Clean plate club membership may open door to obesity
April 23rd, 2013
09:30 AM ET
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While growing up, many children may have heard "clean your plate" or been denied candy. But how do parental attitudes toward food affect a child's weight?

Denying certain foods to children or pressuring them to eat every bit of a meal are common practices among many parents. But researchers at the University of Minnesota found parents who restricted foods were more likely to have overweight or obese children. And while those who pressured children to eat all of their meals mostly had children of normal weight, it adversely affected the way those children ate as they grew older, according to the study published Monday in the journal Pediatrics.
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Antibiotic-resistant bacteria found in most meat
April 16th, 2013
09:15 AM ET
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When you shop for turkey burgers for dinner tonight, you may be buying more than meat.

A recently released FDA report found that of all the raw ground turkey tested, 81% was contaminated with antibiotic-resistant bacteria.
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How safe are food trucks?
April 8th, 2013
06:15 PM ET
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With cheap, chic fare, like arugula pizza, squash empanadas and fish tacos, the country's 15,000-plus food trucks are rolling into virtually every big city and many small towns across the United States.

The burning question: Is it safe to grab a bite to eat from a truck that cooks for hundreds in a space that's a fraction of the size of your kitchen?

For the most part, yes.
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Filed under: Food Safety • Food Trucks • Health News • Restaurants


5 things you should know about gluten
April 5th, 2013
01:00 PM ET
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Editor's note: Dr. Arthur Agatston is the medical director of wellness and prevention for Baptist Health South Florida. Creator of the best-selling South Beach Diet series, he is the author of the new book, "The South Beach Diet Gluten Solution."

If you're confused by the gluten-free diet craze, you're not alone.

Like many people, you've probably heard about the phenomenon but really don't understand what gluten is or what, if anything, you should be doing about it. Yet millions of people in this country are turning their lives upside-down trying to avoid it.

Here are five things you need to know about gluten:
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Frozen food recall expands to 10.5 million pounds
March 29th, 2013
07:30 PM ET
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UPDATE: The recall has been expanded from 196,222 pounds to over 10.5 million pounds. A full listing of the affected products is available at the USDA's website.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced Friday that 24 cases of E. coli O121 have been reported across 15 states, with at least one linked to the consumption of Farm Rich brand frozen meals and snacks. One third of the cases have required hospitalization and no deaths have occurred.

Illness related to this outbreak's strain have been reported in Alabama, Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Mississippi, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington and Wisconsin. 78% of those sickened are under the age of 22.

Rich Products Corporation recalled approximately 196,222 pounds of Farm Rich Mini Quesadillas, Philly Cheese Steaks, Mini Pizza Slices and Mozzarella Bites produced from November 12-19, 2012 after being informed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture of potential contamination of these products.
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Filed under: E. coli • Health News • Recalls • Tainted Food


Study shows 97% of kids' meals don't meet nutritional standards
March 28th, 2013
11:00 AM ET
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Fried chicken fingers, hamburgers, French fries and sugary sodas dominate children's menus in most chain restaurants, and most kids' meals fall short of meeting basic nutritional standards, a nonprofit health advocacy group said Thursday.

Some 97% of nearly 3,500 kids' meals analyzed don't meet basic nutritional standards, the Center for Science in the Public Interest said in its report "Kids' Meals: Obesity on the Menu."

What's more, 91% don't meet the National Restaurant Association's own nutritional guidelines for its Kids LiveWell program, a voluntary program for restaurant owners, according to the report.

Read the full story - Obesity on the menu for kids, group says - on CNN Health.

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Filed under: Childhood Obesity • Health News • News


In case you weren't stressed enough about what you're feeding your kids...
March 26th, 2013
11:00 AM ET
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At least 40% of moms are feeding their infants solid foods far too early, according a new study published in the medical journal Pediatrics, and that may lead to problems for their children later in life.

Researchers wanted to know how many babies were being fed solid foods (including cereal and baby food) sooner than recommended, whether breast-feeding or formula feeding made a difference and why solids were being introduced early. When the study began in 2005, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), which also publishes the journal Pediatrics, recommended introducing solid foods when babies were between 4 and 6 months old.
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March 25th, 2013
04:00 PM ET
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"Got Camel milk?" Camel milk is being touted as world's next superfood, says Erin Burnett.

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Filed under: Food as Medicine • Out Front • Television


The United States of Spoon Lickers: America's bad cooking habits
March 25th, 2013
02:00 PM ET
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With all the hand sanitizer America bought last year ($190 million worth, to be exact), you'd think that our germaphobia might have made us safer cooks.

But as a Health.com poll of some 400 readers and 100 professional chefs reveals, our counter intelligence is still somewhat... medieval. Here's how to make sure the only thing you spread - and get! - is good cheer.

Read more about America's wildest food habits (like how 73% of respondents lick the spoon while cooking) on CNN Health.

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Filed under: Food Safety • Health News • News


Toddler meals chock full of salt
March 25th, 2013
11:00 AM ET
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Most packaged meals and snacks marketed to toddlers have more than the recommended amount of sodium per serving, meaning children as young as one are most likely eating far too much salt early in life, according to one of several studies on sodium presented last week.

The studies were presented at the American Heart Association's Epidemiology and Prevention/Nutrition, Physical Activity and Metabolism 2013 Scientific Sessions in New Orleans.

The findings were alarming to researchers since there is evidence a child's sodium intake is related to the likelihood that he or she will develop hypertension as an adult. Hypertension is a major risk factor of cardiovascular disease and the number-one killer of men and women in the United States.
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Filed under: Health News • Salt


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