Food Allergies Across the Globe

In the time it takes to make your bed in the morning or brush your teeth at night, a person has been admitted to the emergency room due to a food allergy. Food allergies are a major health concern worldwide responsible for sending someone to emergency medical care every three minutes. The cause of food allergies is unknown, but their mechanism is the same: A person’s body mistakes certain nutrients in a food as harmful, which triggers an inflammatory response that can threaten the person’s health—and even cause their death. Food allergies and adverse reactions can arise at any age and may come and go throughout a person’s life. The outcome of a reaction can range in severity from mild (causing rashes, hives, and other external signs of inflammation) to severe (for example, leading to difficulty breathing or causing swelling of the throat). In their most severe form, food allergies can even cause anaphylaxis, a life-threatening condition in which the body goes into shock. Recent data estimate that between 1.1 and 10.8% of the global population has a food allergy, and the rates of food allergies appear to be increasing. Documenting food allergies can be difficult, since food intolerances (less-serious adverse reactions to foods that are not allergies but may cause symptoms like gastrointestinal discomfort) are often mistaken for food allergies; self-reported food allergies are prone to bias; and the diagnostic process for identifying food allergies in patients varies between countries. In the United States, about 32 million people report having a food allergy, and each year around 200,000 people seek emergency medical care due to food allergies. Food allergies are particularly common in youth, with about one in every 13 children being diagnosed with a food allergy in the United States (and around 40% of children with food allergies […]

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Protein Perceptions and Consumption Behaviors

The popularity of protein among Americans is undeniable. It is our favorite and least demonized macronutrient. Although protein has become increasingly buzzworthy, the main motivation behind consuming it is a familiar one, to eat healthily. In fact, in our Consumer Viewpoints and Purchasing Behaviors Regarding Plant and Animal Protein survey released in January 2021, we found that eating a balanced diet rose to the top of reasons for protein consumption, with over two in five respondents saying so. Alongside the growing interest in protein is the increasing variety of protein options available to us, particularly among plant-based proteins. The reasons behind why we select the protein foods that we do have also expanded, including motivations not only rooted in our own health and preferences, but also in the wellbeing of the environment. In our 2021 Food and Health Survey, we looked at American protein consumption behaviors and their perceptions of the impact that various protein sources have on the environment. Protein Consumption Among Americans The majority of Americans (62%) say they generally try to consume protein. When we drill down deeper to look at who exactly seeks out protein, we find generational differences; Baby Boomers are more likely than Millennials and those in Generation X to say they try to consume protein (70% vs. 55% and 58%, respectively). In addition to age differences, we see that Hispanic/Latinx people are more likely to say that they try to consume protein, compared to African Americans and white people (71% vs. 53% and 61%, respectfully). Reflecting on changes in eating habits during the past 12 months, we see increases in reported consumption across both animal and plant-based proteins, with seafood and protein from plant sources being among the most popular. Within animal proteins, 23% said they are eating more seafood, 22% report eating […]

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Taking Another Look at GMO Crops: Q&A with a Farmer

Food production practices have evolved over the years to support food availability and choices for our ever-growing population. One of the tools is biotechnology. This technique has been used for over 20 years in food production and has been scientifically proven to be a safe and effective way to support our food system. You may have previously read an article or two of ours talking about how biotechnology and GMO (genetically modified organism) crops help to decrease food waste, give multiple populations nutritious food options, and help farmers use less pesticides. But what about getting more info on GMO crops straight from the horse’s…uh, farmer’s mouth? To do so, we recently caught up with farmer Katie Pratt. Katie and her husband have a family farm in northern Illinois, where they grow 7,500 acres of corn, soybeans and seed corn (field-corn seed that can be used to grow future commercial corn crops). Q: What crops do you grow that are genetically modified? A: All our commercial corn and soybeans are genetically modified. We also grow GMO and non-GMO seed corn. Q: Why do you grow GMO crops? A: We have seen that our GMO crops require less pesticide applications. We spray our fields before planting GMO seeds for weed control, and then we won’t spray again until right before the crop canopies. After that, we don’t have to spray for weeds again. Our insecticide applications are lower on GMO crops as well. We plant some hybrid crops that are resistant to corn borer [an insect that can significantly damage corn and other grain crops]. Since the crop has the ability to fight its own battle against these pests, we don’t need to spray for these particular insects. We have been able to decrease our pesticide applications, which means we are not […]

