Berries could be Nature’s Food for Thought

April 30, 2013 Leave a comment

It’s rare for a food to taste great and also be nutritious, but with berries people can actually get the best of both worlds. A new study on rats presented at the Experimental Biology 2013 meeting suggests that aside from all the health benefits from berries that we already know about, berries clear the brain from the accumulation of toxic proteins.

Rats in the study that consumed berries for two months had a stronger immunity against radiation than rats that did not consume berries. Radiation was induced on the rats to accelerate their aging, and those that consumed blueberries and strawberries showed signs of improved behavior and greater cognitive function.

“After 30 days on the same berry diet, the rats experienced significant protection against radiation compared to the control,” said investigator Shibu Poulose, PhD. “We saw significant benefits to diets with both of the berries, and speculate it is due to the phytonutrients present”.

Phytonutrients are plant chemicals found in berries that may be responsible for the brains increased ability to clear out the accumulation of toxic proteins. The greater benefit of this research will be apparent if the findings also apply to humans. Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s and other diseases are caused by the accumulation of these toxic proteins. A study is already being conducted on humans between the ages of 60 and 75 to see if berries have the same effect.

Although these findings are only preliminary, a previous study conducted at Harvard demonstrated that the regular consumption of berries could delay the cognitive decline in older people; reinforcing the findings at the Experimental Biology 2013 meeting.

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“Saltdean Sizzler” Soon to Be Named World’s Spiciest Pie

April 1, 2013 Leave a comment

Paul’s Pizza of Brighton, England has rolled out the Saltdean Sizzler, which may soon hold the record for the World’s Spiciest Pizza.

Ghost chilies and chili extract make the pie a killer. The pizza is supposedly hotter than the world’s strongest chili, the Trinidad Moruga Scorpion and stronger than a police-grade pepper spray at 3.2 million units on the Scoville scale– a measure of heat indicating the amount of capsaicin present.

Paul Brayshaw, the owner of Paul’s Pizza, decided to come up with the fiery option after watching “Man Vs. Food” on the Travel Channel. Only eight men and one woman have successfully eaten the entire pie. Nine successfully ate the pie, that is, out of 1,307 pizzas sold in the last year. Those who fail to complete the challenge are placed on the shop’s “Wall of Shame.” Brayshaw himself can only eat 2 out of the pie’s 6 slices.

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The pizza is currently being tested by Guinness World Records, however, the previous contender clocked in at a “mere” 1 million Scoville units.

The shop closes its takeout at 10PM, before the local bars close, in order to prevent drunk people from accidentally ordering the pie.

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Recycled Food May Come to a Cafe Near You

March 29, 2013 Leave a comment

Food waste is at an all time high in the United States, with anywhere between 30 and fifty percent of all food produced going into the garbage before ever touching a plate. One Tufts University student hopes to take a stab at that statistic, offering free food taken from dumpsters outside grocery stores and serving them in a café.

Maximus Thaler has already formed a Kickstarter page to finance his endeavor, hoping to raise $1,500 to open a café that will exclusively serve discarded food. In just one Massachusetts supermarket Thaler found a slew of trendy food including turkey meatballs, organic Greek yogurt and fair trade coffee.

“We believe food is a fundamental right, and should be shared freely with all,” Thaler’s group wrote on the café’s Kickstarter page, which will be called Gleaners Kitchen. The term ‘gleaning’ was used to describe collecting leftover crops from farmers’ fields after they had already been commercially harvested. Today gleaning refers to the collection of food from supermarkets that would ordinarily be thrown away.

This café will go beyond simply serving recycled food, but will act as a community hub hosting concerts, poetry readings, lectures and one meal a day for the hungry. Thaler and his group dig through grocery store dumpsters and separate and wash the usable food. Juices can easily be made from the produce, and they even use hummus containers as Tupperware.

According to Thaler, “The Gleaner’s Kitchen is not a business. It is not the place of commerce you might think it to be, where you pay something to get something. Our aim is not to produce commodities but to foster community.”

For those looking to become a part of the initiative, Thaler has pledged to fly anywhere in the world, go dumpster diving and cook a meal for anyone who donates $1,500 or more to his Kickstarter page.

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Mayor Bloomberg’s New York City Soda Ban Overturned!

March 14, 2013 1 Comment

New York City’s now infamous soda ban has raised a lot of important questions and become one of the most polarizing topics of 2012. Mayor Bloomberg’s ruling was set to take effect on March 12th, until Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Milton Tingling overturned the ruling. The beverage industry, small businesses and several interest groups rallied together to sue and keep the city from enforcing the drink regulation while the case was deliberated on. At last, Judge Tingling declared that “The loopholes in this rule effectively defeat the stated purpose of this rule.”

Mayor Bloomberg and city officials felt that the soda ban was a huge move for public health, aiming to lower obesity rates and thus decrease obesity-related illness costs by close to $2.8 billion annually in New York City. The soda ban was only the latest of Bloomberg’s motions to create a healthier New York. In previous years he compelled restaurant chains to post calorie counts on their menus, banned artificial trans fats from restaurant food, and even limited the amount of salt food manufacturers would use.

