In theory, artificial sweeteners offer consumers the promise of sweet without the extra calories. In the U.S., a quarter of children and 41 percent of adults report eating artificial sweeteners like aspartame, sucralose and stevia. But a scientific review of 37 studies on non-nutritive sweeteners, published Monday in the Canadian Medical Association Journal, found that there is no evidence to suggest sweeteners help in weight management.

“We were really interested in the everyday person who is consuming these products not to lose weight, but because they think it’s the healthier choice, for many years on end,” Meghan Azad, lead author of the review and an assistant professor in the department of pediatrics and child health at the University of Manitoba in Canada, tells NPR.

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(Image credit: Noosa)

In the seven years that Noosa yogurt has been on the market, it has gained quite a loyal following. Compared to the low-fat Greek yogurt trend of the last decade, Noosa doesn’t shy away from fat. The resulting yogurt is decadently creamy and rich, making it an equally viable option for breakfast or dessert.

The latest innovation from the Colorado-based company goes a little more mainstream along the lines of Chobani and Fage. Last month Noosa announced it was going to release a new line of yogurt called “mates,” which basically combines their yogurt with a small packet of mix-ins.

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(Image credit: Joe Lingeman)

I grow basil in my herb garden for one primary reason: pesto. This sauce is made from a combination of fresh, grassy basil, sharp garlic, and rich pine nuts, all held together by olive oil. While pesto is incredibly easy to make, it’s often rushed to a paste in a blender or food processor without much thought. While I’ll never have the time (or a mortar big enough) to make pesto by hand, I have learned that thoughtfully adding the ingredients to a food processor and pulsing rather than puréeing makes for a better blended pesto. Here’s how to make perfect food-processor pesto in just four steps.

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(Image credit: Jerrelle Guy)

Some may argue that iced coffee is such a perfect warm-weather drink, so why not just leave well and good alone? You see, I don’t agree because it’s a perfect template for experimentation. Coffee works well with so many other flavors that riffing on the beverage is not only fun, but it also turns out to be seriously successful. If you thought regular iced coffee was great, just wait until you give one (or all) of these twists a try.

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I’m a proud feminist, and I also love to cook. Even more, I love to grocery shop. Picking out a recipe and then hitting the supermarket to put the necessary ingredients into my basket is a small thrill for me during what I’d describe as a bleak time, politically. Of course, just walking into a grocery store to go shopping or stepping into the kitchen to cook can feel like trading in your values and beliefs for age-old gender norms.

Sometimes, I get so giddy in the grocery store that I feel like a feminist failure. Am I doing this wrong? Is it possible to smash the patriarchy with one hand and pick out a package of chicken breasts with the other?

I like to think that the answer is yes.

In a world where women are regularly and systematically stripped of our right to make choices and control our own lives, grocery shopping can be an act of feminism. At least it is for me.

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(Image credit: O taste and see)

In case you were wondering, it’s always a great time for bacon. Morning, noon, and night; birthdays and Valentine’s Day; when you’re alone and when you’re with friends. Let’s face it — when you’re happy it makes you happier, and when you’re sad it cheers you up. And even though it’s especially hearty and delicious in cold weather, there’s no reason you can’t still enjoy it now that it’s warm outside.

Looking for a new way to use this kitchen staple? We’ve found the most popular bacon recipe on Pinterest, and it’s not what you might think.

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This month we’re looking back on all the strange and wonderful food jobs people have held during the summer. Whether it’s a job at a local scoop shop, a grocery store, or the concession stand at a baseball field, the skills and memories you gather in those short, hot months usually turn out to be invaluable. Here’s Lisa Freedman on the life lessons she learned from working at an ice cream store.

For a teenager, working in an ice cream shop is better than being a kid in a candy store. I should know: I worked at a popular soft-serve joint in my hometown for a few years. It was a lot of fun. It also — surprisingly — taught me some valuable lessons about real life and adulting.

Here’s what I learned working at an ice cream shop during my high school summers.

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Every once in a while, I get a week free from obligations — calendar or budget — and can just choose recipes that are new, enticing, or have just been on my to-try list for too long. This is one of those rare weeks, and how it fell in the middle of summer when produce is at its peak I’ll never know, but I’m thanking my lucky stars.

This week’s meal plan features a bunch of seasonal suppers that have had me drooling. The meals are still relatively quick and easy, and almost every dinner uses one or more peak-season vegetable — making the most of our farmers market haul and overrun from our neighbor’s garden.

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Ice cream is loved around the globe and if you think the United States is the largest per capita consumer of the treat, it’s time to recalibrate your knowledge. According to an annual report from Mintel, the U.S. is neither the country that consumes the most ice cream nor the nation with the highest per capita intake.

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I try to make a special trip up to my hometown in Massachusetts every summer to go berry picking. Surely I could go to a closer spot by my current home in New York, but I just can’t seem to nudge the no-frills spot near where I grew up off my summer bucket list. I load up on as many blueberries and raspberries as I can carry back with me on the train and relish their sweetness until the very last berry is polished off. Dessert is my favorite way to feature the fruit — aside from snacking on them straight, of course. Whether it’s a warm, baked cake or cobbler or a light, fresh granita, there is no shortage of ways to feature berries at the end of a meal during peak season. Here are 15 great recipes.

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