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Conscious Eating

Last Updated: Jul 31, 2017 11:12AM • Subscribe via RSS • ATOM

Eating Fruit Lowers Cardiac Risk: Keep the Heart Healthy with a Serving a Day

Jul 31, 2017 11:12AM

Chinese and British adults that ate 100 grams of fruit a day lowered their heart-attack and stroke risk by a third over seven years.

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Maple Syrup Gives Good Gut: A Sweet Prebiotic

Jul 31, 2017 11:12AM

The inulin in pure maple sugar encourages the growth of desirable bacteria in the gut, say researchers from the University of Rhode Island.

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Accepted Misfits: Ugly Produce Gains Status

Jul 31, 2017 11:12AM

Grocery stores are increasingly offering ugly-but-edible produce to customers at reduced prices instead of dumping them into a landfill.

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Feast in the Fields: The Rise of Pop-Up Organic Dining

Jul 31, 2017 11:12AM ● By John D. Ivanko and Lisa Kivirist

What better way to eat organic than by sitting at a table on the farm, eating just-picked produce prepared by creative local chefs?

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Tax and Pricing Policies Spur Healthier Eating: Correlation Between Diet and Food Costs

Jun 30, 2017 10:24AM

If prices are lowered on healthy foods and taxes are raised on unhealthy choices, consumers shift to better eating habits, report Tufts University researchers.

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Astonishing Agriculture: Food Grows Without Soil or Groundwater

Jun 30, 2017 10:23AM

A greenhouse in the South Australia desert uses coconut husks, solar power and desalinated seawater to grow 17,000 tons of non-GMO food every year.

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Rigged Research: GMO Studies Compromised by Conflicts of Interest

Jun 30, 2017 10:23AM

French researchers have concluded that 40 percent of 579 GMO (genetically modified food) studies are tainted by conflicts of interest, such as a study author being employed by a company that profits from genetically engineered crops.

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Eating Vegan on the Road: Clever Ways to Eat Healthy Anywhere

Jun 30, 2017 10:23AM ● By Judith Fertig

For vegan travelers, eating on the road means everything from Chipotle’s veggie choices to Thai restaurants to cooking a DIY tortilla using a hotel iron.

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Beverage Battle: Water Overtakes Sweet Sodas

Jun 30, 2017 10:23AM

Bottled water has now surpassed carbonated soft drinks to become the largest beverage category by volume in the U.S.

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Backyard Pizza Party: Grill Scrumptious Pizzas and Flatbreads

May 31, 2017 11:24AM ● By Claire O’Neil

With these tips and recipes, it’s easy to use your backyard grill to make fantastic healthy summer meals.

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Ginger Relieves Infected Root Canals: Natural Oral Health Treatment

May 31, 2017 11:04AM

A paste of ginger extract slashed infection colonies by two-thirds in a lab study of teeth extracted from Sudanese root canal patients.

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Safe and Smart: Clarity for Expiration Dates on Food

May 31, 2017 11:04AM

Two food-industry trade groups have settled on just two phrases to communicate food safety: ‘Use By’ to indicate perishability and ‘Best if Used By” to indicate peak flavor.

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Mock Meats: Vegetarian Protein Options on the Rise

May 31, 2017 11:04AM

Companies worldwide are racing to produce juicy plant-based protein alternatives that have the taste and feel of meat.

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Milk Minus the Moo: Evaluating Alternatives to Dairy

Apr 28, 2017 10:47AM ● By Judith Fertig

Soy, rice, hemp, almond, coconut—with so many plant options to cow milk available we need a guide to the pros and cons of each.

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Drinking More Water Improves Food Intake: Impacts Overall Calories and Nutritional Value

Mar 31, 2017 09:21AM

People that drink more water in the course of a day tend to eat less, especially fat, sugar, and sodium, a University of Illinois study found.

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Sage Linked to Cognitive Health: Helps to Preserve Mental Function

Mar 31, 2017 09:20AM

Australian scientists report that sage appears to preserve memory by inhibiting changes to an enzyme that’s key in cognitive functions.

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Petroleum-Free: Phasing Out Plastic Film Food Wrappers

Mar 31, 2017 09:20AM

To replace plastic consumer waste, innovators have created a food wrap made of milk casein and a six-pack ring made of barley and wheat.

