Breakfast of champions? It turns out a morning meal of java and a donut, a favorite of office workers everywhere, could actually make you smarter.

The combo of caffeine and glucose revs up the brain, according to a study published in the journal "Human Psychopharmacology: Clinical and Experimental," reported by MSNBC.com.

Researchers found that pairing the two oft-maligned ingredients helps both attention and memory.

The study, conducted at the University of Barcelona in Spain, examined a group of 72 women and men between the ages of 18 and 25, who were given doses of either water, water with caffeine, water with glucose, or water with both caffeine and glucose.

The subjects then took a variety of tests on attention, memory and manual dexterity.

Some of the tests involved simple tasks such as remembering a list of 15 repeated words, or removing pegs from a cup and putting them quickly into a hole.

Others consisted of repeating back a batch of numbers both forward and backwards.

Participants who had been given water with caffeine or glucose had better reaction times than those who drank plain water.

And when the study subjects drank the water with both substances, they displayed impressive results on attention, learning, and consolidating verbal memory.

While the findings are noteworthy, researchers hope to perform more studies to investigate "the effects of caffeine and glucose, alone and in combination, with repeated doses."

In the meantime, hold the nutritious breakfast, please, and bring on the double mocha lattes and French crullers.

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Wendy's

French fries with the skin on and sea salt are Wendy's latest attempt to attract customers with more natural recipes.

With an eye toward appealing to foodies, Wendy's is remaking its fries with Russett potatoes, leaving the skin on and sprinkling sea salt on top.

The fast-food chain has been changing its menu to focus on "real" ingredients to win more fans.

The first move in the strategy was a new line of salads such as Apple Pecan Chicken in the summer. Now, the fries, which first appear on Thursday and roll out over the next two weeks. This is the first major overhaul of the 41-year-old company's fries, although it has adjusted the recipe in the past.

The new fries are slightly slimmer than the old ones, and crispier because they're smaller. They will have more salt, a medium size fry goes from 350 milligrams to 500 milligrams, and calories add 10 to 420. The selling price will not change, ranging from 99 cents to about $2. The fries will still come to stores frozen.

Wendy's is planning a marketing push, including national television ads airing later this month, to highlight the changes.

"We want every ingredient to be a simple ingredient, to be one you can pronounce and one your grandmother would recognize in her pantry," said Chief Marketing Officer Ken Calwell, who declined to say what the Dublin, Ohio, company was spending on the effort.

People want more natural foods and they want to know where they come from, he said. Having the skin on is a way to remind people that fries come from potatoes, he said. Testing showed that some people think restaurant french fries are processed foods, he said. The old recipe used a blend of potatoes, not always Russett, but the fries were 100 percent potato.

Sea salt is being increasingly used in fine dining and in mainstream eating. Lay's, part of PepsiCo Inc., uses sea salt in a version of its natural potato chips.

The new fries are also cooked in a different blend of vegetable oils.

Wendy's worked with its suppliers to grow more Russett potatoes, so the new recipe will only cost a fraction more to produce.

The company, a unit of Wendy's/Arby's Group Inc., has never been known for its fries, Calwell concedes. Burger King in the late 1990s famously overhauled its recipe to be crispier.

Wendy's said its new fries have been selling well in five test markets, including New Orleans and Orlando, in the past eight to nine months, he said. Wendy's has changed its fry recipe over the years, by adjusting the blend of oil used to fry them, and the amount of time they go from preparation to order, among other things. But those changes aren't something that could be easily understood by diners, so they were never touted.

Fries are very important to restaurant chains because they're a staple, but they've never been a major part of Wendy's business, said Joscelyn MacKay, a securities analyst with Morningstar. The company has been known more for its beef, which is fresh, not frozen. Fries are more of an afterthought to Wendy's, so it's not likely this will drive new business.

"It's very consistent with their positioning but at the end of the day, it's going to be down to taste," she said.

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Small wonder that kids are getting larger.

Preschoolers now see three fast-food commercials each day, according to research reported on Msnbc.com.

