Getting your man to the doctor to test his swimmers may never be an issue again. Word is a company by the name of Spermcheck Fertility is marketing a DIY male fertility test that is already available online and will soon be available in CVS and Walgreens locations. According to Spermcheck, a unit of U.S.-based Fairhaven Health, accurate test results will show if a man is above or below the threshold of 20 million sperm per milliliter.

So how does one test their boys at home? This product tests sperm count not necessarily if they swim fast enough. According to the website, it’s important to get a full sample and aim well, ie don’t spill your goods. Get the entire “sample” in the cup after “manual” manipulation, wait the specified time to let the goods settle, and then use the kit tools to test your boys. Just like a pregnancy test, where a line surfaces and how many lines actually show up will determine whether someone needs to consult a doctor.

It’s important to note that the parent company, Fairhaven, sells various herbal supplements that claim to boost sperm count and related numbers. These supplements are not FDA approved still it’s interesting to note an increasingly common herbal supplement often derived from South America, maca, is in one formula. Maca is found in many supplements, for men and women, but in the past was marketed to promote sex drive. Regardless, the efficacy of these supplements is not verified by the U.S. government.

One test is $40 whether you buy it on the company site, Amazon, or at a drugstore and most retailers offer free shipping. Note: there’s only one test per box so if you get no response, maybe a co-pay is worth it if your health insurance will cover it.

I’ve dreamt of the day Starbucks would get a liquor license and now it’s here. Although not quite in the form I’d desired, it’s here. I’d imagined a world where hedonism was part of mainstream lifestyle and a frothy sugar-laden coffee drink came spiked to quell that oncoming hangover one would fear at 11 a.m. inside a Vegas casino. But alas that is not the case.

Starbucks apparently aims to bank off of making “the third place” available during evenings too, in select markets to start. Essentially select U.S. locations will offer beer and wine, as well as a few other higher-end appetizer food offerings. The program will launch in a few locations in Atlanta and Southern California by the end of 2012, alongside plans for the Chicago metro area and the Pacific Northwest region. This builds on existing extended hours at the Olive Way location in Seattle, which extended hours in October 2010. It is one of the five stores in the Seattle area and the one Portland, Oregon, location that already serves wine, beer, and “premium food.”

The coffee giant’s goal is to bring the evening concept to seven locations around Chicago and to four to six locations around Atlanta and SoCal, by year’s end.

The latest beverage trend is about the medium not the product. Single brew coffee. It’s ironic that if you hold onto something for long enough it will once again be en vogue.

When I moved to NYC in 2004, I was staying with my aunt and uncle, who had been in the same apartment in Gramercy Park for 30 years, possibly using the same brewing method for those 30 years. It went like this: 1) boil water, 2) place glass carafe on grid sitting atop burner, 3) place cone with filter atop carafe, 4) put coffee grinds into filter, and 5) pour water over grinds.

Obviously this isn’t a realistic process for most people because it takes time and manual. But, somehow this is now all the rage, likely because it allows coffee snobs to choose the coffee variety to be brewed. One might say Starbucks wasn’t late to this trend because select locations have a bar where one can get any type of Starbucks coffee on the premises brewed, such as upstairs in the new Harvard Square location.

But the first time I really saw single brew coffee in action was at the Harvard Square Clover restaurant. Clover has a few restaurants and many food trucks in the Boston-Cambridge area. The brand has a cult following, which is great because the service isn’t speedy. That said, single brew coffee is not a speedy process anywhere. But apparently it’s a growing trend. In addition to Starbucks and Clover, I saw single brew stations behind the counters of Philz, a Bay Area coffee company, and another San Francisco area food retailer, The Plant Cafe Organic, which single brew coffee, in addition to smoothies,  juices, and vegan and gluten-free options.

At Philz in Palo Alto, I was unaware that when my cousin told me it was a coffee-only spot for serious drinkers, she wasn’t exaggerating. Seeing the various tubs, I said, oh can I get a matte latte? A what, the “barista” behind the counter said? OK nevermind, I’ll have an au lait please. Again, a blank face. OK I’ll have a drip coffee. To which he responds, which one? One of those 18 varieties behind you. Novocaine or something like that?

WTF, it’s just coffee, the last legal vice. I remember my first flight abroad. I was 16 headed to Santander, Spain, and people could still smoke cigarettes on planes. Not to date myself… Now thankfully people can’t smoke in buildings or restaurants, let alone planes or most cafes. And we’re supposed to limit our carb and sugar intake. And not drink too much alcohol. And eat more fruits and veggies. And hit the gym.

You get the message. There’s so much we can’t have but unless one is on a string cleanse, coffee has always been acceptable and many studies tout its benefits. So maybe coffee is the one thing we can savor and that’s what these single brew junkies are after – a way to savor the blend.

Click here to find Clover locations.

A trio of researchers in Australia have discovered a sugar compound that could help prevent heart disease. According to a release from the University of Melbourne, Dr. Corin Storkey and Professor Carl Schiesser from the ARC Centre of Excellence for Free Radical Chemistry and Biotechnology at The University of Melbourne teamed up with Professor Michael Davies of the Sydney-based Heart Research Institute and have discovered and patented a compound of sugar and selenium that might have heart disease prevention capabilities.

