George Washington and Abraham Lincoln get most of the attention on Presidents' Day, but it is intended to honor all American Presidents and one of those men -- Zachary Taylor -- is said to have met his fate from food poisoning. Taylor was the 12th president of the United States and it was the first political office he ever held. He had been a military leader who fought in several Indian wars, as well as in The Mexican War (1846-48). They called him "Old Rough and Ready" because of his willingness to share his troops' hardships. He kept one of his old war horses, Whitney, on the White House grounds. It was just 16 months into his term as president when he attended 4th of July ceremonies at the Washington Monument. It was a blistering hot day and he ate from the local picnic … [Read more...]
Some Baby Formula Sweetened with Brown Rice Syrup Contains Arsenic
According to a study by scientists at Dartmouth College, some baby formula and cereal bars sweetened with organic brown rice syrup exceed U.S. government standards for arsenic in bottled water. That standard is set at 10 parts per billion (ppb). There are currently no United States laws regulating arsenic content in food. The Dartmouth study, published in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives, sampled 17 baby formulas, 29 cereal bars and three energy shot drinks, all purchased in New Hampshire. The brands were not named. The researchers found that the one of the two formulas that used organic brown rice syrup as a sweetener had arsenic levels at six times the federal limit for bottled water. Brown rice syrup is used in some products instead of other sweeteners such as high … [Read more...]
