Spices add not only great flavor to foods, but also micronutrients for a healthy diet.

Spice blends can be especially zesty, but many on grocery store shelves are loaded with sodium, which can spike your salt intake and detract from the spices' benefits. Mix your own blends instead.

A very versatile mix is taco seasoning. It's great for marinating meat, adding depth to chi...

Few ingredients span the range of international cuisines as much as garlic. Garlic has a rich and interesting history as both a flavoring and a medicinal food.

The bulb of a plant in the allium family (along with onions and chives), garlic contains potent antibacterial and antimicrobial properties, and is immensely flavorful while being extremely low in calories.

There are...

Looking for an elegant dessert that's healthy, too?

Poached pears are ideal because they're sweet and hold their shape well during cooking. They can also be topped with a sweet finish or a surprisingly tangy one. Either way, you can wow guests at your next dinner party.

Pears are a filling fruit, high in fiber and a long list of antioxidants. They're in season in the fall, ...

Whether you call it soda, pop or a soft drink, a new study's findings suggest it would be better for your health to drink water instead.

The large European study found that people who have more than two sodas a day -- with or without sugar -- had a higher risk of dying over about 16 years than people who sipped the fizzy beverages less than once a month.

"We found that hig...

Can a steady diet of junk food rob you of your vision?

A new case report suggests it's possible: After years of eating only potato chips, French fries, cold cuts and white bread, a 17-year-old British boy went blind.

Despite his bad eating habits, his body mass index, a standard measure of obesity, remained normal. But the lack of essential vitamins and minerals took its tol...

About half of all Americans take steps to limit or avoid saturated fats, the kind found in foods like fatty red meat and cream. But fewer than one-third stick to the limit set by the Dietary Guidelines for Americans to keep saturated fat intake under 10% of daily calories.

You might be surprised to learn that the single biggest source of saturated fats -- 35% -- comes from mix...

The word on eggs changes faster than you can say "sunny-side up." One day their cholesterol isn't a concern and the next day it is.

After a 2018 study found an egg a day was fine for healthy people, a 2019 study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that this amount could raise the risk for cardiovascular disease and early death.

So what...

When summer fruits and vegetables start to disappear from grocery stores, and the action shifts indoors to watching sports and munching on unhealthy snacks, it helps to have a diet plan in place to avoid weight gain.

First, remember that farmers' markets are still open across the country. You can buy local as long as you make the shift from summer crops to fall ones. That means tomato...

The right tools make healthy cooking so much easier. Just a few gadgets can make all the difference.

Olive, safflower and other plant-based oils are great unsaturated fat choices, but they do add calories. Cut the amount of oil you use with an oil mister. This simple gadget delivers a fine spray of oil, perfect for dressing a salad and lightly sauteeing food in a pan. It's cheap enoug...

Tired of that spare tire?

Low-calorie diets work, but can be difficult to follow. A much simpler approach to losing weight might be to just stop eating every other day.

It's called alternate-day fasting (ADF). As the name implies, you starve yourself by fasting one day and then you feast the next, and then repeat that pattern again and again.

In just the month-lo...

Getting kids to eat right can be a challenge, but an easy place to start is with the lunch they bring to school. Make the contents of their lunchbox more fun, and they'll be more likely to eat what you pack. These creative tips will make this meal more nutritious, too.

Begin with a sandwich makeover. Use a soft whole-wheat bread, or a gluten-free whole-grain bread if needed, instead o...

Creamy chocolate pudding is major comfort food, but most store-bought and even homemade versions have loads of sugar and little nutrition. Yet it is possible to make a super chocolatey pudding that's also good for you.

The key ingredients are rich avocado, high in healthy fats and vitamins K, E and B plus loads of fiber; and banana for creaminess and sweetness in place of white sugar. ...

Seniors, here's a recipe for preventing dementia: eat well, exercise and don't smoke.

The only catch, according to a new study? If you carry genes that leave you vulnerable to the memory-robbing disease, lifestyle might not be enough.

