Starting Off With the Anomaly…

Then off to reality… Many Americans (including this author) prefer or at least appreciate the increasing mandates for calorie disclosure, lower sodium in the foods, and slew of other potential regulations. Others find complaining to be the best supporter of their lazy lifestyles. They throw out unsubstantiated concerns about regulations turning the FDA (and the government) into the dreaded Big Brother, while continuing to gluttonously pack on the pounds and dangerous health issues associated with them.

While I’m not one to judge which category or shade of gray in between you may fall under, the Washington Post wants you to stop eating processed foods and stick to ones that have “curves.”

The CSPI made a list of heart attacks on a plate a.k.a. winners of their bad food awards:

• Bob Evans’ Cinnamon Cream Stacked & Stuffed Hotcakes – 1,380 calories and 34 grams of saturated fat. Syrup adds another 200 calories for every four-tablespoon serving.
• California Pizza Kitchen’s Tostada Pizza with Grilled Steak – 1,680 calories, 32 grams of saturated fat, and more than 3,300 mg of sodium.
• California Pizza Kitchen’s Pesto Cream Penne – 1,350 calories, 49 grams of saturated fat, and 1,920 mg of sodium.
• Five Guys’ Bacon Cheeseburger – 920 calories and 30 grams of saturated fat. A large order of French fries at Five Guys adds 1,460 calories.
• P.F. Chang’s Double Pan-Fried Noodles Combo – 1,820 calories and 7,690 milligrams of sodium.
• The Cheesecake Factory’s Pasta Carbonara with Chicken – 2,500 calories and 85 grams of saturated fat.
• The Cheesecake Factory’s Chocolate Tower Truffle Cake – 1,670 calories and 48 grams of saturated fat. 

• Outback’s New Zealand Lamb – 1,820 calories, 80 grams of saturated fat, and 2,600 mg of sodium.
• Chevys’ Crab & Shrimp Quesadilla – 1,790 calories, 63g of saturated fat, and 3,440 mg of sodium.

Is Paula Dean the chef at ALL of these places?

Saturday Night Partay: Pepsi Dumping Into the East River

Sometimes simply insisting Americans cut junk food out of their diet using their own devices doesn’t accomplish anything positive. Sometimes all you need is a good stimulus to get people to be more health conscious. And it’s no secret that hitting a consumer’s bottom line always invokes a response. That’s why New York Governor Robert Patterson and the CSPI are pushing for a soda tax.

“Soda consumption harms taxpayers. Taxpayers in New York State and elsewhere are already paying a heavy price for out-of-control soda consumption, since taxpayers subsidize much of the treatment of obesity, diabetes, and other expensive health problems.”

Unlike it’s more nutritious beverage counterparts such as milk and juice, all soda provides the consumer is empty calories, an expanding waistline, and, according to one study on processed foods, depression. Also, obesity costs the country $95 billion a year in medical expenses, most of which are fronted by Medicaid and Medicare.

On the one hand, this is just another way to squeeze New York residents dry to support the constantly subpar budget. On the other hand, soda could be the next pack of cigarettes, the benefit being a healthier lifestyle for the general population. Guess we’ll just have to stick with the antioxidants in red wine. Stay thirsty my friends.

Bloomberg Continues Commitment to Health Crusade, Remains Hypocrite

Salt, the age-old preservative and all-purpose taste enhancer, is getting the shaft. Your blood pressure, and your belly, will soon have the great city of New York and it’s unprecedented thrice term mayor, Michael Bloomberg to thank for being so trim. New York City announced it’s national campaign to convince restaurants and food manufacturers to reduce the amount of salt they put in their food products.

“The plan, for which the city claims support from health agencies in other cities and states, sets a goal of reducing the amount of salt in packaged and restaurant food by 25 percent over the next five years.

Public health experts say that would reduce the incidence of high blood pressure and should help prevent some of the strokes and heart attacks associated with that condition. The plan is voluntary for food companies and involves no legislation. It allows companies to cut salt gradually over five years so the change is not so noticeable to consumers.”

Hopefully restaurants and food manufacturers won’t just laugh in Bloomberg’s face given his very famous salt (and sweet) tooth despite a “healthy” lifestyle has been the mayor’s major platform since he first took office what seems like decades ago.

The recommended daily allowance for sodium only encompasses the natural salts found in foods. Anything added to that, even from the saltshaker on the table, is more than your body needs. Canned and dehydrated soups have 630-1300mg per cup, soy sauce has 1350 per Tbsp., and a slice of pizza can top out at almost 1500 mg per slice.

