health food news stories on Newser

5 'Healthy' Foods to Avoid

John Johnson — Sun, 04 Mar 2012 11:02:00 CST

Some foods have an underserved reputation as being healthy snacks, writes Katherine Tallmadge at the Washington Post . She runs down five common ones, including: Energy bars: These are actually "calorie bombs," she writes. Sugar is usually the first or second ingredient. Going for a hike? Try nuts and dried fruit...

Starbucks Sells Juice, Preps New Health Chain

Neal Colgrass — Sat, 12 Nov 2011 14:16:45 CST

Coffee might be healthy —but juice definitely is. And Starbucks wants you to have your vitamins. Having bought a California fruit and veggie juice maker for $30 million, the coffee mega-chain is adding "super-premium juice" to the menu. It also plans to launch a health and wellness chain by mid-next...

13 'Health Foods' That Are Pretty Bad for You

Nick McMaster — Sun, 16 Jan 2011 13:35:05 CST

It seems likely almost every food is marketed with at least some concessions made to the health-conscious. Many of them are lying, the Huffington Post reports, and here are the worst offenders: Terra Chips: Nutritionally, you might as well be eating Lay's Potato Chips—they both have 150 calories and...

US Falls Back in Love With Soda

Nick McMaster — Tue, 15 Jun 2010 17:35:20 CDT

Recession-strapped Americans threw away their healthy (and expensive) drinks and reached for good old Coke and Pepsi, Time magazine reports. Soda sales jumped 2.5% in 2009—the first bump in 5 years—while milk, yogurt, fruit, and vegetable drinks all fell. "People stopped drinking the more expensive stuff and...

8 'Health' Foods That Aren't So Healthy

Kate Schwartz — Sun, 30 May 2010 17:50:00 CDT

Sure, an apple is a nutrient-filled snack, but so is a chocolate-chip peanut butter energy bar, right? Cracked blows the whistle on eight tasty "health" foods that actually aren't so good for our heath: Vitamin Water: As if the fact that it's owned by Coca-Cola isn't enough of a red...

Eating Right: Some Unusual Suspects

Will McCahill — Sun, 27 Dec 2009 14:45:00 CST

The usual admonitions we hear at this time of year about eating right are probably going in one ear and out the other, so perhaps these unusual health-food suspects from Men’s Health will catch your attention as you prepare that New Year’s resolution. Celery: Its phytochemicals are thought to lower...

'Functional Foods' Worry Health Experts

Nick McMaster — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 20:15:02 CDT

Once dubbed junk, certain snacks are enjoying a second life as so-called “functional foods”—candy bars or sugary cereals spruced up with added nutrients, the AP reports. Despite warnings by health experts, functional foods now account for $27 billion in sales, or 5% of the US food market, and experts...

As Probiotics Expand, Confusion Sets In

Ambreen Ali — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 17:43:26 CDT

Probiotics are branching out of the dairy aisle and into all types of food—from pizza to cereal—as marketers try to sell the health benefits. Seems like good news. The so-called friendly bacteria is supposed to help with digestion and boost the immune system, among other things. The problem...

Doctors Wary of Anti-Gluten Crusade

Kevin Spak — Sat, 06 Dec 2008 18:29:21 CST

Gluten, a protein found in wheat, rye, and barley, is shaping up to be America’s latest diet villain. For about 3 million Americans diagnosed with a rare autoimmune disorder called celiac disease, avoiding gluten is essential. But that alone doesn’t account for the $2 billion a year Americans spend on...