"why" news and stories

High fructose corn syrup is something that we commonly hear we should avoid. When we ask why, we're told that it's bad for us. But is it really that bad? The New York Times takes a look at that question by going straight to the source and talking to the scientists who put out some of the first research linking HFCS to obesity, as well as many other members of the scientific and medical community.

Basically, the upshot of all this hype is that high fructose corn syrup isn't that bad - certainly no worse than other forms sugar. In fact, it is only high in fructose when compared to regular corn syrup and actually has less than table sugar. This doesn't mean that the medical community isn't saying it is health food, but experts like Dr. Walter Willett, the chairman of the nutrition department of the Harvard School of Public Health, say '"There's no substantial evidence to support the idea that high-fructose corn syrup is somehow responsible for obesity," and seem to believe that we would still have an obesity problem if all the HFCS in food disappeared overnight.

More recent medical studies, instead of focusing on HFCS specifically, have looked at products that have added sugar in any form and recommend that they all be consumed minimally, whether the sweetener comes from corn, cane, beet or other sources.

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Last week, Nicole gave us the lowdown on asparagus: its background, nutritional value, and tips for buying and cooking it. Still, some of you asparagus lovers, or haters, may still be wondering, 'why does asparagus make my urine smell funny?' There may be some of you who say that it doesn't make your urine smell funny, and you may be right.  According to an article by WebMD dietitian Elizabeth Somer, asparagus contains a sulfuric compound called mercaptan (asparagus.org lists a few other possible chemical culprits). When your body breaks mercaptan down into other components, the by-products create that distinctive bouquet. The same compound is found in rotten eggs, onions, garlic (asparagus is in the lily family too), and, yes, skunks. Some studies suggest that only certain people possess the gene necessary to break down asparagus and create the smell. Other research found that some people actually weren't capable of detecting the odor in various urine samples. So, maybe some of you are asparagus-proof, or maybe some of you just can't tell the difference.

[Photo: Nick Vagnoni]

That infamous snap, crackle and pop that Rice Krispies make comes from air escaping from the tiny puffed grains of rice, according to a brief article posted yesterday on LiveScience.com. When the rice grains are toasted at high temperatures, they expand, creating lots of little air-filled pockets. When the milk hits the cereal, it puts pressure on the puffed rice, thus forcing the air out. At least, that's the theory. Surprisingly, no one has ever actually funded a study. The cereal science buffs out there may also remember a post about why Cheerios floating in milk tend to cling to one another. LiveScience covered that one as well.

Elise, the blogger behind Simply Recipes, began her blog to document all the things she learned from her parents about how to cook. Since the food blogosphere has grown so much in the past several years, it is no longer necessary to have had culinarily inclined parents to grasp the basics of cooking, because bloggers can fill in the gaps. Elise started a series called Learning to Cook, where she tries to ferret out all the "how to's" and "why's" of cooking from blogs around the world. So far, I would say that she is doing an excellent job. Part 1 has guides of mashed potatoes and ricotta cheese, among other things, while part 2 covers quiche and sushi rice. Part 3 has links to posts about prepping leafy greens and beating egg whites. There will undoubtedly be more to follow, but this is a great start. Thanks, Elise!

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