According to restaurant chain El Pollo Loco, the marinade for KFC’s new grilled chicken contains beef. Well, actually beef products. El Pollo Loco is planning to play up this fact in a new advertising campaign. The company feels the use of beef products in chicken is “wrong.”
KFC has not hidden that they use these beef products in their new grilled chicken; the information is available on their website, if you’re willing to look for it. It’s found on page 14 of a 37 page document online. I have to assume, though, if you’re eating at KFC, you don’t really care about the nutritional value. However, the grilled chicken was recently added to their menu as a “healthy choice.” Read more…
Eating healthy is tough enough, without certain junk foods disguising themselves as healthy choices. Here is a list of some of the worst culprits, and some better alternatives:
Baked potato chips: May be low in fat, but they’re still high in calories and aren’t nutritionally beneficial.
Alternative: Popcorn - Still salty and crunchy, but high in fiber and lower in calories.
Gummy fruit snacks: They’re basically candy with vitamins. They also contain high-fructose corn syrup and hydrogenated oils.
Alternative: Fresh or dried fruits - Antioxidants.
Light ice cream: Not all light ice creams are low in calories (they’re just low-ER than their full-fat counterparts). Plus, since they don’t have the rich taste you’re looking for, you’re more likely to eat more than one serving.
Alternative: Dairy-free ice cream - It still has a great taste and texture, with fewer calories.
Diet soda: Research shows a possible link between diet soda and heart disease.
Alternative: Flavored seltzer water - No calories, no artificial colors or sweeteners, but it’s fizzy and flavorful.
“Calorie-free” spray margarine: Being labeled, “Calorie-free” means there could actually be as many as 5 calories in a serving.
Alternative: Spray-it-yourself olive oil - This real fat can be more healthy and flavorful than the “fake” stuff.
Nonfat salad dressing: They’re often high in calories cause they’re packed with sugar.
Alternative: Oil-based salad dressing - You’ll get the taste and good-for-you fats.
Low-fat cookies: You think you can indulge, but they’re still filled with sugar and may have tons of calories.
Alternative: Oatmeal cookies - You’re getting cookies AND whole grains. But be careful you’re not also getting high fructose corn syrup, white flour, and butter.100-Calorie Snack Packs: These small packages fool you into believing you’re not eating much, and therefore you end up eating more.
Alternative: A small-serving of almonds - You get fiber and protein, plus good fat.
You know there is food you love that is just crap - next-to-no nutritional value, but it tastes awesome. There are foods that fall into this category that are cheap imitations of other foods. They’re made with sub-standard, likely unhealthy ingredients, and the finished product probably doesn’t taste anything like what it’s impersonating. But it’s still so damn good. Here are a few examples:
How Spam didn’t make it onto this list, I’ll never know. Read more…
ALEXANDRIA, VA–(Marketwire - February 26, 2008) - Early next month, more than 700 school nutrition professionals will discuss the crisis in funding for school meal programs and urge Congress to require science-based, yet practical, uniform national school nutrition standards to govern the sale of all foods and beverages available during the school day. The School Nutrition Association’s (SNA) 36th annual Legislative Action Conference in Washington, DC, March 2-5, 2008, will bring together school nutrition directors and supervisors, nutritionists, state child nutrition directors and foodservice industry representatives.
The emphasis on nutrition standards will build from efforts related to the drafting of the Farm Bill last year. This year however, as the national economic picture becomes more uncertain, school nutrition professionals will also provide lawmakers with the facts on school meal costs. The child nutrition programs are both under pressure to serve nutritious meals to more low-income children and being pinched by increased food, labor and milk costs.
“The federal government currently reimburses schools $2.47 for each balanced, healthy meal provided to children from families making 130% of the poverty level or less. A latte costs more. This is not adequate to cover the cost of producing a school meal,” said Mary Hill, SNS, president of SNA. The costs of food, transportation, labor and benefits, training, equipment and indirect expenses, are all increasing rapidly and meal charges as well as federal, state and local financial support for the child nutrition programs have not kept pace.
The key legislative issues the School Nutrition Association (SNA) is advocating for this year are:
– Giving the Secretary of Agriculture the authority to regulate and
enforce the sale of food and beverages outside of the cafeteria.
– Requiring all a la carte and competitive food sales to be consistent
with the Dietary Guidelines, as is required for school meals.
– Requiring national uniformity for the school meal pattern throughout
the country. Children in all states and local districts need the same
nutrients to grow and be healthy. The current lack of uniformity is
increasing the cost of the programs.
– In the face of record food, labor and milk process, calling for
adequate funding to support healthful meals being offered through school
nutrition programs.
Activities of the 36th annual Legislative Action Conference at the J.W. Marriot Hotel in Washington, DC will also include:
– Senate Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee Chair, Tom Harkin
(D-Iowa), and Ranking Member, Saxby Chambliss (R-Ga.), as well as House
Agriculture Committee Chair, Colin Peterson (D-Minn.). Noted political
commentator Amy Walter will give the opening keynote address.
