"healthy food" news and stories

Technically, it's not Insalata Caprese, which is made with plum tomatoes and also has basil, both of which are grown in the Mezzogirorno. The original also uses olive oil that is from Sorrento. This is close enough. Instead of plum tomatoes, it has slightly sweeter, slightly less acidic orange tomatoes that alternate with mozzarella that is about the same size as the tomatoes. The entire plate is drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with salt and pepper.

It's also not really "light," since half its weight is cheese, but hey, it's still a salad!

Finding something edible in the airport can be a challenge, especially if you don't want to break the bank. Sure, there are some highly rated restaurants, but most of the eating options involve fast food chains that seem to charge twice as much as their non-terminal bound counterparts. Sick of bland muffins and bags of chips, the best way to find something tasty is to look for the less common options. For example, the delicious, chewy soft pretzels pictured here are from Jay's Pretzels in the Philadelphia International airport. At $1 a piece (or 3 for $2.50), they were a great snack and had a regional flair. At California airports, look for smoothie stands the will serve up your "5 a day" in a cup that even at $4 or $5 dollars will keep you full for a whole flight. Aiming for regional favorites is the most likely way to find a good deal. Look for hot dogs in Chicago or pizza in New York, but if you want your snack to be reasonably nutritious, some airports are known for having healthier food than others, so just taking a stroll around - or keeping your eyes peeled as you dash to your gate - will help you find a filling snack.

[Photo by Nicole Weston]

Cooking Light magazine has paired up with Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises to open a food kiosk at a gourmet food court in downtown Chicago. The food court is located in the Water Tower and the kiosk will sell foods based on recipes in Cooking Light, including a line of take-home entrees and side dishes intended as ready-made dinners. According to the New York Times, editors at the magazine see a lot of possibility in the kiosk as a potential column or test market for new ideas, while Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises is hoping to capitalize on some of the name recognition of the magazine to sell healthier options, though some would not be surprised to see advertiser-sponsored events appearing in-store to help make it a financial success. Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises owns and operates over 70 restaurants around the country, including the Eiffel Tower restaurant, in Las Vegas, and Tru, in Chicago.

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Canned tuna has been tested safe by the FDA. After hearing increasing warnings about the levels of mercury in seafoods - particularly canned tuna - the United States Tuna Foundation (USTF) has reported that Food and Drug Administration tests have proven that canned tuna contains less mercury than the national allowance. It is recommended that no more than 1 part per million (ppm) of mercury should be consumed daily, and the canned tuna tested averaged 0.12 ppm, approximately 8 times less than the limit for commercial fish. The USTF director, David Burney, said that the "FDA's latest findings about mercury levels in canned tuna should end the debate over whether canned tuna is a safe and healthy food for all Americans. No one is at risk from the minute amounts of mercury in any form of canned tuna."

Tuna is high in omega-3 fatty acids and is an excellent source of lean protein. It is also a good source of a variety of minerals and nutrients, including selenium, magnesium, potassium, niacin, folic acid, B1 and B6. The national dietary guidelines and organizations such as the American Heart Association advocate eating at least two servings of fish per week, and canned tuna is perhaps the most convenient way of having it.

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In neighborhood bodegas throughout New York City, the shelves are stocked with cookies, chips and other snack food items. They carry staples, like bread and milk, but only one in three bodegas carries anything other than whole fat milk and fewer stock good quality fruits and vegetables, if they have any at all. Many of the city's residents - particularly those of lower incomes - do most of their shopping at these neighborhood convenience stores, rather than frequenting larger supermarkets. This means that these shoppers often have limited or less frequent access to healthier foods.

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