Fruit · Nutrition concepts
Is coconut a fruit, a nut, or a seed?
A coconut is botanically a drupe, a type of fruit. It contains one large seed, while in cooking it is often grouped with nuts because of how the flesh is used.
Articles by topic
Myths & common questions
Direct answers to common food questions and careful checks of popular nutrition and cooking claims.
Fruit · Nutrition & composition
Can you eat kiwi skin? Here is what it adds
Yes. Kiwi skin is edible when the fruit is sound and washed under running water. Leaving it on adds fiber and lets you eat more of the fruit, though peeling is also perfectly fine.
Fruit · Nutrition concepts
Is a tomato a fruit or a vegetable? It depends on what you mean
Botanically, a tomato is a fruit because it develops from a flower and contains seeds. In the kitchen, it is treated as a vegetable because of its flavor and how it is used.
Drinks · Health & everyday consumption
Does coffee dehydrate you? What caffeine really does
Caffeine can have a mild diuretic effect, especially at high doses, but the water in coffee normally outweighs that effect and the drink still contributes to hydration.
Drinks · Health & everyday consumption
Does sparkling water damage teeth? What really matters
Plain sparkling water is somewhat more acidic than still water, but the larger dental concern is frequent exposure to strongly acidic drinks and products with added citrus acids.
Seaweed, spices & more · Food safety
Does Vinegar Expire? Why It Can Change Without Spoiling
Commercial vinegar is unusually shelf-stable because its acidity discourages most spoilage organisms. It can become cloudy, develop sediment, or form a vinegar mother without being spoiled. For preservation, however, an old bottle still needs the known acidity required by the tested recipe.
Chocolate, cocoa & sweets · Nutrition & composition
High-Fructose Corn Syrup vs Sugar: Are They Really Different?
HFCS and table sugar are chemically different sweeteners, but the common HFCS-42 and HFCS-55 formulations have fructose-to-glucose proportions close to sucrose. The useful nutrition message is to limit total added sugars rather than treat one as uniquely harmless.
Food safety
Nitrates and Nitrites: Why They Are Added to Processed Meats
Nitrates and nitrites are curing agents, not decorative additives. Nitrite helps suppress C. botulinum, develops the characteristic pink cured color and flavor, and slows rancidity. Their use is limited because nitrite chemistry can also form nitrosamines under some conditions.
Nutrition concepts
Enriched vs Fortified Foods: What Nutrients Are Added and Why
“Enriched” and “fortified” both mean nutrients were added, but they describe different reasons. Enrichment commonly replaces nutrients lost during processing; fortification adds nutrients to improve or standardize the food’s nutritional value.
Nutrition concepts
Serving Size vs Portion: They Sound the Same, but They Aren’t
A serving size is the labeled reference amount; your portion is what ends up on your plate. The label serving is not a recommendation, and one real-world portion can contain several servings.
Nutrition concepts
Genetically Modified Foods: What They Actually Are
“GMO” is the common consumer term for organisms whose DNA has been changed using genetic engineering. In U.S. labeling, “bioengineered” is a specific federal disclosure term with a narrower definition, so GMO and a mandatory BE disclosure are related but not identical concepts.
Nutrition concepts
“Natural” on a Food Label: What It Guarantees—and What It Doesn’t
FDA has not created a formal, all-purpose definition of “natural” for food labels. Its longstanding policy focuses on whether artificial or synthetic substances were added where they would not normally be expected; it does not make “natural” a nutrition, organic, non-GMO, or minimally processed certification.