The British Journal of Cancer recently published a review that links cancer rates in the UK to various lifestyle and environmental factors including diet, exposure to hormones and radiation, and tobacco and alcohol use, among others. While the reviewing doctors emphasize that lifestyle choices aren’t the only determining factor in cancer risk, it’s hard to ignore the indications of personal choice. Lead author of the review, Prof. Max Parkin, points out that cancer is not strictly in the genes, and that “over 40% of all cancers are caused by things we mostly have the power to change.”

]]> http://www.organicauthority.com/blog/health/new-study-finds-over-40-of-cancers-due-to-lifestyle/feed/ 0 http://www.organicauthority.com/blog/health/23-dressings-salads-salsas-recalled-over-tainted-cilantro-concerns/ http://www.organicauthority.com/blog/health/23-dressings-salads-salsas-recalled-over-tainted-cilantro-concerns/#comments Wed, 10 Nov 2010 09:32:09 +0000 Barbara Feiner http://www.organicauthority.com/blog/?p=8232

Twenty-three products that contain cilantro—including Trader Joe’s salad dressings and California Pizza Kitchen packaged salads—have been recalled because they may be contaminated with salmonella.

Food packager Orval Kent has taken action because the 43,814 pounds of cilantro it purchased from EpicVeg, Inc., may be tainted with the bacterium.

The affected products were distributed at retail stores nationwide. No illnesses have been reported to date.

If you have purchased any of the following items, do not consume them. Return them to the place of purchase for a full refund or replacement.

Cal-Maine Foods, Inc., a Jackson, Miss.-based producer and marketer of shell eggs, is recalling approximately 24,000 dozen unprocessed eggs purchased from Croton, OH-based Ohio Fresh Eggs, LLC, because they may be contaminated with salmonella.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration recently notified Cal-Maine that a routine sample taken at Ohio Fresh Eggs tested positive for the bacterium. The affected eggs were processed Oct. 9–12 and distributed to food wholesalers and retailers in Arkansas, California, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma and Texas. No illnesses have been reported to date.

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s proposal to ban the use of food stamps for soda purchases is still under U.S. Department of Agriculture review.

Some critics, however, believe regulations are no substitute for education.

“In search for yet another ‘quick fix’ to obesity, legislators and politicians nationwide have been trying to regulate what we eat and drink, and this latest proposal is no different,” says Pat Baird, author of The Pyramid Cookbook: Pleasures of the Food Guide Pyramid (right). “As a registered dietitian who advises clients on a daily basis, I know that telling people they can’t have something does not teach them how to make healthier choices. Education is key to cracking obesity. People need information to help them make healthy lifestyle changes.”

High-calorie beverages that have been disallowed by federal guidelines are still available in most U.S. elementary schools, according to a study that will appear in an upcoming issue of Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine.

Researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago conducted a nationally representative survey to examine the availability of high-calorie and sugar-sweetened beverages for sale in elementary schools during lunchtime, in vending machines and snack bars, and in school stores. They also examined the types of milk available in school cafeterias: low-fat, whole-fat and flavored milks (right).

While 16.1% of students could purchase only those beverages recommended by Institute of Medicine guidelines during the 2008–2009 school year, 44.7% could purchase beverages that the guidelines frown upon. This pattern applied to both public and private school.

For a quick lunch, I’ll often combine a container of organic yogurt with a half-cup of cottage cheese, a dollop of sour cream and a healthy serving of fresh fruit. This dairylicious combo helps fulfill my daily calcium requirement.

You can also:

1. Lighten baked goods by substituting cottage cheese for full-fat cream cheese.

As many as 1 in 3 U.S. adults could have diabetes by 2050 if current trends continue, according to a new analysis from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

One in 10 U.S. adults currently has diabetes. The prevalence is expected to rise sharply over the next 40 years because:

1. An aging population is more likely to develop the disease.
2. Ethnic populations at high risk for type 2 diabetes are expected to grow.
3. Better treatment allows diabetics to live longer.

In August, I told you about the Salad Bar Project—a program that allows Whole Foods Market customers to donate money for school salad bars.

I’m happy to report that 7 weeks of fundraising have brought in $1.4 million, which will fund 570 salad bars in U.S. schools.

“The overwhelming support our shoppers have shown for the Salad Bar Project is heartwarming—just plain amazing,” says Whole Foods co-CEO Walter Robb. “We nearly doubled the original fundraising goal, so it’s clear our customers share our passion for supporting more nutritious offerings in school lunchrooms across the country.”

Del Monte Fresh Produce has recalled certain cantaloupes that were grown in and shipped from Arizona, but distributed to limited customers in and around Detroit. The melons may be contaminated with salmonella.

Eighty-one cartons of cantaloupes, each containing 15 melons, were distributed to wholesalers in Detroit. The cantaloupes reached retail and foodservice outlets beginning Oct. 11.

The cantaloupes have a light brown skin and orange flesh. Each has a Del Monte sticker that reads “Cantaloupe USA.”

Five deaths and six illnesses are being linked to celery distributed by San Antonio-based SanGar Produce & Processing.

The Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) has ordered the company to stop processing food and recall all products shipped from the plant since January. The order was issued after laboratory tests of chopped celery from the plant indicated the presence of Listeria monocytogenes, a bacterium that can cause severe illness.

The recalled products—primarily cut fresh produce in sealed packages—were distributed to restaurants and institutional entities like hospitals and schools. The DSHS doesn’t believe products were sold in grocery stores.