• Oprah may have made the acai berry a Superfood, but now the craze is robbing poor Brazilians of a native product critical to their health.
• Like every other city, Pittsburgh is coming alive with farmers markets. Here's a list of them.
  
• The Ball jar is celebrating its 125th anniversary, so get canning!
• Hugo Chavez has seized temporary control of one of Cargill Inc.'s pasta processing plants in Venezuela for breaking regulations.
• Rachel Carson Homestead is celebrating its dedication to local foods with a Sustainable Feast.
• Need more rhubarb in your life? Read on to learn more about rhubarb history and the plant's role in treats like this crisp with strawberry, a spring tonic and in a pie or tart with apple.

There's an interesting post over at our sister blog Gadling. It's from author Timothy Ferriss, author of The 4-Hour Work Week. I think the book is interesting if a bit unrealistic, but this list is intriguing.

He picks his eight favorite beverages from around the world, and you won't see any Yoo-Hoo or Clamato on the list. Ordinarily we wouldn't be able to try any of these drinks without traveling to Japan or Brazil, but thanks to the internet we can order them online (the post has links to all of the companies).

Tanzanian Peaberry Coffee sounds like the ultimate pick-me-up. Acai is a mixture of berry and caffeine that looks like purple frozen yogurt. Pocari Sweat is...well, does it matter? With a name like that it's something you just have to try.

A lot has been said over the past few years about "superfoods" -- certain foods that reportedly contribute greatly toward your overall health. Now, Dr. Perricone, an M.D. probably best known for his guest appearances on such television shows as 'Oprah,' the 'Today Show' and 'Larry King Live,' has weighed in with his top 10 choices. I found it interesting because even though there are some standards there, his list does include a few items that I haven't necessarily seen referred to as "superfoods" before.

Though each food has different possible benefits, it is believed that consuming these may help to regulate metabolism and burn body fat, lower cholesterol, prevent cancer, protect against heart disease and act as an aid to your digestive health. As always though, check that with your own doctor first. Perricone actually calls Wild Alaskan Salmon the "King of Superfoods" (which I suppose makes this a top 11 list instead), followed by the following 10:

• Açai Berry -- A high energy berry from the Amazon
• The Allium Family -- Garlic, onions, shallots, leeks and chives
• Barley
• Green foods including blue green algae, barley grass and wheat grass
• Buckwheat seed -- More protein than rice or wheat
• Beans and lentils -- High in fiber
• Hot peppers -- Anti-inflammatory analgesic
• Nuts and seeds
• Sprouts
• Yogurt or kefir

Over the past few years, "Superfoods" such as select berries and other fruits, have been making headlines due to the high level of nutrients, antioxidants, and assorted other health benefits they reportedly deliver. Though it was difficult to source them from anywhere but health food stores or possibly your local smoothie / juice bar, they are readily becoming more available in mainstream North American products.

Anheuser-Busch has just added Goji, a small, red berry found in a remote area of Tibet, to their existing '180 Energy Drink' line. The berry is believed to increase energy and stimulate rejuvenation, and apparently contains one of the highest antioxidant levels of any fruit recorded. According to AB, "180 Red with Goji" contains carbonated water; sucrose; Goji berry juice; acerola juice; guarana for natural caffeine; vitamins B-6, B-12 and C; and lychee natural flavor.

Late last year, the company also released "180 Blue" which is made from the super-berry Açai, found in the Amazonian jungles of Brazil.

Every year there are a handful of ingredients and flavors that find their way onto almost every single restaurant menu in the country. Last year, two of the most popular flavors were pomegranate and chipotle. This year, the menu trend-spotters have already made their top five predictions, some of which are bolder than before and others that are merely extensions of existing trends.

Functional flavors - Beyond green tea and pomegranate there is a whole world of functional food that will become more widely used. Açaí, acerola cherry, red wine and red tea will all step more into the limelight.

More Latin flavors - Chipotle is still popular, as is regional Mexican (from Oaxaca and Jalisco), but new flavors will step up, with more influences from Central and South America.

Sweet and savory- The pairing of salty and sweet (or savory and sweet) really hit a home run with packaged foods last year, but more mainstream restaurants will be offering salted caramels or herb-infused ice creams than in the past.

Expected flavors, unexpected fruits- Why stick with orange when you can use blood orange? The same goes for choosing Meyer lemons, Buddha's hand or other citrus over plan lemon. Twists on popular flavors will make the food seem more exotic, without taking a big risk by radically changing the flavor.