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Growing Organics: Toxin-Free Farmlands Rise to 4.1 Million Acres

Mar 31, 2017 09:20AM

Spurred by rising consumer demand, organic farmland in the U.S. increased 11 percent in two years.

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Eggs-pert Advice: How to Buy Good Eggs from Happy Hens

Mar 31, 2017 09:20AM ● By Judith Fertig

By knowing what the terms on egg cartons mean, we can pick fresh, delicious eggs produced by hens raised in humane conditions.

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Thumbs-Up on Fats: Good Fat Doesn’t Make Us Fat

Feb 28, 2017 11:45AM ● By Judith Fertig

Fat used to be the nemesis of good nutrition, but the latest research overturns that theory: The right fats actually keep us thin without harming our hearts.

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Fearless Eating: How to Move Past Food Sensitivities

Feb 28, 2017 11:45AM ● By Kathleen Barnes

The queasy stomach, brain fog or food cravings we’re experiencing might be caused by food sensitivities and a leaky gut—but there are some practical, simple solutions.

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No Benefit to Cutting Fat in Cheese: Does Not Affect Cholesterol Levels

Feb 28, 2017 11:25AM

Danish researchers found no difference in LDL “bad cholesterol” levels between people that ate low-fat cheese or regular-fat cheese for 12 weeks.

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The Five-Second Rule Debunked: Researchers Disprove the Thought

Feb 28, 2017 11:25AM

Rutgers researchers found that food dropped on the floor for even one second can be contaminated with bacteria, and that carpet transferred fewer bacteria than tile and stainless steel.

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Veggie, Fish and Nut Fats Preserve Heart Health: Reducing the Risk of Cardiovascular Disease

Feb 28, 2017 11:25AM

In a Harvard study, people that replaced a portion of their normal dairy foods with vegetables, nuts and fish reduced their heart-disease risk by a quarter, while people that replaced the dairy with animal fats increased their risk by six percent.

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Botanical Breakthrough: Oregano Oil Proves a Safe Antibiotic for Poultry

Feb 28, 2017 11:25AM

Spurred by consumer demand, pioneering chicken farmers are replacing antibiotics with oregano oil and cinnamon.

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Fortified Foods Cut Into Supplement Use: Adults Turning to Added Nutrients

Jan 31, 2017 11:46AM

Nutritional supplements sales are growing nationwide, in spite of the fact that up to a fifth of U.S. adults often pass them up for fortified foods.

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Aloe Vera Juice Allays Diabetes: Reduces Fasting Blood Glucose

Jan 31, 2017 11:46AM

Data from nine clinical studies found that oral doses of aloe vera reduced two common markers of Type 2 diabetes.

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Fungus Among Us: Genetically Altered Mushrooms Approved for Consumption

Jan 31, 2017 11:46AM

A Penn State plant pathologist has received federal approval for gene-altered mushrooms that don’t brown as rapidly when sliced and exposed to oxygen.

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Indoor Kitchen Gardening: Easy-Grow Microgreens Are Big on Nutrition

Jan 31, 2017 11:46AM ● By Barbara Pleasant

Alfalfa, wheat, popcorn, radishes, red cabbage, snow peas and more can be grown in soil in tiny kitchen containers, producing quick harvests of tasty nutrients.

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Eat Safer: Website Screens Packaging for Toxin

Dec 28, 2016 12:43PM

To help consumers know which drinks and foods are still being sold in cans lined with endocrine-disrupting BPA, the Environmental working Group’s website lists 16,000 BPA-tainted products.

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The Dark Side of Gluten-Free Living: Most People Benefit from Gluten

Dec 28, 2016 12:43PM ● By Judith Fertig

For the majority of people, those that aren’t gluten-sensitive, removing it from our plates can hurt our gut flora and depress immune function, new studies show.

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A Cup of Peppermint Tea Boosts Alertness: Increases Attention and Improves Memory

Nov 30, 2016 11:34AM

After sipping peppermint tea, people’s alertness and memory improved, while chamomile tea slowed thinking.

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Cranberries Reduce Urinary Tract Infections: Healthy Holiday Staple

Nov 30, 2016 11:34AM

Pile on the cranberry sauce. Women given 500 milligrams of cranberry powder daily for six months had significantly fewer UTIs.

