The Daily Dish: February 2, 2016

Today's first course?

Soul Music Legend Aretha Franklin Is Launching Her Own Food Brand
The "Queen of Soul" is getting ready to launch her very own food brand, with an eye toward disrupting the success of a certain diva whose now-infamous sweet potato pies sold like hot cakes around Thanksgiving — Patti LaBelle. In an interview with a local news station in Detroit, Aretha Franklin said that her own line of products will include pies, chili, gumbo, and baked chicken. A Phoenix-based company has been tapped to begin development on Franklin's foods.

Eating More Fruit Is the Secret to a Healthy Weight, This Study Says
An apple a day doesn't just ward off doctors; it also keeps the pounds away. A new study published by the British Medical Journal confirms what many nutritionists have said for years: Eating fruit is essential to maintaining a healthy weight. The secret, according to the Boston-based researchers, is in the flavonoids. Flavonoids are naturally found in many plants, especially citrus fruits like oranges and grapefruits, and they were found to largely contribute to weight maintenance in adults. According to the USDA, foods and drinks richest in flavonoids include tea, apples, bananas, blueberries, peaches, strawberries, pears, oranges, grapefruit, tomatoes, lemons, and even beer.

Why Weed Is Making the Beer Industry Nervous
Wine, liquor, beer, and now in some states, marijuana are competing... for your buzz. Though marijuana sales have been on the rise, it is still dwarfed by beer sales, which bring in more than $101 billion annually. Marijuana sales came in at $2.7 billion in 2014, a 74 percent increase from 2013. Analysts estimate marijuana sales will increase to $10.8 billion by 2019. They also predict the beer industry will lose at least some of its share of buzz to marijuana. As you can imagine, this increase is making the beer industry a little nervous.

That's today's Daily Dish, thanks for watching. Stop back tomorrow for another helping.