By Rachael Rettner, Senior Writer
Published: 07/07/2014 10:49 AM EDT on LiveScience

Have you ever been at a restaurant table where everyone ordered a salad? A new finding may explain why this happens: When we order in groups, we like to be similar to our friends, even if it means ordering something we would not typically pick on our own.

Researchers analyzed receipts from 1,459 people who ate in groups at an Oklahoma restaurant over a 19-week period. There were 51 items on the menu to choose from, which fit into eight food categories (soups/salads, burgers/sandwiches, combo meals, pasta, vegetarian dishes, choice steaks, prime steaks, and the daily specials). Some tables were given menus with calorie information on them, while others were given menus without calorie information.

Diners at the same table tended to pick main dishes that were not exactly the same, but were from the same category — for example, if one diner ordered a mushroom burger, another might have ordered a bleu cheese burger. [9 Snack Foods: Healthy or Not?]

“We want to be different from our friends a little bit, but not too different,” said study researcher Brenna Ellison, an assistant professor at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign’s Department of Agricultural and Consumer Economics.

Friends may play a role in what we order in part because humans have a natural tendency to want to fit into groups, Ellison said. Also, because there were so many choices on the menu, people may listen to what their friends are ordering so they don’t need to look at everything on the menu, Ellison said.

The researchers also estimated how much each menu item was generally liked, by looking at whether people tended to choose certain items over others. Factors such as an item’s cost and calories can affect how much an item is liked, she said.

In general, people didn’t really like salads or vegetarian dishes, compared with the other food choices. But in the study, that changed if more than one person at a table ordered a salad: the more salads that were ordered, the more people liked them.

The same was true for high-calorie and expensive dishes — these dishes were not typically liked unless more than one person at a table ordered them. “People are happier spending money and eating more calories as long as their peers are,” Ellison wrote in a paper that will be published in the October issue of the journal Food Quality and Preference.

Although there has been a push to put calorie information on food menus, and to make healthy dishes less expensive, the new findings raise questions about how effective these efforts will be in getting people to eat healthier.

“Our results suggest that a lot of the choices we make seem to be dependent on what the people we’re eating with are doing,” Ellison said. So “should we nudge people toward healthier food, or healthier friends?” Ellison said.

While picking new friends may not be feasible, there are a few things people can do to eat healthier in groups. If you volunteer to order first, your healthy order may influence the rest of the group, Ellison said. People can also check out restaurant websites before going out, and suggest meeting at a restaurant with a greater number of healthy food choices, Ellison said.

Follow Rachael Rettner @RachaelRettner. Follow Live Science @livescience, Facebook & Google+. Original article on Live Science.

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I feel like mint gets a bad rap as a flavor, but it’s one of my favorites. It’s not just a garnish, or something intended for an ice cream cone; mint can be earthy, mint can be subtle, mint can be everything you thought it couldn’t, because the herb…

Five years ago, Catherine and Temple Pond led a seemingly picturesque New England life in the small New Hampshire village of Hancock. Their Federal-style home, built in 1813, had been passed down through the Pond family for generations. But as the coll…

One fast-food CEO has a message for the workers toiling away in his industry: The minimum wage hike you’ve been clamoring for will only hurt you.

The consequences of raising the minimum wage include more youth unemployment, higher prices and increased automation, says Andy Puzder, the head of CKE restaurants, the parent company of Hardees and Carl’s Jr.

“Government needs to get out of the way,” Puzder told Yahoo! Finance in an interview Monday. “If government gets out of the way, businesses will create jobs and wages will go up.”

So far, the federal government has largely stayed out of the way. Congress has not taken up President Barack Obama’s call to raise the minimum wage to $10.10 an hour from $7.25. And with the exception of a few companies, like Costco, In-N-Out Burger and Boloco, businesses haven’t taken the initiative to create higher paying jobs.

Puzder made $4.4 million in 2012, according to Forbes. That’s about 291 times what a minimum wage worker makes in a year, if they’re earning the federal minimum and working full-time. The average fast food CEO made 721 times what minimum wage workers took in in 2013, according to a recent report from the Economic Policy Institute.

Puzder doesn’t address this imbalance. Instead he argues that raising the minimum wage would price teens and young adults out of a job because more experienced adults will want to flip burgers and make these higher wages. In states that have already raised the minimum that’s what’s happening, he said. More experienced workers are “willing” to take these higher paying fast food jobs, particularly after seeing their hours cut because of Obamacare.

