A University of Michigan study shows that eating one of Michigan's most beloved treats will shorten your life by 36 minutes every time you  have one. In other words, I should be dead already.

How could researchers from one of our most beloved institutions do this to us?

A new study at the University of Michigan found that every hot dog you eat shortens your "healthy life" by an average of 36 minutes.

Which means every time you have a Coney Island hot dog, you're losing more than the equivalent of an episode of "Seinfeld" Yikes!!

Oh, and by "healthy life," they mean the years where you're fairly healthy in general, and aren't dealing with chronic illnesses or disabilities.

They looked at over 5,000 different foods and came up with a number for each one.

For example, burgers and macaroni-and-cheese both shorten your healthy life by about five minutes.  But the good news is you can also ADD time.

Opting for a handful of cashews can extend your healthy years by 26 minutes.

Other things that do it include fruits, vegetables, and seafood.  And this one's surprising . . . but peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwiches can also add time.

The study kind of sounds like your mom telling you to eat better:

....researchers classified foods into three color zones: green, yellow and red, based on their combined nutritional and environmental performances, much like a traffic light.

 

 

  • Decreasing foods with the most negative health and environmental impacts including high processed meat, beef, shrimp, followed by pork, lamb and greenhouse-grown vegetables.

  • Increasing the most nutritionally beneficial foods, including field-grown fruits and vegetables, legumes, nuts and low-environmental impact seafood.

I'll get right on that. Right after I finish up this Coney Dog from The Corner Bar.

See How School Cafeteria Meals Have Changed Over the Past 100 Years

Using government and news reports, Stacker has traced the history of cafeteria meals from their inception to the present day, with data from news and government reports. Read on to see how various legal acts, food trends, and budget cuts have changed what kids are getting on their trays.

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