Here’s the deal: this woman (her name is Christine Dougherty) claims to have lost more than 50 pounds over two years by eating the “Fresco” items on Taco Bell’s menu.  Sounds a lot like Jared from Subway, does it not?  Actually, it sounds like a lot of crap (insert Taco Bell joke here).

Of course, there’s always the fine print associated with a claim as staggering as Christine’s.  For instance, take a look a this image from one of the spots:

The fine print behind Taco Bell's "Drive-Thru Diet"

1250 calories a day.  Uh, that’s what your doctor (and other reputable weight-loss programs) would tell you is the bottom of the calorie range for weight loss in women.  So, stay with me here, it’s a simple matter of calories in, calories out.  Burn more than you eat, and you will lose weight.  I haven’t seen the statement about Christine “incorporating Taco Bell’s healthy choices into a regimen of diet and exercise,” but I’d be willing to bet my bottom burrito that it’s somewhere on their website.  You can’t lose weight any other way (except surgery)!

And the “Drive-Thru Diet” conveniently ignores other valuable nutrition information – fiber, vitamins, sodium – that one needs to determine of a diet is healthy or not.  My guess is NOT.

Bottom line, as usual: To lose weight, you can eat anything you want, as long as you burn more than you consume.  This is just a clever marketing ploy by Taco Bell, strategically placed at the beginning of the new year.  People are always searching for the magic bullet, a plan which will erase years of treating their bodies like garbage disposals.  I can say with complete certainty that eliminating Taco Bell food from your diet is a good way to start.

• My nephew Michael was born in October.  He’s a perfect baby, named after my dad.  Say what you will about my sister and her husband, but they make beautiful children!  Just kidding – you guys are awesome.
• My baby sister (she hates it when I call her that) had two major exciting events: graduation from the police academy, and her engagement!  I’m so proud of her…she has become such an incredible woman.  And her fiance is just terrific – I’m so happy for them.
• Schenectady County’s Bicentennial Celebration is now over, and you have no idea how happy I am about that.
• Became President of the Kiwanis Club of Schenectady on October 1.  What a great bunch of people, doing great things in their community.
• Celebrated 2 years of marriage to the hubs.  Took an awesome trip to the Adirondacks, and was incredibly pampered.  Love you, honey!
• Got to cook (well, prep work, really), in an actual restaurant kitchen.  Thanks to Chef Mark for the great experience.
• Got to make a return trip to Nashville.  My prior visit made me think I didn’t care for the city, but my return was completely different and quite fun!  I attended the Grand Ole Opry (which was great), went to the Country Music Hall of Fame (loved it), and got to spend some quality time with my in-laws, who drove down from Kentucky to show me the sights.  There are still a couple things I missed, so I hope I get to go back again.
• I discovered social media.  And the world will never be the same.

And because no end-of-the-year restrospective would be complete without a look forward, I have come up withsome goals for the year ahead.  I try not to make New Year’s Resolutions, because they never work for me.  But, I thought I’d compile a list of things I would like to accomplish before 2010 ends.  Since they are positive, fun, and meaningful to me, there’s a really good chance that I’ll actually be able to make them happen.

• Take a French class, to re-learn that beautiful language.  Not sure where I’d use it, but I’d at least like to be fluent in something other than English.  No more stupid American for me!
• Become a vegetarian, or at least a flexatarian (no red meat, some chicken perhaps).   I’ve discussed this before, but this time I really mean it.
• I would like to have dinner at Angelo’s 677 Prime in Albany.  Seems like a small thing, but I’ve heard so many good things, that I feel like I’m missing out on a very important Capital Region event.
• Add a podcast to my blog.  No details yet, but I’ve got some irons in the fire, and a video podcast will hopefully be debuting here very soon.
• Take my dog to the beach.  I just think it would be cute.
• Manage to put $1500 in my savings account.  Trust me, this is huge.
• Get an iPhone or iPod Touch.  My birthday is coming up in February, so I hope to have this goal wrapped up quickly.
• Finally compile that cookbook I keep thinking about.  I would like to gather all the recipes from my family and Bob’s, throw in a few that I’ve developed, and produce a cookbook.  Not necessarily for sale, but at least printed and suitable for gifts.

