Sweet Nothings or Nothing Sweet? Consumers Seek Clarity On Low- And No- Calorie Sweeteners

(Washington, D.C.) — The International Food Information Council (IFIC) recently provided a forum for health professionals and food safety experts to discuss the latest science and consumer insights around low- and no-calorie sweeteners (LNCS).   “In today’s media landscape, headlines often sensationalize conflicting opinions on the role sweeteners should play in a healthy diet,” Wendy Reinhardt Kapsak, MS, RDN, IFIC President & CEO, said. “This leaves consumers with contradictory messages about the benefits and risks of consuming these ingredients. Because of this, we see a pressing need for clear, evidence-based communication to dispel misconceptions and empower individuals to navigate the nuances of sweetener consumption, especially timely during February, a month in which sweetness is often celebrated and enjoyed by many.”   3 In 4 Americans Look To Reduce Sugar In Their Diet  Food trends come and go, but one has stood the test of time: the search to satisfy our sweet tooths. While sweet treats will likely always be popular, reducing sugar intake is also a top health priority. According to the 2023 IFIC Food & Health Survey, 72% of Americans say they are looking to limit or avoid sugar in their diet. While sugar replacements, such as LNCS and sugar alcohols, are becoming more prevalent in products with reduced added sugar, their expanding usage often leads to questions about safety.   Safety In Question  During IFIC’s recent educational webinar, Breaking Down the Basics and Biological Fate of Low- and No-Calorie Sweeteners, the safety of LNCS took center stage. IFIC Senior Director of Nutrition Communications, Kris Sollid, RD, presented IFIC data in tandem with Bernadene Magnuson, PhD, a food toxicologist with expertise in safety and government regulations of food ingredients, including LNCS.   “Believe it or not, LNCS are some of the most studied ingredients in our food supply,” Kris Sollid, RD, […]

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BPA: What’s Getting Missed?

Bisphenol-A, or BPA, has long been an incredible example of just how far chatter can run away from science. We even profiled the BPA “debate” as part of our War on (Food) Science series last year. This week is no different, with specious claims about BPA increasing the risk for cancer to obesity, diabetes, and ADD, plus a half-dozen other scary sounding things. It won’t surprise you to hear that those unsubstantiated claims aren’t science-based or helpful for our food safety. Bizarrely, this week also brought critiques of substitutes for BPA, which the same critics had long been pushing for, due to the unscientific rumors about BPA itself. Let’s dive into both.   Should I be worried about BPA, or about BPA substitutes? (Hint: Neither, really) Dr. Henry Chin, PhD, an independent expert in food safety and food chemistry, demystifies it: “Since BPA doesn’t pose a risk, there is no scientifically valid reason for families to avoid BPA.  All food packaging materials are safe and some food products are available in alternative packaging. There are no packaging materials that are ‘safer’ than BPA.” BPA? Safe and approved. Substitutes for BPA? Also safe and approved. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approves all food packaging materials as “food contact substances,” so all of these substitutes are in the same boat as BPA: The FDA confirms there is “sufficient scientific information to demonstrate that the use of these materials is safe.”   BPA (and Substitutes): What’s the point? Let’s back up for a minute and talk about why BPA exists. BPA (or substitutes) are used in can liners. Without a liner, metal cans get corroded or punctured.  That means that the food would get contaminated by the metal can and/or outside bacteria that can cause dangerous foodborne illness. It made a big difference […]

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Food for Thought This Healthy Aging Month

Healthy Aging Month is a great time to consider how beliefs and behaviors around food change as we age. Aside from what is often a distinct set of beliefs about nutrition, and an evolving set of eating behaviors, older adults also have different nutritional needs than their younger counterparts. As the body ages, it processes food more slowly and requires different levels of nutrients in order to fuel the body, maintain muscle mass and promote optimal cognitive health. The 2017 Food and Health Survey findings include a detailed report focused exclusively on older adults ages 50 to 80. This report was conducted in collaboration with the AARP Foundation. The findings shed new light on older adults’ eating attitudes and perceptions. Let’s see how they stack up against their younger counterparts. Health Risks Fluid and Fiber As you can see, older adults are a pretty nutrition-savvy group. The 2017 Food and Health Survey shows how older adults may be changing their eating habits to match their unique nutrition needs and to lower their risk for chronic disease. This could be, at least partially, a result of who they trust for their information. The survey shows how older adults are more likely to trust conversations with healthcare professionals and registered dietitians as sources of information on what to eat and avoid. They are also less likely than younger consumers to get nutrition information from family and friends. This trust in – and reliance on – credentialed sources, like health professionals and registered dietitians, could be putting older adults on the path to good nutrition. For more information on how nutrition needs change over time, and how to get the nutrients you need for healthy aging, check out this resource. Adam Sachs, University of Maryland dietetic intern, contributed to this post.