The TV commercials push the fat-laden cheeseburgers and fries, rather than singing the praises of healthier side dishes like apples.

A third of American kids eat an actual fast-food meal each day -- some clocking in at 1,000 calories each.

The default side dish: French fries.

Healthier side dishes and drinks should be the default options for children when they eat fast food, and fast-food ads should regulated, says Marlene Schwartz, deputy director of the Rudd Center for Food Policy & Obesity at Yale University, told Msnbc.com.

Fast-food is "a huge source of meals for kids, and that's why we feel they need to be really looked at more carefully," she says.

The Rudd Center for Food Policy & Obesity’s list of "worst" and "best" kids' meal combinations at fast-food restaurants lists Taco Bell, Dairy Queen and KFC among the worst nutritionally.

Taco Bell's bean burrito, served with cinnamon twists and a soft drink, has 760 calories, 284 of which come from sugar. KFC's extra crispy chicken drumstick, served with potato wedges, a soft drink and string cheese, contains 680 calories, while Dairy Queen's "original" cheeseburger, served with fries, Mountain Dew and a chocolate dilly bar, comes in at 973 calories, according to the Rudd Center.

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The researchers who visited 250 restaurants found that French fries were automatically served with kids' meals 86% of the time and soft drinks were served 55% of the time. And when the researchers tallied up calories, sugar, sodium and fat in thousands of kids' meal combinations, only 12 met the nutrition standards for preschoolers' school lunches established by the Institute of Medicine.

Wondering where to take your child for a healthy fast-food meal? The Rudd Center's top picks are Subway and Burger King. At Subway, for instance, a Veggie Delite sandwich served with apple juice and apple slices has just 285 calories and 295 milligrams of sodium

One of the worst bets when you’re ordering for your child: KFC's popcorn chicken, with 840 calories and 1,610 milligrams of sodium.


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According to the study taken by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development OECD on September 23, 2010, the United States leads the number of fat people in the world. US residents are much less physically active than in the past, thus overweight increased from 50% in 1980 to approximately 70% in 2010.

Apparently, these rates have doubled, even tripled in almost half of developed countries including the United State. With 34% of obesity, the United States is leading the rank of the world's richest countries getting fatter and fatter, and three out of four Americans will be obese within 10 years. If governments, individuals and industries including the United States do not cooperate to combat the epidemic, disease rates and health care expenditures will have been out of control by 2020. Let's have a look at the statistics by OECD of overweight of the United States in particular and the world's other richest countries in general.

Obesity is currently among the greatest issues becoming popular in the world's most-developed countries including America, Mexico, New Zealand, Australia and so on

The fat rise with 34% population in the US have direct effects on national issues of , health, development, and some other great aspects

It's amazing that the US is forecast to be ranked "the fattest country in the OECD" with a full 75% of obese Americans in 10 years by 2020

There are many factors causing overweight in the US in particular and in some richest countries in general such as much less physically active activities, or much cheaper foods, lifestyle changes

Because of less time to prepare meals at home, people more and more eat out in restaurants, use fast foot harming their health and lifestyles

Countries ranking after the US of obesity are Mexico, New Zealand, Australia, UK, Canada, Ireland with 30%, 27%, 25%, 24% 23% respectively

According to the Economic Cooperation and Development, the BMI of 30 or greater. BMI is a calculation of body fat based on height and weight applying to adult men and women

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Certain foods with low fat and cholesterol such as blackberries and dark chocolates containing nutritions and vitamins bring a healthy life and help enhance brain power. According to the Alzheimer's Association, a brain-healthy diet can effectively treat Alzheimer's disease or dementia and reduce the risk of heart disease and diabetes, transfer blood flow to the brain. There are variety of natural foods, drinks, herbs and supplemental products containing brain & body improving properties, the following list includes the best brain health food for humans.

Apples are the wealthy source of quercetin, an antioxidant plant chemical preserving water to protect your brain cells. An apple each day helps prevent your brain from free radical attacks. Radical attack is so dangerous to your brain because it can damage the outer line of delicate neurons, even causing cognitive decline.

