Slashfoodhttp://www.slashfood.comSlashfoodhttp://www.slashfood.com/media/feedlogo.gifSlashfoodhttp://www.slashfood.comen-usCopyright 2012 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only.Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/Craving Coffee? It Might Be in Your Geneshttp://www.slashfood.com/2011/04/08/craving-coffee-it-might-be-in-your-genes/http://www.slashfood.com/2011/04/08/craving-coffee-it-might-be-in-your-genes/http://www.slashfood.com/2011/04/08/craving-coffee-it-might-be-in-your-genes/#commentsFiled under: ,

coffeePhoto: askmir, Flickr


Turns out there's another thing you can blame your parents for: your need for a Starbucks fix.

Yes, like receding hairlines and pendulous earlobes, it seems your daily 3 o'clock caffeine craving can also be traced back to your genes, according to new research released this week.

As USA Today reports, scientists have identified two genes that decide whether you're a double-shot-of-espresso sort of gal or a "one-cup-gives-me-the-jitters" kind of guy. Essentially, depending on whether you carry a "high-consumption" variant or "low-consumption" variant of either gene determines just how fast or slow you metabolize caffeine, and thus, just how much java juice it takes to get your motor running in the morning.

(We imagine that if you carry the "high-consumption" variant of both genes then you're probably something of a pit bull before 8 a.m.)

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]]>caffeinecoffee geneJason BestFri, 08 Apr 2011 14:00:00 ESTGenitically Modified Cows Produce 'Human' Milkhttp://www.slashfood.com/2011/04/04/genitically-modified-cows-produce-human-milk/http://www.slashfood.com/2011/04/04/genitically-modified-cows-produce-human-milk/http://www.slashfood.com/2011/04/04/genitically-modified-cows-produce-human-milk/#commentsFiled under: ,

Dairy cowsPhoto: Toby Talbot / AP Photo


The U.S. has outsourced a lot in the past couple decades, but could breast milk one day carry a "Made in China" label?

This news comes not from the pages of the supermarket tabloids but from the online academic journal Public Library of Science ONE, where Chinese researchers have reported that they've produced human-like milk from genetically modified dairy cows.

"Our study describes transgenic cattle whose milk offers similar nutritional benefits as human milk," lead researcher Ning Li told the London Daily Telegraph. "The modified bovine milk is a possible substitute for human milk."

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]]>genetically modified cowsGMO cowsJason BestMon, 04 Apr 2011 14:00:00 ESTNew Chemical "Bitter Blocker" Makes Foods Taste Sweeterhttp://www.slashfood.com/2011/03/30/new-chemical-bitter-blocker-makes-foods-taste-sweeter/http://www.slashfood.com/2011/03/30/new-chemical-bitter-blocker-makes-foods-taste-sweeter/http://www.slashfood.com/2011/03/30/new-chemical-bitter-blocker-makes-foods-taste-sweeter/#commentsFiled under: ,

spinachPhoto: Rachel Been, AOL


For generations, kids (and plenty of adults) have been asking the same question: "Why do so many things that are good for you have to taste so bad?"

Well, scientists haven't yet figured out how to make broccoli taste like a root beer float, but they are working on a way to at least make healthier foods more palatable. We all know that foods like spinach and broccoli are packed with nutrients like calcium, magnesium and zinc. The only problem is: those same nutrients taste nose-wrinklingly bitter on the tongue.

But what if you could take the taste of, say, spinach down a notch or two?

At the national conference of the American Chemical Society, researches have announced that they're trying to do just that. As Live Science reports, scientists as the Givaudan Flavors Corporation in Ohio have developed an enhanced "bitterness blocker" called GIV3616. Added to food, it targets certain taste buds and keeps them from recognizing bitter tastes.

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]]>bitter blockerGIV3616Jason BestWed, 30 Mar 2011 14:00:00 ESTWhy Organic Milk is Better For Youhttp://www.slashfood.com/2011/03/18/why-organic-milk-is-better-for-you/http://www.slashfood.com/2011/03/18/why-organic-milk-is-better-for-you/http://www.slashfood.com/2011/03/18/why-organic-milk-is-better-for-you/#commentsFiled under: ,

Organic milkPhoto: 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.

