The nutrition facts label on packaged foods contains vital information about a food’s nutritional value that can help people make healthy dietary choices. Recent changes to the nutrition facts label were made to present this information in a way that s easier to understand, and if you know what to look, you ll be able to maintain a healthy diet and take care of any special dietary needs.
What Is Processed Meat and Is It Bad for Your Health? Amy Gorin, MS, RDN
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What is processed meat?
Processed meat is as American as baseball, a game where, incidentally, you ll usually find processed hot dogs draped in cheese sauce (also processed). Processed red meat differs from fresh red meat in that it s been cured, salted, smoked, canned, or treated with preservatives, says Lisa Andrews, a registered dietitian and owner of Sound Bites Nutrition in Cincinnati.
Along with hot dogs, processed meat includes bacon, sausage, bologna, corned beef, salami, ham, and beef jerky. Yup, your beloved bacon is processed, and so is pepperoni and packaged deli meat.
What Can I Eat If I Have Type 2 Diabetes? Amy Gorin, MS, RDN
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Understanding type 2 diabetes
Millions in fact, about 31 to 32 million of Americans have type 2 diabetes, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Most often, this chronic disease affects people older than age 45, but that doesn t mean younger folks or even children can t develop it. It s more common in people who are overweight or obese.
When you have type 2 diabetes, the cells in your body don t respond normally to insulin. As a result, glucose (sugar) from your food can t enter your cells. (This is known as insulin resistance.) It builds up in the blood instead. Sensing high levels of sugar in your blood, your pancreas makes more insulin. But your cells still don t respond to the insulin, and your blood sugar level continues to rise. When your blood sugar gets high enough, it s considered type 2 diabetes.