Scallops with Tomato-Herb Broth Recipe

Recipe for Scallops with Tomato-Herb Broth: 1. Rinse scallops pat dry with paper towels. Set aside. 2. Combine minced garlic cloves and next 7 ingredients. 3. Coat scallops with cooking spray.... Read more

Stevia: The 'Holy Grail' of Sweeteners?

The U.S. FDA may soon decide the future of what some in the food industry are calling the holy grail of sweeteners -- a low-calorie, natural substance derived from the South American Stevia plant.
Stevia has been used in Paraguay for centuries and in Japan for decades. It is currently available in the United States only as a nutritional supplement. The FDA must decide whether Stevia is safe enough to be used as an additive in processed foods, where consumers may not realize it is there. If approved, it would likely be used in massive quantities of processed foods and drinks.





There is some concern about Stevia. "Just because it's natural doesn't mean that it's safe," says Michael Jacobson, executive director of the Center for Science in the Public Interest. "That's why tests should be done." Stevia may be linked to genetic mutations in lab animals.
But Cargill, which makes a Stevia-based sweetener called Truvia, and Merisant, which makes another named Pure Via, both said their products are safe and are applying for FDA approval. International scientists associated with the World Health Organization agreed that these forms of Stevia sweeteners are safe.
Sources:
ABC News December 2, 2008

High Fructose Diet Inhibits Appetite Hormone

(HealthDay News) -- Consuming too much fructose -- a sugar found in foods ranging from cookies to candies and soda -- can block the appetite-controlling hormone leptin from doing its job and increase the risk of obesity, a University of Florida study of rats suggests.

Leptin resistance has long been linked to obesity, and a number of studies have shown that overconsumption of fructose may be an important factor in the United States' obesity epidemic. This new study is the first to link fructose and leptin resistance.

The researchers found that rats became leptin-resistant after being fed a high-fructose diet for six months. There were no visible signs that leptin resistance was occurring, but the fructose-fed rats gained considerably more weight than rats that never received fructose when both groups of rats were switched to a high-fat diet.

The study was published in the American Journal of Physiology -- Regulatory, Integrative and Comparative Physiology.

"Leptin resistance is a condition that leads to obesity in rats when coupled with a high-fat diet. The surprising finding here was that increasing the amount of fructose in the diet without increasing the amount of calories led to leptin resistance and later exacerbated obesity when paired with a high-fat diet," study senior author Philip J. Scarpace, a professor of pharmacology and therapeutics in the College of Medicine, said in a university news release.

"[Fructose] blocks leptin action most likely by blocking leptin entry into the brain," study author Alexandra Shapiro, an assistant scientist in the department of pharmacology and therapeutics, explained in the news release.

"If these findings are applicable to humans, then there could be consequences of eating a diet high in fructose, but only if you also consume an excessive amount of calories," Scarpace said.

More information
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has more about factors that contribute to overweight and obesity.

Breast Milk Molecule Gives Mom's Immunity to Baby

(HealthDay News) -- A molecule called CCR10 plays an important role in a mother's ability to pass along immunity to intestinal infections to her baby through breast-feeding, according to a U.S. study involving mice.

The team from Brigham Young, Harvard and Stanford universities found that normal lactating mice had hundreds of thousands of antibody-producing cells in their mammary glands, while mice without CCR10 had 70 times fewer such cells. The absence of CCR10 was the reason for that deficiency.

The study was published in the Nov. 1 issue of The Journal of Immunology.

"Everybody hears that breast-feeding is good for the baby," study author Eric Wilson, an assistant professor of microbiology at Brigham Young, said in a university news release. "But why is it good? One of the reasons is that mothers' milk carries protective antibodies which shield the newborn from infection, and this study demonstrates the molecular mechanisms used by the mother's body to get these antibody-producing cells where they need to be."

Learning more about CCR10 may prove valuable in future efforts to help mothers better protect their babies.

"This [study] tells us that this molecule is extremely important, so if we want to design a vaccine for the mother so she could effectively pass protective antibodies to the child, it would be absolutely essential to induce high levels of CCR10," Wilson said.





"The molecular basis for this redistribution [of the mother's antibody-producing cells] has not been well-characterized, but Dr. Wilson's work has begun to crack that code and define the molecules responsible for this cellular redistribution and passive immunity," Daniel Campbell, a researcher at the Benaroya Research Institute in Seattle, a nonprofit organization that specializes in the immune system, said in the news release.

"It is important work that fundamentally enhances our understanding of how immunity is provided to the [baby] via the milk. Dr. Wilson's study will certainly form the basis for many other studies aimed at uncovering how the immune system is organized, particularly at mucosal surfaces."

More information
The National Women's Health Information Center has more about the benefits of breast-feeding.

Health Tip: Make Time for Breakfast

(HealthDay News) -- Your mother probably urged you to eat a healthy breakfast, noting it was the day's most important meal.

She was right, says the Nemours Foundation, which offers these suggestions on how to refuel your kids to begin their day:

• Keep your kitchen full of healthy, quick and easy breakfast choices.
• If morning time is at a premium, try to prepare for breakfast the night before. Set out dishes, prepare and cut up food, etc.
• Wake your family 10 minutes earlier than usual to allow time for breakfast.
• Encourage your child to help decide what to have for breakfast. The child can even help prepare it.
• Have on-the-go breakfast options ready for mornings when you're running late, including fresh fruit, yogurt, trail mix, and individual boxes of cereal.
• Pack a nutritious snack for your child if he or she isn't hungry first thing in the morning.

Eat More Meat?

I have been a vegetarian for 20 years. I recently was urged by a nutritionist to start eating meat to help with blood sugar issues. She wants me to eat organic meat from grass fed cattle. Is eating this type of meat better than others? And is it better for me than being a vegetarian?

I was a lacto-vegetarian (my diet included dairy products) from 1970 to about 1987, when I started eating fish, so I know from personal experience that a vegetarian diet can be both healthy and satisfying. For the record, vegetarians have a lower than normal incidence of heart disease and cancer and lower risks of obesity and diabetes. Vegans (vegetarians who exclude all animal products from their diets) can easily become deficient in omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin B12, and other micronutrients and will need dietary supplements. Continue Reading >>

Healthy Foods for a Healthy Lifestyle

There are several fad diets that will lead to successful weight loss if you follow them exactly as they are designed. That doesn't mean every food that fits into a diet is a healthy food, but it does mean you have to change your eating patterns to fit the diet's rules.

Rather than worry about following a fad diet, think about your health and your lifestyle instead. Start by learning which foods are good for you. Continue Reading >>

Healthy Food on an Unhealthy Budget

What’s your favorite healthy food that can be bought on a college student budget? I’ve decided that I’m really going to crack down on my poor eating habits. As a college student, I’ve always bought the food that was the most affordable. Unfortunately, this is usually generic-brand pizza, toaster streudels, and whichever soda is on sale. In order to combat this, I’m looking for suggestions for healthy, easy-to-prepare foods that won’t break the bank. Continue Reading >>