NYC health panel mulls milkshake, popcorn ban
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As HealthPop previously reported, Bloomberg has proposed a ban of all sugary drinks larger than 16 ounces throughout the city's restaurants, street carts and stadiums. Only grocery stores and convenience stores would be exempt, as well as drinks that natural fruit juices and drinks with over 50 percent milk. This means while a Big Gulp would still be allowed to be sold at 7-11s, but movie theaters will have to get rid of their larger options. Those businesses who do not comply would face $200 fines.
Mayor Bloomberg's soda ban proposal to be submitted to NYC health board today
Half of New Yorkers say Bloomberg ban on giant sodas is bad idea
NYC mayor proposes ban on sugary drinks larger than 16 ounces
The 11-member health panel met on Tuesday in Queens and approved the plan. A public hearing on the issue on July 24, with a final vote is scheduled for Sept. 13. If approved, the new regulations would go in effect on March 2013.
Continue »Lack of sleep may lead to junk food snacking
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Subjects who looked at pictures of unhealthy snack food had more brain activity in the reward centers of their brain when they had restricted sleep compared to those who were able to get a full night's rest.
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"The same brain regions activated when unhealthy foods were presented were not involved when we presented healthy foods," study author Dr. Marie-Pierre St-Onge, an assistant professor at Columbia University's Institute of Human Nutrition in New York City, said in the press release. "The unhealthy food response was a neuronal pattern specific to restricted sleep. This may suggest greater propensity to succumb to unhealthy foods when one is sleep restricted."
Continue »Healthy or hype? 16 most misleading food labels
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Frustrated? You're not alone. Nearly 59 percent of consumers have a hard time understanding nutrition labels, according to a Nielsen survey.
Here's our list of the 16 most common - and most misleading phrases - manufacturers use on food, with advice on how to look past the hype to make smarter supermarket choices.
Continue »Food allergies may be more common in city kids
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(CBS News) Food allergies are more common in kids who live in a city than those who live in more rural areas, according to new research.
Food allergies in kids more common than government said
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The new study is the first to map children's food allergies by where they live in the United States, according to the researchers. They surveyed parents of nearly 38,500 kids younger than 18, asking for their zip codes and details on their child's food allergy.
Perception-altering goggles help people eat less
An examinee eats a cookie with a camera-equipped special goggle in Tokyo on June 2, 2012.
/ YOSHIKAZU TSUNO/AFP/GettyImages(CBS News) Can't seem to keep up with that diet? Goggles developed in Japan may be able to help you eat smaller portion sizes -- and trick you into thinking food tastes better.
University of Tokyo scientists created digital devices that have the ability to alter people's senses, proving that what you see (or smell) isn't always what you get. One of the items, computer-enhanced goggles, had the ability to visually change the size of the food the person was eating.
When a cookie appeared twice as large, subjects ate almost 10 percent less of it. When cookies looked half their actual size, subjects ate 15 percent more.
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USDA: Most schools opt out of pink slime beef
(CBS/AP) Meat containing "pink slime," the colorfully nicknamed beef byproduct that caused a national uproar, will not be served at most school districts participating in the National School Lunch Program, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said.
The USDA says the vast majority of states participating in the government-subsidized lunch program have opted to order ground beef that doesn't contain the product, called lean finely textured beef. Only Iowa, Nebraska and South Dakota chose to continue ordering beef that may contain the filler.
The product has been used for decades and federal regulators say it's safe to eat. Regardless, it became the center of national attention after the nickname "pink slime" was quoted in a New York Times article on the safety of meat processing methods.
Watch: Most U.S. schools say no to "pink slime"
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Study: Daily dark chocolate good for the heart
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(CBS) A new study claims that daily consumption of dark chocolate can reduce the risk of stroke and heart attack in some high-risk patients.
The study published in the journal BMJ looked at 2,013 people with hypertension and metabolic syndrome, a combination of medical disorders that signals a risk for heart disease, and used a mathematical model to find that daily consumption of about 3.5 ounces of dark chocolate over ten years would decrease the risk of cardiac events.
Continue »Flame retardant found in common foods
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(CBS News) A new study from researchers at the University of Texas School of Public Health has revealed that flame retardant chemicals were found in many samples taken from popular food items.
