Month: June 2014

After a day of sipping energy drinks on the beach in Rocky Point, Mexico, 16-year-old Lanna Hamann went into cardiac arrest and died on June 14.

While the cause of Hamann’s death is still unknown, the potential dangers of caffeinated energy drinks like Red Bull, Monster and Rock Star have public health advocates worried — and for good reason. Energy drink-related emergency department visits have skyrocketed, nearly doubling between 2007 and 2011, according to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s Dawn Report, which tracks the nation’s drug-related emergency department visits. (There have also been multiple fatality filings against both 5-Hour Energy and Monster Energy, according to The New York Times, although such filings do not necessarily mean that the drinks contributed to the deaths in question.)

Caffeine is popular. About 80 percent of adults in the U.S. consume the stimulant daily, and most of us are responsible about it. And what’s not to like? In low doses, caffeine is basically harmless and, according to Kathleen Miller, Ph.D., a senior research scientist at the University at Buffalo’s Research Institute on Addictions, can even be beneficial to healthy adults by increasing concentration, speeding reaction times and reducing fatigue.

But what many of us forget is that our daily fix is actually a psychoactive drug. “Get high enough levels — and I’m not talking really, super high here, say 500 milligrams of caffeine, that’s the equivalent of five cups of coffee – and you run into what’s called caffeine toxicity,” Miller says. “That includes the headaches, tremors, heart palpitations and nausea. At high enough levels — and this is fairly unusual — caffeine is toxic enough that, for some people, it can cause seizures, mania, hallucinations, even strokes.”

While most people understand how drinking a cup of coffee will affect them, energy drinks are a relatively new phenomenon — and a largely misunderstood one at that. The neon-colored drinks can seem to be marketed toward active individuals and young people. Red Bull promises to give you wings. Monster and Rockstar energy drinks promote extreme sports on their websites. We could be forgiven then, for thinking that energy drinks are appropriate to consume while exercising. They are not. The diuretic effect of caffeinated energy drinks can cause the body to lose water, dehydrating you in the process. Miller explains:

The general public in many cases doesn’t really get the difference between a Red Bull or a Monster on one hand, and Gatorade on the other hand. And they are doing the exact opposite things. Gatorade or Powerade, those are designed to rehydrate and bring back electrolytes into the system. They are designed for use with exertion. The others are really, really good things to avoid under the same circumstances.

It might come as a surprise, too, that canned energy drinks don’t come with health warnings the way that alcohol and cigarettes do. Because energy drinks often contain plant and herbal extracts in addition to caffeine, they can choose to label themselves as dietary supplements rather than food, and aren’t regulated or evaluated for safety by the FDA. Energy drink companies don’t even have to reveal how much caffeine each drink can contains. And without this research, it isn’t clear what effect the combination of plant-based substances (guarana, ginkgo biloba and ginseng are common ingredients) have on the body. Many people also underestimate the power of caffeine from natural sources and aren’t aware that plant extracts like guarana have caffeine-like effects.

Public health advocates like Miller seem to agree that labeling of energy drinks is the first step toward safer consumption. (In 2013, the FDA announced that it would investigate the safety of caffeine in food products, particularly those marketed to children.)

“Let people know what they are drinking,” Miller says. Certain individuals –- those who are exercising, drinking alcohol, pregnant or nursing, anyone with a pre-existing heart conditions, or under the age of 18 — probably shouldn’t be consuming energy drinks at all. “Knowledge is power. The more you tell them, the more they can make intelligent, informed decisions.”

Bravo, Mr. President. Of all the Chipotle locations that Barack Obama could have stopped in at lunch today, he chose the very best one: Woodley Park. Washington City Paper named that specific locale the “Best Chipotle” in our Best of D.C. issue last year. Obama dined at the Mexicanish chain for a roundtable chat on working families. No […]

The 4th of July is right around the corner. It’s time to grab the family, hit the beach, and enjoy one of these delicious cakes. We’ve pulled our top 4 favorite July 4th cakes so you can pick your favorite or make more than one!

1. SIMPLE SPARKLER CAKE

This 4th of July cake couldn’t be easier to recreate! Check out more pics of it here on Pizzazzerie.com!

2. FLAG INSIDE CAKE

It just doesn’t get cooler than this cake featuring an American flag when you cut into it. Love this idea! See the full tutorial (it’s a great step-by-step) here on SugaryWinzy!

3. Berry Flag Cake

Create the classic 4th of July treat with berries and frosting in the shape of the American flag! Find the recipe here.

4. Red, White & Blue Rosettes

This simple yet stunning cake is filled with red, white, and blue rosettes of frosting! See more here.

Enjoy your 4th of July with these patriotic party ideas!

They drank, he drove.

To mark the first anniversary of a fatal drunken driving crash, Alex Sheen, founder of humanitarian group Because I Said I Would, on Sunday volunteered to be the free designated chauffeur for an entire bar.

Matthew Cordle, the …

Greek yogurt has gone from health food fad to inescapable food phenomenon in just a few short years. In record time, it has practically replaced non-Greek yogurt — sort of. How “Greek” is the Greek yogurt we Americans have come to worship? Not so Greek after all, it turns out, at least according to a new lawsuit.

The New York Post reported on June 19 that plaintiffs Barry Stoltz, of Westchester, and Allan Chang, of Queens, are suing Greek yogurt producers Chobani and Fage in two separate class action suits. The men claim that Chobani and Fage are purposefully misleading customers by hiding the amount of sugar in their products, and by calling themselves “Greek.”

Stoltz and Chang claim that by labeling yogurt as “0%,” the companies are confusing customers by implying their products contain zero sugar. A similar case was dismissed in California last month, because there was no evidence that customers were buying yogurt under that assumption. The lawsuits also take issue with Chobani listing “evaporated cane juice” as a sweetening agent, when it is the same thing as sugar. Chobani lists sugar content in its nutritional information, but does not list sugar in its ingredients. It only lists “evaporated cane juice.” According the the New York Post, the suit claims:

Defendants purposefully misrepresented and continue to misrepresent to consumers that their products contain ‘evaporated cane juice’ even though ‘evaporated cane juice’ is not ‘juice’ at all -– it is nothing more than sugar dressed up to sound like a healthier sweetener.

While these two issues may not give enough credit to consumers — who may, in fact, be wise enough to discern that “0%” means “no fat,” not “no calories or no sugar,” and “evaporated cane juice” is sugar, not juice — another issue is also at play. The sheer quantity of sugar in Chobani and Fage yogurt, which is perhaps more easily misapprehended, is also an issue in the law suits. Namely, yogurt marketed as a health food product contains more sugar than an ice cream bar. According to Gothamist, the lawsuits contend that some yogurts contain as much sugar as A Nestle Fudge Bar. Indeed, said fudge ice cream bar contains 15 grams of sugar per serving, and some flavored yogurts, like Chobani’s Blackberry, also contain 15 grams of sugar. Chobani’s Honey Bee Nana contains 16 grams. While it’s no secret that flavored yogurt can contain high quantities of sugar (yogurts contain more sugar than a Twinkie), Stoltz and Chang are seeking unspecified damages.

Finally, the plaintiffs contend that these yogurts, produced in the United States and not by Greek nationals, are further misleading. They are not, in fact, Greek in any way, they claim. Chobani countered that complaint, telling Gothamist that, “Much like English muffins and French fries, our fans understand Greek yogurt to be a product description about how we authentically make our yogurt and not about where we make our yogurt in upstate New York and Idaho.”

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