Mary Hall

Nutritious, Cheap, and Plentiful –Why not eat insects?

April 11, 2013

Have you ever eaten an insect?  I have.  In the larval stage –steamed and buttered.  It was the size of a plump raisin, but green, and tasted like fresh steamed broccoli.  Actually, I believe I ate quite a few.  Does that make me an “entomophagist” ?   I would be inclined to say “no.”  An entomophagist [...]

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Unlikely Heroes in the U.S. Food System

April 5, 2013

Does your health insurance company support your local farmer?  For a growing number of people, the answer is “yes.”  If you’re one of these fortunate individuals, you merely purchase a CSA membership from your local farmer, send your receipt to your health insurance company, and receive a rebate of up to $200 on a season’s [...]

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Do these “designer eggs” make me look fat ?

March 28, 2013

Developed specifically to boost our fatty acids, designer eggs are sometimes referred to as a “functional food.”  This is a loosely defined term for a food that has been modified to provide health benefits beyond that of the traditional nutrients it contains.  For instance, we can buy orange juice that has been modified to provide calcium.  Sounds [...]

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Dietary Supplements: Vitamins . . . and Minerals . . . and Energy Drinks –Oh My!!

March 21, 2013

The term “dietary supplement” has been in the news lately.  A couple of days ago, the New York Times reported that Monster Beverage Corporation, the energy drink manufacturer, intends to “sidestep some rules” by repositioning its product. After a decade of being marketed as a dietary supplement, Monster Energy will now be marketed as a [...]

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Vitamin D Fraud: Lack of Truth in Labeling

March 14, 2013

It’s a good thing Spring is just around the corner.  Spring brings more sunlight, and more sunlight means free vitamin D!  As previously discussed in MTSG, when our skin is exposed to sunlight, we have the unique ability to synthesize our own vitamin D.  Alas, we cannot take full advantage of this vitamin windfall.  We need to [...]

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Seafood Fraud: Oh, what a tangled web . . .

March 7, 2013

Imagine driving up the North Atlantic coastline, far beyond New Brunswick, winding your way along hair-raising mountain highways to reach a remote fishing village on the edge of the sea.  Based on my experience, this little fishing village is a “foodie paradise.” You’ll find fresh berries, fresh bread and French pastries, local beer, handmade cheese [...]

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Marine Pharmaceuticals: Seaweed, Sinusitis, and the Stunning Biodiversity of our Oceans

February 28, 2013

Any three-year old can tell you what seaweed and boogers have in common.  But who could have imagined that the cure for sinusitis lay on seaweed’s slippery surface? Apparently, not the scientists who discovered the cure.  They were marine scientists who were studying seaweed while looking for a way to safely remove barnacles from the surfaces [...]

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Forest Bathing: Making a splash in preventative health

February 22, 2013

If you’ve ever been on a long wilderness trip, you know what it feels like by the end of the first week. Miles from civilization and seven days from your last hot shower, your thoughts may periodically (or obsessively) turn to bathing.  It’s easy to imagine steam rising from a bathtub just beyond the next [...]

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Chocolate: A taste of developing countries . . .

February 15, 2013

Did you run through your Valentine’s Day chocolates already?  Or are they so special that you’re planning to savor them over the next week or two?  Maybe you’re ambivalent about your chocolates– you love them, and yet, you have to wonder “how much lead am I willing to consume?” Do your chocolates contain lead?   There are two ways to approach [...]

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Food Fraud: Horses, Hamburgers . . . and Harm?

February 7, 2013

The recent revelation that many “beef” burgers in the UK are actually “partial horse” burgers has caused quite a stir.  In case you haven’t been following the story, here’s a rough recap:  Approximately 170 tons of horse meat traveled from Poland, across several countries, to Ireland, and then from Ireland to the UK, where it ultimately ended [...]

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