An aerial view from a drone shows an auger cart being used to transfer soybeans to a transport truck in a field at the Bardole & Son's Ltd farm on October 14, 2019 in Rippey, Iowa. Joe Raedle / Getty Images
By Scott Faber
The staggering number of food and farm workers who have died from Covid-19 has laid bare the Trump administration's disastrous policies on food and farm issues.
<p>President Trump's failure to provide these workers with protections from the coronavirus was the latest bad decision that made our food and the people who produce it less safe, increased hunger, increased the health care costs caused by poor diets and the pollution caused by farms, and made it harder for all Americans to decide how to feed their families.</p>
<p>Now President-elect Biden has a chance to change course. Here's what should be on the menu.</p><p>First, Biden should make it a <a href="https://frac.org/news/frac-congratulates-presidentelectbiden" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">priority to end hunger</a>. As a result of the pandemic, millions more are <a href="https://www.brookings.edu/blog/up-front/2020/05/06/the-covid-19-crisis-has-already-left-too-many-children-hungry-in-america/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">facing hunger</a>, including one in five children.</p><p>The Trump administration has actually been undermining programs to alleviate hunger. Last year, the Department of Agriculture proposed to kick nearly <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/family/archive/2019/12/trump-snap-food-stamps-cuts/603367/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">700,000</a> people out of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, as well as implementing <a href="https://www.urban.org/urban-wire/targeting-snap-expanded-public-charge-rule-could-worsen-food-insecurity" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">other rules</a> designed to reduce participation in the program, commonly known as food stamps. Just weeks before the election, the administration went to court to <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2020/10/26/trump-blocks-pandemic-food-aid-432560" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">block pandemic food aid</a> for the poor.</p><p>Biden has <a href="https://joebiden.com/joe-biden-urges-donald-trump-to-address-hunger-crisis/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">pledged</a> to increase the standard SNAP benefit by 15 percent, <a href="https://joebiden.com/covid19/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">supports</a> free school meals and wants to <a href="https://joebiden.com/covid19/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">rescind</a> rules that limit participation in anti-hunger programs. But increasing SNAP benefits and participation alone will not end hunger. A Biden administration must also address income and housing challenges.</p><p>Second, Biden should make it a priority to protect food and farm workers from Covid-19. According to the Food and Environmental Reporting Network, at least <a href="https://thefern.org/2020/04/mapping-covid-19-in-meat-and-food-processing-plants/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">72,000</a> of these workers have gotten sick and <a href="https://thefern.org/2020/04/mapping-covid-19-in-meat-and-food-processing-plants/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">327</a> have died.</p><p>Biden has <a href="https://people.com/politics/joe-biden-says-no-workers-life-is-worth-me-getting-a-cheaper-hamburger/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">said</a>, "[N]o worker's life is worth me getting a cheaper hamburger," and <a href="https://joebiden.com/empowerworkers/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">pledged</a> to support policies that protect workers from Covid-19, expand their ability to organize, and provide a $15 minimum wage. To make good on his pledge to protect workers threatened by Covid-19, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, or OSHA, must quickly require basic personal protections for workers, boost enforcement and ensure that workers have safe housing and transportation. When food and farm workers get sick from Covid-19, they should receive sick pay so they can stay home. And when they take risks to keep us fed, those risks should be rewarded through premium pay.</p><p>Third, Biden should make it a priority to support healthy diets.</p><p>Poor diet is now the <a href="https://cspinet.org/eating-healthy/why-good-nutrition-important" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">leading cause of Americans' death</a>, and obesity rates <a href="https://sites.tufts.edu/foodnutritionandhealth2019/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">continue to climb</a>, increasing <a href="https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/obesity-prevention-source/obesity-consequences/economic/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">health care costs</a>. The diseases caused by poor diets – such as diabetes, hypertension and cardiovascular disease – have <a href="https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMp2021264" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">significantly increased</a> the risks posed by Covid-19.</p><p>As a candidate, Biden has not had much to say about diet. But <a href="https://www.rockefellerfoundation.org/report/reset-the-table-meeting-the-moment-to-transform-the-u-s-food-system/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">food leaders</a> have had a lot to say about <a href="https://www.tfah.org/report-details/state-of-obesity-2020/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">steps</a> we can take to support healthy diets. And Vice President-elect Kamala Harris has been an outspoken supporter of <a href="https://www.cnsnews.com/article/national/susan-jones/harris-would-change-dietary-guidelines-food-labels-discourage-red-meat" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">food policy reforms</a> designed to improve our health. For starters, a Biden-Harris administration should immediately restore tough standards for food sold in schools.</p><p>Fourth, Biden should revamp Trump's farmer bailout programs to help farmers in real need and restore rules that ensure a farmer gets a fair price.</p><p>Trump's policies have been a disaster for farmers. His <a href="https://www.pbs.org/newshour/economy/making-sense/what-is-the-toll-of-trade-wars-on-u-s-agriculture" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">trade war</a> closed markets that had taken decades to open. His <a href="https://foodpolicyaction.org/will-congress-repeat-the-mistakes-of-trumps-farmer-bailout/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">bailouts</a> have favored the <a href="https://www.ewg.org/agmag/2020/10/get-big-or-get-out-how-trump-s-farm-bailouts-are-fueling-farm-consolidation" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">wealthiest farmers</a> at the expense of family farms, and rules designed to ensure that farmers get a <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2020/01/14/trump-usda-meatpacking-proposal-098352" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">fair price</a> have been shelved. His inhumane immigration policies have created <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/18/nyregion/ny-farmers-undocumented-workers-trump-immigration.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">labor shortages</a> that have harmed both farmers and food manufacturers.</p><p>The modest tweaks to ethanol programs Biden has proposed won't make a difference to most farmers. His agriculture secretary must rescind and rewrite the rules for the USDA's Covid-19 response programs to help farmers facing economic ruin and reform other farm subsidy programs to level the playing field for family farmers.</p><p>But that's not all. President-elect Biden should also make good on his<a href="https://joebiden.com/rural-plan/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"> plan</a> to address long-standing and ongoing discrimination against Black farmers. Farm subsidy reform alone will not be enough to address the <a href="https://elizabethwarren.com/plans/equity-farmers-of-color" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">long legacy of racial discrimination</a> in farm programs. We must also transform the culture at the USDA, provide land and credit to Black farmers and lift the veil of secrecy that hides the <a href="https://civileats.com/2020/07/03/op-ed-the-farm-bureau-says-it-wants-to-fight-racism-heres-where-to-start/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">racial makeup</a> of farm subsidies.</p><p>Fifth, Biden should make it a priority to keep our food safe.</p><p>Contaminated food kills more than <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/foodsafety/cdc-and-food-safety.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">3,000 Americans</a> a year, and a recent <a href="https://www.gao.gov/key_issues/food_safety/issue_summary" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">audit</a> shows no progress is being made to reduce foodborne illness. But Trump's Department of Agriculture <a href="https://advocacy.consumerreports.org/research/safe-food-coalition-comments-to-usda-on-its-proposal-to-eliminate-hog-carcass-cleaning-rules/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">eliminated</a> a requirement to clean hog carcasses, <a href="https://www.ucsusa.org/resources/attacks-on-science/usda-increases-line-speeds-endangering-poultry-processing-plant" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">increased</a> line speeds at meat-processing plants and <a href="https://cspinet.org/news/usda-publishes-final-rule-deregulate-meat-inspection-jeopardizing-food-safety-20190917" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">deregulated</a> food safety inspections. His Environmental Protection Agency <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/18/climate/epa-chlorpyrifos-pesticide-ban.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">reversed</a> a ban on chlorpyrifos, a pesticide linked to brain damage in children, and <a href="https://biologicaldiversity.org/w/news/press-releases/epa-reapproves-dangerous-drift-prone-dicamba-pesticides-recently-banned-federal-court-causing-widespread-economic-harm-farmers-2020-10-27/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">extended</a> the life of dicamba, another toxic pesticide.</p><p>Biden should immediately restore the ban on chlorpyrifos and reverse other Trump administration decisions that fail to protect consumers and farmworkers from pesticides. But the Biden-Harris administration should go further and fix our broken system for reviewing the safety of <a href="https://www.nrdc.org/sites/default/files/flawed-epa-approval-process-IB.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">pesticides</a> and other <a href="https://www.edf.org/health/unsafe-and-untested-chemicals-are-our-food" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">chemicals</a> in food.</p><p>We must also do much more to reduce foodborne illness. We must not only require growers to test irrigation water for pathogens but also combat <a href="https://www.pewtrusts.org/en/research-and-analysis/issue-briefs/2019/05/opportunities-to-improve-food-safety-from-farm-to-fork" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">the growing threat of pathogens</a> in meat and poultry. We must <a href="https://www.pewtrusts.org/en/about/news-room/press-releases-and-statements/2017/07/17/pew-safer-meat-requires-reducing-risks-where-food-animals-are-raised" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">address these risks where they start</a> – in the massive confined feedlots that have taken over much of farm country.</p><p>Sixth, the new agriculture secretary should immediately declare a climate emergency and use the resources of the Commodity Credit Corporation to reward farmers who reduce emissions and permanently store carbon in the ground.</p><p>Farmers can play a much <a href="https://thehill.com/blogs/congress-blog/energy-environment/437193-how-corn-farmers-and-cows-can-help-avert-the-climate" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">bigger role</a> in efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Historic storms have placed farmers on the front lines in the fight against the climate crisis, and legislators have proposed <a href="https://www.booker.senate.gov/news/press/with-fdrs-new-deal-as-blueprint-booker-introduces-climate-change-bill-focused-on-investing-in-farm-conservation-programs-reforestation-and-wetlands-restoration" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">bold ideas</a> to reward farmers who take meaningful and measurable steps to address it. Expanding and reforming voluntary farm stewardship programs to make the climate crisis a top priority and linking farm subsidies to a <a href="https://www.ewg.org/research/fooling-ourselves" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">basic standard</a> of environmental care will also help keep our drinking water clean and safe.</p><p>The Covid-19 crisis has shined a spotlight on Trump's food and farm policy failures. Workers are getting sick, and our food supply chains are being tested. Trump's policy failures have also made more consumers sick and pushed many farmers to the brink of financial ruin. A Biden-Harris administration can – and should – do better.</p><p><em><a href="https://www.ewg.org/experts/scott-faber.php" target="_blank">Scott Faber</a> is the Senior Vice President of Government Affairs at the Environmental Working Group.</em></p>
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5 Best Eco-Conscious Meal Kit Delivery Services for 2020
Meal kit services offer pre-portioned recipes and a fun cooking experience. But what options are best for the earth-conscious family?
09 November
Reviews
Micheile Henderson / Unsplash
For those looking for a quick and convenient way to eat delicious, hearty meals with little to no hassle, there are plenty of meal delivery services to choose from. We've all seen the overwhelming number of meal kits promoted via Instagram, Facebook, and other social media platforms, but many consumers are left wondering if these delivery services are really worth the purchase. Despite all the hype, these programs can be beneficial for a number of reasons, including their environmental impact.
<p>Meal delivery kits actually have <a href="https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/04/190422090844.htm" target="_blank">one-third of the carbon footprint</a> as the same meals bought in a grocery store, and they offer the advantage of easy meal planning and sustainable ingredient sourcing while simultaneously cutting down on food waste. </p><p><a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/food-waste" target="_self">Food waste</a> is a big problem in the U.S. The average American generates more than 200 pounds of waste each year, according to the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). </p><p><span></span>Meal kits are a way to cut back on discarded food.</p><p><span></span>Each kit comes with pre-portioned packets of produce, meat or fish, if requested, and all the spices and seasonings one needs to complete a chef-inspired dish at-home. So, if meal kits can actually lessen the strain you're putting on the world (and on your cooking prowess), which option is best?</p><p><span></span>We reviewed several of the leading brand's on their food options, packaging, and customer reviews to find the services we think are best for the conscious consumer. Here is our list of the top five meal kit delivery services.</p><p><em>Each product featured here has been independently selected. If you make a purchase using the links included, we may earn commission.</em><em><br/></em></p>
<h2> Getting Started with a Meal Delivery Service</h2><p>With so much variety, selecting a meal delivery service can turn into a stressful endeavor. Additionally, brands like Hello Fresh, Blue Apron, Home Chef, and Daily Harvest are other options that are trying to win you over, but they may not have the most sustainable methods as some of the options listed above. </p><p><span></span>Although the sheer number of meal kit options can also work to your advantage. These companies are competing for customers and often offer sign-up specials and discounts to get you started. When shopping for a subscription service, try multiple options and take advantage of these deals. With many programs, you have the freedom to change or cancel your subscription, so you can try a few different options to find one that fits your taste and your budget. We also recommend that you compare your per-meal cost to what you might spend on dinners at the grocery store to maximize your savings.</p><p>If you give one of these meal kits a try, let us know what you think. We'll update this list regularly as we get feedback from readers and add additional sustainability notes as we dive deeper into new services. </p><p><strong>Melena Gurganus </strong>is the Reviews Editor at EcoWatch. She is passionate health and wellness and her writing aims to help others find products they can trust. Her work has been featured in publications such as Health, Shape, Huffington Post, Cannabis Business Times, and Bustle.<br/></p>
Purple Carrot: Best Plant-Based Option
<img lazy-loadable="true" src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDc1MjUxMy9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYxMDI2MzY2OX0.wFDjVHsZAAyyELNVgxR6prFFmolGry8egrzMePDf654/img.jpg?width=980" id="1a33a" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="769107ab1740e29aa080f530755b037d" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" />Purple Carrot
<p>According to researchers, you could cut the <a href="https://www.economist.com/graphic-detail/2019/11/15/how-much-would-giving-up-meat-help-the-environment" target="_blank">carbon footprint of your diet by 60%</a> by eating plant-based meals for two-thirds of your diet.</p><p>Now, if sustainability is about achieving a balance between human consumption and the environments we impact, plant-based is the way to go. Purple Carrot offers all plant-based meal kits in a variety of tasty menu items. There's even a black bean burger if you want to prepare the vegan-skeptic member of your family a familiar plate. </p><p>Purple Carrot meal kits, in many ways, support the idea that many small, smart choices can add up to a big impact. </p><p><strong>Cost</strong>: Purple Carrot costs $11.99 price per serving for two people and $9.99 per serving for the four-plate plan. With introductory discounts the first week costs $50 to $60. </p>Sun Basket: Best Organic Option
<img lazy-loadable="true" src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDc1MjUzNC9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY1Njc4OTkzN30.a2aIWvOTJfVK6VBFSZ3PdwNAPhoTMUu6eOFrbbaUeos/img.jpg?width=980" id="e24c7" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="5439cf2ef1a1377fe041dbed42aca07e" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" />Sun Basket J030-Shrimp-PaellaSun Basket
<p>Sun Basket is our favorite organic meal kit brand. Sun Basket delivers a box of 100% organic produce, antibiotic- and hormone-free meat, and farm fresh eggs. Their approach to sourcing wild seafood was named Best Choice or Good Alternative by the Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch® Program.</p><p>Sun Basket aims to support farmers who push for sustainable water management and crop rotations, as well as ranchers and fisherman who treat the planet with respect. </p><strong>Cost</strong>: Three meals each week for two people costs $71.94 plus $7.99 shipping. That's $11.99 per serving.Green Chef: Best for Keto and Paleo Shoppers
<img lazy-loadable="true" src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDc1MjU0NS9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY1OTg4NDE2Nn0.VYYj6q9TDKOPaLib6vC04_pqJFTl3pPwlWuhc85pF4k/img.jpg?width=980" id="4ce26" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="33a986a6a8296eee9702e82eff47a06c" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" />Green Chef
<p>Green Chef is a certified organic company with meal kit plans that include keto, paleo, and plant-based options. You can schedule a weekly delivery or stagger deliveries during the month, depending on your personal needs or how often you choose to cook. Green Chef has a wide variety of recipe options, and according to its website, <span style="background-color: initial;">"offsets 100% of its direct carbon emissions and plastic packaging" through its sustainability efforts.</span></p><p><strong>Cost</strong>: Price is based on the plan chosen, but costs are generally $11.49 per meal for the Keto + Paleo option, $10.49 per meal for the Balanced Living option, and $10.49 per meal for the Plant-powered option. Shipping and handling costs are additional.</p>Freshly: Best "No Cooking" Option
<img lazy-loadable="true" src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDc1MjU1Mi9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYzNDEwNzI3Nn0.L3XUMO4-3dyj_cI0cMihqvoP7Ig7x8D-Z5vg4TsGWlo/img.jpg?width=980" id="89b90" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="64389578a3b41467c0759bf0d60eb993" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" />Freshly
<p>Freshly is the only service we came across that offered corporate options. We liked the idea of a cost-efficient way to serve a large group a healthy meal. Freshly boxes in the office fridge would be a nice reprieve from the typical mid-day exodus to the nearest quick food option. All Freshly meals come in recyclable packaging and the single portions mean less food going to waste during preparation, which makes this a more sustainable option than many single-serving meal packages available in the freezer section of your local grocery store. </p><p><strong>Cost</strong>: Individual meals are $8.99 to $12.50 per serving with free shipping.</p>Every Plate: Best Value for Meal Kit Beginners
<img lazy-loadable="true" src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDc1MjU1NS9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYxMTU2MDE5NX0.nZ8rvbH61g8MBueUwZBJpCgiwDUUrRgbXmuWBCW5kDs/img.jpg?width=980" id="40a43" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="71349a43c3f798f91db591cc481f7f7f" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" />Every Plate
<p>If you're looking for organic ingredients, simple recipe cards, and a highly affordable option, Every Plate is for you. Every Plate uses less packaging than most other delivery services due to their simpler packages that contain fewer spice and sauce packets. Most Every Plate meals can be made in under 30 minutes, which makes this as close as you can come to fast and "cheap" meals with clean ingredients. </p><p><strong>Cost</strong>: Weekly boxes of two or four servings for as little as $4.99 per serving.</p>From Your Site Articles
- 6 Easy Steps to Go Vegan - EcoWatch ›
- Concerned About Food Waste? Study Finds Meal Kits May Be ... ›
- Beyoncé Launches Vegan Meal Delivery Service - EcoWatch ›
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Like many other plant-based foods and products, CBD oil is one dietary supplement where "organic" labels are very important to consumers. However, there are little to no regulations within the hemp industry when it comes to deeming a product as organic, which makes it increasingly difficult for shoppers to find the best CBD oil products available on the market.
