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You’ll be surprised to learn how the coffee chain’s menu compares with the other fast-food giant.

It’s still fast food, any way you cut it

Their bread is artisan, their salads have cranberries but is the food at Starbucks any better for you than McDonald’s fare? The coffee giant just pulled up behind the golden arches to become the number three fast food chain in America. Part of their success is being credited to healthier menu options than the standard drive-through meal. In the case of their carrot sticks and hummus platter, this may be true, but some of their staple grab-and-go menu options are deceptively high in calories and fat. We compared the nutritional values of some of their lunch fare with corresponding offerings at McDonald’s. You’ll be surprised at how the numbers stack up.

Read more: Is Starbucks any healthier than McDonald’s?

Figs have more minerals than almost any other fruit — plus plenty of fiber.

I’m the first to admit that the term “superfood” gets thrown around a lot in media and marketing, but that doesn’t mean we should turn our backs on the bursting-with-nourishment, lovely, potent, and delicious foods that fall under the moniker. Especially when these foods are known to lower cholesterol, reduce the risk of heart disease and cancer, and, while we’re at it, put you in a better mood.

Although some people have run rampant with the term and have made a mint by promoting the “miraculous! fountain-of-youth! death-defying!” benefits of superfoods, I hope that there won’t be a backlash against good, old-fashioned, super nutrient-exuberant food.

As I’ve said before, I’m a crusader for most edibles in their pure forms — and the majority of them are superfoods in my book. There are few whole foods from the plant world that don’t have some health-boosting element to brag about — so how to decide what to eat?

Read more: Top 10 superfoods for spring

Sipping this up to six hours after a meal could spike blood sugar a whopping 65 per cent: study.

Everyone gets a craving for a fast-food fix once in a while, but a new study shows you shouldn’t follow up that meal with a coffee because doing so can result in a spike in blood sugar similar to levels in pre-diabetics.

The study, conducted by doctorate student Marie-Soleil Beaudoin at the University of Guelph, found drinking caffeinated coffee six hours after eating fast food high in fat resulted in blood sugar levels increasing by 65 per cent. A healthy person’s blood sugar levels normally spike after eating a fast-food meal, but drinking two large cups of coffee hours later doubles the effect.

Read more: Fast food and coffee make for a dangerous health combination

Pitcher Tim Lincecum says he’s ‘not a big vegetable guy’ and prefers a rather heavy meal.

We’ve learned a lot about Tim Lincecum‘s(notes) diet over the past few years, including that he digs ice cream tacos before starts, doesn’t mind downing a can of Dinty Moore beef stew every now and then, and that he’s loyal to drinking Red Bull, one of his sponsors.

But it wasn’t until the San Francisco Giants pitcher revealed his usual order at In-N-Out that we got a true item to really turn our gastrointestinal systems. Mostly because Tiny Tim — who stood 4-foot-11 and weighed 85 pounds as a high school freshman — takes down an entire day’s worth of recommended calories for someone of his size and activity level every time he goes through the drive-thru of the popular West Coast burger chain.

Read more: Could you down Tim Lincecum’s usual order at In-N-Out?

There were as many harmful bacteria detected on reusable plastic food trays in some Vancouver-area shopping malls as are found on toilet seats, a CBC investigation has found.

Swabs taken from trays in food courts at three malls were sent to University of British Columbia microbiologist Bob Hancock, who analyzed the samples. The malls involved were Pacific Centre in downtown Vancouver, Park Royal in West Vancouver and Metrotown in Burnaby

“We saw as many bacteria on some food trays as we saw on a toilet,” said Hancock.

Read more: Dangerous bacteria found on mall food trays

A native tribe of 1,200 follows this diet rule and none of them has even a single zit: study.

The best get-flawless-skin regimen? It’s not a trendy spa treatment. It’s a way of eating. Yeah, yeah, we know that for years, experts said greasy foods and chocolate don’t cause pimples and that, overall, what you eat has no effect on your skin. But research proves otherwise. So follow these four rules on how to feed your face.

Lay Off the White Stuff
Turns out french fries do cause breakouts. But it’s not the grease that’s the culprit, it’s the potatoes. In a recent study, researchers looked at 1,200 natives of an island near Papua New Guinea and 115 hunter-gatherers in Paraguay and couldn’t find a single zit in the lot. What’s their secret? “A diet that consists almost exclusively of protein, fruits, and veggies,” says Loren Cordain, PhD, professor of health and exercise science at Colorado State University and lead author of the study. Absent from their meals: the simple carbohydrates — such as white bread, pasta, rice, potatoes and sweets — that are the basis of our modern diet. These carbs send our insulin levels soaring, and researchers speculate that this sets off a series of reactions that leads to breakouts.

Read more: Eat This for Gorgeous Skin

Stop cheese from drying out by spreading butter on the cut sides.

Save money and trips to the market with these tips and tricks from Rebecca DiLiberto’s Penny Saving Household Helper. You’ll be surprised how simple it is to keep food at its best.

1. Line the bottom of your refrigerator’s crisper drawer with paper towels. They’ll absorb the excess moisture that causes vegetables to rot.

2. To keep herbs tasting fresh for up to a month, store whole bunches, washed and sealed in plastic bags, in the freezer. When you need them, they’ll be easier to chop, and they’ll defrost the minute they hit a hot pan.

Read more: 14 Ways to Save Money on Groceries

A crackdown on illegal workers forces popular restaurants like Chipotle to fire hundreds.

Chipotle Mexican Grill has a lot going for it — an upscale burrito concept, a hip and eco-friendly image, expansion plans galore and a 500 percent-plus stock price gain in just over two years.

And then it has something not going its way — a federal crackdown on its immigrant labor force that has so far forced Chipotle to fire hundreds of allegedly illegal workers in the state of Minnesota, perhaps more than half its staff there.

The probe is widening. Co-Chief Executive Monty Moran told Reuters on Friday that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has also issued “notices of inspection” for restaurants in Washington D.C. and Virginia.

Read more: U.S. fast food caught in immigration crosshairs

When it comes to diet changes, this is the rule that you should follow above all the recommendations.

Despite the fact that I’m a dietitian and nutrition editor, I have a growing list of healthier eating goals: consume fewer sweets, diversify my whole-grain choices, drink more water, eat more (sustainable) fish… The list keeps going, but I don’t want to bore you, particularly because what matters most is what’s at the top: eat less salt. Here’s why: cutting back on salt can have a major (positive) impact on your blood pressure (even for someone like me with blood pressure that falls on the lower end of normal) and your overall health.

When the American Heart Association recently announced its new recommended sodium limit of 1,500 milligrams a day (down from the current limit of 2,300 mg daily), it also pulled together some startling statistics in its journal Circulation:

Read more: The #1 food you should avoid—and 3 ways to cut back

Certain carbs can trigger production of serotonin, which affects both mood and sleep

If you’re feeling as blue as the skies above, you will be happy to know that a few spoonfuls of the right foods may turn that frown upside down! Whole foods contain vital nutrients that provide both physical and psychological benefits. Read on to discover which foods contain those mood-boosters to help you smile your way to longevity.

Read more: Foods that Promote Happiness