Allie Rudin's reads

Is red dye in food products a health hazard? The classic color for symbolizing love and desire, Valentine's Day will see plenty of red and pink roses, candies, and cookies gifted. But should you reconsider consuming red-dyed treats? Red dye No. 3, otherwise known as erythrosine, is banned by FDA for use in cosmetics and topical drugs – and now a consumer advocacy group wants it removed from food and drinks. Writing for the Washington Post's "Eating Lab," Marlene Cimons explores the research around the controversial additive and what concerned consumers should know.

These questions might help explain why you're an optimist — and what optimism really looks like. Although many of us envision optimism as a persistent positive attitude, like a set of rose-colored glasses, it is actually more complex than that. Likewise, pessimism is not simply a dreary or negative outlook on life. Instead, optimism can be better understood as a pattern of paradigms and responses. Eva Holland explains for the New York Times' "The Bright Side" what research tells us about optimists and what makes them tick and provides sample questions to evaluate whether your responses indicate optimism or a pessimism.

Vivian Le's reads

How to improve your to-do list. Although to-do lists are meant to help you keep track of your tasks, they can also sometimes be "kind of all over the place," making it difficult to tell which tasks should be prioritized. Writing for NPR's "Life Kit," Marielle Segarra and Audrey Nguyen outline seven tips from time management experts on how to make your action items "clear, short, and doable."

Inside the chemistry of chocolate. A 4,000-year-old treat, chocolate is one of the most popular foods in the food, representing a trillion-dollar global industry. With Valentine's Day right around the corner, sales are also expected to jump as people celebrate the holiday with sweet, chocolatey treats. Writing in The Conversation, Sheryl Barringer, a professor of food science and technology at Ohio State University, breaks down the chemistry of chocolate to help people understand how it gets its characteristic flavor, texture, and more.