Healthy Eating

Remember when surprises in your food used to be fun? A temporary tattoo. A neon-orange whistle. A mini Barbie. These days, though, a surprise inside isn't always a good thing, especially when it comes to trans fats, added sugars, and hidden calories. Fortunately, almost every food product you buy comes with a label designed to take the mystery out of your meals. Unfortunately, it's not always easy to determine what, in fact, that label is telling you — which is where this illustrated guide to nutrition labels comes in. Think of it as your own nutritional decoder ring.

THE FACTS

Cooking meat at high temperatures is known to create toxins called heterocyclic amines, which have been linked to some cancers. Marinating lowers the risk by preventing the formation of the toxins. But one ingredient that makes a big difference is rosemary. Studies show that adding it to ground beef and other types of muscle meat before grilling, frying, broiling or barbecuing significantly reduces heterocyclic amines.

You may be confused about what you should and shouldn't eat to stay healthy. In fact, making healthy food choices isn't hard at all. To help prevent heart disease and some other diseases, you should eat mainly:

Pomegranate juice has recently been noted for its antioxidants, heart benefits, and potential cancer fighting attributes. The seeds produce a chemical known as ellagic acid naturally. It is shown to help slow and even prevent growth of cancer cells in breast tissue. Recently in a lab study, pomegranate juice has shown that it could be the next estrogen-responsive breast cancer treatment.