Supporters of the Mayor’s health initiatives make the case that sugary drinks are clearly tied to weight gain, and now nearly 24 percent of the city’s adults are obese, up from 18 percent in 2002. City lawyer Mark W. Muschenheim said the soda ban will “have significant public health effects, and the sooner that happens, the better.”

However critics of the soda ban have been far more outspoken, calling it arbitrary in that it applies to only some sugary beverages and allows other beverages to be sold only in certain stores. Critics also stated that the City Board of Health went beyond its jurisdiction in approving this size limit rule. The elected City Council did not preside over the initial ruling, instead a panel of doctors and health professional appointment by Bloomberg approved the soda ban.

While meant to curb obesity, the soda ban would hurt many businesses that relied on beverage sales and would have to retool their menus and change inventory with no compensation, while other established businesses like grocery stores would be allowed to carry on selling large sugary beverages.

Although Bloomberg’s health initiatives may have hit their first real hitch, the Mayor seems unfazed by the judge’s ruling. Shortly afterward he tweeted “We plan to appeal the sugary drinks decision as soon as possible, and we are confident the measure will ultimately be upheld.”

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Food Trucks Experts Pioneer New Services to Stay Competitive

March 4, 2013 Leave a comment

Over the last few years food trucks have exploded onto the scene in cities all throughout the country, offering more variety than the traditional taco trucks that first made an entrance on the west coast. Today’s food trucks offer food from all over the world, and have gotten pricier as well with gourmet options and former restaurant chefs leaving their kitchens behind for the open road. However like any market, the mobile food market has considerably grown, and food truck entrepreneurs have found a number of ways to stay competitive and distinguish their businesses from the rest.

Some of the greatest limitations food trucks face are local and citywide ordinances that restrict their hours of operation and the space in which they can sell food. Because of these rules, many trucks take advantage of a huge rush in business during peak hours but are forced off the road shortly afterwards. Finding innovative ways to fill their schedules helps these trucks stay profitable even during off-peak hours.

More food trucks are directly interacting with their customers by having their chefs come to parties and events and personally cook for all the guests. Personalized catering options give customers an opportunity to become more acquainted with food trucks and change up their normal routines. Other trucks special events every weekend, including parties, lunches and weddings. In New York City the trend “Food Truck Fridays” has caught on with many companies that spice up their weekly catering with lunch from a popular food truck.

Some trucks are focusing on what they do best, and leaving everything else out of the equation. East Coast restaurant and food truck chain Luke’s Lobster has limited its offerings to put a focus on the lobster, shrimp and crab rolls that is does best. Vice president Ben Conniff says “We know we can do three things better than anyone else. Some ingredients are so good the best thing you can do is keep them simple.”

Industry experts also suggest that new food truck operators invest in high quality equipment to make sure they stay competitive with other trucks. Losing time replacing broken equipment or adding new fixtures can be very costly for new trucks. Conflicting rules in different cities and municipalities can also hinder new trucks. In cities like Chicago and New York City law enforcement is particularly stringent on food trucks, and having insight into how trucks interact with city government can save thousands of dollars in fines.

Despite how popular food trucks have become, the market continues to grow and failed ventures only make up a small percentage of the mobile food industry. As the trend gains more traction, more cities finding ways to incorporate the trucks, and even restaurant brands are building their own food trucks to build up buzz.

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Vegetarian’s Paradise

March 1, 2013 Leave a comment

It seems like every day a new pizza is dreamed up. Unfortunately, they’re not usually available in the US nor vegetarian friendly. Leave it to Domino’s, in India to create a vegetarian, junk food friendly pie. As the fattest nation in the developed world, you’d think products like these would be marketed here!

This newly available Cheesy Boloroni pizza has macaroni above the sauce but under the cheese. The macaroni is in a vegetarian Bolognese sauce (hence the Boloroni name.) The pizza also includes a barbecue flavored liquid cheese.

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Bipartisan Support for Higher Restaurant Prices To Cover Workers’ Health Care Costs

February 27, 2013 Leave a comment

According to a poll by Public Policy Polling more than half of voters, both Democrats and Republicans, say they’d be willing to pay slightly more at restaurants in order for restaurants to pay for employee health care costs.

Under Obamacare, companies with more than 50 full-time employees must provide healthcare for full-time workers. Because of this, restaurants have threatened to raise prices to cover costs. According to a Mercer survey, Nearly 2/3 of employers will have to pay more to cover employees’ health care expenses.

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Darden Restaurants, the parent company of Red Lobster, Olive Garden, Longhorn SteakHouse received negative feedback after putting many of their workers on part-time status to avoid having to cover them.

An owner of 40 Denny’s restaurants in Florida, said that under Obamacare he’d have to pay $5,000 per employee which would equate to $175,000 per restaurant and that most of their restaurants aren’t making $175,000 a year. If an insurance plan is not offered to employees, owners must pay a penalty of $2,000 per full-time employee who works over 30 hours.

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