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Vegetarian popularity, calorie counting outdated, produce in schools, low-carb foods – news to July 24 2011

Vegetarian and vegan options in restaurants are increasing. The Environmental Working Group is encouraging people to forgo meat and cheese one day a week to save energy. Calorie-counting diets are shown in a Harvard Study (quoted in the NYT) to be going out of date. Between a third and a half of fruits and veggies served in schools may get thrown away, perhaps because children are unfamiliar with fresh produce. 62% of consumers in a Deloitte study said they wanted to see more options for low-carb foods.

Vegetarian diet – more options, saving energy, rights, health benefits

Restaurants offering more vegan and vegetarian options Jul-17-11 Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Vegetarian and vegan diets have gained mainstream acceptance in recent years. While the percentage of the population that strictly follows such diets is small, a growing number of Americans are reducing the amount of meat in their diet to improve their health.

Forgo meat, cheese once a week to save energy, EWG says Jul-18-11 USA Today: Your Life
According to the Environmental Working Group, if every American skipped meat and cheese one day a week, environmentally it would be the same as the country driving 91 billion fewer miles a year.

Restaurant can be sued for serving meat to vegetarian Jul-19-11 HuffPost Food
Meat was served to devout Hindus who don’t eat meat for religious reasons, after they had repeatedly asked for confirmation that the food was vegetarian. They sued the restaurant for emotional and monetary damages.

Vegetarian diet may protect against diverticular disease Jul-20-11 New Hope 360
Vegetarians are a third less likely to get a common bowel disorder (diverticular disease) than their meat eating counterparts, finds a new study published on www.bmj.com.

Calorie counting – out of date, restaurants offering low-calorie menus

Calorie-counting diets may be out of date Jul-18-11 New York Times
A Harvard study shows that conventional wisdom — to eat everything in moderation, eat fewer calories and avoid fatty foods — isn’t the best approach. There are good foods and bad foods, and the advice should be to eat the good foods more and the bad foods less.

Jamba Juice drinks under 250 calories Jul-19-11 QSR
22 beverages at 250 calories or less (in the 16 ounce size)

Familiar vs. unfamiliar foods – fruit & veg uneaten in schools, eating insects

Fruits, veggies often end up in school trash Jul-18-11 Education News Colorado
Between a third and a half of all the fruits and vegetables served to youngsters at some Loveland school cafeterias last year wound up in the trash, a study has found.

What do bugs taste like? Jul-18-11 HuffPost Food
Insects are extremely sustainable to raise. On the whole, they tend to taste a bit nutty, especially when roasted.

Other – degrees of gluten sensitivity, more low-carb foods wanted, and more

Foods to avoid for bloating during PMS Joy Bauer Food Cures
Carbonated beverages: gas-producing foods (such as broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, beans and cabbage); salty foods; sugar alcohols (such as sorbitol and maltitol); excessive fiber; large meals; protein-free meals

Are there degrees of gluten sensitivity? Jul-15-11 CNN Health
Gluten sensitivity is a real entity and most likely represents more than one clinical condition – celiac disease, gluten sensitivity, and nonceliac gluten sensitivity.

Lawmakers tell FDA to listen to Congress about GM salmon Jul-18-11 Food Safety News
A bipartisan group of lawmakers is urging the U.S. Food and Drug Administration not to dismiss congressional opposition to the approval of genetically engineered (GE) salmon.

NuVal scoring system for nutrition Jul-18-11 Progressive Grocer
Published by the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, a study revealed men and women who consumed a diet with high-scoring foods on the NuVal system lived longer and lowered their risk for chronic diseases, such as cardiovascular disease and diabetes. Shoppers can find the NuVal scores on shelf price tags in certain stores.

Making food-allergic kids feel included Jul-18-11 CNN Health
In natural supermarkets, from June 2008 to June 2010, sales of products who labels said they were “free from” particular ingredients increased 31%. Special staples, such as dairy-free butter or wheat-free flour, come at a premium, and the market for them is growing.

62% of consumers want to see more low-carb foods Jul-20-11 Food Navigator USA
2,000 consumers polled by Deloitte in mid-May – 62% want to see more low-carb foods. For a full report on food shopping behavior, see the Deloitte survey (pdf)

What’s been added to your raw meat? Jul-21-11 HuffPost Food
A proposed rule aimed at food companies would require that poultry and other raw meats be labeled appropriately when they’re plumped up by added solutions such as chicken broth, teriyaki sauce, salt or water. According to USDA, about one-third of poultry, 15 percent of beef and 90 percent of pork may have added ingredients – about 40 percent of all raw, whole cuts of meat. The rule does not apply to ground beef, which may have other added substances.

58% of Americans prefer organic food Jul-22-11 Food Product Design
When given the opportunity, 58% of Americans choose organic foods over conventionally produced foods, according to a national survey of more than 3,000 participants conducted for NPR by Thomson Reuters.

Restaurants cutting back on salt Jul-23-11 LA Times
Companies are rushing to reduce sodium content now in anticipation of possible new federal rules. But they believe customers told they’re being served a low-sodium dish will say it’s bland even before they taste it.

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