"health food" news and stories

Is that low-fat yogurt and raisin granola truly healthier for you than a full-fat yogurt and a bowl of Cocoa Puffs? It's important to read the labels, reports the Sweet Beet blog at the Huffington Post. When you take into account sugars, calories, and even chemicals, the foods labeled as better for you may not be such a sweet deal after all. Turns out there are artificial colors in the yogurt, and 16 grams of sugar in a mere 2/3-cup portion of the cinnamon-raisin granola. See the rogues' gallery of foods, and get the whole scoop at the Huffington Post.

Every day we're bombarded with encouragement from nutritionists and health food experts to eat more leafy greens, especially the dark green varieties. Low in calories, high in fiber, packed with vitamin A, blah, blah, blah -- not exactly the kind of stuff you get excited about.

But Amy Hamberry may have found a way to change your mind: The Brooklyn, N.Y., mom is selling her own kale chips.

The former commercial illustrator and one-time kindergarten teacher stumbled into this new, unexpected profession when she married the owner of a neighborhood health-food store, New York Naturals.

The store's California kale chip supplier was always running out of stock (um, who would have guessed there was such high demand?), so Amy decided to start making them herself. It took three months of daily experiments before she was satisfied with the results.

"We had to figure out a consistency," Hamberry explained to Slashfood. "It was hard because the kale is different each time we get it. There are a lot of variables involved."

After successfully forcing NYC restaurants to post calorie counts on menus and to stop cooking with trans fat, Dr. Thomas R. Frieden, the commissioner of New York City's Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, is waging a war on salt. A recent New York Times article explains that he's going after packaged food companies and mass-produced restaurant meals. Apparently, they contribute 80 percent of the sodium in the average American diet. Over the next five years, Dr. Frieden aims to cut the level of salt intake by 25 percent.

Is salt so bad for us? Salt, in some people (not everyone) can lead to high blood pressure which is a leading factor in the incidence of heart attack and stroke. At the same time, many scientists do not believe sodium intake is directly related to high blood pressure. In the past, studies comparing hypertensive populations found that those on low-salt diets had more than four times as many heart attacks as those on normal-sodium diets.

Although the health link may not be clear, what's obvious is that excess of most ingredients cannot be healthy. And, foods at fast-food chains, like McDonald's, are outrageously high in sodium. It seems that if dealt with in a reasonable way, Dr. Frieden's goal can be quite progressive. What do you think?

According to Best Syndication News, dog owners are becoming increasingly health conscious when it comes to the diet of their pets. Not only are people shopping at high-end dog shops, be they're even using natural healthy ingredients to bake fresh homemade dog biscuits and cookies for their dogs. Many dog owners are concerned about preservatives and additives that are found in commercial dog treats at the supermarket.

The good news is that there appears to be a growing number of alternatives when it comes to purchasing dog food. You can head to a natural pet health food store or a locally owned pet supply store. Dogs can be allergic to grains too. Purchase gourmet grain free doggie treats that are high in protein and low in carbohydrates. You can even find vegetarian dog snacks that are made with whole fruits and vegetables.

Online, you can purchase all natural pet foods from Only Natural Pet Store or Thrive Foods. Why shouldn't pet owners be concerned with their pets' diet? To me, the trend towards natural pet food makes sense. What do you think?

Are you feeling opinionated on a range of food topics, notably diets? On the website Opposing Views, you have the opportunity to view experts' arguments for and against low-carb diets, caffeine use, biotech foods, and on becoming a vegetarian. Afterwards, you can post your own comments.

There are so many overbearingly opinionated blogs. What a relief to finally find a site where doctors and scientists debate over hot topics. And, rather than totally ignoring what everyone else has to say, it fosters continued discussion with comments. Also, the site provides news headlines dealing with the various questions.

From all the food-related issues that Opposing Views thoroughly covers, I found the topic on caffeine the most interesting. This is no doubt due to my over sensitivity to caffeinated products. Also, increasingly we hear stories in the news stating that coffee can reduce our risks of diabetes, Parkinson's disease, and colon cancer. Just this past January, the media stated that doctors confirmed that while coffee helps fight type two diabetes, caffeine makes it worse. Such a contradictory study gives one an even stronger reason to check out this debate on Opposing Views.