My best wishes to all of you for a fantastic 2010, rife with love, laughter, and prosperity.  Happy New Year!

Findings from a new study suggest that some fats cause our brains to turn off the “I’m full” signal that tells us when to stop eating.

Here’s what they think happens: we eat the fat, it goes to our brains.  Once they get there, the fat molecules tell the body to just ignore the appetite-suppressing signals from leptin and insulin (those pesky weight regulation hormones).  This biological fake-out, the study says, is caused not by just any fat, but by palmitic acid – a fatty acid that is found in foods with high saturated-fat content.  Oleic acid, (a healthy monounsaturated fat, found in olive oil) did not cause this effect.

And, the worst part?  The effect can last for three days.  THREE DAYS.  Which means that if I gorge myself on saturated fats on Friday night, on Monday my brain still won’t know when my body’s had enough food.  I guess this explains why it’s so hard to get back on track after a weekend of bingeing.  And, now that I think about it, why it’s probably NOT a good idea to eat your way through the wekeend before you start a new diet.  You’re literally setting yourself up to fail.

This study was conducted in rats, of course, but it makes sense to me.  Actually, I know it’s true, from personal experience.  I am a member of Weight Watchers, and I weigh in on Thursday nights.  Following my Thursday night meeting, I am starving.  Sometimes I eat pizza, wings, ice cream, etc. that night, telling myself I’ll get back on track in the morning.  Other nights, however, I stay completely on program and have a healthy dinner. Guess what happens.

The weeks that I pig out, I can’t really get back on program until Sunday or Monday.  I am ravenously hungry all weekend, and I cannot control what I eat (I know this sounds completely stupid, but this is why I have always had a weight problem).  The weeks I eat normally, I can stay on program all weekend, even while eating out.  Now, I know exactly why that is, and I will hopefully be able to apply this new knowledge in the future.

Here’s the full press release, from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center.

Fat Rat

Cinnamon has long been known for its antimicrobial properties (used as a corporal preservative in mummification rituals), but now science has finally decided to delve deeper into the knowledge that ancient Egyptians discovered more than 5000 years ago: cinnamon used as an anti-molding agent in food packaging.  Spanish scientists developed anti-mold wrapper, which is basically waxed paper impregnated with cinnamon oil.  The research looks very promising: when wrapped around already-moldy bread, the cinnamon-infused wrapping slowed mold growth by 96%, when compared to bread wrapped in plain waxed paper.  Read the whole story from the New York Times here.

We all know (I hope) that eating whole grains, including whole wheat flour, is a healthy choice, due to higher amounts of fiber, vitamins, and minerals versus processed flours (such as all-purpose white).  But “experts” have always advised against using straight whole wheat flour, because it makes dough denser, and the final products are really kinda gross (think 1968, macrobiotic-lovin’, tree-hugging hippie kinda food).  Recipes strongly urge you to substitute only up to half of the white flour with whole wheat flour, to avoid disappointing results.  There may be hope on the horizon, though, for those of us who’d rather use whole wheat than the nutrient-stripped all-purpose white flour: food chemists (this is probably what I should have done with my life) have shown that making a pizza crust with whole wheat flour and cooking it longer releases more of those healthy antioxidants. These compounds increased by 82 percent when baked at a higher temperature (around 500*), by 60 percent when baked twice as long and doubled when the dough was left to rise an extra day.  The moral of the story: we can use all whole wheat flour, we just must practice patience (and possess a REALLY hot oven).  Read the whole study here (with links to recipes).

The study’s authors concluded that ”there is no evidence of a difference in nutrient quality between organically and conventionally produced foodstuffs. The small differences in nutrient content detected are biologically plausible and mostly relate to differences in production methods.”¹ 

Side note: the authors of this study are from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine.  Those British sure have a knack for names. 

