Ancient stone structures on the West Coast are helping experts understand more about historic food practices, according to groundbreaking scientific research. In a recent interview with Fox News Digital, University of Utah anthropologists Lisbeth Louderback and Stefania Wilks spoke about their research in southern Oregon, which was published in February in the journal American Antiquity. (See the video at the top of this article.) The experts have been analyzing stone metates – or bedrocks with grinding surfaces – to learn more about how ancient people ate. Louderback, an associate professor and curator of archeology at the Natural History Museum of Utah, told Fox News Digital that Native Americans in the Northern Great Basin would process geophytes on metates by using manos, or handheld stones. Geophytes is a term that describes plants with underground storage organs, but they're far from obscure. The group includes potatoes, carrots, ginger and onions. So the researchers got to work and did starch granule analyses on several different metates from three different sites in southern Oregon. "Sure enough, we found very good evidence of geophyte processing on these bedrock metates," Louderback said. Notably, the two experts searched the cracks and crevices of bedrock metates, which yielded many more samples than the rock surfaces. "Virtually no starch granules were on the cleaning surface, but hundreds of starch granules were observed in those cracks and crevices deep down," Louderback said. "It could be as old as Late Pleistocene [126,000 to 11,700 years ago], but the evidence we found could also be as young as 500 years ago." Because of the open-air surfaces on the stones, it is nearly impossible to date the granules' ages, the professor said. But they are undoubtedly old. "It could be as old as Late Pleistocene [126,000 to 11,700 years ago], but the evidence we found could also be as young as 500 years ago," Louderback said. "So we don't know what the antiquity of this geophyte processing is on these features, but we definitely found evidence of geophyte processing, as well as processing of other plants, wild grasses and things like that as well." What did this ancient food look like? Graduate student Stefania Wilks told Fox News Digital that most of the granules were biscuitroot, which is in the wild carrot family. "They're starchy. They get flowery. They were very important to the people living there when the Europeans came," she said. "The European explorers relied on the resources that the Native peoples were able to share with them and included these geophytes," Wilks added. "In this region, in the Northern Great Basin in general, geophytes were very, very important." "They're still accessible today. They're still useful." Images of people grinding maize into flour may come to mind, but the environment of the Northern Great Basin differs from the southwest. Instead of corn, people relied on biscuitroot – and Wilks said that the root vegetable is still eaten today. "These geophytes, [like] biscuitroot and bitterroot — they're still being eaten today, largely for ceremonial gatherings." "It's not like they go out every day and harvest them," Wilks said. "There's only certain seasons when you can actually harvest them very well or very tastily. But yes, they're still accessible today. They're still useful." She added, "Their nutritional analysis says they're very, very high-ranked food sources. So it's nice to get this longevity, this information that these were important plants in the past. And they're important plants today." Geophyte tissues don't tend to last very long in the archaeological record, unlike seeds, she said. The starch granules prove how the tools were used in ancient times. "The starch granule evidence was needed to even be able to say that these milling surfaces were used for these plants," Wilks said. How did ancient people eat biscuitroot? They could have ground them into flour, pounded them or just eaten them plain. "Not all geophytes necessarily have to get pounded," Wilks told Fox News Digital. "Think of an onion. Wild onions — you can just pick them and eat them." She continued, "You don't really need to even do anything with them. So it's just more of what we can see ethnographically. In modern ethno-historic records, we know that they were pounding and processing and grinding and patting them into cakes." Wilks emphasized the research has helped history come to life, with the starch granules proving how the tools were used back in ancient times. "We were able to see these starch granules embedded within these tools," Wilks said. "Because without this evidence, it's always been inferred that this processing of these geophytes was going on. We didn't know."