In the study, researchers found that of over 6,300 adults aged 55 and older, those with healthy habits had a lower risk of being diagnosed wit...

Your lunch leftovers are doing no favors for urban birds' hearts, new research shows.

Fatty food scraps may be boosting the cholesterol levels of crows in U.S. cities, but whether it's a threat to their health isn't clear.

A team from Hamilton College in Clinton, N.Y., analyzed blood cholesterol levels of 140 crow nestlings in urban and rural areas of California. Those in ur...

Do you love restaurant-style scallops but feel nervous about making them at home? Here's the 101 to cooking the perfect scallop every time.

The trick to creating tasty scallop dishes is to choose "dry" scallops -- these aren't treated with phosphates, which can give them an off-taste and make them stringy when cooked. Scallops pair deliciously with citrus, such as oranges. If availabl...

A quirk in quality testing could mean that pot-laced chocolates are more potent than their label indicates, researchers report.

Many states that allow the sale of marijuana-infused edibles -- gummy bears, cookies and chocolates -- require package labeling that shows the products' level of THC, the compound that gets you high.

But potency testing on chocolate products appears...

"Eating the rainbow" is a great way to harness the different micronutrients in fruits and vegetables.

Among the reds (and yellows), naturally sweet beets are a great source of folate, the B vitamin, fiber and potassium. If you shied away from beets as a kid, it's time to give them a try.

A fun introduction involves using a spiralizer to prep the beets. It's an essential ki...

Do you eat healthy during the week, then ease off the brakes on the weekend? You're not alone.

But such a five days on-two days off eating regimen can erode diet quality, according to a study published recently in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Not only did participants take in more calories on weekends than on weekdays, they were less healthy calories, ...

Americans eat three times as much cheese as just 50 years ago, but not because we're enjoying careful indulgences like a cheese plate with fruit and whole grain crackers.

Experts point to the cheese overload in pizza and other Italian dishes, Tex-Mex favorites and the ubiquitous mac-and-cheese.

That's a lot of saturated fat and calories. But most people don't have to avoid...

Having a cheeseburger with that CBD-infused product? A new study suggests that fatty foods might boost the body's absorption of cannabidiol (CBD).

In 2018, CBD capsules received U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval for use in patients with seizures, but how food affects absorption of the drug has been unclear.

In this study, University of Minnesota researchers examine...

Dairy foods have been getting a lot of attention from researchers in recent years, notably from studies done both jointly and separately by scientists at Harvard and Tufts universities. They looked at the relationship between full-fat dairy and the risks for heart disease and diabetes.

A 3,000-participant study found that people who included dairy fat in their diet had a lower risk of...

If you live in a neighborhood where fast-food restaurants abound, you might be more likely to have a heart attack, new research suggests.

It turns out that heart attack rates are higher in neighborhoods with more fast-food joints, the Australian study found.

For every additional fast-food outlet in a neighborhood, there were four additional heart attacks per 100,000 people e...

If you're a chili pepper lover who can take the heat, then take it to the next level with super spicy habaneros.

Habaneros aren't for the faint of heart. They rank among some of the world's hottest chilies on the Scoville scale, which is used to measure the heat of all types of peppers. Habaneros have a round, almost pumpkin-like shape and come in a variety of colors, including orange...

Many Americans still don't get enough fruits, vegetables and other healthy foods.

If money and time are concerns, your favorite drive-through donut and coffee place in the morning and the closest fast-food chain for dinner might seem to better fit your schedule and budget, even if you know these foods aren't nutritious. You may feel it's just too hard to get the suggested five or mor...

Too much white bread and pasta fed to at-risk kids under age 5 could increase their odds of developing celiac disease, a new international study has concluded.

Every extra daily gram of gluten a young child eats increases their risk of celiac disease, if they are genetically predisposed to it, researchers found.

For example, eating an extra half-slice of white bread every day at...

