And I like a nice steak now again, but then I think that’s the point. Too much red meat is bad for one, so why not cut down on overall red meat consumption but still enjoy a nice steak now and then:

http://www.boston.com/

Excess body fat and red meat are linked to an increased risk of common cancers and should be avoided, the World Cancer Research Fund and the American Institute for Cancer Research said …

The panelists recommended keeping extra weight off, exercising at least 30 minutes a day, and limiting consumption of alcohol and high-fat foods, such as burgers, french fries, milk shakes, pastries, and sugary drinks. The guidelines also apply to cancer survivors, the report said …

Researchers said men should limit their alcohol intake to two drinks a day, and women one.

Red meat, such as beef, pork, and lamb, which are linked to colorectal cancer, should be replaced with poultry, fish, and eggs. Processed meats that include bacon and lunchmeat should also be avoided, researchers said.

So eat more fish!

The smell of microwave popcorn makes me feel nauseated and irritates my sinus so badly that when someone opens a bag near me at work I have get well away from it.

But, now it’s possible that the chemicals used to flavour microwave popcorn may cause lung cancer!

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20592711/

“This letter is a red flag, suggesting that exposure to food flavor chemicals is not just killing workers, but may also be causing disease in people exposed to food flavor chemicals in their kitchens,” Michaels wrote on his public health policy blog.

Neat story about a coffee plant, found on only one island in the Indian Ocean, thought to be extinct:

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5307047

In 1877, a European visitor, passing through Rodrigues, made a drawing of it and that is the only image we had of this plant, because after that, goats and pigs began to multiply on Rodrigues, and the plant began to disappear. By mid-century, it was presumed to be extinct. Then in 1979, a biology teacher on Rodrigues handed out copies of that 1877 drawing to a group of 12-year-olds, and one of the boys raised his hand and said, “Please, sir, I’ve got one near my house.”

More information on Wikipedia:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ramosmania_rodriguesii

And at the Kew Botantic Gardens:

http://www.kew.org/plants/islandplants/marron.html

Great, big companies are trying to cash in on Organic produce by having the definition of what is organic changed to included “19 food colorings, two starches, casings for sausages, hops, fish oil, chipotle chili pepper, gelatin, celery powder, dill weed oil, frozen lemon grass, and a sweetener called fructooligosaccharides.”

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19837522/

On June 9th, the USDA added 38 non-organic ingredients to the national list: These 38 items, chosen from more than 600 requested by food manufacturers, can now be used as minor ingredients in 95 percent organic products if a company can prove to its certifier that an organic version is not available in the quality or quantity needed.

“There are a lot of organic farmers and a lot of organic producers who are very concerned about this,” says Phil Lempert, consumer reporter and the Supermarket Guru on NBC’s Today Show. “They worry that by adding these 38 ingredients it actually diminishes the importance and the credibility of a lot of the organic products that are out there.”