Kat Lynch, MPH

​Grocery shoppers can often get swept up in the bright colors and healthy promise of fresh produce, only to watch it wilt as the week gets busy. It’s an unpleasant experience opening the refrigerator to find spoiled fruits and vegetables you meant to eat, especially when improper storage can speed up the process. What many people don’t realize is that frozen produce is often just as nutritious, if not more, than fresh options that have spent days sitting on the shelf.
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​The nation’s updated five‑year 2025-2030 Dietary Guidelines for Americans introduce several notable updates, including a redesigned food pyramid and a renewed emphasis on whole foods and protein. The changes have sparked debate among researchers, clinicians, and public health professionals. Beyond the headlines, the more important question is how recent evidence informed these recommendations, and what they may mean for chronic disease prevention and federal nutrition programs moving forward.

Eliza Stuart, B.S., B.A

​Many of us turn to coffee, tea, and energy drinks to perk us up, yet these caffeinated beverages fail to address a common underlying cause of low energy: iron deficiency. Caffeine might even worsen the issue by reducing the body’s ability to absorb iron, so for those of us with low iron levels, focusing on increasing iron consumption might be a more effective way to feel energized throughout the day than drinking another cup of coffee.

  Ross Hatton, PhD, MPA

​More than half of the foods purchased by U.S. households contain food additives. These substances include sweeteners, preservatives, dyes, and flavors that are added to foods to improve their shelf life, flavor, visual appeal, and food safety. Some are innocuous or even beneficial for health. For example, lactic acid is a preservative found in many fermented foods (e.g., yogurt, cheese, and pickled vegetables) that studies suggest may improve gut health. However, many additives, such as brominated vegetable oil—an emulsifier used in soft drinks—have been linked to negative health outcomes such as cancer, hyperactivity, and inflammation, particularly among children.  

Izzuddin Aris, PhD

​When we think about what influences our health, we often focus on individual-level factors such as diet, exercise, and genetics. Nearly two decades ago, the World Health Organization launched its Commission on the Social Determinants of Health (SDoH) to catalyze global action around the social and structural factors that shape health outcomes across populations. These include five key areas:

1. Health care access and quality
2. Economic stability
3. Neighborhood and built environment
4. Social and community context
5. Education access and quality

Among these, neighborhoods play a particularly powerful role. They encompass both physical and social attributes that can either support or hinder optimal health. For example, in disadvantaged neighborhoods, it’s often easy to find alcohol, fast foods, and tobacco which may lead to residents’ increased consumption of these products and, in turn, may increase their risks of developing obesity, hypertension, and heart disease.