Health & Medical

Radioactive Iodine-131 Found In U.S. Milk Samples

by Clare Leschin-Hoar, Posted Apr 1st 2011 @ 11:00AM

radiation found in milk Photo: Justin Sullivan / Getty Images

Officials have discovered trace levels of radioactive Iodine-131 in milk samples from Washington state and California, but stress that amounts are still 5,000 times lower than the limit set by the Food and Drug Administration. That should easy worry for consumers concerned that radiation from the damaged Fukushima plant in Japan will affect milk produced in the U.S.

"We don't make light of radiation. People want more information, but it's important to put things in context," Al Lundeen, spokesperson for the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) told Slashfood. "We have had a positive sampling of Iodine-131, but it was minuscule. It's a trace amount compared to other things like watching TV or flying on a plane, where people are also exposed to radiation."

According to the Associated Press, the FDA and EPA announced they had found radiation in milk from Spokane, Wash. on Friday, while the CDPH announced they found similar results from milk obtained at a dairy in San Luis Obispo County on Monday.

"We are going to continue to monitor the situation," said Lundeen. "We test milk because that's the food where radiation can be detected most quickly, but we're testing air samples as well. What we know now is the amount of radiation detected should not force people to hesitate to drink milk or anything else."

Filed under: Health & Medical, Food News

Food Packaging Leads to Increased Levels of Harmful Chemicals

COMMENTS 1

by Jason Best, Posted Mar 31st 2011 @ 3:00PM

green beans Photos: Corbis; Jupiterimages

Every time you go to the grocery store, you probably spend some amount of time thinking about whether the food you're buying is good for you, but how much time do you spend pondering whether the food's packaging is good for you?

According to a recent report by ABC News, maybe you should.

At issue is the presence of certain chemical compounds that are used to manufacture plastic and other food packaging. A study by the Breast Cancer Fund and the Silent Spring Institute, an environmental group, found that when participants were restricted to a fresh-food diet for three days (meaning no packaged foods), the amount of these chemicals detected in their urine dropped dramatically, by up to 66 percent.

Filed under: Health & Medical, Food News

Melons: The Repeat Recall Offenders of Fruit

COMMENTS 2

by Jessie Cacciola, Posted Mar 29th 2011 @ 12:00PM

cantaloupe Photo: eddie.welker, Flickr

Melons are not having a good start to the season. A mass recall of 4,992 cartons of Del Monte cantaloupes was issued in seven western states last Tuesday due to potential Salmonella outbreak at their Asunicion Mita farm in Guatemala, according to the company's press release. But this isn't the first time melons have posed a health risk.

The Food and Drug Administration notes that between 1996 and 2008, 13 out of 83 infected types of fresh produce were melons, and 10 were cantaloupe. Ray Costa, a registered sanitarian and food safety education advocate, tries to explain why in Food Safety News.

Filed under: Health & Medical, Recalls

Do Food Dyes Make Kids Hyperactive? FDA to Weigh In

COMMENTS 7

by Jason Best, Posted Mar 28th 2011 @ 3:00PM

artificially colored cereal Photo: Lou Manna

Is the Food and Drug Administration preparing to change its position on artificial food dyes?

For years the FDA has maintained that the additives that give everything from Gatorade to Cheetos their distinctive hues are perfectly safe. Currently, there are nine synthetically produced food dyes that are on the agency's list of approved "certified colors."

But one public advocacy organization is asking whether the FDA has been looking at the issue of artificial food coloring through rose-tinted glasses.

The Center for Science in the Public Interest argues that there's mounting evidence to show that artificial food dyes cause behavior changes in some children, and FDA staffers have gone so far to prepare a report for one of the agency's advisory committees detailing a possible link between food coloring and children who have attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder, as MSNBC reports.

Filed under: Health & Medical, Food News

Feeling Lonely? Mac & Cheese Might Be the Cure

COMMENTS 26

by Bill Sertl, Posted Mar 28th 2011 @ 1:00PM

velveeta mac and cheese Photo: stumptownpanda, Flickr

Sometimes you just have to ask: "How come I knew that already without having to consult a shrink?" Brace yourselves for this shocker: Comfort food is, well, comforting.

That's right, as noted today in UPI.com, two graduate students from the University of Buffalo conducted an experiment in which three control groups were giving an assignment to write about something that made them feel lonely, but the group whose theme revolved around comfort food was able to pull itself out of the dark mood. (The study, published in the magazine Psychological Science, said nothing about weight gain).

"Throughout everyone's daily lives they experience stress, often associated with our connections with others," says Jordan Troisi, lead author of the study. "Comfort food can serve as a ready-made, easy resource for remedying a sense of loneliness." Glad to have it proved by science, but most of us know this just by using coming sense: Eat mac and cheese, meatloaf, and mashed potatoes can make us feel good but isn't going to help us fit into that swimming suit by summer; salads will make you love the way you look, but you'll be too sad to care. Feeling lonely? Might want to just make a new friend instead of looking to food for the answer.

