Diet rich in legumes - peanuts, soybeans and other beans - reduces risk of type 2 diabetes by nearly 40 percent, study indicates. High intake of soybeans linked to 47 percent risk reduction. Study used food-frequency questionnaires to chart health of 64,227 middle-aged Chinese women for about 4.6 years.
By Stephen Daniells
Food Navigator 2008-01-08 (entry)
Obesity is a public health disaster and is threatening our children. About half of Americans' food budget is spent at restaurants. If we can force oil companies to tell us octane level of fuel for our cars, surely we can demand that fast-food and restaurant chains tell us what we're putting into our bodies.
By Harold Goldstein and Eric Schlosser
Los Angeles Times 2008-08-05 (entry)
Potato chip producers agree to reduce carcinogen - acrylamide - in their chips over three years and pay penalties to settle California lawsuit. Accord means a 20 percent cut for Frito-Lay products, 87 percent cut for Kettle Chips, and warning label on Cape Cod Robust Russets. And: FDA tells home cooks to reduce chemical by not over-browning potatoes (click 'See also').
By Bob Egelko
San Francisco Chronicle 2008-08-02 (entry)
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Food poisoning suspected in pre-Olympics illnesses of 15 percent of about 150 American athletes on track team in town outside of Beijing. Events official says he was told illnesses were 'normal stomach bugs' and not out of the ordinary for an international trip.
By Gina Kolata and Jason Stallman
The New York Times 2008-08-16 (entry)
Country-of-origin labels required by Sept. 30 for beef, chicken, fresh produce, frozen fruits and vegetables and other products; restaurants exempt. In hint on price shoppers may pay, retailers' costs about 7 cents a pound for beef and 4 cents a pound for pork. Ground meat labels must list all countries of origin or list of all reasonably possible countries of origin (click 'See also').
By Michael Doyle
Mcclatchy-Tribune; The Houston Chronicle 2008-08-01 (entry)
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Eat Maine lobster, but leave the tomalley - the soft green liver - says FDA. Red tide in Atlantic waters from Canada to South Carolina may have deposited toxin that could cause paralytic shellfish poisoning. And: Florida lawmakers push for red tide research (click 'See also').
The Associated Press; U.S. News & World Report 2008-07-28 (entry)
"And soon it was lunchtime/
Mom said I should ask about how poor kids could get fed/
So I got a book of tickets and a schedule and it read/
Monday - Hot Dog, Tuesday - Taco/
Wednesday - Hamburgers and Chocolate Milk/
Thursday - Sloppy Joes and doritos in a bag/
Friday was Pizza Day, the best day of the week/...
As time went on we figured out/
It was totally uncool/
To eat the welfare lunch/
Provided by the school/
So in poser-punker fashion/
We just mooched off all the kids/
And lived off eating candy bars/
And bags of nacho chips/
Monday - Hot Dog, Tuesday - Taco/
Wednesday - Hamburgers and Chocolate Milk/
Thursday - Sloppy Joes and doritos in a bag/
Friday was Pizza Day, the best day of the week/
It always came with salad and a side of cold green beans/
Hooray for Pizza Day/
Hooray for Pizza Day/
I miss Pizza Day./ "
— The Aquabats, "Pizza Day" lyrics
Latin America is major food producer, but sometimes must import to prevent shortages. Political left turn was tied to food problem - Brazil's 'Zero Hunger' plan, Argentina's price controls, Venezuela's land reform. Assuring food security must avoid protectionism and requires new international regime of free trade for agricultural commodities.
By Khatchik Der Ghougassian
Journal of Turkish Weekly 2008-08-18 (entry)
As 75 percent of school districts prepare to raise lunch prices to offset rising costs of milk, bread, vegetables, nutrition directors worry that students won't have money to eat and that cafeterias will return to serving cheaper processed fare. Congress asked to to increase assistance and to make meals free for all students.
By James Vaznis
The Boston Globe 2008-07-16 (entry)
When one in eight families who bring children to Maryland emergency room are undernourished, there's growing need for nutrition programs. Baltimore officials are right to urge physicians to screen young patients for malnutrition and refer families to food pantries. But encouraging families to get help isn't enough; city needs a plan.
The editors
The Baltimore Sun 2008-07-18 (entry)
Some Kellogg's Eggo products advertised for sale a pirate bandana 'like the one worn by Jack Sparrow' in a 'Pirates of the Caribbean' movie.
Pitches for sodas, restaurant items, boxed cereals led $1.6 billion in spending to sell processed food items to children in 2006, FTC report says. Beyond that 63 percent, $860 million aimed for children 12 and younger; $1 billion was directed at adolescents. And: In 1999, candy and snack ad spending was $1 billion; USDA spent $333 million on nutrition education, evaluation, and demonstrations (click 'See also').
By Bob Dart
Cox News Service/The Atlanta Journal-Constitution 2008-07-29 (entry)
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Citrulline in watermelon and its rind relaxes blood vessels and could benefit heart, circulatory and immune systems, researcher reports. Eating the fruit also could help with angina, high blood pressure. But the trick is eating enough: six cups. Also: Watermelon could aid in diabetes treatment (click 'See also').
By Betsy Blaney
The Associated Press; Austin American-Statesman 2008-07-02 (entry)
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In effort to increase graduation rates of native American students and teach them about science, nutrition, food costs and medicine, Minnesota medical school plants garden in hockey rink. The gardens, which are blessed each morning, show how individuals, planted in good soil, can grow into something really spectacular as well, says advocate.
By Jana Hollingsworth
Duluth News Tribune 2008-06-27 (entry)
Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps pared his life to three components and the gold medals followed. At the games, he ate enough pasta and pizza to feed a village, although not as much as his usual 12,000 calories a day. And: Breakfast is three fried-egg sandwiches with cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, fried onions and mayo.
By Karen Crouse
The New York Times 2008-08-16 (entry)
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After workout, drink caffeine and eat carbs to restore muscles and to gain advantage for next contest, study suggests. Subjects who consumed caffeinated drink had higher levels of blood glucose, insulin and signalling proteins (which transport muscle-powering glucose) than those who drank carb-only beverage.
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation News 2008-07-02 (entry)
Competitive cyclists, long ago bored with white pasta, hire chefs for high-energy fuel. In time preceding race, team Columbia's German chef, who specializes in cooking for elite athletes, makes oat burgers, quinoa and whole grain rice - a variety of foods not normally found in hotels in rural France.
By Michael Barry
The New York Times 2008-07-03 (entry)
Atrazine, a common weedkiller linked to defects in fish and frogs that live in contaminated water, is shown to alter hormones and could disrupt endocrine development and function in lower and higher vertebrates, including humans, researchers say. They also urge further research on immune responses and embryonic development. EPA allows some presence in drinking water.
By Miyuki Suzawa and Holly A. Ingraham
Public Library of Science (PLoS) One 2008-05-07 (entry)
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After years of planning, Southern California adds fluoride to the water, and conspiracy theorists gather. Is the tooth-protection chemical - a byproduct of fertilizer and a component of bombs and poison - a public health advance or an attempt to medicate by force?
By Mike Anton
Los Angeles Times 2007-12-22 (entry)
For 11 weeks, all drinking fountains at Chicago school have been taped shut and students' water rationed to half a glass a day after water main break uncovers plumbing problems at 116-year-old public school. Officials apologize and promise action after reporter asks questions.
By Rosalind Rossi
Chicago Sun-Times 2007-11-23 (entry)
