YumSugar

The Sea Salt Trend: As Hot as the Low-Carb Fad?

Susannah Chen — Thu, 11 Nov 2010 05:50:42 PST

If you pooh-pooh generic table salt, you're not alone. As USA Today reports, sea salt is so hot right now. In 2010 alone, it's been introduced to 1,350 new food products - a substantial jump compared to several years ago.

Trend analysts at research firm Mintel believe sea salt, which is known among culinary professionals for being flakier, crunchier, and larger in surface area than its table salt stepsister, "has the potential to grow as fast as low-carb did."

Campbell's, Whole Foods, and Target's Archer Farms all proudly offer products with sea salt on the ingredient label, be it in soups, chips, or sweets.

Wendy's is the latest to join the club, announcing it'll overhaul its fries for the first time in 41 years with a new sea salt-seasoned version, out in all its stores by the end of next week. Its explanation for the addition? "There's a halo around [sea salt]. People associate it with good, natural things." What do you think of the craze? Do you find the trend worth its salt?

Source

National School Lunch Has Lower Standards Than Fast Food

YumSugar — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 05:50:35 PST

If you can't fathom putting fast food into your body, then imagine what it must be like to eat lunch at one of our nation's public schools. According to an investigation by USA Today, when it comes to food safety, fast food chains such as McDonald's, Burger King, and Jack in the Box perform more diligence than the USDA does with the National School Lunch Program.

The top two burger chains test their ground beef five to 10 times more frequently than the USDA tests beef made for schools, and other chains, like Jack in the Box, set limits for bacteria in burgers that are 10 times more stringent than what the USDA sets for school beef. Reporters also found that the USDA has spent upwards of $145 million on spent-hen meat for schools - that's meat from old birds past their egg-laying prime that might otherwise go to compost or pet food.

In 2010, Congress will review the Child Nutrition Act, which oversees the National School Lunch Program. I've always supported initiatives like Slow Food's Time For Lunch Campaign, and now they seem more necessary than ever. Are you surprised by the standards for school lunch?

Martha Expands Her Empire

partysugar — Fri, 28 Sep 2007 10:57:53 PDT

With a brand new home collection at Macy's under her belt - have you seen the commercials with Tim Gunn? - Martha Stewart has announced another partnership, this time with E.J. Gallo Winery. In this partnership, she will be producing her own collection of wines known as Martha Stewart Vintage. According to USA Today, a spokeswoman for Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia explained why the venture was a natural fit.

Wine is an important part of entertaining and cooking. We have a lot of credibility and a strong brand equity in these categories.

The wines, a Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvingon, and Merlot, are all produced in Sonoma County, but will only be available in select cities nationwide. If you live in Atlanta, Boston, Charlotte, Denver, Phoenix, or Portland, come January you can have a taste of Martha's wine. It will retail for $15 a bottle.

I'm wondering what's next for Martha? What hasn't she done? A line of solar powered cars?

Source

Geek Tip: USA Today Adds New Travel Widget

GeekSugar — Mon, 10 Sep 2007 15:00:00 PDT

Get instant updates on all latest travel news with the new travel widget from USA Today. With three widgets to choose from including: Top Travel Stories, Travel Deals and Destinations and Today in the Sky with Ben Mutzabaugh, you'll be able to click on headlines for top travel stories that link to the main USATODAY website.

Rumor has it that more widgets for other topics are in the making. To get started, click on the travel widget link above and then "put this widget on your page" for whichever one you want. Each widget has been designed to work with a variety of social networks, blogs, personalized pages and websites.

via mashable

Relax Already: Stop Dwelling on the Past!

FitSugar — Wed, 09 May 2007 14:30:00 PDT

Are you a dweller? If so then you may want to start living a little more by letting things roll off your back.

A new report from USAToday.com suggest that those who ruminate a lot may have higher blood pressure and heart rates, less effective immune systems, surges of stress hormones that strain the heart, more depression and perhaps even shorter life spans. No one wants any of that so here are some tips to stop fretting and start relaxing with these after a stressful event:

Put on some soothing music to distract your brain.
Pick up a lighthearted book and read.
Head to the gym and work the tension out of your body and brain.
Call a friend or love one and see what is going on in their lives rather than going on and on about what is going on in your life.
Volunteer -- It is hard to dwell on a stressful occurrence when you're helping others who are in far more stressful situations.
Watch a funny/happy movie. Nothing gets me into a happy place like the movie Serendipity.