Filed under: Health & Medical, Food News

Why Organic Milk is Better For You

COMMENTS 7

by Kristine Hansen, Posted Mar 18th 2011 @ 1:00PM

Organic milk Photo: sassyradish, Flickr

Fans of organic milk now have a compelling argument for their choice: New evidence says it's better for you.

There are more unsaturated fats in organic milk than in conventional milk, according to a research team at Newcastle University in Northern England. In addition to containing omega-3 acids, organic milk's conjugated linoleic acid (also called CLA) has anti-cancer properties and is believed to have many health benefits for the heart. The results of this study were published in the January 2011 issue of The Journal of Dairy Science.

The lead author on the study, Gillian Butler, urges Americans to stand up and pay attention because our most of us don't get nearly enough essential fatty acids. Switching over to organic milk -- which is now available at most supermarkets around the country, whether it's from a local creamery or a larger dairy like Horizon Organic or Organic Valley -- could increase your average CLA intake by as much as 40 percent.

Filed under: Science, Health & Medical

Is There Hope for Hospital Food?

COMMENTS 3

by Jessie Cacciola, Posted Mar 14th 2011 @ 4:00PM

hospital food Photo: Mike Groll / AP Photo

Who wants to eat in a hospital? We're guessing most of you would rather head for a school cafeteria or an airline, if given the option. Anyone who's ever found themselves in a hospital bed quickly discovers that medical centers and rehabilitation facilities aren't exactly the best places in town to nab nutritious grub. To be fair, hospital kitchens are dealing with the pickiest stomachs on earth because of an endless variety of dietary restrictions. It's enough to make even the most skilled chef quiver. Enter Lynne Eddy, instructor for Food Service Management in Health Care, a first-of-its-kind course at the Culinary Institute of America.

"We're dealing with medications, chewing problems...we could talk for eons about it," says Eddy. She comes to the CIA as a registered dietitian with 25 years' experience in the industry, and this month, she'll send off her first batch of graduates equipped to serve as entry-level managers in health care facilities.

Filed under: Health & Medical, Food News

SNL's High-Fructose Corn Syrup Spoof Hits a Nerve

COMMENTS 16

by Bill Sertl, Posted Mar 14th 2011 @ 3:00PM

Saturday Night Live corn syrup commercial Photo: Hulu

It's probably debatable which is worse for you-artery clogging trans-fats or fat-producing empty calories from high-fructose corn syrup. But one thing is clear: Both of these toxic ingredients, which are found in almost all mass-produced foods on the market today, are harmful to your health. In a hilarious Saturday Night Live spoof this weekend, we find out why-it makes you fat, fat, fat. But the best part of the fake commercial is the satirizing of the real ad from the Corn Refiners Association.

In the spoof, one mom is surprised to find another mom serving Juicy Drink at a kid's party. After pointing out that's it contains HFCS, she says: "You know the things they say about HFCS." The other mom replies: "Like what? That's it's made with corn, it's natural enough, and, like sugar, it's fine in moderation." Trouble is, that's almost exactly what the real commercial says, and that's all one big corn-fed lie.

Filed under: Television/Film, Health & Medical

Potato Chips: The Truth Revealed

COMMENTS 1

by Nanette Maxim, Posted Mar 8th 2011 @ 2:00PM

chip nutrition comparison Photo: Bill Brady, AOL

Thinking of switching from a classic potato chip or corn chip to one that claims to be healthier? Before you give up the Fritos, have a look at Healthcastle.com's amazingly helpful nutritional comparison of 40 top brands, reports NPR. You may be surprised at what those "better-for-you" chips actually save in the fat and calories departments.

Take Lay's Classic potato chips (ok, I admit it, they're my personal fave, so that's where I looked first) compared with Corazona's Slightly Salted Chips. Corazona's chips have 30 fewer calories for a one-ounce serving (let's just pretend we eat only an ounce), and 4 fewer grams of fat, but both have zero trans fats and sugars. And Corazona's are higher in carbs by 3 grams. So if it's a calories-and-fat battle you're waging, you might as well stick with the Lay's. But sodium? Lay's has double, with 180 mg. to Corazona's 90. (And yes, corazón, means "heart" in Spanish.)

Filed under: Health & Medical

Spokesman for 'Heart Attack Grill' Dies at Age 29

COMMENTS 5

by Slashfood Editor, Posted Mar 4th 2011 @ 4:00PM

Heart Attach Grill spokesman Blair River Photo: ABC News

Blair River, the 575-pound spokesman for the Heart Attack Grill, an Arizona restaurant famous for menu items like "triple bypass burgers" and "flatliner lard fries," died Tuesday at the age of 29 following a bout of the flu, reports ABC News.

River was well-known in the community, both for his winning personality and large size. He came down with the flu last week and succumbed to pneumonia after four days in the hospital, Jon Basso, owner of the grill and a friend of River, told ABC News.

Basso said he thought River's obesity contributed to his death, and Keith Ayoob, director of the nutrition clinic at Albert Einstein College of Medicine, agreed that was likely, telling ABC News, "Obesity increases your risk for just about every condition, and it can make nearly every acute health problem worse."