Apples

Blackberries supply with potent antioxidants best known as polyphenols enhancing communication between neurons, improving information process.

Blackberries

Caffeine and plentiful antioxidants being contained in coffee beans is the key to enhance brain power. According to a recent Finnish study of 1,400 long-time coffee drinkers, having three to five cups of coffee compared to fewer than two cups a day is much more effective in reducing the development of Alzheimer's disease by 65 percent.

Coffee

According to the 2009 Journal of Nutrition study, eating 28,35 gram of chocolate a day at least helps protect your brain against absentmindedness and memory loss. The polyphenols in cocoa beans contribute to enhancing blood flow to the brain.

Chocolate

A well-known research from the University of California at Santa Barbara shows that the two compounds proanthocyanidins and cinnamaldehyde in cinnamon are inactivate tau proteins killing brain cells.

Cinnamon

This kind of food contains nutrients helping prevent dementia such as folate, vitamin E, and vitamin K. You will obtain a third of the folate and five times a great deal of vitamin K in a half cup of boiled spinach. Combining spinach with a little olive oil for your diets creats healthy fats enhancing absorption of vitamins E and K.

Spinach

ADDLs (or amyloid B-derived diffusible ligands) are proteins enhancing Alzheimer's progress. According to a research carried out at the Monell Chemical Senses Center in Philadelphia, PA last year, extra of olive oil may be an enemy against ADDLs harming the brain.

Extract of olive oil

Salmon is either good for heart or for brain. Salmon is a leading source of DHA, omega-3 protecting against Alzheimer, an illness killing over five million Americans. The kind of fish also supplies with a plentiful source of vitamin D helping avoid cognitive decline.

Salmon

Turmeric and ginger are 2 main spices in curry powder. According to studies at the University of California Los Angeles Alzheimer's Disease Research Center, turmeric is rich in curcumin protecting against Alzheimer's progress. Besides, turmeric reduces cholesterol causing low blood flow to your brain.

Turmeric

A survey conducted by researchers at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicin shows that 12 older adults with memory decline having a daily drink of grape juice is so beneficial to heart and brain. Polyphenols in grape juice help enhance communication among brain cells.

Grape juice

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Could consuming too much caffeine make someone crazy enough to commit murder?

Lawyers for Woody Will Smith, whose murder trial in Newport, Ky., starts today, plan to argue that the 33-year-old defendant had ingested excessive caffeine before he allegedly strangled his wife and so was temporarily insane, according to The Associated Press.

Shannon Sexton, the defense attorney, plans to state that Smith was not even able to form the intent of committing a murder, although prosecutor Michelle Snodgrass will say that Smith tested negative for substances containing amphetamines after the killing.

Smith is charged with killing his wife, 28-year-old Amanda Hornsby-Smith, in May 2009, by strangling her with an extension cord.

He could receive a sentence of life in prison if convicted. Smith told a psychologist hired by the defendant that he recalls taking his kids to school, but little else, about the morning of the murder.

In the previous weeks, he told psychologist Dr. Robert Noelker, he had not been sleeping, partly because he was afraid his wife would leave him and take their two children.

During this period, according to reports and case records, the defendant was consuming five or six energy drinks and soft drinks daily, along with diet pills.

In all, he was taking more than 400 milligrams of caffeine each day. An overdose of caffeine is defined as more than 300 milligrams (about three cups of coffee), according to the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders.

Smith could have had a "brief psychosis" due to sleep deprivation caused by heavy caffeine ingestion, according to Noelker. It is my opinion that this disorder was the direct result of psychosis due to severe insomnia," said a report filed by Noelker for the defendant.

The unusual strategy is not unlike one involving Daniel Noble, a University of Idaho Foundation budget analyst, who woke up last December after many nights of working long hours and drove to a Starbucks to down two large coffees. He was accused of mowing down and injuring two pedestrians with his car.

His attorney, Mark Moorer, got the charges dismissed.

Noble had a rare form of bipolar disorder brought on by excessive caffeine consumption, according to medical records. Charges were dismissed when the judge concluded that Noble could not form the mental intent necessary to even commit a crime.