<p>Here you can learn about the importance of organic hemp oil, why it's better for the environment, and which CBD companies actually make trustworthy products with sustainable farming processes. origins which weigh heavily on many consumers who want to buy a product that's produced in the best way possible for not only themselves to ingest, but for the environment as well through sustainable farming methods. </p><h2>What Is CBD Oil?</h2><p>First things first, CBD stands for cannabidiol, and it's a cannabinoid found within cannabis sativa plants. This plant compound is believed to have many potential benefits, and it is primarily derived from hemp plants via a CO2 extraction process. </p><p>Since CBD is extracted from industrial hemp, which contains only trace amounts of THC (the psychoactive component in cannabis plants), this means that CBD won't make you feel high like marijuana, which has much higher levels of THC that causes psychoactive effects. Instead, the effects of CBD are much more subtle and promote a general sense of calm and relaxation in most users.</p><h2>What Makes a CBD Oil Organic?</h2><p>In terms of organic labels, perhaps the most important (and prominent) certification comes from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). This government organization has been labeling foods as "organic" for many years, but what exactly does this certification entail? Essentially, a label indicating that a product is "USDA Organic" or "Certified Organic" means that at least 95% of the ingredients are obtained from organic sources.</p><p>For a crop to be considered organic by the USDA, it must be grown without the use of industrial solvents, irradiation, genetic engineering (GMOs), synthetic pesticides, or chemical fertilizer. Instead, farmers rely on natural substances and <a href="https://www.usda.gov/media/blog/2012/03/22/organic-101-what-usda-organic-label-means" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">mechanical, physical, or biologically based farming</a> techniques to cultivate healthy and organic crops.</p><p>Before the passage of the 2018 Farm Bill, no hemp-derived products could be dubbed as "certified organic" since the hemp plant and its extracts were still categorized as a Schedule I Controlled Substance. However, it's still difficult for CBD companies to obtain a USDA certified organic label for their products due to the legal grey area that still surrounds CBD extracts. </p><p>Because of these challenges, and due to the fact that industrial hemp has only recently become an agricultural crop, very few CBD oils are USDA certified organic. Rather, many CBD products contain hemp extracts from plants that were grown in organic conditions but may not be federally certified.</p><h2>What are the Best Organic CBD Oil Brands?</h2><p><em>Each product featured here has been independently selected. If you make a purchase using the links included, we may earn commission.</em></p>
<h2>Why Organic Hemp Oil Matters</h2><p>Hemp is a unique plant, not only for its rich cannabinoid content, but also for its ability to absorb a wide variety of components in soil. But this trait poses great risks when it comes to the creation of CBD products derived from hemp.</p><p>Because hemp has a high capacity for compound uptake, this means that the plants can retain <a href="https://www.remedyreview.com/industry/lab-test-results/" target="_blank">harmful chemicals like pesticides</a>, heavy metals, and other residual solvents. This is especially true when it comes to synthetic chemicals that are more toxic to humans, and difficult to remove once they have been absorbed by the hemp plant.</p><p>Organic farming practices help reduce the risk of hemp crops absorbing harsh chemicals that may later end up in CBD oil after extraction. When you're taking CBD as a wellness supplement to help alleviate your symptoms or improve your overall well-being, the last thing you want is to ingest compounds that might negatively outweigh the benefits of CBD. This is an important reason to look for third party lab test results when shopping for CBD products since these certificates of analysis can show the full cannabinoid and terpene profile of a hemp extract, as well as test results that search for the presence of any residual solvents.</p><p>In addition to creating a better end product, organic farming practices are also better for the environment. Sustainable and organic farming methods may <a href="https://www.helpguide.org/articles/healthy-eating/organic-foods.htm" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">reduce pollution, conserve water, reduce soil erosion, increase soil fertility, and use less energy</a>. The use of natural pest deterrents as opposed to chemical pesticides is also better for nearby animal populations and ecosystems.</p><h3>Organic vs. Natural</h3><p>While there are only a select few companies offering certified organic ingredients in their products, almost every brand in the CBD market creates "natural" products. The term "all-natural" or "plant-based" does not mean that a product is organic, and since hemp oil is a natural derivative of hemp plants, these products are often referred to as all-natural. However, there are some synthetic CBD oils that should be avoided because they are chemically constructed and may produce unwanted side effects that are not caused by naturally derived CBD extracts.</p><h2>What are the Benefits of Organic CBD Oil?</h2><p>There's a long list of potential CBD oil health benefits, and some of the most common wellness advantages include:</p><ul class="ee-ul"><li><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2503660/" target="_blank">Chronic pain relief</a></li><li><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4604171/" target="_blank">Anti-anxiety effects</a></li><li>Better sleep</li><li><a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/inner-source/201901/cbd-oil-mental-health-should-you-take-it-too" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Improvements in mood</a></li><li>Internal balance and regulation</li></ul><p>When dealing with pain, inflammation, sleep issues, and mental health struggles, it can be hard to find sufficient treatment options. The use of certain prescriptions can cause unwanted side effects, yet they are often the only solution for patients with these medical conditions. In search of other therapies, people have started to flock towards CBD oil as an alternative remedy for a variety of conditions. However, it should be noted that CBD products are not approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and you should seek your doctor's advice before using CBD if you have a serious medical condition.</p><h2>Look at the Labels Before You Buy CBD Oil</h2><p>When you go online to buy CBD oil, you'll quickly realize there is an overwhelming number of brands that are saturating the market. It can be difficult to determine which products are truly as good as they make themselves out to be. Always look for up-to-date third-party lab tests so you know you are getting a great product, and don't hesitate to contact the brand if you have any additional questions. And if you're intent on purchasing 100% organic CBD oil, it's best to look for certified products or brands that are held to strict regulatory standards.</p><p><strong>Melena Gurganus </strong>is the Reviews Editor at EcoWatch. She is passionate health and wellness and her writing aims to help others find products they can trust. Her work has been featured in publications such as Health, Shape, Huffington Post, Cannabis Business Times, and Bustle.<br></p>
Spruce
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDY4NjI3OC9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYyOTM2NzgzOX0.axY0HjeqRctJsR_KmDLctzDpUBLBN-oNIdqaXDb4caQ/img.jpg?width=980" id="774be" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="8379f35b1ca8a86d0e61b7d4bfc8b46e" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" alt="spruce organic cbd oil" /><p>As one of the best brands in the business, Spruce CBD is well-known for its potent CBD oils that feature many additional beneficial phytocannabinoids. This brand works with two family-owned, sustainably focused farms in the USA (one located in Kentucky and one in North Carolina) to create its organic, small product batches. The max potency Spruce CBD oil contains 2400mg of full-spectrum CBD extract, but the brand also offers a lower strength tincture with 750mg of CBD in total.</p>
$89
CBDistillery
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDcwMjkzNC9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYyMTU4OTM4Nn0.ypRdeDSBcE87slYrFfVrRwtJ2qGIK6FD5jBB4pndTMo/img.jpg?width=980" id="b473b" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="9930b53c9d58cb49774640a61c3e3e75" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" alt="cbdistillery cbd oil" /><p>All of the products from CBDistillery are <a href="https://ushempauthority.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">U.S. Hemp Authority Certified</a>, and for good reason. The company only uses non-GMO and pesticide-free industrial hemp that's grown organically on Colorado farms. Its hemp oils are some of the most affordable CBD products on the market, yet they still maintain a high standard of quality. CBDistillery has a wide variety of CBD potencies across its product line (ranging from 500mg to 5000mg per bottle) and offers both full-spectrum and broad-spectrum CBD oils to give customers a completely thc-free option.</p>
$35
FAB CBD
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDY4NjIyNS9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY2NDIwOTEyMn0.MlTjz096FJ0ev_-soK7_Z-FeQeJczWoeh9Qi9SSkHsY/img.jpg?width=980" id="04b26" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="76aa4862f44603242e318982acea6646" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" alt="fab cbd oil" /><p>For an organic CBD oil that has it all, FAB CBD offers plenty of variety for any type of consumer. All of its products are made with zero pesticides and extracted from organically grown Colorado industrial hemp. FAB CBD oil comes in five all-natural flavors (mint, vanilla, berry, citrus, and natural) and is also available in four strengths (300, 600, 1200, and 2400mg per bottle).</p>
$39
NuLeaf Naturals
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDY4NjIxOS9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY1NzExNTgyMX0.D6qMGYllKTsVhEkQ-L_GzpDHVu60a-tJKcio7M1Ssmc/img.jpg?width=980" id="94e4a" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="3609a52479675730893a45a82a03c71d" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" alt="nuleaf naturals organic cbd oil" /><p>As an industry-leading brand, it comes as no surprise that NuLeaf Naturals sources its CBD extract from organic hemp plants grown on licensed farms in Colorado. The comany's CBD oils only contain two ingredients: USDA certified organic hemp seed oil and full spectrum hemp extract.</p><p>NuLeaf Naturals uses one proprietary CBD oil formula for all of its products, so you will get the same CBD potency in each tincture (60mg per mL), but can purchase different bottle sizes depending on how much you intend to use.</p>
$38.50
Charlotte's Web
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDcwMjk3NS9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY0MzQ0NjM4N30.SaQ85SK10-MWjN3PwHo2RqpiUBdjhD0IRnHKTqKaU7Q/img.jpg?width=980" id="84700" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="a2174067dcc0c4094be25b3472ce08c8" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" alt="charlottes web cbd oil" /><p>Perhaps one of the most well-known brands in the CBD landscape, Charlotte's Web has been growing sustainable hemp plants for several years. The company is currently in the process of achieving official USDA Organic Certification, but it already practices organic and sustainable cultivation techniques to enhance the overall health of the soil and the hemp plants themselves, which creates some of the highest quality CBD extracts. Charlotte's Web offers CBD oils in a range of different concentration options, and some even come in a few flavor options such as chocolate mint, orange blossom, and lemon twist.</p>
$60
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A woman holds a handful of vitamin C. VO IMAGES / Getty Images
By Laura Beil
Consumers have long turned to vitamins and herbs to try to protect themselves from disease. This pandemic is no different — especially with headlines that scream "This supplement could save you from coronavirus."
<p>It also helps to have celebrity enthusiasts. When President Donald Trump was diagnosed with COVID-19, his pill arsenal included Vitamin D and zinc. And in an Instagram chat with actress Jennifer Garner in September, infectious diseases expert Anthony Fauci touted vitamins C and D as ways that might generally boost the immune system. "If you're deficient in vitamin D," he noted, "that does have an impact on your susceptibility to infection. I would not mind recommending, and I do it myself, taking vitamin D supplements."</p><p>But whether over-the-counter supplements can actually prevent, or even treat, COVID-19, is not clear. Since the disease is so new, researchers haven't had much time for the kind of large experiments that provide the best answers. Instead, scientists have mostly relied on fresh takes on old data. Some studies have looked at outcomes of patients who routinely take certain supplements — and found some promising hints. But so far there's little data from the kinds of scientifically rigorous experiments that give doctors confidence when recommending supplements.</p><p>Here's what we know today about three supplements getting plenty of attention around COVID-19.</p>
Vitamin D
<p><strong>What it is: </strong>Called "the sunshine vitamin" because the body makes it naturally in the presence of ultraviolet light, <a href="https://www.sciencenews.org/article/vitamin-d-supplements-lose-luster" target="_blank">Vitamin D is one of the most heavily studied</a> supplements (<em>SN: 1/27/19</em>). <a href="https://health.gov/our-work/food-nutrition/2015-2020-dietary-guidelines/guidelines/appendix-12/" target="_blank">Certain foods</a>, including fish and fortified milk products, are also high in the vitamin.</p><p><strong>Why it might help: </strong>Vitamin D is a hormone building block that helps strengthen the immune system.</p><p><strong>How it works for other infections:</strong> In 2017, the <em>British Medical Journal</em> published a meta-analysis that suggested a daily vitamin D supplement <a href="https://www.bmj.com/content/356/bmj.i6583" target="_blank">might help prevent respiratory infections</a>, particularly in people who are deficient in the vitamin.</p><p>But one key word here is <em>deficient. </em>That risk is highest during dark winters at high latitudes and among people with more color in their skin (melanin, a pigment that's higher in darker skin, inhibits the production of vitamin D).</p><p>"If you have enough vitamin D in your body, the evidence doesn't stack up to say that giving you more will make a real difference," says Susan Lanham-New, head of the Nutritional Sciences Department at the University of Surrey in England.</p><p>And taking too much can create new health problems, stressing certain internal organs and leading to a dangerously high calcium buildup in the blood. The recommended daily allowance for adults is 600 to 800 International Units per day, and the upper limit is considered to be 4,000 IUs per day.</p><p><strong>What we know about Vitamin D and COVID-19:</strong> Few studies have looked directly at whether vitamin D makes a difference in COVID.</p><p>In May, in the <em>BMJ Nutrition, Prevention & Health</em>, Lanham-New and her colleagues published a <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7246103/" target="_blank">summary of existing evidence </a>and concluded that there's only enough to recommend vitamin D to help with COVID-19 prevention for people who are deficient. That paper made inferences from how vitamin D works against other respiratory tract infections and immune health.</p><p>More than a dozen studies are now testing vitamin D directly for prevention and treatment, including a large one led by JoAnn Manson, a leading expert on vitamin D. An epidemiologist and preventive medicine physician at Harvard Medical School and Brigham & Women's Hospital in Boston. That study will analyze if vitamin D can affect the course of a COVID-19 infection. <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1551714420302548" target="_blank">The trial</a> aims to recruit 2,700 people across the United States with newly diagnosed infections, along with their close household contacts.</p><p>The goal is to determine whether newly diagnosed people given high doses of vitamin D — 3,200 IU per day — are less likely than people who get a placebo to experience severe symptoms and need hospitalization. "The biological plausibility for a benefit in COVID is compelling," she says, given the nutrient's theoretical ability to impede the severe inflammatory reaction that can follow coronavirus infection. "However the evidence is not conclusive at this time."</p>
Zinc
<p><strong>What it is: </strong>Zinc, a mineral found in cells all over the body, is found naturally in certain meats, beans and oysters.</p><p><strong>Why it might help: </strong>It plays several supportive roles in the immune system, which is why zinc lozenges are always hot sellers in cold and flu season. Zinc also helps with cell division and growth.</p><p><strong>How it works for other infections: </strong><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6457799/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Studies of using zinc for colds</a> — which are frequently caused by coronaviruses — suggest that using a supplement right after symptoms start might make them go away quicker. That said, a clinical trial from researchers in Finland and the United Kingdom, published in January in <em>BMJ Open</em> <a href="https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/10/1/e031662" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">did not find any value for zinc lozenges</a> for the treatment of colds. Some researchers have theorized that inconsistencies in data for colds may be explained by varying amounts of zinc released in different lozenges.</p><p><strong>What we know about zinc and COVID-19:</strong> The mineral is promising enough that it was added to some early studies of hydroxychloroquine, a drug tested early in the pandemic. (Studies have since shown that <a href="https://www.sciencenews.org/article/covid-19-coronavirus-hydroxychloroquine-no-evidence-treatment" target="_blank">hydroxychloroquine can't prevent or treat COVID-19</a> (<em>SN: 8/2/20</em>).)</p><p>In July, researchers from Aachen University in Germany wrote in <em>Frontiers of Immunology</em> that current evidence "strongly <a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fimmu.2020.01712/full" target="_blank">suggests great benefits of zinc</a> supplementation" based on looking at similar infections including SARS, another disease caused by a coronavirus. For example, studies suggest that giving zinc reduces the risk for death from a pneumonia infection. The researchers cite evidence that zinc might help prevent the virus from entering the body, and help slow the virus's replication when it does.</p><p>Another review — also based on indirect evidence — published August 1 in <em>Advances in Integrative Medicine</em> also concluded that <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7395818/" target="_blank">zinc might be helpful in people who are deficient</a>.</p><p>In September, researchers from Hospital Del Marin Barcelona <a href="https://www.univadis.co.uk/viewarticle/eccvid-2020-lower-plasma-zinc-levels-associated-with-increased-risk-of-death-in-covid-19-patients-729760" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">reported that among 249 patients studied</a>, those who survived COVID had higher zinc levels in their plasma (an average of 63.1 mcg/dl) than those who died (43mcg/dl).</p><p>Overall, though, the jury is still out, says Suma Thomas, a cardiologist at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation, who in June led a team that <a href="https://www.ccjm.org/content/early/2020/06/08/ccjm.87a.ccc046" target="_blank">reviewed the evidence for popular supplements</a> in the <em>Cleveland Clinic Journal of Medicine</em>. Given what's already known, zinc could possibly decrease the duration of infection but not the severity of symptoms, she said, particularly among people who are deficient. About a dozen studies are now looking at zinc for COVID treatment, often with other drugs or supplements.</p><p>Thomas and her colleagues are <a href="https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04342728?term=zinc&cond=covid-19&cntry=US&draw=2&rank=2" target="_blank">comparing symptom severity and future hospitalization</a> in COVID-19 patients who take zinc with and without high doses of vitamin C with those who receive ordinary care without the supplement. Results are expected soon, she says.</p>
Vitamin C
<p><strong>What it is: </strong>Also called L-ascorbic acid, vitamin C has a long list of roles in the body. It's found naturally in fruits and vegetables, especially citrus, peppers and tomatoes.</p><p><strong>Why it might help:</strong> It's a potent antioxidant that's important for a healthy immune system and preventing inflammation.</p><p><strong>How it works for other infections: </strong>Thomas cautions that the data on vitamin C are often contradictory. One review from Chinese researchers, published in February in the <em>Journal of Medical Virolog</em>y, looked at <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/jmv.25707" target="_blank">what is already known about vitamin C</a> and other supplements that might have a role in COVID-19 treatment. Among other encouraging signs, human studies find a lower incidence of pneumonia among people taking vitamin C, "suggesting that vitamin C might prevent the susceptibility to lower respiratory tract infections under certain conditions."</p><p>But for preventing colds, a 2013 Cochrane review of 29 studies <a href="https://www.cochranelibrary.com/cdsr/doi/10.1002/14651858.CD000980.pub4/full" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">didn't support the idea</a> that vitamin C supplements could help in the general population. However, the authors wrote, given that vitamin C is cheap and safe, "it may be worthwhile for common cold patients to test on an individual basis whether therapeutic vitamin C is beneficial."</p><p><strong>What we know about Vitamin C and COVID-19: </strong>About a dozen studies are under way or planned to examine whether vitamin C added to coronavirus treatment helps with symptoms or survival, including Thomas' study at the Cleveland Clinic.</p><p>In a review published online in July in <em>Nutrition</em>, researchers from KU Leuven in Belgium concluded that the <a href="https://www.cochranelibrary.com/cdsr/doi/10.1002/14651858.CD000980.pub4/full" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">vitamin may help prevent infection</a> and tamp down the dangerous inflammatory reaction that can cause severe symptoms, based on what is known about how the nutrient works in the body.</p><p>Melissa Badowski, a pharmacist who specializes in viral infections at the University of Illinois at Chicago College of Pharmacy and colleague Sarah Michienzi published an extensive look at all supplements that might be useful in the coronavirus epidemic. There's <a href="https://www.drugsincontext.com/can-vitamins-and-or-supplements-provide-hope-against-coronavirus/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">still not enough evidence to know whether they are helpful</a>, the pair concluded in July in <em>Drugs in Context</em>. "It's not really clear if it's going to benefit patients," Badowski says.</p><p>And while supplements are generally safe, she adds that nothing is risk free. The best way to avoid infection, she says, is still to follow the advice of epidemiologists and public health experts: "Wash your hands, wear a mask, stay six feet apart."</p>From Your Site Articles
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Eating lots of fruits and vegetables will boost the immune system. Stevens Fremont / The Image Bank / Getty Images
By Grayson Jaggers
The connection between the pandemic and our dietary habits is undeniable. The stress of isolation coupled with a struggling economy has caused many of us to seek comfort with our old friends: Big Mac, Tom Collins, Ben and Jerry. But overindulging in this kind of food and drink might not just be affecting your waistline, but could potentially put you at greater risk of illness by hindering your immune system.
