Most food will be affected by Bloomberg's new salt-reduction initiative.

First, smoking was banned all throughout New York City in public places, then, trans fat was taken off the menu, and now the city has a new target: salt.

The city is planning to unveil their new plan for salt reduction today, which in the end is supposed to work with health agencies and food companies to reduce the amount of packaged salt in products and restaurant food by 25 percent in the next five years.

Why is salt such a big deal? It has a huge part in causing hypertension – high ...continue reading]]>

Most food will be affected by Bloomberg's new salt-reduction initiative.

First, smoking was banned all throughout New York City in public places, then, trans fat was taken off the menu, and now the city has a new target: salt.

The city is planning to unveil their new plan for salt reduction today, which in the end is supposed to work with health agencies and food companies to reduce the amount of packaged salt in products and restaurant food by 25 percent in the next five years.

Why is salt such a big deal? It has a huge part in causing hypertension – high blood pressure. Reducing the amount of salt we all eat will also help reduce cases of stroke and heart attack, as well as other associated heart problems.

The salt reduction plan was an idea of Bloomberg’s and was announced a few months ago.

“We all consume way too much salt, and most of the salt we consume is in the food when we buy it,” said Dr. Thomas Farley, the city health commissioner, whose department is leading the effort. Eighty percent of the salt in Americans’ diets comes from packaged or restaurant food. Dr. Farley said reducing salt from those sources would save lives.

The NYC government and the mayor have come under some fire for this new effort, being criticized for being more like overbearing parents than governing officials with all of their health crusades.

This new salt-reduction effort may not go as planned, however. For one, there is no actual legislation forcing companies to reduce the amount of salt they put into their products. Also, it will require cooperation on a national level, as you cannot expect snack companies to reduce their sodium just for the New York market.

The city’s plan is for snack companies to reduce the amount of salt they put into their product gradually over the next five years, so that consumers can get used to it. This can be difficult because salt enhances flavor, extends shelf life and keeps food from spoiling.

The same thing happened when the city tried to ban trans fat. First, they called for voluntary compliance, and when that didn’t work, they passed legislation forcing companies to comply.

But passing legislation for salt reduction can be tricky. “There’s not an easy regulatory fix,” said Geoffrey Cowley, an associate health commissioner. “You would have to micromanage so many targets for so many different products.”

Officials are hoping that this will work through public pressure. Companies that comply will obviously get better press and good publicity as they as supposedly doing the city a healthy favor.

The city has been in talks with several companies in the last year and there are a few companies that do seem excited, including supermarket chain A&P. “We think it’s a very realistic set of criteria that our suppliers can adhere to,” said Douglas A. Palmer, vice president for store brands at A.& P.

Fast-food chain Subway is also on board with reducing the amount of salt in their sandwiches. Lanette R. Kovachi, Subway’s corporate dietitian, said the company has reduced salt in stores in several other countries, including Britain and Australia, in response to government programs there.

On Monday, after a year of consultations with industry, the city will release preliminary targets for sodium content. After a review, the city will unveil final targets in the spring and ask companies to commit to the program.

The system proposed by the city is complex, with reductions ranging from 10 to 40 percent for 61 classes of packaged foods and 25 classes of restaurant foods.

Now that you’ve got all of your holiday party outfits picked out, the only thing left to worry about is how to eradicate those pesky after party hangovers.

What is a hangover? A hangover is caused by a few different things. Alcohol is a diuretic, which means it is a drug that flushes out the body’s liquids. One of the reasons a hangover occurs is because of dehydration.

So here’s a few tips on what to do to wake up headache-free and fresh faced the next morning!

1)   Drink on a full stomach – Food slows the absorption of alcohol, which means less of ...continue reading]]> Now that you’ve got all of your holiday party outfits picked out, the only thing left to worry about is how to eradicate those pesky after party hangovers.

What is a hangover? A hangover is caused by a few different things. Alcohol is a diuretic, which means it is a drug that flushes out the body’s liquids. One of the reasons a hangover occurs is because of dehydration.

So here’s a few tips on what to do to wake up headache-free and fresh faced the next morning!

1)   Drink on a full stomach – Food slows the absorption of alcohol, which means less of it hits your brain. Which means your brain won’t be pounding the next morning.

