Nutrition Archive

An analysis of two observational studies involving 130,000 participants suggests that substituting plant protein for some animal protein may reduce the risk of early death by one-third in people with unhealthy lifestyles.

Cold-pressed juices and smoothies can add fruits and vegetables to your diet, but they can also pack in calories.

 Image: Mermusta /Thinkstock

According to food industry statistics, there's a healthy trend afoot. People are shifting from sugary sodas and processed bottled juice drinks to beverages like cold-pressed juices and smoothies. Sales of juice extractors and blenders lead the small-appliance market, and juice bars continue to spring up on city streets, in shopping malls, and even in supermarkets.

There are a couple of reasons people are taking to these beverages, says Kathy McManus, director of the Department of Nutrition at Harvard-affiliated Brigham and Women's Hospital. "They think they are doing something healthy, and the beverages can be time savers. It can be faster to grab a smoothie in the morning instead of sitting down to breakfast."

Both wearing a bite counter and eating from a small plate were linked to lower calorie consumption. 

Long-term doses of certain medications may rob you of calcium, folic acid, and crucial B vitamins.

Short-term medication use will not lead to nutrient deficiency. But long-term use may interfere with your body's ability to absorb nutrients or produce them.
Image: Gruzdaitis Andrius/Thinkstock

Medications are well known for causing side effects such as nausea or drowsiness. These are the kinds of side effects you notice and can do something about. But sometimes a lesser known side effect happens without giving you any warning: nutrient deficiency.

Most food manufacturers have until July 2018 to implement the changes.

Nutrition Facts labels on food packages made headlines when the FDA ordered a makeover for them in May of this year. But will the big to-do translate to big changes in the way you make food choices? "I'm hopeful it will," says Kathy McManus, director of the Department of Nutrition at Harvard-affiliated Brigham and Women's Hospital. "It will be great if the labels can get people to look at the numbers and think more about their health."

Grabbing your attention

Nutrient changes

Boosting intake of whole grains, such as wheat or oats, may reduce the risk of an early death.

People who eat at least four servings of whole-grain foods per day appear to have a 23% lower risk of dying of cardiovascular disease compared with people who eat little or no whole grains.

 Reducing daily calorie intake by 25% may improve health-related quality of life even in people who are not overweight, according to a new study. After two years following a specific diet plan, subjects lost an average of 16.7 pounds, compared with less than a pound in control subjects. They also had better mood, less tension, greater general health, higher sexual drive, and better quality of sleep.