<p>Hear the word "nutrition," and often what comes to mind are fad diets, juice "cleanses" and supplements. Americans certainly seem concerned with their weight; 45 million of us spend <a href="https://www.bmc.org/nutrition-and-weight-management/weight-management" target="_blank">US$33 billion</a> annually on weight loss products. But <a href="https://nccd.cdc.gov/dnpao_dtm/rdPage.aspx?rdReport=DNPAO_DTM.ExploreByLocation&rdRequestForwarding=Form" target="_blank">one in five Americans</a> consumes nearly no vegetables – less than one serving per day.</p><p>When the emphasis is on weight loss products, and not healthy day-to-day eating, the essential role that nutrition plays in keeping us well never gets communicated. Among the many things I teach students in my <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=o_1CmfkAAAAJ&hl=en" target="_blank">nutritional biochemistry course</a> is the clear relationship between a balanced diet and a <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nutres.2020.07.005" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">strong, well-regulated immune system</a>.</p><p>Along with social distancing measures and effective vaccines, a healthy immune system is our best defense against coronavirus infection. To keep it that way, proper nutrition is an absolute must. Although not a replacement for medicine, good nutrition can work synergistically with medicine to improve vaccine effectiveness, reduce the prevalence of chronic disease and lower the burden on the health care system.</p>
<h3>The Impact of the Western Diet</h3><p>Scientists know that people with <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/need-extra-precautions/people-with-medical-conditions.html?" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">preexisting health conditions</a> are at greater risk for severe COVID-19 infections. That includes those with diabetes, obesity, and kidney, lung or cardiovascular disease. Many of these conditions are linked to a <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dsx.2020.05.025" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">dysfunctional immune system</a>.</p><p>Patients with cardiovascular or metabolic disease have a delayed immune response, giving viral invaders a head start. When that happens, the body reacts with a more intense inflammatory response, and healthy tissues are damaged along with the virus. It's not yet clear how much this damage factors into the increased mortality rate, but it is a factor.</p><p>What does this have to do with nutrition? The Western diet typically has a high proportion of red meat, saturated fat and what's known as "<a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41538-018-0020-x" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">bliss point foods</a>" rich in sugar and salt. Adequate fruit and vegetable consumption is missing. Despite the abundance of calories that often accompanies the Western diet, many Americans <a href="https://doi.org/10.3390/nu12061735" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">don't consume nearly enough</a> of the essential nutrients our bodies need to function properly, including vitamins A, C and D, and the minerals iron and potassium. And that, at least in part, causes a dysfunctional immune system: too few vitamins and minerals, and too many empty calories.</p><p>A healthy immune system responds quickly to limit or prevent infection, but it also promptly "turns down the dial" to avoid damaging the cells of the body. Sugar disrupts this balance. A high proportion of refined sugar in the diet can cause <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pcad.2017.12.001" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">chronic, low-grade inflammation</a> in addition to diabetes and obesity. Essentially, that "dial" is never turned all the way off.</p><p>While inflammation is a natural part of the immune response, it can be harmful when it's constantly active. Indeed, obesity is itself characterized by chronic, low-grade inflammation and a dysregulated immune response.</p><p>And <a href="https://doi.org/10.3389/fimmu.2019.01071" target="_blank">research shows</a> that vaccines may be less effective in obese people. <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4590616/" target="_blank">The same applies</a> to those who regularly drink too much alcohol.</p>
<h3>How Nutrients Help</h3><p>Nutrients, essential substances that help us grow properly and remain healthy, help maintain the immune system. In contrast to the delayed responses associated with malnutrition, <a href="https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm7090258" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">vitamin A</a> fights against multiple infectious diseases, including measles. Along with <a href="https://doi.org/10.3390/nu7043011" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">vitamin D</a>, it regulates the immune system and helps to prevent its overactivation. <a href="https://doi.org/10.3390/nu9111211" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Vitamin C</a>, an antioxidant, protects us from the injury caused by free radicals.</p><p>Polyphenols, a wide-ranging group of molecules found in all plants, also have anti-inflammatory properties. There's plenty of evidence to show a diet rich in <a href="https://doi.org/10.3390/nu11040751" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">plant polyphenols</a> can lower the risk of chronic conditions, like hypertension, insulin insensitivity and cardiovascular disease.</p><p>Why don't we Americans eat more of these plant-based foods and fewer of the bliss-based foods? It's complicated. People are swayed by advertising and influenced by hectic schedules. One starting place would be to teach people how to eat better from an early age. Nutrition education should be emphasized, from kindergarten through high school to medical schools.</p><p>Millions of Americans live in <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/pcd/issues/2017/16_0408.htm" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">food deserts</a>, having limited access to healthy foods. In these circumstances, education must be paired with increased access. These long-term goals could bring profound returns with a relatively small investment.</p><p>Meantime, all of us can take small steps to incrementally improve our own dietary habits. I'm not suggesting we stop eating cake, french fries and soda completely. But we as a society have yet to realize the food that actually makes us feel good and healthy is not comfort food.</p><p>The COVID-19 pandemic won't be the last we face, so it's vital that we use every preventive tool we as a society have. Think of good nutrition as a seat belt for your health; it doesn't guarantee you won't get sick, but it helps to ensure the best outcomes.</p>
<p>
<em>Grayson Jaggers is an assistant professor at the University of Southern California – Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences.</em><br/>
</p><p>
<em>Disclosure statement: </em><em>Grayson Jaggers does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond his academic appointment.</em>
</p><p>
<em>Reposted with permission from <a href="https://theconversation.com/good-nutrition-can-contribute-to-keeping-covid-19-and-other-diseases-away-145086" target="_blank">The Conversation</a>.</em>
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Black Lives Depend on the U.S. Dietary Guidelines. Don’t Water Them Down
06 August
Health + Wellness
Black Americans are dying from Covid-19 at more than twice the rate of white Americans, and at younger ages, partly due to poor diets that make bodies less resistant to the coronavirus. Mireya Acierto / Getty Images
By Michelle D. Holmes
Most Americans know about the Dietary Guidelines for Americans primarily through their colorful representations: the original food pyramid, which a few years ago morphed into MyPlate. The guidelines represent the government mothering us to choose the healthiest vegetables, grains, sources of protein, and desserts, and to eat them in the healthiest portions.
As innocuous as the food pyramid and MyPlate seem, they are actually a matter of life and death.
<p>The Dietary Guidelines for Americans are, by law, updated every five years. They are <a href="https://www.takingcharge.csh.umn.edu/activities/criticisms-2015-2020-dietary-guidelines" target="_blank">often criticized</a> for not clearly and directly condemning red and processed meat and sugar-sweetened beverages, not noting the environmental impact of those foods, and for being heavily influenced by food companies. But the recently released 835-page <a href="https://www.dietaryguidelines.gov/sites/default/files/2020-07/ScientificReport_of_the_2020DietaryGuidelinesAdvisoryCommittee_first-print.pdf" target="_blank">final draft</a> from the 2020 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee, the independent group of nutrition experts charged with the 2020 update, actually represents an important advance for Black Americans.<br></p><p>Poor diets kill <a href="https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2608221" target="_blank">nearly 320,000 Americans a year</a>, from heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, and other chronic conditions. That exceeds the <a href="https://www.va.gov/opa/publications/factsheets/fs_americas_wars.pdf" target="_blank">combat death toll</a> of 291,000 U.S. soldiers in World War II. In a nation where 42% of Americans are obese, this is of particular gravity to Black Americans, <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/obesity/data/adult.html" target="_blank">half of whom are obese</a>.</p><p>Sugar added to prepared foods and beverages contribute to weight gain. The average American consumes <a href="https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/carbohydrates/added-sugar-in-the-diet/" target="_blank">22 teaspoons</a> of added sugar a day. That's 350 calories, or more than 17% of the recommended 2,000-calorie daily diet. The <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4135498/" target="_blank">most common sources</a> of added sugar in the American diet are sugar-sweetened beverages, cookies, cake, candy, and ice cream.</p>
<p>This year's Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee recommended nearly halving daily sugar intake, from less than 10% of daily calories, as recommended in <a href="https://health.gov/our-work/food-nutrition/2015-2020-dietary-guidelines" target="_blank">the 2015 guidelines</a>, to less than 6%. The committee also advises that children under age 2 not be given juice or other sugar-sweetened beverages.</p><p>In a daily diet of 2,000 calories, 10% of added sugar represents 200 calories; 6% would be 120 calories. A bowl of <a href="https://smartlabel.kelloggs.com/Product/Index/00038000199349" target="_blank">Frosted Flakes</a> and a <a href="https://smartlabel.kelloggs.com/Product/Index/00038000551321" target="_blank">strawberry Pop-Tart</a>, each at 56 calories of added sugar, would put an individual's breakfast close to the new limit. One 12-ounce can of Coca-Cola is 140 calories of sugar; a 12-ounce can of Pepsi is 150 calories. Both exceed the new recommendation.</p><p>While all Americans eat too much sugar, Black Americans consume about <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Dietary-intake-of-sugar-in-African-Americans-versus-whites_tbl3_264502021" target="_blank">20% more</a> than white Americans. I want to be clear here that I am not blaming Black Americans. Their disproportionate poor health is a direct <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/25/opinion/coronavirus-race-obesity.html" target="_blank">legacy of slavery</a>, legally enforced housing discrimination, and unattended disparities. Many Black Americans do not have access — financially or geographically — to the <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5726305/" target="_blank">healthy food</a> or modes of exercise that white Americans do.</p><p>This disparity is brought into even sharper focus by Black Americans dying from Covid-19 at <a href="https://www.apmresearchlab.org/covid/deaths-by-race" target="_blank">more than twice</a> the rate of white Americans, and <a href="https://www.statnews.com/2020/07/10/covid-19-disparity-black-hispanic-americans-deaths-under-65/" target="_blank">at younger ages</a>, partly due to poor diets that make bodies less resistant to the coronavirus. And along with other people of color, they are also overrepresented in so-called essential jobs, in which social distancing is very difficult.</p>
<p>Black Americans need science-based dietary guidelines in an acute way as they disproportionately benefit from federal nutrition programs that are mandated to follow the guidelines, such as school breakfast and lunch programs. For example, 74% of Black children are eligible for <a href="https://nces.ed.gov/pubs2010/2010015/indicator2_7.asp#1" target="_blank">school lunch programs</a>, compared to 29% of white children. Other guideline-following programs include Supplemental Nutrition for Women, Infants and Children (<a href="https://www.fns.usda.gov/wic/wic-racial-ethnic-group-enrollment-data-2016" target="_blank">WIC</a>); the <a href="https://fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/IF10633.pdf" target="_blank">Nutrition Services Program</a>, mandated under the Older Americans Act; and nutrition programs administered by the Departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs.</p><p>If the recommendations by the advisory committee are approved by the Department of Health and Human Services and the U.S. Department of Agriculture and become part of the 2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, they will ultimately be reflected in healthier offerings in federal programs. These could go a small way toward righting America's wrongs by offering African Americans healthier diet options.</p><p>That would be particularly remarkable because these recommendations are happening under the aegis of the otherwise anti-science Trump administration. Given the toxic political atmosphere, the Union of Concerned Scientists <a href="https://blog.ucsusa.org/sarah-reinhardt/new-dietary-guidelines-report-is-a-science-success-story" target="_blank">called these recommendations</a> "a science success story."</p><p>But to make this success stand up, people need to make sure that the USDA and HHS hear their voices. The public can <a href="https://www.dietaryguidelines.gov/work-under-way/get-involved/submit-comment" target="_blank">comment on the draft report</a> until Aug. 13.</p>
<p>The Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee's report then goes into what in the past has been an almost invisible process where corporate food lobbyists and members of Congress who receive heavy food industry contributions often push back hard against the committee's science-based recommendations. As my colleague and nutrition expert Walter Willett once wrote, the advisory committee's report is "yanked this way and that by competing powerful interests, few of which have your health as a central goal."</p><p>The 2015 advisory committee, for example, directly said that Americans should eat less processed red meat, replace sugar-sweetened beverages with water, and that the environmental sustainability of food production should be factored into the guidelines. The language around those issues was either <a href="https://prospect.org/power/junk-food-president-aims-ruin-american-nutrition/" target="_blank">watered down or deleted</a>.</p><p>Americans, and particularly Black Americans, cannot afford another watering down of the recommendations. While we are understandably consumed with the horrific death toll of Covid-19, we cannot forget that so many of the deaths are compounded by a poor diet.</p>
<p><em>Reposted with permission from <a href="https://www.statnews.com/2020/08/03/black-lives-depend-on-u-s-dietary-guidelines-dont-water-them-down/" target="_blank">STAT</a>.</em></p>From Your Site Articles
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Pexels
By Danielle Nierenberg
Since the first episode of Food Talk Live aired on March 19, our twice-daily live conversation series has featured nearly 150 food system experts, advocates, scientists, chefs and more.