Are you hungry after you exercise? That might not be a problem if you're at a healthy weight, but if you're trying to shed extra pounds, the calories you take in could replace the ones you just worked so hard to burn off.

For decades, researchers have tried to find out whether the intensity and/or duration of exercise could play a role in limiting hunger immediately and in the hours a...

Guacamole is one party dip that's actually good for you, and it's easy to make at home.

Hass avocados -- with green skins that turn brown-black when ripe -- are rich and creamy. They're filled with healthy fats, vitamins and fiber. The rest of the fresh ingredients in guacamole are filled with nutrients and few calories.

To test if an avocado is ripe, give it a gentle sque...

Americans' confidence in scientists is on the rise, but deep political divisions persist, a new nationwide poll reveals.

The Pew Research Center poll of more than 4,400 adults found that 86% have at least "a fair amount" of confidence in scientists to act in the public interest. That includes 35% who said they have "a great deal" of confidence, up from 21% in 2016.

Although colonoscopy screens for cancer, it can also uncover a common condition called diverticulosis.

This is when one or more pockets develop in the colon wall, often in the large bowel. These pockets occur over time, possibly from not getting enough fiber in your diet or eating too much red meat. They're so common that about 50% of people have them by age 50, according to the A...

If Americans traded in their hamburgers for tofu, buckwheat and asparagus, it could make a big difference in the health of the planet -- without shortchanging anyone on nutrients.

That's the conclusion of a new study in which researchers estimated the benefits -- to humans and the environment -- of diets centered on "nutritionally sound" meat alternatives.

Many studies have ...

Skipping that grilled T-bone and having chicken instead could reduce a woman's risk of breast cancer, a new study suggests.

The World Health Organization has declared red meat a probable carcinogen, and this new study adds breast cancer to a list of cancers linked to red meat, including beef, veal, pork, lamb and some game.

Breast cancer is the number one cancer among women...

A new study adds to the list of potential health threats from global warming: Higher mercury levels in certain fish.

While eating fish is considered part of a healthy diet, it's also a source of mercury -- which, in high enough amounts, is toxic to the nervous system and kidneys.

Small fish generally have only small amounts of mercury. But when larger predatory fish eat thos...

McDonald's, Wendy's, Burger King, KFC: If you pass by these and other fast-food outlets on your daily commute, weight gain might be the result, new research shows.

People tempted by more fast-food restaurants going to and from work tended to have a higher BMI (body mass index) than people who didn't, the researchers said. The study involved more than 700 female elementary school emp...

Pile those vegetables and fruits high when you sit down to eat, and your heart will thank you.

A diet rich in plant-based foods translated into fewer heart problems in a new study.

For the study, the researchers analyzed data collected from more than 10,000 middle-aged U.S. adults who were followed from 1987 through 2016. None had heart disease at the start of that period.<...

Are you craving a seafood bonanza but can't get to the beach? Here's how to make a clambake right in your own kitchen.

Traditional clambakes serve up more than clams. This special one-pot meal typically includes other seafood, such as lobster and mussels, plus hearty sausage, potatoes and corn. This may look like a decadent meal, but the seafood is very low in calories while high in p...

Leeks may look like scallions grown out of control, but they can add subtle flavor to many dishes, from soup to sides.

Leeks are part of the onion and garlic family and are a good source of nutrients, including antioxidants. But unlike their cousins, leeks aren't usually eaten raw.

The first step in any leek recipe is to properly clean them. Cut off and discard the very dark...

In the quest for more plant-based protein sources, yellow peas have been getting a lot of good press. And the number of packaged foods enhanced with this "pea protein" has tripled in the last few years.

But dried split peas, whether yellow or green in color, were an excellent food choice long before they achieved their overnight superstar status. A mere quarter-cup, measured dry (unco...

You've made the decision to improve your eating habits, but where should you begin? It can seem overwhelming at first.

One way to approach new lifestyle habits is to map out the improvements you'd like to make and tackle them one at a time, over a week or two, before making the next change.

