nutrition news stories on Newser

California Students Eating Less Junk Food

Dustin Lushing — Fri, 11 May 2012 16:12:48 CDT

Why do teens in California consume fewer calories a day than young people in other states? It's because they snack less when at school, a new study finds, and they snack less because state laws have curbed the sale of junk food and banned the sale of soda and sugary...

Nutella Maker Settles $3M 'Candy Bar' Lawsuit

Neal Colgrass — Sun, 29 Apr 2012 15:30:07 CDT

Bought Nutella over the past four years? You're in luck: Fererro USA, which makes the creamy spread, has set aside $3 million to settle a class-action lawsuit from a California mom. Athena Hohenberg filed the suit in reaction to Nutella's advertising claim that the product is "an example of a...

5 'Healthy' Foods to Avoid

John Johnson — Sun, 04 Mar 2012 11:02:00 CST

Some foods have an underserved reputation as being healthy snacks, writes Katherine Tallmadge at the Washington Post . She runs down five common ones, including: Energy bars: These are actually "calorie bombs," she writes. Sugar is usually the first or second ingredient. Going for a hike? Try nuts and dried fruit...

Potatoes Make Junk Food —but They're Not Junk

Evann Gastaldo — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 10:17:20 CST

Corn and potatoes get a bad rap, due to the fact that we mainly consume them in junk food form. But corn and potatoes themselves are, Mark Bittman reminds us in the New York Times , "real food"—unlike, say, Pringles, which are potato chips that contain just 42% actual potato....

Uproar After NC State Agent 'Fixes' Girl's Lunch

Evann Gastaldo — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 11:30:27 CST

A North Carolina preschooler arrived at school with a lunch packed by her mom, but ended up eating just three chicken nuggets from the school cafeteria because a state agent didn't think her packed lunch was nutritious enough. Pre-kindergarten programs are required to serve lunches that meet USDA guidelines—one...

Vegans Turn to Bodybuilding

Dustin Lushing — Sat, 07 Jan 2012 08:43:42 CST

A new trend is sprouting in the sport of bodybuilding: veganism. A burgeoning group of competitive weight-lifters are turning to an all animal-free diet, reports the New York Times . It's a challenge because the vegan diet can be dauntingly limited for bodybuilders, who need a sufficient amount of amino acids,...

Is Boring Breadfruit Our 'Food of the Future'?

Matt Cantor — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 16:46:06 CDT

It’s highly nutritious and some say it could alleviate world hunger; trouble is, it’s not too appetizing. “You have to kind of fool people to get them to try it,” a chef tells the Wall Street Journal . That may be worth it, breadfruit supporters say: A movement of sorts has...

Vitamin E Pills May Boost Risk of Prostate Cancer

Matt Cantor — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 17:30:05 CDT

Supplements we take for better health may actually be hurting us. Yesterday we learned that vitamins may carry an increased risk of death for women ; today's culprit is vitamin E, which may heighten the risk of prostate cancer. A study found that men who took the popular supplements faced a...

Cheese War Breaks Out in Wisconsin

Matt Cantor — Tue, 27 Sep 2011 14:23:27 CDT

When in Wisconsin, don’t talk trash about cheese. A group of physicians is bold enough to do so—near the Green Bay Packers’ stadium, no less—and now it's being threatened with a lawsuit, reports the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel . The group rented billboard space en route to the stadium to install...