The study found no difference in quantities of key nutrients (such as Vitamin C, magnesium, potassium, and calcium) between conventional and organic produce, some results even contradicting earlier studies which found organic produce more nutritious.

Now, mind you, this study was not new research, but rather a “systematic review” of studies published over the last 50 years.  Basically, these scientists read a bunch of studies and summarized the results in their paper.  They essentially wrote Cliffs Notes.

What you probably won’t hear on the evening news is the fact that these “hygienic and tropical” scientists threw out about two-thirds of the studies they read, because the studies were themselves flawed in a variety of ways: they did not identify the organic certification method, did not specify what breed/cultivar of plants they studied, did not identify their lab methods, or the studies themselves could not be found (how do you study a study you can’t find?).  The authors noted a “generally poor quality of research” in the previously published literature on this subject.

Uh, perhaps I’m a bit dim, but aren’t those are some pretty GIANT limiting factors?

I also wonder who funded the studies that were done previously.  I wouldn’t be very surprised if they were funded by Big Food companies (like Monsanto).  But, that is pure speculation on my part.

Also, don’t miss the fact that this review sought to determine nutritional superiority alone.  It did not review the use of pesticides, or the impact of conventionally-grown (and shipped) food on our environment.  I know that greater nutrition is not my motivator in purchasing organics – it’s mostly the environmental impact.  Which is why I will always favor “local” over organic if I have to make the choice.  And seeing how organic is now becoming “Big Organic” (with General Mills getting in on the act), you can pretty much guarantee that the organics you buy from them have been grown halfway around the world and shipped to you.  To me, that’s deceptive and manipulative.  The word “organic” is slowly losing its meaning.

My scientific analysis of this “news” is this: it seems to be about as reliable as the “news” that keeps telling us contradictory things about everything we eat.  Eggs are bad, eggs are good.  Wine is bad, wine is good.  Coffee good, coffee good (oh, perhaps I’m a bit biased).  Organic food will be healthier again soon, I’m sure.

Don’t believe everything you read, kids.  The headline doesn’t always tell the whole story.  That’s why you have me.

¹ Dangour, Alan D, Dodhia, Sakhi K, Hayter, Arabella, Allen, Elizabeth, Lock, Karen, Uauy, Ricardo.  Nutritional quality of organic foods: a systematic review.  Am J Clin Nutr 2009 0: ajcn.2009.28041

http://blog.timesunion.com/tablehopping/7860/study-vegetarian-less-likely-to-get-cancer/

Thanks, Steve!  You tipped the scales for me!

• PRO: A vegetarian diet is healthier than a carnivorous diet.  I know this intuitively to be true for me (I’m not making a universal statement here).  When I eat meat, I feel sluggish and tired.  When I stick to veggies for a day, I feel much lighter and healthier.
• CON: My husband is a dedicated and enthusiastic carnivore.  He must have meat and a starch at every meal.  My being a vegetarian would make cooking dinner a chore.  I’d have to cook 2 different entrees.  Bob would never eat a vegetarian meal.
• PRO:  Vegetarians tend to be leaner.  I could definitely stand to lose a few (ok, more than a few).
• CON: I would probably have to take supplements to make sure i’m getting enough iron and other nutrients.
• PRO: I would be consuming far fewer pesticides, additives, chemicals, and hormones.
• CON: It  may not be possible to get a vegetarian meal when we go out, or eat at someone’s else’s house.
• PRO: I would no longer be contributing to the disease known as the US meat industry.
• CON: Cheeseburgers are sooooooo good.  The good news: I don’t plan on being vegan, so I would still be able to eat cheese. 
• PRO: Sometimes, when Im eating an egg or a chicken breast, I think about where the food comes from, and I gag.
• CON: Fake meat products are usually pretty nasty, and taste nothing like the real thing.
• PRO: I would likely lower my cholesterol, blood sugar, and blood pressure as a result of going veg.
• CON: It just seems like so much extra effort.  There, I whined.