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Four Heart-Healthy Snack Ideas

According to our 2024 Food and Health Survey, 73% of consumers report snacking at least once a day, which is consistent with 2022 data but represents an increase from the 58% who said the same in 2021. The 2024 survey found that 30% are seeking out heart and cardiovascular health benefits from their food choices. Let’s bridge the gap and share a few heart-healthy snacks. Nuts Nuts are full of healthy fats, including mono- and polyunsaturated fats. Research suggests that eating 1.5 ounces of most nuts per day as part of a low-saturated-fat diet may reduce the risk of heart disease. And with nuts, there are also a ton of options to meet your taste preferences: Peanuts, almonds, hazelnuts, cashews, and walnuts are just a few common varieties of nuts. Nuts also pack in protein, fiber, vitamins, and minerals; have a long shelf life; and are portable, making them a great on-the-go snack option. Dairy Including fat-free and low-fat dairy products in your diet is recommended for an overall healthy dietary pattern that also supports heart health. Just keep in mind that this doesn’t mean you should avoid fat altogether, especially healthy unsaturated fats like those found in vegetable oils, nuts, seeds and fatty fish. Besides milk, dairy products include yogurt, cheese, and fortified soymilk, which are sources of protein and micronutrients like calcium, potassium and vitamin D. Some go-to dairy snacks include yogurt cups, string cheese, or snack-sized milk or soymilk. Whole Grains Whole grains have been shown to promote heart health in a variety of ways, including by lowering cholesterol, blood lipid levels, and blood pressure. Studies show that individuals with three or more servings of whole-grain foods per day have a 20 to 30 percent lower risk for cardiovascular disease compared with those who have lower intakes […]

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Vitamins and Minerals Fact Sheets

From Vitamin A to Zinc, there are so many vitamins and minerals in foods that are important to our health. It can be hard to keep track of what vitamin is beneficial for which body function and most importantly, where to find these important nutrients in food. These fact sheets provide all the info you need to know about vitamins and minerals in food. Of course, this is not an exhaustive list but it’s a good start towards making sure you are eating the right foods to get the nutrients you need. Minerals Fact Sheet Minerals may seem really complex and confusing. With so many different minerals, it can be hard to keep track of what they are, what they do, and where you can find them. By using this fact sheet, you can make all this information seem “elemental” and become a rock-solid expert regarding minerals. Did You Know? There are two types of essential minerals: major minerals (macrominerals) and trace minerals (microminerals). Both are needed and equally important, but trace minerals are needed in less amounts than major minerals. According to the 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, vitamin D, calcium, potassium, iron, and dietary fiber are considered nutrients of public health concern because low intakes are associated with negative health conditions. About 99% of the human body is made up of 6 elements: two of which include calcium and phosphorus! Mineral Functions in the Body Where to Find in Foods and Beverages Calcium Dental health, nerve health, muscle health, bone health Animal-based foods like milk, yogurt, and cheese; plant-based foods like kale and broccoli; and fortified foods like breakfast cereals, soy foods and fruit juices Chloride Heart health, nerve health, muscle health Salt, seaweed, rye, tomatoes, lettuce, celery, and olives Chromium Metabolism Animal-based foods like meat, poultry, fish, […]

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Emulsifiers: Mending the Differences in Our Foods

