What if the food in your lunch could be translated into minutes of healthy life gained or lost? Researchers at the University of Michigan tried to do exactly that, analyzing thousands of foods and developing a healthy life minutes calculation that produced some startling results. A hot dog was associated with 36 minutes lost, while a serving of nuts and seeds was associated with roughly 25 minutes gained, according to the researchers’ explanation published by the University of Michigan School of Public Health. Sugar-sweetened cola also landed on the losing side at roughly 12 minutes per serving, a finding that has recently resurfaced in claims about Coca-Cola. Before dumping every Coke in the refrigerator, however, it’s important to understand what those numbers actually mean and what they definitely don’t.
