Here are some of the best food stories we came across this week:
- A Guide to Sustainable Shrimp Dining – Northwest Atlantic Marina Alliance volunteer (and shellfish lover) Pamela Flash chronicled her journey, “An Inconvenient Shrimp” through New York City area restaurants to determine if the shrimp on her plate were wild-caught and local. She discovers fresh, local wild shrimp are being served, and provides tips for how diners can find out at their favorite restaurants too.
- Weight-Loss Heavyweights Back NYC Soda Ban – Presidents, founders and CEOs of weight-loss empires are lining up to endorse New York City Mayor Bloomberg’s proposed soda ban. Weight Watchers North America, Jenny Craig, Picture Perfect Weight Loss, the French Dukan Diet, the South Beach Diet and Oprah Winfrey’s personal trainer have all announced their endorsement.
- Hunter-Gatherer Lifestyle Doesn’t Affect Energy Expenditure – Scientists who studied the Hadza people of Tanzania, one of the few remaining cultures who live a true grass hut, hunter-gatherer lifestyle, found that they burned about the same amount of calories per day as typical, more sedentary adults in Europe and the U.S., according to the study published in PLoS ONE.
- Farm Use of Antibiotics Goes Untracked – Livestock for the American food supply receive 80% of the antibiotics sold in the U.S., but producers of poultry and meat are not required to track or report their use of the drugs in any particular animal, what type is used or how much is administered. The lack of data impedes the ability to document the relationship between animal antibiotic use and antibiotic-resistant infections in humans.
- Chemical in Green Tea Actually Grows Brain Cells – A study published in Molecular Nutrition & Food Research found that the chemical epigallocatechin-3 gallate (EGCG), present in green tea and known to contain anti-oxidants, also directly increases the production of neural progenitor cells — these cells have the capacity to develop into different types of cells within the brain.
What did we miss? Let us know in the comments below, and follow us on Facebook and Twitter for links like these all week long.
Photo courtesy of Xbeckie boox .
