Photo: Charlotte Kinzie/Flickr

If you take junk food and put something healthful in it, is it still junk food? Manufacturers seem to hope that you'll answer that question with a negative. Here in the states we've got Diet Coke Plus, where niacin, zinc, magnesium and vitamins B6 and B12 are added into the drink. And now they're releasing a green-tea flavored Diet Coke in Japan.

"We wanted to cater to people who are looking for something that tastes good but is also good for health and beauty," said Katsuya Sato, a representative from Coca Cola Co. in Japan.

So what's the bottom line? These drinks are soda. Though the addition of vitamins, minerals or antioxidants certainly isn't a bad thing, it doesn't change the fact that you're drinking soda. So whether they're beneficial depends on how you're using them. If you choose a Diet Coke with added ingredients instead of a regular Diet Coke, it's not a bad choice. However, if you choose a soda in place of water or (worse) use these fortified drinks as a replacement for getting nutrients through fresh, natural and nutrient-dense foods, then it's a very poor choice.

Green tea has been linked to many possible health benefits -- from reduced cancer risk, to better skin, to regulated blood sugar. But you're much better off drinking a cup of green tea than getting the antioxidants from a fortified soda.

Would you drink green tea-flavored Diet Coke?

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Diet Coke Plus is supposed to include quite a few vitamins and minerals right in with your favorite soda. But the FDA and the Coca Cola company are in the middle of a he-said/she-said type of battle. Coca Cola stands by its product, but the FDA says it doesn't meet their standards.

In my opinion, the whole concept of getting vitamins and minerals from soda is ridiculous. If you want a diet soda, then go ahead and treat yourself. But know that it's a treat. Soda just shouldn't be considered part of your daily nutrition no matter how many vitamins and minerals are added into the mix. It's the liquid equivalent of those glorified candy bars that are considered health food because they have a little extra protein thrown in.

You're much better of getting your vitamins and minerals from natural sources, such as fruits and vegetables.

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It's easy to get stuck in a rut, eating the same foods day in and day out. But variety, as they say, is the spice of life.

Looking for a way to get more vitamin B, E, and minerals into your diet? Sunflower seeds will do it. Doesn't it beg the question, though: What do you do with sunflower seeds?

1. Add them to your trail mix, or make your own trail mix with sunflower seeds.
2. Sprinkle on salads: green salad, broccoli salad, fruit salad.
   
3. Stir into soups and stews just before serving.
4. Bev says to spit sunflower seeds!
5. Add some crunch to stir-fries.
6. We put them in blueberry buckwheat pancakes -- yum!
   
7. Sprinkle on granola.
8. Stir into yogurt.
9. Roasted sunflower seeds are a different flavor -- try them!
10. Include in dirty rice recipes.
11. Add to pasta or quinoa salads.
12. Bake into breads and muffins.
13. Try this recipe for basmati rice, black-eyed peas and sunflower seeds.
14. Blend up a sunflower seed spread for crackers or veggies.
15. Make a two-bean salad with feta and sunflower seeds.
16. Stuff an apple with peanut butter, raisins and sunflower seeds.

Are there other ways to eat sunflower seeds? You bet, and if you've got a favorite, share it with us!

A study in the peer-reviewed journal Internal Medicine states that regularly consuming the RDA of vitamins can help you live seven percent longer. Add that to the discovery that good nutrition can help reduce your likelihood of catching a cold by 20 percent, and that bottle of Centrum probably doesn't seem so overpriced anymore, does it?

But if choking down horse pills really isn't your thing, there are still plenty of vitamins and minerals to be had from -- get this -- actual food (surely no!! It can't be!!).

Among the best sources for your daily dose of health are leafy green vegetables, the kind that could be growing right now in your outdoor garden. Kale and spinach are great options, but so are more of the less thought of choices, such as parsley and mint. The former serves up 70 percent of your RDA of vitamin C, 50 percent of vitamin A, and 10 percent of your iron in a single handful. And the latter also has a great deal of vitamin A, in addition to pepping-up the taste of bland foods.

