101 Starters in 20 Minutes

Hostess' demise is a good thing: Mark Bittman

(NEWSER) - Hostess' bankruptcy filing probably won't mean the death of the Twinkie—rather, a restructuring of the company—but even if it did, it would be a death we should celebrate, writes Mark Bittman in the New York Times . The food columnist admits he ate his fair share of Twinkies as a kid in the '60s, when no one questioned the "mysteriously moist" treat with its "'creamy'—not 'cream,' of course—filling" and 39 ingredients. Of course, those were also the days when doctors had only recently stopped endorsing cigarettes, and "few people could yet conceive of the government lying to us or allowing food manufacturers to do us any harm." More»

Drop meat once a week: Mark Bittman

(NEWSER) - "Lose weight" tends to make a whole lot of Americans' lists of New Year's resolutions. But Mark Bittman has a news flash for you: What we all really need to do is not obsess over dieting, but "eat better." And to do so, all we need to do is turn a little bit vegan. If the thought of avoiding all animal products, from meat to eggs to honey, strikes fear into your heart, don't worry: First of all, if you've ever eaten peanut butter and jelly for lunch, you've eaten a vegan meal. And going "semi-vegan" is as easy as cutting meat out of your meal once a week, writes Bittman for the New York Times . More»

With obesity costing US billions, gov't must help health

(NEWSER) - With the "Standard American Diet" producing ever more heart disease, diabetes, and cancer, it's time to tax junk food and subsidize vegetables, writes Mark Bittman in the New York Times . "Right now it’s harder for many people to buy fruit than Froot Loops," he says, suggesting sweetened drinks, like soda, should pay at a rate of two cents per ounce (diet sodas would be exempt), while French fries could face a 50-cent tax per serving. "Public health is the role of the government, and our diet is right up there with any other public responsibility you can name, from water treatment to mass transit," he says, comparing junk food to smoking. More»

School lunches are improving; Walmart's into sustainability: Mark Bittman

(NEWSER) - Sometimes it’s important for a critic to drop the criticism and offer some praise. In the New York Times , Mark Bittman presents a taste of good news in the food world:

1. Backers of better food policy are gaining real traction: The reauthorized Child Nutrition Act will improve school lunches, while the Food Safety Modernization Act will make our meals safer.

Pets, not farm animals, get all our respect

(NEWSER) - In America, a 19-year-old can be arrested for killing a hamster —yet we are allowed to inflict great cruelty on animals kept, not as pets, but for food. That’s because of state laws called “Common Farming Exemptions” that allow the industry, instead of lawmakers, to basically define cruelty by making any common practice legal. “In short, if I keep a pig as a pet, I can’t kick it. If I keep a pig I intend to sell for food, I can pretty much torture it,” writes Mark Bittman in the New York Times . More»