Is peanut butter as good for you as peanuts are? And are peanuts as healthful as other nuts?
Yes, peanut butter appears to offer the same health benefits that peanuts do. And peanuts, which are technically legumes, give you the same health benefits as true tree nuts, such as almonds and walnuts.
Several studies have shown that people who regularly eat nuts, including peanuts, or peanut butter are less likely to suffer from heart disease or type 2 diabetes compared with people who don’t eat nuts or nut butters. Although the possibility exists that people who eat nuts are different from those who don’t -- perhaps they exercise more or have other healthy habits – nutrition experts believe that regular consumption of nuts can make a difference.
Likewise, some...
WOOSTER, Ohio -- When it comes to foodborne illness, fresh produce belies its healthful aura: Fresh fruits and vegetables account for 24 percent of U.S. foodborne illness in which both the responsible food and contaminant are identified, according to a 2013 analysis of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data by the Center for Science in the Public Interest.
That’s one reason why Ohio State University’s Fruit and Vegetable Safety Program is holding a series of Good Agricultural Practices, or GAPs, training sessions throughout Ohio this winter and spring. The program is a combined effort of Ohio State University Extension and the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center, the outreach and research arms of the university’s College of Food, Agricultural, and...
I have been seeing more and more “healthy” recipes that call for cranberries or dried cranberries. Is this just a new fad, or are cranberries really good for you?
It used to be that cranberries showed up at the dinner table once a year, on Thanksgiving. But over the last few years they have been getting more attention.
Cranberries can be a fine addition to a healthy diet, but plain, fresh cranberries are extremely tart, so they’re often sweetened with quite a bit of sugar. Without any additions, though, a cup of whole fresh cranberries contains only 46 calories, offers 5 grams of fiber and 22 percent of the daily value for vitamin C.
According to the American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR), they’re also a prime source of antioxidants, mostly in the form of...
This year, we’re trying to help our kids focus on the non-commercial, non-consumer aspects of Christmas, but we seem to be having trouble getting the message through to them. Any ideas?
First, you need to understand what you’re up against. You might be saying all the right things, and you could be heroically consistent in your messages, but your kids are getting all sorts of counter-messages from television, our consumer culture and probably even from their peers.
Family and consumer scientists at the nation’s land-grant universities, including Ohio State University, do offer guidance for parents to help them communicate with their children and instill family values, both during the holidays and at any time of year. Here are some ideas to consider:
Model the...
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- With Ohio continuing to experience relatively low natural gas prices, more farmers, greenhouse operators and other agricultural producers are considering substituting natural gas for other fossil fuels.
Those who want to know more about the pros and cons of doing so may attend “Natural Gas Utilization by Ohio Agriculture,” a 9 a.m.-4 p.m. workshop on Jan. 14 at Ohio State University’s Nationwide and Ohio Farm Bureau 4-H Center, 2201 Fred Taylor Drive, Columbus.
The event, including lunch, is free, but space is limited and registration in advance is required. To register, contact Mike Kositzke, project coordinator of Ohio State’s Subsurface Energy Resource Center (SERC), at 614-688-1566 or kositzke.2@osu.edu.
The workshop is sponsored by SERC...
I recently saw something about the government increasing its efforts to combat Salmonella in poultry. But isn’t Salmonella also a potential problem in fresh produce? Why not include fruits and vegetables, too?
You’re right. Fresh produce also can be contaminated with Salmonella or other pathogens, but there are good reasons why it was not included in the Salmonella Action Plan that you heard about.
First, the agency overseeing the plan, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service, regulates meat, poultry and processed egg products and does not have any authority to make rules for other foods.
Also, the farm-to-fork production chains of poultry and fresh produce are very different, requiring completely different strategies. It makes sense to...
My sister seems to think she can eat as much as she wants over the holidays and not gain weight as long as she exercises more. I’m skeptical. Who’s right?
It really depends. The key is to balance calories you take in with the calories you use up.
But most weight-loss specialists say a combination of diet and exercise — not one or the other — is what’s needed, especially when indulging in special treats.
That makes sense. Figure it this way: If you estimate an average Christmas cookie has about 100 calories, and your sister eats as many as she wants — say, five? — that’s 500 calories she will need to work off if she doesn’t cut back calories somewhere else. For a 160-pound person, that’s an extra hour of high-impact...
I’ve lost 30 pounds this year. During the holidays, I want to make sure I “maintain, not gain.” Any hints?
First, congratulations on your weight loss. You should be proud.
You probably already know this, but it’s not easy to keep weight off once you do lose it. Experts continue to examine why that is. Some cite a lack of emphasis on maintenance in weight-loss programs; others believe biology plays a stronger role, blaming significant changes in metabolism during and after weight loss. Those changes often make battling weight regain a Herculean task.
Despite the challenges, there’s hope. Here are some ideas that could help you attain your no-weight-gain goal during the holidays:
Be aware that you’re going to encounter a lot of cues that...
