1.  Diet Soda

Diet soda Though it has fewer calories and less sugar than regular soda, diet soda may actually keep you from losing weight. New research suggests that dieters who choose to drink diet soda may actually add weight instead of losing it.

2. Smoothies

Although they can be packed with powerful nutritional benefits, smoothies can also carry loads of calories, fat, and sugar. Make sure your smoothie is filled with whole fruits and vegetables and low fat milk or milk alternatives. Skip smoothies laden with peanut butter, chocolate, or fruit syrups. Try these delicious and healthy smoothie recipes.

3.  Artificial sweeteners

Summer without ice cream — for many, it’s unthinkable. But those who are milk or lactose-intolerant must often go without. Fraunhofer researchers now offer an alternative: “Lupinesse” — the purely plant-based delicacy that is free of lactose and cholesterol, with valuable lupin protein. The ice cream will debut on the shelves of the EDEKA supermarket chain on May 9, 2011.

A summer’s tale: You’re sitting on your patio or balcony on a warm evening. A gentle breeze cools the heat of the day. Before you sits a bowl with a variety of ice cream flavors and fresh fruit. Now, just in time for the warm season of the year, this is a pleasure available even to those who do not tolerate dairy products. Vanilla-Cherry, Strawberry-Mousse, Walnut Dream and Choco-Flakes — these are the four LUPINESSE flavors on offer at EDEKA Suedbayern and EDEKA Suedwest in Germany. This new ice cream is made from formulas devised by Fraunhofer researchers: It is purely a plant-based product, containing valuable proteins from the seeds of the indigenous blue sweet lupin and completely free of lactose, gluten, cholesterol and animal proteins and fats.

There have been repeated attempts in the past to create food products from lupins. “We had already written off the lupins in the late 1990s,” recalls Klaus Mueller of the Fraunhofer Institute for Process Engineering and Packaging IVV in Freising, Germany. But then came a suggestion from Gerhard Kloth, a lupin expert, to use the blue sweet lupin. “The first products were promising, but their taste, creamy consistency and quality were far from the ice cream we are now bringing to market,” Mueller remembers.

The secret behind the special flavor lies in the selection of the lupin variety, combined with a special production method. The blue sweet lupin is particularly rich in protein, has a balanced flavor, flourishes when grown in Germany and naturally improves soil quality with its nitrogen-binding roots. The researchers use the high-quality protein from the seeds to make the ice cream. “The high portion of protein is important for the creamy consistency,” Mueller explains. And the cholesterol-regulating effects of the lupin protein make the new ice cream nutritiously valuable at the same time.

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PUNE: The Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, which comes into effect from August 5, will enable authorities to trace the source of contamination in processed food more efficiently, and the onus will also be on farmers to adopt good farming practices to prevent contamination of raw material used by food processing units.

The Act was not immediately implemented as government needed time to prepare the machinery for the effective implementation of the Act, said Vinay Oswal, director, National Agriculture and Food Analysis and Research Institute (NAFARI), while addressing a news conference here on Friday.

The institute is a non-profit organisation founded by city-based Mahratta Chamber of Commerce, Industries and Agriculture (MCCIA).

Oswal said: “The Act has asked the food processing units and their suppliers to ensure use of quality agricultural produce and follow standard practices at processing, storage, supply and procurement. The Act will also push all the factors in supply chain to document it scientifically, store it, which would be verified by the government officials regularly. Ultimately, it will percolate to the farmers as well, as the procuring party would demand certain good practices and processing methods from them.”

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Children and parents can say goodbye to sticky faces and fingers and stained clothes thanks to the globe’s first non-melting chocolate, claims confectionery manufacturer Choc-o-Bloc.

Magic Choc, said to be the confectioner’s answer to Play-Doh, can be poked, prodded, squeezed, shaped and finally eaten without leaving tell-tale chocolate stains on faces and hands, said the company.

A spokesman for distributor The In Thing told FoodManufacture.co.uk: “We have taken one of the world’s most popular toys – Play-Doh – and turned it into chocolate.”

Moulded and shaped

Made with 100% Belgian chocolate at a factory in Northern Ireland, Magic Choc can be moulded and shaped without heating. It is pliable from 20°C and playable up to 37°C. Chocolate usually melts at 33.8°C.

A combination of oils within the chocolate prevents melting and keeps the product flexible, said the spokesman. Both the product and the production process are patent-protected.

Suitable for children over four years of age, prices range from £4.99 for the Starter Pack to £9.99 for the Deluxe Activity Pack.

Each box contains three bags of chocolate drops: White, milk and dark. All products are supplied with anti-bacterial hand wipes.

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Several studies have found that Facebook, Twitter and Google are as addictive as drugs.

People react like twitchy addicts denied their drugs when forced to give up access to the Internet and other electronic media.

And just like a boozer who leans on bourbon as a social lubricant, online addicts believe that people who aren’t hooked on the information superhighway, text messaging and instant messaging are huge bores, reports the New York Post .