A public health alert has been issued for some ready-to-eat wraps amid concerns that the products may be contaminated with listeria. The U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) earlier this week issued the alert for Rachel's Food Corp. chicken and bacon ranch wraps sold in Connecticut, Massachusetts and New York. A recall was not requested because the affected products are no longer available for purchase, according to the announcement. "The problem was discovered when a state public health partner notified FSIS of a product sample that tested positive for listeria monocytogenes," the FSIS said. The wraps were sold under the brand names Big Y Quick Easy Meals and Market 32 by Price Chopper. Both items come in a 10-ounce clear plastic clamshell package with a sell-by date of May 7 and the lot code of 25122. The wraps have the establishment number P34657 inside the USDA mark of inspection. Mike Pepin, vice president of operations for Massachusetts-based Rachel's Food Corp., told Fox News Digital there is no immediate concern regarding the wraps since they are out of circulation. "Listeria infection is an illness caused by bacteria that can spread through many foods," according to the Mayo Clinic. No illnesses have been reported "due to consumption of these products," the FSIS said. The items were produced on May 2. Although the wraps are no longer on the market, the FSIS is "concerned that some products may be in consumers' refrigerators," according to the announcement. Anyone who has purchased the wraps is "urged not to consume them."
Gas station food is as much a slice of American cuisine as a single serving of pizza, according to one celebrity chef. In an interview with Fox News Digital, chef Andrew Zimmern, based in Minnesota, said he's spent the better part of 25 years traveling the country in a van. "I'm not sure there's someone else alive who's probably stopped as many places to eat as I have in the last two-and-a-half decades," he said. That's what Zimmern said makes him qualified to vouch for gas station food, which he believes is more appealing to hungry Americans than it may appear. He's now partnered with the Iowa-based Casey's gas stations to promote their new barbecue brisket pizza. "I really think that what it has to do with is our own sense of adventure," Zimmern said. "We don't have to cross the ocean on a 19th century tramp steamer to have an adventure. We can walk into some place and try a regional food or a regional treat that happens to be for sale in that particular shop and have just as much of a warm, fuzzy feeling." The chef praised the new barbecue brisket pizza at Casey's, which he touted for its "real, wholesome ingredients, stuff I'm happy to feed my family." He added, "And by the way, in today's price-conscious world, there should be a pizza that's a whole pizza that can feed a family of four people really easily and not cost you a million dollars." But good gas station food goes beyond just pizza, he said. "When you're in Arizona and you have a breakfast burrito at a gas station with three grandmas in the back rolling up homemade chorizo with eggs and crispy potatoes and handing them to you, you are in a very, very, very special place, and you're about to eat something really extraordinary – and they're all hiding in plain sight." Zimmern also makes no apologies about eating what he wants when he's on the road. "You try to maintain your healthy lifestyle up until the time that you have a cheat moment or a cheat day," he admitted. "If I drank slushies and ate pizza three meals a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year, I'm not sure it would really be great for me," he said. "That said, I choose not to live in a world where I need to not eat pizza. I choose to live in a world where I get to eat pizza when I want and I get to have an orange slushy made with my favorite Mexican soda brand."
A common ingredient in some foods and drinks has been linked to an increased risk of blood cancers. Taurine — a non-essential amino acid that also occurs naturally in the bone marrow, brain, heart and muscles — was found to promote the growth of leukemia cells, according to a study by Wilmot Cancer Institute investigators at the University of Rochester in New York. The compound is also found in meats, fish and eggs, as well as some energy drinks and protein powders. "The key takeaway from this study is that taurine can be used by leukemia cells to promote cancer progression," Jeevisha Bajaj, PhD, an assistant professor in the Department of Biomedical Genetics and a member of Wilmot’s Cancer Microenvironment research program, told Fox News