– Panel discussions will include SNA’s 2008 legislative priorities,
perspectives on the need for national nutrition standards, the school
nutrition funding crisis and an update on child nutrition activities from
the USDA.
– SNA members will take their message to Capitol Hill, sharing the
nutritional value of school meals and the need for key policy changes with
members of Congress on March 4, 2008.
– On Tuesday, March 4, 2008, SNA president Mary Hill, SNS is scheduled
to testify at a hearing held by the Healthy Families and Communities
Subcommittee of the House Committee on Education and Labor.
– The Global Child Nutrition Foundation and SNA will honor the Executive
Director of the Congressional Hunger Center, Ed Cooney, with the 2008 Gene
White Lifetime Achievement Award at the “A Possible Dream Gala” on Tuesday
evening, March 4, at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade
Center. Other award recipients will be Geri Dee, SNS, 2007 Outstanding
School Nutrition Director of the Year and Mimi Ford, 2007 Individual
Industry Member of the Year. Proceeds from the evening will benefit the
Global Child Nutrition Foundation’s initiatives to promote sustainable
school feeding programs worldwide.
The School Nutrition Association is a national, non-profit professional organization representing more than 55,000 members who provide high-quality, low-cost meals to students across the country. The Association and its members are dedicated to feeding children safe and nutritious meals. SNA is the only association devoted exclusively to protecting and enhancing children’s health and well being through school meals and sound nutrition education.
WASHINGTON, Oct. 4 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — Substitution of canola oil for common dietary fats in the U.S. would increase compliance with recommended intakes of saturated, monounsaturated and plant omega-3 fats, noted a modeling study published in the October 2007 issue of the Journal of the American Dietetic Association (JADA). The study examined the effect of substituting canola oil for selected vegetable oils and canola oil-based margarine for other margarines and butter in the diet of nearly 9,000 adult Americans.
“The results of this study show that fatty acid intake can be influenced substantially through a simple recommendation to change the type of vegetable oil used at the table and in cooking,” wrote co-authors Guy H. Johnson, Ph.D., president, Johnson Nutrition Solutions LLC; Debra Keast, Ph.D., principal, DR Keast Food and Nutrition Database Research Consulting; and Penny Kris- Etherton, Ph.D., R.D., distinguished professor of nutrition, The Pennsylvania State University. “The lack of consumer barriers to such a change with respect to cost, taste, convenience and availability makes canola oil attractive from a practical perspective.”
Food recall data from the 1999-2002 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey were used to calculate the effect of substituting canola oil for corn, cottonseed, safflower, soybean and vegetable oils “not further specified” (excluding olive oil) and of canola oil-based margarine for other margarines and butter in the diet at 25%, 50% and 100% replacement levels. Results showed that saturated fat intake would decrease by 4.7% and 9.4% with 50% and 100% substitution, respectively. Complete substitution would increase monounsaturated fat and alpha-linolenic acid (ALA, an omega-3 fatty acid) intakes by 27.6% and 73.0%, respectively.
“The findings are provocative because they suggest that fairly simple recipe modifications and product reformulations could substantially increase the percentage of the population meeting dietary guidelines for saturated fat intake and achieving adequate intakes of alpha-linolenic acid,” adds Jennifer Nettleton, Ph.D., assistant professor of cardiovascular disease epidemiology, University of Texas Health Sciences Center, in an accompanying JADA editorial. “Substituting canola oil for other common oils has the potential to reduce the substantial burden of coronary heart disease in the United States.”
Canola oil has the lowest amount of saturated fat of all commonly used vegetable oils. It predominantly contains monounsaturated fat and is a good source of ALA.
“Not only can canola oil positively influence consumer fat intake, but also healthy oil changes in food service and food manufacturing,” notes Steve Kakela, president of the U.S. Canola Association, which supported the study. “It is a solution for decreasing both trans and saturated fats in the food supply.”
CONTACT: Angela Dansby of the U.S. Canola Association, +1-773-472-2911, angela@uscanola.com.
CHICAGO, Oct. 4 /PRNewswire/ — Let’s face it, treats are at the heart of the Halloween fun. But it’s easy for moms to make Halloween a little healthier without being booed by the kids. Nutrition experts recommend a treat that won’t haunt anyone’s health: chocolate milk.
Chocolate milk is a healthy treat in disguise. This Official Drink of Halloween has the chocolaty taste that witches, ghosts and superheroes adore, but behind its tasty chocolaty costume, chocolate milk is packed with calcium and other essential nutrients that growing kids need at Halloween or any time of year.
