Heart Health

Beans are some of the healthiest and most nutrient-dense foods on the planet. Discover some of the top health benefits of beans, why they’re sometimes controversial in the nutrition world, and how you can best prepare and use beans in delicious, plant-based recipes.

Most plants manufacture compounds to protect themselves from predators. Some of these chemicals act by limiting the plant eater’s ability to fully absorb the rest of the plant’s nutrients. Called “antinutrients,” they’re the subject of heated controversy. Should we avoid foods that contain antinutrients, or do those foods offer more and greater health benefits than potential downsides?

Prunes and plums have vastly different reputations, despite being the very same fruit. Many people associate prunes and prune juice with constipation, which doesn’t exactly bring captivating culinary delights to mind. And considering how delicious fresh plums are, they’re surprisingly not nearly as popular as many other fruits. In this article, we'll answer common questions about plums vs prunes: What are prunes? Where do prunes come from? What are the benefits of eating plums and prunes? Plus, we’ll look at whether prunes and plums deserve to be part of your diet and some ways to enjoy them that you may not have considered.

If we played a word association game and I said “vegetable,” chances are your response wouldn’t be “artichoke.” That’s a pity because the beautiful globes are not only glamorous but delicious and very healthy as well. Once you get to know artichokes and discover how easy they are to prepare, you might just wonder how you ever got along without them.

Research has shown that a colorful diet is a great way to boost your health and vitality. But how can you be sure that you’re getting all the vitamins, minerals, and nutrients that your body needs to thrive? In this article, we’ll look at the whole spectrum of rainbow nutrition to show how adding color to your plate could add years to your life (and life to your years!). There’s also a shareable rainbow foods infographic that can help you choose a diversity of colorful fruits and vegetables.

For decades, some health influencers have waged what’s practically amounted to a PR campaign against soy products. Because soy contains phytoestrogens, which are structurally very similar to the estrogen produced by the human body, these influencers argue that soy is a dangerous food that can cause cancer and other diseases by upsetting our natural hormonal balance. Recent research, however, increasingly shows that phytoestrogens may actually be good for you. So what’s the truth about phytoestrogens? What foods, in addition to soy, contain them? And should you include or avoid them in a balanced, healthy diet?

Sesame seeds have gone from bun-decorating garnish to culinary stardom, as the Asian and Middle Eastern cultures that feature them have gone global. But are they good for you? And what can you do with them, aside from putting them on burger or sushi rolls? In this article, we’ll say “open sesame” to a cave of seed-based goodness.

If you don’t think about your kidneys a lot, that probably means they’re not giving you any trouble. But kidney disease is on the rise worldwide, and unfortunately, the symptoms may not appear until the disease has progressed to a dangerous stage. The good news is, dietary and lifestyle strategies can help to keep your kidneys in tip-top condition, and to support them even if you already have some kidney dysfunction.

Cabbage is an underappreciated vegetable with a reputation for a strong smell and a pedestrian taste. Which is a pity because cabbage has a lot to offer in terms of health, nutrition, and flavor. Plus, there are plenty of delicious ways to prepare cabbage for maximal enjoyment.

Vitamin E is one of the antioxidant heroes of our diet, helping to support immunity, fight free radicals, and possibly prevent heart disease, cancer, and cognitive decline. But does that mean you should take vitamin E supplements, or try to get vitamin E largely from your diet? And what are the best food sources of this powerhouse nutrient?

If you’re looking to expand your whole grain consumption beyond the usual suspects (wheat, rice, and corn), then the tiny, gluten-free “pseudocereal” called Amaranth is definitely worth attention. Prolific, resilient, and rich in health-promoting compounds, this ancient Mesoamerican grain is poised to feed the world. In this article, we’ll explore the history of amaranth, its benefits, and how you can use it.

Nitrates and nitrites are in some of the healthiest and unhealthiest foods around. So what’s the deal? Are nitrates bad? Should we avoid nitrates and nitrites whenever possible? Does the source matter? This article summarizes what you need to know to get the good out of these compounds while avoiding the bad.