"We referred to it as a temporary insanity defense," Moorer told The AP. "If you sat down and talked with him now, you’d think he’s as normal as you and I."
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Federal health regulators have issued warnings to the makers of Canada Dry ginger ale and Lipton tea for making unsubstantiated nutritional claims about their green tea-flavored beverages.

In a warning letter issued Aug. 30, the Food and Drug Administration takes issue with the labeling of Canada Dry Sparkling Green Tea Ginger Ale. The agency issued a similar letter Aug. 23 to Unilever Inc., over website and product labeling for its Lipton Green Tea.

Food processors increasingly have been adding vitamins and nutrients to their products to make them more appealing to health-conscious consumers. But the FDA letter to Dr. Pepper Snapple Group, which makes Canada Dry, states that the agency "does not consider it appropriate to fortify snack foods such as carbonated beverages." Furthermore, the agency states that the soft drink does not meet federal requirements to carry the claim that the drink is "enhanced with 200 mg of antioxidants from green tea and vitamin C." According to FDA regulations, the ingredients in Canada Dry's product "are not nutrients with recognized antioxidant activity."

The FDA letter to Unilever takes issue with a company website that mentions four studies that showed a cholesterol-lowering effect with tea. According to the agency, the labeling is misleading because it suggests Lipton tea is designed to treat or prevent disease. The agency also cites antioxidant labeling claims on the company's Lipton Green Tea, which do not follow federal guidelines.

The agency asks executives from both companies to respond to the citations within 15 days and to outline their plans for addressing the problems.

Calls to Plano, Texas-based Dr. Pepper Snapple Group were not immediately returned Tuesday. Calls placed to Unilever's Englewood Cliffs, N.J.-based offices were also not immediately returned. The company is headquartered in London and Rotterdam, Netherlands.

Once a niche market, nutrient-enriched beverages have grown into a multibillion dollar business that includes everything from calcium-enhanced orange juice to energy drinks containing ginseng, ginkgo and other organic products.

In recent years, the FDA has begun cracking down on food companies that overstate the benefits of their products.

The FDA generally endorses health claims on foods only after government researchers have verified that the products help prevent actual disease. Food containing oats, for example, can carry the FDA-approved claim, "may reduce risk of heart disease."

The FDA regularly issues warning letters to companies that do not follow regulations for manufacturing and marketing. The letters are not legally binding, but the agency can take companies to court if they are ignored.

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Just looking for the basics about what you need to know about the 2010 egg recall? Here are quick links that'll help answer your questions about the latest recall and salmonella outbreak.

What’s going on?

About half a billion eggs have been recalled because of a salmonella outbreak. While this recall involves hundreds of millions of eggs, they represent less than 1 percent of the 80 billion eggs produced in the United States each year, according to the Egg Safety Center, a trade association entity.

Egg producer Hillandale Farms of Iowa recalled some 170.4 million eggs distributed to stores and companies and another company, Wright County Egg of Galt, Iowa, has recalled 380 million eggs.

Which eggs are affected?

The Egg Safety Center has a complete list of recalled eggs, their expiration dates, and brands. If you happen to have any of these don’t eat them – get rid of them or return them for a refund.

How many people have been affected?

About 1,300 cases of salmonella have been linked to eggs from Wright County Eggs and Hillandale Farms of Iowa, forcing a recall of their products in at least 17 states, according to the Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

What is salmonella?

CNN’s Dr. Sanjay Gupta explains that chickens can pass salmonella enteritidis, the bacteria at the center of the outbreak, without getting sick. Symptoms for humans can be mild to severe, but most people will have some gastrointestinal signs.

How did salmonella get into the eggs?

Laying hens can be infected either by contact with human workers who have not followed proper sanitary procedures, or, more frequently, by consuming feed that has come into contact with rodent feces. Affected hens can transmit the bacteria from their ovaries or oviducts before the shell even forms around an egg, thus making the egg's tainted status undetectable, Eatocracy’s Kat Kinsman explains.