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]]>milkorganic milkorganic milk studyKristine HansenFri, 18 Mar 2011 13:00:00 ESTBerries Fight Parkinson's, Study Findshttp://www.slashfood.com/2011/02/15/berries-fight-parkinsons-study-finds/http://www.slashfood.com/2011/02/15/berries-fight-parkinsons-study-finds/http://www.slashfood.com/2011/02/15/berries-fight-parkinsons-study-finds/#commentsFiled under: ,

blueberriesPhoto: the boastful baker, Flickr


Scientists have given you another reason to ramp up your berry consumption.

Strawberries, blueberries and berries of pretty much any stripe have long been credited with a host of health benefits, from reducing the risk for certain types of cancer to sharpening our vision. Now, researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health say that eating more berries can also lower your chances of developing Parkinson's disease.

The recent study tracked nearly fifty thousand men and eighty thousand women for more than 20 years, and examined participants' intake of flavonoids, which are found in higher concentrations in berries, as well as in tea, red wine and citrus fruits. The results opened a new door to preventing Parkinson's.

Get the whole story at AOL Health.

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]]>berriesflavonoidsParkinsons DiseaseJason BestTue, 15 Feb 2011 13:00:00 ESTIn-Vitro Meat Still Not on The Tablehttp://www.slashfood.com/2011/02/01/in-vitro-meat-still-not-on-the-table/http://www.slashfood.com/2011/02/01/in-vitro-meat-still-not-on-the-table/http://www.slashfood.com/2011/02/01/in-vitro-meat-still-not-on-the-table/#commentsFiled under: ,

in-vitro meatPhoto: Getty Images


You've heard about solar panels, wind turbines and hybrid cars as ways to deal with global warming. What about test-tube meat?

A scientist in South Carolina says that it's possible to produce the equivalent of ground chuck in a lab -- that is, sans the cow. Dr. Vladimir Mironov at the Medical University of South Carolina has taken embryonic cells from animals and grown what he calls cultured or "in-vitro" meat. The news of this advancement broke last year, but now Mironov is trying to get funding to bring his project to the people.

The technology, he tells Reuters, not only could significantly address world hunger, it could reduce the amount of carbon and other gases that cause global warming. (A study published in 2009 claimed that more than half of all greenhouse gas emissions are caused by the production of meat.)

But if you didn't hear President Obama championing such Frankenstein frankfurters in his State of the Union address, don't be surprised. The government seems a little queasy about funding further research into the ultimate mystery meat.

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]]>artificial meatIn-Vitro MeatTest tube meatJason BestTue, 01 Feb 2011 13:00:00 ESTNestle Formula for Full Stomachshttp://www.slashfood.com/2011/01/28/nestle-formula-for-full-stomachs/http://www.slashfood.com/2011/01/28/nestle-formula-for-full-stomachs/http://www.slashfood.com/2011/01/28/nestle-formula-for-full-stomachs/#commentsFiled under: ,

woman eating noodles diet foodsPhoto: Getty Images

There's a new Nestle formula in the works, and it's quite a trick: Design food that will make us feel fuller quicker and stay feeling full longer. Given the high obesity rates in America, this might sound like a good thing, but listen to how it works.

Scientists of the Swiss chocolate company are trying to understand how your "gut brain" works by learning the language of digestion, reports the Wall Street Journal. To figure this out, they've designed a million-dollar see-through model of the human stomach. Then they fed it foods like regular olive oil and olive oil with monoglycerides, and found that the latter, while making you feel more full could also prove more difficult for the stomach to digest. So they're tinkering with this knowledge to come up with what they hope will be the best of both worlds -- foods that tell your brain you're full and your stomach to feel healthy and satisfied.

New products could hit shelves within the next five years, in many forms other than chocolate. Nestle also produces drinks, bottled water, cereal, coffee, frozen foods and pet food. While we have to admit it's interesting to be able to track how our bodies respond to food at every stage, tricking it might be a slippery slope we're not prepared to handle. Candy bar, anyone?

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]]>diet foodsfood sciencenestleJessie CacciolaFri, 28 Jan 2011 13:00:00 ESTBevshots Quiz: Can You Identify These Alcohol Photos?http://www.slashfood.com/2011/01/26/bevshots-alcohol-photos-quiz/http://www.slashfood.com/2011/01/26/bevshots-alcohol-photos-quiz/http://www.slashfood.com/2011/01/26/bevshots-alcohol-photos-quiz/#commentsFiled under: ,

Photos Courtesy of BEVSHOTS / WENN


A chilled Martini is truly a work of art. But the chemist/photographers behind the company BevShots have taken that idea to the microscopic level. Research scientist Michael Davis, of Florida State University, crystallizes cocktails on a lab slide, then photographs them using a camera attached to a light microscope. According to Davis, the light is polarized, resulting in these wild images of, say, a Tequila Sunrise or a Margarita. Oh, and you can buy the photos to memorialize cocktail hour 24-7. (Davis also made the images into ties, in case you want to sport your Guinness at the office.)