There are two problems with Puzder’s reasoning: First, there’s little evidence that companies are cutting worker hours because of Obamacare.

Second, while it’s true that more adults are working in fast-food now, that’s largely because of an economic recovery that’s mostly taken place in low-wage work. Jobs that pay low-wages, like those in fast food, have accounted for 44 percent of job gains over the last four years, while middle-income jobs accounted for 26 percent of job gains during the same period, according to an April report from the National Employment Law Project.

In other words, adults are working in fast-food, because they have no other alternative. Not, as Puzder would claim, because of wages that are slightly higher than the federal minimum.

About 40 percent of fast food workers are at least 25 years-old and more than 30 percent have at least some college education, according to an August analysis of Census data from the Center for Economic and Policy Research, a left-leaning think tank focused on economic issues.

For his part, Puzder — who has railed in the past against policies that could hurt his bottom line, like expanding the types of workers eligible for overtime — said that “very few” of his employees, particularly the older ones, make the minimum wage.

CORRECTION: An earlier version of this post incorrectly stated that CKE is the parent company of Arby’s. Arby’s is owned by Roark Capital Group, which also owns CKE.

By Joseph Brownstein, Contributing writer
Published: 07/06/2014 02:23 AM EDT on LiveScience

Among the many nutrition supplements trumpeted for potential health benefits, fish oil supplements have been among the most ballyhooed. But as the research on fish oil rolls in, it’s unclear whether the supplements provide all the touted benefits, or are as harmless as claimed.

Some of the possible benefits of fish oil that appeared in early studies of the supplement seem to have vanished. Along with the difficulty of isolating the effects of a single nutrient, it’s possible that those early studies had small sample sizes, or participants who were truly deficient in the nutrient. Since then, long-term studies have revealed potential harms from taking fish oil unnecessarily.

Fish oil supplements contain several vitamins and two significant omega-3 fatty acids, called eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). While these nutrients are important, like many vitamins, many people get sufficient amounts from diet. These fatty acids are found in a number of fish, so it is often recommended to get proper doses by eating oily fish twice a week.

Additionally, the amount of these fatty acids in a supplement can vary, so it is important to check the label. There are risks and benefits to the supplements, so it’s important to speak with your physician when deciding whether you are likely to benefit from taking them.[6 Foods That Are Good For Your Brain]

1. Heart health

When it comes to heart disease, eating fish is recommended as a heart-healthy protein, to substitute in place of red meat.

There is strong evidence for the potential of fish oil supplements to help in lowering triglycerides, which are associated with heart disease, as well as to lower the risk of heart attack.

But although fish oil supplements may have benefits for people at risk of heart problems, their benefit has been strongly questioned for healthy people, as high levels of omega-3 intake been linked with increased risk for stroke. High levels may also interfere with some medications, such as blood thinners, according to the National Institutes of Health.

2. Brain health

The omega-3 fatty acid DHA is found in both the gray and white matter of the brain, and is an important nutrient in early development, which is why there have been efforts to supplement child foods with it, whether it be the mother who breast-feeds or infant formula.

But taking DHA supplements has not shown clear benefits at the other end of life, where studies have been done to see if the compound may help people maintain cognitive function as they age. Although a few studies have shown benefits in reaching certain endpoints, such as maintaining brain size, there has not been a demonstration that DHA accomplishes the overall goal of helping prevent Alzheimer’s.

A June 2012 study published by the Cochrane Collaboration, a group that looks at the studies done on a topic to help make decisions for medical practitioners, found no benefit from fish oil supplements for cognitively healthy older people, but the authors said longer studies would be necessary to come to a firmer conclusion.

3. Autoimmune disease

DHA has long been studied in relation to immune function. As far back as the 1970s, the compound was found to play a role in the immune system and it was thought to possibly benefit patients with autoimmune diseases, such as multiple sclerosis, in which the immune system is overactive. Since then, DHA has been tested in people with other autoimmune diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis.

But other treatments have developed since fish oil supplements research began. The National Multiple Sclerosis society advises that patients use caution and speak with a health professional before taking the supplements, in part because of concerns it may interfere with the front-line immune-modifying drugs used to treat MS, although those concerns have lessened over time.

Findings about other immune system benefits from taking the supplement have been mixed, with some studies showing a benefit and others showing none.

For people with rheumatoid arthritis the supplements have been similarly controversial, although there has been some evidence that they may lessen the need for nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, according to a review published in 2000 in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

4. Eye health

Research shows that the omega-3 fatty acids found in fish oils play an important role in the early development of the eyes. What becomes less clear is whether the compounds may also help preserve eyes as people age.

