Joseph A. Darmiento

By now, we know there are both “good” fats and “bad” fats. But what’s the difference?
First, the good. Unsaturated fats, which include both monounsaturated fats and polyunsaturated fats, are found primarily in plant-based sources and can decrease cholesterol levels and inflammation and regulate heart rhythms, according to Harvard School of Public Health. These fats can be found in avocados, nuts, fish, flaxseeds and olive, peanut and canola oil, to name a few. (For examples of foods that can naturally lower your cholesterol, click here.)
And now for the bad. Trans fats, which are created during processing, raise bad (LDL) cholesterol and lower the good (HDL). And saturated fats, which are found mostly in animal products and some plant oils, can raise blood cholesterol levels, and ultimately increase the risk of both heart disease and stroke, according to the American Heart Association.
Read More @ Huffington Post
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First thing every morning, Ellen Talles starts her day by draining a supersize Styrofoam cup filled with Diet Coke and crushed ice. The 61-year-old from Boca Raton, Fla., drinks another Diet Coke in the car on the way to work and keeps a glass nearby “at all times” at her job as a salesclerk. By the end of the day she has put away about 2 liters.

“I just love it,” she says. “I crave it, need it. My food tastes better with it.”

Talles sounds a lot like an addict. Replace her ever-present glass of Diet Coke with a cigarette, and she’d make a convincing two-pack-a-day smoker. In fact, she says, she buys her 2-liter bottles 10 at a time—more if a hurricane is in the offing—because if she notices she’s down to her last one, she panics “like somebody who doesn’t have their pack of cigarettes.”

Most diet-soda drinkers aren’t as gung ho as Talles, but people who down several diet sodas per day are hardly rare. Government surveys have found that people who drink diet beverages average more than 26 ounces per day (some drink far more) and that 3% of diet-soda drinkers have at least four daily.

Are these diet-soda fiends true addicts? And if so, what are they addicted to? The most obvious answer is caffeine—but that doesn’t explain the many die-hard diet drinkers who prefer caffeine-free varieties.
Read More @ Health.com
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Trans fat can make food taste good, last longer on grocery-store shelves, and more hazardous for your heart.

“Trans fats raise your bad cholesterol just like saturated fats, but they also increase inflammation and lower the good cholesterol that protects us against heart disease,” says Andrea Giancoli, RD, MPH, a spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association, in Hermosa Beach, Calif.

The good news? Many food manufacturers and fast-food chains have removed or reduced trans fat. But it still lurks in many foods—here are 22 to watch. Read More @ Health.Com
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In theory, you should be able to digest just about any type of food you put in your mouth.

But changes in food processing and preparation (think fried) not to mention lifestyle (think sedentary) mean our stomachs don’t always react well to everything we eat.

It’s best to avoid some food—like fatty meats—to avoid upset tummies. But, fortunately, nature also provides foods that can ease our digestion. Here’s a guide to what’s good and what’s bad when it comes to keeping your system running smoothly.

Read More @ Health.com

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Fast food giant Kentucky Fried Chicken has been ordered to pay Aus$8 million (US$8.3 million) to an Australian girl who suffered severe brain damage and was paralysed after eating a Twister wrap.

Monika Samaan was seven when she suffered salmonella encephalopathy — a brain injury linked to food poisoning that also left her with a blood infection and septic shock — in October 2005.

Several other family members also fell ill and they claimed Samaan’s injuries, which include severe cognitive, motor and speech impairment and spastic quadriplegia, were caused by a chicken Twister wrap from a Sydney KFC outlet.

The New South Wales Supreme Court ruled in the family’s favour a week ago and on Friday ordered KFC to pay the girl Aus$8 million in damages plus legal costs.
Read More @ Yahoo News

Cravings can get the best of us, especially when they’re for foods that aren’t that good for you. When a craving strikes, it’s usually because of one of the three things: taste, texture or temperature. These three snack cheats satiate all three of these triggers, and are super tasty, too!
Read More @ Dr Oz

Two class action lawsuits against Ferrero, the maker of popular hazelnut spread Nutella, claimed the company made statements suggesting Nutella is healthier than it actually is
Watch Video @ Msnbc