2020-07-07ConsumerReportsHealthandHomeGuides

102 Pages·2020·77.08 MB·English

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Contents

3 Nutrition Moves

to Make Now

It's always the right time to
take charge of your health,
by making better nutrition
choices every day. CR’s ex-
perts share their easy, deli-
cious tips.

6 The Big Benefits of Seeds
Small wonders that pack
a big nutritional punch:

Learn why seeds are a smart
addition to your diet. Plus,
two easy recipes.

8 Should You Be Eating
More Herbs?

These tasty botanicals not
only add flavor (which
can help you use less salt)
but also provide valuable
antioxidants.

10 Noodle Knowledge
Traditional, whole wheat,
legume, soba-—there’s not a
bad noodle in the bunch.
Here’s what to know about
each type.

12 Pick the Best Fruit
for Your Health

No need to worry about
the sugars in fruit: These

sweet treats are actually
(very, very) good for you.

15 Stay-Well Summer Drinks
Hydrate the healthy way
with these better beverages—
and find out which ones

to limit or avoid.

18 The Truth About

Protein Drinks

They may seem like a boon
to your health and fitness,
but are protein drinks really
a sound nutritional choice?
Our experts weigh in.

96 Take It Outside
Summertime, and the grilling
is easy—especially if you
follow these four simple tips.
Plus, our top gas, charcoal,
and kamado picks.

P.60

NOURISH
YOURSELF

22 Surprising Superfoods
From regulating blood
sugar to fighting cancer to
reducing inflammation,
these seven foods can help
transform your health.
Spoiler alert: You probably
already love some of them!
PHOTO, COVER: PIXEL STORIES/STOCKSY

30 The Power of a
Plant-Based Diet

Lots of variety and plenty
of protein: Here’s how

to create a balanced, plant-
based plan for life.

34 Healthiest Fast Food
More chain restaurants are
offering items that sound
like better choices than
the usual burger and fries.
But do they deliver what
they promise? CR evaluated
17 chains to find out.

44 Think You Don't

Eat Plastic?

In fact, you do. Learn how
tiny fragments end up in our
water, our food, and even
the air we breathe—and how
to reduce your exposure.

SIMPLIFY
MEAL PREP

54 Home Cooking

Made Easy

From strategic shopping tips
to no-cook “recipes,” our food
pros’ advice makes it easy to
prep healthy meals.

60 Countertop Intelligence
Get all the details on our
top-tested multi-cookers, air
fryers, food processors, and
slow cookers here.

STAY STRONG IN
BODY AND MIND

66 Paying for Healthcare

in the Age of Coronavirus
Worried about the cost of

treatment? We help you

navigate financial options—
whether you have health
insurance or not.

72 Simple Ways to Stay
Fit at Home

You don’t have to go toa
gym to treat your body
right. Here’s how to get

a great workout at home,
no matter what your
fitness level. Plus, CR’s
exclusive ratings of tread-
mills and ellipticals.

82 Stay Centered

in Tough Times

If you’re feeling more
than a little stressed right
now, youre not alone.

Try these easy practices to
help soothe anxiety and
ease your well-being.

OCTOBER 2020

PROTECT
YOUR HOME

86 How to Keep Your

House Germ-Free
Preventing the spread of
illness at home is always im-
portant, and now particularly
so. Use these expert-verified
products and techniques to
keep surfaces—and even
laundry-safe and sanitized.

CR.ORG EAT FOR YOUR HEALTH 1
From the Editors

Putting Your Health First

IT’S MORE IMPORTANT than
ever to take charge of your
health. A few strategic changes
to your daily habits can help
you reap huge benefits for your
body and mind: reduced risk of
diseases such as diabetes and
hypertension, a toned physique,
and even improved immunity.
CR will help you every step
of the way. We’ve devoted this
special issue to expert advice
on the smartest nutrition moves—
like choosing antioxidant-rich
superfoods, the best protein
sources, and the healthiest sum-
mer drinks. Plus, we’re sharing
guides to easy home cooking,
staying fit, and sanitizing your

CONNECT WITH US

home-along with exclusive
product ratings.

You can trust our insight
because we’re nonprofit and inde-
pendent: We buy all the products
we test, and we don’t accept any
ads. As always, we’re here to help
you make the informed choices
you need to live well— and in
vibrant good health.

—The Editors of
Consumer Reports

RATINGS Overall Scores are
based on a scale of 0 to 100.
We rate products using

these symbols:

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2 EAT FOR YOUR HEALTH CR.ORG

ConsumerReports”

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™ Copyright © 2020 Consumer Reports,
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ISSN: 2572-3855
Manufactured in the United States of America.

PHOTO: GETTY IMAGES
PHOTO: EISING STUDIO/STOCKFOOD

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EAT FOR YOUR HEALTH
Nutrition Moves

CHANCES ARE THAT your eating habits have changed in
the past several months. Between lockdowns and just
staying home more than we're used to, most of us have
been cooking a lot. But if popular hashtags on social
media are any indication—#cantstopeating, #quarantinel5,
and #stressbaking, to name just a few—we’ve also been
overindulging in this period of uncertainty. Rather than
diving into the fruits of our baking labors or a pantry
filled with snacks, it’s possible to look at this undeniably
difficult time as a chance to adopt or improve your

healthy eating habits.

