April 2010

  • Really, KFC?

    By sarajean on 4/30/10 4:40pm
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    When I saw the new pink buckets of chicken from Kentucky Fried Chicken, I didn’t know whether to laugh, cry, break something, call Congress, or make a Colonel Sanders voodoo doll (which, we all know, wouldn’t do much good, anyway). These “Buckets for the Cure” will be donating portions of their profits to raise awareness and funds for breast cancer.

    Their sale, of course, will lead to breast cancer.

    Most people are aware that obesity, which comes from eating lots of very fatty, nasty fried food—like the Colonel sells—leads to cancer. Multiple cancers, in fact, though breast cancer is prominently there on the list. So we’re all going to go buy a bucket of chicken… to help raise money to fight the disease we might get from eating the chicken?

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  • Panda All Natural Soft Black Licorice

    By erika on 4/22/10 11:43am
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    Licorice is all the rage with the health food nuts these days, if you haven't noticed.  It has all kinds of crazy-ass health benefits.  Turns out that proper black licorice is something that you should eat every once in a while, to top up on all the micronutrients.

    I like black licorice, but I'm kind of a wimp about it.  I'd like to develop more of a taste for "the real stuff."  I decided to start with a stick of Panda licorice, because I had heard that it was on the mild side.  For someone whose primary experience of licorice has been black jelly beans and Good 'N Plenty candies, this was a bit of a departure.


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  • Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution Sticks

    By erika on 4/21/10 7:16pm
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    The Washington Post is running an article about the aftermath of Jamie Oliver's sudden appearance in Huntington, West Virginia.  Spoilers abound, so if you're planning to watch the last episode this Friday, you may not want to click to read farther!


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  • Spring Green Drink Recipes

    By lafeeverte on 4/16/10 4:29pm
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    Spring is a time of new life, love and greening trees, gardens, and fields. Out of the dead hold of winter, the soft sweet months of spring are a time of natural detoxification. The green, leafy vegetables and tender grasses and sprouts of the season promote cellular renewal and are packed with nutrients, teeming with life. The chlorophyll in green plants is literally, sunshine in liquid form, and is extremely beneficial to all living creatures. Chlorophyll naturally deodorizes the body, gives you a feeling of lightness and energy, and repairs any cellular damage in your organs and skin. Spirulina, blue-green algae, kelp, wheat grass, barley grass and all of your spring greens in season are excellent sources of liquid sunshine and I highly recommend eating and drinking as much as possible on a regular basis. I have noticed that it also improves your mood and gives you a sense of well-being.


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  • Olive Oil

    By lisala on 4/15/10 9:37pm
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    Olive oil, long a staple of Mediterranean and European diets, earned new respect and appreciation in the U.S. after the FDA allowed manufacturers to label olive oils with text that asserts that incorporating olive oil in our menus, especially as a substitute for other oils and fats, can assist in reducing the risk of heart disease by reducing the amount of LDL or "bad" cholesterol in our blood. According to the FDA, a mere 2 tablespoons (23 grams) of olive oil a day will help reduce our risk of heart disease. Plus, it's pretty easy to substitute olive oil, with its healthier monounsaturated fats, for other products.

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  • The Joy of Canning

    By lafeeverte on 4/15/10 3:27pm
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    Mason jarsMason jarsCanning foods has fallen into the junk drawer of times past with the invent of plastic baggies, freezers, and Tupperware. Most of us don't think twice, strolling down the freezer isle and piling in bags of frozen berries, vegetable medleys, and snacks to savor at our leisure, or tossing cans of beans, soup, and vegetables into the cart to get creative in the kitchen later. Using foods that are already processed really isn't “cooking” or all that creative...... but, yes it does save time. Canning preserves, jams, jellies, garden veggies, and fruits is one of the best ways of keeping your food. If you have a large garden or receive an abundance of produce from a neighbor or CSA, it is a smart option that avoids the need for refrigeration or unneccessary waste.

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  • Choose Healthy: Choose Kosher

    By erika on 4/15/10 3:22pm
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    A family-owned kosher bakery in NYCA family-owned kosher bakery in NYCAccording to the New York Times, grocery stores are seeing increasing interest from their customers in kosher foods.  This ancient dietary regime is perceived as being healthier, which is enough to persuade many people to give kosher a try.

    Kosher hot dogs have enjoyed a huge popularity for a long time, of course.  Hot dogs, out of all your basic meat products, are widely considered one of the most revolting.  "Everything from the squeal to the tail" is one of the (more family friendly) sayings.  I have many friends who are not in the least bit Jewish, but who insist on eating only kosher hot dogs.  


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  • See Food, Inc. On PBS Next Week

    By sarajean on 4/15/10 9:34am
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    If you’re one of those people who is always worried about the dangers hidden in your grocery cart—and who isn’t these days?—you won’t want to miss next week’s airing of Food, Inc. on PBS. The Oscar-nominated film discusses our food, how it’s made, and what you can find in it. We’re not talking about dangers that are found just at McDonald’s here, either; Food, Inc. is about all of the food produced in America and how, as much as we’d like to think it comes from happy cows from California or all natural groves in Florida and simple, all-American farmland in between, it’s quite often the opposite.

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  • South Korea Outlaws Junk Ads Aimed at Kids

    By sarajean on 4/14/10 7:24am
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    Move over, Jamie Oliver—South Korea is on the move, taking names and kicking Cheetos when it comes to kids eating junk food!

    The legislation targets foods that are high in fat, salt, and sugar—which, of course, means pretty much every food ad on television. Carrots, celery and kidney bean commercials are still safe on the airways.

    Junk food ads won’t be completely nixed, however. They’ll just be restricted during the prime time hours of TV when children are most likely to be watching, between the hours of 5 and 7 PM. It’s like those 900-number commercials for “hot singles in your area!” and uncensored versions of your favorite programs; fatty food is now an edgy vice up there with sex and profanity.

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  • Fruits And Vegetables Don't Prevent Cancer

    By erika on 4/7/10 4:29pm
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    The good news is, fruits and vegetables are still really good for you!  The bad news is that they don't actually prevent cancer - not to the extent that we recently thought.  NPR has an interesting story on how, in the 1990s, nutrition experts "thought the five-a-day regimen would reduce overall cancer risk by as much as 50 to 70 percent."  When in reality, it turns out to only reduce your risk by about four percent.


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