YumSugar

Burger King Turns Trans Fat Free

YumSugar — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 13:00:16 -0700

Yesterday, Burger King announced that all of its restaurants in the US and Canada have made the switch to cooking with trans fat free oils. The second most popular fast food chain also announced that all of its menu items, including baked goods, will contain zero grams of trans fat by Nov. 1 - earlier than the company anticipated.

According to a statement issued by Burger King, customers who tried the new trans fat free foods were either unable to tell a difference in the taste of menu items or felt that the products tasted even better. The hamburger chain attributes this to its two proprietary blends of three oils.

The company has fallen under criticism for taking so long to cut out trans fat oils: Both KFC and Taco Bell switched in 2007, and Wendy's a year before that. Number one fast food chain McDonald's is now one of the last to make the complete switch, promising a menu free of trans fats by the end of the year.

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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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Got Cramps? Try Some PMS Chocolate

YumSugar — Mon, 27 Aug 2007 11:03:38 -0700

I know it sounds totally cliched, but sometimes a chocolate bar can help make an unbearable day better - especially when you're PMSing. While chocolate has been proven to be good for you, a company in Canada is taking it to the next level. Jamieson Vitamins is introducing a new product called PMS Support. Each bar is "infused with natural botanicals" - such as willow bark, artichoke and chasteberry - that will help relive the physical and emotional symptoms of PMS. The bars which are snack size (think Halloween candy bars), have 70 calories each and are intended to be eaten three times a day for up to five days.

When tested on a dozen women, Penny Kendall-Reed, a naturopathic doctor and director of Toronto's Urban Wellness Clinic, discovered that the women were unanimous in their endorsements.

"It's nice for women to have an option to pills or capsules," said Kendall-Reed. "Most women we tested felt calmer within three to four hours and their pain and cramping dissipated within four days."

Right now the bars are only available in Canada (15 bars for C$19.99), but I'm really curious as to how they taste and hope that they make it across the border soon.

Source: Canada.com

Make Way for Miso!

YumSugar — Wed, 10 Jan 2007 15:03:12 -0800

Turns out that a bowl of delicious miso soup may burn belly fat. Since this is great news and since it's still National Soup Month, I thought I'd pass on this great little recipe. You could always make miso soup with an instant packet (just add water), but a homemade version is going to be a little heartier and taste a lot better. Unfortunately you will need to find miso paste (try Whole Foods or some place like that), but if you can track it down, it'll be worth it. To check out a recipe for vegetable miso soup, read more

Vegetable Miso Soup
From The Canadian Living Test Kitchen

6 cups (1.5 L) Vegetable stock
6 cups (1.5 L) Water
1/2 cup (125 mL) Medium soybean miso
1 Pkg (12 oz/375 g) extra-firm tofu, cut in 1/4-inch (5 mm) cubes
2 cups (500 mL) Sliced mushrooms
1 Sheet nori (optional)
2 Carrots, sliced
3 cups (750 mL) Broccoli florets

In large saucepan or Dutch oven, bring vegetable stock and water to boil. Dissolve miso in 1/4 cup (50 mL) water; whisk miso mixture into pot.

Stir in cubed tofu and sliced mushrooms; reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 30 minutes. (Make-ahead: Let cool for 30 minutes; refrigerate in shallow airtight containers for up to 2 days. Reheat to continue with recipe.)

If using nori, cut sheet into 3- x 1/4-inch (8 cm x 5 mm) strips with scissors; add to stock mixture in pot.

Add sliced carrots and broccoli florets; cook for about 5 minutes or until broccoli is tender-crisp.

Nutritional Info:
Per serving: about 105 cal, 8 g pro, 4 g total fat (1 g sat. fat), 11 g carb, 3 g fibre, 0 mg chol, 1,128 mg sodium. % RDI: 9% calcium, 12% iron, 48% vit A, 23% vit C, 14% folate.

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Do You Care About Nutrition Information?

partysugar — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 11:45:29 -0700

A couple of days ago California passed a law that requires chain restaurants to post nutrition facts. I think this is a great idea, but honestly I rarely check out nutrition information because I avoid processed and fast foods. However, I was wondering about you? How conscious of calories, fat, and sodium are you?

