A natural chemical in bananas may help protect women against sexual transmission of HIV, U.S. researchers report. In laboratory tests, they found that a lectin called BanLec was as potent as two current HIV drugs. Lectins — sugar-binding proteins found in plants — can identify and attach to foreign...

The holy grail of health may well be nutrition. The best nutrition is an elusive beast. We all know we need better nutrition, yet few of us know how to find it. Most of us don’t even know where to look, One way to get better nutrition is to adhere to a vegetarian or semi-vegetarian diet. There are...

The cheeseburger and French fries might look tempting, but eating a serving of broccoli or leafy greens first could help people battle metabolic processes that lead to obesity and heart disease, a new University of Florida study shows. Eating more plant-based foods, which are rich in substances called...

New research released today is affirming a long-held maxim: you are what you eat — and, more to the point, what you eat has a profound influence on the brain. The findings offer insight into the neurobiological factors behind the obesity epidemic in the United States and other developed countries. The...

The National School Lunch Program and the School Breakfast Program should adopt a new set of nutrient targets and standards for menu planning, says a new report from the Institute of Medicine. The recommended targets and standards would update and improve the programs’ abilities to meet children’s...

People have been using herbs and spices for health longer than they’ve been using fire. Evidence even seems to suggest that cultural tastes evolved to desire spices that were required for good health – hotter regions using spices that protect food from spoiling, higher salt use in areas where the...

Tomatoes are high in vitamin C, good sources of vitamin A and lycopene, and pack a powerful punch of phytochemicals and antioxidants. All around I consider tomatoes a nearly-perfect food, but today I’m going to focus on just one of the amazing health benefits found in this sweet, succulent fruit. (And,...

As a chef for 20 years, what’s the toughest challenge I’ve ever faced? Soufflés? Demi-glaces? Deep-fried Turkeys? Forget about it. Try getting a five-year-old to willingly eat something other than French fries. Here are 5 easy tips to help that picky eater change his or her ways. Sit down and eat...

We’re so lucky! It’s getting easier and easier to find healthy food. Even mainstream stores like Von’s and Ralph’s are jumping onto the organic fruit cart. Unfortunately, all these choices have yet to make prices fall. How can we make our food budget go farther and still stick...

Earlier this year, Crispy Green Inc launched Crispy Pears, the newest addition to their all-natural line of premium, freeze-dried fruit snacks. Now I know what you may be saying… “Freeze-dried fruit snacks? Do I look like an astronaut?” But freeze-dried treats aren’t just for space cadets. In...