“Giving up technology was considered by some to be as hard as quitting smoking or drinking,” said the research firm Intersperience about a new study of people deprived of their online habits.

According to the study, a full 53 per cent of 1,000 people surveyed reported feeling ‘upset’ when “deprived of Internet connection.”

The study also found that, 40 per cent of those people “feel lonely when not able to go online.”

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ISLAMABAD: Lower levels of an enzyme called p35, which is vital for activating a protein called Cdk5 for brain development, may be linked with schizophrenia.

Professor Giese, Institute of Psychiatry at King’s College, London, said: “For the first time we have found that an enzyme activator called p35 is reduced in patients with schizophrenia.”

“Mice, genetically engineered to have lower levels of p35, developed cognitive impairment typical for this disease. This gives us a better understanding of the changes that occur in the brain during the onset of schizophrenia,” added Giese.

Significantly, the brains of patients of schizophrenia, after post-mortems, were found to have 50 percent less p35, reports the journal Brain.

Schizophrenia, a serious mental health condition, affects about 24 million people worldwide. WHO figures show that 90 percent of untreated schizophrenics are in developing countries.

The illness causes hallucinations and delusions as well as behavioural changes and violence, according to a King’s College statement. The exact cause of the illness is unknown, although it is generally believed to be a combination of genetic and environmental factors.

However, many of the antipsychotic drugs or major tranquillizers used to treat or manage the illness have very bad side effects.

Many consumers still mistakenly believe that sea salt contains less sodium than table salt, although its primary allure remains its all-natural, unprocessed image, according to one leading supplier.

While Cargill always made it clear to customers that sea salt did not contain less sodium than table salt, gram for gram, many consumers were still laboring under the misconception that it did, the firm’s marketing manager for salt, John Franklin told FoodNavigator-USA.com.

“I think consumers do have that perception, although we try and be clear that sea salt does not have less sodium. It’s still sodium chloride, just like table salt.”

61 percent of consumers think sea salt is lower in sodium,

His comments follow a recent survey by the American Heart Association revealing that 61 percent of US consumers agreed that sea salt represented a “low-sodium alternative” to table salt (which is mined from underground salt deposits, processed to eliminate minerals and usually contains anti-caking agents).

While some suppliers argued that the intense flavor of sea salt meant manufacturers could use a little less – thereby reducing sodium – this was not necessarily the case, said Franklin.

“It’s very subjective, and you’d have to look at this on an application-specific basis, while you will also get different results in topical applications versus in soup for example. But generally, you can’t really use less [sea salt vs table salt].”

The wholegrain of salts?

Sea salt naturally contained beneficial minerals that were stripped out of table salt such as magnesium, calcium and potassium, but its biggest USP was its unprocessed image, said Franklin.

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The Environmental Working Group, USA, recently released its Meat Eater’s Guide to Climate Change and Health, a powerful, multi-featured tool that allows both consumers and experts to understand easily how food choices affect both their environmental footprint and their health.

Taking into account every stage of food production, processing, consumption and waste disposal, the guide documents in unprecedented detail how consumers who eat less meat and cheese can significantly reduce the greenhouse gas emissions, pollution and health risks linked to their dietary choices. Previous studies have focussed mostly on emissions from the food production phase only.

The calculations reveal that if everyone in the US ate no meat or cheese just one day a week, over a year, the effect on emissions would be the equivalent of taking 7.6 million cars off the road.

The research also highlights the surprisingly large environmental impact of meat that goes into the trash, which accounts for more than 20 per cent of all meat-associated emissions.

“By eating and wasting less meat, consumers can help limit the environmental damage caused by the huge amounts of fertiliser, fuel, water, and pesticides, not to mention the toxic manure and wastewater, that goes along with producing meat,” said Kari Hamerschlag, senior analyst, EWG, and author of the report. “Choosing healthier, pasture-raise meats can also help improve people’s health and reduce the environmental damage associated with meat consumption.”

Mario Batali, chef, restaurateur, award-winning author, and television personality, said, “The fact is, most people in the US eat way more meat than is good for them or the planet, but even knowing this, the chances are little that we are all going to become vegetarians, much less vegan. Asking everyone to go vegetarian or vegan is not a realistic or attainable goal, but we can focus on a more plant-based diet and support the farmers who raise their animals humanely and sustainably. This is why I am such a big believer in the Meatless Monday Movement and the Environmental Working Group’s Meat Eaters Guide to Climate Change and Health.”

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In an article that may bring smiles to the faces of vegetarians who consume no dairy products and vegans, who consume no animal-based foods, scientists have identified seaweed as a rich new potential source of heart-healthy food ingredients. Seaweed and other “macroalgae” could rival milk products as sources of these so-called “bioactive peptides,” they conclude in an article in ACS’s Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.

