorney General ...
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Confessions of a Food Blogger: 7 Items That Are in My Fridge and Why
You never want to be caught with your pants down. As a health blogger, that consists of getting caught at the grocery store with junk food in your cart. It’s happened to me and it isn’t fun. But let’s be real. I eat healthy and I write about eating healthy, but that doesn...
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Bad News Bubbles: The Trouble with Sodas
A recently published European study found an association between drinking just one 12-ounce sugar-sweetened soft drink and type 2 diabetes. Published in Diabetologia, researchers for the study looked at information from approximately 12,000 people with type 2 diabetes, an...
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Mushrooms Prove as Effective as Vitamin D Supplements
When it comes to the versatility of the plant kingdom, you can't really beat the mushroom. They taste great raw in salads, or sautéed and cooked in stir fries. Unfortunately, mushrooms seem to be a bit under appreciated in this sense, as they are more often than not ...
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Americans Are Still Eating Too Much Salt, Study Finds
Americans are still eating too much salt, according to the findings of a study presented recently at the American Society for Nutrition Experimental Biology conference in Boston.The study, by food ingredient provider Tate & Lyle, used data from What We Eat in Ame...
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