Free Republic

Many parents prefer to send their children off to school with a packed lunch, believing that the food they have given them is far healthier than school lunches. But a new study, published in the Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior, claims this may not be the case. The research team, led by Alisha R. Farris of the Department of Human Nutrition, Food and Exercise at Virginia Tech, found that school lunches had better average nutritional quality than packed lunches. "We found that both packed and school lunches almost entirely met nutrition standards, except school lunches were below energy and...

The Weekly Gardening Thread is a weekly gathering of folks that love soil, seeds and plants of all kinds. From complete newbies that are looking to start that first potted plant, to gardeners with some acreage, to Master Gardener level and beyond, we would love to hear from you. This thread is non-political, although you will find that most here are conservative folks. No matter what, you won’t be flamed and the only dumb question is the one that isn’t asked. It is impossible to hijack the Weekly Gardening Thread. There is no telling where it will go and... that...

Restaurant Code Words: Crunchy, tempura, battered, crispy, breaded, crusted, golden, sizzling If you're making a healthy choice, you're probably not purposely choosing a fried food item. Look for words like crunchy, battered, crispy, breaded, crusted, golden, tempura; some of these options are a double-whammy on your caloric intake because the item is fried with an additional carb-based coating. ... Restaurant Code Words: Teriyaki, BBQ, glazed, sticky, honey-dipped Powdered doughnuts may be self-explanatory on a menu, but options labeled as Teriyaki, BBQ, glazed, sticky or honey-dipped could also be high in added sugars. It is wise to ask if sauces of...

The Weekly Gardening Thread is a weekly gathering of folks that love soil, seeds and plants of all kinds. From complete newbies that are looking to start that first potted plant, to gardeners with some acreage, to Master Gardener level and beyond, we would love to hear from you. This thread is non-political, although you will find that most here are conservative folks. No matter what, you won’t be flamed and the only dumb question is the one that isn’t asked. It is impossible to hijack the Weekly Gardening Thread. There is no telling where it will go and... that...

2014 Veterans Day Free Meals, Discounts, Sales and Deals Read more: http://militarybenefits.info/veterans-day-discounts-sales-deals-free-meals/#ixzz3HfEEMUVw

“Aunt Karen, your homemade salsa is so good. You should bottle it and sell it!” You’ve probably said something similar to a relative, friend or neighbor. And this is how many food companies get started – a recipe of homemade hard work, a pinch of encouragement and a healthy dose of risk-taking. But in Michigan, it is harder for some food entrepreneurs to get started than others, as the state regulates this so-called cottage food industry in a seemingly arbitrary way. State law does exempt anyone who sells less than $20,000 worth of homemade food from the mountains of regulations,...

<p>Seattle this week to discuss their vegan recipes and America’s relationship with food.</p> <p>The cover of the controversial vegan cookbook, “Thug Kitchen.”</p> <p>They packed their suitcases only to learn Monday they were uninvited.</p> <p>Book Larder, a culinary-themed bookstore in Fremont, decided to cancel a book signing scheduled for Wednesday night over concerns that critics would take over the event.</p>

President Nicolas Maduro's government said on Thursday it had taken over warehouses around Venezuela crammed with medical goods and food that "bourgeois criminals" were hoarding for speculation and contraband. The socialist government says businessmen and wealthy opponents are trying to sabotage the economy to bring Maduro down, while also seeking to make profits from hoarding, price-gouging and smuggling across the border to Colombia. Critics say 15 years of failed policies of state intervention are to blame for the OPEC nation's widespread shortages, high inflation and apparently recessionary economy. They accuse nouveau riche officials and military officers of illegal business practices....

The Weekly Gardening Thread is a weekly gathering of folks that love soil, seeds and plants of all kinds. From complete newbies that are looking to start that first potted plant, to gardeners with some acreage, to Master Gardener level and beyond, we would love to hear from you. This thread is non-political, although you will find that most here are conservative folks. No matter what, you won’t be flamed and the only dumb question is the one that isn’t asked. It is impossible to hijack the Weekly Gardening Thread. There is no telling where it will go and... that...

Here's what "food experts" have to say when they taste McDonalds under the pretense that it's organic food. (my favorite is the woman who says it tastes "more pure") Pretentious BS. I've thought this about so-called "foodies" for a long time now.It's food. Sure, there's good food and bad food, but we're in a bad place when people try to over-intellectualize it the way the people above and all of these chef reality shows do. We're basically treating food the same way we do abstract art now (half the time fancy restaurants even serve plates that look like it)If you...

