On Friday, the newly reinvigorated FDA sent a letter to 30 beverage manufacturers, giving them one month to show that caffeine in alcoholic beverages is indeed safe for consumption.

“Today the FDA has listed caffeine only as an ingredient for use in soft drinks,” said Deputy Commissioner Dr. Joshua Sharfstein. “The agency has not approved caffeine for use in alcoholic beverages.”

What started a decade ago with youngsters mixing red-bull into vodka at parties, has become a national “epidemic”. College students are now spared the mixing and can get caffeinated booz directly from one one bottle or can. The market for caffeinated alcoholic drinks is about 1% of the total beer industry, or about $1 billion.

What you need to know:

Some young people mistakenly believe that the caffeine will cancel the effect of the alcohol. In fact, they become alert drunks.

Studies have shown that mixing alcohol, a depressant, and caffeine, a stimulant, can cause people to feel less drunk than they actually are. As a result, simultaneously wired and inebriated college kids are more prone to accidents and over time, alcoholism.

Last year, the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI), a consumer watchdog organization, warned both MillerCoors and Anheuser-Busch of its intent to sue them over the caffeination of alcoholic beverages. Several state attorneys had also sent inquiries to manufacturers.

Those actions helped Anheuser-Busch decide to take caffeine and other unapproved additives out of its two alcoholic energy drinks, Bud Extra and Tilt in June 2008. In December 2008, Miller Coors, the giant beer conglomerate, cut the caffeine out of its popular Sparks beverage.

Now that the FDA is weighing in on the issue, hopefully the rest of the industry will follow suit. Unfortunately, collegiate party animals will still be left with the original option of mixing energy drinks and alcohol, a choice that hopefully less of them will make.

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Last week, the FDA  hinted it would be seriously looking at regulating Front of Pack (FOP) nutrition labeling systems. As a result, Smart Choices called it quits, and other programs are “on alert”. The FDA’s involvement can be of great assistance to the public, by creating a single unified system in ALL supermarkets and on ALL packages.

But first, wouldn’t it be nice if the FDA cleaned up the mess originally created when the Nutrition Labeling and Education Act (NLEA) brought us the nutrition facts label as we know it today?

Here’s a list of 10 things the FDA can do to improve the existing information on labels. Read more…

Happy Father’s Day dear families!

Although this holiday is usually associated with buying dad a tie/electronic gizmo/golg club/fishing gear and enjoying a BBQ meal, we’d like to take a minute to ponder the paternal role in a family’s healthy eating habits.

Not just moms – Nutrition is a job for both mom and dad. If mom is serving up a salad and fish, but dad pops a frozen cheeseburger in the microwave, kids get a mixed message about what to eat. Even more subtle gestures, such as jokes about salads and refraining from brocolli at dinner tells the kids, especially boys, what is considered “manly” food, and what is for girls and sissies. It’s bad enough we have “Hungry Man” TV Dinners for guys and “Lean Cuisine” for gals.

Meal times – It’s hard to find time to sit together for a family meal every day. Breakfast is grab and go, lunch is at school/work, and dinnertime is often spent working extra hours, an evening shift, or stuck in traffic. However, multiple studies have shown that families that eat together often tend to grow more responsible teens that stay away from drugs, perform better at school, and in general make their dads proud. So make the effort, if not daily, at least on weekends, to eat together.

Snack time - There’s a lot of temptation when it comes to snacking. it seems like every place your turn, you can get a doughnut, bag of chips, and a 20 oz slurpee. Sure, these are convenient ways to calm a growling tummy on the road or when coming home after a long day out of the house. But with a few minutes of preparation, you and your kids can enjoy a healthy snack of carrot sticks, apple slices, strawberries, peanut butter filled celery sticks, and more.

Role model – If mom is the sole person charged with grocery shopping and food preparation, while dad’s job is just to comment on the dishes based on taste (and wash the plates after the meal), it will be very hard to switch from greasy, salty comfort foods to healthier fare. By participating in the preparation process, dads can learn alot about what works and what doesn’t. Plus, there’sa good chance the children will want to join in as well. And when kids help prepare a dish, there’s an increased chance they’ll try it too.

Exercise – If your idea of getting fit is getting off the La-Z-Boy to get some more ice cream before the next game starts on ESPN, what is junior going to think? How about spending time tossing a ball around outside? And no, Wii Fit does not count.

Vices – What kind of message do children get when they see dad drinking daily, smoking, and engaging in other habits that are hard to break?

To summarize, you dad, are a family breadwinner, but your responsibilities also include making sure it’s whole wheat bread, and that it’s serve with plenty of fruits, vegetables, and lean dairy and meat.

Moms – please forward to your hubbies…

good luck!

