A food additive commonly used in margarine, mayonnaise, chocolates and baked goods might one day help control diabetes, hypertension and cardiovascular disease risk, say researchers.
Scientists at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis identified a substance, which is the component of food additive lecithin, in the liver that helps process fat and glucose.
They believe that lecithin may one day be used to control blood lipids and reduce risk for diabetes, hypertension or cardiovascular disease using treatments delivered in food rather than medication.
“Currently, doctors use drugs called fibrates to treat …

Last week England’s Food Standards Agency published findings of a study it had commissioned on the nutritional value of organic produce. Little to no nutritional benefit was found in organic fruit and vegetables compared with “ordinary” equivalents, the FSA reported.
The agency as well as the newspapers that published the report are perfectly respectable bodies. But we can still ask questions. In fact, aficionados of organics and the principles that guide it were astonished by reports braying that organic foods are no healthier (or not more nutritious) than ordinary produce. That’s …

Aspartame, first discovered in 1965 by the pharmaceutical company G.D. Searle, is an artificial sweetener marketed by Ajinomoto Sweeteners under trademark names including Nutrasweet, Equal and Canderel. After saccharin, aspartame is the commonest sweetener, consumed by over 200 million people worldwide, and represents about 60 percent of the artificial sweetener market.
Aspartame provides food, soft drinks, candy and chewing gum manufacturers with substantial cost savings compared to sugar, which is 200 times less sweet. Aspartame is a low calorie, which helps people control their weight. It is also used in vitamins …

If there is one thing that sets the Sam ‘n’ Ella Cafe apart from the competition, it is this: Butter is used in cooking. It is also placed on the tables.
Notice that I did not write “real butter,” as you might have seen on advertisements for that product. The dairy industry has had to counter so many ads that proclaim “buttery flavor” and “like butter” and “you won’t know it’s not butter,” that it has taken to calling its product “real butter.”
Bless them. Butter is either butter, or it’s not.
There …

This week we have explored the numerous and often-misleading food labeling terms shoppers must decipher at the supermarket. One point about these terms is clear: unless the USDA or FDA have made issued firm policies on the legal use of certain terms, their meanings are far from certain.
 
To wrap up this series, a list of the top 5 misleading food label terms is provided below. Savvy shoppers should check the ingredients list and nutrition label on food products sporting these terms on their packaging!
1. Free-Range. The guidelines for using this …