Cart 0

Blog for Wednesday, February 24, 2016(Taco Bell, healthy?, why you overeat, etc.)

Good evening, and welcome to the New River Naturals blog. How's hump day treating you? I hope the answer is well, as we continue on to the weekend, with the 2nd month of 2016 nearly gone. So, what's the health news we'll be looking at today? First off, an article that greatly surprised me, which talks about some of the changes that Taco Bell has undergone in the last several years. I was aware of "innovations" like the Doritos taco, which obviously isn't one of their more healthy offerings. Apparently, parallel to their more indulgent new offerings, they've developed vegetarian options, the high-protein "Cantina" menu, as well as a lower calorie menu, dubbed "Fresco". While this might not be a a dietary game-changer for any of us, it's good to see one of the larger fast-food chains acting responsibly. (and if the new offerings weren't enough, you can order online, with lots of customization!) Next up,  this article looks at a study that suggests that eating carrots regularly could reduce women's risk of breast cancer by up to 60%! This is due to the vitamins called "carotenes" that carrots contain. Carotenes can also be found in other vegetables, such as spinach or red peppers! Always good to know what can lower your cancer risk! Here's another article that was some brand new information for me. This study looked at the impact having a cluttered, disorganized kitchen had on impulse eating versus that of a tidy, neat kitchen. In the study, the group that was asked to wait in the cluttered kitchen (mind you, both kitchens were stocked with bowls of snacks) consumed an average of 53 more calories per person than those in the tidy kitchen. And this was during a span of only 10 minutes! They also found that those who were surveyed prior to the kitchen and said they felt "more in control" ate less. So, lowering your stress and keeping things cleaned up may be some subtle ways for you to control impulse eating! And lastly, this article answers some questions people might have about Omega-3 fatty acids. Their benefits to heart health are widely known, (remember, this is still American Heart month!) and you might wonder about the best way to include them in your diet. According to the article, there's actually more DHA and EPA in farm-raised salmon than in salmon caught in the wild! This is the rare instance where the healthy benefit of the food is actually greater in the mass-produced variety! An economic source mentioned is sardines, though I know they're not everyone's favorite. I hope there was some new information here for you today as well! Be healthy, my friends!


Older Post Newer Post