90 Percent of Checkout Food Options Unhealthy; 60 Percent of Drink Options Sugar-Sweetened A study of checkout aisles at a wide variety of supermarket and non-food retailers found that 90 percent of food options for sale were for candy, energy bars, chips, cookies, and other junk foods, and 60 percent of the beverage options were for soda and other sugar-sweetened beverages. Researchers at the nonprofit Center for Science in the Public characterized only eight percent of food items as "healthier," and just two percent of foods as actually "healthy," such as nuts and fruit. Their assessment of drinks for sale...

The Weekly Gardening Thread is a weekly gathering of folks that love soil, seeds and plants of all kinds. From complete newbies that are looking to start that first potted plant, to gardeners with some acreage, to Master Gardener level and beyond, we would love to hear from you. This thread is non-political, although you will find that most here are conservative folks. No matter what, you won’t be flamed and the only dumb question is the one that isn’t asked. It is impossible to hijack the Weekly Gardening Thread. There is no telling where it will go and... that...

The weekly gardening thread........

BURLEY, Idaho – Burley High School has seen a 25 percent decrease in participation since changes to the National School Lunch Program went into effect. Michelle Obama hand on student 337x244Those students now “bring sack lunches, dash off campus for fast food or skip the meal altogether,” according to the Times-News. “It was not edible. It was a greasy little hot pocket,” parent Steve Wells says. “When we were little, everything at school was homemade.” The school lunch “doesn’t taste as good,” student Ana Inzunza tells the paper. “It’s missing flavor and tastes plain.” “There are a lot of challenges,”...

Local school districts around the country are going to take a huge financial hit in fiscal year 2015 because the cost of the school lunches they offer is expected to triple. The combination of escalating costs because of harsher restrictions and the dwindling number of students enrolled in the program, which limits reimbursements from the federal government, are going to rigger the enormous rise in costs, according to the School Nutrition Association (SNA). SNA is comprised of 55,000 school nutrition professionals around the country. SNA CEO Patricia Montague said, "School nutrition professionals have led the way in promoting improved diets...

The Ebola epidemic in West Africa may have surprised most of the medical establishment – this is the first such outbreak in the region – but the risk had been steadily rising for at least a decade. The risk had grown so high, in fact, that this outbreak was almost inevitable and very possibly predictable. All that was needed was to see the danger was a bat’s eye view of the region. Once blanketed with forests, West Africa has been skinned alive over the last decade. Guinea’s rainforests have been reduced by 80%, while Liberia has sold logging rights to...

The Weekly Gardening Thread is a weekly gathering of folks that love soil, seeds and plants of all kinds. From complete newbies that are looking to start that first potted plant, to gardeners with some acreage, to Master Gardener level and beyond, we would love to hear from you. This thread is non-political, although you will find that most here are conservative folks. No matter what, you won’t be flamed and the only dumb question is the one that isn’t asked. It is impossible to hijack the Weekly Gardening Thread. There is no telling where it will go and... that...

Ideas. Am I cursing my future children to a life of being social outcasts because mommy wants to feed them green smoothies? Right now, there are at least a handful of people who I KNOW will never babysit my imaginary, yet-to-be born child. As far as they’re concerned, my baby will be more under wraps than “Blanket” Jackson was. Yes, I want nothing more than to have a full stock of potential babysitters, but sometimes these people—my friends—say things that make me get the Scooby Doo face. “Your kids ain’t gon have any friends!” “I’m going to feed your kids...

Today is National Cookie Day. Most everyone has a favorite cookie, some are homemade and other Combo-Cookies can only be made by well oiled machines. I enjoy some of everything once in a while. There are Chocolate Chips, Peanut Butter, Sugar, Sugar with White Confectioner's Powder on top, Fudge, Caramel Nut, and an entire constellation of Oatmeal recipies, some with raisins and nuts, some plain. One of my favorites is anything using that thin flaky dough found in Baklava recipies. I think that dough is called Phyllo. This is a lightweight flavor vehicle that can ride down either Sweet Street...

A division of the Agriculture Department is making $31.5 million in funding available to help people on food stamps obtain healthier foods. The department’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) is making the funding available to help those enrolled in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which offers nutrition assistance to millions of low-income Americans. "Too many struggling families do not have adequate access to nutritious food," Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said Monday as he announced the new funding. "Helping families purchase more fresh produce is clearly good for families' health, helps contribute to lower health costs for the country,...