It's no secret -- Hispanic culture centers around good food. No matter what their country of origin, traditional dishes are a source of pride and familiarity for most Hispanics. But they carry certain health risks.

The prevalence of diabetes among Hispanics is high, so high that it borders on an epidemic. According to the Centers for Disease Controll, lifetime risk estimates for developing diabetes is high for both Hispanic men and women. Hispanic women born in 2000 have a 52.5 percent risk of developing diabetes in their lifetime while Hispanic men have a 45.4 percent risk. That compares, for example, to a 31.2 percent risk for non-Hispanic white females and 26.7 percent risk among non-Hispanic white males.

"Unfortunately, for the Latin community it is hard to adjust for and educate about diabetes because we don't want to give up our traditions," said cookbook author celebrity chef Leticia Moreinos Schwartz, who Sunday stopped at Calle Ocho Street Festival as part of Merck Pharmaceutical's Cuida tu Diabetes, Cuida tu Corazon (Taking Diabetes To Heart). With help from the American Diabetes Association and Jefe's Original Food Truck, Schwartz demonstrated how just a few small measures can make a big difference for those suffering from diabetes.

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We're almost two months into 2013, and some of us are already losing sight of our New Year's resolutions. Eating healthy is hard when all you do is eat out. Hell, even cooking healthy is no walk in the park. Good thing we've got some news to share with your palate, belly, and heart.

Michael Boles, managing partner and owner of Haven, has teamed up with U-Fit owner and trainer Cody Patrick to present chef Todd Erickson's food to calorie-counting health freaks. OK, that's a bit insulting. Let's call them people who love eating out but have problems fulfilling dietary restrictions. Yeah, that's better.

You've likely heard of the paleo diet. In case you haven't, it's based on eating wholesome, contemporary foods from the food groups of our hunter-gatherer ancestors during the Paleolithic era, or the Stone Age. No wonder our ancestors were in such great shape.

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ROC United

Is your shrimp served with a side of sneeze?

With a major flu epidemic going around the United States, have you ever wondered whether or not your server sneezed on your all-you-can-eat shrimp?

A video, produced by ROC United, spoofs Red Lobster's commercials that spotlight happy employees serving seafood to even happier guests.

In this video, a server, being filmed for a commercial, has a cold. The cold, which starts out as a sneeze, turns into a full-blown case of influenza. When the employee asks if she can do this another day, the snarky director says that she can be sick on her day off.

We then see a statement that Darden employees are not given paid sick days, and that given they could make as little as $2.13 an hour, many cannot afford to take unpaid days off.

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Florida Department of Business & Professional Regulation via YouTube

Florida announces food code changes.

The Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation, the state agency that's in charge of inspecting all Florida restaurants for cleanliness and food safety, announced updates to the statewide Food Code.

The  new code, which goes into effect January 1, 2013, will improve the inspection process for restaurant operators and addresses safety concerns, such as warnings for food allergens.

The updates reflect the FDA 2009 Food Code, a 570-page,eight-chapter manual that outlines food safety for retail establishments and which is offered free to state, local, and federal jurisdictions as a guideline.

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Seal of approval?

Before you head to the GreenWise organic section at Publix, you might want to read a bit further. Is your money going as far as you think it is?

The debate continues as a new study is inconclusive as to whether eating organic produce and meat is healthier or safer.

So why pay premium prices for products that might not be better?

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"I am the two-time chicken wing world champion. I am number one." 

So declares 98-pound competitive eater Sonya Thomas, who has indeed reigned as chicken wing queen for two years straight, setting world records and twice defeating America's top eater, Joey Chestnut, at the National Buffalo Wing-Eating Competition.

And this year there's a new chicken wing contest to conquer. On Friday, the eve of the 16th Annual Hooters International Swimsuit Pageant, an official qualifier for the Hooters World Wing-Eating Championship will take place at the Fontainebleau Miami Beach at 7 p.m. The winner of the Miami qualifier will advance to the final round in July, the month that includes National Chicken Wing Day.

