White potatoes have 77 calories per 100 grams, while sweet potatoes have 86 calories for the same amount. So, gram for gram, they're pretty close; however, the sweet potato contains large amounts of the antioxidant beta carotene (vitamin A), is a good source of vitamin B6, and has a lower glycemic load in spite of its sweetness. Many types have high amounts of monounsaturated fat, which is useful for regularizing blood lipids and protecting against cardiovascular deterioration. According...

The project will require outside investments and agricultural companies initially, which will take much of the early year's profits. The plan involves irrigating half a million acres of sandy soil near the Missouri River to grow high-value crops such as potatoes and onions. Treaties provide water rights for the tribes, but a quantifying agreement with the state allows the tribes to utilize more than 1 million acre-feet of water annually for irrigation. But with the use of irrigated water...

Washington- Two federal agencies say chicken feed at 30 broiler poultry farms and eight breeder poultry farms in Indiana contained byproducts from pet food manufactured with contaminated wheat gluten imported from China. The FDA and USDA said in a joint statement that officials learned about the contamination as part of the investigation into imported rice protein concentrate and wheat gluten. No recall of poultry products processed from these animals is being issued. Both have been found...

New ways to confront and control chronic disease are being tried in arenas such as education and patient self-management. Things like good nutrition, weight control and exercise are topics in the forefront of the effort to have older Vermonters be as healthy as possible. It is also a month to celebrate the many contributions older persons make to our families, communities and society. We at the Council of Aging honor and celebrate our elderly neighbors and thank them for all that they...

The $15-billion-a-year honeybee industry is about more than honey: The nimble insects pollinate 90% to 100% of at least 19 kinds of fruits, vegetables and nuts nationwide, from almonds and apples to onions and broccoli. Beekeepers, who travel nationwide supplying pollinators to farmers, have been losing honeybees for a long time, mostly a result of suburbs snapping up habitat and the invasion in the 1980s of two foreign parasitic mite species. Another 30 hives were "disappearing, dwindling...