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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Fewer Americans Describe Their Overall Health Positively As New Year’s Resolutions Take Shape

New Research Reveals Growing Concern About Wellbeing, Rising Adoption Of Popular Diets & Greater Belief In The Power Of GLP-1 Medications (Washington, D.C.) — The start of a new year is often when Americans pause to take stock of their overall health, diets, and daily habits, and many are finding their healthfulness lands somewhere between good intentions and lingering concern. According to the 2025 IFIC Food & Health Survey: A Focus On Wellbeing & Body Weight, Americans grade their personal diets a respectable B-, yet fewer than half now describe their overall health as excellent or very good—a signal that confidence in wellbeing is slipping as New Year’s resolutions take shape. “The start of the year is when people naturally evaluate their health and wellness choices and set new goals,” said Wendy Reinhardt Kapsak, MS, RDN, IFIC President & CEO. “As Americans reassess their health moving into 2026, our latest research reveals an audience that is motivated but not fully confident—experimenting with diets, redefining what healthy eating means, and exploring new tools like GLP-1s, all while navigating an increasingly crowded information and issues landscape.” Measuring Up: How Americans Rate Their Health & Wellbeing Since 2006, IFIC has tracked Americans’ self-reported health using a question modeled after the CDC’s Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System. In 2013, more than 60% of Americans rated their health as excellent or very good. In 2025, that figure declined to 49%, continuing a downward trend in perceived health. At the same time, Americans continue to view their own diets more favorably than those of others. Nearly two-thirds (64%) grade their personal diet a B– or better, while only 24% give the same grade to the average American’s diet—though that gap has narrowed since 2013. The survey examined factors that affect health, including stress. Nearly two in […]

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2015 IFIC Food & Health Survey

The 2015 Food & Health Survey: Consumer Attitudes toward Food Safety, Nutrition & Health, marks the 10th anniversary of an ongoing investigation into the beliefs and behaviors of Americans. The survey, commissioned by the International Food Information Council Foundation, delves deeply into issues of health and diet, food components, sustainability, food production, and food safety. For ten years, the survey has uncovered important insights and trends. The 2015 survey continues that tradition, with a special focus on understanding the extent to which Americans value and prioritize their own health. The 2015 Food & Health Survey was conducted by Greenwald & Associates of Washington, D.C. The survey was conducted online from March 13 to March 26, 2015. It includes 1,007 Americans ages 18-80, and is weighted to represent the demographics of the United States. Suggested citation for the 2015 Food and Health Survey: International Food Information Council. 2015 Food & Health Survey. 8 May 2015.   

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