New York Health Department is going on a diet

New York has always been a cutting edge kind of place.

And now the city's Health Department is going to experience some cutting of its own by going on a diet.

That means, no deep-fried foods,and no cookies and cakes served at the same time. 

And of course, no beverages over 25 calories per ounce.

This is all part of the new and exciting health mandate issued to department employees in a cute little brightly-colored brochure.

The mandate also requires that tap water be on the menu when food or drinks are served and suggests bagels or muffins be cut into halves or quarters to reduce the number of calories employees intake, and thinly sliced, whole-grain bread is a suggested offering at work events.

Besides the dietary rules, employees are now required to adopt good personal and office hygiene habits, like wearing smelly products, eavesdropping and putting up signs co-workers may deem offensive, according to the new set of guidelines for "Life in the Cubicle Village."

These guidelines are part of the massive city campaign to improve public health and to make changes related to diet, exercise and non-smoking.

While some health department employees complain the new rules verge on "micro-managing," the agency says the updated guidelines reflect the department's effort to practice what it preaches.

"The Health Department is leading by example by updating its guidelines for food and beverages served at agency meetings and events," said a Health Department spokeswoman.

The Battle Against Fast Food Calories Continues

As the battle against what some call the epidemic of obesity, the Food and Drug Administration has proposed rules that will require restaurant and fast food chains to post the calorie amounts on their menus.

These rules, by the way, also apply to vending machines, coffee shops and convenience and grocery stores but not to movie theaters, bowling alleys or airliners.

Despite all the efforts of Michelle Obama, Jamie Oliver, nutritionists and many politicians who have been trying to make us see the light, the truth is, there has been little or no progress against this obesity issue.

While the proponents of these new rules may be thrilled, most of us don't care.

"Nobody thinks that calorie information by itself solves the problem, but it's part of the tool kit," FDA deputy commissioner for foods Michael Taylor said in a brief interview. "We see this as part of the overall effort to fight obesity."

The exemption of movie theater refreshment stands is a big win for the National Association of Theater Owners.

But that came about because of  fierce lobbying, and really, who is counting calories while asking for extra butter on their popcorn?

Public health officials pulled soda pop out of school vending machines and come up with healthier school lunches, and we've seen what a disaster that's turned out to be. menus.

The new rules, would apply to food chains with 20 or more locations, like, McDonalds, Burger King, Taco Bell, Wendy's just to name a few.

With this, customers will see calorie counts next to the burgers, fries and shakes they are about to order, hoping to warn us, scare us or simply make us feel guilty.

The FDA hopes to have this done by the end of the year.

These calorie counts would have to be displayed prominently on all menus and menu boards, including at drive-through locations.

Fast- food companies say they may have to shrink the number of items they put up on menu boards in order to make room for the calorie counts and that will hurt sales.

The menu provision was part of last year's health care law, which intended to have a tax on sugared beverages but that ended after lobbying from the soft drink industry.

EPA Says Low Levels of Radiation Found in U.S. Milk

It seems radiation has been found in everything from drinking water to blades of grass, nowt the U.S. government is saying that traces of radiation have been found in milk in Washington state.

But right after saying things like this, they always say, "there's nothing to worry about because  the amounts are well below levels of public health concern.

The Environmental Protection Agency says that the screening sample taken March 25 from Spokane, Wash., detected 0.8 pCi/L of iodine-131. That would be more than 5,000 times lower than the number they have decided is okay.

The EPA also says it expects more findings of radiation "in the coming days" but added that they are "far below levels of public health concern, including for infants and children."

Iodine-131 has a half life of approximately eight days, and the level detected in milk and milk products is  expected to drop quickly, the agency said.

In order to calm nerves and make people feel better, the EPA said in a written statement:

"Radiation is all around us in our daily lives, and these findings are a minuscule amount compared to what people experience every day.
For example, a person would be exposed to low levels of radiation on a round trip cross country flight, watching television, and even from construction materials."

 Last week the FDA said it was going block imports of Japanese milk products and certain other foods produced in the area around the Fukushima nuclear facility because of radiation contamination.