Digital. "Developing new methods to block the cancer cells’ ability to take in taurine may improve outcomes for leukemia patients." The scientists made the discovery by happenstance as they were investigating the bone marrow with an eye toward improving treatments for blood cancer, according to a press release from the university. "Our finding that taurine can be produced by the bone marrow microenvironment was completely unexpected and therefore surprising," Bajaj said. "No one had shown this before, and it added critical information to studies of the bone marrow microenvironment, where blood cancers arise and expand." The taurine triggers cancer growth in leukemia cells by promoting a process called glycolysis, which breaks down glucose to produce energy. In particular, taurine fuels certain types of cancer that emerge from blood stem cells in the bone marrow, including acute myeloid leukemia (AML), chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) and myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS), the release stated. The findings were published in the journal Nature. "We are very excited about these studies because they demonstrate that targeting uptake by myeloid leukemia cells may be a possible new avenue for treatment of these aggressive diseases," said Bajaj. "Our work suggests that developing and testing effective drugs that can impede leukemia cells from using taurine could lead to new treatment approaches for these deadly cancers." The study did have some limitations, according to the researchers. "While we can find that taurine levels are high in the bone marrow of mice with leukemia compared to healthy mice, we do not have any evidence on taurine levels in humans with acute myeloid leukemia," Bajah noted. "This is something we hope to study in the future." Looking ahead, the researchers also plan to study how myelodysplastic syndromes lead to acute leukemia. Based on the findings, the scientists recommend that patients with leukemia speak with their healthcare providers before adding any new supplements or foods rich in taurine to their diet. "Since taurine is a common ingredient in energy drinks and is often provided as a supplement to mitigate the side effects of chemotherapy, our work suggests that it may be of interest to carefully consider the benefits of supplemental taurine in leukemia patients," the researchers concluded in the paper. Dr. Marc Siegel, clinical professor of medicine at NYU Langone Health and Fox News senior medical analyst, was not involved in the study but commented on the findings. "The study from the University of Rochester determined that leukemia cells in the bone marrow rely on the amino acid taurine that they don’t make themselves," he told Fox News Digital. "Future therapies promise to block the uptake of taurine into leukemia cells." Further research is needed to determine the exact process for blocking taurine, according to Siegel. "This is preliminary, but marks an important link between diet and cancer." The study was primarily funded by the National Cancer Institute, National Institute on Aging, and the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Disease, all of which are part of the National Institutes of Health. The American Society of Hematology, the Leukemia Research Foundation and Leukemia & Lymphoma Society also provided support. Do energy drinks pose a risk? Some popular energy drinks list taurine as an ingredient. "There is concern that high-powered energy drinks containing too much taurine could fuel leukemia cells," Siegel told Fox News Digital. "This is preliminary, but marks an important link between diet and cancer." "But at the same time, there is no evidence that these drinks cause the conversion of regular bone marrow cells into leukemia cells." As the body naturally produces taurine, additional supplementation — especially from energy drinks — is "often unnecessary," according to Dr. Hooman Melamed, a board-certified orthopedic spine surgeon and sports medicine expert based in Marina Del Rey, California. "From a clinical perspective, I always advise patients to give their bodies what they need, but not to overload them with substances they don't," Melamed, who was not involved in the study, told Fox News Digital. In general, Melamed said he recommends avoiding energy drinks altogether, especially those containing many synthetic additives or excessive ingredients. "You’ll often find 20+ components in these products — many of which you can’t pronounce. That alone is a red flag," he cautioned. "If you don’t recognize what’s in your food or drink, it’s probably not something your body needs."
