Food

Q: DEAR TIM: Cleaning a tile floor is my next big project. The grout lines are filthy, and I haven't discovered an easy way to restore the tile. Is there a magic product that will clean floor tile? Once the grout is clean, what's the easiest way to keep it that way? Should I invest in a cleaning machine? -- Michelle S., Corvallis, Ore. A: DEAR MICHELLE: We had a boatload of tile floors in our last home, and cleaning them was a nightmare. To make it worse, we had brilliant white tile with light gray grout in our kitchen and...

NASA can send robots to Mars, no problem. But if it's ever going to put humans on the Red Planet, it has to figure out how to feed them over the course of a years-long mission. So the space agency has funded research for what could be the ultimate nerd solution: a 3-D printer that creates entrees or desserts at the touch of a button. Yes, it's another case of life imitating "Star Trek" (remember the food replicator?). In this case, though, the creators hope there is an application beyond deep-space pizza parties.

If a plate of salty buffalo wings makes your feet swell up like balloons, you might be experiencing edema — fluid trapped in the body's tissues, most often in the feet, ankles and legs. Fluid retention can be an annoyance, but it can also indicate a more serious condition. What is edema? Edema is sometimes caused by damage to or pressure within veins that causes them to leak fluid — blood plasma that is mostly water — into nearby tissue. (At other times, edema is caused by heart,...

Regarding the May 18 news article " Planting a seed of discord ": The Frankenfood brawl has never been about science and safety but trust and choice, mixed with a dash of anti-Americanism and European political grandstanding. The question is what to do? First, the biotech industry ought to stop fighting a labeling war that it lost in Europe more than a decade ago. No matter that science convincingly shows that genetically modified (GM) farming is environmentally kinder than conventional crops,...

Shorty needed a ride home. She got confused sometimes, the result of some undefined mental condition, and wasn't always sure where she'd wandered. Her family knew this about Michelle "Shorty" Knight, all 4 feet 7 inches of her, and that's why they worried. She got in a car. It begins there, with that simple act, a 21-year-old — in many ways still very much a girl — got in a car. Aug. 22, 2002. If she'd looked up in that last moment of freedom, she would have seen a...

by Michael W. Fox Dear Dr. Fox: We adopted a beagle a year ago, and although she is supposed to be about 5, I would say she is older. Her teeth were in terrible condition, and she now has a white muzzle. Her stools have always been too soft; she has anal gland problems. Upon having her food changed in December, she had a terrible bout with hemorrhagic gastroenteritis. Since then, I have been feeding her brown rice, chicken and broccoli, but these foods have not helped with...

MONDAY, Jan. 26 (HealthDay News) -- Almost half of tested samples of commercial high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) contained mercury, which was also found in nearly a third of 55 popular brand-name food and beverage products where HFCS is the first- or second-highest labeled ingredient, according to two new U.S. studies. HFCS has replaced sugar as the sweetener in many beverages and foods such as breads, cereals, breakfast bars, lunch meats, yogurts, soups and condiments. On average, Americans consume about 12 teaspoons per...

Kudos to The Post's Eli Saslow for a vivid story in Sunday's paper about the burgeoning federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and its impact on struggling Woonsocket, R.I. Because of the 2008-09 recession and new eligibility rules, SNAP enrollment has expanded to 47 million people, including a third of Woonsocket's 40,000 residents. SNAP's total cost in 2012 was $78 billion, triple the 2003 level. I read Saslow's story with mixed feelings: pride in a generous nation that spends such sums to fight hunger;...

On Myplate, the federal food diagram published in June to show Americans a healthful diet, half of the plate contains fruits and vegetables, while roughly a third is made up of grains and about a fifth is reserved for "protein": meat, eggs, beans and nuts. A separate, smaller circle is designated "dairy. " The designers of Myplate hope it will help lower obesity and such related illnesses as diabetes, high blood pressure and cancer. Animal fats contribute to these diseases and make...