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Ohio State University researchers are investigating the benefits of using a new analytical platform in the emerging field of metabolomics.
Experts say the platform has the potential to open doors for new discoveries in disease prevention and treatment as well as a wide range of innovative scientific projects involving foods, plants, animals and humans.
“Metabolomics involves analytical techniques to monitor all organic compounds, particularly metabolites, present in a cell—plant, animal or human,” said Steven Schwartz, professor of food science and technology in Ohio State’s College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences (CFAES) and member of the molecular carcinogenesis and chemoprevention research program at the OSU Comprehensive...
I think the best part of Thanksgiving is the leftovers, but last year our leftover turkey didn’t last very long, and we had to throw a lot of it away. What’s the best way to make leftovers last?
Generally, leftovers stored in the refrigerator last only three or four days. That surprises a lot of people, who think they might be good for a week or longer.
This year, refrigerate only the turkey you think you’ll use in the next few days and store the rest in the freezer, where it should be fine for two to six months.
Here are some detailed leftover and storage tips for holiday foods from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service:
Make sure perishable foods are left at room temperature for no longer than two hours before you...
I keep all of our donation receipts in a manila envelope to make it easy to figure our charitable contribution at tax time. But I don’t really have a system for organizing other tax-related records. Any ideas?
The Internal Revenue Service offers some guidance about what records could be important in its publication, “Recordkeeping for Individuals” (online at http://www.irs.gov/publications/p552/), but everyone’s situation will be different.
Although some people might think it’s a little early to prepare for April 15, 2014, it’s actually a prime time. If you start identifying and gathering records now that you’ll need for filing in the spring, you can make sure your new system is in place at the start of the year — which will make...
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- It’s not a new idea to use pigments from fruits and vegetables as natural alternatives to synthetic food dyes. But the work being done in Monica Giusti’s lab, focused on compounds called anthocyanins, is making it much more economical to use those natural colorants, and it’s shedding new light on the health benefits of doing so.
For her efforts, Giusti has been recognized as Ohio State University’s 2013 Early Career Innovator of the Year. Giusti is an associate professor of food science and technology in the university’s College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences and a scientist with the college’s research arm, the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center.
Anthocyanins are the compounds that give color to most...
I’ve always thought that maintaining a healthy weight is a personal responsibility, but I hear some people talk about what the public should do about the issue. How can that make a difference?
You might be surprised. Researchers have learned that people’s health behaviors are often influenced at multiple levels, so it makes sense to use multiple strategies to combat the nation’s weight problem.
The idea is this: It is not enough for people to know they should eat nutritious foods or become more physically active if the social or physical environment that surrounds them doesn’t support that knowledge. For example, requiring school lunches to include more fruits and vegetables is the type of public policy that is aimed at improving the environment to help...
I know you’re not supposed to eat grapefruit or drink grapefruit juice with some types of medication. Which ones do I need to be concerned about?
Actually, there’s quite a long list, according to the researchers who first discovered the interactions more than 20 years ago. In a review published earlier this year in the Canadian Medical Association Journal, the same researchers report there are now more than 85 drugs that are known to or are predicted to react with grapefruit. And, they said, the number of medications that can cause serious adverse effects increased from 17 to 43 between 2008 and 2012.
The Berkeley Wellness Letter provides a link to the list of interacting drugs that researchers included in their review, and you
can see it online here: http://www.cmaj...
I heard something about research showing that eating a big breakfast is good for people with diabetes. Can you tell me details?
You probably saw some news coverage of a relatively small study reported at the European Association for the Study of Diabetes annual meeting in late September.
The findings were intriguing. Participants in the study’s “big breakfast” group ended up with blood sugar level reductions three times greater than those in the “small breakfast” group. About one-third of the big breakfast participants were able to reduce their daily diabetic medication within the study period of three months.
However, it’s important to remember some key facts: The study hasn’t yet been published in a peer-reviewed journal, so its...
We grew pumpkins for cooking in our garden this year, and we plan to carve a few as small jack-o’-lanterns. If I spray the interior of the pumpkins with bleach and use an electric candle, can I still use them for cooking?
It’s not a good idea. Generally, perishable food — which is what your pumpkins will be once you carve them — shouldn’t be left at room temperature for more than two hours.
And actually, “room temperature” is not quite accurate. Not to use a scary term or anything, but you want perishable food in the “danger zone” of 40 degrees to 140 degrees F for no longer than two hours. After that amount of time, any cells of bacteria lurking around have too much of an opportunity to multiply to illness-causing levels.
It...
I know how important physical activity is for you. But I’ve also heard that just the act of sitting for long periods (like I do at my desk every day at work) can be hazardous to your health. If this is true, what can I do about it?
Recent research has, in fact, made a connection between too much downtime — that is, down-on-your-butt-time — and increased health risks.
In a 2012 study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, researchers examined data over 8.5 years from nearly 241,000 adults ages 50 to 71. The people in the study did not report any cancer, heart disease or respiratory disease at the beginning of the study.
