In dentistry, there is a well-established practice of fluoridating water, salt and milk for the prevention of dental caries. The use of other foods to promote oral health is another step in the same direction, and the development of research into adding therapeutic benefit to food is welcome. As the mouth is at the beginning of the gastrointestinal tract, the potential to capture oral health be...

The growth of the organic foods industry in the United States has been dramatic in the past 2 decades. It is estimated that organic sales have increased by nearly 20% annually since 1990, with consumer sales reaching $13.8 billion in 2005 (Figure 1). While initial organic food production primarily involved small farms and local distribution of fresh produce, today’s organic food system is a com...

It is the position of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics to recognize that although all foods provide some level of physiological function, the term functional foods is defined as whole foods along with fortified, enriched, or enhanced foods that have a potentially beneficial effect on health when consumed as part of a varied diet on a regular basis at effective levels based on significant ...

To examine whether total fat intake is actually lower in reduced-fat (low-fat and skim) milk drinkers and whether reduced-fat-milk drinkers compensate for energy intake we compared the intakes of foods, energy, and energy-yielding nutrients in reduced-fat-milk drinkers and whole milk drinkers by using the US Department of Agriculture's 1989-1991 nationwide food intake database, the Continuing S...

BACKGROUND Food processing alters food from its natural state for safety, convenience, taste or palatability. Previous research suggests that industrially processed foods, and diets high in these products, tend to be less healthful. However, most previous work is based on household, rather than individual-level, data. Little has been reported on the relationship between processed food consumpti...

BACKGROUND To assess the overall influence of diet on health and disease in epidemiological studies, the habitual diet of the study participants has to be captured as a pattern rather than individual foods or nutrients. The simplest way to describe dietary preferences is to separate foods considered beneficial to health from foods considered to promote disease, and separate individuals on the b...