Now, looking at my list, the CONS seemed to be getting pretty silly and flimsy.  The PROS seem to put forth a very strong argument for me personally.

I really should just take the plunge and go vegetarian.  I think I might do it!!  Right after I get back from Kentucky on Monday.  I don’t think there will be any vegetarian food at my mother-in-law’s house (too many people coming over to make something special for me).

I’d love to hear from anyone who’s made the switch to a vegetarian diet – Was it hard?  What did you miss the most?  What benefits did you see?  Got any good recipes?

Next: I really should try to stop eating high fructose corn syrup.  In light of my research into the US food industry, Sisyphus had  it easy.

• Unilever United States, Inc. is voluntarily recalling Knorr® Kosher Soup Mix – Chicken Vegetable Flavor with Pasta imported from Israelbecause it contains undeclared egg.  Persons who have an allergy or severe sensitivity to egg run the risk of a serious or life-threatening allergic reaction if they consume this product.   The recall was initiated after it was discovered that product containing egg was distributed in packaging that did not reveal the presence of egg.  The company is placing a notification on the Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network (FAAN) web site www.foodallergy.org and notifying FAAN’s individual members.  No other Knorr products are affected by this recall.

• From a press release issued by Nestlé USA: Nestlé USA’s Baking Division is initiating a voluntary recall of Nestlé® TOLL HOUSE® refrigerated cookie dough products. Nestlé is taking this action out of an abundance of caution after being notified that the Food and Drug Administration, together with the Centers for Disease Control, are conducting an investigation into reported E. coli 0157:H7 illnesses that may be related to consumption of raw cookie dough. A number of consumers reporting illness reported consuming raw Nestlé TOLL HOUSE refrigerated cookie dough. No other Nestlé TOLL HOUSE products are impacted, including already baked TOLL HOUSE cookies purchased outside the home, all varieties of Nestlé TOLL HOUSE morsels, chocolate baking bars, or cocoa, and Dreyer’s and Edy’s ice cream products with Nestlé TOLL HOUSE cookie dough ingredients. Consumers who have purchased these products should not consume them. Consumers are invited to contact Nestlé Consumer Services at 1-800-559-5025 or www.verybestbaking.com. The products involved in the voluntary recall include all varieties of Nestlé TOLL HOUSE refrigerated Cookie Bar Dough, Cookie Dough Tub; Cookie Dough Tube; Limited Edition Cookie Dough items; Seasonal Cookie Dough and Ultimates Cookie Bar Dough.

Speaking of our unsafe food supply, it’s worth noting that last weekend saw the limited release of Food, Inc.,  a new documentary film that exposes the seamy underbelly of our nation’s food industry.  It features Michael Pollan (one of may favorite authors: The Omnivore’s Dilemma; In Defense of Food) and Eric Schlosser (Fast Food Nation).  This movie promises that “you’ll never look at dinner the same way again”.   It’s a call to action: demand better food for yourself and your family!  It’s terrible how bad things have gotten (see food recalls above!).  I’m a little disturbed that it’s not showing anywhere NEAR me, but I plan on seeing it as soon as it gets anywhere close.  Enjoy the trailer below, and check out the website to see how you can join the fight for better food.

On Friday, I was meeting with my friend Gail at her office, which happens to be the office I worked in a few years back.  She was telling me how she and a couple of my former co-workers started a weight-loss challenge.  Here’s how they do it: every Friday before lunch, they weigh in.  If they lost weight or stayed the same, they don’t have to pay.  If they gained weight, they have to put $10 in the pot.  At the end of the challenge, they’re going to use the money to have a party.  So far (about 6 weeks in), they are all doing very well, and there’s not a WHOLE lot of money in the pot.  I asked if they’d mind if I joined them (earlier that morning I had been horrified at a picture of me that appeared in the Times Union.  NO – I’m not posting a link).  So, I weighed in on Friday, and I joined the challenge.

