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October 15, 2009 Sign up Forward Archive News on health and wellness for the food and beverage industries   Top Stories  Residents add longevity through Minn. town's health project In Albert Lea, Minn., restaurants revamped their menus and grocery stores put the healthy options front and center, all part of the Vitality Project. Supported by the AARP and United Health Foundation, the project has been proclaimed a success, adding about 3.1 years of life expectancy to the average participating resident. Google/The Associated Press (10/14)   Wellness Watch  A little cloudy on the exercise cool-down? Some scientists say walking to your car after a run will suffice, while others recommend dropping the speed of your activity for five to 10 minutes. "Everyone thinks it's an established fact," one exercise physiologist said, "so they don't study it." NYTimes.com (10/13) New rules could impact wellness program assessments New federal regulations, still to be finalized, ban health plans and employers from offering financial incentives to workers who take a health risk assessment if it asks about their family medical history. The rules would apply to wellness programs that incorporate HRAs asking about genetic information, regulators said. The Wall Street Journal (tiered subscription model) (10/13)   Food & Nutrition Trends  Fortified foods protect brain health Soy milks and flour tortillas are among the foods that can be fortified with docosahexaenoic acid, or DHA, which might help decrease the risk of Alzheimer's disease. Registered dietitian Elizabeth Somer talks about some of the foods that are getting the fortified treatment. Star Tribune (Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minn.) (10/11) Restaurants celebrate heirloom veggies Restaurants in New Hampshire, Massachusetts and Rhode Island are showcasing heirloom vegetables as part of Heirloom Harvest Week. The week is part of the Slow Food USA-affiliated RAFT Grow-Out, which seeks to help save rare varieties of produce. The Boston Globe (free registration) (10/14) Other News First lady continues to champion nutrition The Seattle Times/The Associated Press (10/13)   Research Spotlight  Study: People who drink mostly water tend to have better diets People who get most of their daily liquids from plain water tend to eat more fiber, less sugar and fewer calorie-dense foods, a study found. The results don't mean that drinking water causes healthier diets, said the lead researcher, but they do suggest a connection and a reason to encourage people to choose water over other beverages. Reuters (10/13) Study: Children spend $1.07 a day on calorie-laden snacks Neighborhood corner stores offer Philadelphia schoolchildren a source for snacks and candy, including favorites like Sour Patch Kids and Peanut Chews. According to a study published this week in the journal Pediatrics, children spent on average $1.07 every day, purchasing almost 400 calories' worth of snack food, and their top after-school snack was chips. NYTimes.com (10/13) 5 cups of green tea daily might lower cancer risk Study participants who drank five cups or more of green tea daily had 42% lower risk for blood cancers than those drinking one or fewer cups a day. The five-cups-and-up group also had a 48% lower risk for lymph system cancers. Reuters (10/13)     Sustainability  Smaller fish considered more healthful, sustainable Small fish such as herring and sardines, which are low on the food chain, carry few of the toxins and metals found in larger fish. Also, these oily fish are rich in heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids. Chicago Tribune/Tribune Newspapers (10/14)   Food Policy & Legislative News  Connecticut investigates Smart Choices program Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal is looking into the national food labeling program called Smart Choices, which he says is "overly simplistic, inaccurate and ultimately misleading." Executives of the program are cooperating and said, "The Smart Choices program was developed during an open and lengthy collaborative process that included some of the most experienced and accomplished professionals in nutrition science." NYTimes.com (10/14)   SmartQuote  When you build bridges you can keep crossing them." --Rick Pitino, American basketball coach   NCC Resources American Diabetes Association American Dietetic Association American Heart Association FDA Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition Healthy Dining Finder National Business Group on Health National Restaurant Association Nutrition Resources USDA Food and Nutrition Services World Health Organization   Subscriber Tools       Print friendly format | Web version | Search past news | Archive | Privacy policy   Contact NCC Advertising Contact 800-771-6368 adsales@hwbrief.com About NCC Nutrition + Culinary Consultants (NCC) is the leading resource for up-to-the-minute news and Health & Wellness consulting to the Food & Beverage Industry.       Recent issues of NCC Health and Wellness SmartBrief: Tuesday, October 13, 2009 Thursday, October 08, 2009 Tuesday, October 06, 2009 Thursday, October 01, 2009 Tuesday, September 29, 2009     Lead Editor:  Rebecca Pollack       Mailing Address: SmartBrief, Inc.®, 1100 H ST NW, Suite 1000, Washington, DC 20005     © 1999-2011 SmartBrief, Inc.® Legal Information