Would You Drive A Car Made From Bananas?

Photo: Arif Ali, AFP / Getty Images

Proving nature is, in fact, often better than anything coming off a conveyor belt, we may soon have cars made from pineapples, bananas and coconuts. All of these fruits have fibrous cellulose (nanocellulose) which rivals widely-used Kevlar in strength, reports Wired. Plus, the nanocellulose plastic is lighter than many widely used materials and also biodegradable.

The material would be renewable and decomposable (as long as it's not combined with petroleum-based plastics) -- and a lighter car means a lower gas bill. (Ford is already hoping to slim their vehicles by 250 to 750 pounds, notes Wired.) In a statement, Alcides Leão, a researcher at São Paulo State University, says the material is "30 percent lighter and three to four times stronger." That's because a plant's main cell wall, where cellulose is found, can be processed to yield fibers so tight that 50,000 fit within the diameter of a human hair.

Leão and his team are still working in small quantities in the lab so there's no telling yet how much nanocellulose plastic will cost, but it won't be cheap. Though if it takes off in the automotive world, high production would knock down the price. And it's cost-effective: A pound of nanocellulose yields 100 pounds of plastic.

Once this technology catches on, watch out -- Leão says he's working on steel and aluminum alternatives next.

Top 10 healthiest vegetables

 

Must-Have Veggies 

 by Sarah Kelsey

Veggies are an important part of everyone's diet. They contain dozens of important nutrients and have loads of dietary fiber. And just by getting your daily quota of five to nine servings, you help build your body's immunity to things like cancer, heart disease and diabetes. So what are the top veggies you should be eating to boost your disease-fighting potential? Read on to find out.

Tomatoes

Though technically a fruit, tomatoes are most often served like a vegetable. Full of lycopene, these beautiful red orbs (and all tomato-based products) are renowned for their cancer-fighting capabilities. Not only are they chock full of vitaminy goodness (from vitamins A to K), they also keep our blood pressure in check and help to reduce the number of free radicals in our bodies.
How to eat them: Heirloom tomato recipes

Broccoli

Few foods measure up to the disease-fighting potential of broccoli. This cruciferous veg is packed with antioxidants that help reduce the risk of stomach, lung and rectal cancers. And because broccoli is rich in beta-carotene, vitamin C and folate, it is also good at boosting your immunity to colds and flus.
How to eat it: Sesame-Ginger Frittata with Broccoli and Shrimp

Brussels sprouts

These little green veggies are especially important for pregnant woman because they're packed with folic acid, a B-vitamin that prevents neural tube defects. Brussels sprouts are also packed with vitamins C and K as well as fiber, potassium and omega-3 fatty acids.
How to eat them: Stuffed Chicken Breasts with a side of Brussels Sprouts (cooking video)

Carrots

These orange-wonders are loaded with eye, skin and hair-enriching nutrients. They're also the richest vegetable source of some important antioxidants, like vitamin A. And because they're rich in vitamin C, carrots protect your cardiovascular system from damage.
How to eat them: Carrot Raisin Muffins

Squash

A good source of anti-inflammatory nutrients like vitamin C and beta-carotene, squash, especially summer squash, can help treat dozens of conditions including asthma, osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. Squash is also rich in potassium, magnesium and fiber.
How to eat it: Summer Squash Ravioli

Sweet potato

This root vegetable has dozens of anti-cancer nutrients like vitamin A, C and manganese. They're also a good source of fiber and iron, so not only do they give you energy, they can also help regulate your digestive system.
How to eat them: Sweet Potato Soup

Eggplant

High in heart healthy nutrients, eggplants are rich in antioxidants like nasunin (a unique compound that protects your brain cells from damage). And because eggplants are loaded with fiber and potassium, researchers believe they may reduce your risk of stroke and dementia.
How to eat it: Eggplant Parmesan

Bell Peppers

Whether you prefer red, orange or yellow, bell peppers are packed with dozens of heart-healthy nutrients like lycopene and folic acid. And recent research suggests digging into a pepper every day may lower your risk of developing lung, colon, bladder and pancreatic cancers.
How to eat them: Stuffed Roasted Bell Peppers

Spinach

This chlorophyll-packed type of produce is an excellent source of almost every vitamin and nutrient you need. Scientists believe a diet heavy in spinach may be able to prevent everything from heart disease to colon cancer, and arthritis to osteoporosis.
How to eat it: Spinach Salad

Onions

These pungent smelling veggies are particularly good for people suffering from (or at risk of developing) osteoporosis. That's because onions are loaded with a peptide called GPCS which scientists believe slows your body's loss of calcium. Onions may also be useful in the fight against heart disease and diabetes because they're loaded with vitamin C and folate.

Hot Dogs, Anyone?