Think you really know your drink of choice? Take our quiz after the jump and find out.

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]]>quizsciencespiritsSlashfood EditorWed, 26 Jan 2011 13:00:00 ESTFake Blueberries In Cereals, Baked Goodshttp://www.slashfood.com/2011/01/24/fake-blueberries-in-cereals-baked-goods/http://www.slashfood.com/2011/01/24/fake-blueberries-in-cereals-baked-goods/http://www.slashfood.com/2011/01/24/fake-blueberries-in-cereals-baked-goods/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Frosted Mini-Wheats Blueberry Muffin cereal boxPhoto: iateapie, Flickr

Kellogg's, why did you try to fool us again? Yes, those blueberry bits in cereals and infamously lackluster packaged muffins from the gas station? Not real. Real sugar and food dye; but not berries from the berry bush. We can't say we're surprised, just officially disgusted.

It turns out, some of our biggest industry bakers are only good as colorists. A new video released by the Consumer Wellness Center last week shows that this is actually no secret. As we've seen before, the front of packages always sound better than the back. If you turn over a Frosted Mini Wheats Blueberry Muffin box, touting fresh blueberries on the front, you'll find an ingredients list with an item called "blueberry flavored crunchlets." Crunchlets -- a word we hope never becomes official -- is defined as a mix of sugars, soybean oil, red #40 and blue #2. Voilà, blueberry! Minus, of course, those real-deal elements: antioxidants, manganese, vitamins C and E, and dietary fiber.

You can also expect similar frauds in cereals, breads and muffins from Betty Crocker, Target and General Mills, whose Total Blueberry Pomegranate cereal contains neither blueberry nor pomegranate. Who to trust? A real baker. Or the makers of products like Natures' Path Organic Optimum Blueberry-Cinnamon Breakfast Cereal, which actually contains real blueberries and cinnamon.

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]]>blueberriesbreakfast cerealkelloggsmarketingmislabelingJessie CacciolaMon, 24 Jan 2011 14:00:00 ESTUSDA To Introduce "Biobased" Labelhttp://www.slashfood.com/2011/01/20/usda-to-introduce-biobased-label/http://www.slashfood.com/2011/01/20/usda-to-introduce-biobased-label/http://www.slashfood.com/2011/01/20/usda-to-introduce-biobased-label/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

USDA sample label for new biobased packagingPhoto: USDAgov, Flickr

There's a new eco label coming out this spring to address products -- like water bottles and grocery bags -- made with bio-based ingredients (primarily corn), which decompose instead of requiring recycling: "USDA Certified Biobased Product."

Totally Green, for example, produces a corn-based water bottle that can be composted along with other food waste, and plans to use the label as soon as it is released, reports the Des Moines Register. Unfortunately, compostable chip bags never caught on thanks to their insanely loud crinkling, but these water bottles have no noise issues, so perhaps they'll have better luck.

Cotton and wool products won't apply because the program is intended to support the agricultural commodity market. That being corn, of course. Look for the label on anything from dish soap bottles to skin-care products. Will you make the switch?

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]]>biodegradablecompostableecoUSDAJessie CacciolaThu, 20 Jan 2011 17:00:00 ESTOrganic Milk Beats Conventional Milk for Nutrition, Says UK Studyhttp://www.slashfood.com/2011/01/19/organic-milk-beats-conventional-milk-for-nutrition-says-uk-stud/http://www.slashfood.com/2011/01/19/organic-milk-beats-conventional-milk-for-nutrition-says-uk-stud/http://www.slashfood.com/2011/01/19/organic-milk-beats-conventional-milk-for-nutrition-says-uk-stud/#commentsFiled under: , ,

organic milk bottlePhoto: sarah sosiak, Flickr


It's long been exasperating to the organic food industry -- the oft-stated belief that organic food is most notable for what it doesn't give you - all those yummy pesticides and chemicals. Nutritionally, common wisdom goes, organic food is no better for you than the conventional stuff.

Maybe not.

