Louisiana's legislature is considering a bill that would offer financial rewards to area restaurants that use locally grown fruits and vegetables in their menu items.

When I first started blogging for OrganicAuthority in November 2005, I posted The Story My Mother Doesn’t Want You to Read. I was gearing up for Thanksgiving, and I wanted to share my traumatic Brussels sprouts memories from childhood. (Apparently, the kids in the above photo are channeling my angst.)

As it turns out, Brussels sprouts became one of my favorite fall vegetables—much maligned because people simply don’t know how to cook them. Roasting them to crisp perfection is my favorite approach. You can also:

1. Bake them with cheese: Cavolini de Bruxelles Gratinati (recipe from cookbook author Maria Liberati, right)

Fast-food chains love to argue that their menus don’t make us fat, but a Journal of Nutrition study reveals high consumption over a long period leads to weight gain, as well as increased cardiovascular and diabetes risks.

Researchers at the University of North Carolina studied 3,643 young adults over a 13-year period (from ages 7 to 20) to identify how they ate when away from home.

Those who ate the most fast food weighed more, had larger waists and triglyceride levels, and showed signs of metabolic syndrome—a precursor to diabetes, heart disease and possibly cancer.

Twentysomethings Bruno Tropeano and Joshua Davis hated the poorly made, mass-produced gelato they regularly sampled.

The Maine residents decided to open their own artisanal gelateria in 2007, featuring the state’s best local, natural ingredients.

Some 500 flavors later, The Gelato Fiasco is a regional fixture that consistently makes the list of Maine’s top ice cream shops.

Thirty flavors of gelato and sorbetto are featured each day—from Bourbon Vanilla and Cinnamon Honey Graham to Lemon Buttermilk and Sugar Baby Watermelon. During a recent “Meet the Farmers” event with Small Wonder Organics, Tomato Ginger and Balsamic Black Russian Tomato made the menu.

Healthcare and America’s obesity epidemic have been high priorities for President Obama.

On March 23, he signed a law that requires the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to implement a federal menu labeling program, which applies to certain restaurants, coffee shops, delis, movie theaters, bakeries, ice cream shops and vending machines.

Specifically:

• Facilities with 20+ locations that offer substantially the same menu must list calorie content on interior and drive-through menus and menu boards.
• Other nutrition information—total calories, total fat, saturated fat, cholesterol, sodium, total carbohydrates, complex carbohydrates, sugars, dietary fiber and total protein—must be made available in writing, upon request.
• Vending operators with 20+ machines must disclose products’ calorie content.

The FDA must issue proposed regulations by March 2011. In the meantime, the agency has invited consumers, the food industry, state and local governments, and other interested parties to submit comments and suggestions. The deadline is Sept. 7.

Take the opportunity to get involved. To view the full document and submit comments electronically, click here.

In July 2008, California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (at podium, right) signed into law a bill that banned the use of trans fats in restaurants, effective Jan. 1, 2010.

Restaurants must now use oils, margarine and shortening that contains less than half a gram of trans fat per serving. Violators will be fined up to $1,000.

The second part of the law, a trans-fat ban for baked goods, takes effect next January. The lag time allows the industry to make the proper conversions.

As reported in the Sacramento Bee, the California Restaurant Association initially balked at the bill, but its spokesperson now says the industry is compliant.

Other opponents represented a wide spectrum of the food industry, from the California Grocers Association and California Retailers Association to the California Chamber of Commerce and California Retailers Association. Business interests resisting a public health-oriented change? Profits over patriotism? Not exactly shocking.

California is the first state to ban trans fats, following the lead of cities like New York, Philadelphia and Boston.

The Monterey Bay Aquarium has launched a national campaign that asks top U.S. chefs and well-known foodies to take a Save Our Seafood pledge.

In signing the pledge, chefs agree to stop using fish and seafood on the aquarium’s Seafood Watch “Avoid” list.

Let’s support restaurants whose chefs have signed on, including:

• Rick Bayless (Frontera Grill and Topolobampo, Chicago)
• Susan Spicer (Bayona, New Orleans)
• Rick Moonen (rm seafood, Las Vegas)
• Michelle Bernstein (Michy’s, Miami)
• Suzanne Goin (Lucques, Los Angeles)
• Mary Sue Milliken and Susan Feniger (Border Grill and Ciudad, Los Angeles)
• Michel Nischan (The Dressing Room, Westport, CT)

For a full list of chefs and foodies who have signed the pledge, click here.

Chefs who are interested in signing on can call (877) 229-9990 (toll-free) or e-mail the aquarium.

Suggested Reading

• Good News About Our Sustainable Seafood Supply
• Which Fish Is Fit to Eat?
• Border Grill and Ciudad: Serving It Up Bold, Spicy and Organic

As I reported back in December 2006, the New York City Board of Health voted to ban trans fats in restaurants—a move that sparked protest from many restaurateurs and fast-food establishments.

As of November 2008, the city required that all artificial trans fats be eliminated from prepared dishes.

So, how has the city fared?

In a study published in yesterday’s edition of Annals of Internal Medicine, city officials reveal:

Estimated restaurant use of artificial trans fat for frying, baking or cooking, or in spreads, had decreased from 50% to less than 2%. Preliminary analyses suggest that replacement of artificial trans fat has resulted in products with more healthful fatty acid profiles.

The saturated- and trans-fat levels in French fries, for example, decreased by more than 50% after the ban, officials note. And while restaurants initially voiced concerns about the extra costs they would incur by switching to more healthful oils, officials say no increases actually occurred.

Needless to say, fried foods—even the organic kind—should be consumed in moderation. Click here for information on monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats.

And in the past three years, organic spending in France jumped 60%. That’s 2.6 billion euros, according France’s organic association.

There are some cool reasons why. French consumers are avoiding foods with pesticides and genetically-modified organisms and the government is encouraging more organic foods in schools and restaurants.

Now, to accommodate the higher demand, local farmers are converting more land for organics, nearly tripling the amount of hectares devoted to organic crops since 1999.

However, compared to total food sales, the percentage of organic sales only increased 0.6%, reaching 1.7% for 2008, up from 1.1% in 2007, but the recent economic downturn my harm those figures for next year. Let’s hope not!

Via Reuters.