What’s the background on the egg companies?

Congress has asked the two Iowa-based egg producers for details on the contamination of their egg products. The companies, Wright County Egg and Hillandale Farms were supplied by another company, Quality Egg, which provided feed and young birds. Both Wright County and Quality Egg are owned by the DeCoster family, which has a string of agribusiness interests in the Midwest and Northeast.

Could this have been prevented?

The latest outbreak raises serious questions about the U.S. food supply and safety. New regulations went into effect July 9, requiring egg producers with more than 3,000 hens to take measures designed to prevent the spread of salmonella. But the current outbreak began in May, according to the FDA.

I love eating eggs. Do I have to give them up?

Avoid the recalled products and here are some additional safety tips.

Will I be safer if I eat cage-free or organic eggs?

Regardless of methodology, none of it ensures that the eggs are completely safe from salmonella, Eatocracy explains.

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When meat smells funky or fruit gets moldy, you know it's time to toss it. But new science is showing that even "nonperishables" such as tea, olive oil, dried herbs, and grains can lose valuable nutrients during months in your pantry. We surveyed a dozen experts to find out what's at risk—and learned some tips for prolonging your food's nutritional shelf life.

Green Tea

Antioxidants decrease an average of 32% after 6 months on the shelf, according to a 2009 study in the Journal of Food Science. These antioxidants, known as catechins, may decrease your risk of several types of cancer, but they are sensitive to both oxygen and light. Sadly, tea, unlike wine, does not improve with age.

Make It Last: "Buy tea in airtight packages such as tins, rather than cellophane wraps, which air can penetrate," advises Rona Tison of ITO EN, the world's largest supplier of green tea. Store your tea bags in sealed, opaque canisters in a cool spot. "Green tea is more sensitive to heat than black tea , so place your sealed container in the refrigerator to keep the leaves fresh and healthy for as long as possible," she says.

Is your kitchen making you sick?

Tomato Products

Canned tomato juice loses 50% of its lycopene after 3 months in the refrigerator—even when it's unopened, says a study in Food Chemistry. Similarly, scientists in Spain have found that the lycopene in ketchup deteriorates over time. That's a shame, because it's a potent antioxidant that may fight many forms of cancer and heart disease and even strengthen bones.

Make It Last: Skip the premade tomato sauce and make your own using boxed whole or diced tomatoes rather than pureed. Whole and diced tomatoes contain more solids, which provide added protection for the lycopene, says B. H. Chen, PhD, a food scientist at Fu Jen University in Taiwan who analyzes the stability of carotenoids. If ketchup sits in your fridge for months, buy smaller bottles, says Christine Gerbstadt, M.D., RD. Fresh bottles tend to start off with higher levels of lycopene.

Potatoes

Vitamin C declined 40%, on average, after 8 months in proper storage (in a place that's cool, dark, and dry), according to researchers in Holland. You probably wouldn't keep potatoes that long. But farmers often store them up to 5 months before shipping them to market, says Peter Imle, a potato farmer and plant geneticist in northern Minnesota.

Make It Last: Look for smaller potatoes (often labeled new), which have a slightly higher vitamin C content to begin with, and buy only what you can eat in a few weeks. Imle also recommends keeping potatoes in paper sacks, rather than plastic grocery bags. "Paper keeps out excess light and oxygen. But it still allows the potatoes to breathe, without trapping in moisture like plastic can," he explains.

How to store food to make it last longer.

Olive Oil

The potency of antioxidants declined 40% after 6 months, according to a 2009 Italian study of bottled olive oil in the Journal of Food Science. Yet in many households, bottles can sit on the shelf for much longer than that.

Make It Last: Don't store oil near the stove or leave it uncapped for long, as it's sensitive to oxygen, heat, and light, says Doug Balentine, PhD, director of nutrition sciences at Bertolli, an olive oil producer. If you don't cook with it often, buy smaller bottles.