A study by researchers at Newcastle University,in England, published in the Journal of Dairy Science, has poked a hole in that thinking, showing that organic milk does have some nutritional advantages over conventional -- less saturated fat and more "good" fatty acids -- specifically omega-3s.

Testing 10 organic and 12 conventional milks sold in British grocery stores (not raw at the farm), seasonally over two years, lead researcher Gillian Butler found the organic milk more consistently showed healthier fat levels, which she believes is a result of the cows' greater reliance on grazing and their ingestion of larger amounts of clover -- typically planted in organic operations for the nitrogen that conventional fertilizers would otherwise provide.

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]]>milknutritionorganic farmingorganic milkstoneyfieldJan Ellen SpiegelWed, 19 Jan 2011 16:00:00 ESTThe Nose Knows Beerhttp://www.slashfood.com/2011/01/14/identifying-aromas-of-beer/http://www.slashfood.com/2011/01/14/identifying-aromas-of-beer/http://www.slashfood.com/2011/01/14/identifying-aromas-of-beer/#commentsFiled under: ,

sniffing beerPhoto: Tojosan, Flickr


When it comes to identifying the aromas of beer, the scientific community has spoken: Your nose is no good.

While trained sniffers -- both men and, increasingly, women -- have long helped assure quality control in brewing, the scientists claim human noses are slow to assess scents, they're subjective, easily fatigued and require pretty expensive upkeep. What, you think those Kleenex are going to pay for themselves?

Instead, in a review published in Trends in Food Science & Technology, scientists from Spain and Iran (hardly global brewing powerhouses, mind you) offered an alternative to a human schnoz: an electronic nose. "The demand for electronic noses in brewing is growing because the versatility and ease of operation of these instruments make them suitable for quick and accurate analysis of beers or for monitoring quality in the production process," the scientists wrote.

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]]>beerbrewingelectronic noseJoshua M. BernsteinFri, 14 Jan 2011 16:00:00 ESTEating on the Brainhttp://www.slashfood.com/2011/01/11/eating-on-the-brain/http://www.slashfood.com/2011/01/11/eating-on-the-brain/http://www.slashfood.com/2011/01/11/eating-on-the-brain/#commentsFiled under: ,

Photos: Getty Images


You know that little voice in your head that looks at a big plate of fresh cookies and whispers, "You'd better eat just one?" Turns out, in people who are already obese, it may be a teeny-tiny voice or missing altogether.

That's the finding of brain researcher Dr. Antonio Convit, a professor of psychiatry and medicine at the New York University School of Medicine and the Nathan Kline Institute, reports New Scientist magazine. Convit and others have long been aware that type 2 diabetes is associated with memory difficulties, the result of a diabetic's inability to increase fuel for the brain to conduct the kind of problem solving that will, for instance, allow them to remember where the heck they put their car keys.

Figuring something similar might occur in people who were obese, Convit looked at the brains of 44 middle-aged obese people and 19 lean ones, using MRI's and other tests.

What he found were changes in the obese subjects in two parts of the brain that play major roles in eating. In obese people there was more water in the amygdala, which, among its functions, regulates feeding behavior. He also found that the orbital frontal cortex of the brains of obese people was smaller, which meant it had less ability to perform one of its key functions -- inhibit automatic responses -- such as the impulse to eat that whole plate of cookies.

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]]>brainneuroscienceobesityObesity causesJan Ellen SpiegelTue, 11 Jan 2011 15:00:00 ESTExtreme Beer: Why Do We Love It?http://www.slashfood.com/2010/12/30/hops-and-extreme-beer-why-do-we-love-it/http://www.slashfood.com/2010/12/30/hops-and-extreme-beer-why-do-we-love-it/http://www.slashfood.com/2010/12/30/hops-and-extreme-beer-why-do-we-love-it/#commentsFiled under: ,

extreme beer Pliny the Younger from Russian River BrewingPhoto: --Mark--, Flickr


American craft beers keep upping the hops content, making them more and more bitter. But, reports Lizzie Buchen, in New Scientist magazine, humans have a universal dislike for bitter flavors. "Many bitter substances are at best nutritionally useless and at worst downright toxic," Buchen writes, "so we have evolved ways to protect ourselves. Placing a bitter foodstuff on the tongue will trigger a reflex reaction that encourages us to spit it out, or increase saliva flow to wash the taste away. A harmless bitter substance inserted directly into a person's stomach will generally induce nausea."

So why are we running after bitter beers with names like HopSlam?