Maria Hayes and colleagues Ciarán Fitzgerald, Eimear Gallagher and Deniz Tasdemir note increased interest in using bioactive peptides, now obtained mainly from milk products, as ingredients in so-called functional foods. Those foods not only provide nutrition, but have a medicine-like effect in treating or preventing certain diseases. Seaweeds are a rich but neglected alternative source, they state, noting that people in East Asian and other cultures have eaten seaweed for centuries: Nori in Japan, dulse in coastal Europe, and limu palahalaha in native Hawaiian cuisine.

Their review of almost 100 scientific studies concluded that that some seaweed proteins work just like the bioactive peptides in milk products to reduce blood pressure almost like the popular ACE inhibitor drugs. “The variety of macroalga species and the environments in which they are found and their ease of cultivation make macroalgae a relatively untapped source of new bioactive compounds, and more efforts are needed to fully exploit their potential for use and delivery to consumers in food products,” Hayes and her colleagues conclude.

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Brazil, the world’s largest overall coffee producer, is expected to see the largest off-year crop on record in 2011, though the full effect on supply will likely not be felt until the 2012/13 harvest, said Euromonitor analyst Brian Morgan.

34-year highs

In early May 2011, Arabica coffee prices hit a 34-year high, due to several factors such as increased global demand, higher oil prices, and adverse weather patterns in various parts of the world which led to lower than average coffee yields.

Colombia, the world’s larger producer of Arabica coffee, is still recovering from a 2009 crop year that saw the smallest harvest in over three decades, said Morgan.

According to the International Coffee Organization (ICO), the 2010/11 crop year began with coffee stocks at the lowest levels seen since ICO began taking records in 1965.

Total coffee prices began to fall around May and were down five per cent in June, but are still up from the same period in 2010 and are likely to remain well above US$1 per pound until depleted stocks are rebuilt, said the analyst.

Supply will lag

Morgan said investments made in crops now will typically take two to three years for the trees to mature enough to achieve a resulting increase in output. This means supply is likely to lag behind continued demand increases.

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1.)    Always Be Prepared

In one of our most recent surveys, we asked the members who identified themselves as exceptional eaters to share their best practices when it comes to mealtime. Not surprisingly, a vast majority pointed to the importance of pre-preparing meals. Some of our healthiest members plan their weekly meals in advance; heading to the grocery store or market to select unprocessed foods from which they can create delicious recipes to last through the week. And the best bet for getting a healthy start each day? You guessed it—a balanced breakfast. Our Nutrition Advisor, Alyse Levine, recommends setting aside time in the morning to create a well-balanced breakfast that includes unprocessed carbs, lean proteins and healthy fats. “Doing so will give you extra energy and jump start your metabolism,” notes Levine.

2.)    Snack When You’re Hungry

Denying yourself food when you’re hungry is rarely a reliable long-term strategy. It can lead to major overeating and, not to mention, drag you down throughout the day. Many of our members who’ve experienced weight loss success swear by snacking between meals. Of course, they opt for healthy, balanced snacks in small, sensible portions. Pre-preparing snacks to get you through your workday—avoid that office vending machine—is one strategy for success. Levine recommends always keeping a “snack survival kit” at your workplace or in your car. “Have an assortment of sweet, salty, smooth and crunchy foods for variety,” says Levine. “Snacks will prevent you from going into your next meal starving which can lead to overeating.”

3.)    Be Calorie Conscious

In addition to snacking, our fittest users watch their calories. Of course, MyPlate makes being calorie cognizant easy—the tool will do all the work for you and MyPlate mobile offers tracking on-the-go. Knowing your calorie goal based on your weight loss or maintenance goal is essential. It allows you to make smart meal choices to get to where you want to be.

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LUCKNOW: The high calorie eatables or fast food might soon be off the shelf in school canteens, leaving scores of students in bad taste. The Central government is mulling to impose a blanket ban on the sale of fast food in schools and colleges to keep children in good health.

The proposed move, however, has received a mixed reaction in the city. While most children thriving on junk food oppose it, the school authorities are welcoming it on the grounds that it will turn children towards a healthy diet.

Muskaan, 12, said: “Don’t call it junk. It is something that I love to eat.” The young girl even tried to reason it saying, “We spend a long time in school. I can’t starve myself depending only on lunch. Therefore, handy eatables like patties, burgers and hotdogs serve the purpose best.”

Muskaan’s father Kaushlendra, however, backs the proposed ban. “On one hand, students are told to eat nutritious food and on the other, canteens are flooded with junk food. Children gradually get habitual to eating it and end up losing on a healthy food,” he said.

“Burgers, pizzas, pateez, hotdogs, chowmein may fill the stomach but hardly give any nutrition to the body. The preservatives used in soft drinks too are harmful. It affects the proper growth of a child,” said Upma Chaturvedi, another parent, who shared that her son has the habit of munching on junk food daily.

Ashish Jain, the canteen owner at National PG College, though is worried. “The demand for fast food is increasing everyday. It helps us earning our daily bread and butter.” The canteen’s daily menu includes a rich dose of junk food like momos, pav bhaji, fried rice, chilly paneer, Manchurian, chola bhatura and franky.

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