Food and skin allergies are becoming more common in American children, according to a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Both have been steadily increasing for more than a decade.

Food allergy prevalence increased from 3.4% to 5.1% between 1997 and 2011, while skin allergy prevalence more than doubled in the same time period. That means 1 in every 20 children will develop a food allergy and 1 in every 8 children will have a skin allergy. According to the CDC, respiratory allergies are still the most common for children younger than 18.

The new report, which looked at data from the National Health Interview Survey, found that skin allergies decreased with age, while respiratory allergies increased as children got older.
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Facing renewed controversy about the safety of energy drinks, Monster Energy Corp. has decided to market its products as beverages instead of dietary supplements.

The company recently joined the American Beverage Association, which recommended it sell its products as a food, according to spokeswoman Tammy Taylor. Monster Energy's products will not change, but in the coming months its labels will include the caffeine content in each can.
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File this under the "wouldn't it be cool if ...?" category.

IBM is developing a computer system that could theoretically customize healthy recipes based on your personal taste buds. An outline of the project was presented as part of the company's annual 5 in 5 list - five inventions that could change the world in five years.

"At the end of the day, taste is about chemistry," Bernie Meyerson, vice president of innovation at IBM, told Fast Company.

So how would it work?

Find out in the full story: Future computer system could be your personal chef

Ever heard the line, “Water, water, everywhere and not a drop to drink?" Never is that more true than during a hurricane.

Superstorm Sandy came ashore Monday night, flooding parts of the East Coast. After a natural disaster, your water may not be safe for use, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This includes any water used for drinking, cooking, food preparation and/or personal hygiene.

Residents in Sandy’s path should be on the lookout for boil water advisories from their local and state departments of health, as well as from utility companies. These signify that your water may be contaminated.

Still, even if no notice has been issued, consumers should never assume that water in a flood-affected area is safe to drink, the Rhode Island Department of Health says.

Read the full story on CNN Health: Post-Sandy water safety tips

Dale and Thomas Popcorn is voluntarily recalling bags of its flavored, ready-to-eat Indiana-brand products due to a possible Listeria monocytogenes contamination, according to the Food and Drug Administration.
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The chemical bisphenol-A, or BPA, has a long and controversial history.

Used to manufacture some plastics – like the kinds in soda or water bottles – and as an anti-corrosive in aluminum cans, BPA has been under fire for some time from consumer advocacy groups.

The FDA recently banned BPA in baby bottles and sippy cups after concerns were raised about potential side effects on the “brain, behavior, and prostate gland in fetuses, infants, and young children,” according to the FDA website.
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It’s possibly the cruelest joke a brain can play: One minute you’re devouring a delicious ice cream sundae in delight, the next you’re holding a palm to your forehead in excruciating pain.

For the next 10 seconds, what you laughingly refer to as “brain freeze” (when other people get it) is no laughing matter.

Researchers induced such pain in 27 healthy volunteers in a new study presented at the Experimental Biology 2012 conference in San Diego this week.

Lead author Jorge Serrador and his team were trying to identify exactly what causes brain freeze. They hoped that by pinpointing the cause they would influence future research on migraines or post-traumatic headaches.

Read - Searching for the cause of 'brain freeze'

When you're on a diet, food consumes your life.

You can't eat carbohydrates, so you think about them constantly. You can't dig into your co-worker's candy drawer, so M&M's float across your computer screen like a desert mirage.

You skip the bar after work because that's where the margaritas live. And forget snacking after 8 p.m.; that would be breaking diet rule No. 364.

"I've hated diets all my life," says Lucy Danziger, who is ironically the author of a new weight-loss book, "The Drop 10 Diet."
"If I tell you 'Don't think about this,' that's all you can think about."

What if losing weight didn't have to be so negative?

Read - Eat more 'superfoods' to lose weight

Have you ever stood near the checkout of a grocery store and stared at the rack of chocolate bars, debating whether anyone would judge you for buying the king-size?

You know the regular size is enough to satisfy your craving, but the bigger candy bar is only 40 cents more and it just... Looks. So. Good.

Worry no more – Mars, Inc. is going taking that decision out of your hands. The company that produces M&Ms, 3 Musketeers, Snickers and Twix bars has vowed to stop shipping any Mars chocolate products that exceed 250 calories per portion by the end of 2013.

Read - Mars puts Snickers bars on a diet

Southern celebrity chef Paula Deen appeared on the Today Show with Al Roker this morning to address rumors that she has been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes.

Deen confirmed, "I was diagnosed three years ago during a regular physical exam with my doctor, that I had type 2 diabetes. I am here today to let the world know that it is not a death sentence. I am working with a very reputable pharmaceutical company. I'm working on a new program called 'Diabetes in a New Light.' You can go to our website. I'm going to be there for you and help you manage every day of your life with this, because it can be done."

The chef, who has come under fire in recent years for the unhealthy nature of many of her recipes, also announced that she is working as a paid spokesperson for the drug company Novo Nordisk, which manufactures Victoza - an injectable, non-insulin drug used in the treatment of type 2 diabetes.
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