Before you laugh and reach
for the cookies, consider
these two very good reasons
to keep paying attention
to nutrition. “What you
choose to eat can mean the
difference between feeling
energetic or fatigued, and
between strengthening or
weakening your immune sys-
tem,” says Amy Keating, R.D.,
a nutritionist at Consumer
Reports. “Staying healthy is
vital now-—it’s a public ser-
vice, really—and that starts
with good nutrition.”

Plus, the habits you de-
velop now may last long after
the pandemic is long gone.
“Doing anything over time—
we usually say two weeks—
forms habits,” says Joyce A.
Corsica, Ph.D., director of
outpatient psychotherapy
and director of bariatric
psychology at Rush Univer-
sity. “At this point, many of
us are looking at months
of WFH, and I’d hate to be
on the other side and have
a new habit of emotional
or unhealthy eating.”

As we settle into a different
way of life, we need to figure

out sustainable strategies

for eating well. The follow-
ing six can get you started.
Then, move on to our ex-
pert’s guidance on no-cook
strategies for healthy meals,
making the most of pantry
and freezer staples, and CR’s
top picks for countertop appli-

ances that can make food
prep easier and more fun.

Set Up a New
Eating Schedule
Whether you’re WFH or just
avoiding public places when
you can, being at home for
most of the day can lead to
grazing. That often results
in overeating or snacking
on foods that aren’t going to
supply you with nutrients
you need, like fiber, vitamins,
and minerals, and may con-
tain high levels of things
you don’t need, like sodium,
sugars, and additives.
Scheduling your meals
and snacks can help. “My
general recommendation is
three meals at minimum,

and many benefit from snacks,
too,” Corsica says. It’s easier
to delay the urge to eat from
boredom or anxiety when you
know you have a snack plann-
ed in 45 minutes, she says.

(If making that many
meals feels intimidating,
work out a few reliable go-to
strategies, says Keating.
“Keep things simple. With
breakfast, for instance,
identify some healthy foods
that you like, such as fruit,
yogurt, eggs, and whole wheat
toast, and stick to those.”)

Having a set place in your
home where you eat can also
help you maintain boundar-
ies. “It’s classical condition-
ing,” Corsica says. “If you eat
on the sofa or in bed, you

EAT FOR YOUR HEALTH CR.ORG
PHOTOS, FROM LEFT: COLIN ANDERSON/STOCKSY; ADOBE STOCK

wind up pairing those places
with the act of eating, and

in the future, being in bed or
on the sofa may prompt you
to want food.”

Don't Forget
About Fresh
As people stocked up on
food during the beginning
of the pandemic, sales of
fresh, canned, and frozen
produce rose significantly—
but canned and frozen had
the bigger surge. And though
canned and frozen produce
can be as nutritious as fresh,
they do have their drawbacks.

“Canned goods can con-
tain lots of added sugar and
sodium, and if you bought
them in a hurry, you may not
have bothered to read the
labels closely,” says Keating.
“The same is true for frozen.
Ideally, the only ingredient
should be the fruit or vegeta-
ble, or a mix.” (Rinsing your
canned beans and vegetables
can help remove up to 40
percent of the sodium. For
more on choosing the best
frozen foods, see “Frozen
Foods That Are Worth the
Freezer Space,” on page 57.)
What’s more, if you’re limit-
ing yourself to the 12 cans
of corn in your cupboard,
youre not getting the array
of nutrients your body and
immune system needs.

So the next time you
order groceries or hit the
supermarket, put fresh fruit
and vegetables on your list.
If you’re concerned about
them going bad before you

When you
do go for
sweets, try
to “healthy
them up.” A
few squares
of dark
chocolate
isa good
option, as
isasmall
bowl of

ice cream
heaped with
fresh or
frozen fruit.

can eat them, opt for longer-
lasting produce, such as
apples, carrots, citrus fruits,
potatoes, sweet potatoes,
and winter squash. If you
buy more delicate produce,
eat it first, or keep it from
spoiling by blanching and
freezing some of it, such as
broccoli and spinach.

Fill Up on Fiber

Changes to your diet may
mean that your fiber intake
has dropped, which can
lead to digestive problems.
The relatively easy solution
is to start cooking with all of
those beans in your cupboard
and to emphasize whole
grains like quinoa and farro,
or even just whole-wheat
bread and pasta.

This helps you stay regular,
and fiber feeds the healthy
bacteria that live in your
gut. Those bacteria are ma-
jor players in protecting
you against illness; much of
your immune system is in
your GI tract.

“Eat fermented foods
like yogurt, kefir [a drink
similar to yogurt], tempeh
[a type of prepared tofu],
and kimchi to supply your
body with good bacteria,
and then support them by
eating beans, grains, and
fruits and vegetables,”
Keating says.