“Lowfat chocolate milk is one of those rare treats that kids love and moms can feel good about,” said registered dietitian and mother-of-two Liz Weiss, co-author of The Moms’ Guide to Meal Makeovers. “It’s a nutrient-packed form of chocolate that always seems to satisfy. Plus, chocolate milk is such a better alternative than sugar-filled sodas and fruit drinks that contain little or no nutrients.”
In fact, chocolate milk may be one answer to help curb the excessive consumption of nutrient-void soft drinks, which some experts say is a major contributor to childhood obesity in this country. Studies have shown that kids who drink flavored milk tend to drink fewer sweetened soft drinks and fruit drinks, which are the No. 1 source of calories and added sugars in a child’s diet. (1),(2)
Children ages 9 and up who consume more milk — including chocolate milk — instead of soft drinks not only have nutritionally superior diets, but they also tend to weigh less than kids who drink more sugary sodas and little milk, according to recent research. (3),(4)
“Moms may not realize that chocolate milk is just as nutritious as white milk,” Weiss said. “Flavored milks provide the same nine essential nutrients and benefits as unflavored milks; the main difference is the added sugar, but the amount is significantly less than what you’d find in soft drinks — and if it helps kids get their milk, that’s a good thing.”
In a recent study of American beverage consumption called “What America Drinks,” flavored milks contributed less than 2 percent of the added sugar in the American diet, while soft drinks accounted for more then one third of the total added sugar.
An 8-ounce serving of lowfat chocolate milk provides 300 milligrams of calcium — or 30% of the Daily Value for this vital bone-building nutrient — along with vitamin D, protein, potassium, vitamin A, vitamin B 12, riboflavin, niacin and phosphorus.
What American Kids Do Drink
Children are still missing the mark when it comes to milk drinking, with sweetened beverages crowding out milk in the diet. According to “What America Drinks,” young kids fell short of the milk they need. In fact, kids drank the same amount of sweetened beverages each day as they did milk — an average of about 11 ounces of each. By the teenage years, kids drank up to three times as much sweetened beverages as they did milk.
“What America Drinks” also found that milk is a child’s primary source of calcium, magnesium and potassium — three of five “nutrients of concern” for children identified in the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. Two out of three kids today fail to get the calcium they need, but studies show that kids who drink flavored milk like chocolate milk have higher calcium intakes than kids who don’t. (1)
The calcium and vitamin D in chocolate milk is great for moms who want to treat themselves to a little bone-building boost, too.
Treats That Do the Trick
Whether served alone, dressed up for a costume party or as a featured ingredient in a recipe, lowfat chocolate milk can make a delicious addition to this year’s Halloween fun. Weiss offers these tips for serving lowfat chocolate milk to keep little werewolves howling happily at Halloween and beyond:
— Take black paper napkins and fashion them into mini vampire capes to
dress up kids’ chocolate milk glasses or single-serve plastic bottles.
Use a rubber band or ribbon to fasten the capes to the glass or bottle.
— Turn an everyday pitcher of chocolate milk into a witch’s broomstick by
surrounding it with pieces of straw and hay at your Halloween party.
Tie it all together with twine at the narrow part of the pitcher and
start pouring out the fun.
— If there’s a chill in the air, serve your chocolate milk warm with
marshmallows following a night of trick-or-treating. Surprise kids
with fun and festive Halloween cups and mugs purchased from a local
party supply store — top it off with seasonal straws or curly sippers.
— For a refreshing treat, create Halloween-themed chocolate milk chill
pops. Simply pour lowfat chocolate milk in ghost-shaped ice trays (or
in regular ice trays). Place a popsicle stick into the trays before
freezing to create a cool and convenient lowfat chocolate milk ice pop.
Official Drink of Halloween: Coming to a Spooktacular Event Near You
Throughout October, Chocolate Milk: The Official Drink of Halloween will appear at monster Halloween happenings in 25 cities across the nation.
There, visitors can take a souvenir chocolate Milk Mustache photo and score other got milk? goodies, sample delicious lowfat and fat free chocolate milk and speak with a registered dietitian who can help show how nutrient-rich beverages, like milk, can be a part of a healthy diet.
Halloween Recipes, Tips and Fun
For recipes and tips on making chocolate milk the Official Drink of Halloween, visit http://www.thinkaboutyourdrink.com. Throughout October, visitors also will be able to create their own Halloween eCards and upload photos to design their own chocolate milk mustache.
The Milk Processor Education Program (MilkPEP), Washington, D.C., is funded by the nation’s milk processors, who are committed to increasing fluid milk consumption. The MilkPEP Board runs the national Milk Mustache “got milk?” Campaign, a multi-faceted campaign designed to educate consumers about the health benefits of milk. For more information, go to http://www.thinkaboutyourdrink.com. The tagline “got milk?”® was created for the California Milk Processor Board by Goodby Silverstein & Partners and is licensed by the national milk processor and dairy producer groups.
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