You want your kids to eat healthy for all sorts of reasons. Here’s a new one: It may make them better readers. A new study conducted by researchers at the University of Eastern Finland and the University of Jyvaskyla found that students’ reading skills showed greater improvement between first and third grade if they ate a diet composed primarily of vegetables and fruits (especially berries), along with fish, whole grains and unsaturated fats, and ate very few sugary treats and red meats, HealthDay News reports. “The associations of diet quality with reading skills were … independent of many confounding factors, such as socioeconomic status, physical activity, body adiposity [fat] and physical fitness,” study author Eero Haapala said in a study news release. But don’t worry too much if your kid is a picky eater — the study showed only a correlation, not cause and effect.
Sparkling water — the blanket term for all fizzy H2O, whether it’s seltzer, club soda or sparkling mineral water — is refreshing and delicious. But are there drawbacks to drinking it? The New York Times’ Well blog recently looked into it and concluded, “Studies have not shown ill health effects from drinking seltzer or other plain sparkling waters.” It’s certainly way healthier than drinking colas and other flavored sodas, juices and sports beverages. As long as there are no additives, sweeteners or sodium in your sparkling water, you should be good. The acidity and carbonation won’t erode your teeth enamel, research indicates, though you may want to avoid seltzers flavored with citric acid, which may. And you’ll want to keep an eye on the sodium content of club soda. One expert told the Times the biggest issue to drinking sparkling water may be missing out on the fluoride you get from tap water, but if you make your own seltzer using tap water and a device like a SodaStream, that ceases to be an issue. So go forth and make bubbles!
Your friend or family member swears by probiotics, claiming myriad benefits. So you try them and … nada. What gives? The Washington Post notes that not all probiotics are equal and that different people respond to them differently. “We cannot predict who is going to respond to a particular probiotic strain,” Johns Hopkins Hospital gastroenterologist Linda Lee told the paper. For instance, a research group led by University of Copenhagen medical professor Oluf Pedersen found that probiotics that seemed to work for people coping with irritable bowel syndrome, ulcerative colitis and travelers’ diarrhea, which may have knocked their gut bacteria out of whack, did not work for healthy people. Pedersen says more evidence is needed to prove the efficacy of probiotics. The good news is that the FDA now employs new methods of regulating probiotics to ensure safety. So if you do decide to try them, “they probably won’t hurt you,” University of Maryland law professor Diane Hoffmann, who has studied the regulation of probiotics, told the Post. “Some people claim they do [make a difference]. But before you buy them, you really don’t know. It’s a buyer-beware situation.”
Amy Reiter is a writer and editor based in New York. A regular contributor to The Los Angeles Times, she has also written for The New York Times, The Washington Post, Glamour, Marie Claire, The Daily Beast and Wine Spectator, among others, as well as for Salon, where she was a longtime editor and senior writer. In addition to contributing to Healthy Eats, she blogs for Food Network’s FN Dish.
from Healthy Eats – Food Network Healthy Living Blog http://ift.tt/2cIvZ2S
Ready your wicker baskets: It’s apple-picking season. If you’re planning a trip to your local orchard, you’re probably already dreaming about the wonderfully sweet, tart and spicy dishes you can make once you get your apples home. Maybe they’re destined for a rustic galette — or maybe you’ll bake them whole with a medley of warming spices. Of course, the butter and brown sugar used in many apple dishes are just as craveable as the fruit itself. But even if you’re using the new season as an opportunity to get back into good eating habits, you don’t have to miss out on this fun autumn pastime. With a few simple modifications, you can make your favorite apple dishes a healthy staple rather than a once-in-a-while indulgence. From firm and tart Granny Smiths to sweet and tender McIntoshes, here are six lighter ways to use your freshly picked apples this fall.
The hottest new trend in coffee couldn’t be farther from a cup of joe. It’s overflowing with nutrients, is gluten-free and helps to reduce food waste. Should you get your hands on some coffee flour?
Coffee Flour Brownies
Certain kinds of algae are already commonplace in our diets. For example, your sushi rolls are wrapped in seaweed, the food additive carrageenan is derived from seaweed, and algae-derived Omega-3s are used in supplements for those who shun fish oil. But this humble sea plant suddenly seems poised for its superfood moment. “Algae is earth’s original superfood,” says Mark Brooks, senior vice president of food ingredients at TerraVia, makers of Thrive algae oil. “Before kale, chia, acai and quinoa, there was algae.”
If you’re a sports fan, you are revving up for the fall season. This year, instead of busting a gut at your next hours-long game-day extravaganza, prepare some of these 10 healthy, mouthwatering snacks.
Brain hunger
Asthma aid
Mediterranean diet tips
The humidity has finally lifted and there’s a brisk chill in the air, but that’s not the only good news we’re celebrating: Late-summer produce like tomatoes, zucchini and corn is still abundant at the farmers markets. From a culinary standpoint, this is what makes September so precious. For the next few weeks, we’ll be able to meld the light and delicate flavors of summer with the comforting style of autumnal cooking, which we generally see reserved for hearty root vegetables. And what better application for all of our perfectly ripened tomatoes than warm, freshly blended tomato soup? Whether you’re serving it as a smooth transition between the appetizers and the entree at an elegant dinner party or spooning it from a thermos after your first hike of the season, tomato soup is the most-logical solution to our current tomato surplus. So put gazpacho on the back burner (not literally), and reacquaint yourself with fall cooking via these versatile tomato soup recipes.
After-School Snack
Ultra-Savory Twist
Elevated Appetizer
Fall Forward Chili