The CSPI has been actively working on this campaign as well, fully supporting the New York City’s crusade against sodium chloride and is even so bold as to call salt the most dangerous food ingredient in food supply.

The Real Smart Choice Label

Whether it’s to count calories or see how hyped up on sugar a food with make your kid, many of us are familiar with the “Nutrition Facts” food label. Some parts are clear to understand like calories and serving size. Other parts can seem a little more daunting like the ingredients list where scientists have a field day with terminology that scares more than it does educate (ex: ascorbic acid is actually just Vitamin C).

So it only makes sense that a makeover is in order. Don’t worry, the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) is on the case.

Of the changes, the most important one to note is that the CSPI hopes the FDA will enforce stricter regulations regarding claims a brand can make such as strengthening your immune system, saying a product contains whole grain but doesn’t disclose how much, and boast the lack of trans fat to cover up the copious amounts of saturated fat.

Here’s a breakdown of changes you can expect:

“1. Put calorie and serving size information in larger type at the top of the label so it’s immediately clear how much you are eating.
2. Make the ingredient list easier to read by printing it in regular type instead of all capital letters. Use bullets to separate ingredients rather than allowing them to all run together.
3. List minor ingredients and allergens separately from the main ingredient list. Highlight allergy information in red.
4. List similar ingredients together and show the percentage by weight. For instance, sugar, corn syrup, high fructose corn syrup and grape juice concentrate are all forms of sugar and should be listed in parenthesis under the catchall heading “sugars.”
5. Use red labeling and the word “high” when a product has more than 20 percent of the daily recommendation for fats, sugars, sodium or cholesterol.
6. Make it clear which sugars are added to the product versus those that occur naturally.
7. Display prominently the percentage of whole grains contained in a product.
8. List caffeine content.“

Congress, Let’s Do It For the Kids

The CDC’s April 10, 2009 Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR)—sounds very depressing, I know—said that about half of foodbourne illnesses across the country occur in children and they’re more likely to have serious and long-lasting effects from these diseases.

The Make Our Food Safe Coalition, comprised of leading public health, consumer, and food safety organizations, is looking to keep the kiddies safe by calling on Congress to push through the seemingly eternally pending Food Modernization Act, the same legislation the CSPI has been endorsing their approval of.

” ‘Families across America want the government to do more to ensure their loved ones do not get sick from the food they serve over the holidays,’ says Sandra Eskin, director of the food safety project for the Pew Health Group. ‘Congress should enact stronger food safety laws before the end of the year.’ “

Here are some quick tips on how you can keep you kiddies safe while Congress takes their sweet time:

The 40-140 Rule: Always make sure that food is stored at a temperature of 40 F or below and food is cooked for a minimum of 10 minutes at a temperature above 140 F. 40 F – 140 F is like a Maui vacation for bacteria, especially around room temperature.

Prevent Cross-Contamination: A sanitary kitchen is a happy kitchen. Make sure to properly disinfect anything touched by raw meat such as the cutting board, the knife, and the sink, especially when dealing with chicken which loves to spread the Salmonella lovin. Soap and water doesn’t disinfect like a good ‘Soft Scrub’ and always devote a separate cutting board for all raw fish, meats and poultry.

Food Safety Laws Looking to Leave Stone Age Regulations – Might Actually Enter the 21st Century

The FDA’s traditional food safety awareness method of wait-for-mini-epidemic-of-deadly-(insert desired food product here)-contamination for them to warn the public might soon be a thing of the past. Complete overhaul could be in the future if the Senate passes the Food Safety Modernization Act, thanks to a push from the Center for Science in the Public Interest.

In a nutshell (peanut recall pun intended), a recent CSPI report lists the following as the Top 10 most dangerous foods (safety wise):

Leafy Greens, Eggs, Tuna, Oysters, Potatoes, Cheese, Ice Cream, Tomatoes, Sprouts, and Berries.

Since every one of us can find at least 6 of these foods presently in our refrigerators, updated safety guidelines and practices set by the FDA are a must.

Frequent contamination and recalls have been begging the FDA to revamp their ancient order of industry self-regulation. That means that the FDA lets food giants do the inspections themselves and trusts that they will be honest. Because we’re supposed to trust the food we feed our families, our loved ones, and ourselves everyday to multi-billion dollar corporations that have historically prided themselves on safe products for consumers over their bottom dollar.

A private organization’s interests lie with its board members and shareholders. A public organization’s interests lie with the American people. The purpose of a federal organization in charge of regulating produce, seafood, egg and dairy products, as well as typical packaged foods such as cookie dough and peanut butter, is to do the dirty work themselves.