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Mom knew what she was talking about all those years ago. But are you eating enough vegetables now? Most adults aren't.

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I'm not a big fan of "superfoods." I think there are a lot of foods that are super, and I think that most of them are easily accessible to the vast majority of people. Focusing on one funny-sounding food as a nutritional miracle does a disservice to the more common fruits and veggies we eat every day.

So I'm thrilled that the NYT Well Blog made a list of 11 healthy (but not uncommon) foods that we aren't eating, and that, for the most part, everyone will recognize the foods on the list.

Not only will you recognize them, but you'll probably even be able to get them at your local grocer. The idea behind lists like this is that we all should be eating a wide variety of foods, to ensure that we're getting the proper vitamins and minerals. So every time you add a new food to your palate, you're also adding a new source of good nutrition.

So here's the list:

• beets
• cabbage
• Swiss chard
• cinnamon
• pomegranate juice
• prunes
• pumpkin seeds
• sardines
• turmeric
• frozen blueberries
• canned pumpkin
  
  

What about you? Is there a healthy food you aren't eating? Check out the gallery below for 25 you ought to embrace.

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I've never been a craaaaazy drinker, but I definitely had my fair share of times when I threw back one ... er, make that four or five too many. And, I've been to enough ragers to know that I'm not the only one. But it's usually around four o'clock in the morning -- when you're stumbling around, looking for someone to hook up with ... only to realize that your ride has left you and the only people left are you and a few stoners who fell asleep on a coffee table -- that you know you're in for it the next day.

Fortunately, as we get older we tend to make smarter decisions. This is especially helpful since we also fare much worse with hangovers as the years pass. One thing that doesn't change, however, is the ravenous appetite a long night of drinking can leave you with the following day. Even as your head pounds, the earth spins, and your throat burns like the Mojave desert, many times you're still in the mood for some chow (save for the times when your stomach doesn't exactly find that plan to be copacetic).

This is largely due to dehydration and low blood sugar levels. Hunger is your body's way of calling you an idiot and telling you that it needs to be replenished with fluids and nutrients. Do give into this craving; take sips of water throughout the day and eat foods high in protein and vitamins and minerals. That should at least curb your appetite. As for your hangover, well, I can't help you there.

So you're the type of person who fills your grocery cart with healthy foods -- fruits and veggies of every shape and color, whole grains, low-fat dairy, and lean protein. Your healthy choices are enough to make the check-out person feel guilty about the candy bar stashed beneath her register. But are you sure you're getting the most vitamins and minerals out of the foods that you buy?

Shape has a list of 9 common kitchen mistakes even healthy eaters make:

• Overloading on produce. It's best to buy fresh fruits and veggies within just a few days of using them. If you stock up on too many they'll lose precious nutrients as they sit on your counter waiting to be eaten. Or, worse yet, they'll end up going to waste altogether.
  
• Exposing foods to light. Opt for milk in cardboard boxes and don't store foods in glass canisters or see-through storage containers. Many foods are susceptible to a process called photooxidation in which light breaks down the nutrients.
  

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If you find yourself experiencing fatigue and you know you're getting sufficient sleep, your nutrition could be to blame.

Even those of us who try to eat really well occasionally come up short on certain vitamins and nutrients. Fitnessmagazine.com gave this list of five nutrients that people commonly short themselves. Don't be surprised if you find that you're not getting enough of something -- according to the study, you're in good company!

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Need a nutritional boost? The Boost brand nutritional supplement drinks have been on the market for years. But they've just released a new line of flavors. Smoothies -- in strawberry, raspberry, and peach. These shelf-stable drinks provide 9 grams of protein, 22 vitamins and minerals, and calcium. And they sound quite yummy to boot.

These drinks are excellent sources of nutrition for people who are unable to consume solid foods for nutrition. But for most of us, they're a bit unnecessary. If you're in a pinch, it's a fine choice. But keep in mind these drinks aren't giving you anything you can't get from a nutritious, healthy diet. Well, there is one thing these drinks will give you that fruits, veggies, whole grains, low-fat dairy, and lean protein can't provide... 36 whopping grams of sugar per serving.