Berry Jams

The anthocyanins in blueberry jam decline by 23%, on average, after 2 months of storage at room temperature, say researchers at the University of Arkansas. Similarly, strawberry jam loses up to 12% of its health-boosting flavonoids after 6 months in a dark cupboard. Experts believe the flavonoids (including anthocyanins) contribute to the antiinflammatory, memory-preserving, antioxidant effects of berries.

Make It Last: Store jams in the fridge before opening to retain about 15% more of the anthocyanins and their antiaging benefits. Or buy sugar-free blueberry jams. Researchers found that they maintain higher levels of anthocyanins over time.

6 Things that make your home unsafe.

Dried Herbs & Spices

The capsaicin in chili powder decreased continuously during 9 months of storage in one Chinese study. Capsaicin may contribute to weight loss and also help fight certain cancers. "Generally, spices that should be bright in color but have grown dull are also devoid of flavor and nutritional value," says Jay Bunting, owner of Wayzata Bay Spice Co.

Make It Last: Buy in glass jars whenever possible, says Bunting. (Air penetrates plastic.) Better yet, grind your own. Whole spices such as peppercorns retain health benefits and flavor much longer because the inside of each peppercorn is protected from light and air. Store herbs and spices out of direct light and away from the hot stove.

Grains & Dry Goods

The riboflavin in enriched macaroni plummeted 50% after being exposed to light for only a day, according to a Journal of Food Science study. Even dim light can degrade riboflavin by 80% after 3 months, according to another study. The folic acid in enriched flour is also sensitive to both light and oxygen.

Make It Last: Store grains in opaque ceramic containers, far from the stove's damaging heat. A dry cupboard is better than the fridge, except in the case of brown rice, which contains a small amount of oil and therefore spoils faster at room temperature.

Prevention

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Is food really akin to a deity? Actually, it may be our replacement for one says Geneen Roth, author of the best-selling book, Women, Food and God. She says many of us use food to avoid the emptiness that comes from feeling a lack of love, comfort, or passion for life. It's only when we acknowledge and examine our emotional hardships, she says, that we can truly develop a healthful relationship with food. She recommends trying these five things to overcome emotional eating:
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1. Pay attention to when you eat. Yes, you should tune in to those occasions when you eat but aren't really hungry. Are you stressed, bored, or sad? But also pay attention to how you spend your time and your money—and what you value most in the world. Often, Roth explains, people turn to food to express core beliefs. Those who feel the need to be in control in order for things to go smoothly often go on extreme diets only to find themselves bingeing uncontrollably after a period of deprivation. Those who can't sit quietly with their loneliness or solitude may seek out pleasure from a bowl of ice cream or a bag of chips. "Ask yourself what's going on in those moments when you turn to food," Roth advises.

2. Take action to avoid eating when you're not hungry. Consider what would happen if you didn't eat when you're, say, feeling sad. You may, even on a subconscious level, believe that you'd fall apart if you let the sadness in or never stop crying, says Roth. Or you may think you just can't deal with your boredom. But give it a try once and see. "Allow yourself to feel the boredom, sadness, or anxiety," she says, "without using food to change the channel on what's happening in your life."

3. When you are hungry, stick to the following rules. Eat sitting down in a calm environment—not in your car. Avoid any distractions, like TV, newspapers, books, or anxiety-producing conversations. Eat what your body wants and just enough to feel satisfied but not stuffed. Have your meals with the intention of being in full view of others and do so with enjoyment, gusto, and pleasure.

4. End dieting once and for all. "Until I was 30, I was convinced that if only I could become thin, I'd be happy—that all my suffering would be gone," says Roth, who gained and lost more than 1,000 pounds before dealing with her own emotional eating issues. She spent two years as an anorexic weighing 80 pounds before she finally realized that she was just as miserable thin as fat. It was only after she stopped dieting that she reached a healthy weight, which has remained stable for 30 years. "I've never met a diet that didn't have a binge attached to it," Roth adds.

