The Food Safety Modernization Act

Congress is voting tonight on the The Food Safety Modernization Act. Among other things, the bill would actually give the FDA the power to issue food recalls (did you know that although the FDA is responsible for 80% of the nation's food supply, it cannot issue mandatory recalls of contaminated food?)

Here's an interesting NY Times opinion piece by Eric Schlosser and Michael Pollan on the bill. I am very curious to see what new tomorrow brings!

Probiotics in Ice Cream?

I just came across an article in the Journal of Dairy Science about the formulation of probiotic, prebiotic and synbiotic ice cream. Apparently the bacteria remained viable after storage and met the "minimum required to achieve probiotic effects."  More information may be found here. This article disturbs me, but before I continue, some definitions:

Probiotic refers to live microorganisms thought to be healthy for the host organism (in this case, humans).
Prebiotic refers to substances that support the growth or activity of probiotics.
Synbiotic refers to substances or foods containing both probiotics and prebiotics.

I'm a contributing editor at SuperKidsNutrition.com!

I just joined SuperKidsNutrition.com as a contributing editor! Check out my bio and the other editors here. Some info about the site below:

"SuperKids Nutrition Inc. was founded in August 2006 by Melissa Halas-Liang, MA, RD, CDE to save the world one healthy food at a time^TM.  The SuperKids Nutrition team represents a diverse, nationally recognized group of Registered Dietitians and nutrition professionals who specialize in childhood, school and family nutrition.  SuperKids Nutrition is recognized and listed by the USDA and state board educational sites as a credible nutrition education resource providing nutrition content, parent Q and A and resources on over 10,000 school websites across 23 states.  The SuperKids Nutrition website, books and other educational resources are available to parents, teachers, and healthcare professionals looking for tools and information on eating healthfully and raising a healthy family. To learn more, "visit http://www.superkidsnutrition.com/

Last chance to support my walk to fight Diabetes!

 On October 24th - this Sunday! - I am walking and raising funds for the American Diabetes Association's signature fundraising walk, Step Out: Walk to Fight Diabetes. Every step I take and every dollar I raise will make a difference in the lives of 23.6 million Americans living with diabetes. By making a donation on my behalf, you will be helping the Association provide community-based education programs, protect the rights of people with diabetes and fund critical research for a cure.

No matter how small or large, your donation will help us Stop Diabetes.

Visit my page to make a donation today! 

What's Missing in Soy Cheese?

Today at work, soy cheese came up in two different conversations. I soon realized that I'm not sure how it measures up nutritionally to low-fat milk cheese. It's not something I would usually compare side-by-side, but in this case my patient was asking simply because she likes the taste of soy cheese (not because she couldn't eat dairy cheese). Soy milk is full of high-quality protein, so surely the same is true of soy cheese, right? Read on...

Here's what a quick search turned up.

Tofutti Soy Cheese Slices
Partially hydrogenated soybean oil is the 2nd ingredient (trans-fat alert!!) And that's quite a dollop of sodium for one measly slice. Steer clear of this for sure.

• 1 slice (0.67oz) = 70 calories, 2g protein, 4g total fat, 2g saturated fat, 290mg sodium
• http://www.tofutti.com/cheese-amer-lable.html
• http://www.tofutti.com/cheese-mozz-lable.html

Vegan Gourmet
A bit better, but that's not a lot of protein. Hmm. 

• 1 oz = 50 calories, 2g protein, 4g total fat, 0.5g saturated fat, 200mg sodium (no trans fats in ingredients list) 
• http://www.followyourheart.com/products.php?id=24 
• http://www.imearthkind.com/

Together we can Stop Diabetes. One step at a time.

 On October 24th, I am walking and raising funds for the American Diabetes Association's signature fundraising walk, Step Out: Walk to Fight Diabetes. Every step I take and every dollar I raise will make a difference in the lives of 23.6 million Americans living with diabetes. By making a donation on my behalf, you will be helping the Association provide community-based education programs, protect the rights of people with diabetes and fund critical research for a cure.

No matter how small or large, your donation will help us Stop Diabetes.

Visit my page to make a donation today! 

Burger with a side of Statins?

Someone please tell me this is a joke: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20691321

"Routine accessibility of statins in establishments providing unhealthy food might be a rational modern means to offset the cardiovascular risk. Fast food outlets already offer free condiments to supplement meals. A free statin-containing accompaniment would offer cardiovascular benefits, opposite to the effects of equally available salt, sugar, and high-fat condiments."

Um, right, not to mention that statins have side effects and may cause liver problems - everyone taking them must have their liver enzymes monitored to be sure they are safe...and what about varying levels of medication from day to day?

The Hundred Year Diet: The Interview

Check out my book review and interview with Susan Yager, author of The Hundred Year Diet: America's Voracious Appetite for Losing Weight.

Need some tasty lunch ideas?

YUM! Tasty and healthy lunch ideas Toby Amidor and I created:  Back to School: Packing a Healthy Lunch 

...and don't forget to keep them safe to avoid foodborne illness! 

Here's how: Food Safety 101: Keeping Bagged Lunches Safe

Worried about calcium supplements?

Yipes  - a recent study linked calcium supplements to increased risk for heart attack in older women. I don't think a single study is enough to change the world or anything, but it is somewhat disturbing - what with me and virtually every woman I know taking calcium supplements! I'm not in the same age group as the study participants, but still...I've been meaning to look up the actual research to see just how worried I should be.

In the meantime, the NutritionData Blog has some good points in this post:
Calcium Supplements: Too much too late?