I keep doing this – I cannot count how many times I have joined Weight Watchers over the years, only to give up in disgust after about 10 weeks or so.  ONE time, about 12 years ago, I actually managed to lose about 45 pounds – it was right before I got married, and I had tremendous motivation.  I know that I can do this – I just need to get to the bottom of WHY I keep sabotaging my own success.

I love food – that is obvious.  I also am lazy – again, no big secret.  Butd I am intelligent enough to understand the concept of “Eat less, move more.”  Somehow, though, I end up eating more and, well, sleeping more, too.  Sometimes I feel like I’m having an out-of-body experience, watching myself eat food that I know I shouldn’t, even when I am not hungry.  Clearly, food is much more than sustenance for me.  It’s filling some void.  I have no self-control, and I’m not sure how to get some. 

I know that I am addicted to carbohydrates – I could probably eat an entire loaf of bread with butter in one sitting (I have never done it, but I’m pretty sure I could do it).  And once I start on sugar or carbs, I cannot stop.  This is why I almost NEVER eat bagels, donuts or other sweets for breakfast – it becomes an entire day of sugar/carbs.  And I’m not even going to mention the giant bowl of chocolates that sits in our secretary’s office.

Lately, I’ve been getting more and more depressed at the fact that my clothes are getting tighter.  I hate wearing jeans, because they are absolutely cutting off my circulation.  I’ve gone up another bra size.  I am beginning to gravitate towards elastic waistbands and stretchy shirts.  Mind you, my clothes are still very attractive, but the person inside them is NOT.  I’m beginning to hate myself and what I’ve allowed myself to become.  I abhor being the “fat one” among all of my skinny girlfriends.  They’d never say it to my face, but I know they must think it.

So what’s myproblem????  I don’t know.  But, I’m hoping that the thought of having to cough up $10 that I don’t really have will motivate me to get my fat ass to the gym and stop eating Girl Scout cookies. 

More later.

This is kinda scary.  Every so often (more so in the last few years), we hear about a major food recall – contaminated spinach, possibly-tainted tomatoes, melamine-laced dog food and dairy products…the list goes on and on.  But, the really frightening thing is that these are only the ones we hear about.

After a quick little Google search, I was able to find the FDA’s list of current and past food and drug recalls.  The amount of food that gets recalled in this country is staggering – we should all be very concerned about the safety (or lack thereof) of our nation’s food supply.  Never mind Chinese imports – that’s a whole other kettle of mercury-riddled fish.

But we only hear about the few isolated incidents that make it past the news producers.  There are hundreds more recalls that never make the headlines, but still adversely affect the food supply in ways that we’ll probably never understand.

We take for granted that the food we buy is going to be free of toxins, bacteria, and other pathogens.  We expect that workers are paid a fair wage, and are treated humanely. We assume that inspectors regularly arrive to make sure that slaughterhouses, factories, and other food production facilities are clean and safe.  How wrong we are.

Even the terms “organic” and “kosher” can’t always protect us from the vagaries of our food system – the FDA has a woefully short supply of certified inspectors, food producers put the interests of stockholders above public safety, and food industry lobby groups spend billions of dollars annually to prevent protective regulations from being enacted.

It’s disgusting, and wrong.  Corporate and political greed have corrupted this country so absolutely that we Americans, in the greatest nation on the planet, cannot even trust our leaders to make sure that the food we eat is fit for consumption.

So, for fun,  head on over to the FDA’s recall site, and have a good scare.  I should have posted this on Halloween.

If you’re interested in reading more about this sickening state of affairs, I recommend two books: The End of Food by Paul Roberts and Food Politics by Marion Nestle.  (Another good food book is In Defense of Food by Michael Pollan, but I’ll save the diatribe on non-nutritional food-like substances for another time).

Oh, what’s an alewife, you ask? It’s a Great Lakes species of herring that’s often used as lobster bait.  It’s been recalled, too.