5. Embrace curiosity. "Most of us aren't curious about why we do what we do," says Roth. That may be because we don't want to be our own worst critics. Roth recommends a Buddhist practice called inquiry where you examine your thoughts and actions with kindness and curiosity. Sit quietly for 20 minutes and feel the sensations around you: the smell of the air, the feel of your clothes, the sounds your body is making and then begin associating those sensations with a memory or a particular feeling, like tension or loneliness. Sit with those sensations, those thoughts, and be curious about them without trying to direct the inquiry or distract yourself. In fact, allow yourself to be astonished by what you're discovering. This sense of being astonished will help you also pay attention to the goodness in your life, she explains. "I think it's important for us to see how much we already have, to feel gratitude instead of using food to make us feel good."

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There was lots of spicy talk about salt yesterday at the annual Fancy Food show put on by the $63 billion "specialty food" industry.

Recent warnings by Mayor Bloomberg and the AMA didn't seem to worry many of the 2,400 exhibitors at the Javits Center exhibition, since salt is as vital to chips, dips, cakes and cheeses as bats are to baseball.

Susan Eriksen of Char Crust, which makes meat seasonings, says the company lowered sodium on some flavors, including ginger. They just don't push it.

"Our original hickory goes back to 1957," she says. "People like it the way it is. We see no reason to mess with a good thing."

Jean Erlich of Rock 'N' Roll Gourmet, a new company whose snacks include Buffalo Wing Chips With Blue Cheese Drizzle, says her company keeps sodium down by incorporating other ingredients, like jalapeno.

"I still want flavor," she says. "I don't want a chip that tastes like paint."

So, how do the companies try to lose the bad effects of sodium while keeping the flavor?

Some are gambling on substitutes - like J&D Foods, which sells bacon salt. It also sells "baconnaise" and bacon-flavored lip balm, but salt is the big seller.

"When people discover this, they eat less regular salt," co-owner Dave Lefkow says. "We have 75% less sodium than regular salt."

One bacon salt customer in Texas told Lefkow he puts it on marshmallow Peeps and grills it. Salty and sweet.

Others say the solution is healthier salt.

"The salt the AMA and the mayor are saying is bad for you is refined salt," says Melissa Kushi of HimalaSalt. "Most of the minerals and nutrients have been taken out and what's left is pretty much sodium and garbage."

"People see articles on the effect of too much sodium and they think, 'Oh, salt will kill you,'" says Dianna Ramey of Gold Mine Natural Food Co. "No, salt won't. Pure, unrefined salt is good for you."

"It's not rocket science," says Hernan Fuenzalida of BioSalt. "Just use healthier salt."

Still, low-sodium will never become no-sodium.

"People want taste," she says, "and they're willing to spend for high-end salty snacks. We've never been busier. This business seems to be recession-proof."

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Eat your heart out. Teenage boys routinely pack in 2,000 calories at lunch when given the chance, without any fat-producing effects, according to a study.

Given the chance, 14- to 17-year old guys eat more than girls their age and turn those calories into height and muscle mass.

Researchers from the U.S. National Institute of Child Health and Human Development studied 204 kids between the ages of 8 and 17, according to Reuters. The kids were told to eat as much as they would normally. The typical noontime pig-out for the boys weighed in at close to 2,000 calories in late puberty - a fact that won’t surprise parents of boys who routinely eat them out of house and home.

The eating pattern makes perfect sense since boys have a later growth spurt than girls, according to researcher Dr. Jack A. Yanovski.

“There’s a lot of folk wisdom that says boys can eat prodigious amounts, but we haven’t had much data,” he told Reuters. Yanovski’s study was published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

In the study, girls didn’t prove to be quite as ravenous. They demonstrated the largest appetites between the ages of 10 and 13, averaging nearly 1,300 calories at lunch. The figure increased just slightly among older teenage girls, which was consistent with their development.

Unlike guys, girls have their biggest growth spurt in early to mid-puberty. After that, as women know all to well, 2,000-calorie feasts no longer morph into height or muscle mass.

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Federal regulators are mulling whether to restrict or even completely ban serving peanuts on commercial flights.

The snack attack would ease fears and reduce the potential harm to nearly 1.8 million Americans who suffer from peanut allergies, advocates say. But peanut farmers are crying foul, saying the ruling is overreaching.

