Checkout Line

All the food advice you can eat, from farmers markets to test-tube meat -- by Lou Bendrick

Checkout line

Pom-Pom club: Just how ‘Wonderful’ are pomegranates? 10
Posted 12 Feb 2010 2:25 PM by Lou Bendrick
A few years ago, pomegranates suddenly became ubiquitous in supermarkets. What's up with that? Lou Bendrick is on the case. Read More
Mercury rising

To change your tuna, consider the sardine 7
Posted 23 Sep 2009 10:59 AM by Lou Bendrick
Can tuna melts kill you? Grist foodie Lou Bendrick explains how you can enjoy your favorite childhood comfort food and avoid mercury poisoning. Read More
Sweaty palms

Palm oil, healthy rainforests, and your kitchen 20
Posted 28 Aug 2009 9:00 AM by Lou Bendrick
To avoid trans-fats, a lot of folks are looking into palm oil as a shortening for baking. A reader wants to know: Is this the way forward, eco-wise? Lou Bendrick bakes up an answer. Read More

More Checkout Line

Buzzkill

Heat makes honey toxic, and other myths of the hive 10
Posted 28 Oct 2009 11:54 AM By Lou Bendrick
Dear Lou, I heard a rumor that honey is toxic when placed in hot water. Is that true? Doesn't the whole world drink honey in hot tea? Also wondering about the harvesting of honey -- is it harmful to the bees and their sustainability? Lou Bendrick has the answers. Read More
Cat(fish) fight

What’s the dish on farm-raised catfish? 9
Posted 7 Aug 2009 3:18 AM By Lou Bendrick
With the globe's fisheries in trouble and farmed salmon making bad headlines, it's harder than ever to choose safe and environmentally responsible seafood. What about farmed catfish, a reader wants to know? Food sleuth Lou Bendrick pounces. Read More
Triclosan or treat?

Saying goodbye to a common—and toxic—antimicrobial chemical 9
Posted 27 Jul 2009 5:48 AM By Lou Bendrick
Remember the '90s, when everyone and their mama became a germ freak and started buying anti-microbial everything? The trend has faded, but the personal-care and home-products industries keep clinging to an anti-microbial chemical called triclosan. A reader wants to know if triclosan should be avoided. Lou Bendrick has answers. Read More
Going bananas

Can we be ‘green’ and eat tropical products, too? 7
Posted 19 Jun 2009 10:01 AM By Lou Bendrick
It's hard to be a locavore when you're hooked on coffee, like bananas in your smoothies, and enjoy an afternoon cuppa for a quick pickup. Lou Bendrick weighs in on how to keep your green cred and consume tropical products, too. Read More
Seedy business

Beyond the compost heap: what to do with fruit and veggie seeds? 6
Posted 5 Jun 2009 7:32 AM By Lou Bendrick
As anyone who composts knows, when you cook a lot, you generate lots of seeds. What can be done with them? Food sleuth Lou Bendrick weighs in. Read More
A mighty wind

Of cow burps, beef, and methane 33
Posted 22 May 2009 11:00 AM By Lou Bendrick
By now, a lot of people know that beef production generates lots of planet-warming greenhouse gas--much of it in the form of methane from bovine bodily functions. But what about free-roaming, grass-munching cows: are they burping and farting their way to climate disaster, too? A beef-loving reader wants to know. Food sleuth Lou Bendrick has answers. Read More
Larder starter

The non-survivalist’s guide to stocking up for hard times 7
Posted 8 May 2009 9:21 AM By Lou Bendrick
You don't have to find yourself on a street corner with an "end is nigh" sandwich board to worry about surviving disaster. Better safe than sorry, advises Grist food sleuth Lou Bendrick. Read More
Not milk?

Navigating the non-dairy ‘milk’ aisle 26
Posted 24 Apr 2009 7:59 AM By Lou Bendrick
Grist's food sleuth helps make sense of the bewildering array of soy milks, rice milks, and hemp milks. Read More
Sweetness and light

The lowdown on agave nectar and other ‘natural’ sweeteners 4
Posted 10 Apr 2009 10:30 AM By Lou Bendrick
What's the skinny on "natural" sweetners like agave nectar and stevia? Lou Bendrick delivers the sweet and lowdown. Read More