It’s not just the elderly and those with health challenges who benefit from owning a pet — the American Psychological Association reports that pets serve as important sources of social and emotional support for everyone.  The report, published this week, found that pet owners were just as close to their animals as they were to [...]

Move over blueberries and red wine– there’s a new celebrity flavenoid!  This time it’s an ingredient in strawberries and other fruits that lessens the complications of diabetes type 1 and may help improve some neurological disorders.  Researchers at the Salk Institute have discovered that fisetin, a naturally-occurring flavonoid that’s abundant in strawberries, may help manage [...]

Olive oil marketers take note!  A French study reported this week in Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology, suggests that  “high intensity” consumption of olive oil may prevent stroke in older people.  Intensive use meant using olive oil for both cooking and as dressing or with bread.  Researchers looked at nearly [...]

Offering children a choice of vegetables results in them eating as much as 80 percent more veggies, researchers in Spain said.  Children who were allowed to choose their vegetables ate almost 1.6 ounces per day, a new study reveals. The University of Granada and the University of Wageningen in the Netherlands analyzed vegetable consumption in children [...]

Consumers will see a new USDA Food Pyramid on June 2 as the government makes a concerted effort to improve America’s health.   A new icon will offer consumers an easy-to-understand cue to prompt healthy choices.   “This icon really has the potential to trigger an ‘aha!’ moment, where people say, ‘Hey, this is not that hard, I can do this,’” says Kathleen [...]

Could this be the year of the apple when it comes to making better for you food products?   The results of a USDA-funded study by Florida State University presented last month at The Experimental Biology 2011 Conference shows that apples are truly a “miracle fruit” and contain benefits beyond fiber.   The results show that incredible changes in the apple-eating test [...]

… sugar may not be be such a problem.  New studies reported in Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise suggest that sugar may even play a beneficial role with people who are avid about working out.  Long, hard exercise depletes the liver of glycogen which needs restoration before another work out can be effective.  [...]

Food manufacturers should expect more pressure on cutting back on sugar based on new data.  U.S. adults consume 22.2 teaspoons of sugar a day — or 355 calories — and reducing the amount of sugar can reduce weight, a U.S. food expert says.  Phil Lempert, a food industry analyst, trend-watcher and creator of the Web [...]

Here is another good reason for marketers to build campaigns around family mealtime.  Children who sit down to eat with their families are less likely to be overweight and eat unhealthy foods, according to new research.    The report finds children who eat with their parents at least three times a week had 12 percent lower odds of being overweight.  [...]

The American Heart Association says that diet and exercise can significantly reduce elevated triglyceride levels that are associated with heart and blood vessel disease.  Unlike cholesterol levels which are harder to manage without medication, the authors say substituting healthy, unsaturated dietary fats for saturated ones, engaging in physical activity and losing excess [...]