More Spice, Less Heat - Instead of the overt heat of chipotle, ancho, and jalapeño, there will be more Indian and Moroccan spices added to menus, including curry, cumin and cardamom.

At a recent shopping expedition in Los Angeles, I got to taste Xocai (pronounced "sho-sigh") chocolate, which is being marketed more as a health food product than a sweet indulgence. Chocolate is becoming more closely associated with health because of its antioxidant components, and the addition of acai to the chocolate adds the health benefits of the acai berry, now considered to be a super fruit. According to the website, Xocai will give you increased energy, help you sleep better, decrease joint pain, reduce sugar cravings lower blood pressure and cholesterol, reduce allergies and arthritis, and improve diabetic readings.

Good good on all the health stuff, but I was interested in the taste. Each small domed brick piece of chocolate comes wrapped in gold foil, which really makes it look like candy. I love dark chocolate, and the Xocai nuggets have a very high cocoa percentage. However, I have to say that it definitely tasted medicinal, and somewhat powdery. I also didn't feel the antioxidant power of "10 pounds of spinach" that each nugget supposedly has.

Oh well. I think I'd rather eat spinach for antioxidants, and a Teuscher truffle for chocolate.

Attention everyone who either doesn't drink dairy or simply prefers soy milk: Starbucks is test marketing their new soy-based blended drinks in some California markets right now. Of course, this is good news for me since I live in California, but it shouldn't be a problem to get them at your local Starbucks even before they're released.

From what I can tell, the drinks they're offering right now are basically the Pomegranate and Tangerine frappuccinos, but instead of being made with tea, they're being made with soy milk. Since this is a simple change, it means that if you ask your neighborhood Starbucks baristas very nicely, they should be able to make one up for you even if you're not in the current test market!

Since I like the Tangerine tea blends, it's no surprise that I also like the Tangerine Soy. I have to go back to taste the Pomegranate, but I hear that it is even better than the Pomegranate tea frappuccino. I still can't wait to try the soy coffee frappuccinos that Starbucks has had in the works for ages now. Hopefully it won't be too long before we see those on the menu boards, too.

Another drink being tested right now was brought to my attention courtesy of some friends in Texas. Apparently, there is an Acai frappuccino at some stores. Acai is the newest "superfood" of the moment, so there is little doubt that this drink will have a few potential health benefits touted if it hits the rest of the country.

Acai is all the rage these days. The berry that hails from the Amazon rainforest is an antioxidant powerhouse that blows even blueberries and pomegranates out of the water. Fitness-conscious people love acai for its energy-sustaining properties. I have no idea what it is in the acai berry, but I remember the first time I tried it - it was the Acai smoothie at Jamba Juice. I think I was awake for four straight days.

You can add acai berries to smoothies and drinks, but now Belizza has used it as a base for sorbet. That would make it dessert! Belizza's acai sorbets come in three flavors - acai banana, plain acai, and acai mango.

Acai is a Brazilian berry from the Amazon basin (although wikipedia states it is available from Central America all the way down to Brazil). Not that I had heard of it until discovering this page on BevNet. I am asuming it is an American site so available in the States; I have not seen it in the UK.

The berry is 'considered one of the most nutritous fruits on the planet' and tastes like a blend of rich berries with a hint of chocolate. Good for you too packed with plebty of antioxidants of course and fiber plus amino acids. It is available as a Fruit Smoothie, mixed with vanilla for a Protein Warrior, with chocolate flavouring for the Chocolate Protein Warrior or with mango for Mango Uprising.   

The BevNet website allows the rating and entering of reviews of the products it lists. No details of stockists or price are yet included.

Odwalla is launching a new line of juices at the Sundance Film Festival, called the "PomaGrand" varieties ("Uniquely combining the wonders of the red spectrum from nature's harvest, PomaGrand combines the goodness of pomegranate juice with wild berry extract"). Quaker Oats is sponsoring the "Steel Cut Oatmeal Power Breakfast" [pdf link], "where Hollywood's dealmakers will be invited to the Premiere [magazine] lounge to find both the next big deal from the Festival as well as a healthy breakfast."

They both seem a little, well, ridiculous. Quaker Steel Cut Oatmeal has (as far as I know) nothing to do with movie dealmakers. Pomegranate, while good for you, is so over. Hollywood is now doing the Acai thing. The hip health nuts have moved on. Yes, the attendees of this festival are truly hip (after all, some of our favorite people are going!). But are they really a mainstream grocery store food audience? Do you really think Robert Redford shops at Safeway?