Earth Day 2019: Taking Some Time for Soil Appreciation

It’s no secret that without soil, we cannot produce food. But how much do most of us know about the sustainable practices farmers undertake to avoid and alleviate soil erosion, a problem that has been recognized as a food production issue since 1930 and still remains a concern? This is not just an issue in the United States. Researchers have noted that “global rates of soil erosion have been exceeding those of new soil formation by 10- and 20-fold on most continents of the world in the last few decades.” Check out these three ways our farmers and food producers are “fighting the good soil fight” and are aiming to effectively combat soil erosion and continue to provide us with the food our ever-growing population needs. Farm, Conserve Wetlands, Build Wildlife Habitats, Repeat Undoubtedly, agriculture can have an impact on the environment, but farmers and ranchers are working together to alleviate those impacts across large areas of land in the United States. In the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP), farmers and ranchers have voluntarily signed up to prevent soil erosion and create new wetlands and wildlife habitats to 20 million acres of farmland. Signed into law by President Ronald Reagan in 1985, CRP is one of the largest private-land conservation programs in the United States. In the summer of last year, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue said, “The Conservation Reserve Program is an important component of the suite of voluntary conservation programs USDA makes available to agricultural producers, benefiting both the land and wildlife. … CRP also is a powerful tool to encourage agricultural producers to set aside unproductive, marginal lands that should not be farmed to reduce soil erosion, improve water quality, provide habitat for wildlife and boost soil health.” Busting out the Bioengineering Crops that are grown with […]

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Food Allergy or Intolerance: What’s the Difference?

You’ve started to experience stomach pain and discomfort every time you eat one of your favorite foods. One day you stop and ask yourself, “Wait, is this a food allergy? What about a food intolerance? Or could it be something else altogether?” Before you chalk it up to an allergic reaction and start taking foods out of your diet, it’s important to know the differences between a food allergy and a food intolerance—and how you can work with medical professionals to better understand both. Knowing the differences between these two health conditions and understanding your own susceptibility to potential allergens and irritants can help you make better food choices and feel more comfortable during and after your meals. So, what’s the difference between a food allergy and a food intolerance? Food Allergies affect the Immune System. Food allergies are characterized by an immune response to protein in food. The body’s immune system goes into defense mode and begins fighting off the offending proteins it considers harmful. Foods that are known to cause allergic reactions are called allergens. The major allergens in the U.S. are milk, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, soy, wheat, fish, shellfish and sesame and are commonly referred to as “The Big Nine.” Some individuals who consume these allergens can have an adverse (allergic) reaction to the foods. Typical symptoms of allergic reactions include skin irritations, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and life-threatening anaphylaxis: the most severe form of allergic reaction. Many of these symptoms may leave you feeling sick but experiencing them is not enough to diagnose a food allergy. In fact, food allergies can only be diagnosed by a medical doctor who is a board-certified allergist. Allergists use a number of techniques to diagnose a true food allergy. These diagnostics can include a medical history, an oral food challenge, […]

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Where Do Sustainable and Healthy Food Choices Intersect?

Healthy food choices are often on many of our minds as we plan what our next meal will include. Many of us are also focused on sustainability and the environmental aspects of our food chain that impact the planet. We may practice environmentally friendly habits, like recycling, shopping at farmers’ markets and buying foods with less packaging. But the intersection of these two diet-choice aspects­—health and environmental sustainability—and the lenses through which we evaluate both, are worth investigating. Is one more important that the other? Do other factors such as taste, price and convenience still significantly impact our food choices too? Findings from the International Food Information Council Foundation’s 2019 Food and Health Survey as well as another IFIC Foundation survey, Consumer Attitudes and Perceptions on Healthy and Environmentally Sustainable Diets (to be released this fall), help shed light on these issues. Sticking with sustainability The 2019 Food and Health Survey found that environmental sustainability was a significant purchase driver, with over half (54 percent) of people saying it was important that the foods they purchase and consume be produced in an environmentally sustainable way. Of those who believe environmental sustainability is important, the top three food characteristics that people use to identify these foods are “being labeled as being locally grown” (51 percent), “being labeled as sustainably sourced” (47 percent), and “being labeled as non-GMO/not bioengineered” (47 percent). Interestingly, 41 percent of respondents look for recyclable packaging and 35 percent look to make purchases with minimal packaging. This year, the survey also asked consumers whether they find it difficult to know whether their food choices are environmentally sustainable. Over six in ten (63 percent) of consumers agreed that it is hard for consumers to know whether the food choices they make are environmentally sustainable. As a follow-up, we asked […]

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Nutrition 101 Video Series: Monosodium glutamate (MSG)

