Here’s an idea from London that can and probably should spread across the world. It’s beer made from bread that would normally go to waste.

Toast is the name of the beer, and its brewer Tristram Stuart, who is a global food activist.

He and his partner, John Swain. made a simple connection. Bread has grain and yeast in it. Beer is made of grains and yeast. Why not use one the make the other, changing the solid to a liquid.

But what kind of bread? Simple again — the heels of a loaf of bread, the part that sandwich shops all over London normally throw away.

Stuart figured the shots were throwing away 13,000 slices of bread every day. That translates to 13 bottles of beer. In the United Kingdom, 44 percent of bread is thrown away; this gives it a new use.

The brew, made with the bread, hops, malt and more yeast, is transformed over several days until it becomes Toast beer. All proceeds go to Stuart’s organization that wants to stop food waste.

Some good news

People are encouraged to eat fish as part of a healthy diet. Then we hear much of the fish we enjoy is contaminated with mercury.

What’s the answer?

A new study by Rush University Medical Center in Chicago shows that eating a serving of seafood once a week can help protect the brains of older adults from dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.

they may have more mercury levels in their brains, but it did not correlate to brain damage.

So, keep calm and seafood on.

Sugar, we know, is not very good for us, especially refined sugar, but in most cases, the sugar that is naturally in fruit is not so bad.

Eating four apples contains the same about of sugar as 24 ounces of soda, but fiber is the key. The fiber in the apples helps you body process the sugar at a slower rate.

Keep that in mind when working on a better diet — out with the soda, in with an apple.

— Healthy Eats food blog

Vegetable soup for a soggy night

Something about the weather makes soup sound like an awfully good idea.

This Mediterranean Vegetable Noodle Soup from Meatless Monday would be filling and fragrant any night of the week.

1 Tbsp. olive oil

1 sweet onion, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic

2 cups tomato juice

1/2 cup red wine

2 cups fresh tomatoes, finally chopped

2 cups low sodium vegetable broth

2 cups chickpeas, cooked, or 2 cups white beans, cooked

3 Tbsp. fresh basil, minced

2 Tbsp fresh sage, finely minced, or 1 tsp. dried

1/2 tsp. fresh rosemary, finely minced

1/2 cup uncooked whole wheat pasta

2 cups Swiss chard or spinach

Hot sauce, salt and pepper to taste.

Place a large saucepan over medium-low hear. Cook onion and garlic in olive oil for 5-7 minutes, or until the onion is transparent.

Add tomato juice, wine and tomatoes. Simmer 20-30 minutes, or until tomatoes start to break down.

Add brother, chickpeas or white beans, basil, sage and rosemary. Increase heat to medium-high and bring to a boil.

Add pasta and reduce to simmer. Simmer about 7 minutes, or until pasta is cooked, but still firm.

Add the greens and summer until greens are soft and lightly cooked.

Season with salt and pepper and hot sauce to taste.

315 calories per serving (serves 4), 5 g of tat, 0 cholesterol, 705 mg. sodium, 54 g carbohydrates; dietary fiber, 8 grams; protein, 11 g’ sugars, 8 g.

To cut back on carbs, omit the pasta. To reduce sodium add no additional salt or look for low sodium tomato juice.