Tag — junk food

A new Splenda Study put out by Duke University is sure to cause a stir. Adding fuel to the fire was this headline from a press release issued by an organization calling themselves the “Citizens for Health”…

“Chairman of Citizens for Health Declares FDA Should Review Approval of Splenda

New Study of Splenda and Sucralose Reveals Shocking New Information About Potential Harmful Effect on Humans”

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Bisphenol A, commonly known as BPA, is used extensively in epoxy resins lining food and beverage container and in consumer products that range from baby bottles to the ubiquitous water bottles you see everyone totting around at the gym. Because low dose BPA exposure has been linked with cancers in animal models there has been mounting concern over this ever present chemical. Enter this recent study from JAMA which found that higher urinary concentrations of BPA were linked with higher rates of cardiovascular disease, diabetes and liver enzyme abnormalities. So is BPA the reason for the rising heart disease and diabetes rates in this country? [Read more →]

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Anthony Bourdain, the rebel chef and author of Kitchen Confidential, outs Rachael Ray for her endorsement of Dunkin Donuts in next month’s Outside Magazine.

“She’s got a magazine, a TV empire, all these best-selling books - I’m guessing she’s not hurting for money. She’s hugely influential, particularly with children. And she’s endorsing Dunkin’ Donuts. It’s like endorsing crack for kids.”

Bourdain adds: “I’m not a very ethical guy. I don’t have a lot of principles. But somehow that seems to me over the line. Juvenile diabetes has exploded. Half of Americans don’t have necks. And she’s up there saying, ‘Eat some [bleeping] Dunkin’ Donuts. You look great in that swimsuit - eat another doughnut!’ That’s evil.”

A representative for Ray had this to say, “Anyone who knows Rachael and watches her on TV is aware she promotes balance and moderation, instead of living life in extremes. Her work addressing kids’ and families’ nutritional needs speaks for itself so we respectfully disagree with Anthony’s opinion.” [Read more →]

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During an exciting episode 5 of the Biggest Loser Season 4, I couldn’t help but notice the product placements. Exhibit one is for Nabisco 100 calorie snacks that were peddled by trainer Bob. Sorry Bob, but these snacks are junk food and will cause weight gain, despite the smaller serving sizes. These new smaller portion sizes are a convenient way for food manufacturers to jump on the “weight loss” bandwagon and pay lip service to improving people’s health. But junk food in smaller portion sizes is still junk food. [Read more →]

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On the heels of NYC’s attempts to mandate calorie counts on restaurant menus, Los Angeles may legislate more healthful eating by banning fast food restaurants in South Los Angeles. The City Council will consider a proposal by Council woman, Jan Perry, to ban new fast food restaurants in South Los Angeles for 2 years. South Los Angeles has become Fast Food City with the highest concentration of fast food restaurants in LA and one of the lowest concentrations of grocery stores, according to the Los Angeles Times. [Read more →]

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New York City, which is fast becoming a nutritional trail blazer by banning trans-fats in restaurants, has suffered a setback in its latest efforts to get calorie count information posted on restaurant menus. A judge struck down the new requirement due to the “voluntary aspect” of requiring only those restaurants that have posted nutritional information “voluntarily”, such as on websites and pamplets, to comply. This was done to target the big fast food chains such as McDonalds and Wendy’s. Not surprisingly these restaurants pulled these “voluntary calorie counts” and argued that they were exempt from the new rules. [Read more →]

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From the earth to your mouth, corn in its various forms takes a remarkable journey up the modern food chain. Dried, pulverized, and fried, the hapless corn kernel is stripped of its antioxidants and becomes a source of concentrated calories. Check out the “processed food chain tree” below to see how corn goes from good to junk. Note that calories are listed for 4 ounce serving sizes. If you ever wondered why we’re losing the battle of the bulge and getting sick… a pic is worth a thousand calories. [Read more →]

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Feeding the kids diet food may condition them to overeat and gain weight according to new research published today in the journal Obesity. We instinctively match calorie intake with the body’s energy needs and we are conditioned to associate taste with calories ingested. However when children are fed diet versions of foods normally high in calories, this “taste conditioning process” gets short circuited causing them to overeat. [Read more →]

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It’s back… Call it a McReincarnation. Shamed into oblivion by bad press and the cult hit movie “Super Size Me”, McDonald’s pulled the plug on the “super size me” line of sodas and french fries. Super-sized II, the sequel, is back at McDonalds as part of a summer promotion. The behemoth 42-ounce serving of soda, packs 410 calories and is appropriately called “Hugo.” [Read more →]

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File this one under… a really bad idea. Coca-Cola, looking to stem the tide of health concerns about its flagship brew, has enlisted the service of a one, Professor Susan Fairweather-Tait, to conduct trials to see if Coke can increase iron absorption from pizza.

Professor Susan Fairweather-Tait, who is leading this ground-breaking and much needed research, says “It is driven by public health needs. There is a global program to eradicate iron deficiency anaemia, and the reason we are doing this is that we need to find easy ways to help people absorb more iron. Drinking the right sorts of drinks with your meal is one way of doing that. If you have a fruit or acid drink with your meal we know you get more iron that if you have a cup of tea. [Read more →]

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