"The peanut is such a great snack and such an American snack," Martin Kanan, CEO of the King Nut Companies, told the Associated Press. "What's next? Is it banning peanuts in ballparks?"

The U.S. Transportation Department announced last week that it was meeting with allergy sufferers, medical experts, the food industry and the public on whether to ban in-flight peanuts.

A spokesman for the department said it was responding to concerned travelers who either suffer from peanut allergies or have children that do.

"We're just asking for comment on whether we should do any of these three things," spokesman Bill Mosely told the AP. "We may not do any of them."

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College students may be putting their health on a back burner by filling up on instant noodles and baked beans.

By consuming energy-dense foods and instant meals, students are increasing their risk of getting chronic diseases such as diabetes, cancer and heart disease, according to a new study in Australia.

“There seems to be an acceptance out there that getting by on less nutritious food is a typical part of being a university student,” said Dr. Danielle Gallegos, who along with Kai Wen Ong surveyed more than 800 university students in Brisbane, Australia. “But a diet of baked beans and instant noodles is not good enough when health and academic results are at stake.”

A quarter of the students who participated in the research reported experiencing “food insecurity” in the year prior to the survey, and some 6% said they were repeatedly hungry.

Gallegos, who presented her findings at a national conference of dietitians in Melbourne, Australia this week, said vulnerable groups such as low income people who can’t afford to buy healthy foods tend to be either underweight or overweight.

Count college kids among these vulnerable people.

“Two thirds of the food-insecure students in our study ate less than two servings of fruit per week and 4% had no fruit at all,” Gallegos said.

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An outbreak of E. coli poisoning has expanded to Tennessee, where one more person has been sickened after eating romaine lettuce grown on an Arizona farm.

The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says there are 23 confirmed cases of E. coli and seven probable cases connected to the tainted lettuce. That is up from 19 confirmed by CDC earlier this week.

The rest of those sickened live in Michigan, Ohio and New York. Many of them were middle school, high school and college students who ate in school cafeterias. The CDC said there are 10 confirmed cases in Michigan, eight confirmed cases in Ohio, four confirmed cases in New York and one confirmed case in Tennessee. All of those sickened became ill before late April.

The strain of E. coli involved in the outbreak is rare and difficult to diagnose, so there may be more unreported cases, officials have said.

There have been two recalls of romaine lettuce related to the outbreak, both by distributors who bought lettuce from the same Yuma, Ariz., farm. Ohio-based Freshway Foods announced a 23-state recall of romaine lettuce last week, while Vaughn Foods of Moore, Okla., announced a recall Monday.

Vaughn Foods bought its lettuce from California-based Andrew Smith Co., a supply company which shipped the lettuce after purchasing it from the Arizona farm. The Food and Drug Administration, which is investigating the outbreak, has so far declined to give the name of the farm.

Andrew Smith Co. would not say if they supplied romaine lettuce to Freshway Foods. Amy Philpott, a spokeswoman for Andrew Smith Co., said the company did sell the lettuce to an additional distributor in Massachusetts but would not identify that distributor because the lettuce is already past its expiration date.

The FDA said it is still attempting to determine the point in the supply chain where the contamination occurred, since it went through several facilities before it was eaten. As a supplier, Andrew Smith Co. buys bulk romaine lettuce from farms and sells it to distributors. Those distributors, such as Freshway Foods and Vaughn Foods, then sell it to food service outlets or retail customers.

Many of those who became ill were college students in the three states. Middle and high school students in New York were also sickened, including a 15-year-old and a 17-year-old who developed hemolytic uremic syndrome, which can cause bleeding in the brain or kidneys. Local health authorities in Dutchess County, N.Y., where the students fell ill, said they are all expected to make a full recovery.

The E. coli was discovered by New York health authorities in a bag of Freshway Foods shredded romaine lettuce last week after they had been investigating the outbreak in the schools for several weeks.

Most of the lettuce recalled was sold to food service establishments. The recall does not affect bagged lettuce in the grocery store.

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