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Google Can’t Diagnose Your Food Allergy

I have a love-hate relationship with the internet. On the one hand, it’s a great place to learn how to fix a hem, Scrabble-certified words with Z and X, and the capital of Malta. Unless you know where to search and the credible sources, the internet is not always a great place to learn about science and nutrition, and food allergies are no different. Thanks to the many symptom checkers that can be searched on Google, a few checks in a box can “diagnose” someone with an allergy. But while people flock to Dr. Google, they forget that he never got his M.D. Why Are People Diagnosing Themselves with a Food Allergy? To understand why people are self-diagnosing, we need to understand allergic reactions. An allergic reaction is “when the immune system overreacts to a harmless substance known as an allergen.” Reactions to food allergens can range from mild — hives, itchy mouth or ear canal, nausea or vomiting, diarrhea, stomach pain, nasal congestion and sneezing — to severe – trouble swallowing, shortness of breath, turning blue, drop in blood pressure and loss of consciousness. So does this mean that any of these symptoms can indicate an allergic reaction? No, and this is where people get confused. Symptoms of an allergic reaction are associated not only with an allergy. There are also many medical conditions — including celiac disease, lactose intolerance and asthma — that can produce similar symptoms. This is why a food allergy, and any allergy from bee stings to pet dander, can be determined only by a board-certified allergist. Why Does This Matter? With a quick perusal of many online discussions on food, you will see that a lot of people claim to have a food allergy. From recognized food allergens like peanuts and diary, to more […]

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Can Calorie-Dense Foods Also Be Healthy?

For so long, we’ve been taught that high-calorie means bad. But what if we told you that way of thinking was outdated, and more importantly, wrong? A food’s quality isn’t defined by a single characteristic. Rather, it’s the sum of all its parts—with calorie count being only one component. In fact, a slew of vitamins, minerals and other nutrients may accompany a calorie-dense food, meaning high-calorie can also be of high nutritional value. In this context, we’re not talking about calorie-dense foods like baked goods, chips or candy, which have less to offer nutritionally. Instead, we’ll focus on whole, minimally processed foods considered to contribute healthful components to our daily diets. Take nuts, seeds and full-fat dairy products, for example. Nuts, seeds and butters made from nuts and seeds are high in healthy mono- and polyunsaturated fats that are associated with lowering low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (otherwise known as LDL, or the “bad” kind of cholesterol). They’re also a source of protein, which makes us feel full after eating them—unlike other calorie-dense but nutrient-poor snacks like chips and cookies. Dairy products provide protein, calcium, vitamin D (if fortified) and potassium. Full-fat dairy has more fat than non-fat or low-fat options, which bumps up the calorie count but also enhances the richness of milk and yogurt. This can leave us feeling more satisfied than if we’d consumed something with less fat, making it easier to keep portions in check. Here are a few more calorie-dense foods that are also nutrient-dense: It’s important to be mindful when eating calorie-dense foods, since their calorie contributions can add up quickly. For example, one serving of nuts and seeds equals about a quarter of a cup, or about the size of the palm of your hand, and a serving of whole milk is one 8-ounce cup. […]

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Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner? Six Tips To Make Your Holiday Meal Planning Easy