WASHINGTON — Officials at the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum say the McDonald's inside the museum was not shut down during a strike involving fast-food workers employed by federal contractors. Museum spokeswoman Claire Brown says the McDonald's remained open Tuesday, contrary to claims by strike organizers that the fast-food outlet had to close. Brown adds that two men were arrested inside the museum on charges including disorderly conduct and assault of a police...

MAY 23 NG SERIES: Meal prepared by culinary students features cultural traditions from around the world. 7:30-9 p.m. $20, including tax and gratuity. Stratford University, 14349 Gideon Dr., Woodbridge. 202-277-8307. flavors.me/stratfordculinary . WINE DINNER: James Bond-themed event with a reception, dinner and wine pairings. 6:30 p.m. $285, not including tax and gratuity. Jefferson Hotel, 16th and M streets NW. 202-448-2300. www.jeffersondc.com . MAY 25 CARIBBEAN FESTIVAL: Samples of 19...

WASHINGTON — The Senate voted Tuesday to keep a $400 million annual cut — or roughly a half of 1 percent — to the food stamp program as part of a major five-year farm bill. Food stamps now cost almost $80 billion annually and are used by 1 in 7 Americans. The House and Senate have differed sharply on how much the domestic food aid should be cut, with the House version of the farm bill proposing to cut five times more than the Senate bill and change eligibility rules for recipients.

After a contentious approval process, the development that could give Prince George's County its first Whole Foods Market appears to be moving forward. The Prince George's County Planning Board is expected to review key elements of the project on Thursday in one of the final steps before the developer can seek building permits and break ground at the 37-acre site in Riverdale Park. The $250 million project, planned by the Cafritz family and endorsed by County...

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — Do your kids love chocolate milk? It may have more calories on average than you thought. Same goes for soda. Until now, the only way to find out what people in the United States eat and how many calories they consume has been government data, which can lag behind the rapidly expanding and changing food marketplace. Researchers from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill are trying to change that by creating a gargantuan map of what foods...

NORFOLK, Va. — The steam from a plump roasted yam greets Peggy Miller for dinner most days. It doesn't take much to satisfy the 72-year-old's appetite, but she's picky about what's on her plate. Fresh vegetables are her first choice, but they're not easy to come by in Ballentine. The closest supermarket, a Food Lion on Tidewater Drive, is just over a mile from her home of 40 years. Even farther is the commissary where the military widow uses her benefits. Driving to either place is no...

SINCE 2006, the concept of food safety, as practiced by the federal government, has seemed oxymoronic. The recent concern about contaminated peanuts is but the latest in a series of food scares that included salmonella outbreaks involving tomatoes, peppers and spinach. With each occurrence, Congress thundered about the need to fix the way the nation safeguards its food supply, but little was done. Maybe more will happen now that President Obama has formed a Food Safety Working Group and selected a top-notch team to lead the Food and Drug Administration.

The Nov. 2 Food article "Where the ‘good stuff' grows," about foraging in your own yard or nearby woods for food, was highly informative, especially the fact that you only need one squirrel per person when serving guests dinner. But Hank Shaw, whose book was reviewed in the article, was incorrect when he said, "Every animal knows how to feed itself except for humans. " Any time I need food, I just go to the local Safeway or Giant. David F. Wright, Falls Church

WASHINGTON — The organic food industry is gaining influence on Capitol Hill, prompted by its entry into traditional farm states and by increasing consumer demand. That's not going over well with everyone in Congress. Tensions between conventional and organic agriculture boiled over this week during a late-night House Agriculture Committee debate on farm legislation that for decades has propped up traditional crops and largely ignored organics. When Rep. Kurt Schrader,...

The Post's May 13 editorial " Hurdles in reforming U.S. food aid " glossed over critical facts about the U.S. merchant marine and food aid programs. The Post failed to discuss the important nexus linking food aid programs, the merchant marine and the overseas deployment of our military. The law requires the federal government to retain a skilled merchant marine and commercial fleet, to provide an adequate sea-lift capacity to support our military and to transport government-impelled cargo.