<p>This means that, over the past four months, I've probably asked more than 1,000 questions to these folks about the future of the food system. There has been a lot of news to unpack this week alone, between <a href="https://foodtank.com/news/2020/07/with-us3-million-in-grants-refeds-covid-19-fund-is-saving-food-waste-and-feeding-people/" target="_blank">funding food waste reduction</a>, <a href="https://foodtank.com/news/2020/07/little-free-pantries-providing-covid-19-food-relief-in-seattle/" target="_blank">addressing community food insecurity</a>, and <a href="https://foodtank.com/news/2020/07/corporate-accountability-report-details-big-business-influence-on-nutrition-policy/" target="_blank">understanding the influence of the food industry on nutrition policy</a>. And during my live conversations, every question I ask raises even more.</p>
<p>This week, Food Tank is highlighting 15 quotes that address thorny, world-changing questions about building a more sustainable and equitable food system.</p>
How do we rectify racial inequities in land ownership?
<p>"As a result of colonial genocide, land grabbing, USDA discrimination, state-level nativism, lynching, and expulsion, over 98% of the farmland in this county is owned by white Americans today. Ralph Paige of the Federation of Southern Cooperatives put it simply, "Land is the only real wealth in this country and if we don't own any we'll be out of the picture." We need a nationwide commitment to share the land back, so that all communities can have the means of production for food security."</p><p>— Leah Penniman, founder and director of Soul Fire Farm. <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10460-020-10055-3" target="_blank">Read more here</a>.</p>How impactful can collective agricultural labor unions be to protect farm workers?
<p>"In 2019, through our collective bargaining procedures, we resolved cases on wage issues amounting to over US$800,000 dollars. If they were non-union, that money would have been lost to the worker's pocket. If this is what we recoup for workers in the union setting, imagine what must be happening in non-union settings."</p><p>— Baldemar Velásquez, founder and president of the Farm Labor Organizing Committee. <a href="https://foodtank.com/news/2020/06/new-on-the-podcast-baldemar-velasquez-on-amplifying-the-voices-of-migrant-farmworkers/" target="_blank">Listen to more here</a>.</p>What does it mean to support local, regional, and sustainable food by engaging in good food purchasing?
<p>"This is a time I think of as a great reckoning. Seeing the public interest in food and how important food is as a public service is how procurement works — it aligns the purchasing power of government institutions with what the values of the public are. I think an important next step would be to have city or municipal leaders set aggregate purchasing targets and invite, encourage, persuade all large food service institutions to participate in setting these aggregate targets. And then you can really start making accelerated change in the local food economy, which is something we know we need to build back right now. The idea of good food purchasing is to support equity and to support creating economic opportunity for those who have not had that economic opportunity."</p><p>— Paula Daniels, co-founder, chair of the board, and chief of what's next at the Center for Good Food Purchasing. <a href="https://foodtank.com/news/2020/07/new-on-the-podcast-didier-toubia-on-cultivated-meat-and-paula-daniels-on-good-food-purchasing-policies/" target="_blank">Listen to more here</a>.</p>What is the importance of “middle-man” food processors in supporting local farm-based food systems?
<p>"Can we imagine how to circle out of this in a way that is better than what we had before? I want to shine an uncomfortable light on the farm-to-table movement. It turns out to have a very weak link. I don't know that the answer is to return to that moment, because what this shows is that it wasn't as strong in conception of feeding people and a food system moving forward as we would've imagined."</p><p>— Dan Barber, executive chef and co-founder of Blue Hill at Stone Barns. <a href="https://foodtank.com/news/2020/04/dan-barber-and-luke-saunders-on-keeping-the-farm-to-community-connection-during-covid-19/" target="_blank">Listen to more here</a>.</p>What can we do to make regenerative farming not only the norm, but affordable?
<p>"We need to realize that economic justice and the growth of organic and regenerative food and farming and land use go together. We can't have one without the other. That's what's so beautiful about this Green New Deal."</p><p>— Ronnie Cummins, executive director of the Organic Consumers Association. <a href="https://foodtank.com/news/2020/04/cummins-talks-green-new-deal-regenerative-agriculture-covid-19/" target="_blank">Listen to more here</a>.</p>How can traditional resource-management techniques lay the foundation for food sovereignty?
<p><em>"Tagal</em> is a traditional fisheries management practice in [the Malaysian state of] Sabah, in which communities swear oaths to nurture wild fisheries until they teem with river carp, and then open them, by agreement, for communal consumption at special times. During COVID-19 the power of tagal has therefore also become a key topic: how communities who have reinvigorated their culture of river stewardship have been able to access their own protein resources in their places."</p><p>— Cynthia Ong & Kenneth Wilson of Forever Sabah in Sabah, Malaysia. <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10460-020-10082-0" target="_blank">Read more here</a>.</p>What role can mutual aid and distributive food systems play in feeding our communities?
<p>"Resilience and regeneration are not a given, they need to be purposefully nurtured. We therefore need to invest and facilitate the creation of distributive food systems based on local needs and capacities that assure a fair redistribution of value, knowledge and power across actors and territories to deliver sustainable food for all."</p><p>— Ana Moragues-Faus, professor of economics and business, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain. <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10460-020-10087-9" target="_blank">Read more here</a>.</p>How can greater public funding drive food innovation in Latin America and the Global South?
<p>"One of the forgotten links in all these food systems, connections between agriculture, nutrition, and health, is that you need knowledge. You need to do some research, and then you need to innovate. … If we can put trillions and trillions of dollars into good research on safeguarding the economy, we should also be putting in quite a bit of funding for health and food systems."</p><p>— Ruben Echeverria, senior research fellow at International Food Policy Research Institute and research associate at the Latin American Center for Rural Development. <a href="https://foodtank.com/news/2020/05/new-on-the-podcast-john-piotti-discusses-a-farmers-relief-fund-and-ruben-echeverria-talks-global-food-policy/" target="_blank">Listen to more here</a>.</p>What role can entrepreneurs play in building a better food system?
<p>"We have this really beautiful rich, diverse country where we can produce and we can create so much wealth for all of us, and it's now about zooming in and resourcing these gaps that we know exist."</p><p>— Caesaré Assad, CEO of accelerator Food System 6. <a href="https://foodtank.com/news/2020/03/caesare-assad-on-the-food-system-covid-19/" target="_blank">Listen to more here</a>.</p>How do we build a new European community-based sustainable food system that doesn’t replicate the past?
<p>"My vision is for a new food economy with more and more of us growing a percentage of our own food, and preferentially purchasing in season and local food from local and sustainable farmers. This future food system will not be identical to those that I remember from my childhood in the '50s and '60s, since the world has changed since then. The internet and other related digital innovations including on-line marketing, and the emergence of farmers markets and community supported agriculture, are all expressions of the boundless innovation of humanity. So, let us hope that the farming community will prosper and come to play a more central role in our future food systems. Let the new food revolution flourish and thrive!"</p><p>— Patrick Holden, British farmer and founder of Sustainable Food Trust. <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10460-020-10049-1" target="_blank">Read more here</a>.</p>How can we understand and prepare for the connections between COVID-19 and diet health?
<p>"Because [the pandemic of diet-related disease] has happened over 30 to 40 years, we've ignored that equivalent or even larger pandemic. And now they're coming together, and we're seeing that we set up an environment of people with poor metabolic health who are predisposed to COVID. … We have not invested in the science that we should have invested in up until this point, to have answers to these questions. People are talking about stocking personal protective equipment and stocking ventilators and stocking vaccines — but what about stocking science on food and health and nutrition? That would've been incredibly important."</p><p>—Dariush Mozaffarian, cardiologist and dean of the Tufts University Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy. <a href="https://foodtank.com/news/2020/05/new-on-the-podcast-dr-dariush-mozaffarian-on-creating-healthier-american-diets-and-nutrition-programs/" target="_blank">Listen to more here</a>.</p>How is localized, diverse seed security vital to our food security and national security?
<p>"As the world slowly rebuilds and recovers, we all have a fresh opportunity to regenerate and share a greater diversity of seeds—and to honor and return benefits to traditional seed keepers from many cultures. We would be remiss not to sow true, place-based seed sovereignty in every region and among every culture on this planet, well before a future crisis could uproot us again."</p><p>— Gary Paul Nabhan, ethnobotanist and co-founder of Native Seeds/SEARCH. <a href="https://foodtank.com/news/2020/07/a-call-for-community-based-seed-diversity-during-the-covid-19-pandemic/" target="_blank">Read more here</a>.</p>How has the COVID-19 crisis played into forces of industrialization threatening Iranian smallholder farmers?
<p>"There is an irony in expecting governments to kick into action in an emergency to support people and production systems that they actively undermine in the best of times. This shows that COVID-19 is not impacting food systems in a vacuum, but is in fact a shock to an ongoing struggle for power and survival. Like many smallholder producers worldwide who make a massive contribution to food security, pastoralists struggle against forces that seek to upend their way of life in favor of industrial food systems."</p><p>— Maryam Rahmanian & Nahid Naghizadeh of the Centre for Sustainable Development in Tehran, Iran. <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10460-020-10093-x" target="_blank">Read more here</a>.</p>How do we encourage young Africans to stay on farms and improve agriculture on the continent?
<p>"I would argue that what is missing in the [agricultural] sector is those young people who have access to productive resources and have the knowledge and the skillset that can help improve productivity. … If we want young people to stay in agriculture, then we have to make agriculture profitable for those young people. And for agriculture to be profitable, it has to be productive. Giving them access to those productive resources that will allow them to increase the productivity of agriculture will be critical."</p><p>— Felix Kwame Yeboah, social science researcher and professor of international development at Michigan State University. <a href="https://foodtank.com/news/2020/06/new-on-the-podcast-dr-felix-kwame-yeboah-on-youth-powered-agricultural-development/" target="_blank">Listen to more here</a>.</p>Finally, what will it take to help us use suffering as a springboard into liberation?
<p>"We're all suffering. But at the end of the day, folks, what makes us strong is our belief in one another, that we will come together to help one another get back on our feet. … This is our time, this is our moment to not go back to politics and Wall Street, but to move forward. It's more about people than profits. This is our time to move forward and change the system."</p><p>— Karen Washington, farmer and founder of Rise and Root Farm. <a href="https://www.facebook.com/watch/live/?v=227538081894588&ref=watch_permalink" target="_blank">Watch more here</a></p>From Your Site Articles
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These seven cookbooks by Black chefs have inspired the author's family. LightFieldStudios / Getty Images
By Zahida Sherman
Cooking has always intimidated me. As a child, I would anxiously peer into the kitchen as my mother prepared Christmas dinner for our family.
<p>My grandparents, cousins, aunts, and uncles would all pour into our home throughout the day, eagerly awaiting their favorite dish.</p><p>During those times, my mom transformed into executive chef and drill sergeant, sending my sister and me on grocery store runs for obscure ingredients or directing us to remove cobwebs from forgotten corners of the house.</p><p>The scents wafting from my mom's magic entrées and appetizers were intoxicating. They made all the toil worth it.</p><p>Our home burst with the scent of warm syrupy-sweet yams, smoked turkey necks drowning in collard greens, a countertop completely covered by her pound cake, and sweet potato pie whipped to perfection.</p><p>I always looked forward to those family dinners, my relatives' laughing faces, and their overflowing plates.</p><p>As much as I loved our quality family time, those dinners fueled my fear of cooking. I could never accept and conquer the mental preparation it required: the brainstorming, the grocery lists, the grocery store lines, the time management.</p><p>I couldn't bear the hefty expectations of cooking as a way to maintain our Black American cultural and family traditions, a mix of Southern roots with Pacific Northwest nuance.</p><p>I added cooking to the list of things that I knew were important, but that I probably would never really care about (kind of like backing up my devices regularly). I didn't want to spend the necessary energy to learn how to achieve those glorious family dinners — or even everyday meals.</p><p>Cooking required too much pressure and preparation. Cooking required too much of myself.</p>
Falling in Love With Food All Over Again
<p>Slowly, through my most intimate relationships with friends and partners, I began to see the beauty — and rewards — of cooking.</p><p>I got tired of giving in to defeat and always bringing chips or paper products to social gatherings. I started asking my mom to send me her Christmas and Thanksgiving recipes. I even volunteered to host Thanksgiving dinner at my place.</p><p>Each time I heard my loved ones sing the praises of the foods I prepared for them, I felt a tinge more confident that I could carry out our traditions my way.</p><p>In reaching out to other relatives for their favorite recipes, I learned that they had a little help of their own. They didn't rely solely on their ancestral cooking instincts. They turned to Black chefs for guidance.</p><p>These 7 cookbooks by Black chefs have inspired my family and fed us in nutrients, joy, and spiritual sustenance. They're also helping me overcome my personal fears of cooking.</p><h3><a href="https://amzn.to/2O6B7SG" target="_blank">Jubilee: Recipes from Two Centuries of African American Cooking</a></h3><p><em>by Toni Tipton-Martin</em></p><p>Who says a cookbook can't also be a history lesson?</p><p>Tipton-Martin draws on her nutritionist and food activist background to amass over 125 recipes that demonstrate the complexity and nuance of soul food.</p><p>"Jubilee" pushes beyond the trope of <a href="http://blackfoodie.co/the-humble-history-of-soul-food" target="_blank">soul food as survival</a> wherein enslaved and impoverished Africans created a new cuisine out of plantation scraps. The author showcases the culinary skills of Black chefs who were enslaved, entrepreneurs, upper class, and everything in between.</p><p>Whether it's the black-eyed pea fritters, okra gumbo, or braised lamb shanks with peanut sauce, you will be joyfully full.</p><h3><a href="https://amzn.to/2C9yxZv" target="_blank">The Red Rooster Cookbook: The Story of Food and Hustle in Harlem</a></h3><p><em>by Marcus Samuelsson</em></p><p>Many years ago, I had the pleasure of dining at Chef Samuelsson's Red Rooster restaurant in Harlem. It was undoubtedly my bougiest Black fantasy.</p><p>The food was simple but decadent, and the ambiance was Black, beautiful, and triumphant, much like the neighborhood. Samuelsson's cookbook leans into his Swedish-Ethiopian and Afropolitan experiences with recipes for chicken and waffles, cornbread and bird funk, wild wild wings, and donuts with sweet potato cream.</p><p><span></span>Interspersed with poignant photos of Harlem, this cookbook is Samuelson's tribute to this culturally iconic neighborhood.</p>
<h3><a href="https://amzn.to/2BOAsTl" target="_blank">Eat Yourself Sexy: Eat Your Way to Shiny Hair, Glowing Skin and Weight Loss</a></h3><p><em>by Lauren Von Der Pool</em></p><p>If she's a good enough chef for Stevie Wonder, Common, First Lady Michelle Obama, Dr. Sebi, and Venus and Serena Williams, she's good enough for me!</p><p>Celebrity chef Von Der Pool wrote "Eat Yourself Sexy" to empower female-identified readers on their inner journey toward sexiness through raw food and homemade beauty products.</p><p>If you're intimidated by a plant-based diet or DIY beauty, this is a must-read. Chef Von Der Pool's simple recipes, stunning photos, and comprehensive information about eating whole foods will inspire you to get started.</p><h3><a href="https://amzn.to/2Z67Aik" target="_blank">The Seasoned Life: Food, Family, Faith, and the Joy of Eating Well</a></h3><p><em>by Ayesha Curry</em></p><p>Outspoken and unapologetic <a href="https://www.foodnetwork.com/shows/ayeshas-home-kitchen" target="_blank">Food Network</a> host, restaurateur, mom, and wife Ayesha Curry, gifts readers with 100 recipes that are perfect for your hectic work-life balance.</p><p>My older sister (also coincidentally named Aisha) has fed our family with Curry's recipes that range from mouthwatering brown sugar bacon, game day chili, and harvest sangria, to white chocolate bread pudding and butternut squash mash.</p><p>"The Seasoned Life" shows audiences why Ayesha is <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YjU7BYcJwIw" target="_blank">Chef Curry with the pot</a>.</p>
<h3><a href="https://amzn.to/3ebOUSy" target="_blank">Black Girl Baking: Wholesome Recipes Inspired by a Soulful Upbringing</a></h3><p><em>by Jerrelle Guy</em></p><p>Inspired by #blackgirlmagic, this cookbook is Guy's empowering journey of accepting her fullest self through cooking.</p><p>Perhaps what makes her cookbook so defining is her insistence that readers abandon the idea of baking perfection and fall in love with the process of baking instead.</p><p>The recipes don't disappoint, either. Strawberry balsamic cupcakes, sweet potato rice crispies, and peanut butter jelly bread? Yes, please!</p><h3><a href="https://amzn.to/2Cj16DG" target="_blank">Brown Sugar Kitchen: New-Style, Down-Home Recipes from Sweet West Oakland</a></h3><p><em>by Tanya Holland</em></p><p>Inspired by Chef Holland's <a href="http://www.brownsugarkitchen.com/" target="_blank">Brown Sugar Kitchen</a> restaurant in Oakland, California, her cookbook offers over 80 recipes that are simply delicious.</p><p>Her soul food entrées include everything from shrimp gumbo, black-eyed peas' salad, chili glazed salmon, to cornmeal waffles with apple cider syrup.</p><p>While Bryant doesn't shy away from popular favorites like fried chicken, she includes alternative options for eaters with dietary restrictions.</p><h3><a href="https://amzn.to/3faKPiL" target="_blank">Afro-Vegan: Farm-Fresh African, Caribbean, and Southern Flavors Remixed</a></h3><p><em>by Bryant Terry</em></p><p>Food activist and chef Bryant Terry offers perfectly seasoned vegan recipes from the African Diaspora that will impress even your most carnivorous dinner guests.</p><p>Terry combines ingredients from seemingly disparate regions like North Africa, the American South, and the Caribbean into delicious dishes like sweet potato and lima bean tagine, pomegranate peach BBQ sauce, and skillet cornbread with pecan dukkah.</p><p>"Afro-Vegan" even includes <a href="https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=120816477" target="_blank">genre-diverse playlists</a> to accompany Terry's recipes. My aunt's personal favorite is the savory grits with slow-cooked collard greens. You can listen to the accompanying song, "The Funk," <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gWeLT0TtCxg&list=PLtY2PDlMkxiujDaVlVBvl5spkvdzra8ZE" target="_blank">here</a>.</p>
Get Cooking
Whether you're in recovery from cooking fears like me, or are just looking to expand your culinary confidence with dishes honoring Black heritage, these Black chefs are here to support you on your journey.Turn on some music, give yourself permission to make mistakes, and throw down for yourself or your loved ones. Glorious flavors await you.From Your Site Articles
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Pexels
By Joe Leech
The human body comprises around 60% water.