2)   Take some vitamin C before you go to bed – Alcohol tends to cause vitamin deficiencies, so… take some vitamins!

3)   When you wake up, drink plenty of juice and water to replenish those minerals your body is missing. AVOID CAFFEINE. Caffeine will just continue to dehydrate you, which is something you do not want to happen.

4)   Drink a sports drink – Gatorade or Powerade helps restore precious electrolytes – key to getting over a hangover.

5)   Mineral rich food, such as pickles – In Russia, Ukraine and Poland is it common to use pickles as a chaser, because they are packed with minerals. And Russians know a thing or two about drinking.

6)   Bloody Mary – You don’t even have to put alcohol in this if you don’t have any. The tomatoes and celery is what you need. Bloody Mary’s are full of vitamins, and there is something about tomatoes that just makes hangovers… better.

7)   Take a shower – But don’t just take a shower. Start out with a very hot shower, switch to very cold, then switch back to hot again.

Some of these take a little advanced preparing… so make sure you have everything you need at home before going out tonight!

If you are an American and you eat, odds are that most of the food that you eat comes from seeds that are engineered by Monsanto, a company that has been trying to monopolize the market with questionable tactics.

If you think this doesn’t matter, just consider the fact that just about everything that we eat contains a soybean or corn product. Well, 95% of all soybeans and 80% of all corn grown in the United States come from seeds that use Monsanto’s patented genes.

If you still think it doesn’t matter, just wait till you see ...continue reading]]>

If you are an American and you eat, odds are that most of the food that you eat comes from seeds that are engineered by Monsanto, a company that has been trying to monopolize the market with questionable tactics.

If you think this doesn’t matter, just consider the fact that just about everything that we eat contains a soybean or corn product. Well, 95% of all soybeans and 80% of all corn grown in the United States come from seeds that use Monsanto’s patented genes.

If you still think it doesn’t matter, just wait till you see what you food is going to cost a few years from now.

For one, Monsanto prohibits anyone who grows crops using Monsanto’s patented genes from using any other types of genes in plants. And they do enforce this.

Secondly, owning 90% of all seed genetics operations in the United States, Monsanto has begun to raise the prices of their seeds and has planned even greater price increases in the next two years. With no real competition, Americans won’t have much choice in buying higher priced products that contain corn and soybean products (which is the overwhelming majority of them).

After increasing corn seed prices by 25 percent last year, Monsanto is planning to raise prices another seven percent next year.

At the same time, Monsanto increased the price of their soybean seeds even more last year and might raise the price another six percent next year.

With nearly a full monopoly on the seed business, the single most important staple of the food business, Monsanto is now being investigated by the Justice Department about their marketing practices that include exclusive contracts and seeds that kill the soil for any non-Monsanto grown products if a farmer wanted to stop growing Monsanto’s seeds.

Angelica Kitchen, a top vegetarian restaurant in NYC

The world is in agreement that veggie is the way to go. It’s healthier and better for the environment. The one worry is always that vegetarians do not get enough to eat. This is of course, a myth. New York City is full of wonderful restaurants that center around the vegetarian lifestyle.

Angelica Kitchen 300 E. 12th St. New York, NY 10003 212-228-2909

Angelica Kitchen has tons of fresh and organic vegetarian food! Its seasonal menu is carefully prepared. The food is eclectic and ranges from Thai food to vegetarian-style southern food. It is located in the East ...continue reading]]>

Angelica Kitchen, a top vegetarian restaurant in NYC

The world is in agreement that veggie is the way to go. It’s healthier and better for the environment. The one worry is always that vegetarians do not get enough to eat. This is of course, a myth. New York City is full of wonderful restaurants that center around the vegetarian lifestyle.

Angelica Kitchen
300 E. 12th St.
New York, NY 10003
212-228-2909

Angelica Kitchen has tons of fresh and organic vegetarian food! Its seasonal menu is carefully prepared. The food is eclectic and ranges from Thai food to vegetarian-style southern food. It is located in the East Village, which is a lovely place to go for a walk after dinner.