"Eat more fiber" might be a common recommendation from your doctor or healthcare provider. But getting the recommended amount can actually be a simple task, according to Robin DeCicco, a New York-based certified holistic nutritionist. DeCicco told Fox News Digital that fiber can help with disease prevention, weight loss, lowering cholesterol and digestion issues such as constipation. Harvard Medical School data has found that people who ate more fiber from fruit, vegetables and whole grains were able to prevent dying from heart disease, stroke, cancer and diabetes by 16% to 24%. The "huge" percentage stems from eating about 25 to 29 grams of fiber per day, which the nutritionist said is "not complicated." For breakfast, DeCicco recommended adding some berries and ground flaxseed to yogurt for a fiber boost. For lunch, packing a sandwich with extra lettuce and tomatoes can have the same effect, she said. Eating vegetables with hummus or a handful of nuts like almonds and pistachios, she said, can also serve as high-fiber snacks. For dinner, DeCicco suggested having a side of high-fiber vegetables like broccoli, asparagus, zucchini or salad. "Just think about how to add a little bit of fiber to each part of your day, and you'll get to those 29 grams instantly," she said. While there are many ways to get in more fiber, DeCicco shared creative ways to incorporate ground flaxseed into various meals. This can include mixing it into soups, sauces, chilis and stews, as well as yogurt, smoothies or oatmeal. Meats such as chicken and turkey can be breaded with ground flax, while it can also be added to a ground-beef mixture for meatballs, meatloaf or burgers. Ground flax can also be used as breading on fish or eggplant as a healthier option. "When you're roasting or baking all of those other foods, the proteins and the vegetables, it can actually get crispy from using the flax," DeCicco said. The nutritionist recommended a daily serving of one to two tablespoons of ground flax, which is best for digestion and absorption. Flax contains properties such as alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) omega-3 fatty acids and lignans, which are responsible for anti-aging, reducing inflammation, preventing disease and protecting overall brain and heart health, according to DeCicco. Although there are incredible benefits to consuming flax, DiCicco said, it's best to start out slow with a half-teaspoon to help the body to get used to it. She also recommended drinking lots of water as fiber intake increases. "It helps to reduce how fiber can bulk in your stomach," she said. "And your body uses it more readily and then is able to excrete the fiber as opposed to it bulking in your colon." DeCicco shared a fiber-filled energy ball recipe as a great dessert alternative. Easy No-Bake Protein Energy Bites Servings: About 12 energy balls Ingredients 1 cup rolled oats (use gluten-free oats if needed) 2 cups natural organic peanut butter (or any all-natural nut/seed butter with no added sugar or oil) 3 tablespoons cacao nibs (with no added sugar) ½ cup ground flaxseed A few handfuls of dried no sugar added cranberries or dried blueberries 3 tablespoons raw sunflower seeds (chop up) 2 to 3 teaspoons wild honey (Optional: Can add more nuts/dried fruit to mixture; can change nuts/seeds/fruit options.) (Note: Have all ingredients on hand and more than the amount listed above, as this type of recipe calls for adding in more than the above-mentioned measurements depending on how easily or not the dough sticks together.) Directions 1. Mix all ingredients together in a bowl until it looks like an evenly distributed uniformed dough. 2. Refrigerate the bites for 30 minutes. 3. Once the dough is hard, roll into balls. 4. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week and in the freezer for several months.
In-N-Out Burger has announced a major menu switch, changing the ingredients of a few of its beverages. "As part of our ongoing commitment to providing our customers with the highest-quality ingredients, we have removed artificial coloring from our Strawberry Shakes and Signature Pink Lemonade," Patty Pena, a spokesperson for the California-based burger joint, confirmed to Fox News Digital on Wednesday. It is unclear which specific dyes have been removed by the popular fast-food restaurant or if the coloring will be replaced. Last month, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced a ban on petroleum-based synthetic dyes within the nation's food supply, citing health concerns. Petroleum-based synthetic dyes are used to add color to food and drug items. The dyes are commonly found in breakfast cereals, candy, snacks, beverages, vitamins and "other products [that are] aimed at children," according to an article titled "The Artificial Food Dye Blues," shared by the National Library of Medicine. The FDA recently announced the approval of three natural-source colors in food items: Galdieria extract blue, butterfly pea flower extract and calcium phosphate. Pena told Fox News Digital the chain will be making a major change to a staple condiment as well. "We’re also in the process of transitioning to an upgraded ketchup, which is made with real sugar instead of high-fructose corn syrup," Pena said. HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. called out sugar during the agency's announcement on the artificial dye ban. "Sugar is poison," Kennedy said at the time. "And Americans need to know that it is poisoning us." California-based certified nutritionist Courtney Swan of Realfoodology told Fox News Digital that high-fructose corn syrup needs to be examined. High-fructose corn syrup is a processed sweetener derived from corn starch, which Swan classifies as an "ultraprocessed, refined sugar." The syrup is "so far removed from its original source that it's not even recognizable as something that would be considered food anymore," Swan said.
