Nutrition Archive

Most people have heard the nutritional recommendation to eat five servings of fruit per day. But are some fruits better for you than others? Is it okay to eat dried or frozen fruit, or to drink fruit juice? Does it have to be organic?

People who are unable to or don't want to drink cow's milk have alternatives, such as milks made from grains, nuts, and soy.

With the right ingredients, a warm bowl of soup can also be an easy way to boost intake of vegetables and important nutrients. A good option is a broth-based soup with vegetables, whole grains, and a healthy protein such as beans or chicken. Mixing and matching ingredients can not only accommodate taste preferences but nutritional needs.

The FDA called for the food industry to voluntarily cut the amount of sodium in processed, packed, and prepared foods. Those products provide about 70% of the sodium in the typical American diet.

People who have diverticular disease have tiny pouches (diverticula) in the lining of the colon that can bleed or perforate and develop infection (called diverticulitis). People with diverticular disease should eat a healthy diet rich in fiber, drink lots of water, exercise regularly, maintain a healthy weight, not smoke, avoid straining in the bathroom, and report bleeding or pain to a doctor. However, it's not necessary to avoid eating nuts, seeds, or popcorn, which were once believed to lodge in diverticula and cause problems. That old advice turned out to be wrong.

Low-carbohydrate diets have been popular for many years, but due to the high amounts of saturated fat, doctors and nutritionists worry about possible increased risk of cardiovascular disease. A study comparing three diets found that eating a high-fat diet did not necessarily raise heart risk, but the types and quantities of food make a difference.