Food for Thought

  1. Health & Medicine

    Better Labeling of Major Food Allergens

    A bill awaiting the President's signature would require that all U.S. food products identify in plain English the presence of major food allergens—and foster federal research on the incidence and impacts of food allergies.

    By
  2. Health & Medicine

    Seeing Red and Finding Fraudulent Fish

    The sale of falsely labeled fish has implications for health, nutrition, and the environment.

    By
  3. Health & Medicine

    Don’t Expect Too Much of Soy

    Two new studies find soy isn't an effective hormone-replacement alternative for postmenopausal women.

    By
  4. Agriculture

    A Maize-ing Travels

    Corn, an American native, has taken root the world over and is becoming increasingly important to agriculture in nations beyond the West.

    By
  5. Agriculture

    Coming Soon—Spud Lite

    A new variety of baking potato has about 25 percent fewer calories and 30 percent fewer carbohydrates per unit weight than the typical brown-skinned Idaho potato.

    By
  6. Health & Medicine

    Tea and a Daughter’s Puberty

    The age at which a girl first starts her monthly menstrual periods is later among daughters of tea drinkers than among daughters of moms who typically choose coffee or another beverage.

    By
  7. Health & Medicine

    Cardiovascular Showdown—Chocolate vs. Coffee

    Chocolate appears to be good for your arteries, whereas coffee—or at least its caffeine—does damage.

    By
  8. Health & Medicine

    Cinnamon Cleans the Breath

    Cinnamon can kill oral bacteria, including germs responsible for a chemical that imparts the rotten-egg smell to the breath.

    By
  9. Earth

    Marsh Farming for Profit and the Common Good

    A move is now afoot to get farmers to embrace wetlands as part of their business.

    By
  10. Health & Medicine

    Ironing Out Some Mental Limitations

    Iron deficiency can subtly compromise how well a person performs multiple challenging tasks simultaneously.

    By
  11. Health & Medicine

    Tea Yields Prostate Benefits

    Tea drinking appears to seed the body with compounds that retard the growth of prostate cancer.

    By
  12. Earth

    Chicken Farming, Ammonia, and Coastal Threats

    Chicken farming can contribute significant amounts of ammonia to the environment, including coastal waters.

    By