Skip to main content

Food

Colorectal cancer in context: How the food environment affects the gut

URBANA, Ill. – Colorectal cancer is expected to claim more than 52,000 American lives in 2022, and if this year is like most others, Black Americans will bear the brunt of the disease. To understand the disparity in context, University of Illinois researchers looked at the intersection of bile acids, gut microbes, racial identity, and neighborhood food environment in the development of colorectal cancer.

Read full story

U of I celebrates National Nutrition Month with ‘a world of flavors’

URBANA, Ill. – March is National Nutrition Month, and dietetics and nutrition students and organizations across the University of Illinois campus use this opportunity to share their passion with the community.

Read full story

Oncology dietitians rarely ask cancer patients about food insecurity, study finds

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Although studies suggest that many cancer patients experience food insecurity, few oncology dietitians routinely ask them if they are having problems affording or obtaining food, new research has found.

Despite awareness that many cancer patients are food insecure, most of the 41 registered dietitian nutritionists interviewed by researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign said they did not use a validated tool to screen patients for it.

Read full story

5 Questions: ACE student finds calling in environmental law

This week’s 5 Questions Friday features Benjamin Cohen, an agricultural and consumer economics student with a focus on food systems and public policy.

What year are you, and how did you choose your ACES major?

Read full story

Illinois research reveals cadmium's route into chocolate

URBANA, Ill. – Committed chocoholics, be warned. A health-robbing heavy metal, cadmium, lurks in the velvety recesses of your favorite indulgence.

Read full story

How machine learning can improve food insecurity predictions

URBANA, Ill. – Food insecurity in low-income countries is on the rise as climate variation and economic shocks, including the COVID-19 pandemic, take their toll. Accurately predicting when and where hunger crises occur is critical to effective humanitarian aid response. A new study from the University of Illinois explores how machine learning can help improve forecasting when used appropriately. 

Read full story

Food education promotes healthy cooking in low-income families

URBANA, Ill. – Fruit and vegetable consumption is an important part of a healthy diet. But low-income families face unique obstacles to healthy eating, including higher cost of fresh foods and limited resources for cooking. 

Read full story

Sixth annual International Food Security Symposium at Illinois highlights global efforts

An international audience joined Illinois Extension and ACES International for the Sixth International Food Security Symposium, “Comparative Extension Models: Perspectives from the Field" on Oct. 11-12, 2021.

Read full story

How plant-based burgers stack up against meat burgers in protein quality

URBANA, Ill. – Plant-based burgers often promise protein comparable to their animal-based counterparts, but the way protein is expressed on current nutrition labels – a single generic value expressed in grams – can be misleading. That’s because the human body does not use “protein” per se. Instead, it needs essential amino acids, which are present in proteins, but the concentration and digestibility of amino acids are different among protein sources.

Read full story

Apple chips moisture analysis made easy with near-infrared spectroscopy

URBANA, Ill. ­– Dried snack foods such as apple chips are a convenient alternative to fresh fruit, providing longer shelf life and easier storage. Consumers increasingly demand product variety, so companies coat such snack foods with fruit and vegetable powders to enhance taste and sensory appeal.

Read full story
Subscribe to Food