While less than half of the tested food products had detectible levels of the chemical called hexabromocyclododecane (HBCD), 15 out of the 36 items tested positive. HBCD is used in polystyrene foam in the building and construction industry and can be found worldwide in the environment and wildlife, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. It has been highly toxic for aquatic organisms, and shown to have troubling effects on animal populations.
"The levels we found are lower than what the government agencies currently think are dangerous," study author Dr. Arnold Schecter, a public health physician at the University of Texas School of Public Health in Dallas, told WebMD. "But those levels were determined one chemical at a time."
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NYC plans ban on sodas larger than 16 ounces
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Study: Sugary drink each day ups men's heart disease risk by 20 percent
Sugar should be regulated like alcohol, tobacco, commentary says
60 Minutes: Is sugar toxic?
CBS New York reports the ban will apply to bottled drinks as well as fountain sodas, and restaurants and venues that don't comply can face a $200 fine.
"Obesity is a nationwide problem, and all over the United States, public health officials are wringing their hands saying, 'Oh, this is terrible,'" Bloomberg told the New York Times."New York City is not about wringing your hands; it's about doing something," he said. "I think that's what the public wants the mayor to do."
Best and worst foods for your picnic
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But it doesn't have to be that way. From our friends at Health.com, here's a list of the best and worst foods you should pick or skip if you're attending a barbecue, as well as healthy recipes you can bring or serve at your own Memorial Day spread...
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POM Wonderful's new ad campaign hits back at FTC
POM Wonderful
(CBS News) POM wonderful has hit back at the Federal Trade Commission with a new advertising campaign, telling consumers when it comes to "FTC v. POM - You be the judge."
POM Wonderful deceptively advertised health claims in juice ads, judge rules
The ad references a Monday ruling by Chief Administrative Law Judge Michael Chappell, that ruled POM Wonderful deceptively advertised its pomegranate products when it cited research saying the juices could treat, prevent or reduce the risk of heart disease, prostate cancer and erectile dysfunction.
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Listeria found in lettuce spurs nationwide recall
A label from one of the recalled bags of lettuce grown by River Ranch Fresh Foods.
/ FDA/flickr(CBS/AP) California lettuce grower, River Ranch Fresh Foods, has expanded its voluntary recall of some bagged salads to the entire country, after routine sampling detected contamination with Listeria monocytogenes bacteria. No illnesses have been reported, the company said.
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The voluntary recall by the Salinas, Calif.-based grower initially included lettuce shipped to California and Colorado. The bagged salads are sold under the names River Ranch, Farm Stand, Hy-Vee, Marketside, Shurfresh, The Farmer's Market, Cross Valley, Fresh n Easy, Promark and Sysco.
Continue » Judge: POM Wonderful health claims misleading
POM Wonderful
(CBS/AP) A federal administrative judge ruled Monday that POM Wonderful deceptively advertised its pomegranate products when the company said the juices could treat, prevent or reduce the risk of heart disease, prostate cancer and erectile dysfunction.
POM Wonderful: Did Health Claims Break Law?
Judge: POM deceptively marketed pomegranate juice
Skechers Shape-ups: Why the FTC called company's studies deceiving
Chief Administrative Law Judge Michael Chappell upheld an earlier complaint from the Federal Trade Commission that was filed in September 2010 against POM and its parent company, Los-Angeles-based Roll International Corp. The company's health claims, such as "The Antioxidant Superpower", are a hallmark of its advertising and are seen as working to convince consumers that they are worth a premium price.
Continue »Study: Drinking coffee reduces overall death risk
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(CBS/AP) How good is coffee for your health? For years, research has gone both ways, with some studies finding it boosts risk for heart disease, while other studies find it could be protective against breast and skin cancers.
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PICTURES: Coffee and your health: Latest findings
A large-scale study of 400,000 people offers good news for coffee-drinkers: you might just live longer.
The study is the largest ever done on the issue, and the results should reassure any coffee lovers who think it's a guilty pleasure that may do harm. And whether it's regular or decaf doesn't even matter.
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Scotland sets minimum prices for alcohol
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(CBS News) Alcohol in Scotland is about to get more expensive. The Scottish Government announced today that it will set a minimum price of 50 pence per unit (10 milliliters) of alcohol - or about $0.81 for every 0.34 fluid ounces of booze.
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In U.S. dollars, that means a 750ml bottle of wine that costs $5.14 will shoot up in price to $7.56, or a bottle of cheap whiskey will go from $16.07 to $22.56 - about a 40 percent increase.
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