Remember [cheesy quote alert]: Yesterday's the past. Tomorrow's the future. Today is a gift, that is why it's called the "present". So what do you do to get your mind off things? Tell us below.

Source

Robert Pattinson Talks Racy Cosmopolis Scenes

Lauren Turner — Fri, 25 May 2012 08:39:53 PDT

Robert Pattinson on refusing to do certain scenes in Cosmopolis - People
Bethenny Frankel responds to divorce rumors - Us Weekly
Listen to AI winner Phillip Phillips's first single - HuffPost Entertainment
So many reasons to love Tom Hardy - Lainey Gossip
Oops! There's a serious typo in the Great Gatsby trailer - Zap2It
See Kim Zolciak's topless wedding gift for her fiancé - TooFab
Michael Fassbender is "happy to fly the flag for gingers" - Celebitchy
MTV's The Real World celebrates 20th anniversary - The Daily Beast
See what critics think about Robert Pattinson's Cosmopolis - Hollywood Reporter
You won't believe what the Blink-182 girl looks like today - BuzzFeed
Why did Britney Spears leave X Factor auditions early? - The Insider
Are you excited for Katy Perry's new movie? - Rotten Tomatoes
Michelle Obama wants to trade places with Beyoncé - Wonderwall
Find out which pop stars will host the Miss USA pageant - Lifeline Live

Link Time: 10 Crazy Food Names, Explained

Susannah Chen — Thu, 17 May 2012 10:26:30 PDT

10 crazy food names, explained - Zagat
Anthony Bourdain: "@RuthBourdain has lost gas" - Grub Street NY
Eat it, don't tweet it: an Instagram food porn anthem - YouTube
What the Olympic athletes are eating - Delish
Duff Goldman has a new show on YouTube's food channel, Hungry - The Braiser
Thomas Keller is not impressed by locavores - Eater
A new study shows health food costs no more than junk food - USA Today

The Lucky One Lands in London After a Solid Start in the States

Lindsay Miller — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 13:42:37 PDT

Zac Efron and his The Lucky One love interest Taylor Schilling were in London today for the European premiere of the Nicholas Sparks movie. Taylor wore a bright Peter Pilotto dress and peek-a-boo Rupert Sanderson heels for the occasion, while Zac dressed up in a sharp suit but appeared to be nursing a hand injury, with a bandage wrapped around one of his palms. Zac and Taylor's film hit theaters in the USA this weekend and made a strong showing at the box office, taking the second-place position. In the lead, though, was the romantic comedy Think Like a Man. The two love-themed films combined to finally knock The Hunger Games out of the leading spot after a solid month at the top. Some of The Lucky One's ticket-sales success might be due to Zac's work promoting the film in recent weeks. He graces the new cover of Men's Health and made several TV appearances, including a comical visit to Jimmy Kimmel Live, during which Jimmy put Zac's bra-unhooking skills to the test and got him to reveal his "musical theater geek" side.

Girl Scout or Not a Girl Scout?

Annie Scudder — Mon, 12 Mar 2012 17:00:12 PDT

Today marks 100 years since Juliette Gordon Low founded Girl Scouts of the USA. Leadership is an important part of any Girl Scout troop, so it's not surprising that "famous formers" include accomplished women in the arts, politics, and business. To celebrate the Scouts' birthday, see if you can guess which famous American is a Girl Scout alum and who isn't.

Question 1 of 11

Grace Kelly

Girl Scouting Through the Years

Tara Block — Mon, 12 Mar 2012 11:19:25 PDT

Girls Scouts of the USA turns 100 today! When I think Girl Scouts, I can't help but crave Girl Scout Cookies. But for many women who grew up as a Girl Scout, Girl Guide, or Brownie, the organization's name brings back fond childhood memories. Scouting began in 1907 in Britain, with Girlguiding in the UK founded soon after that, and the Girl Scouts of the USA launching in 1912. There have been some famous women involved in Girl Scouts, including former Brownie Kate Middleton, who chose The Scout Association as one of her charities, and who's covering the latest issue of Scouting Magazine. See how the youth movement has evolved over the years and some of the celebrity connections now!