It's commonly recommended that you drink eight 8-ounce (237-mL) glasses of water per day (the 8×8 rule).
<p>Although there's little science behind this specific rule, staying hydrated is important.</p><p>Here are 7 evidence-based health benefits of drinking plenty of water.</p>
<p><em>Reposted with permission from </em><a href="https://www.healthline.com/" target="_blank"><em>Healthline</em></a><em>. For detailed source information, please view the original article on </em><em><a href="https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/7-health-benefits-of-water" target="_blank">Healthline</a></em><em>.</em></p>
1. Helps Maximize Physical Performance
<p>If you don't stay hydrated, your physical performance can suffer.</p><p>This is particularly important during intense exercise or high heat.</p><p>Dehydration can have <a href="https://www.healthline.com/health/how-to-tell-if-youre-dehydrated" target="_blank">a noticeable effect</a> if you lose as little as 2% of your body's water content. However, it isn't uncommon for athletes to lose as much as 6–10% of their water weight via sweat.</p><p>This can lead to altered body temperature control, reduced motivation, and increased fatigue. It can also make exercise feel much more difficult, both physically and mentally.</p><p>Optimal hydration has been shown to prevent this from happening, and it may even reduce the <a href="https://www.healthline.com/health/oxidative-stress" target="_blank">oxidative stress</a> that occurs during high intensity exercise. This isn't surprising when you consider that muscle is about 80% water.<a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19344695" target="_blank"><span></span></a></p><p>If you exercise intensely and tend to sweat, staying hydrated can help you perform at your absolute best.</p><p><strong>Summary</strong></p><p><strong></strong>Losing as little as 2% of your body's water content can significantly impair your physical performance.</p>2. Significantly Affects Energy Levels and Brain Function
<p>Your brain is strongly influenced by your hydration status.</p><p>Studies show that even mild dehydration, such as the loss of 1–3% of body weight, can impair many aspects of brain function.</p><p>In a study in young women, researchers found that fluid loss of 1.4% after exercise impaired both mood and concentration. It also increased the frequency of headaches.</p><p>Many members of this same research team conducted a similar study in young men. They found that fluid loss of 1.6% was detrimental to working memory and increased feelings of anxiety and fatigue.<a href="https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/british-journal-of-nutrition/article/mild-dehydration-impairs-cognitive-performance-and-mood-of-men/3388AB36B8DF73E844C9AD19271A75BF/core-reader" target="_blank"></a></p><p>A fluid loss of 1–3% equals about 1.5–4.5 pounds (0.5–2 kg) of body weight loss for a person weighing 150 pounds (68 kg). This can easily occur through normal daily activities, let alone during exercise or high heat.</p><p>Many other studies, with subjects ranging from <a href="https://www.healthline.com/health/parenting/signs-of-dehydration-in-toddlers" target="_blank">children</a> to <a href="https://www.healthline.com/health/symptoms-of-dehydration-in-elderly" target="_blank">older adults</a>, have shown that mild dehydration can impair mood, memory, and brain performance.</p><p><strong>Summary</strong></p><p><strong></strong>Mild dehydration (fluid loss of 1–3%) can impair energy levels, impair mood, and lead to major reductions in memory and brain performance.</p>3. May Help Prevent and Treat Headaches
<p>Dehydration can trigger <a href="https://www.healthline.com/health/dehydration-headache" target="_blank">headaches</a> and migraine in some individuals.<span></span></p><p>Research has shown that a headache is one of the most common symptoms of dehydration. For example, a study in 393 people found that 40% of the participants experienced a headache as a result of dehydration.</p><p>What's more, some studies have shown that drinking water can help relieve headaches in those who experience frequent headaches.</p><p>A study in 102 men found that drinking an additional 50.7 ounces (1.5 liters) of water per day resulted in significant improvements on the Migraine-Specific Quality of Life scale, a scoring system for <a href="https://www.healthline.com/health/migraine-symptoms" target="_blank">migraine symptoms</a>.<a href="https://academic.oup.com/fampra/article/29/4/370/492787" target="_blank"></a></p><p>Plus, 47% of the men who drank more water reported headache improvement, while only 25% of the men in the control group reported this effect.<a href="https://academic.oup.com/fampra/article/29/4/370/492787" target="_blank"></a></p><p>However, not all studies agree, and researchers have concluded that because of the lack of high quality studies, more research is needed to confirm how increasing hydration may help improve headache symptoms and decrease headache frequency.<a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26200171" target="_blank"></a></p><p><strong>Summary</strong></p><p><strong></strong>Drinking water may help reduce headaches and headache symptoms. However, more high quality research is needed to confirm this potential benefit.</p>4. May Help Relieve Constipation
<p><a href="https://www.healthline.com/health/constipation" target="_blank">Constipation</a> is a common problem that's characterized by infrequent bowel movements and difficulty passing stool.</p><p>Increasing fluid intake is often recommended as a part of the treatment protocol, and there's some evidence to back this up.</p><p>Low water consumption appears to be a risk factor for constipation in both younger and older individuals.</p><p>Increasing hydration may help decrease constipation.</p><p><a href="https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/mineral-water-benefits" target="_blank">Mineral water</a> may be a particularly beneficial beverage for those with constipation.</p><p>Studies have shown that mineral water that's rich in magnesium and sodium improves bowel movement frequency and consistency in people with constipation.<a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5334415" target="_blank"></a></p><p><strong>Summary</strong></p><p><strong></strong>Drinking plenty of water may help prevent and relieve constipation, especially in people who generally don't drink enough water.</p>5. May Help Treat Kidney Stones
<p>Urinary stones are painful clumps of mineral crystal that form in the urinary system.</p><p>The most common form is <a href="https://www.healthline.com/health/kidney-stones" target="_blank">kidney stones</a>, which form in the kidneys.</p><p>There's limited evidence that water intake can help prevent recurrence in people who have previously gotten kidney stones.<a href="https://www.cochranelibrary.com/cdsr/doi/10.1002/14651858.CD004292.pub3/full" target="_blank"></a></p><p>Higher fluid intake increases the volume of urine passing through the kidneys. This dilutes the concentration of minerals, so they're less likely to crystallize and form clumps.</p><p>Water may also help prevent the initial formation of stones, but studies are required to confirm this.</p><p><strong>Summary</strong></p><p><strong></strong>Increased water intake appears to decrease the risk of kidney stone formation.</p>6. Helps Prevent Hangovers
<p>A hangover refers to the unpleasant symptoms experienced after drinking <a href="https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/alcohol-good-or-bad" target="_blank">alcohol</a>.</p><p>Alcohol is a diuretic, so it makes you lose more water than you take in. This can lead to dehydration.</p><p>Although dehydration isn't the main cause of hangovers, it can cause symptoms like thirst, fatigue, headache, and dry mouth.</p><p>Good ways <a href="https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/7-ways-to-prevent-a-hangover" target="_blank">to reduce hangovers</a> are to drink a glass of water between drinks and have at least one big glass of water before going to bed.</p><p><strong>Summary</strong></p><p><strong></strong>Hangovers are partly caused by dehydration, and drinking water can help reduce some of the main symptoms of hangovers.</p>7. Can Aid Weight Loss
<p>Drinking plenty of water can help you <a href="https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/how-to-lose-weight-as-fast-as-possible/" target="_blank">lose weight</a>.</p><p>This is because water can increase satiety and boost your metabolic rate.</p><p>Some evidence suggests that increasing water intake can promote weight loss by slightly increasing your metabolism, which can increase the number of calories you burn on a daily basis.</p><p>A 2013 study in 50 young women with overweight demonstrated that drinking an additional 16.9 ounces (500 mL) of water 3 times per day before meals for 8 weeks led to significant reductions in body weight and body fat compared with their pre-study measurements.</p><p>The timing is important too. Drinking water half an hour before meals is the most effective. It can make you feel more full so that you <a href="https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/35-ways-to-cut-calories" target="_blank">eat fewer calories</a>.</p><p>In one study, dieters who drank 16.9 ounces (0.5 liters) of water before meals lost 44% more weight over a period of 12 weeks than dieters who didn't drink water before meals.</p>The Bottom Line
<p>Even mild dehydration can affect you mentally and physically.</p><p>Make sure that you <a href="https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/how-much-water-should-you-drink-per-day" target="_blank">get enough water each day</a>, whether your personal goal is 64 ounces (1.9 liters) or a different amount. It's one of the best things you can do for your overall health.</p>From Your Site Articles
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Nobody knows exactly how much vitamin D a person actually needs. However, vitamin D is becoming increasingly popular. Colin Dunn / Flickr / CC by 2.0
By Julia Vergin
It is undisputed that vitamin D plays a role everywhere in the body and performs important functions. A severe vitamin D deficiency, which can occur at a level of 12 nanograms per milliliter of blood or less, leads to severe and painful bone deformations known as rickets in infants and young children and osteomalacia in adults. Unfortunately, this is where the scientific consensus ends.
Where Does the Deficiency Begin?
<p>Nobody knows exactly how much vitamin D a person actually needs. The question of when a deficiency starts is correspondingly controversial. However, vitamin D is becoming increasingly popular.Not only is the pseudo-scientific literature on the "sun vitamin" experiencing an upswing, but the number of published studies has also increased enormously in recent years. For example, in 2019 <a href="https://academic.oup.com/edrv/article/40/4/1109/5126915" target="_blank">a study found that</a> Vitamin D is responsible for keeping the skeleton functional and is associated with cardiovascular diseases, type 2 diabetes and various types of cancer. <br></p>An All-Rounder
<p>Vitamin D levels in the body rise and fall according to sun exposure. If sufficient UV rays reach the skin, the body is able to produce the vitamin itself. However, the human body only derives an estimated 10 to 20 percent of its daily requirement from food.</p><p>The vitamin D that we synthesize from sunlight or food is not biologically active at first. Before the kidneys can produce the biologically active form of the vitamin, known as calcitriol, and release it into the blood, some metabolic processes must take place beforehand.</p><p>In addition, many organs have receptors to which the precursor of calcitriol binds. Further, this substance is also present in blood.</p><p>From this precursor, the organs then produce calcitriol themselves, which the body then uses for countless other processes in the body. This form of vitamin D thus regulates insulin secretion, inhibits tumor growth, and promotes the formation of red blood cells as well as the survival and activity of macrophages, which are important for the <a href="https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/5/7/2502/htm" target="_blank">immune system.</a></p>Low Vitamin D, Severe COVID-19 Disease?
<p>A research study carried out <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352364620300067?via%3Dihub" target="_blank">at the University of Hohenheim</a> has now established a link between vitamin D deficiency, certain previous diseases, and severe cases of COVID-19.</p><p>According to the study, "there is a lot of evidence that several non-communicable diseases (high blood pressure, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, metabolic syndrome) are associated with low vitamin D plasma levels. These comorbidities, together with the often accompanying vitamin D deficiency, increase the risk of severe COVID-19 events."</p><p>"This statement is completely correct," said Martin Fassnacht, head of endocrinology at the University Hospital of Würzburg. However, he qualifies that it is a pure association, "i.e. a mere observation that these events occur together.</p><p>Dr. Fassnacht is very critical of the hype surrounding vitamin D, but not because he denies the vitamin serves important functions. However, studies on humans have not been able to show that vitamin D has the healing powers many often propagate.</p><p>Fassnacht says, "If you take a closer look, the hopes that the administration of vitamin D has a healing effect have not been confirmed so far."</p>Association Versus Intervention Studies
<p>Many studies on the vitamin are association or observational studies. "By definition, these studies cannot prove the causal relationship, but only point to mere correlations," said Fassnacht. The physician tries to illustrate this with an example:</p><p>"Imagine two groups of 80-year-olds. One group is spry, active and does sports. If you compare them with another group living in nursing homes, the difference in vitamin D levels will be dramatic. Life expectancy would also be extremely different."</p><p>But to try to explain the difference in fitness by vitamin D status alone is far too simplistic. "Vitamin D levels are a good measure of how sick someone is. But not more," says Fassnacht. </p><p>According to Fassnacht, none of the intervention studies carried out to date -- that specifically examined the effect of vitamin D on various diseases -- has been able to confirm the previous association and laboratory studies or the presumed positive effect of vitamin D.</p>Further Research Is Needed
<p>"If a coronavirus infection is suspected, it is therefore absolutely necessary to check the vitamin D status and quickly correct any possible deficit," said the recommendation of the paper published by the University of Hohenheim.</p><p>"Studies are underway to see whether vitamin D helps in COVID-19 infection, but I personally do not believe that this is really the case," says endocrinologist Fassnacht. Nevertheless, he says it is of course useful to carry out these studies.<br></p><p>"I don't want to rule out that there are actually subgroups of people who benefit from an additional vitamin D dose," he says. After all, this has been proven to be the case with a severe deficit.</p><p>In view of the study situation, Fassnacht does not think much of preventive, nationwide vitamin D substitutes. "My belief that the vitamin helps somewhere is very low. But, of course, I can be wrong."</p>From Your Site Articles
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Oregano oil is an extract that is not as strong as the essential oil, but appears to be useful both when consumed or applied to the skin. Peakpx / CC by 1.0
By Alexandra Rowles
Oregano is a fragrant herb that's best known as an ingredient in Italian food.
However, it can also be concentrated into an essential oil that's loaded with antioxidants and powerful compounds that have proven health benefits.
