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Less Salt, More Grains, Veggies in School Lunches: USDA
School lunches subsidized by the U.S. government will have less salt, more whole grains, and more fruits and vegetables as sides under new guidelines expected to be announced Wednesday.
The new rules are the first major nutritional overhaul of school meals in 15 years. Some of the changes could take place soon as the next school year, while others will be phased in over time. A child nutrition bill signed by President Barack Obama in 2010 would help school districts pay for some of the increased costs, the Associated Press reported.
Due to strong opposition from Republicans and the food industry, the new nutrition rules won't be as strong as initially proposed by the Obama administration.
First lady Michelle Obama and Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack were scheduled to announce the new guidelines at an elementary school in Alexandria, Va.
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Studies Show Link Between Brown Fat and Cold and Exercise
A form of brown fat that's switched on when people are cold sucks fat out of the rest of the body to fuel itself, while another type of brown fat can be created from white fat by exercise, according to two new studies.
The findings suggest that being able to achieve this without making people cold or forcing them to exercise all the time could offer a highly-effective way to lose weight, The New York Times reported.
In one study, researchers found that the metabolic rate of men who were kept chilled increased by 80 percent due to effects of brown fat. On average, the brown fat burned about 250 calories over three hours.
The study was published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation.
In the other study, researchers conducted experiments with mice and found that exercise causes white fat to turn into brown fat. Exercise causes muscles to release a hormone that converts white fat cells into brown fat cells, which burn extra calories, The Times reported.
The researchers suspect this also occurs in humans.
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Insulated Lunch Boxes and Thermal Food Carriers Recalled
About 248,000 expandable insulated lunch boxes with freezer gel packs are being recalled because the gel can leak out of damaged packs and pose a poisoning hazard, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission says.
The lunch boxes were made in China, imported by California Innovations Inc. of Toronto, Canada and sold at Costco Wholesale Clubs, Leon Korol and Cost U Less stores from May 2007 through September 2008, the Associated Press reported.
The gel in the gel packs contains diethylene glycol and ethylene glycol. California Innovations has received two separate reports of dogs chewing the packs and ingesting the gel. One dog died and the other received treatment and recovered.
The CPSC said the recalled lunch boxes have a logo and the words "Ci Sport" on the upper left corner, the AP reported
Concerns about the freezer gel packs have also led to the recall of about 55,000 Travelin' Chef Expandable thermal food carriers also made in China and imported by California Innovations. They were sold at Walmart from August 2008 through December 2011.
For more information, contact California Innovations at 1-800-722-2545 Monday through Friday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. EST.
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