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Your Political Leanings May Determine What's on Your Plate

YumSugar — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 10:20:37 -0800

Everyone says that you are what you eat. But could your political party affiliation be the driver of what goes on your plate, too? That's what food trend analyst Phil Lempert (of koodie fame) is arguing. Examining 2009 data from Hunch, he found conservatives opt for "mainstream, comfort food staples," while liberals are likely to gravitate toward "international and exotic cuisines."

According to Lempert, conservatives correlated with foods like pizza, macaroni and cheese, and peanut butter and jelly for lunch, plus fried chicken, meatloaf, and steak for dinner, with Italian food being the cuisine of choice.

Liberals, on the other hand, preferred Asian: Thai and Indian for lunch, and veggie burgers and green curry for supper. His findings indicate they also tend to make more nutritionally sound choices, such as eating vegetables more often and fast food less frequently, and making dishes from scratch.

Those looking to toe the bipartisan line should stick to mutually-loved foods such as hot dogs, bacon double cheeseburgers, ice cream sans sprinkles, romaine lettuce, and salt on a margarita glass. Do these findings line up correctly with your political leanings?

Source: Flickr User thebittenword.com

Today's Produce May Be Nutritionally Deficient

YumSugar — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 10:15:48 -0800

As it turns out, modern-day fruits and vegetables may not be so good for you after all. In this month's issue of HortScience, Donald R. Davis, a former research associate at the Biochemical Institute at the University of Texas, argues that the average vegetable found in today's US and UK supermarket could be anywhere from 5 to 40 percent lower in minerals, such as magnesium, iron, calcium, and zinc, than produce that was harvested 50 years ago.
Although vegetables may be larger, this doesn't mean they contain more (or even as many) nutrients. This is caused by what's called the genetic dilution effect, in which farmers' efforts to increase crop yields have actually led to lower levels of protein, amino acids, and minerals. Although the "dry matter," or the bulk of the commercial vegetable's size, is increasing, there is "no assurance that dozens of other nutrients and thousands of phytochemicals will all increase in proportion to yield."

Davis argues that efforts to increase the production of food has actually led to food that is less nourishing. Crops are now being harvested quicker than ever before, and therefore produce has less time to absorb nutrients. These farming practices have also led to soil mineral depletion, which adversely affects the nutrition level of crops.

What do you think of this news? Is there some validity to Davis's argument? Does it make you more inclined to buy organic vegetables?

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.

Do You Read Food Labels?

YumSugar — Wed, 16 May 2007 07:01:18 -0700

The discussion about whether or not soy sauce is actually soy sauce made me wonder about food labels in general and whether or not people actually read them. I'm fortunate enough not to have any major food allergies and have stupidly stopped counting calories years ago, so I rarely look at the actual labels (although I try not to buy too many processed food items, so in theory I wouldn't have that many labels to read). How about you? Do you read food labels?

Burning Question: Are Traditional & Instant Oatmeal the Same?

YumSugar — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 15:00:55 -0700

My guy and I are both big fans of oatmeal for breakfast, and on a recent morning, the two of us got into a discussion about the differences between old-fashioned oatmeal, quick-cooking oats, instant oatmeal, and steel-cut oatmeal - all of which are in our pantry. What makes each one distinctive? And do they all have the same nutritional value?

All types of oatmeal are made from groats, or ground oats that have been hulled, or dehusked. Traditional, old-fashioned oatmeal - the kind most commonly seen in cereal, granola, and muesli - is made from groats that have been steamed, rolled flat, and then flaked. Quick-cooking rolled oats, sometimes called "quick oats," are cut into small pieces before being steamed and rolled. Irish oatmeal is my personal favorite; also known as steel-cut oatmeal, it is made up of groats that have been chopped into small pieces instead of flattened. It has a chewier texture and takes longer to cook. Instant oatmeal is generally precooked and then dried.

The nutritional profile across all varieties of oatmeal is the same - although certain types are often portrayed as nutritionally inferior. Instant oatmeal, for example, is still a whole grain, but it has a higher glycemic index and is more likely to contain sweeteners or sodium.

Got a burning question? Contact us.

Source: Flickr User Muffet