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Healthy Eating Articles

Learn about the hot topics in nutrition, and how to move towards a healthier, disease-preventative eating strategy for yourself and your family.

Going Vegetarian the Easy Way Many people are choosing to adopt a full-time or part-time vegetarian eating style these days. They have good reasons for doing so. more

ABC's of Nutrition: Protein Protein is your body's most important nutrient. In fact, protein was the first substance to be identified as an essential part of living tissue. The name was derived from the Greek word meaning "of primary importance." more

Adding a New Twist to a Cholesterol-Lowering Diet For years, the standard cholesterol-lowering diet has meant limiting fat to less than 30% of calories and limiting saturated fat to 10% or less of total calories. High cholesterol levels are often improved by these dietary restrictions. In recent years, however, new plant compounds have been discovered that may actually help lower cholesterol even more when added to this low fat eating plan. more

The Asian Diet Pyramid Many traditional cuisines worldwide are useful in promoting good health. Research shows that traditional Asian diets are linked to much lower rates of certain cancers, heart disease, obesity, and other chronic, degenerative diseases than rates found in the United States. more

Beef. What is it good for? Surprise! A little bit of beef goes a long way in a healthy eating strategy. In appropriate amounts, beef can add needed iron, zinc, selenium, vitamins B6 and B12, and protein, without a lot of added fat, if lean choices are made. more

Dairy – Yay or Nay? In response to a piece on high-calcium recipes in the August 1999 Co-op News, Co-op member Margo Baldwin wrote with her concerns regarding the use of milk in the diet as a source of calcium and whether it is effective against osteoporosis. She enclosed an article, "Got Osteoporosis? Maybe all that milk you’ve been drinking is to blame" more

Eating Your Way to Lower Blood Pressure About one in four American adults has high blood pressure, also known as hypertension. Without warning signs or symptoms, this disease increases your chances of getting heart or kidney disease or of having a stroke. more

Good News for Chocolate Lovers We are a society of chocolate lovers. Americans consume, on average, 10 pounds of chocolate per year. We are not the biggest fans however. The British eat 16½ pounds and the Swiss, who invented milk chocolate, consume the most at 22 pounds per person. Smooth, dark, and so satisfying. Chocolate fits the bill perfectly. Too bad it's so bad for you. Isn't it? more

The Great Egg Debate A confusing question these days is, "Does the cholesterol from high cholesterol foods, like eggs, affect the cholesterol in your blood?" The research leads one to say, "It depends." An elevated cholesterol level in the blood is a major risk factor for coronary heart disease. Saturated fatty acids are the chief culprit in raising blood cholesterol, but dietary cholesterol also plays a part. more

Focusing on "Good Fat": Omega 3's Fat is as essential as protein or carbohydrate in our diet. It provides a concentrated form of calories for energy. We need a certain amount for our bodies to function normally. The body fat we are most familiar with, the kind found under the skin and around our vital organs, provides cushioning and protection from injury. But dietary fat has many other roles as well. more

How to Read the Nutrition Label for Fat Information Fats in our diet supply essential fatty acids, important in cell membrane structure and in the regulation of blood pressure, blood clotting, and immune response. Fats are needed for the absorption of fat-soluble vitamins and carotenoids that protect body cells from damage. As we learn more and more about the role of fat in good health it is clear that the kind of fat we eat is as important as the amount. more

Moving Towards Healthier Eating: Making Changes Last a Lifetime We spend a lot of time thinking about what to eat, reading labels, avoiding certain foods, making sure to eat others. With all this thought, it would seem that healthy eating would be a snap, but often it remains elusive. We try a new eating or exercise program, then all too often become bored or lose motivation and go back to our less healthy habits. more

Nutty About Nuts Is there room for nuts in a healthy diet? You would have to be nuts to even suggest it! Right? Wrong! Healthful eating includes all of the food groups, including good-for-you oils, fats and vegetable protein like the kind found in nuts. Fat in our diet is essential to help our bodies absorb fat-soluble substances such as vitamins A, D, E, and K and carotenoids. Current research into the benefits of different kinds of fat on our health indicates that nuts are even better for our good health than ever. more

Oh Sugar, Sugar Choosing a sweetener can be very confusing these days. Many myths and misinformation are found surrounding sugar, honey, natural sweeteners, and artificial sugar substitutes. Some have more benefits attributed to them than they deserve; others are avoided, even though they are considered safe by government and health organizations. more

Produce: Power-Packed and Potent The advice is everywhere: "Eat your veggies, get your Five-a-Day, go for leafy greens, include cruciferous (cabbage family) vegetables, an apple a day…" You may be wondering why there are so many recommendations to eat more produce. more

Quit Smoking — Without Gaining Weight More than 80 percent of smokers say they want to quit. And each year about 1.3 million smokers quit successfully, according to the American Heart Association. If worrying about weight gain is one of your reasons for not trying to quit smoking, the following ideas may help you to move past that obstacle and onto better health and a smoke-free life. more

Soy Concerns With all the conflicting information and "hot-off-the-press" studies of late, it’s good to sift through the information occasionally to see what requires serious attention and what may be put aside. Soy has been making headlines ever since research studies showed its potential to block the development of breast cancer. More scrutiny revealed soy’s potential to combat other cancers, heart disease, stroke, and diabetes. more

Soy Sense There’s a great deal of news these days surrounding this "new" but ancient food source. Current and future research will reveal even more. Nearly every day we discover more about the potentially health-supporting benefits of the foods we eat, and soy is one of those under the research spotlight. more

Ten Great Reasons to Add Soy to Your Day Soy is fast. Frozen burgers featuring soy are ready in only 2 minutes in the microwave. Add a whole grain bun or serve over pasta or rice and greens and supper's ready. more

They’re Neither From a Cow Nor a Bean. They’re…Nondairy Non-Soy Alternatives! Those of us who can tolerate cow’s milk and soy milk may feel we have plenty of healthful beverages to choose from and may never look further for a beverage to pour over cereal or to put in our morning coffee or tea. But for those who prefer additional choices, either because of allergies to soy and dairy, lactose intolerance, or just a yearning to try it all, there are alternatives available. Beverages made of rice, grains, and nuts alone or in combination are here. more

Vitamins from Leafy Greens Vitamin A Dark leafy greens provide vitamin A, in the form of carotenes. It is important in vision, especially at night, helping your eyes see normally in lower levels of light. Vitamin A promotes healing, and plays an important role in keeping your immune system healthy. more

Weighty Choices A lot of us will use the start of a new year — particularly a new millenium — to begin a new weight loss diet, again. We focus much time and energy on trying to eat less and less. Americans spend more than $30 billion each year on dieting and diet related products. After all that time and money, it is clear that weight loss diets don’t work. Data from the third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES III) indicates that approximately 58 million American adults are overweigt. more

Year-round Tips for Staying Wet and Wild Water is the most abundant nutrient in the body, making up 50% to 80% of your body weight. Every body cell, tissue, and organ needs water to function. In fact, water is the nutrient your body needs in the greatest amount. You could survive as long as six weeks without food, but you couldn't survive more than a week without water. more