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Bright Lights Encourage Healthy Eating: Lighting the Way to Nutritious Food

Nov 30, 2016 11:34AM

Diners at a chain restaurant picked healthier choices from the menu when a dining area was brightly lit.

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America Outdone: Venezuela Bans GMOs

Nov 30, 2016 11:33AM

To protect its traditional seeds and agriculture, Venezuela has passed perhaps the toughest law in the world regulating the use and research of genetically modified organisms.

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Healthy Holiday Libations: Restorative Drinks Revive Good Cheer

Nov 30, 2016 11:33AM ● By Judith Fertig

If holidays leave us feeling stressed, hung over or sniffle-prone, sipping a healthy drink can revive body and spirit.

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Message Received: Conventional Grocery Chains Go Organic

Oct 31, 2016 10:13AM

Enthusiastic consumer demand is driving Kroger’s and Walmart’s new emphasis on organic sales.

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Festive Sips and Nibbles: Vegan Holiday Treats that Everyone Loves

Oct 31, 2016 10:13AM ● By Judith Fertig

Tempted by not-so-healthy holiday fare? With a little preparation, we can munch on plant-based snacks and drinks every bit as enticing as former favorites.

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Organic Rally: October is Non-GMO Month

Sep 30, 2016 09:59AM

The Non GMO Project is sponsoring National Non-GMO Month in October to increase education and awareness of unlabeled genetically modified food products.

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Born to Eat Wild: Why Ancestral Diets Boost Health

Sep 30, 2016 09:59AM ● By Judith Fertig

The hunter-gatherers that preceded us ate healthier wild foods that tasted bitter, astringent, sour and earthy rather than blandly sweet like today’s fruits and vegetables.

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Black Raspberries Bolster Heart Health: Decrease Artery Stiffness and Repair Blood Vessels

Aug 31, 2016 12:44PM

In a Korean study, the robust compounds in black raspberries significantly decreased artery stiffness and increased cells that help repair blood vessels.

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Vitamin C-Rich Produce Guards Against Cataracts: Certain Foods Provide Vision Protection

Aug 31, 2016 12:44PM

In a British study of twins, those that consumed the most fruits and vegetables rich in vitamin C developed fewer cataracts than their sibling.

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Lying Labels: New Term Disguises High-Fructose Corn Syrup

Aug 31, 2016 12:44PM

Faced with rising consumer resistance to High-Fructose Corn Syrup, the corn refiners industry has created the terms “fructose syrup” or just “fructose” to hide its intense use in processed foods.

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Healing Recipe: Cooking May Be the Future of Medicine

Aug 31, 2016 12:44PM

At more than 20 medical schools, doctors-to-be are learning about healthy diets and food preparation, often in hands-on cooking classes.

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Vegan Lunchbox: Plant-Based Choices Provide Midday Boost

Aug 31, 2016 12:43PM ● By Judith Fertig

Those curious about veganism can try switching to a plant-based diet just for lunches—and see what kinds of differences follow.

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Grape Juice Boosts Memory and Driving Skills: Benefits of Polyphenols

Jul 29, 2016 10:50AM

Busy working mothers between the ages of 40 and 50 that drank Concord grape juice daily improved their performance on a driving test, results that lasted after the study ended.

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A Good Food Fight: Keeping Food Out of the Trash Bin

Jul 29, 2016 10:50AM ● By April Thompson

Concerned that more than $160 billion worth of uneaten food ends up annually in landfills, college-age entrepreneurs are figuring out how to redirect still-good edibles to people and animals.

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Colorful Produce Slows Cell Aging: Carotenoids Linked to Longevity

Jun 30, 2016 10:14AM

Adults that eat hefty amounts of plants high in carotenoids have five- to eight-percent longer telomeres, cellular markers that typically grow shorter with age.

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Energy Drinks Harm the Heart: Produces Abnormalities and Raises Blood Pressure

Jun 30, 2016 10:14AM

Two cans of an energy drink per day produced abnormal heart rhythms and higher blood pressure in healthy adults.

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Farm-to-Work: Fresh Veggies Come Direct to Offices

Jun 30, 2016 10:13AM

Small farmers across the country are now delivering fresh produce and organic goods directly to workplaces.

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