"nutrition" news and stories

We're just as sick of spring allergies as the next guy. And we know how much your Claritin, your funky nasal spray, and the supreme gift to all allergy sufferers, antihistamine eye drops, mean to you. But also eliminating a few foods from your diet may make your allergy symptoms a lot less annoying.

Medical News Today offers solutions from Dr. Fred Pescatore, author of The Allergy and Asthma Cure, who says that the key to getting through allergy season is to reduce the inflammation in our bodies. That means, if you have a yeast or mold allergy, cut the aged cheeses and stick to low-yeast foods. Fight congestion during grass season by cutting back on dairy products and grains.

"Refined sugars, flours, and processed food all trigger inflammation, so steer clear of them," Dr. Pescatore says.

It's long been exasperating to the organic food industry -- the oft-stated belief that organic food is most notable for what it doesn't give you – all those yummy pesticides and chemicals. Nutritionally, common wisdom goes, organic food is no better for you than the conventional stuff.

Maybe not.

A study by researchers at Newcastle University,in England, published in the Journal of Dairy Science, has poked a hole in that thinking, showing that organic milk does have some nutritional advantages over conventional -- less saturated fat and more "good" fatty acids -- specifically omega-3s.

Testing 10 organic and 12 conventional milks sold in British grocery stores (not raw at the farm), seasonally over two years, lead researcher Gillian Butler found the organic milk more consistently showed healthier fat levels, which she believes is a result of the cows' greater reliance on grazing and their ingestion of larger amounts of clover -- typically planted in organic operations for the nitrogen that conventional fertilizers would otherwise provide.

Perhaps even more crucial to proper U.S. military training than learning how to shoot an M107, is learning how to fuel a body in order to be able to run with an M107. And the typical greasy grub and soda fountains at training camps aren't cutting it -- not to mention the candy bars oft-mistaken as sufficient energy boosters.

So a new system is entering the mess hall, adding more produce, whole grains, yogurt and granola, where sugary cereals and sausage-gravy topped biscuits once ruled the fort. Though these less-healthy standbys are still available, "color-coded labels point the way to healthy items, and drill sergeants stand watch over the chow line, calling out soldiers who don't put enough fruit on their plates" and making sure they hydrate with enough water after stacking their trays with two cups of coffee, reports the Associated Press.

MREs -- those infamous "Meals Ready to Eat" packets taken onto the field -- may also see an update. A typical pack now contains an entrée of spaghetti or beef stew; a side of rice or mashed potatoes; crackers; cheese or peanut butter spread; a dessert of cookies or pound cake; candies like Skittles or Tootsie Rolls (a standard since World War II, in fact, for its non-melting qualities); and beverage mixes like Gatorade or coffee. On average, these run 1,250 calories (13% protein, 36% fat, 51% carbohydrates), states MREinfo.com. So perhaps more pressure-packed whole grains and veggies are in the future?

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There are currently two major concerns surrounding the country's food stamp program: does financial incentive (discounts) change people's eating habits? In other words, is obesity and other health deficiencies more common in low-income populations simply because healthier food costs more? The second is: how should the government help? A new incentive pilot program announced yesterday offers discounts for fresh produce, and it may be the government's biggest step towards clarity.

As The Boston Globe reports, The Agriculture Department awarded $20 million to Massachusetts and Abt Associates, Inc (a research firm in Cambridge) as part of its Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) to temporarily grant thousands of Hampden County food stamp recipients with a 30-cent discount on every dollar spent on fresh produce. Out of the 50,000 households with food stamps in the county, these select families with then be tracked for 15 months to see how their health compares to food stamp recipients paying full price for produce. The program is estimated to start next fall.