YumSugar

California Will Require Chains to Post Nutritional Facts

YumSugar — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 16:15:23 -0700

Will diners consider their health before ordering a super-sized hamburger value meal? California legislators are betting on it: Last night, the state became the first to require restaurant chains to post nutritional information for their menu items.

By 2011, roughly 17,000 chain restaurants will be required to post the fat, calories, salt, and carbohydrate values where customers can readily see them. Alternatively, they can hand out brochures with the information. Said California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger:

When people go to the grocery store now . . . they can already read the labels and make informed decisions about what they eat. But now they will also have that pleasure when they go to the restaurant.

While the bill currently only applies to chains with 20 restaurants or more, it sets a precedent for imposing more health regulations on the restaurant industry, and sets the example for other states to follow suit. Do you predict this measure will change the way America eats? Will customers alter their eating habits because of menu labeling - or will people just eat what they want?

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Michael Phelps Dishes on His Unusual Eating Habits

YumSugar — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 09:00:05 -0700

If you've been watching the 2008 Olympics like I've been, then you're probably aware that USA swimmer Michael Phelps is trying to win a record number of gold medals. But do you know what he eats to stay on top of his ambitious game? In a recent video interview, Phelps explains that he fuels his body by eating between 8,000 and 10,000 calories a day. Since the US Olympian doesn't cook, this means eating (not-so-short) stacks of pancakes, buffalo enchiladas, and towering sandwiches packed with turkey, cheese, mayonnaise, and vegetables.

Watch the video below and tell me: Are you surprised by the swimmer's daily caloric intake? Personally, I'm a bit envious! I would probably go through those calories by eating Tex-Mex dishes. What would you eat on a diet of 10,000 calories a day?

Source and Source

France Develops Wine Lower in Calories, Alcohol

YumSugar — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 15:00:19 -0700

Call it wine lite: Vintners in the Languedoc region of France have developed a new type of wine that's low in sugar, calories, and alcohol. The vino, developed by the French Wine Research Center, only contains 60 calories a glass and is virtually free of sugar.

This is achieved by growing grapes that contain 30 percent less sugar than traditional wine grapes, and with a new distillation process that lowers the wine's alcohol content from 13 percent to nine. French authorities have given the green light for So Light, as the product is called, to be commercially produced.
"We are targeting a population that is very conscious of eating and drinking healthily. They also want to watch their weight and also don't want to lose points on their driving license if they drink," said Claude Vialade, one of the vintners behind the product.

According to So Light's creators, wine enthusiasts are unable to discern between So Light and a regular glass of wine, and they anticipate the enterprise being successful enough to sell several million bottles within the next three years. Do you think it will triumph? Would you buy So Light if it were available to you?

Reader Recipe: Black Bean Tortilla Soup

Yum Community — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 12:50:10 -0800

This story was written by member SweetPeasMom and comes from the Kitchen Goddess group in the YumSugar Community. The soup looks like it would make a wonderful cold-weather dinner. It's quick, simple, and perfect for busy weeknights. Check out her recipe when you read more

Creamless Creamed Spinach Is a Healthy Thanksgiving Side

YumSugar — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 15:00:12 -0800

Michelle Obama has only been a resident at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue for 10 months, yet she's already managed to set an example for Americans to eat more fresh food, from planting a garden to starting a White House farmers market.

Earlier this year, I spotted a recipe for one of the first lady's favorite White House dishes, a creamed spinach without the cream. I bookmarked it, thinking it would make a satisfying yet light steak side, or a healthful addition to a large Thanksgiving feast.

The recipe calls for blanched, puréed spinach, which adds an airy, creamy taste without the calories. To see the technique, keep reading.

Pepsi Targets Controversy With Suicidal Calorie Campaign

YumSugar — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 05:30:01 -0800

Since debuting its latest series of advertisements, Pepsi Max might want to consider renaming itself Pepsi Maximum Controversy.

Pepsi Max, a one-calorie drink alternative to Pepsi and Diet Pepsi sodas, collaborated with agency BBDO Dusseldorf to release a new set of print ads that depict a single, lonesome calorie committing suicide, often in violent ways. They include scenes that involve hanging, a gunshot, poison, and slitting of the wrists. The tagline: "Pepsi Max. One very lonely calorie."

Since its reveal, this contentious campaign has already been picked apart by news sources, blogs, and message boards, many of which are encouraging Pepsi to pull the ads.

Do you think it should be pulled? Are these edgy ads that push the marketing envelope, or is it a tasteless, insensitive campaign that pokes fun at a grave subject?

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Taste Test: Häagen-Dazs Tart Natural Frozen Yogurt

YumSugar — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 14:13:35 -0700

I'm one of the masses who's taken great advantage of the ballooning tart frozen yogurt trend. I make a pit stop at downstairs darling SoGreen at least once a week. But when Häagen-Dazs sent me its latest tart natural frozen yogurt flavor, I wanted to see if swapping it out for SoGreen was a possibility. Could it be the new replacement for my expensive frozen yogurt habit? The answer, after the jump.

Would You Eat Deep-Fried Butter?

YumSugar — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 16:15:08 -0700

The biggest buzz all over the blogosphere is deep-fried butter. Even though it's nothing new - apparently Paula Deen's sung the praises of it before - it's one of eight contenders vying for the Big Tex Choice Award at this year's State Fair of Texas. "Pure butter is whipped, then injected with different flavors, surrounded by dough and fried," described The Dallas Morning News.

I'll try anything once, but I'm pretty sure this invention has taken deep-fried food one step too far. At 810 calories per stick - and that's before it's been deep-fried - I'm pretty sure even the biggest butter lover, Julia Child, would find it a bit obscene. Would you eat it?

Source: Flickr User sfllaw

Taste Test: Nature Valley Granola Nut Clusters

YumSugar — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 15:00:50 -0700

Last week, my desk was covered with bags of Cape Cod Popcorn. This week, it was another comforting snack - pouches of Granola Nut Clusters, a new item from granola bar pioneer Nature Valley. The product, which is offered in four different flavors, comes in 5-ounce resealable bags for a reasonable price ($3.79). But were the nut clusters everything they'd been cracked up to be? The final answer is after the jump

Sir Mix a Lot

partysugar — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 10:15:59 -0700

My younger sister is one of those people who absolutely adores breakfast foods – she finds herself eating them all day long. So I was shocked when she said she was swearing off one of her a.m. staples: granola. Always health-conscious, she discovered how high in fat and calories a serving could be. I suggested she try the granola from MixMyGranola, a website that allows you to customize the fixings in your granola and check the fat and calorie content of each serving before ordering. Find out how it works after the jump