 

Wienerschnitzel have dominated the fast food chain hot dog arena for years, but now Sonic, America's Drive-In, has stepped up their game with the introduction of four new premium hot dogs -- and you don't even have to leave your car for them. Here's how they rate:

The Claims: The frankfurters in Sonic's new lineup all start with a grilled, all-beef hot dog inside a "soft, warm bakery bun," and are each differentiated by their fixings: the All-American Dog has ketchup, mustard, relish, and chopped raw onions (386 calories); the Chili Cheese Coney is topped with chili and shredded cheddar cheese (420 calories); the New York Dog has spicy mustard, grilled onions, and sauerkraut (352 calories); and the Chicago Dog is topped with a pickle spear, relish, tomatoes, hot peppers, chopped raw onions, celery salt, and mustard, with poppy seeds on the bun (435 calories).

The Price: Each hot dog sells for the introductory price of $1.99, at participating locations.

  The Verdict: B. Sonic's press release claims they are "reinventing a ballpark classic" with their new premium hot dogs, but there's not much reinvention here. Each of them are well-established, classic hot dog and topping combinations, so don't expect something completely out of left field; Sonic is not following the recent trend of gourmet dogs with peculiar and innovative toppings. Not that I will hold this inaccurate claim against them -- they've delivered four satisfying fast food items (and right to my car, using a pair of roller-skates).

Sonic is no stranger to hot dogs, having offered the Footlong Quarter Pound Coney on the menu for quite some time now, but for this "premium" line they've reduced their franks' lengths by half and added fresh toppings. The naked hot dog itself is pretty standard; mildly salty with a firm texture and a soft casing. The bun is decent too; soft and chewy, like a good hot dog bun should be.

Some of the toppings are fresh, but not all them. For example, the raw onions and tomatoes seem freshly chopped, but the green sweet relish used on the All-American and Chicago Hot Dogs appears to be of the store-bought jarred variety, although I think that's excusable -- they're just hot dogs after all. This relish is abundant on the All-American, making it the sweetest of the four, while the seemingly store-bought, canned beef chili on the Chili Cheese Coney makes it the sloppiest. The garnish of shredded cheddar on the latter -- instead of a squeeze of gooey cheese sauce -- is a nice touch, and gives it a freshness edge over Nathan's.

As for the New York and Chicago Hot Dogs, they are formidable re-creations of each city's particular style -- only without any of the attitude. The New York is on par with the street cart variety (sans the lukewarm, questionably sanitary water they sometimes sit in) with spicy brown mustard, sauerkraut, and soft, sweated onions. As for the Chicago, it might have been on par with what I remember from the Windy City's famed The Wiener Circle, but at the particular New Jersey location I sampled it at, they forgot to serve it on a poppy seed bun (or simply ran out of them). In any case, the rest of the dog is very good; a medley of sweet, salty, sour, and spicy with the bite of sport peppers. All in all, Sonic's four new hot dogs are a tasty good value, and can be quite a mouthful -- it's a good thing you can summon someone to bring you a Cherry Limeade right to your car to wash them down with.

Radioactive Iodine-131 Found In U.S. Milk Samples

Photo: Justin Sullivan / Getty Images

Officials have discovered trace levels of radioactive Iodine-131 in milk samples from Washington state and California, but stress that amounts are still 5,000 times lower than the limit set by the Food and Drug Administration. That should easy worry for consumers concerned that radiation from the damaged Fukushima plant in Japan will affect milk produced in the U.S.

"We don't make light of radiation. People want more information, but it's important to put things in context," Al Lundeen, spokesperson for the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) told Slashfood. "We have had a positive sampling of Iodine-131, but it was minuscule. It's a trace amount compared to other things like watching TV or flying on a plane, where people are also exposed to radiation."

According to the Associated Press, the FDA and EPA announced they had found radiation in milk from Spokane, Wash. on Friday, while the CDPH announced they found similar results from milk obtained at a dairy in San Luis Obispo County on Monday.

"We are going to continue to monitor the situation," said Lundeen. "We test milk because that's the food where radiation can be detected most quickly, but we're testing air samples as well. What we know now is the amount of radiation detected should not force people to hesitate to drink milk or anything else."
The CDPH has posted a FAQ on their website for consumers who would like more information.

California milk producers Straus Family Creamery and Clover Stornetta Farms also posted letters to customers on their websites confirming their milk was safe for consumption.

"We've gotten some calls," said Rich Martin, spokesperson for Straus Family Creamery. "People just want to talk to someone from the company and hear firsthand the product is safe."

Veterinary toxicologist Michael Payne, DVM, PhD, of the University of California, Davis and the Western Institute for Food Safety and Security told Slashfood that the most important thing for consumers to know is the level of background radioactivity found in both samples were infinitesimally small and inconsequential to human health.

"The banana I had for breakfast this morning had 3,500 times more naturally occurring radiation than the extra radiation found in these milk samples," said Payne. "Could there be a concern later? The modeling the EPA and FDA have done show that even if a catastrophic failure occurred in the reactor vessel at the Fukushima plant, we have a 6,000 mile difference between Japan and the West Coast. That's more than adequate to dilute the radiation."