Here are three steps to schedule on your calendar:

• Start by making bet...

Wondering if you can do more than slap on some sunscreen to prevent skin cancer? A new study suggests that getting more vitamin A may help.

The study of around 125,000 Americans found that people with the highest intake of vitamin A lowered their risk of squamous cell skin cancer by around 15%. Most of the vitamin A they consumed came from foods.

"These findings just ...

To get the most out of a whole chicken, roasting is the way to go. It's an easy and flavorful way to prepare this protein-rich, lean meat, plus you'll have dinner for two and lunch for the next day.

Simple prep steps make the job easy. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention cautions not to rinse chicken of any kind -- the droplets of water can splash around the kitchen, a...

It's a hard habit to break -- sinking your teeth into a favorite fast-food breakfast sandwich. But your drive-thru addiction could be making a big dent in daily calorie and fat limits without giving you the nutrients needed to fuel your day.

Take these steps for a healthy breakfast sandwich remix, great taste included.

When you must buy a ready-made sandwich, skip the bacon ...

Doctors may be as confused about what dietary advice to pass on to their patients as the patients themselves -- even when it comes to protecting against heart disease through diet, according to U.S., British and Italian reports.

Part of the problem is the continuing lack of nutrition education offered in medical schools. Another is the lack of time doctors have to spend with patients...

Looking for a fresh way to top your burger, seafood and other proteins? Use hot peppers to create a zesty alternative to mayo or butter-based sauces.

Homemade pepper-based salsas are a healthy and flavorful way to liven up all kinds of dishes. And using fruit, such as mango, adds sweetness and plenty of flavor to spicy peppers like jalapenos.

Grilled Mango Salsa

After vitamins and minerals, fish oil with its omega-3 fatty acids is the most widely used supplement, taken by an estimated 10% of Americans.

So, when research reviews show that it doesn't provide the health benefits for people with heart conditions that researchers thought it did, it's hard to know what to do.

One thing researchers do know is that omega-3s are essenti...

Flint, Michigan, is best known in recent years for its troubles over tainted water. But another problem has challenged the city for decades: Most of its population lack easy access to healthy, nutritious produce.

Flint Fresh took on the challenge first through its Mobile Market - a portable produce stand - and then with its veggie box delivery program. Last fall, the nonprofit opened...

Research continues to unlock the benefits of eating whole grains, already thought to promote better digestive health, along with being very filling.

A review of 12 studies involving nearly 800,000 participants published in the journal Circulation found that eating three to four servings of whole grains every day can lower the death rate from many illnesses, including heart dis...

Turns out that the old adage -- an apple a day keeps the doctor away -- may actually be true. New research suggests that the more plant foods you eat, the lower your risk of type 2 diabetes.

People who ate a mostly plant-based diet reduced their risk of diabetes by 23%, the study found.

The association was even stronger -- a 30% drop in risk of type 2 diabetes -- f...

If you're looking for a frozen treat that won't give your healthy eating plan the cold shoulder, pass on store-bought pops and make your own.

Some prepackaged pops might be calorie-friendly, but many have dyes and preservatives. Making your own is easy, and you can use gut-friendly ingredients like kefir (a cultured dairy drink), fresh fruit and dark chocolate.

Think of kefi...

Love the idea of using more exotic fresh herbs in your cooking, but not sure where to begin? Thai basil and tarragon are two to try.

Thai basil and tarragon are richly flavored, leafy green herbs -- both have the aroma of anise or licorice -- that can add interest to mild-tasting vegetables, fruits and proteins as well as sauces, dressings and other condiments.

Often used in...

Could following a Mediterranean diet during pregnancy help head off gestational diabetes and excess weight gain?

A British study says the answer is yes.

But the researchers added that the eating regimen -- which is high in vegetables, fruits, whole grains, beans, nuts, seeds and olive oil -- does not reduce the overall risk of complications for mother and baby.

Th...