Top 5 Food Stories - 4th of July Holiday Week Edition

1) The Best Post-Binge Breakfasts (prevention.com)
We all know people likes to drink alcohol on over the 4th of July Weekend. And why not? It's a celebration! Unfortunately, most of us don't feel too well after a long night of drinking. Check out these tips for a healthy and restorative breakfast to help you rebound from the night before so you can successfully make it through the weekend.

2) Juicy Fruit: Watermelon Recipes (womenshealth.com)
Nothing says summer like watermelons and a lot of these "Juicy Fruits" will be consumed over the holiday weekend. They're not only delicious, but nutritious as well; packed with vitamins A and C, as well as the cancer fighting antioxidant Lycopene. Enjoy this list of watermelon recipes, including watermelon salsa and information on the different types of watermelons.

3) July 4th Weekend Dangerous for Underage Boys Who Drink (health.com)
There are bound be underage drinking during a holiday weekend, but did you know that emergency room visits related to underage drinking DOUBLES over the 4th of July Weekend, especially for boys. So be safe this holiday weekend, and if you have to drink, be responsible.

4) Red, White and Wine: What to Drink on July 4th (huffingtonpost.com)
Following an article on the dangers of drinking, here's one about what to drink over the 4th of July Weekend. A wine expert gives her suggestions on what wine to pair with popular independence day dishes, such as burgers, grilled steak and shrimp skewers. Cheers!

5) What's Really in Your Hot Dog? (prevention.com)
Hot dogs are a staple of the summer diet and many hot dogs will be consumed this weekend. But what's really in a hot dog? No, not a wiener doggy. Check out what gives hot dogs their unique taste, as well as picks on what are the best hot dogs to buy, to ensure you'll have the best cookout on the block.

Happy Independence Day!!! 


See you next week, July 11th!

Food News Special - Happy Friday!

Here's some food music to take you into the weekend!

Song: Food in the Belly
Artist: Xavier Rudd
Album: Food in the Belly

Just click on the picture to listen!

Top 5 Food Stories for Friday July 1st, 2011

1) Demand at Food Bank Soars (wsj.com)
Due to high unemployment and a down economy over the past three years, demand has increased at local food banks, nearly doubled up in Silicon Valley. Luckily for Second Harvest, the largest food bank in the Bay Area, they received a very generous donation of a 75,000 square foot warehouse and land - valued at $9 million. The Second Harvest food bank "gives back" to the community 95% of their donations, so the harvest should now be plentiful for those starving people up in Northern California.

Source: cookinglight.com

 2) How Italians Stay So Slim (prevention.com)
Italian food can be very hearty, do you ever wonder how Italians manage to stay so slim? The Italian diet is slightly different than the Italian food consumed in the United States. Check out this interesting article which compares and contrasts the foods consumed and the habits of people from Rome, Italy and Rome, NY.

3) The Superfood You're Not Eating (menshealth.com)
What fruit has the combination of great amounts of Vitamin C, potassium, folate and the nutrient Lycopene, which helps fight and prevent cancer from the cellular level? Check out this article and see for yourself. It could save your life!

4) 6 Best and Worst For You Foods (yahoo.com)
We all eat out at fast food and chain restaurants, but not all the food provided by these places are bad for your. Here is a list of the best 6 foods (including chili and flatbread sandwiches) and the worst 6 foods (including the McDonald's Filet-O-Fish and nachos) to help you be better prepared on what to order the next time you need to eat on the run.

5) 10 Tips for Making a Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookie (yahoo.com)
Almost everybody likes chocolate chip cookies and who wouldn't? They're soft, scrumptious, delicious - and they go with every meal (most of the time for desert but you can use your imagination), but not all chocolate chip cookies are the same. Here is a list of 10 tips for the perfect CC Cookies to go along with the Milk Primer article from yesterday. Enjoy!  

Top 5 Food Stories for Thursday June 30th, 2011

1) Does Candy Keep Kids From Getting Fat? (cbsnews.com)
Sound counterintuitive? Well, a 5 year study that involved 11,000 kids from the age of 2 to 18 found that children who eat sweets were 22-26% less likely to be overweight than those kids who didn't succumb to their sweet tooth. Interesting results but don't go feeding your kids M&Ms for dinner, the natural sweets in fruits are the way to go!

2) Radiation in Our Food (foxnews.com)
As the nuclear plants in Fukishima Daichi continue to emit radiation (hard to believe it's still happening, right?), trace amounts of radiation have been found in milk, fruits and vegetables in the United States. While many scientist and doctors disagree on what amount of radiation is safe to consume, many politicians are pushing towards making testing of food and water mandatory. It'll be interesting to see how the lasting effects of the earthquake in Japan will have on us and the food we eat.

Source: kaboodle.com

3) The 13 Healthiest Snack Foods (yahoo.com)
Have a hankering for an afternoon snack? Stay away from the donut box! Check out this list of the 13 healthiest snack foods, including kale chips, salmon jerky, pistachios and more - along with explanations why these snacks are considered the healthiest.

