Kids Dying with 24hrs of Sickness Symptoms in Cambodia

This is not good. A mysterious Illness is killing children within 24 hours in Cambodia. An area where swine flu and hand, foot, mouth disease started and spread... Cambodia is an area where if there's a problem or an oncoming epidemic, it's of grave concern to the rest of the world. They (scientists and doctors) currently don't know what's starting this.

Some viruses, such as EnteroVirus 71 (typically contagious), are similar in symptoms but not affect the body as bad. Somehow, it doesn't seem that this new disease (unknown in name or origin) is contagious in the same way. Hopefully this will be figured out before spreading occurs to other areas.


Sanja Gupta reports on CNN.com about the problem [click here to read more].

2 Cups of Coffee a Day May Help Heart Health

CNN Reports that 2 cups of coffee a day may play a role in keeping your heart healthy, noting that "two 8-ounce cups of coffee a day gives people an 11% lower risk of developing heart failure, compared to people who don't consume any coffee". They point out, however, that taking more than 2 cups a day doesn't help more and may actually undo the "goodness" of the first two cups for your heart. Elizabeth Mostofsky, the first author of the analysis and a post doctoral research fellow at the Cardiovascular Epidemiology Research Unit at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, says that they think coffee is lowering the risk of diabetes which is then lowering the risk of heart failure.

Caution: Be wary of sugary coffee drinks, if there's more sugar in your coffee than there is coffee (Starbucks drinkers) then this may not apply to you at all. Read More Here.

Possible Listeria Outbreak in California

There's a warning out in California for possible Listeria contamination in salads distributed by River Ranch Fresh Foods under separate brand names. The salads are bagged salad varieties. There are not specific about what brands are affected nor do they point to an outbreak... the warning is out due to a routine test for bacteria coming up postitive. Click Here for the article.

Chicken Legs and Thighs become More Popular

Finding this out has been devastating to me... for years I've reveled in the fact that the general American public pays little to no attention to the legs and thighs of chicken for sale in the supermarket... my favorite parts to eat that, until now, were much cheaper then the breast meat. I love dark meat. It tastes better, has more flavor, and makes for a juicy/inexpensive meal. Most of my chicken recipes are for dark meat. Well, it looks like cooking shows/networks have been touting the meat as more flavorful and a possible influx of people from other countries has also contributed to the increase sale in dark meat. This is great for chicken producers as they get more money for these cuts now and it's horrible news for me... who was saving buying these cuts on the regular. There's more research about.. CLICK HERE to read more in the Wall Street Journal.

Autism in kids up 78%

Why is autism so huge right now? Up 78% in only a decade, no one knows why... but they speculate. There may be issues with it passed genetically, but genetics can't account for such a high jump in such a short time. Toxins and other unknown factors are most likely to blame. Most kids affected are male, and the earlier it's caught the easier it's treated. What are the factors to blame? My guess is it's in the food supply, and it has a lot to do with toxins and/or biologically engineering food.

Sanja Gupta reports on CNN, Watch the Video Online!

Pink Slime

http://mashable.com/2012/03/09/pink-slime-google-search-trending/

Pink Slime is left over beef parts and trim that is mixed with water (and evidently some sulfates and/or other toxic nonsense) that is injected as filler in ground beef, yum. Read the article to learn more and see if the meat you've been eating is 'contaminated'.


- Tamara Taylor

Is Carmel Coloring is Soda causing cancer?

Probably. But of course, the soda industry is rejecting the claim... however, CNN reports that this week the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI), a nonprofit Washington-based watchdog group on nutrition and food safety, is pushing (again) for the FDA to look into the chemicals (or "carmel coloring") in cola that turns it brown. Evidently, the coloring produced by an ammonia or ammonia-sulfite process contains 2-methylimidazole (2-MI) and 4-methylimidazole (4-MI)... chemicals that have been found to be carcinogens in animals. Although there are no tests as of yet as to how this affects humans... "animal studies linking 4-MI to cancer in lab mice and rats prompted the state of California to officially list 4-MI as a carcinogen on January 7, 2011, under California’s Proposition 65, the Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act of 1986" (as noted in the article on CNN.com). Recently the CSPI found samples of Coca-Cola, Diet Coke, Pepsi and Diet Pepsi to contain more than the allotted 29 milligrams of 4-MI per day under Proposition 65.

What do you think? Is caramel coloring causing cancer? I'll tell you what, if it is, the soft drink industry is sure going to fight long and hard to keep that information from us. Click Here to Read More About it in the Article

Public Chicken Slaughter as ART won't happen in Kansas

A young girl wanted to display the slaughter process of chickens to meat eaters by having a chicken coup on display then slaughtering and serving the chickens to eat. As an art project. City officials said it would amount to animal cruelty and will not allow the project to happen, otherwise she could face a $1,000.00 fine. Those who had to grow up raising and slaughtering chickens might not see much harm in this, but officials declared that safety and cruelty play a role in this decision.

Read the Article

ChooseMyPlate.gov is a great Healthy Eating Resource

There's tons to check out on ChooseMyPlate.gov for healthy eating. Including: download-able info sheets, planning guides, tips to eating healthy on a Budget and more. You should take a minute to check it out.

http://www.choosemyplate.gov

Here's what you'll find...

The 3 P’s - Plan, Purchase, and Prepare Food on a Budget
The reminders help you stay within your food budget.

Smart Shopping for Veggies and Fruits
Get the fruits and vegetables you need without breaking the bank!

Eating Better on a Budget
These 10 tips will help you stretch your food dollars.

Sample 7-Day Menu
This sample weekly menu meets all nutritional needs at a cost below current average food costs

Eating Healthy on a Budget – A Consumer Economics Perspective
Can people eat healthier and spend less money?
Are fruits and vegetables so expensive that people cannot afford to eat a healthy diet?
How can people actually know what foods are healthful choices and that they are likely economical as well?

Read a USDA Economist’s View: Nutrition Doesn’t Have to Be Expensive

Also check these materials from other agencies:
Eat Right When Money’s Tight
30 Ways in 30 Days to Stretch Your Fruit & Vegetable Budget
SNAP-Ed Connection Recipe Finder
Search recipes by various categories – including cost per serving or per recipe.
Iowa State University Extension’s "Spend Smart. Eat Smart."

CNN Reports that the USDA issues new rules for school meals

This is the first time in 15 years that school launches have been overhauled. Recent numbers show that about 17% of children in the United States are obese. The new nutrition standards are largely based on recommendations by the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies, as part of efforts to curb childhood obesity.

With the help of Michelle Obama's campaign against childhood obesity, school menus will change to reduce sodium, sugar, saturated fats, and trans fats to add fruits veggies and whole grains. Milk will also change from whole to 1% milk. This is due to new government regulations this week.

Under the new rules, school meals will have calorie minimums and maximums per meal based on the child's age. For kindergarteners to fifth-graders, meals must contain 550 to 650 calories, and for 9th- to 12th-graders, meals must have 450 to 600 calories.

Kevin Concannon, the USDA under secretary for Food, Nutrition and Consumer Services, said he wasn't concerned with the tomato paste controversy at this point. If you're unfamiliar... a controversy erupted in November after Congress decided that two tablespoons of tomato sauce was good enough to categorize a slice of pizza as a vegetable. RIDICULOUS!

Food and beverages sold in vending machines will also have to meet nutritional standards. First lady Michelle Obama and USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack unveiled the standards Wednesday. The USDA offered a weekly sample lunch menu with before and after comparisons as well.

Read More