Top 5 Food Stories for Thursday June 16th, 2011

1) Eat Your Water (runnersworld.com)
Stay hydrated beyond water this summer with this list of fruits and vegetables full of antioxidants and electrolytes. No need for Gatorade or Smart Water when you can get your vitamins from natural sources. Plus, there's nothing better than enjoying a juicy and delicious slice of watermelon on a warm and sunny afternoon.


2) Food Challenge: Is my plate possible and affordable? (cnn.com)
Really CNN? If a balanced food plate is unattainable, then what have you been eating? This might be the best "food pyramid" the government has come up with (thanks to Michelle Obama) but people will always find something to complain about. This simple but powerful concept makes it easy to see how our plates should look on a daily basis (unless you don't eat off plates?), but you can decide for yourself.

3) Cautious Consumers Could See Lower Food Prices Ahead (finance.yahoo.com)
Been noticing an increase in your groceries bills? That's because global wholesale food prices have risen 37% over the past year, along with the increase of the price of oil. Fortunately, we're in luck! Food costs have fallen by the largest amount in a year (albeit 0.2%) and there is hope that your grocery bill will decrease (along with the price of gas!) over the second half of 2011.

4) East Africa Food Shortages Expected to Affect More People (voanews.com)
Nope, this isn't the latest diet craze. Africa, Somalia especially, has the worst malnutrition rates in the world, and due to the lack of rain along with the increase of fuel costs throughout Africa, it's only going to get worse. Rain may further complicate matters when it finally does arrive, killing livestock because they were weak from the lack of water and nutrition. A vicious cycle...

 5) 5 Natural Sleep Aids (rodale.com)
If you're having trouble getting to sleep at night, don't risk the side effects of Ambien (including among other things: diarrhea and severe allergic reactions). Instead choose one of these natural sleep aids to help you get a good night's rest without shelling out the cash for pills. And unless you're severely allergic to food, you won't have to worry about the dangerous side effects.