The study findings, which were recently published in The Royal Society of Chemistry journal, Chemical Communications, suggest that the “seleno-sugar compounds” developed function by hunting for “hypohalous acids, a group of highly reactive chemicals that can damage tissues when produced in the wrong place, at the wrong time or at excessive levels,” said Professor Schiesser. The benefit is that one factor used to anticipate heart disease in some patients is an elevated level of the enzyme that makes the hypohalous acids.
The group found that their seleno-sugar compounds can prevent hypohalous acids from damaging key amino acids in human plasma, which is a key part in stopping the development of heart disease. The team is working on improving the compounds for possible drug development use in the future.

One of the biggest distributors of organic and natural foods, UNFI or United Natural Foods Inc., released its 3rd quarter roundup of trends, both existing and upcoming. The video below is geared at those that manage or own health food stores. Among the products hot listed are “super seeds,” non-dairy spreads and cooking oils, and healthy snacks.

Image courtesy of www.DrBronner.com

Strong Growth Categories according to UNFI folks include the raw sector, which includes kale chips, raw coconut products, and nut butters, such as almond or cashew butters. Chia also continues to make its way onto shelves thanks to its innate omega property. The gluten-free market sector continues to power on, with Pamela’s Whenever Bars, granola from Nature’s Path, and Bakery on Main (check out the coconut cashew bar) getting shout outs from UNFI. Finally, the last grab and go category was “Light N Lean,” featuring items that are convenient, easy and low-cal. Highlighted items include meal products from Amy’s, Evo Burritos (mini), and Pop Chips.

Strong New Items

Other items mentioned that UNFI deems noteworthy include Earth Balance Organic Coconut spread and Mindless Mayo, which appear vegan friendly. Other items mentioned include Field Roast vegan hotdogs, the new hemp chips from Food Should Taste Good, sprouted grain items, including those from Garden of Eden, and Manhattan Chili’s butternut squash variety.

Finally, the UNFI experts in the Vitamins and Supplements department mentioned Sibu, Childlife, and Dr. Woods (check out the liquid black soap) as top brands.

Researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health released findings that consumption of canned suit led to higher levels of BPA in urine, according to a Nov. 22 news release. Scientists conducted a study with 75 volunteers and gave subjects soup from a can. After eating one 12-ounce serving of vegetarian canned soup five days in a row and a two-day “washout” period, urine tests showed those that ate canned soup had a higher rate of BPA in their urine, compared to those fed fresh soup.

Urine tests showed a 1,221% increase in BPA levels compared to those that consumed a serving of fresh soup for five straight days. The study was led by graduate student Jenny Carwile and Associate Professor of Epidemiology Karin Michels. Researchers noted that further research is necessary to determine in the higher rate of BPA in urine is temporary but did add that manufacturers might want to consider cans free of BPA.

Click here for the findings published in the Journal of American Medicine Association.

Is the latest health food drink a trend in both the social enterprise and alcohol sectors? European beer giant SABMiller just announced that it has launched a new beer called Impala, which is based primarily on the root vegetable, cassava. Cassava is often grown in tropical countries and in some nations is called yucca.

SABMiller’s Mozambique-based subsidiary Cervejas de Moçambique will brew the beer with a 70% cassava base but its unknown if the other ingredients contain gluten. The product is reportedly aimed at the local market as it will be a lower cost alcohol option. Impala is being touted as an alternative to “illicit alcohol” some locals consume.

Click here for the release

Starbucks Coffee Company recently announced it acquired Evolution Fresh as part of a continued push to bank off of “healthier menu options.” Starbucks’ press releases cites statistics including that of a “$1.6 billion super-premium juice” sector and “a $50 billion health and wellness sector,” both of which it aims to take a bigger bite from. Starbucks acquired Evolution Fresh for $30 million in cash and the latter will become a subsidiary of Starbucks.

The move might be surprising to some because 1) most people have not heard of Evolution Fresh and 2) because Starbucks is a coffee company. But, selling beans isn’t business enough. Starbucks’ foray into retail came with ice cream and RTD (ready to drink) offerings years ago and this acquisition simply builds on relationships built for aforementioned purposes.

But, why Evolution Fresh? For one, Odwalla is owned by Coca Cola, secondly, PepsiCo acquired Naked Juice, and thirdly, Evolution Fresh was co-Founded by Jimmy Rosenberg, the founder of Naked Juice. If that’s not enough, it appears Evolution Fresh creates raw juices – of sorts.

According to the announcement, Evolution Fresh uses a process called High Pressure Pasteurization (HPP) to make “juice products’ that are “never heated.”

The plan sounds as is Starbucks will add Evolution Fresh products to its retail locations while expanding its RTD offerings nationwide via distribution in grocers. The rollout is set for early-to-mid calendar 2012.

McDonald’s Corporation revealed a new sustainability aim last month after it joined the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO). Membership means the fast food giant is committed to its goal to source palm oil only from RSPO member companies by the end of 2011, and to use only RSPO-certified palm oil in restaurants and pre-cooked chicken and potato products by 2015.

McDonald’s mainly uses palm oil in Asia-Pacific, the Middle East and Africa, as well as in Latin America. It is sometimes used as a frying oil and sometimes as a ” par-fry” for pre-cooking items including french fries and chicken products.