Focus on Healthy
Foods You Like

That doesn’t mean the
occasional cake, brownies,
or cheese puffs is out of
bounds. But for daily indul-
gences, look toward good-
for-you treats like guacamole,
hummus, cheese, a snack
mix of seeds (see the recipe on
page 7), or apple slices with
peanut butter, for instance.

When you do go for sweets,
try to "healthy them up."

A few squares of dark choco-
late is a good dessert option,
as is a small bow] of ice
cream heaped with fresh or
frozen fruit.

You can make healthy
changes to a recipe even
when you're baking. For
instance, you can often cut
the sugar by 10 to 25 percent
and replace 25 percent of
the all-purpose flour called
for with whole-wheat flour,
Keating says.

Carry a Water Bottle
Around Your House
There’s no reason that shel-
tering in place should keep
us from getting the liquids
we need. But for many of
us, hydration was built into
our day-filling a water
bottle before leaving home,
drinking water at the gym,
having tea at work. So make
it a point to drink up even

if you’re not working outside
the home. Good hydration
helps your cells function and
your body eliminate waste,
which enables your immune
system to work better.

And it prevents headaches
and muscle fatigue, aids
digestion, and can even boost
your mood.

Try Not to Self-Soothe
With Booze

The combination of anxiety
and being stuck indoors
without much of an outlet for
that energy can lead you to
overindulge. But while it may
make you feel better tempo-
rarily, drinking more than
usual just provides more cal-
ories and taxes your immune
system. Even a moderate
amount of alcohol can affect
the good bacteria in your gut
and their ability to protect
you from disease, and it can
interfere with sleep. “I advise
people during this time to
avoid changing things signifi-
cantly,” says Corsica. “If you
have a glass of wine with din-
ner normally, it’s fine to keep
doing that. Just go out of your
way not to increase it.”

CR.ORG EAT FOR YOUR HEALTH 5
Benefits of
Seeds

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Tiny but mighty, these nutritional
powerhouses have a lot to offer

EAT FOR YOUR HEALTH CR.ORG

6
SUPER NUTRITION CAN come in small packages. Just look
at seeds, the latest dietary darling. “Seeds offer a ton
of nutritional benefits, from helping with cholesterol
levels to fighting off inflammation and infections to
contributing to steady blood sugars,” says Katherine
Basbaum, M.S., R.D., a clinical dietitian for the Heart
and Vascular Center at UVA Health. And this tasty
trend is appearing everywhere, including in breads

and puddings.

What makes seeds so good
for you? Their high concen-
tration of healthy fats, for one
thing. “Seeds also contain
dietary fiber, some protein,
and a variety of antioxi-
dants,” says Jackie Newgent,
R.D.N., a culinary nutrition-
ist in New York City and the
author of “The Clean and
Simple Diabetes Cookbook”
(American Diabetes Associa-
tion, 2020). Each has unique
benefits and nutrients to
offer. Here are a few favorites
to consider.

Chia

“Fiber is a major standout
in chia seeds, with nearly
10 grams in just 1 ounce,”
Newgent says. And they’re
a top source of plant-based
omega-3 fatty acids (ALAs).
Try them: Mild in flavor
with a crunch like poppy
seeds, chia seeds can be
added to smoothies or other
liquids, which makes them
swell to a gel-like consistency
(see our recipe for chia pud-
ding at right). Use them to
stretch eggs in baked goods;
1 tablespoon soaked in

3 tablespoons of water for
10 minutes equals one egg.

Flax

Rich in ALAs, flaxseeds are
also a good way to get lignans,
a fiber-like compound with
antioxidant properties that
may lower the risk of heart
disease and some cancers.
Try them: Grinding aids
digestion and boosts nutri-
ent absorption. Sub ground
seeds for breadcrumbs to
coat baked chicken or fish,
or sprinkle on pasta dishes.

Pumpkin
Nutritionwise, it’s hard to
beat pumpkin seeds. You

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get 9 grams of protein and
45 to 60 percent of the daily
need for muscle-relaxing
magnesium in 14 cup.

Try them: Roast and use
seeds in salads in place of
croutons, in grain dishes, or
on their own as a crunchy
snack. Look for seasoned
varieties, whether sweet or
spicy. Shelled pumpkin seeds
may be labeled as pepitas.

Sesame

You get 22 to 31 percent of
your daily need for zinc—
which helps keep your im-
mune system strong—and
23 percent of iron in just

3 tablespoons.

Try them: Toasted, sesame
seeds have a deep, nutty
flavor that complements
steamed veggies and stir-fries.
Or whisk ground sesame
paste (tahini) with warm
water and lemon juice for a
creamy dressing.

‘Seeds
contain
dietary
fiber, some
protein,
anda
variety of
antioxidants.’
—Jackie Newgent, R.D.N.

Sunflower

“Sunflower seeds are an
excellent source of vitamin
E, a fat-soluble vitamin that
provides antioxidant and
immune-boosting effects,”
says Basbaum. A quarter-cup
of sunflower seeds also has

7 grams of protein.

Try them: Their mild flavor
and tender texture make
them a suitable alternative
to pine nuts in home-

made pesto, but they cost
less, have fewer calories,

and pack more protein

per serving.

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EAT FOR YOUR HEALTH CR.ORG