<p>Oregano oil is the extract and, although it's not as strong as the essential oil, it appears to be useful both when consumed or applied to the skin. Essential oils, on the other hand, are not meant to be consumed.</p><p>Interestingly, oregano oil is an effective natural antibiotic and antifungal agent, and it may help you lose weight and lower your cholesterol levels.</p>
<h2>What Is Oregano Oil?</h2><p>Botanically known as <em>Origanum vulgare</em>, oregano is a flowering plant from the same family as mint. It's often used as an herb to flavor food.</p><p>Although it's native to Europe, it now grows all over the world.</p><p>Oregano has been popular ever since the ancient Greek and Roman civilizations used it for medicinal purposes. In fact, the name oregano comes from the Greek words "oros," meaning mountain, and "ganos," meaning joy or delight.</p><p>The herb has also been used for centuries as a culinary spice.</p><p>Oregano essential oil is made by air-drying the leaves and shoots of the plant. Once they're dried, the oil is extracted and concentrated by steam distillation.</p><p>Oregano essential oil can be mixed with a carrier oil and applied topically. However, it should not be consumed orally.</p><p>Oregano oil extract, on the other hand, can be produced via several extraction methods using compounds like carbon dioxide or alcohol. It's widely available as a supplement and can often be found in pill or capsule form.</p><p>Oregano contains compounds called phenols, terpenes, and terpenoids. They have powerful antioxidant properties and are responsible for its fragrance:</p><ul><li><strong>Carvacrol.</strong> The most abundant phenol in oregano, it has been shown to stop the growth of several different types of bacteria.</li><li><strong>Thymol.</strong> This natural antifungal can also support the immune system and protect against toxins.</li><li><strong>Rosmarinic acid.</strong> This powerful antioxidant helps protect against damage caused by free radicals.</li></ul><p>These compounds are thought to underlie oregano's many health benefits.</p><p>Here are 9 potential benefits and uses of oregano oil.</p><h2>1. Natural Antibiotic<a target="_blank"><br></a></h2><p><a href="https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/6-oregano-benefits" target="_blank">Oregano</a> and the carvacrol it contains may help fight bacteria.</p><p>The <em>Staphylococcus aureus</em> bacterium is one of the most common causes of infection, resulting in ailments like food poisoning and skin infections.</p><p>One particular study looked at whether oregano essential oil improved the survival of 14 mice infected with <em>Staphylococcus aureus</em>.</p><p>It found that 43% of the mice given oregano essential oil lived past 30 days, a survival rate nearly as high as the 50% survival rate for mice that received regular antibiotics.</p><p>Research has also shown that oregano essential oil may be effective against some potentially antibiotic-resistant bacteria.</p><p>This includes <em>Pseudomonas aeruginosa</em> and <em>E. coli</em>, both of which are common causes of <a href="https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/uti-home-remedies/" target="_blank">urinary</a> and respiratory tract infections.</p><p>Although more human studies on the effects of oregano oil extract are needed, it contains many of the same compounds as oregano essential oil and may offer similar health benefits when used as a supplement.</p><p><strong>SUMMARY</strong></p><p><strong></strong>One mouse study found oregano essential oil to be almost as effective as antibiotics against common bacteria, though much more research is needed.</p>
<h2>2. May Help Lower Cholesterol</h2><p>Studies have shown that oregano oil may help <a href="https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/how-to-lower-cholesterol" target="_blank">lower cholesterol</a>.</p><p>In one study, 48 people with mildly high cholesterol were given diet and lifestyle advice to help lower their cholesterol. Thirty-two participants were also given 0.85 ounces (25 mL) of oregano oil extract after each meal.</p><p>After 3 months, those given the oregano oil had lower LDL (bad) cholesterol and higher HDL (good) cholesterol, compared with those who were just given diet and lifestyle advice.</p><p>Carvacrol, the main compound in oregano oil, has also been shown to help lower cholesterol in mice that were fed a high fat diet over 10 weeks.</p><p>The mice given carvacrol alongside the high fat diet had significantly lower cholesterol at the end of the 10 weeks, compared with those that were just given a high fat diet.</p><p>The cholesterol-lowering effect of oregano oil is thought to be the result of the phenols carvacrol and thymol.</p><p><strong>SUMMARY</strong></p><p><strong></strong>Studies have shown that oregano may help lower cholesterol in people and mice with high cholesterol. This is thought to be the result of the compounds carvacrol and thymol.</p><h2>3. Powerful Antioxidant</h2><p><a href="https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/antioxidants-explained" target="_blank">Antioxidants</a> help protect the body from damage caused by free radicals.</p><p>It's thought that free radical damage plays a role in aging and the development of some diseases, such as cancer and heart disease.</p><p>Free radicals are everywhere and a natural product of metabolism.</p><p>However, they can build up in the body through exposure to environmental factors, such as cigarette smoke and air pollutants.</p><p>One older test-tube study compared the antioxidant content of 39 commonly used herbs and found that oregano had the highest concentration of antioxidants.</p><p>It found that oregano contained 3–30 times the levels of antioxidants in the other herbs studied, which included thyme, marjoram, and <a href="https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/st-johns-wort/" target="_blank">St. John's wort</a>.</p><p>Gram per gram, oregano also has 42 times the antioxidant level of apples and 4 times that of blueberries. This is thought to be mostly due to its rosmarinic acid content.</p><p>Because oregano oil extract is very concentrated, you need much less oregano oil to reap the same antioxidant benefits as you would from fresh oregano.</p><p><strong>SUMMARY</strong></p><p><strong></strong>Fresh oregano has a very high antioxidant content. In fact, it's much higher than that of most fruits and vegetables, gram per gram. The antioxidant content is concentrated in oregano oil.</p>
<h2>4. Could Help Treat Yeast Infections</h2><p>Yeast is a type of fungus. It can be harmless, but overgrowth can result in gut problems and infections, such as thrush.</p><p>The most well-known yeast is <em><a href="https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/candida-symptoms-treatment" target="_blank">Candida</a></em>, which is the most common cause of yeast infections worldwide.</p><p>In test-tube studies, oregano essential oil has been found to be effective against five different types of <em>Candida</em>, such as those that cause infections in the mouth and vagina. In fact, it was more effective than any other essential oil tested.</p><p>Test-tube studies have also found that carvacrol, one of the main compounds of oregano oil, is very effective against oral <em>Candida</em>.</p><p>High levels of the yeast <em>Candida</em> have also been associated with some gut conditions, such as Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis.</p><p>A test-tube study on the effectiveness of oregano essential oil on 16 different strains of <em>Candida</em> concluded that oregano oil may be a good <a href="https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/5-diet-tips-against-candida/" target="_blank">alternative treatment</a> for <em>Candida</em> yeast infections. However, more research is needed.</p><p><strong>SUMMARY</strong></p><p><strong></strong>Test-tube studies have shown that oregano essential oil is effective against <em>Candida</em>, the most common form of yeast.</p><h2>5. May Improve Gut Health</h2><p>Oregano may <a href="https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/improve-gut-bacteria/" target="_blank">benefit gut health</a> in a number of ways.</p><p>Gut symptoms like diarrhea, pain, and bloating are common and can be caused by gut parasites.</p><p>One older study gave 600 mg of oregano oil to 14 people who had gut symptoms as a result of a parasite. After daily treatment for 6 weeks, all participants experienced a reduction in parasites, and 77% were cured.</p><p>Participants also experienced a reduction in gut symptoms and tiredness associated with the symptoms.</p><p>Oregano may also help protect against another common gut complaint known as "<a href="https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/is-leaky-gut-real/" target="_blank">leaky gut</a>." This happens when the gut wall becomes damaged, allowing bacteria and toxins to pass into the bloodstream.</p><p>In a study on pigs, oregano essential oil protected the gut wall from damage and prevented it from becoming "leaky." It also reduced the number of <em>E. coli</em> bacteria in the gut. </p><p><strong>SUMMARY</strong></p><p><strong></strong>Oregano oil may benefit gut health by killing gut parasites and protecting against leaky gut syndrome.</p>
<h2>6. May Have Anti-Inflammatory Properties</h2><p>Inflammation in the body is linked to a number of adverse health effects.</p><p>Research has shown that oregano oil may <a href="https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/anti-inflammatory-diet-101/" target="_blank">reduce inflammation</a>.</p><p>One mouse study found that oregano essential oil, along with thyme essential oil, reduced inflammatory markers in those that had artificially induced colitis.</p><p>Carvacrol, one of the key components in oregano oil, has also been shown to reduce inflammation.</p><p>One study directly applied different concentrations of carvacrol to the swollen paws or ears of mice. Carvacrol reduced paw and ear swelling by 35–61% and 33–43%, respectively.</p><p><strong>SUMMARY</strong></p><p><strong></strong>Oregano oil and its components may help reduce inflammation in mice, though human studies are needed.</p><h2>7. Could Help Relieve Pain</h2><p>Oregano oil has been investigated for its painkilling properties.</p><p>One older study in mice tested standard painkillers and <a href="https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/what-are-essential-oils/" target="_blank">essential oils</a>, including oregano essential oil, for their ability to relieve pain.</p><p>It found that oregano essential oil significantly reduced pain in mice, exerting effects similar to those of the commonly used painkillers fenoprofen and morphine.</p><p>The research proposed these results were likely due to the carvacrol content of oregano.</p><p>A similar study found that oregano extract reduced pain in rats, and that the response was dose-dependent, meaning the more oregano extract the rats consumed, the less pain they appeared to feel.</p><p><strong>SUMMARY</strong></p><p><strong></strong>Oregano oil may significantly reduce pain in mice and rats, exerting pain-relieving effects similar to those of some commonly used medications.</p>
<h2>8. May Have Cancer-Fighting Properties</h2><p>A few studies have indicated that carvacrol, one of the compounds of oregano oil, may have cancer-fighting properties.</p><p>In test-tube studies on cancer cells, carvacrol has demonstrated promising results against lung, liver, and breast cancer cells.</p><p>It has been found to inhibit cell growth and cause cancer cell death.</p><p>Although this is promising research, no studies have been carried out on people, so more research is needed.</p><p><strong>SUMMARY</strong></p><p><strong></strong>Preliminary studies have shown that carvacrol — the most abundant compound in oregano oil — inhibits cancer cell growth and causes cell death in lung, liver, and breast cancer cells.</p><h2>9. May Help You Lose Weight</h2><p>Thanks to oregano's carvacrol content, oregano oil may aid weight loss.</p><p>In one study, mice were fed either a normal diet, high fat diet, or high fat diet with carvacrol. Those given carvacrol alongside their high fat diet gained significantly less weight and body fat than those just given a high fat diet.</p><p>Furthermore, carvacrol appeared to reverse the chain of events that can lead to the formation of fat cells.</p><p>More research is needed to demonstrate that oregano oil has a role in weight loss, but it may be worth trying as part of a <a href="https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/healthy-eating-for-beginners/" target="_blank">healthy diet</a> and lifestyle.</p><p><strong>SUMMARY</strong></p><p><strong></strong>Oregano oil may be beneficial for weight loss through the action of carvacrol, though human studies are needed.</p>
<h2>How to Use Oregano Oil</h2><p>Oregano oil extract is widely available in capsule and tablet form. It can be bought from most health food shops or online.</p><p>Because the strength of oregano supplements can vary, it's important to read the directions on the individual packet for instructions on how to use the product.</p><p>Oregano essential oil is also available and can be diluted with a <a href="https://www.healthline.com/health/carrier-oil" target="_blank">carrier oil</a> and applied topically. Note that no essential oil should be ingested.</p><p>There's no standard effective dose of oregano essential oil. However, it's often mixed with around 1 teaspoon (5 mL) of olive oil per drop of oregano essential oil and applied directly to the skin.</p><p>Like other essential oils, keep in mind that oregano essential oil should not be consumed orally.</p><p>If you're interested in taking oregano oil extract but currently taking prescription medications, make sure to consult your healthcare provider before adding it to your regimen.</p><p>In addition, oregano oil extract is not generally recommended for women who are pregnant or breastfeeding.</p><p><strong>SUMMARY</strong></p><p><strong></strong>Oregano oil extract can be purchased in pill or capsule form and taken orally. Oregano essential oil is also available and can be diluted with a carrier oil and applied to the skin.</p><h2>The Bottom Line</h2><p>Oregano oil extract and oregano essential oil are both relatively cheap and readily available.</p><p>Oregano is higher in antioxidants than most fruits and vegetables, and it's packed full of powerful compounds called phenols.</p><p>Oregano also contains compounds that may be effective against bacterial and fungal infections, inflammation, and pain, among other conditions.</p><p>Overall, it appears to have several health benefits and may be useful as a natural treatment for some common health complaints.</p>
<p><em>Reposted with permission from<a href="https://www.healthline.com/" target="_blank"> Healthline</a>. For detailed source information, please view the original article on <a href="https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/9-oregano-oil-benefits-and-uses#The-bottom-line" target="_blank">Healthline</a>.</em></p>From Your Site Articles
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Unhealthy foods play a primary role in many people gaining weight and developing chronic health conditions, more now than ever before.
<p>Surprisingly, people consider some of these foods healthy.</p><p>Here are 15 "health foods" that are really junk foods in disguise.</p>
<p><em>Reposted with permission from </em><a href="https://www.healthline.com/" target="_blank"><em>Healthline</em></a><em>. For detailed source information, please view the original article on </em><em><a href="https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/15-health-foods-that-are-really-junk-foods" target="_blank">Healthline</a></em><em>.</em></p>
1. Processed ‘Low-Fat’ and ‘Fat-Free’ Foods
<p>The "war" on <a href="https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/saturated-fat-good-or-bad/" target="_blank">saturated fat</a> could be considered one of the most misguided decisions in the history of nutrition.</p><p>It was based on weak evidence, which has now been completely <a href="https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/it-aint-the-fat-people/" target="_blank">debunked</a>.</p><p>When this discussion started, processed food manufacturers jumped on the bandwagon and started removing the fat from foods.</p><p>But there's a huge problem. Food doesn't taste well when the fat has been removed. That's why they added a lot of sugar to compensate.</p><p>Saturated fat is harmless, but added sugar is incredibly harmful when consumed in excess.</p><p>The words "low fat" or "fat free" on packaging usually means that it's a highly processed product that's loaded with sugar.</p>2. Most Commercial Salad Dressings
<p>Vegetables are incredibly healthy.</p><p>The problem is that they often don't taste very good on their own.</p><p>That's why many people use dressings to add flavor to their salads, turning these bland meals into delicious treats.</p><p>But many salad dressings are actually loaded with unhealthy ingredients like sugar, vegetable oils, and <a href="https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/why-trans-fats-are-bad/" target="_blank">trans fats</a>, along with various artificial chemicals.</p><p>Although vegetables are good for you, eating them with a dressing high in harmful ingredients negates any health benefit you get from the salad.</p><p>Check the ingredients list before you use a salad dressing or make your own using healthy ingredients.</p>3. Fruit Juices … Which Are Basically Just Liquid Sugar
<p>A lot of people believe <a href="https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/fruit-juice-is-just-as-bad-as-soda/" target="_blank">fruit juices</a> are healthy.</p><p>They must be because they come from fruit, right?</p><p>But most fruit juice you find in the grocery store isn't really fruit juice.</p><p>Sometimes they don't have any actual fruit in them, just chemicals that taste like fruit. What you're drinking is basically fruit-flavored sugar water.</p><p>That being said, even if you're drinking 100% quality fruit juice, it's still not the best choice.</p><p>Fruit juice is like fruit, except with all the good stuff (like the <a href="https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/why-is-fiber-good-for-you/" target="_blank">fiber</a>) taken out. The main thing left of the actual <a href="https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/is-fruit-good-or-bad-for-your-health/" target="_blank">fruit</a> is the sugar.</p><p>Fruit juice actually contains a similar amount of sugar as a sugar-sweetened beverage.</p>4. ‘Heart-Healthy’ Whole Wheat