Age-related macular degeneration, a relatively common condition that can lead to vision loss, may be helped through the intake of omega-3 fatty acids, studies have suggested. However, recent research, including a study of 1,600 people published in 2013 in the Journal of the American Medical Association, has shown little to no benefit from taking the supplements.

5. Pregnancy

Because of the need for omega-3 fatty acids in brain and eye development, it has been recommended that pregnant women take in adequate amounts, which in some cases may include supplements.

Although there have been some concerns raised about mercury in fish, which can have toxic effects, eating fish is still recommended by many as the best source for the omega-3s, and so pregnant women are advised to choose fish found to be low in mercury.

6. Prostate cancer

While most studies of fish oil supplements have found few or no adverse side effects, recent evidence in studies looking at prostate cancer have said otherwise.

One such study, published in 2013 in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, found a link between the supplements and prostate cancer. The authors wrote that their results confirmed past reports of an increased prostate cancer risk in men who had a high concentration of omega-3 fatty acids.

The finding suggests that these fatty acids are involved in the development of prostate tumors, something to be considered in anyone thinking about taking omega-3 supplements, the researchers said.

Follow Live Science @livescience, Facebook & Google+. Original article on Live Science.

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WASHINGTON (AP) — How strong is that pina colada? Depending on how it’s made, it could contain as much alcohol as two glasses of wine.

The National Institutes of Health is trying to spread the word: Take a look at its online alcohol calculator to see how much you’re really drinking with those summer cocktails. A “standard drink” is the amount of alcohol in a 12-ounce beer, 5 ounces of wine or 1.5 ounces of distilled spirits. It’s a useful way to track alcohol consumption. But the multiple ingredients of mixed drinks make for a harder count.

“Most people don’t realize how much alcohol is actually in a drink,” said Dr. George Koob, director of the NIH’s National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism.

“Obviously it depends on the bartender and who’s mixing the drinks,” Koob adds.

Recipes matter: The calculator’s pina colada example, for instance, assumes it contains 3 ounces of rum. Plan on using 2 ounces instead? The calculator adjusts to show it’s like 1.3 standard drinks.

What about a margarita? The calculator concludes it’s the equivalent of 1.7 standard drinks, if made with 1.5 ounces of tequila, an ounce of orange liqueur and half an ounce of lime juice.

A mojito? 1.3 standard drinks. A martini, extra dry? 1.4 standard drinks.

Other favorites? Type them in: http://rethinkingdrinking.niaaa.nih.gov/ToolsResources/CocktailCalculator.asp .

Beyond beverage choice, Koob, who specializes in the neurobiology of alcohol, has some tips:

SUMMER HEAT

Heat increases thirst but alcohol is a diuretic, Koob notes. So in addition to the usual advice to pace yourself — no more than one standard drink an hour — Koob says to stay hydrated by alternating some water or club soda with the alcohol.

GENDER DIFFERENCES

Women’s bodies react differently to alcohol, and not just because they tend to weigh less than men. They don’t metabolize alcohol as quickly, and their bodies contain less water. On average, it takes one less drink for a woman to become intoxicated than a man of the same weight, Koob said. The NIAAA’s definition of low-risk drinking for women is no more than seven drinks a week and no more than three drinks on any single day, while for men the limit is no more than 14 drinks a week and no more than four drinks on any single day.

BEYOND DRINKING AND DRIVING

The July Fourth holiday weekend historically is dangerous on the highways: 38 percent of fatalities involved alcohol-impaired driving in 2011, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

But alcohol also doesn’t mix with boating, or swimming and diving, Koob warns. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, alcohol use is involved in up to 70 percent of adult and adolescent deaths associated with water recreation.

HOLDING YOUR ALCOHOL

What determines why one drink is plenty for one person while another routinely downs two or three? Genes play a big role. So do environmental factors, such as getting used to drinking a certain amount. That tolerance is a balancing act, Koob says. He cites research showing the person who can drink others under the table is at higher risk for alcohol problems later in life than is someone more sensitive to its effects.

WHEN ALCOHOL IS A PROBLEM

Alcohol use disorders affect an estimated 17 million Americans. There are two medications that can help, targeting different steps in the addiction cycle, Koob said. More medications that work in different ways are needed, but changing lifestyle, cognitive therapy and support groups all play a role, he said.

Medications “are never going to cure the disease,” Koob said. “What they will do is help you on the way.”