There's a new king in the U.S. casual dining scene. Texas Roadhouse has surpassed Olive Garden as the No. 1 casual dining destination based on systemwide sales, according to new data from Technomic on the 500 largest restaurant chains in America. The Louisville, Kentucky-based steakhouse chain overtook Olive Garden, which had held the top spot since 2018. Texas Roadhouse sales surged 14.7% last year to $5.5 billion, while Olive Garden sales rose just 0.8% to $5.2 billion in 2024, according to Technomic. Olive Garden has tried to lure more customers with its $6 take-home entrées and endless soup or salad and breadsticks. The Orlando, Florida-based Italian restaurant chain, owned by parent company Darden Restaurants, opened 15 new restaurants in 2024, compared to 26 new locations for Texas Roadhouse, Restaurant Business reported. Steakhouses represented three of the top 10 casual dining restaurants on the list. LongHorn Steakhouse, which is also owned by Darden Restaurants, jumped Tampa, Florida-based Outback Steakhouse, according to the data.
Ice cream parlors are ready to serve summer crowds as warmer days approach. One shop scooping out its ice cream is switching up the way it makes homemade sweet treats. Family-owned King Cone in Plover, Wisconsin, has announced it will be phasing out artificial food dyes. Judy Klosinski and son Ben Klosinski, owners of King Cone, told Fox News Digital the decision stemmed from inspiration they received from a family member. "The switch away from using artificial coloring came as Ben and his family started researching more about dyes and color additives in the food their family was consuming," Judy Klosinksi said. "Ben's son appeared to be having issues in the fall of 2024. We started checking into making the switch to natural dyes." The shop was unable to find healthier ingredients from existing suppliers. "Over the years, many families came in with small children [who] weren't allowed to have the brightly colored ice creams – and it was heartbreaking to watch," said Judy Klosinski. Currently, the shop's "Superdude" and "Fruity Pebbles" flavors are dye-free – and the goal is to make every flavor of ice cream completely dye-free by the end of 2025. "As our homemade ice cream is crafted by us, we found that any brightly colored ingredient usually meant it contained anywhere from one to as many as four of the dyes that are now being banned in the United States," Judy Klosinski said. The U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) recently announced the approval of three natural-source colors in food items: Galdieria extract blue, butterfly pea flower extract and calcium phosphate. Galdieria extract blue is a blue color derived from the unicellular red algae Galdieria sulphuraria and is approved to be used in ice cream. "While we weren't sure how the customers would react to the change, many have said they're happy to see more options and less harmful dyes." Butterfly pea flower extract, derived from the water extraction of the dried flower petals of the butterfly pea plant, can achieve colors of blue, green and purple and is approved for use in candies. Calcium phosphate is a white color approved for candies. "While we weren't sure how the customers would react to the change, many have said they're happy to see more options and less harmful dyes," Judy Klosinski said. "As we are a family-owned business, we were overwhelmed by the positive comments and grateful that the customers were appreciative of our effort to give them a safe alternative for their kids," son Ben Klosinski added. Stella's Homemade Ice Cream in South Carolina also announced it was doing away with artificial food dyes, Fox News Digital previously reported. The South Carolina shop has been experimenting with spirulina, turmeric and purple carrot juice instead of artificial food dyes. King Cone has been in business since 1984.
A Pennsylvania company's yogurt parfait products have been recalled due to an undeclared allergen. The granola component in some of Knockro Inc.'s Bonya-branded low-fat yogurt parfaits "contains almonds, which were not listed on the label." That's according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). "People who have an allergy or severe sensitivity to almonds risk serious or life-threatening allergic reactions if they consume these products," the FDA said in its recall announcement. The breakfast snacks were distributed to stores nationwide. They come in a 12-ounce, clear plastic cup with an expiration date of May 5, 2025, according to the FDA. Yogurt parfait flavors impacted by the recall include vanilla, strawberry, raspberry, peach, mango and blueberry. A recall was initiated "after it was discovered that the almond-containing product was distributed in packaging that did not reveal the presence of almonds," the FDA said. "Subsequent investigation indicates the problem was caused by a temporary breakdown in the company's production and packaging processes," according to the announcement. No illnesses have been reported in connection with the recall. But anyone who purchased Bonya yogurt parfaits is asked to return them to the place of purchase for a refund.