A few years ago, I hosted my first Thanksgiving dinner, which turned into a wild scramble in my tiny apartment kitchen while I cooked a meal for seven. On top of all that, my sister-in-law was coming, and her wheat allergy made things a little trickier. Hosting a big meal for guests with food allergies can be challenging, especially when everyone is depending on you to make a safe, delicious, mistake-free meal. While I was fortunate to know which allergies to look out for in my cooking, sometimes guests show up without notice. My list of tips below can help keep your holiday dinners running smoothly, even if there’s an unexpected guest at your table. In fact, sometimes surprises give you an opportunity to get creative in the kitchen! 1. Offer allergy-free alternatives. Instead of scrapping a dish altogether, offer an allergen-free alternative dish to ensure everyone can enjoy a little of everything. For my family, stuffing is the big hit, but I knew we would need an alternative for my wheat-free sister-in-law. We don’t stuff the turkey, so there wasn’t a risk of cross-contact with the turkey, but I still wanted everyone to enjoy this iconic side dish. My solution: cornbread stuffing in addition to classic wheat bread stuffing. Here are some other ideas for adjusting popular side dishes: swap out cow’s milk for coconut milk in mashed potatoes; leave the walnuts on the side for the sweet potato casserole; and make a crust-less apple crisp instead of apple pie. 2. Keep allergen-containing foods separate. In an ideal world, we would have the space of a commercial kitchen to cook our holiday meals. My tiny city apartment was far from ideal. This meant being extra vigilant about separating food ingredients. While one of my top concerns was keeping raw […]

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The Benefits of Mindful Eating: Video

Mindfulness is an ancient practice of being present. It can be defined as a “quality of consciousness that is characterized by continually attending to one’s moment-to-moment experiences, thoughts, and emotions with an open, non-judgmental approach.” Mindfulness has been used in a variety of therapeutic settings as it can improve the way we process emotions and help us reduces stress. In recent years, the concept of mindfulness has been applied to how we think about nourishing our body with food. Mindful eating is about listening to our physical sensations, like hunger, fullness and satisfaction cues and taking time to notice our thoughts and emotions while eating so we can have a more enjoyable and healthful eating experience. Mindful eating involves: There are many benefits to eating mindfully. Let’s review a few of them. Sometimes, our thoughts related to food aren’t very helpful. Negative thoughts about weight gain or eating unhealthy foods can create a fearful or anxious attitude when it comes to food. When we eat mindfully, we are practicing responding to our eating choices without guilt. Instead of condemning thoughts, we practice nonjudgmental language related to food. This nonjudgmental tone can increase self-compassion, which can improve our psychological well-being. Research shows that undereating or restricting certain foods can cause us to overeat them later. When we eat mindfully, we are taking time to notice what kinds of and how much food we need to feel full and satisfied. By frequently checking in with hunger, we don’t go too long without eating enough food. In this way, eating mindfully can help reduce overeating or binge eating as we become more aware of physical hunger and satisfaction cues and what foods will help us achieve optimal fullness. There are distractions all around us, and sometimes they can get in the way of […]

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Fridge and Freezer Safety Tips

July is National Ice Cream Month, and sure enough, July’s hot days often see many of us searching our freezers for frozen treats. As we all know, freezers also house many other foods and beverages that require very cold temperatures to prolong their freshness. But how often do we think about how to properly store our cold and frozen food safely? It’s easy to take our refrigerators and freezers (and the work they do) for granted, but familiarizing ourselves with some important fridge and freezer safety tips can help us better preserve the taste and integrity of our cold and frozen foods in addition to avoiding foodborne illness caused by microbes and preventing food waste due to spoilage. What’s the best temperature to maintain in a freezer? We should all periodically check the temperature of our refrigerators and freezers with a special appliance thermometer. Many modern appliance versions have a built-in thermometer that display internal temperatures and sound an alarm if a temperature begins to change. For a quick reference, you should keep your refrigerator at 40 °F or below and your freezer at 0 °F or below. Ensuring proper temperatures in your refrigerator and freezer helps support food safety as well as maintain taste, freshness, and the cooking reliability of your perishable foods and beverages. In addition, proper storage supported by correct temperatures in your refrigerator and freezer helps avoid food waste. Improperly stored food can spoil quickly and thus need to be discarded earlier than if it had been stored correctly. The refrigerator and freezer storage chart found in this tip sheet provided by the Food and Drug Administration includes safe storage times for many widely used foods. In addition, the FDA advises that all food should be examined for spoilage regardless of the dates on the packaging. […]

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