Mar. 22 - Mar. 28, 2009.
Fish and Mercury. We mentioned the story of a reporter's self study on the impact of eating 5 ounces of canned Albacore daily for 20 days on her body's mercury levels. It resulted in a 4x increase and a doctors order to cease the experiment. The FDA has a table on Mercury Levels in Commercial Fish and Shellfish which is worth looking at.

HFCS and Mercury. There were 2 studies in the news this year about a possible link between high fructose corn syrup. As questionable as these 'studies' appeared to be, it was hyped all over the internet. Of course, what has NOT received nearly as much hype is the Corn Refiners Association report that results from 3rd-party testing conducted on HFCS from all the production facilities in the US and Canada show that no quantifiable levels of mercury were detected in any of the samples analyzed.

Daily Red Meat Correlated to Earlier Deaths.

The study of more than 500,000 middle-aged and elderly Americans found that those who consumed about four ounces of red meat a day (the equivalent of about a small hamburger) were more than 30 percent more likely to die during the 10 years they were followed, mostly from heart disease and cancer. Sausage, cold cuts and other processed meats also increased the risk [Source]

I wanted to dismiss this, but while the conclusion was a big leap, since you can't attach "cause" to this type of study, but the sheer number of people followed and the strong significance of the results does make me think seriously about this (and for the record, I don't eat red meat).

Hold the Salt Replacers. Renal specialists have called for clear labeling on products that use potassium chloride as a salt replacer because it could pose a hidden risk for dialysis patients who must avoid eating too much potassium as well as too much sodium.

Salmonella: Pistachio Nuts & Eggs Recall. No this is not related to the (still ongoing) peanut butter recall. The Georgia Nut Company announced a recall of certain bulk wholesale and retail products containing shelled pistachio nuts that have the potential to be contaminated with the Salmonella organism. As a result Back to Nature Foods Company Conducts Nationwide Recall of Nantucket Blend Trail Mix Containing Pistachio Nuts due to possible contamination with Salmonella.

Organic brown eggs sold at Costco, Safeway and Pack 'n' Save stores have also been voluntarily recalled this week as precaution due to possible Salmonella contamination

And companies are still recalling products containing peanut butter as part of the recall that started a month ago.

Fast Food Nutrition. Heated debate in the comments on the Who Reads Fast Food Nutrition Information Posters? Apparently No One Says Study. This study is "observational" so it doesn't take into account people who may be looking up the information prior to actually going to the restaurant.

Denny's Adding New Healthier Options. Denny's is adding a new "Better for You" options to their menu. Better than what? Better than the 100+% sodium in their Heartland Scramble, the trans fat in the T-bone Steak & Eggs and the 100+% fat in the All American Slam. Gee - thanks Denny's ... I guess.

Better For You menu choices will launch in June, 2009 and will include delicious items with reduced fat or sodium such as turkey bacon, chicken sausage, wheat pancakes, egg whites, fresh fruit, granola and yogurt. They will also add terrific choices for kids: dippable vegetable sticks (carrots, celery and cucumber), apple slices, spaghetti, Jell-O and yogurt. The dippable vegetable sticks will also be part of the general menu. Denny's will also be eliminating or replacing certain meals on the children's menu determined to be higher in sodium or fat.

Iateapie.net. It seems like only bad news in the roundup above. I have no idea why. I'm on a bit of a vacation/ remodelling house one room at a time/ new girl in a house with 3 boys (ummm 2 little boys & 1 boyfriend) situation, so shall we call this period on Iateapie.net Spring Slowdown?! Still, last week was Frozen Dinners Reviews and everything was good, but Kashi 7 Whole Grain Fiery Fiesta Pilaf Sides got our 5 kiss rating. This week it's all about Nutrition Bars. Peanut butter and chocolate are not the only flavors out there (why are they so popular among food companies)?! We're trying to stay away from the "tried and true" and bring you something new, so stay tuned!