4) Top Benefits of Healthy Eating (eatinghealthyfoods.com)
We all know that we should eat health, but why? Eating healthy will not only help you live longer, but it'll give you more energy, help you look and feel better, give you more energy throughout the day and of course, prevent obesity. Eating a healthy diet will help you financially as well, keeping you out of the doctor's office and pharmacy. Remember, an apple a day keeps the doctor away!

5) A Milk Primer (cookinglight.com)
Milk does a body good and tastes delicious (in my opinion) and this article contains everything you need to know about milk and then some. The information provided includes the contents of milk and how different milk products are made, such as whipping cream and half and half. Got milk?

Top 5 Food Stories for Wednesday June 29th, 2011

Source: foodpoisonjournal.com

1) U.S. Cooks Up Ad Blitz for Food Safety; Thermometer is Key (usatoday.com)
Due to the outbreak of E. Coli in Europe, the US has stared a food safety campaign just in time for the 4th of July holiday weekend. The upcoming ads, which will be seen through many media outlets, such as TV, internet and print, urges people to make sure their food is fully cooked before consuming through the use of a thermometer. Eat safe and be safe for the 4th of July weekend and be sure your burgers are 160 degrees before eating!

2) Low Income Families Often Miss Out on Proper Nutrition (msn.com)
In a recent study of low income households, 70% of the participants weren't sufficiently eating vital nutrients, such as Vitamin C, protein and calcium. The cause, according to this study, was that these families simply don't sit down and eat meals together, especially at breakfast; where most families get their nutrients from milk and fruits. The study will enable food counseling professionals to better serve their clients to eat healthy and nutritious meals. Eat breakfast!

Source: babyinthekitchen.com

3) How to Wash Fruits and Vegetables (womenshealth.com)
The simply solution would be to just put them under some running water for a couple seconds and then eat, which (believe it or not) cleans about 98% of the bacteria from the dirtiest part of the refrigerator - the vegetable bin. This article gives tips and advice on how to fully clean a variety of different fruits and veggies with edible skins, peels, bunches and leaves.

4) Regular Soda or Diet Soda: Which is Worse For Your Health (eatingwell.com)
Soda, in general, isn't really good for your health. It contains large amounts of sugar and/or sugar substitutes and phosphoric acid, which may weaken bones. But most people still drink soda occasionally and this article gives the pros and cons of regular and diet soda to help you become a more enlightened soda drinker. You'll be soda-lighted that you read this article!

5) Summer Fun Healthy Eating Tips (prevention.com)
Summer has arrived and who doesn't love a hot dog at the ballpark or some funnel cake at the amusement park? Check out this list of healthy eating tips for all occasions, including going to a movie and attending a cocktail party, to help keep you beach body ready all summer long.

FNU Bonus!

We love food this much!!!!! YAY!!!!

How about you?

Top 5 Food Stories for Tuesday June 28th, 2011

Source: gev.com

1) 5 Diet Rules It's OK to Break (yahoo.com)

We all hear a lot of "rules of thumb" when it comes to dieting, i.e. don't eat after 8pm, don't eat  too many carbs, and many other dos and don'ts (mostly don'ts). Check out this list of 5 diet rules it's OK to break to make you less worried about what you can and can't do when it comes to eating, and maybe it'll help you sleep a little better at night.

2) 10 Things You Can Do With Tomatoes (womenshealth.com)
Is it a fruit or a vegetable? Who cares. Summer is here and tomatoes are in season. Tomatoes are not only good for you, because they prevent certain illnesses such as cardiovascular disease, macular degeneration and cancer due to it's abundance of Lycopene, but it's delicious too. Check out this fun article about 10 things you can do with tomatoes including salsa, gazpacho and more!

3) Top 10 Terrible Side Dishes (menshealth.com)
Side dishes compliment most dishes and sure, they taste very good but are they sabotaging our diet by doubling the amount of calories we eat or are they just making our plates look pretty. Here is a list of the 10 worst side dishes from around the commercial food world that will make you think twice before you decide to order that side of Mac & Cheese the next time you're at the Cheesecake Factory.

Source: foodirl.com

4) A Soda Tax? How About a Potato Tax? (latimes.com)
There is a major tax on cigarettes because they are addictive and bad for our health. So why not tax other addictive substances that are poor for our health? That's what many health advocated and politicians would like to do nationwide as more and more studies find that sugary soft drinks and processed potatoes are the leading cause of the obesity crisis in our country. But is singling out one particular food a good idea? Some experts disagree, what do you think?

Source: fashionfist.com

5) TV, Internet Affects Kids' Weight and Sleep (webmd.com)
There is a perfect storm for childhood obesity in today's world, according to researcher Victor Strasburger, MD, which includes too much TV and video games, too many healthy food ads and not enough sleep and exercise. Ever see a healthy food ad on TV? Most of them are for fast food restaurants and sodas which makes impressionable children believe that is part of a normal diet and can lead to food cravings. This interesting and informative article, based on the research of the American Academy of Pediatrics covers how media can negatively influence the health of the nations children and provides tips for parents on how they can combat the effects of media on childhood obesity.