Psychologists, chemists, neuroscientists and brewers offer Buchen a complex web of reasons, ranging from our craving to be considered connoisseurs to a basic love of carbs ("bitter, hoppy beers often have a higher content of sugar-releasing malts, making for a more intense carbohydrate fix"). And, of course, there's the old "benign masochism" that University of Pennsylvania psychologist Paul Rozin speaks about: pure and simple thrill-seeking, pushing ourselves to the limits of pain, for pure pleasure.

Read the full story at New Scientist (Note that you have to register with the site for access, but it's worth it: This is one of the best science mags on the market.)

And for our resident beer expert Joshua Bernstein's take on a high-hops brew see his post "Hoppin' Frog B.O.R.I.S. the Crusher Oatmeal-Imperial Stout.

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]]>beerCraft beerhopspsychologySlashfood EditorThu, 30 Dec 2010 15:00:00 ESTFood Fantasies Equal Weight Losshttp://www.slashfood.com/2010/12/14/food-fantasies-equal-weight-loss/http://www.slashfood.com/2010/12/14/food-fantasies-equal-weight-loss/http://www.slashfood.com/2010/12/14/food-fantasies-equal-weight-loss/#commentsFiled under: ,

chocolate trufflesPhoto: tlboyd05, Flickr


In your mind you're downing a pint of dulce de leche ice cream, or, if you're a savory fanatic, maybe you're daydreaming of lacing into a bowl of gooey mac and cheese. You do this often. Before too long, miracle of miracles, your waistline gets smaller.

According to a recent study published in the journal Science, it all makes sense. When it comes to weight loss, suppressing cravings doesn't work. Visualization does. Remember "inner tennis," where sports psychologists determined that concentration and thinking through a game improved play? Apparently, indulging in food fantasies leads to diet success.

Maybe it's time to concentrate on chocolate. Find out more about this study, and the psychology of eating, by reading the whole story at AOL Health.

And, while we're on the subject, check out today's chocolate giveaway from Chocri. Just in case you want to put the daydreams on hold.

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]]>featuredpsychology of eatingweight lossSlashfood EditorTue, 14 Dec 2010 15:00:00 ESTRobots to the Rescuehttp://www.slashfood.com/2010/12/07/robots-to-the-rescue/http://www.slashfood.com/2010/12/07/robots-to-the-rescue/http://www.slashfood.com/2010/12/07/robots-to-the-rescue/#commentsFiled under: ,

robot to debone a hamPhoto: YouTube

We may still be a long way from the kind of future where C3PO is on hand to decant your favorite wine for you, but it seems we're inching ever closer to the age of the robot.

To wit, the recent Fourth Robot Awards, in Japan, where two industrial food-processing robots took top prizes. The first is a machine that looks downright terrifying -- just a long, sleek robot arm with a gleaming knife welded to one end. It's the HAMDAS-R, developed by Mayekawa Electric, and it's designed to remove ham bones -- a lot of them. Five hundred in an hour, which is twice as fast as a human's capability to debone a ham.

As Popular Science reports, what's previously kept robots out of the gruesome business of meat processing is that they generally haven't been so good at telling the difference between meat and bone, leaving results that we're guessing looked something like tossing a pork chop into a blender. The HAMDAS-R, however, "is able to consistently distinguish meat from bone," which garnered it the top prize in the Small Business and Venture category.

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]]>featuredfood technologyRobotsJason BestTue, 07 Dec 2010 13:00:00 ESTIntroducing the Frankenapplehttp://www.slashfood.com/2010/11/29/introducing-the-frankenapple/http://www.slashfood.com/2010/11/29/introducing-the-frankenapple/http://www.slashfood.com/2010/11/29/introducing-the-frankenapple/#commentsFiled under: ,

sliced applesPhoto: Just Karen, Flickr


Hold up, frankenfish. While the USDA is still hung up on whether to approve genetically modified salmon, it appears there's a new mutant on the table: a genetically modified apple that won't brown.

Designed by British Columbia-based Okanagan Specialty Fruits, the new "Arctic" apple -- or what critics are calling the "botox apple," reports Gawker -- is said to have "silencing" enzymes, which would prevent it from looking old, no matter how old it gets. While this may be arguably okay for foreheads, we take it most people would rather know when their food is past its prime. Just like waxing fruit and piping nitrogen into fish to make it look younger, preventing fruit to brown would no longer allow us to know when it's gone bad.

