FoodBozo.com

Along with officials’ consistently cautious predictions about the scope of the Gulf of Mexico oil spill, another group has been calling for a tempering of dire oil-spill forecasts: the Gulf of Mexico seafood industry.

Already battered by imports of shrimp and other seafood – 80 percent of the seafood Americans eat is imported – the Gulf of Mexico seafood industry is eager to avoid a panic about the safety of their catch. And for good reason.

Read more here: Oil spill: What is the threat to Gulf of Mexico seafood?

“I’m so confused,” my friend Tania said recently. “Ten years ago I ate pasta all the time, because it was low-fat. Then five years ago I stopped eating pasta altogether, because it’s high carb. Now they’re saying pasta is actually good for me—again! What’s the deal? Penne for your thoughts!”

I sympathized with her confusion. After all, the world is filled with diet “gurus” who want to seize on this study or that one and make absurd rules about what you should “never” eat or “always” eat. And no food has been so praised and demonized as pasta. (Remember “carbo-loading”?)

Read more here: 7 Unhealthiest Pasta Dishes in America

Fruits and veggies are an essential part of a healthy diet, but many conventional varieties contain pesticide residues.

And not all the pesticides used to kill bugs, grubs, or fungus on the farm washes off under the tap at home. Government tests show which fruits and vegetables, prepared typically at home, still have a pesticide residue.

You can reduce your exposure to pesticides by as much as 80% if you avoiding the most contaminated foods in the grocery store.

Read more here: The new Dirty Dozen: 12 foods to eat organic and avoid pesticide residue

With the buzz surrounding sustainable seafood, why do so many restaurants still serve endangered fish, and what can I do about it?Max Fort, Springfield, Massachusetts

Read more here: 5 Fish You Should Never Eat

When you think seafood, you think “healthy,” right? But because the restaurant chains are fishing for profits, first, their seafood can be your most dangerous catch.

Here’s why: Cooking fish can be a little tricky for home cooks, so people like to order it when they go out. Hey, it’s the healthiest thing on the menu, right? Protein, Omega 3s, lemon juice—bring the whole platter! So Lobster Bib, Inc., can charge a premium price when they load a trash-fish filet with fat-soaked bread crumbs, throw it into a cauldron of bubbling fat, top it with molten cheese and maybe a little cream sauce, and grease its path to your table. Cue the theme music from Jaws: Something deadly is about to rear up from the deep. Only this time, you’re the one who’s swallowing a whopper—seafood’s often-undeserved reputation as a safe pick on the menu. It’s anything but.

Read more here: Best & Worst Seafood Dishes in America

People should consume, on average, no more than 2,000 calories a day, according to U.S. dietary guidelines. Eat fiber. Avoid saturated fat. And keep your sodium intake under 2,300 milligrams a day.

Read more here: A Case for Those Extra 10 Pounds

Other than getting a good night’s sleep, there’s probably no other thing that impacts your productivity and mood at work more than what you eat. Yet you probably give little thought to what you consume before and during work, defaulting instead to what’s convenient, cheap, and tasty. And when you do think twice about what you eat, it’s usually in the context of a diet that’s focused on losing weight rather than improving your cognitive functioning and energy levels. Fortunately, there are a few basic food rules that go a long way towards achieving these latter goals. Here are the best of them.

Read more: 6 Rules: How to Eat Right on the Job

The American Academy of Family Physicians suggests these ways to reduce dietary sugar:

• Reduce the amount of baked desserts, sweets and candies that you eat.
• Eat plenty of vegetables, fruits, whole grains and lean types of proteins.
• Drink water in place of drinks that may be laden with sugar.
• Avoid eating processed foods.
• Choose baking recipes that call for less sugar, cut back on sugar in recipes, or use a sugar substitute.

Read more here: Health Tip: Reduce Dietary Sugar

Last night, a guest spilled red wine on our carpet. Another hurriedly suggested pouring salt over the stain, which is supposed to act to lift the wine off the rug. Not knowing a better alternative off the top of my head, I tried this, using the big box of kosher salt I had in my kitchen to pile on a mound of salt over the spot. We waited, figuring it was best to give time for the salt and wine to react. And 20 minutes or so later, some of the wine had been absorbed though the spill is still visible on the carpet. Now what? Anyone who knows some genius, tried-and-true red wine stain removal techniques and/or products please speak up now!

Read more: Help! What’s the most effective remedy for a red wine stain on carpet?