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It is very possible to get too much of a good thing. This is certainly the case when it comes to health and fitness. Exercise, for example, is one of the best things we can do for our bodies. It can increase muscle and bone strength, improve blood flow, strengthen the immune system, and benefit us in a host of other ways. But, exercising too much -- or "over-training" -- can have opposite effects on your body; weakened immune system, raised cortisol levels, loss of muscle, etc. This is why exercising in moderation is the best approach. The same applies for the food that we eat. Sure, bananas are healthy, but you don't want to eat a whole bunch of them in one sitting. More specifically, we need vitamins and minerals, but consuming too many can actually be toxic.

Here's a quick breakdown of a few healthy nutrients that you shouldn't overdo.

Protein. It is vital for muscle growth and should be a staple of your diet, but too eating too much can result in gastrointestinal distress. As a general rule, men who work out regularly should aim to eat about 1g of protein per pound of body weight (women should try for around half that amount). If you don't work out, then you can get away with about .5 to .8g per pound of body weight.

Calcium. This mineral offers myriad health benefits when consumed in the appropriate amounts. Too much calcium, however, can actually cause you to also inadvertently absorb too much iron, magnesium and zinc. Clearly this can present a score of potential health issues.

Vitamin E. Despite its many health benefits, consuming too much vitamin E can increase the risk of free-radical development.

Caffeine. There are several studies that demonstrate a variety of benefits to be gained by consuming caffeine. However, when consumed in inordinately high doses, it can lead to a reduction in the body's ability to deliver oxygen to muscles.

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Scientists from the American Institute for Cancer Research name 11 food items powerful enough to fight cancer. They don't claim any one single food or food substance can protect you from cancer but the right combination of foods in a predominantly plant-based diet might just do so.

Evidence is mounting surrounding the ability of certain foods to ward off cancer and this evidence credits the minerals, vitamins, and phytochemicals in plant foods for providing cancer prevention.

Synergy, this combination concept is called. And here's the combo you'll want to fuse into your diet if keeping cancer at bay is one of your life goals.

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The antioxidant known as beta carotene is a staple in the daily supplement ritual for many people (myself included). A study published this week stated that taking beta carotene for 15 years or more will dampen future dementia.

If you have a history of Alzheimer's disease, this study seems to suggest that you may want to read up on and begin taking beta carotene as part of your daily diet. Fruits and vegetables are full of this antioxidant, but many of us don't get enough fruits and veggies anyway.

The impact here from the researchers was the length of time taking beta carotene, not the simple act of taking it every day. Study lead author Francine Grodstein stated "my hypothesis is that it's how long you take it."

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For everyone who's been popping vitamins to keep them healthy and strong, Reader's Digest recently published 'The Vitamin Hoax - What Not to Take' in their November 2007 issue.

To my friends (myself included), who have been popping pills like Vitamin A and E everyday by only following a beauty columnist's advice on how to make your skin glow (yes, I'm trying to get rid of wrinkles), the Reader's Digest article claims that studies show:

• Taking antioxidant vitamins increases a person's risk of dying by 16%.
• High doses of Vitamin E taken over 10 years slightly elevated cancer risk in smokers.
• Too much Vitamin A increases the risk of liver and lung cancer.

There's so much more to quote in the recent issue, and that doesn't mean I agree or disagree with the article. I just want to share it with you. Everyone should take the time to read it and decide for themselves about what it says because what we learn about vitamins and supplements seems to change daily.

If you are wondering, yes, I take vitamins (as do my children), and will continue to do so -- but that said -- people should stop depending on supplements and instead get their vitamins from a balanced diet consisting of real food (rather than processed). The problem: Only 3 percent of us actually eat that well, so it's much easier said than done ... and supplements can be a good option if you're not getting what you need from your diet.

Here is the list of 10 Vitamins that Reader's Digest suggests that we do not need to take and their reasons why:

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