According to the Associated Press, the company "licensed the non-browning technology from Australian researchers who pioneered it in potatoes." Andrew Kimbrell, executive director of the Center for Food Safety, tells the AP that this technology "appears to benefit apple growers and shippers more than consumers." He's predicting failure.

The president of Okanagan Specialty Fruits, Neal Carter, happens to agree: "Some people won't like it just because of what it is." Yep, seems reason enough, we think. But, he adds, "people will see the process used to get it had very sound science." Excuse us, Mr. Carter, but so did the atomic bomb.

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]]>fruitgenetically modified foodsJessie CacciolaMon, 29 Nov 2010 13:00:00 ESTPumpkin Pie Scent Is a Turn-on For Menhttp://www.slashfood.com/2010/11/24/pumpkin-pie-scent-is-a-turn-on-for-men/http://www.slashfood.com/2010/11/24/pumpkin-pie-scent-is-a-turn-on-for-men/http://www.slashfood.com/2010/11/24/pumpkin-pie-scent-is-a-turn-on-for-men/#commentsFiled under: , ,

pumpkin pie for thanksgivingPhoto: Getty Images


Hold the spritz of Calvin Klein Obsession, ladies and gentlemen. If you want to arouse your man, get a pumpkin pie baking in the oven. And, no, that is not a metaphor. According to a new study conducted by Chicago's Smell and Taste Treatment Research Center, the smell of pumpkin pie turns men on. Of the 40 scents tested (including strawberry, lavender, and vanilla), the odor of the spiced squash in a crust "increased the men's penile blood flow by an average of 40 percent" by reducing anxiety, and thus eliminating inhibitions. Get the whole story (and a lot more dish) at our sister site, Lemondrop.com.

And get baking! Here's Curtis Stone's recipe for Homemade Pumpkin Pie with Caramelized Walnuts to get the party started.

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]]>pumpkin piescienceSexual healthSlashfood EditorWed, 24 Nov 2010 12:00:00 ESTGourmets in Orbit: A New Generation of Space Foodhttp://www.slashfood.com/2010/11/08/gourmets-in-orbit-a-new-generation-of-space-food/http://www.slashfood.com/2010/11/08/gourmets-in-orbit-a-new-generation-of-space-food/http://www.slashfood.com/2010/11/08/gourmets-in-orbit-a-new-generation-of-space-food/#commentsFiled under: ,

space foodPhoto: Kaptain Kobold, Flickr

Split-pea soup, grilled pork chop, peach ambrosia -- doesn't exactly sound like the sort of meal you'd expect orbiting some 200 miles above the earth.

Manned space flight may not have progressed much beyond the moon, but astronaut grub has come a long way. Since the 2009 release of The Astronaut's Cookbook: Tales, Recipes, and More by two veterans of NASA's food technology program, Americans who had long thought that our men and women in space were still subsisting on rations of Tang and chicken-in-tubes have been surprised to learn the truth: As a matter of fact, what's being eat up there among the stars doesn't sound that different from what you might see being served up on the Food Network.

To wit, Emeril Lagasse's spicy green beans have become an out-of-this-world favorite, while NASA is working to convert Top Chef contestant Angelo Sosa's ginger-lacquered short ribs with pea purée, pickled mushrooms and horseradish crème fraiche into space-worthy fare.

Sheesh, and it's hard to even get a bag of pretzels on an airplane anymore.

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]]>Jason BestMon, 08 Nov 2010 16:00:00 EST"Magic" Diet Crystals to Go Globalhttp://www.slashfood.com/2010/11/08/magic-diet-crystals-to-go-global/http://www.slashfood.com/2010/11/08/magic-diet-crystals-to-go-global/http://www.slashfood.com/2010/11/08/magic-diet-crystals-to-go-global/#commentsFiled under: ,

sensa crystalsPhoto: TrySensa.com

It sounds like a New Age spin on the timeworn promises of diet aids everywhere: Sprinkle crystals on your food and -- abracadabra! -- start shedding weight.

The makers of Sensa, of course, claim that there's more science than hocus-pocus behind their product. Much of the rest of the scientific community, including U.K. neuropsychologist Dominic Dwyer, isn't so sure. Nevertheless, the magic-seeming crystals that two years ago promised dieters in America that they could lose weight without having to exercise or change what they eat are getting ready to take the world by storm.

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]]>dietingsensatasteJason BestMon, 08 Nov 2010 14:00:00 EST