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01 Dec 2011 10:17

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Biz: McDonald’s, Burger King turn on a dime to beat Happy Meal law

  • problem In San Francisco, it’s now illegal to include free toys in fast-food meals that don’t meet certain standards for nutrition. This is a problem for McDonald’s, which sells a lot of Happy Meals for this reason.
  • workaround So … rather than just get rid of the toys altogether, at least two fast-food outlets — McDonald’s and Burger King — plan to simply charge a tiny nominal fee for the toys. One dime. Boom. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

12 Aug 2011 22:48

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World: UK study: Cutting salt intake should be a global priority

  • 15% amount of salt the study suggests we should cut source
  • » Are food companies are pulling a fast one on us? According to the study, they’ve been adding extra salt to food to trick us into eating more. “They train your taste buds — the more salt you eat, the less salt you taste, the more salt you want, to get that saltiness,” notes Professor Francisco Cappucio of the University of Warwick, one of the authors of the study. He notes that this extra salt makes us want to eat more, leading to higher food industry profits. By cutting salt intake worldwide, we could save thousands of lives each year in the U.S. alone, the study notes — and 8.5 million lives in the next decade. The study suggests that the UN get involved.
Posted by Justin Jones • 0 Comments • Permalink

29 May 2011 14:48

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U.S.: Screw the Food Pyramid; let’s switch to the Food Plate instead!

  • Meet the worst graphic ever created. You may have heard about this thing. It’s called the MyPyramid. There’s some random dude running up it to remind people to exercise, which it’s honestly never done for us. But there aren’t any numbers, no good explanation, and few details to explain what people should eat. It’s one of the greatest travesties the USDA has ever created. It’s as terrible as the 2012 Olympics logo, except worse, because it’s meant actually teach people how to eat healthier; that hasn’t happened. And it might finally get replaced by a completely different shape. Finally. About time. A little history:
  • pyramid In 1992, the USDA introduced the Food Pyramid as a way to explain to people how much food they should be eating. It wasn’t considered a success.
  • pyramid In 2005, USDA officals replaced the pyramid with “MyPyramid,” a vertically-oriented chart derided for being even more confusing than the original version.
  • plate? Perhaps hearing the cries of those who want to see a simpler food graphic, the USDA plans to launch a version of the graphic that revolves around a simple plate. source
  • » Why this is a good idea: Simply put, the basic idea behind this graphic needs to be as simple as possible, and while the original graphic wasn’t terrible, its replacement was. What we’d like to see is a shape that looks like a cafeteria tray, with compartments for each piece. However, the independently-produced Power Plate (which notably doesn’t include meat products at all) is also a worthy option, too. Let’s hope they don’t screw it up.
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

24 Jan 2011 13:35

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Culture: Jack LaLanne, fitness legend, dead at 96

Jack LaLanne, the famous fitness guru who was said to have stuck to a two-hour per day workout schedule into his 90s, died Sunday. He was 96. source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

04 Dec 2010 14:25

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Culture: Weight Watchers devotees collectively freak out about points

  • I don’t want to be forced to choose veggies. I do NOT like veggies or fruit. I feel like I am being forced to ‘diet,’ and that is what I DO NOT WANT.
  • Some whiny baby on a Weight Watchers forum • Complaining about the changes to the company’s well-known points system, which previously scored processed foods and unprocessed foods about the same way. Now, the new system encourages eaters to have fewer processed foods and as many fruits and vegetables as they’d like. Seeing a bunch of people on a weight-loss plan collectively freak out is kind of entertaining. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

23 Jul 2010 22:45

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Biz: Nutritionist’s nightmare: Unhealthy food ads during cartoons stay put

Current federal advertising standards make it OK to advertise cereal and other fairly unhealthy foods during cartoons. Attempts to change this? Stalled. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

06 Feb 2010 09:58

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U.S.: The FDA wants to make serving sizes on food actually realistic

  • If you put on a meaningful portion size, it would scare a lot of people. They would see, ‘I’m going to get 300 calories from that, or 500 calories.’
  • University of North Carolina nutrition professor Barry Popkin • Regarding the possibility that the FDA could change serving sizes to match how people actually eat food. Some foods have serving sizes of just an ounce or a cup despite the fact that people eat far more than that. A serving of cereal is just three-quarters of a cup, despite the fact kids often eat two cups. The serving sizes were based on studies of how much people ate in the 70s or 80s, but often suggest unrealistically small servings. This is a good idea. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 
 
 
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