<p>Most "whole wheat" products aren't really made from whole wheat.</p><p>The grains have been pulverized into very fine flour, which causes them to raise blood sugar just as fast as their refined counterparts.</p><p>In fact, whole wheat bread can have a similar glycemic index as white bread.</p><p>But even true whole wheat may be a bad idea because modern wheat is unhealthy compared to the wheat our grandparents ate.</p><p>Around 1960, scientists modified the genes in wheat to increase the yield. <a href="https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/modern-wheat-health-nightmare/" target="_blank">Modern wheat</a> is less nutritious and has some properties that make it much worse for people who have a gluten intolerance.</p><p>There are also studies showing that modern wheat may cause inflammation and increased cholesterol levels, at least when compared to the older varieties.</p><p>Wheat may have been a relatively healthy grain back in the day, but the stuff most people are eating today should be consumed with caution.</p>5. Cholesterol-Lowering Phytosterols
<p>Phytosterols are nutrients that are basically like plant versions of cholesterol.</p><p>Some studies have shown that they can lower blood cholesterol in humans.</p><p>For this reason, they're often added to processed foods that are then marketed as "cholesterol lowering" and claimed to help prevent heart disease.</p><p>However, studies have shown that despite lowering cholesterol levels, phytosterols have negative effects on the cardiovascular system and may even increase the risk of heart disease and death.</p><p>People with phytosterolaemia (a genetic condition that raises plant sterol level in blood) are more susceptible to the negative effects of phytosterols.</p>6. Margarine
<p><a href="https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/7-reasons-why-butter-is-good-for-you/" target="_blank">Butter</a> was labeled a bad food choice in the past because of its high saturated fat content.</p><p>Various health experts started promoting margarine instead.</p><p>Back in the day, margarine used to be high in trans fats. These days, it has fewer trans fats than before, but it's still loaded with refined vegetable oils.</p><p>Not surprisingly, the Framingham Heart Study <a href="https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/butter-vs-margarine/" target="_blank">showed</a> that people who replace butter with margarine are actually more likely to die from heart disease.</p><p>If you want to improve your health, try to eat real butter (preferably <a href="https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/grass-fed-butter-superfood-for-the-heart/" target="_blank">grass fed</a>), and avoid margarine with trans fat. Trans-fat-free margarine has become more available in recent years.</p><p>Always read nutrition facts carefully and limit products that contain trans fat.</p><p>Recommending trans fat-laden margarine instead of natural butter may be considered some of the worst nutrition advice in history.</p>7. Sports Drinks
<p>Sports drinks were designed with athletes in mind.</p><p>They contain electrolytes (salts) and sugar, which can be useful for athletes in many cases.</p><p>However, most people don't need additional salt or liquid sugar in their diet.</p><p>Although often considered "less bad" than sugary soft drinks, there's really no fundamental difference in the two, except the sugar content in sports drinks is sometimes <em>slightly</em> lower.</p><p>It's important to stay hydrated, especially when working out, but most people will be better off sticking to plain <a href="https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/how-much-water-should-you-drink-per-day/" target="_blank">water</a>.</p>8. Low-Carb Junk Foods
<p><a href="https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/low-carb-diet-meal-plan-and-menu/" target="_blank">Low carb diets</a> have been incredibly popular for many decades.</p><p>In the past 12 years, <a href="https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/23-studies-on-low-carb-and-low-fat-diets/" target="_blank">studies</a> have confirmed that these diets are an effective way to lose weight and improve health.<a href="http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1467-789X.2008.00518.x/abstract" target="_blank"></a></p><p>However, food manufacturers have caught up on the trend and brought various low carb "friendly" processed foods to the market.</p><p>This includes highly processed foods like the <a href="https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/are-atkins-low-carb-bars-healthy/" target="_blank">Atkins bars</a>. If you take a look at the ingredients list, you see that there's no real food in them, just chemicals and highly refined ingredients.</p><p>These products can be consumed occasionally without compromising the metabolic adaptation that comes with low carb eating.</p><p>However, they don't really nourish your body. Even though they're technically low carb, they're still unhealthy.</p>9. Agave Nectar
<p>Given the known <a href="https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/10-disturbing-reasons-why-sugar-is-bad/" target="_blank">harmful effects</a> of sugar, people have been looking for alternatives.</p><p>One of the more popular "natural" sweeteners is agave nectar, which is also called agave syrup.</p><p>You'll find this sweetener in all sorts of "healthy foods," often with attractive claims on the packaging.</p><p>The problem with agave is that it's no better than regular sugar. In fact, it's much worse.</p><p>One of the main problems with sugar is that it has excessive amounts of <a href="https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/why-is-fructose-bad-for-you/" target="_blank">fructose</a>, which can cause severe metabolic problems when consumed in excess.</p><p>Sugar is about 50% fructose and 55% high fructose corn syrup, but agave contains even more — up to 70-90%.</p><p>Therefore, gram for gram, agave is even worse than regular sugar.</p><p>"Natural" doesn't always equal healthy. Whether agave should even be considered natural is debatable.</p>10. Vegan Junk Foods
<p>Vegan diets are very popular these days, often due to ethical and environmental reasons.</p><p>However, many people promote vegan diets for the purpose of improving health.</p><p>There are many processed vegan foods on the market, often sold as convenient replacements for non-vegan foods.</p><p>Vegan bacon is one example.</p><p>But it's important to keep in mind that these are usually highly processed, factory made products that are bad for almost anyone, including people who are vegan.</p>11. Brown Rice Syrup
<p><a href="https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/brown-rice-syrup-good-or-bad/" target="_blank"><br>Brown rice syrup</a>, also known as rice malt syrup, is a sweetener that's mistakenly assumed to be healthy.</p><p>It's made by exposing cooked rice to enzymes that break down the starch into simple sugars.</p><p>Brown rice syrup contains no refined fructose, just glucose.</p><p>The absence of refined fructose is good, but rice syrup has a glycemic index of 98, which means that the glucose in it will spike blood sugar extremely fast.<a href="http://www.glycemicindex.com/foodSearch.php?num=2648&ak=detail" target="_blank"></a></p><p>Rice syrup is also highly refined and contains almost no essential nutrients. In other words, it's considered "empty" calories.</p><p>Some concerns have been raised about arsenic contamination in this syrup, which is another reason to be extra careful with this sweetener.</p><p>There are other sweeteners out there, including low calorie sweeteners like:</p><ul><li><a href="https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/stevia/" target="_blank">stevia</a></li><li><a href="https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/erythritol/" target="_blank">erythritol</a></li><li><a href="https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/xylitol-101/" target="_blank">xylitol</a></li></ul><p>In general, try to use all sweeteners wisely and follow recommended serving sizes.</p>12. Processed Organic Foods
<p>Unfortunately, the word "organic" has become a typical marketing buzzword in many instances.</p><p>Food manufacturers have found all sorts of ways to make the same products, except with ingredients that happen to be organic.</p><p>This includes ingredients like organic raw cane sugar, which is basically 100% identical to regular sugar. It's still just glucose and fructose with little to no nutrients.</p><p>In many cases, the difference between an ingredient and its organic counterpart is next to none.</p><p>Processed foods that happen to be labeled organic aren't necessarily healthy. Always check the label to see what's inside.</p>13. Vegetable Oils
<p>We're often advised to eat seed and vegetable oils, which includes soybean oil, <a href="https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/canola-oil-good-or-bad/" target="_blank">canola oil</a>, <a href="https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/grape-seed-oil/" target="_blank">grapeseed oil</a>, and numerous others.</p><p>This recommendation is based on the fact that these oils have been shown to lower blood cholesterol levels, at least in the short term.<a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23731447/" target="_blank"></a></p><p>However, it's important to keep in mind that blood cholesterol is a <em>risk factor</em>. It's not a disease in itself.</p><p>Even though vegetable oils can help improve a risk factor, there's no guarantee that they'll help prevent actual health outcomes like heart attacks or death, which is what really counts.</p><p>In fact, several controlled trials have shown that despite lowering cholesterol, these oils can increase the risk of developing heart disease and memory impairment.</p><p>It's important to eat healthy, natural fats like butter, <a href="https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/top-10-evidence-based-health-benefits-of-coconut-oil/" target="_blank">coconut oil</a> and <a href="https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/extra-virgin-olive-oil/" target="_blank">olive oil</a> in moderation.</p><p>Also, follow the recommended serving size, but limit processed <a href="https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/are-vegetable-and-seed-oils-bad/" target="_blank">vegetable oils</a> as if your health depended on it, which it does.</p>14. Gluten-Free Junk Foods
<p>According to a <a href="http://www.npd.com/wps/portal/npd/us/news/press-releases/percentage-of-us-adults-trying-to-cut-down-or-avoid-gluten-in-their-diets-reaches-new-high-in-2013-reports-npd/" target="_blank">2013 survey</a>, about a third of people in the United States are actively trying to limit or avoid gluten.</p><p>Many experts believe this is unnecessary, but the truth is, <a href="https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/6-shocking-reasons-why-gluten-is-bad/" target="_blank">gluten</a>, especially from modern wheat, can be problematic for a lot of people.</p><p>Not surprisingly, the food manufacturers have brought <em>all sorts</em> of gluten-free foods to the market.</p><p>The problem with these foods is that they usually have the same negative effects on your body as their gluten-containing counterparts, if not worse.</p><p>These are highly processed foods containing few nutrients and often made with refined starches that can lead to very rapid spikes in blood sugar.</p><p>Try to choose foods that are naturally gluten free, like plants and animals, not gluten-free processed foods.</p><p>Gluten-free junk food is still junk food.</p>15. Most Processed Breakfast Cereals
<p>The way some breakfast cereals are marketed can be deceiving.</p><p>Many of them, including those that are marketed toward children, have various health claims listed on the box.</p><p>This includes claims like "whole grain" or "low fat" that may be misleading.</p><p>This is especially true when you look at the ingredients list and see that these products mostly contain:</p><ul><li>refined grains</li><li>sugar</li><li>artificial chemicals</li></ul><p>It's important to always review product packaging to confirm what you're actually putting in your body and whether it's healthy for you.</p><p>Truly healthy foods are whole, single-ingredient foods. Their health benefits speak for them.</p><p>Real food doesn't even need an ingredients list, because real food is the ingredient.</p>From Your Site Articles
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Oat milk is popping up at coffee shops and grocery stores alike, quickly becoming one of the trendiest plant-based milks. jacqueline / CC by 2.0
By Kelli McGrane
Oat milk is popping up at coffee shops and grocery stores alike, quickly becoming one of the trendiest plant-based milks.
<p>In its simplest form, it's made by soaking oats, blending them with water, and straining out the oats. Yet, many companies add ingredients like sweeteners, oils, thickeners, and stabilizers to alter the product's taste, texture, and shelf life.</p><p>Since many people prefer to avoid these additives, Healthline evaluated the healthiest oat milks based on the following criteria:</p><ul><li>quality of ingredients</li><li>few — if any — added ingredients, such as stabilizers, thickeners, gums, sugars, colors, and flavors</li><li>taste and texture</li></ul><p>Here are the 14 best oat milks of 2020.</p>
<h3>Pricing Guide</h3><p>General price ranges are indicated below with dollar signs ($ to $$). One dollar sign means the product is rather affordable, whereas three dollar signs indicate a higher cost.</p><p>Generally, prices range from $0.08–$0.56 per ounce (30 mL), or $3.99–$44.99 per package, though this may vary depending on where you shop.</p><p><strong>Pricing guide</strong></p><ul><li><strong>$</strong> = under $0.10 per ounce (30 mL)</li><li><strong>$</strong> = $0.10–$0.50 per ounce (30 mL)</li><li><strong>$$</strong> = over $0.50 per ounce (30 mL)</li></ul>
<h2>1. Best Overall: Oatly Original Oatmilk</h2><p><strong>Price:</strong> $</p><p>The Swedish company Oatly, considered the original oat milk manufacturer, has become increasingly popular in the United States.</p><p>Its thick, creamy texture, slight sweetness, and versatility for baking and drinking alike make it the best overall option on the market.</p><p>Its Original Oatmilk product owes its rich consistency to non-GMO, expeller-pressed <a href="https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/rapeseed-oil" target="_blank">rapeseed oil</a>, also known as canola oil in the United States.</p><p>As it's less processed than most seed oils, Oatly's rapeseed oil likely retains more of its beneficial nutrients, including vitamin E and omega-3 and -6 fatty acids.</p><p>Just 1 cup (240 mL) of Oatly Original Oatmilk provides:</p><ul><li><strong>Calories:</strong> 120</li><li><strong>Fat:</strong> 5 grams<ul><li><strong>Saturated fat: </strong>0.5 grams</li></ul></li><li><strong>Carbs: </strong>16 grams</li><li><strong>Fiber: </strong>2 grams</li><li><strong>Sugar: </strong>7 grams</li><li><strong>Protein: </strong>3 grams</li><li><strong>Calcium: </strong>20% of the Daily Value (DV)</li><li><strong>Vitamin B12:</strong> 50% of the DV</li><li><strong>Vitamin D: </strong>25% of the DV</li></ul><p>The vitamin B12 content is particularly notable, as this essential vitamin is sometimes lacking in vegan and vegetarian diets.</p><p>While Oatly doesn't add sugar to its products, oat milk contains small amounts of natural sugars from oat starches that are broken down during the manufacturing process.</p><p>This is true for many other oat milk products on this list.</p><p><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Oatly-OATLY-Original-Oat-Milk/dp/B075QJ8M1K/ref=as_li_ss_tl?almBrandId=VUZHIFdob2xlIEZvb2Rz&dchild=1&fpw=alm&keywords=oatly&qid=1593003630&sr=8-6&linkCode=ll1&tag=nutrition-best-oat-milk-20&linkId=9e6913b70927d1cbf96d86b288ed9866" target="_blank">Shop for Oatly Original Oatmilk online.</a></p><h2>2. Best Budget Option: Silk Oat Yeah Oatmilk (Plain)</h2><p><strong>Price:</strong> $</p><p>Silk's Oat Yeah Oatmilk is one of the cheapest oat milk products that's widely available.</p><p>Its balanced flavor isn't overly sweet, and its smooth texture resembles that of <a href="https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/soy-good-or-bad" target="_blank">soy milk</a>. Thus, it's great for drinking on its own, as well as using in cooking and baking.</p><p>Just 1 cup (240 mL) of Silk's plain Oat Yeah Oatmilk offers:</p><ul><li><strong>Calories:</strong> 80</li><li><strong>Fat:</strong> 3 grams<ul><li><strong>Saturated fat: </strong>0 grams</li></ul></li><li><strong>Carbs: </strong>11 grams</li><li><strong>Fiber: </strong>1 gram</li><li><strong>Sugar: </strong>4 grams</li><li><strong>Protein: </strong>2 grams</li><li><strong>Calcium: </strong>35% of the DV</li><li><strong>Vitamin B12:</strong> 100% of the DV</li><li><strong>Vitamin D: </strong>20% of the DV</li></ul><p>As you can see, a single serving packs all of your daily vitamin B12 needs. What's more, its ratio of calcium and vitamin D is similar to what's found in fortified dairy milk.</p><p>While Silk Oat Yeah Oatmilk harbors more ingredients and additives than many other products on this list, it's still one of the best options for the price.</p><p><a href="https://go.skimresources.com/?id=41977X1601025&xs=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.freshdirect.com%2Fpdp.jsp%3FproductId%3Ddai_pid_2004606" target="_blank">Shop for plain Silk Oat Yeah Oatmilk online.</a></p><h2>3. Best Gluten-Free: Oatly Low Fat Oatmilk</h2><p><strong>Price:</strong> $</p><p>While several oat milk companies claim to be gluten-free, Oatly is currently the only major brand in the United States that's been <a href="https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/gluten-in-oats" target="_blank">certified gluten-free</a> by the Gluten-Free Certification Organization (GFCO).</p><p>What's more, their low fat oatmilk has a relatively short ingredient list that's free of added gums and thickeners. Unlike other Oatly products, it doesn't contain added oils.</p><p>One cup (240 mL) provides:</p><ul><li><strong>Calories:</strong> 91</li><li><strong>Fat:</strong> 1 gram<ul><li><strong>Saturated fat: </strong>0 grams</li></ul></li><li><strong>Carbs: </strong>16 grams</li><li><strong>Fiber: </strong>2 grams</li><li><strong>Sugar: </strong>7 grams</li><li><strong>Protein: </strong>3 grams</li><li><strong>Calcium: </strong>20–25% of the DV</li><li><strong>Phosphorus: </strong>20–25% of the DV</li><li><strong>Vitamin A: </strong>20–25% of the DV</li><li><strong>Vitamin B12:</strong> 50% of the DV</li><li><strong>Vitamin D: </strong>20–25% of the DV</li></ul><p>Unlike Oatly's Original product, their low fat option is thinner and closer in consistency to low fat dairy milk.