Bliss Cafe
191 Bedford Ave.
Brooklyn, NY 11211
718-599-2547

This Williamsburg restaurant is “nearly vegan” and has vegetarian and vegan alternatives to basic foods, such as scrambled eggs, burritos, steak sandwiches and the like.

Candle Café
1307 Third Ave.
New York, NY 10021
212-472-0970

This is a great place to get delicious, decadent desserts.  Their appetizers include hummus, tangy sea vegetables and entrees based on tofu, tempeh and seitan.

Candle 79
154 E. 79^th St.
New York, NY 10075
212-537-7179

Candle 79 offers gourmet vegan cuisine in an incredibly romantic setting. All of their food is organic. This restaurant is interesting because they offer a vegan soup of the day, which is often unique, such as watermelon or pureed squash. This restaurant will make you forget you ever craved meat.

Caravan of Dreams
405 East 6^th St.
New York, NY 10009
212-254-1613

This restaurant is not only vegan, but kosher as well. They have a meal for your every need, whether it is a snack after work, brunch with friends, or a romantic dinner with your significant other.

While the United States frequently sends food and aid to improvised nations, the government has been ignoring the needs of the hungry here at home.

According to the Department of Agriculture, nearly 50 million people or one in every six Americans, went hungry last year. The rate went up more than four percent from what it had been in 2007.

The United States Department of Agriculture classified “going hungry” as not having enough food or resources for enough food to lead a healthy lifestyle.

Former presidential candidate and current Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack has stated ...continue reading]]>

While the United States frequently sends food and aid to improvised nations, the government has been ignoring the needs of the hungry here at home.

According to the Department of Agriculture, nearly 50 million people or one in every six Americans, went hungry last year. The rate went up more than four percent from what it had been in 2007.

The United States Department of Agriculture classified “going hungry” as not having enough food or resources for enough food to lead a healthy lifestyle.

Former presidential candidate and current Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack has stated that he expects the rate to increase even more this year as the economic crisis takes its toll on the most vulnerable among us.

The most worrisome number is the rate of hunger among children. Nearly 17 million children went hungry in 2008, four million more than in 2007.

Critics are up in arms over this latest report. Several pundits have likened the seldom mentioned food crisis to the state of some third world countries. It is hard to defend against that kind of analysis when a quarter of American children do not have enough food to live a normal lifestyle.

The government has said that this is simply a problem of families being hit hard by the crisis and the government not having enough money to help feed the hungry. In 2008, Congress signed a bill to give nearly a trillion dollars to bailout banks. In 2008, the government also spent more than $600 billion on its defense budget.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=2VPE5HBahDk

Pinkberry is a popular chain yogurt store which made its debut in Los Angeles and has been doing quite well in there. The first Pinkberry store opened in NYC’s K-town last year and subsequently 3 more stores have appeared, the lastest on Spring Street. Pinkberry only offers two flavors, plain and green tea; I find that the green tea is a little bit too tart for my taste. According to Pinkberry’s website their yogurt is fat-free. It is actually the toppings that give this yogurt an additonal ‘pop.’ Toppings range from nuts, candy, to fresh fruits, in the Los Angeles’ ...continue reading]]>

Pinkberry is a popular chain yogurt store which made its debut in Los Angeles and has been doing quite well in there. The first Pinkberry store opened in NYC’s K-town last year and subsequently 3 more stores have appeared, the lastest on Spring Street. Pinkberry only offers two flavors, plain and green tea; I find that the green tea is a little bit too tart for my taste. According to Pinkberry’s website their yogurt is fat-free. It is actually the toppings that give this yogurt an additonal ‘pop.’ Toppings range from nuts, candy, to fresh fruits, in the Los Angeles’ chains I noticed that the most popular topping is mochi (i.e. rice cake). The interior decoration is very unique and offers Alessi kitchen items for sale. Pinkberry is so popular in Los Angeles that a whole bunch of copycats have sprung up with similar names, Chill Berry, Snow Berry, etc…. There are rumors that Pinkberry is actually a copycat of a popular yogurt chain from South Korea (Red Mango), but I cannot confirm this. Unlike the Los Angeles popularity, I do not see long lines out the doors of the NYC chains, maybe it is because New Yorker’s are accostumed to their Tasti-D-Lite.