Sonya "the Black Widow" Thomas qualified for the finals at the tour's kickoff in Augusta, Georgia, but was disappointed in her numbers (a mere 140 wings in ten minutes -- come on, girl, step it up!), so she's coming to Miami to stand her ground at a special exhibition round and check out the competition.

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​A study of more than 110,00 adults, conducted from 1980 to 2008, concludes that eating red meat of any type and in any amount will significantly increase risk of premature death.

"Any red meat you eat contributes to the risk," said An Pan, postdoctoral fellow at the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston and lead author of the study. The results were published online yesterday in the Archives of Internal Medicine.

Some eye-openers: Adding just one three-ounce serving of unprocessed red meat to one's daily diet was linked to a 13 percent increased chance of death during the course of the study. Eating processed red meats, such as a hot dog or two slices of foodie-favorite bacon, upped the risk of death during the study by 20 percent. Overall, as meat consumption increased among the 37,698 men and 83,644 women who were tracked, so did mortality risk.

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Photo by Sami Keinänen/Wikimedia Commons

The picture of a healthful, colorful meal?

​If you like lots of dining options, Miami is your kinda place. Whether you crave International deliciousness or  vegan, low-fat or sugar-free fare, it's all right here. Or so it would seem. Because there's one option noticeably missing from this metro melting pot: gluten-free.

Even so, there are a growing number of eateries diversifying their menus with "gluten-free friendly" options-- foods deemed gluten-free, but prepared in the same environment as those containing the grain protein.

While the difference may seem negligible, it's anything but to someone diagnosed with celiac disease, a serious medical condition that mandates total gluten elimination. Diagnosed two years ago, Jen Diaz, a Miami customs and patent attorney who also blogs at glutenfreebeat.com, says that all-too-often while dining out she has experienced the side effects of "cross-contamination"-- unwittingly ingesting gluten.

"I felt like my stomach was going to explode," she groaned, before ticking off a number of distressing gastrointestinal symptoms that follow cross-contamination. In one instance, her reaction was so severe, she wound up in a car accident after leaving the offending restaurant. "I was so sick, I was running red lights trying to get home as fast as I could," she confessed.

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​​​​Kashi's GoLean cereal (made by Kellogg's) contains 100 percent genetically engineered soybeans. Whole Foods Market's 365 Corn Flakes is made from 57 percent GMO corn; in Barbara's Bakery's Puffins the GMO corn content is 55 percent.

USDA testing has found residues of organophosphate pesticides like chlorpyrifos and malathion on corn, soy, wheat flour, and oats -- all common ingredients in non-organic breakfast cereals (in the case of wheat flour, residues were found in more than 60 percent of the samples). Recent studies have linked organophosphate exposure to a wide range of developmental and behavioral disorders in children.

These are a few of the findings of a report released yesterday by the Cornucopia Institute, an organic industry watchdog group from Cornucopia, Wisconsin. The report, entitled Cereal Crimes: How "Natural" Claims Deceive Consumers and Undermine the Organic Label -- A Look Down the Cereal and Granola Aisle, concludes that some of the nation's major food manufacturers are using deceptive marketing practices to sell us "natural" breakfast cereals that are genetically engineered and/or contaminated with toxic agrichemicals.

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Photo by Alexandra Leon

Gator Grill 192's gator and pineapple kabobs.

Gator Grill's new owners Sal and Elsa DeVito have taken the grease out of the menu -- and off a few window panes as well.

At the end of June, the DeVito's took over the Homestead establishment after the Bronx-bred chef Nino took off. The couple changed the name of the restaurant to Gator Grill 192 and removed fried items from the menu to keep it healthier.

"We've cleaned it up and we're looking for our new clientele. I have great expectations for this," said Sal.

The restaurants windows and wood paneling were pressure cleaned to remove grease residue. "You couldn't see to the outside," Elsa added.

Yet, a look in health records shows that a July 14 inspection turned up 13 violations.

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