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Very healthy! Or at least that’s what new research, sponsored by ConAgra, has shown. Here’s the press release:

ConAgra Foods announced today new research that shows people who ate Healthy Choice(R) really did get healthier. Participants in the 24-week study, on average, lost 18 pounds – all as fat – trimmed their waistlines by about three inches, and lowered their cholesterol by 12 points. Leading cardiologist Dr. James Rippe, founder and director of the Rippe Lifestyle Institute, led the research team that conducted the study, which was presented during the 2009 Experimental Biology Conference April 18-22 in New Orleans, La.

get it all here…

Excuse us while we scratch our heads. How can The Rippe Institute conduct a truly objective study when it is being heftily paid by a company with a vested interest in a specific outcome?

Reading into the study, the people eating Helthy Choice got healthier because they were forced to excercise, eat only fruits, vegetables, lean meat and dairy, and whole grains. Oh, and one Healthy Choice meal once a day. How can the weight loss be attributed specifically to the frozen meal?

This press release is part of a huge rebranding of the Healthy Choice empire, including the introduction of new products, reformulation of some existing lines, and new packaging. ConAgra is estimated to be spending close to $100 million on this effort, including National TV Ads starring Julia Louis-Dreyfus and web activities.

What you need to know:

While frozen dinners have made some headway over the past few years in terms of nutritional content, they still lag far behind home made food on several fronts:

1. high levels of salt – in the clip above, Julia Louis Dreyfus is stuffing herself silly with Sweet Asian Potstickers containing 600mg of sodium. That’s a quarter of the daily maximum value.

2. high levels of sugar – 19 grams or 4 teaspoonfuls. Hey, is this dessert?

3. too many ingredients* – here’s what’s inside the Sweet Asian Potstickers:

Vegetable Potstickers: (Filling [Cabbage, Vermicelli {Mung Bean, Water}, Baked Tofu (Tofu [Water, Whole Soybeans, Nigari], Tamari [Water, Soybeans, Salt, Alcohol, Wheat], Natural Flavors, Spices), Bulgur Wheat, Precooked Rice, Water Chestnuts, Green Beans, Onions, Carrots, Soy Sauce (Water, Wheat, Soybeans, Salt), Sesame Oil, Evaporated Cane Juice, Salt, Xanthan Gum, Spice], Wrapper [Wheat Flour, Water, Corn Starch, Soybean and/or Canola Oil]). Cooked Whole Grain Brown Rice, Water, Sugar, Carrots, Red Peppers, Sake, Rice Vinegar, Scallions, Corn Starch, Wheat, Soybeans, Spices, Sesame Oil, Garlic Puree, Salt, Locust Gum

To be fair, most of the list above is actually understandable, and there are no freaky additives or preservatives in this dish. So when the food scientists want to, they can dish out healthy fare…

* We could not find the ingredient information on the Healthy Choice website. The customer support group did reply promptly to our email, though.

What to do at the supermarket:

If you really really can’t prepare your own food, and must grab something from the Frozen Dinner Aisle, take a look at health brands such as Healthy Choice and Lean Cuisine first. The brand does not automatically promise you’ll get a nutritious dish, but it improves the chances.

Proceed to check the ingredient list, scanning for unpronounceable chemicals, and then look at the sodium count. It should be in the neighborhood of  400-500mg or less. The sugar count should be lower than 12 grams. Usually the calorie count will be decent, because manufacturers know that’s the only number most people look at.

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Two recent articles in Progressive Grocer Magazine highlight changes in food purchase and preparation.

1. Trading down from premium brands to private label or store brands.
2. Consolidation of shopping trips.
3. Coupon clipping and purchase planning using store circulars.
4. Comparing prices more carefully.
5. Stocking up on bargains.
6. Curbing impulse buys. This is painful for grocers, as impulse items are usually more profitable.
7. Cooking in large batches and then freezing foods.
8. Cutting back on desserts, wine and alcohol, gourmet oils.
9. Eating out less.
Sources:
Grocery Shopping Behavior Shifts, Some Changes Permanent
Study Illustrates Women Concerned with Food Costs

If there is a bright side to the financial downturn, maybe it’s people eating more home prepared fare, which tends to be leaner, less salty, and less sweet than prepared foods.

Do you see yourself eating better these days?

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It’s been almost 20 years since the nutrition label as we know it was introduced. The intent was to empower consumers to make more informed (read: healthy) purchasing decisions. Unfortunately, the labels have not helped, as America continues to grow, and not in a good way.

While blaming the inadequacy of the nutrition panel is a naive approach to America’s relationship with its food, there are certain oversights or loopholes in the way packaged food information is provided to consumers today. For example, health claims or nutrient claims, which appear in large font on the front of package, embellish one positive trait, say “low-fat”. The nutritional cost may be a product high in sugar content as compensation. But such details appear in the side panel (the nutrition label is never up front), and consumers don’t always bother to check.

We’ve compiled a list of improvements that can make labels and packaging even more informative, hopefully providing consumers with  better tools to make a decision. Consumers will benefit from increased transparency of nutrition and ingredient information. Read more…