</p><p><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Oatly-Low-Fat-Oatmilk/dp/B07R18FLGD/ref=as_li_ss_tl?dchild=1&keywords=oatly+low+fat&qid=1593004495&sr=8-2&linkCode=ll1&tag=nutrition-best-oat-milk-20&linkId=0bac63a20a87e81292ced0926ead00ab" target="_blank">Shop for Oatly Low Fat Oatmilk online.</a></p><h2>4–5. Best Organic Oat Milks </h2><p>While all types of oats are nutritious, whole grain foods, some people are concerned about <a href="https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/pesticides-and-health" target="_blank">chemical pesticides</a> and fertilizers used on conventional oat crops.</p><p>Levels of chemical residues on oats regularly test below the safety limits set by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Still, organic oats are less likely to contain high levels of these residues.</p><h3>4. Oatsome Oat Milk Original</h3><p><strong>Price:</strong> $</p><p>Oatsome Oat Milk Original is not only <a href="https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/what-is-organic-food" target="_blank">organic</a> but also free of gums, thickeners, and stabilizers.</p><p>Just 1 cup (240 mL) provides:</p><ul><li><strong>Calories:</strong> 130</li><li><strong>Fat:</strong> 3 grams<ul><li><strong>Saturated fat: </strong>0 grams</li></ul></li><li><strong>Carbs: </strong>21 grams</li><li><strong>Fiber: </strong>0 grams</li><li><strong>Sugar: </strong>13 grams</li><li><strong>Protein: </strong>2 grams</li><li><strong>Calcium: </strong>20% of the DV</li><li><strong>Riboflavin (vitamin B6): </strong>40% of the DV</li><li><strong>Vitamin B12:</strong> 40% of the DV</li><li><strong>Vitamin D: </strong>10% of the DV</li></ul><p>While lauded for its creamy texture, it's one of the more expensive options on the market.</p><p><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Oatsome-Organic-Oat-Milk-Count/dp/B07W59VH6B/ref=as_li_ss_tl?th=1&linkCode=ll1&tag=nutrition-best-oat-milk-20&linkId=711ea76d751e1c49e1a2eb915dbca8e5" target="_blank">Shop for Oatsome Oat Milk Original online.</a></p><h3>5. Pacific Foods Original Oat Plant-Based Beverage, Reduced Sugar</h3><p><strong>Price:</strong> $</p><p>Pacific Foods is a respected food company that uses as many locally sourced and organic ingredients as possible.</p><p>Their organic, reduced sugar oat original plant-based beverage is certified organic and <a href="https://www.healthline.com/health/gmos-pros-and-cons" target="_blank">non-GMO</a>. Additionally, it has a minimal ingredient list that's free of added sugars.</p><p>Just 1 cup (240 mL) provides:</p><ul><li><strong>Calories:</strong> 130</li><li><strong>Fat:</strong> 2.5 grams<ul><li><strong>Saturated fat: </strong>0.5 grams</li></ul></li><li><strong>Carbs: </strong>23 grams</li><li><strong>Fiber: </strong>less than 1 gram</li><li><strong>Sugar: </strong>3 grams</li><li><strong>Protein: </strong>4 grams</li></ul><p>This organic oat beverage also has a mild, slightly sweet flavor that's a bit thinner than other oat milk options. As a result, it's best enjoyed on its own as a beverage or used in cooking and baking.</p><p>While one of the lowest sugar options, some reviewers find the beverage to have a slightly gritty texture.</p><p><a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B088NFG3P9/ref=as_li_ss_tl?psc=1&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUEzNkFUR09KWlpZM1I5JmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwNDYyMTU1Mk9HMjRSNERMRjFGMiZlbmNyeXB0ZWRBZElkPUEwOTMyNDg0MzY4WEpCUFpNQlFBUSZ3aWRnZXROYW1lPXNwX2RldGFpbDImYWN0aW9uPWNsaWNrUmVkaXJlY3QmZG9Ob3RMb2dDbGljaz10cnVl&linkCode=ll1&tag=nutrition-best-oat-milk-20&linkId=2a551c8090f52755c45ea8639a0ce9d2" target="_blank">Shop for Pacific Foods Original Oat Plant-Based Beverage, Reduced Sugar online.</a></p>
<h2>6–7. Best Oat Milks for Drinking</h2><p>The best oat milks for drinking are creamy — but not too thick — and aren't overly sweet.</p><h3>6. Planet Oat Original</h3><p><strong>Price:</strong> $</p><p>If you like the consistency of 2% milk, Planet Oat Original is a great choice because it's free of added oils and quite low in natural sugars.</p><p>A single cup (240 mL) offers:</p><ul><li><strong>Calories:</strong> 90</li><li><strong>Fat:</strong> 1.5 grams<ul><li><strong>Saturated fat: </strong>0 grams</li></ul></li><li><strong>Carbs: </strong>19 grams</li><li><strong>Fiber: </strong>2 grams</li><li><strong>Sugar: </strong>4 grams</li><li><strong>Protein: </strong>2 grams</li><li><strong>Calcium: </strong>25% of the DV</li><li><strong>Vitamin D: </strong>20% of the DV</li></ul><p>Like Oatly, Planet Oat uses a stabilizer called dipotassium phosphate that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) deems safe.</p><p>However, frequent intake of foods containing this additive may <a href="https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/foods-to-avoid-with-kidney-disease" target="_blank">harm kidney health</a>, especially in people with pre-existing kidney disease.</p><p>While small amounts of dipotassium phosphate shouldn't be concerning, you may want to choose a different oat milk if you have kidney issues.</p><p><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Planet-Oat-Original-Oatmilk-52/dp/B07KNKDBJ5/ref=as_li_ss_tl?almBrandId=QW1hem9uIEZyZXNo&dchild=1&fpw=alm&keywords=planet+oat&qid=1593013421&sr=8-6&linkCode=ll1&tag=nutrition-best-oat-milk-20&linkId=85eb6bd55fab2ae619cf692766408d34" target="_blank">Shop for Planet Oat original oatmilk online.</a></p><h3>7. Califia Farms Unsweetened Oatmilk</h3><p><strong>Price:</strong> $</p><p>Califia Farms Unsweetened Oatmilk isn't overly sweet and strikes the right balance between smooth and creamy.</p><p>As it tends to separate when added to coffee, it's best consumed on its own or with cereal.</p><p>Just 1 cup (240 mL) contains:</p><ul><li><strong>Calories:</strong> 130</li><li><strong>Fat:</strong> 7 grams<ul><li><strong>Saturated fat: </strong>1 gram</li></ul></li><li><strong>Carbs: </strong>15 grams</li><li><strong>Fiber: </strong>0 grams</li><li><strong>Sugar: </strong>4 grams</li><li><strong>Protein: </strong>2 grams</li><li><strong>Calcium: </strong>20% of the DV</li></ul><p>Although this oat milk is free of gums and stabilizers, it's higher in fat than many other products.</p><p>This fat comes from <a href="https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/is-sunflower-oil-healthy" target="_blank">sunflower oil</a>, which is high in omega-6 fatty acids.</p><p>Research suggests that diets high in omega-6s but low in omega-3s may increase chronic inflammation in your body. Over time, this may raise your risk of chronic ailments like heart disease, arthritis, and diabetes.</p><p>If you choose this oat milk, you may want to limit your intake of other vegetable oils high in omega-6s, such as soybean, safflower, cottonseed, and corn oil.</p><p><a href="https://www.instacart.com/products/19770971-califia-farms-oatmilk-unsweetened-48-oz" target="_blank">Shop for Califia Farms Unsweetened Oatmilk online.</a></p><h2>8–9. Best Oat Milks for Coffee</h2><p>Many oat milk brands offer barista blends designed to steam and froth for drinks like lattés and cappuccinos.</p><p>These products are often creamier than regular oat milks to provide a gourmet, coffee-shop quality.</p><h3>8. Califia Farms Oat Barista Blend</h3><p><strong>Price:</strong> $</p><p>While Califia Farms' unsweetened product isn't the best for <a href="https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/top-13-evidence-based-health-benefits-of-coffee" target="_blank">coffee</a>, its Barista Blend gets great reviews for its frothing ability and sweet, oaty flavor.</p><p>Notably, it's also free of gums and stabilizers.</p><p>One cup (240 mL) contains:</p><ul><li><strong>Calories:</strong> 130</li><li><strong>Fat:</strong> 7 grams<ul><li><strong>Saturated fat: </strong>0.5 grams</li></ul></li><li><strong>Carbs: </strong>14 grams</li><li><strong>Fiber: </strong>2 grams</li><li><strong>Sugar: </strong>3 grams</li><li><strong>Protein: </strong>1 gram</li></ul><p><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Califia-Farms-Unsweetened-Oatmilk-Gluten-Free/dp/B07NW4GSSR/ref=as_li_ss_tl?almBrandId=QW1hem9uIEZyZXNo&dchild=1&fpw=alm&keywords=califia+farms&qid=1593014498&s=amazonfresh&sr=1-6&linkCode=ll1&tag=nutrition-best-oat-milk-20&linkId=e1843b99f63e6b6d066d482b061560bb" target="_blank">Shop for Califia Farms Oat Barista Blend online.</a></p><h3>9. Minor Figures Oat Milk Barista</h3><p><strong>Price: </strong>$</p><p>Created by baristas in London, Minor Figures Oat Milk Barista is designed to be great for foaming or steaming.</p><p>It works well for your morning latté but can also be used in baking and even poured over <a href="https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/are-breakfast-cereals-healthy" target="_blank">cereal</a>, as its texture isn't overly thick.</p><p>Additionally, it's free of gums, thickeners, and stabilizers.</p><p>Just 1 cup (240 mL) offers:</p><ul><li><strong>Calories:</strong> 116</li><li><strong>Fat:</strong> 5 grams<ul><li><strong>Saturated fat: </strong>0.5 grams</li></ul></li><li><strong>Carbs: </strong>23 grams</li><li><strong>Fiber: </strong>0 grams</li><li><strong>Sugar: </strong>11 grams</li><li><strong>Protein: </strong>0.5 grams</li></ul><p><a href="https://go.skimresources.com/?id=41977X1601025&xs=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FMinor-Figures-Milk-Case-Liters%2Fdp%2FB07NRQ63K6" target="_blank">Shop for Minor Figures Organic Oat Milk Barista online.</a></p>
<h2>10–11. Best for Cooking and Baking</h2><p>While most oat milks can be used for cooking and baking, some are better than others due to their thickness and flavor.</p><h3>10. Elmhurst Unsweetened Milked Oats</h3><p><strong>Price:</strong> $</p><p>Elmhurst Unsweetened Milked Oats is a low sugar, mild oat milk that's made with just filtered water, oats, and <a href="https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/salt-good-or-bad" target="_blank">salt</a>.</p><p>It's not ideal for drinking or adding to coffee since it's thinner than many other oat milks. Keep in mind that some consumers mention a slight gritty texture.</p><p>Still, it's one of the best options if you're used to baking or cooking with skim or low fat dairy milk.</p><p>Only 1 cup (240 mL) contains:</p><ul><li><strong>Calories:</strong> 80</li><li><strong>Fat:</strong> 1.5 grams<ul><li><strong>Saturated fat: </strong>0 grams</li></ul></li><li><strong>Carbs: </strong>14 grams</li><li><strong>Fiber: </strong>2 grams</li><li><strong>Sugar: </strong>1 gram</li><li><strong>Protein: </strong>4 grams</li></ul><p><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Elmhurst-1925-Unsweetened-Milk-Ounce/dp/B082WHZGKM/ref=as_li_ss_tl?dchild=1&keywords=Elmhurst+Unsweetened+Oat&qid=1590684321&s=grocery&sr=1-1-spons&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUEzQ0NUWkU1OFNNWjg0JmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwMTIyMjY2MkE1NFk2M0c0TFRaTSZlbmNyeXB0ZWRBZElkPUEwNDEyMzcxMURDWTVNQlUyNkJMTyZ3aWRnZXROYW1lPXNwX2F0ZiZhY3Rpb249Y2xpY2tSZWRpcmVjdCZkb05vdExvZ0NsaWNrPXRydWU&th=1&linkCode=ll1&tag=nutrition-best-oat-milk-20&linkId=99dd8f796b34fed79ecce4d610586347" target="_blank">Shop for Elmhurst Unsweetened Milked Oats online.</a></p><h3>11. Chobani Plain Extra Creamy Oat Milk</h3><p><strong>Price:</strong> $</p><p>Unlike Elmhurst's product above, Chobani's Plain Extra Creamy Oat Milk has a consistency much closer to <a href="https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/whole-vs-skim-milk" target="_blank">whole milk</a>.</p><p>Its slightly sweet taste and thick, creamy texture add a rich mouthfeel and flavor to baked goods. It can also help thicken soups.</p><p>While it contains a small number of additives, it uses organic oats and doesn't have artificial flavors or preservatives.</p><p>One cup (240 mL) provides:</p><ul><li><strong>Calories:</strong> 120</li><li><strong>Fat:</strong> 9 grams<ul><li><strong>Saturated fat: </strong>0.5 grams</li></ul></li><li><strong>Carbs: </strong>11 grams</li><li><strong>Fiber: </strong>2 grams</li><li><strong>Sugar: </strong>8 grams</li><li><strong>Protein: </strong>2 grams</li></ul><p><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Chobani-Drink-Extra-Creamy-Plain/dp/B07Z1DTG97/ref=as_li_ss_tl?almBrandId=QW1hem9uIEZyZXNo&dchild=1&fpw=alm&keywords=chobani+thick+oat+milk&qid=1590687183&s=grocery&sr=1-2&linkCode=ll1&tag=nutrition-best-oat-milk-20&linkId=0783ba2c67ebf97f7070cd3ea2e8a315" target="_blank">Shop for Chobani Plain Extra Creamy Oat Milk online.</a></p><h2>12–13. Best Flavored</h2><p>Flavored varieties like chocolate or vanilla oat milk can make nice treats or desserts, though you should keep in mind that they're often high in sugar.</p><p>These flavored options are lower in sugar than many of their competitors.</p><h3>12. Elmhurst Milked Oats Chocolate</h3><p><strong>Price:</strong> $</p><p>Elmhurst Milked Oats Chocolate is your best bet if you're looking for a plant-based chocolate milk.</p><p>One serving offers just 4 grams of sugar from natural cane sugar.</p><p>Elmhurst's chocolate product doesn't contain any added gums, thickeners, or stabilizers. Instead, it's made from just six basic ingredients — water, oats, cane sugar, <a href="https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/cocoa-powder-nutrition-benefits" target="_blank">cocoa powder</a>, natural flavors, and salt.</p><p>Just 1 cup (240 mL) provides:</p><ul><li><strong>Calories:</strong> 110</li><li><strong>Fat:</strong> 2 grams<ul><li><strong>Saturated fat: </strong>0.5 grams</li></ul></li><li><strong>Carbs: </strong>19 grams</li><li><strong>Fiber: </strong>3 grams</li><li><strong>Sugar: </strong>4 grams</li><li><strong>Protein: </strong>3 grams</li></ul><p><a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B082WJZVVH/ref=as_li_ss_tl?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&linkCode=ll1&tag=nutrition-best-oat-milk-20&linkId=57f0e62ed3831cec5272f46750b8bc32" target="_blank">Shop for Elmhurst Milked Oats Chocolate online.</a></p><h3>13. Planet Oat Vanilla Oatmilk</h3><p><strong>Price: </strong>$</p><p>Plant Oats Vanilla Oatmilk has a distinct vanilla flavor without any added sugars — just naturally occurring oat sugar.</p><p>One cup (240 mL) contains:</p><ul><li><strong>Calories:</strong> 90</li><li><strong>Fat:</strong> 1.5 grams<ul><li><strong>Saturated fat: </strong>0 grams</li></ul></li><li><strong>Carbs: </strong>19 grams</li><li><strong>Fiber: </strong>2 grams</li><li><strong>Sugar: </strong>4 grams</li><li><strong>Protein: </strong>2 grams</li></ul><p>Keep in mind that this product has a few additives, such as <a href="https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/gellan-gum" target="_blank">gellan gum</a> and dipotassium phosphate.</p><p><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Planet-Oat-Oatmilk-Vanilla-Fluid/dp/B07KNKF3P9/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&linkCode=ll1&tag=nutrition-best-oat-milk-20&linkId=fadc37e6a5225a200216c3cfe0a2c4d4" target="_blank">Shop for Planet Oat Vanilla Oatmilk online.</a></p>
<h2>14. Best Blended Option: Mooala Organic Coconut Oat Milk</h2><p><strong>Price:</strong> $</p><p>Mooala is a Texas-based company with a line of dairy-free milk alternatives, including their Coconut Oat Milk.</p><p>Its consistency is similar to 2% milk, and its <a href="https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/coconut-nutrition" target="_blank">hint of coconut</a> differentiates it from most products on the market. It's also one of the only sugar-free options available.</p><p>Moreover, the product doesn't need any added oils to make it rich and smooth because it contains coconut cream.</p><p>Organic oats, organic cinnamon, sea salt, calcium carbonate, and gellan gum are also on the ingredient list.</p><p>One cup (240 mL) provides:</p><ul><li><strong>Calories:</strong> 50</li><li><strong>Fat:</strong> 3.5 grams<ul><li><strong>Saturated fat: </strong>3 grams</li></ul></li><li><strong>Carbs: </strong>5 grams</li><li><strong>Fiber: </strong>3 grams</li><li><strong>Sugar: </strong>0 grams</li><li><strong>Protein: </strong>1 gram</li><li><strong>Calcium: </strong>30% of the DV</li></ul><p><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Mooala-leche-avena-az%C3%BAcar-l%C3%ADquidas/dp/B07NRFRFYN/ref=as_li_ss_tl?almBrandId=VUZHIFdob2xlIEZvb2Rz&dchild=1&fpw=alm&keywords=mooala&qid=1590715180&sr=8-2&linkCode=ll1&tag=nutrition-best-oat-milk-20&linkId=9631f314ef6a06129b0d6729c582ee29" target="_blank">Shop for Mooala organic coconut oat milk online.</a></p><p><strong>A Note on Availability</strong></p><p>As of this article's publication, the product above is sold out. If you're interested in this oat milk, continue to check the link above for the latest availability information from the retailer.</p><h2>How to Choose a Healthy Oat Milk Product</h2><p>When looking for a healthy oat milk product, it's important to take a look at the ingredient list.</p><p>Ideally, opt for a product with a short ingredient list that's low in both <a href="https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/too-much-sugar" target="_blank">added sugar</a> and additives like thickeners, stabilizers, gums, and artificial flavorings and colors.</p><p>Keep in mind that many oat milks contain natural sugars because oats' starches are broken down by <a href="https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/natural-digestive-enzymes" target="_blank">enzymes</a> during the manufacturing process.</p><p>Finally, if you have a gluten allergy or intolerance, only choose products that are certified gluten-free. While oats are naturally gluten-free, there's still a risk of cross-contamination with other grains.</p><h2>The Bottom Line</h2><p>Oat milk is a popular plant-based beverage that's enjoyed for its slightly sweet, oaty flavor and creamy consistency.</p><p>While numerous options abound, the healthiest ones tend to be low in sugar and additives.</p><p>It's also surprisingly easy and inexpensive to <a href="https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/oat-milk" target="_blank">make oat milk at home</a>.</p>
<p><em>Reposted with permission from <em><a href="https://www.healthline.com/" target="_blank">Healthline</a>.</em> For detailed source information, please view the original article on <a href="https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/best-oat-milk" target="_blank"><em>Healthline</em></a>.</em></p>From Your Site Articles
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