The researchers asked participants to estimate the number of hours of overall sitting time per day, as well as the number of hours...
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- An Ohio State University economist worries that the partial shutdown of the federal government and a fight over the debt ceiling looming in Washington, D.C. has overshadowed discussion about the potentially devastating impacts of an earlier fight -- the sequestration deal that went into effect earlier this year.
Mark Partridge said the Bureau of Economic Analysis, the Census Bureau, the Bureau of Labor Statistics and other federal agencies all have plans to cut back or eliminate key local and county-level data sets used extensively and for which there are no alternatives.
“People have lost focus on some really damaging effects that the sequester had on beneficial government programs,” said Partridge, professor of agricultural, environmental, and development...
WOOSTER, Ohio -- Thanks to a half-million dollar grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Ohio State University scientists, together with their Canadian collaborators, are studying how Salmonella contaminates tomatoes and are exploring new ways to control the problem.
Until 1990, Salmonella was usually associated with chicken, eggs or other animal-based foods.
But between 1990 and 2006, at least a dozen multistate outbreaks of salmonellosis were traced to tomatoes, accounting for an estimated 79,600 illnesses, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
In fact, fresh produce-related foodborne illness outbreaks have increased 20-fold from the 1970s to the 2000s, and Salmonella accounts for nearly half of them, said Gireesh Rajashekara, principal investigator of...
I keep hearing different things about high-fructose corn syrup. Some people say it’s a lot worse than sugar, and others say it’s just the same. Who’s right?
You’re seeing different viewpoints on this issue probably because research on high-fructose corn syrup is continuing to emerge. With each published study comes more commentary on both sides.
The problem is that some studies indicate that the body handles high-fructose corn syrup differently than it handles sucrose, but other studies haven’t found such differences. As a result, different scientists have different opinions on the issue.
High-fructose corn syrup, or HFCS, is under the spotlight partly because it’s so ubiquitous in processed foods. But most people are surprised to learn...
I’m concerned that my daughter’s middle school isn’t addressing bullying very effectively. What sorts of things should schools be doing to reduce the problem?
That’s a great question. Too often, schools spend time and resources on efforts that research has shown to be ineffective at combating the problem of bullying.
And the problem is significant. About 30 percent of kids in grades 6 through 10 are involved in bullying, with victims experiencing a number of problems including depression, anxiety and, in rare but tragic instances, suicide.
In Ohio in 2007, the legislature mandated that the Ohio Department of Education come up with a model to guide school districts in developing an effective policy against bullying. You can see information about that in the...
Some friends tailgate before football games, complete with grilling burgers and brats in the parking lot outside the stadium. But they don’t seem to take basic food safety precautions. They say they’ve never had a problem, but are there guidelines I can give them?
For people who know a thing or two about food safety, nothing will make them grit their teeth more than hearing, “We’ve always done it this way and we’ve never had a problem.”
That’s what people always say — until they experience a problem. In fact, leaders of a church in North Carolina said something similar last month when nearly 90 people became ill with Salmonella poisoning — 13 of them hospitalized. That was after a church barbecue, held annually for 50 years....
BOWLING GREEN, Ohio -- Ohio State University Extension is teaming up with researchers at Kansas State and South Dakota State universities in a project to study how to take a community approach to combat youth obesity in limited-income neighborhoods.
The project, called “Ignite: Sparking Youth to Create Healthy Communities,” will test strategies to help 6th- through 8th-graders identify and overcome barriers to eating more fruits, vegetables and whole grains and becoming more active.
“Since 1980, childhood obesity has tripled,” said Susan Zies, OSU Extension educator in family and consumer sciences in Wood County and Ohio’s collaborator on the project. OSU Extension is the outreach arm of Ohio State’s College of Food, Agricultural, and...
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Ohio State University’s first publicly accessible green roof is open to visitors at Howlett Hall on the campus of the College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences.
The green roof, or rooftop garden, is part of the university’s Chadwick Arboretum and Learning Gardens.
The 12,000-square-foot green roof was installed in August and September on the back of Howlett Hall, 2001 Fyffe Court over the building’s extended ground floor. Previously, the roof was accessible through a first-floor conference room, which had been built with a doorway to allow people to step out onto the roof.
Time lapse video, taken Aug. 14 to Sept. 11, 2013, of installation of green roof
on Howlett Hall. (Video by Walter Warkus and Brian Mowrey)
The roof...
My children complain that they do not like the “healthy” lunches at their school this year. I’ve heard some schools are serving fresh fruits and vegetables from local farms, and I think that might help. How can I find out more?
School cafeterias have never been awarded top-rated Zagat reviews, but the changes your children are seeing in the chow line are likely the result of the “Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010,” which required the U.S. Department of Agriculture to establish nutrition standards for all foods sold in schools, even snacks and a la carte items, beyond the foods that are part of federally supported school meals programs.
Although the act doesn’t need to be fully implemented in schools yet, students in many schools are already...
