Nutrition Archive

Give tools that will encourage recipients to prepare and enjoy fresh, healthy meals and treats.

 Image courtesy of Yonanas

You know what they say about gifts: it's the thought that counts. And why not focus that thought on a healthy diet? Inspire healthy eating with gadgets that are affordable and easy to use. Keep the recipient's dietary needs, dexterity, and physical ability in mind as you shop. Here are some fun ideas to get you started.

A stem stripper (cost: about $5) is a flat utensil with a number of stem-sized holes in it. It strips leaves from stems in seconds. You simply insert the stem of a leafy vegetable or herb (like kale, Swiss chard, or rosemary) into the hole that matches the stem's diameter. Pull the stem through the hole, and the leaves fall away. Then toss the remaining stem. "This might be helpful if you have trouble chewing, if you wear dentures, or you find vegetables or herbs hard to chop or pull apart," says registered dietitian Kathy McManus, director of the Department of Nutrition at Harvard-affiliated Brigham and Women's Hospital.

When it comes to carbohydrates, quality and quantity matter — just as with everything else you eat.

 Image: © marilyna/Getty Images

These days, low-carb diets are more popular than ever. But this weight-loss strategy is hardly new. It began in the 1960s with the Atkins diet, followed by the South Beach, paleo, and keto diets. All of these diets — which swap carbohydrates for protein or fat — can help some people lose weight, at least over the short term.

But as is true for most diets that require you to avoid many popular foods, low-carb diets are often hard to maintain over the long haul. And if you do keep your carb intake low, the long-term effects on your heart and overall health remain something of a mystery so far. But a new study provides some clues.

 Image: © Azure-Dragon/Getty Images

This versatile vegetable should be a standby in crisper drawers. Not only is broccoli readily available in grocery stores, it keeps well and can be prepared in a variety of ways. As a side dish, you can eat it raw (for instance, used like cabbage in coleslaw), or steamed, sautéed, or roasted. But broccoli also can play a starring role in dinnertime dishes such as soups, stir-fries, pastas, and casseroles. When choosing broccoli, look for firm stems and tightly packed florets that are deep green or have a slightly purplish hue.

Nutritional info: Broccoli is high in vitamin A and folate (vitamin B9), as well as vitamins C and K. It's also a good source of potassium and dietary fiber, and a half-cup serving has just 15 calories.

Trendy new options are fresh and appealing, but they may not be good for you.

 Image: © NatashaPhoto/Getty Images

The. hot item in coffee shops isn't just coffee. Now, along with inventive brews, many shops are offering fresh gourmet noshes that rival food at chic cafes. That means you'll find treats and dishes with all the buzzwords attached, including "house-baked," "handcrafted," and "locally sourced." It also means you may be tempted to eat something that's unhealthy, especially if you're ordering quickly because eight people are in line behind you.

New on the menu

More coffee shops are ditching prepackaged pastries and sandwiches, and operating tiny kitchens that crank out breakfast with flair. For example:

If you're addicted to sweet, bubbly beverages, diet sodas are a better choice than sugary ones. But try switching to healthier options.

 Image: © NoDerog/Getty Images

Despite the abundance of added sugar in America's food supply, our love affair with sugary drinks has been waning over the past decade or so.

"In adults, we've seen a 25% drop in the consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages, and I think this trend will continue, given the heightened awareness of the harmful effects of excess sugar," says Dr. Frank Hu, chair of the Department of Nutrition at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. Sugary drinks (such as sodas, sports drinks, and lemonade) are the biggest source of added sugar in the American diet and are widely considered to be among the main drivers of the obesity epidemic. A high-sugar diet also has been linked to increasing rates of high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and diabetes, all of which contribute to heart disease.

 Image: © HONG VO/Getty Images

Although people often think of sweet potatoes as a Thanksgiving side dish, these root vegetables are available year-round. They're becoming more popular, too: sweet potato consumption rose by nearly 42% between 2000 and 2016, according to the USDA.

The many varieties of sweet potatoes belong to the morning glory family, Convolvulaceae. The skins range in hue from almost white to dark red, with a few types sporting purple skin. Those unusual varieties may also have lavender or purple flesh. But the most common flesh colors range from white to deep orange.

Image: Thinkstock

Research we're watching

After heart surgery, patients often enroll in cardiac rehabilitation, a multiweek program of structured exercise paired with lifestyle and nutrition education. A new review suggests that a similar program done prior to surgery, known as "prehabilitation," may help older, frail people to recover better from heart surgery.

The prehab approach goes by the acronym NEW, which stands for nutritional status, exercise capacity, and worry reduction. Targeting those three factors seems to improve people's physical and psychological readiness for undergoing surgery, according to the article, published in the July Canadian Journal of Cardiology.

In the journals

Following a specific cancer prevention diet may help you lower your overall risk, according to a study in the August 2018 Cancer Research.

The diet from the World Cancer Research Fund/American Institute for Cancer Research (WCRF/AICR) emphasizes a plant-based diet rich in whole grains, vegetables, fruits, and legumes like beans and lentils, with limited amounts of red or processed meat (no more than 18 ounces per week) and a strong emphasis on eliminating all processed foods, sugar-sweetened drinks, and alcohol.

Ask the doctors

 Image: © fcafotodigital/Getty Images

Q. I have terrible skin, and a friend recently recommended that I eliminate gluten from my diet to help manage my condition. Will this work?

A. Not necessarily. Gluten has gotten a lot of attention in recent years. Some people believe that eating gluten can inflame the skin and, therefore, cutting it out will help relieve red, inflamed skin or other skin conditions, such as psoriasis or eczema.