Eggs Benedict is a brunch staple, and what makes or breaks the plate is—you guessed it—the Hollandaise sauce. This personal favorite is a combination of egg yolk, butter, water, and lemon juice or vinegar, making for the ultimate emulsion. What’s an emulsion, you may ask? It’s a common component of many of the foods we eat, and while not everyone is a food scientist, there are a few interesting things you might be curious to know about emulsifiers in our food. What are emulsifiers? Emulsifiers are found in many food products we buy at the grocery store. Beverages, milk, ice cream, and dressings often feature emulsifiers as additives to keep the mixture of ingredients stable. What exactly do we mean by that? Well, have you ever tried mixing together oil and vinegar for a simple salad dressing? For a short time, the two may appear homogenously mixed, but after a few minutes they are completely separated. Emulsifiers keep two components that normally do not mix well together from separating. Because oil and vinegar are so chemically different, they can often be challenging to mix. As food scientists, if we want to overcome this challenge, we can add an emulsifier. Said in a different way? If water and oil were a fighting couple, an emulsifier would be the therapist that mends their relationship. Specifically, food scientists and producers use continuous stirring and sometimes heat to add emulsifiers to two previously unmixable components—helping to keep them together over the course of the final product’s lifetime. What foods contain emulsifiers? Emulsifiers can either be naturally present or added as additional ingredients. In the case of the highly stable emulsion of mayonnaise, an egg yolk protein called lecithin aids in stabilizing the oil, egg, and lemon juice mixture that is the foundation of mayonnaise. Lecithin […]

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Going Low-Fat? Here’s What Your Diet Might Be Missing

It’s no secret that low-carbohydrate diets have enjoyed the spotlight for the last several years, but another nutrient-specific diet has been on the scene for even longer: low-fat. For decades, “eating fat makes you fat” was widely viewed as a dieting mantra, tied largely to the fact that fat provides more calories per gram (nine) compared to the other macronutrients, protein and carbohydrates (which each provide four calories per gram). Though the tides have shifted in recent years and fat isn’t feared like it once was, low-fat diets are still heavily associated with weight loss and dieting culture. We’ve written about dietary fats on several occasions (and made this helpful video), but in this article, we’re taking a different approach: laying out exactly what your diet may be missing if you drastically cut back on fat. What is Fat and Why Do We Need It? Fats are an essential part of a healthy diet. They provide us with a major source of energy, help us absorb vitamins and facilitate communication between the cells in our body. Fats also contribute to our enjoyment of food by adding taste and texture, like the creaminess of ice cream or the flakiness of a pie crust. The fats we eat can be either saturated or unsaturated. Polyunsaturated (PUFA), monounsaturated (MUFA) and trans fatty acids are all considered to be unsaturated fats, which means that they have a double bond in their structure that causes a “kink” in the chain. As a result, unsaturated fats tend to be liquid at room temperature (think olive or vegetable oils) because the fatty acids can’t pack as tightly together. Saturated fats are usually solid at room temperature because their fatty acids are able to pack tightly together. They’re found in foods like butter and other dairy products, fatty […]

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The Healthy Dietary Patterns Highlighted in the 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans

We recently summarized the 2020–2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA), which were released in December 2020. In case you missed that article, here is a refresher: The DGA provide science-based advice on what to eat and drink to promote health, reduce the risk for chronic disease and meet daily nutrient needs. The DGA are the foundation of federal food, nutrition and health policies and programs, and they have been revised every five years since 1980. The 2020–2025 DGA provide four overarching guidelines that encourage healthy eating patterns at each stage of life, stressing that many individuals will need to make shifts in their food and beverage choices to achieve a healthy eating pattern: These guidelines are not intended to be overly prescriptive; rather, they are meant to be customized based on an individual’s personal preferences and needs. This article focuses on the first guideline—following a healthy eating pattern at every stage of life—and explores the three recommended eating patterns that are highlighted in the DGA. The Importance of Healthy Dietary Patterns A hallmark of the DGA is the importance placed on healthy dietary patterns as a whole—rather than on individual nutrients or foods in isolation. But what is a dietary pattern? A dietary pattern is the combination of foods and beverages consumed over the course of any given day, week, or year. As a result, dietary patterns can be more closely associated with overall health status and disease risk than consumption of individual foods or nutrients. According to the DGA, a healthy dietary pattern consists of nutrient-dense forms of foods and beverages across all food groups, in recommended amounts, and within calorie limits. As with the previous version, the 2020–2025 DGA provide examples of three dietary patterns that align with DGA recommendations; they are defined as Healthy U.S.-Style, Healthy Vegetarian […]

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