This is the seventh installment of our “Nutrition 101” video series, presented in partnership with Osmosis, a group that focuses on health science education, highlighting the basics of several nutrition topics. For a look back at what we’ve covered so far, watch our videos on  fats,  carbohydrates and sugars,  hydration, low-calorie sweeteners, protein and gut health.  Savory foods are inherently delicious—but have you ever wondered why? In 1908, a Japanese professor pondered this question when exploring what made kelp broth taste so good. He recognized a unique taste in it that was different from the four well-known tastes of sweet, sour, bitter and salty. It turns out that glutamate, an amino acid made by many plants and animals, was the source of this distinctive taste, which became known as “umami” in reference to “umai,” the Japanese word for delicious. The professor isolated glutamate from seaweed to produce a crystallized salt form of glutamate that combined one molecule of glutamate with the ion sodium to make it even tastier. This umami seasoning is still widely used today and is also known as monosodium glutamate, or MSG. Glutamate is the most abundant amino acid found in nature, and it’s one of the 20 amino acids that make up proteins in the human body. Because glutamate is synthesized as part of the normal metabolic process, it is considered a non-essential amino acid. In other words, we don’t technically need to get it from food. Our bodies synthesize about 50 grams of glutamate each day and store about 4.5 pounds of glutamate in major organs like the brain, muscles, kidneys and liver. On average we eat about 10 to 20 grams of glutamate each day, mostly from protein-containing foods like meat, cheese, nuts and legumes. Whether consumed from food or in the form of MSG, […]

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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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When It Comes to Immune Health, Does What We Eat Matter?

There may be no more important part of our body than our immune system. Through its nonstop work to prevent and limit the effects of harmful pathogens like bacteria and viruses, we’re able to maintain our health and recover from illnesses caused by these invaders. Our immune cells make up one of the most sophisticated, coordinated systems in the body—one that is essential for our survival. With the recent outbreak of the novel coronavirus, also known as COVID-19, there has been an increased focus on the importance of keeping our immune systems running strong. As a result, there’s a lot of information being shared about the effect that food and dietary supplements might have on immune health. Some of this information is based in strong science, while some is…not so much. In this article, we’ll address how the food we eat can support immune health, why many trendy supplements and “superfoods” don’t make the cut, and whether or not you can really “boost” your immune system through food. (Hint: the answer is no.) We want to be clear that the information provided here relates to healthy adults; the same conclusions may not apply to children, the elderly or those who are immunocompromised. Is diet connected to immune health? Yes! Many nutrients we get through the food we eat are essential for immune function, so eating a well-balanced, healthy diet allows your immune system to be the best version of itself. When we get sick and our immune system becomes more active, the demand for both energy and nutrients goes up, making adequate nutrition even more vital. At the same time, for most healthy people, consuming more energy (as in, calories) or nutrients than we need won’t necessarily give any added immune benefits. Almost everything that we consume above and beyond […]

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Food Allergen Labeling: Tips To Manage “May Contain” Labeling Risks

Last week was Food Allergy Awareness Week, and we’re bringing attention to this growing public health concern. Food Allergy Research and Education (FARE) estimates that 32 million Americans are affected by food allergies and that the prevalence of food allergies continues to rise. With those statistics, there is a good chance you or someone you know deals with a food allergy daily. The rise in food allergy prevalence is not due to pure chance, and several theories have been put forward to explain the upward curve. The “hygiene hypothesis” suggests that children today are growing up in cleaner environments and thus are exposed to fewer germs that are able to “train” their immune systems to know what is and is not dangerous. Other theories attribute the increase in food allergies to changes in the gut microbiome, switches in diet, and certain environmental factors. Whatever the reason, food allergies are on the rise, and while many people can self-manage their allergy, food allergen labeling is key to creating a safe food supply for everyone. Effective food allergen management According to IFIC’s 2019 Food and Health Survey, consumers most commonly manage their food allergies by carefully reading labels (45%) or avoiding certain types of restaurants and cuisines (37%). In this vein, IFIC encourages consumers to learn how to read labels carefully, exploring various terms that less commonly describe an allergy (e.g., casein protein versus milk), as well as to know which questions to ask when eating out. To outsiders, a food allergy may not be obvious, so many people with allergies also wear a medical bracelet, carry medication, and have emergency contact information ready in case they need help. Consumers aren’t the only ones responsible for managing food allergies. The Food Allergen Labeling And Consumer Protection Act (FALPCA) is a Food and Drug Administration (FDA) mandate that all food must be labeled […]

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A Quick Look Into Dairy Production

Dairy is often something I rely on—ice cream and froyo keep me cool in the summer, hot chocolate and lattes keep me warm in the winter, and a cold glass of milk can instantly transport me back to childhood. All thanks go straight to the dairy cows and farmers working around the clock. In fact, a single cow can produce approximately 6.5 gallons of milk daily and supply over 21,000 pounds of milk yearly, not counting the milk her newborn calf will drink. That milk is just the start for dairy lovers. It may be transformed into cheese, yogurt, or a number of other food products through a series of well-monitored, science-driven steps on the farm, in warehouses and in factories. From cow to carton Shortly after giving birth to a calf, a dairy cow will start producing milk, and she will continue to do so for about ten months. This milk is collected on the farm and then transported for further processing, specifically for pasteurization and homogenization. Pasteurization is the means of treating a food product, often by heat, to reduce the risk of foodborne pathogens surviving in the product that could potentially make consumers sick. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulates this process very carefully for milk products, specifying the amount of time and temperature milk must be heated—for example, lower temperatures require longer time to make sure any harmful pathogens are destroyed. The next step, homogenization, ensures that the contents of milk—its protein, fat and sugars—remain one consistent mixture rather than clumps separated among liquid. The pasteurized, homogenized milk then may be packed into various containers, stored at safe temperatures, and shipped to grocery stores and markets for human consumption. Plant-based products like almond milk and oat milk will similarly go through an FDA-mandated process to […]

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