Inhaler Gives Chocolate Taste, With No Calories

Inhalable 3-course meal is next, say Harvard inventors

(NEWSER) - A Harvard biomedical engineering professor and his students have come up with the perfect solution for coffee lovers short on time—or cups. His company, Le Whif, has created a range of inhalable coffees, delivered via lipstick-sized tubes. The inventors say each tube holds as much caffeine as a shot of espresso. More»

(NEWSER) - A mistake in the labs of the world's largest chocolate producer inadvertently led researchers to the ultimate in confectionery: a recipe that's not only heat-resistant, but that contains 90% fewer calories than normal chocolate. Food engineers fooling around at Barry Callebaut, which makes products for Nestlé and Cadbury, ended up creating a crispy bar with a light consistency that doesn't melt below 131°F. More»

State laws making a difference, says study

(NEWSER) - Why do teens in California consume fewer calories a day than young people in other states? It's because they snack less when at school, a new study finds, and they snack less because state laws have curbed the sale of junk food and banned the sale of soda and sugary drinks in schools, reports NPR . California teens ingest 158 fewer calories daily than teens in other states, an amount that can have a big cumulative effect for the better. More»

Gourmands fight for native Peruvian cocoa

(NEWSER) - To cut down on production of the coca plants behind cocaine, the US has pushed an alternative crop to Peruvian farmers: a high-yielding cocoa hybrid. And while CCN-51 has had commercial benefits, there's one problem, chocolate experts say—it just doesn't taste that good. Instead, these connoisseurs say, Peru should focus on producing its delectable native cocoa, which yields smaller crops but sells for higher prices: Some European chocolatiers are willing to spend $4,000 per metric ton of native white cocoa, compared to $2,300 for CCN-51. More»

Compounds may fight weight gain

(NEWSER) - Sweet news: People who regularly eat chocolate tend to be thinner, scientists have discovered. Of 1,000 subjects studied, those who ate chocolate a few times a week were on average slimmer than those who only ate it occasionally, reports the BBC . Frequency of eating chocolate appeared to be more important than amount consumed, and the link held even when taking different rates of exercise into account. Chocolate is high in calories, but may contain ingredients that somehow promote weight loss, or at least stave off weight gain, researchers speculate. More»