Hi Erin.

I'm a Food Technologist and I hold a PG in Hospitality Management (including restaurants), meaning "food is my thing" - well, just one of them actually...

I have to say that I'm always troubled when people star to write apologetically about "being fat without guilt" or, conversely, "aiming to size zero".

Another very common mistake is to come up with a "single type of food diet" - like the one you mentioned.

Science doesn't support any of the 3 above approaches.

I always amazed how much science is disregarded, especially Nutrition.
Everyone things it can have "its own opinion" about the matter, regardless of what we, food scientists, say.
Actually, is extremely frustrating to be one, because nobody cares with whatever we say.
Worse, if a "TV hotshot" endorses some kind of diet or lifestyle that person is considered more knowledgeable than we are!
Even if it doesn't have any kind of degree, which is more often than not.

To keep it short I'll tell 8 very simple rules:

use the BMI to access your weight;
eat as much variety of foods as possible;
scrap junk food;
scrap salt;
scrap sweets;
scrap sugar;
scrap so-called "light" or "low-fat" processed foods;
do exercise.

Regards and be healthy.

Yes, that's right. So if the student goes back home and his/her mom cooks a nice sumptuous meal dripping the badness of junk food, then I think that might be ok. In any case he says that Junk food cannot be sold in campuses within 100 metres. You see that is the deal breaker, you walk 100 metres from outside your college and voila there will be a line of Kaiyendhi bhavans (Roadside snack shops) waiting for you. I am still wondering what was acheived from this ban, so please help me out, may be brain has shrunk to the size of a lemon over having too many junk food all these days.

Ramadoss said, ''I have already spoken to chancellors, who have conducted meetings with vice-chancellors to ban the sale of tobacco and junk food within 100 meters of educational institutions.''

In other news, Tobacco it seems can be used to treat some form of cancer. But don't get too excited and start smoking cigarette or chewing tobacco, as the side effects are not yet investigated completely:

However, so far, the experimental vaccine has only been tested on a handful of patients to check for any side effects, so its effectiveness at fighting the disease is still uncertain.

So a new cancer curing Tobacco based drug/vaccine can have side effects picked from the list - Nausea, Constipation, Heart burn, Sudden decrease in blood pressure, head ache, knee pain, mouth ulcer, reddish eyes, cramped stomach, gas, more gas and some more gas. Everything else will be fine.

But seriously this seems to be a promising discovery.

Well, that takes the cake. Or is “cake” a politically incorrect word now?

I am really tired of people who claim to be acting for my own good when they call me stupid. In fact, I am completely capable of making decisions about healthful food, and I am completely capable of saying no when my child wants something inappropriate. Most mothers are.

Leave the food companies alone. Most people who want good food for their children and themselves are not buying anything with a printed label, anyway. Most of us know that real food is the best food. So we don’t buy packaged food. We buy celery and grapes and pork chops. We don’t buy processed cheese food and handi-snacks. There are obviously some folks who are buying such things, but their numbers are being reduced as more and more of us recognize that food in a box costs more and feeds less than real food.

The American consumer is not an idiot. We don’t need pompous, condescending food police to tell us what to eat or how to raise our children.

I've come to realize that my kids are acting like addicts around these bizarre little red puffs of who knows what. The last bag I bought was commandeered by my eleven year old and smuggled into the bathroom (gross!), where he could munch freely, or so he thought. When I started to wonder where my son had gone about ten minutes later, my other kids were starting to wonder where the Hot Cheetos had gone, and he was found out. He had enough time to put a sizable dent in the bag. At this point the Cheetos then changed hands, it was now my teenage daughter's turn for her fix. with her baby brother and sister tailing her, she happily munched away while simultaneously trying to ditch the little ones, who were asking her for some. She flat out told them no, and started getting pretty abusive about it. I often find myself breaking up a fight over a bag of hot cheetos. They just act all stupid around them and this is why I finally had to cut the Flamin Hot cord.

My little ones generally won't eat hot foods (not many little kids do), but Flamin' Hot Cheetos are the exception. They will eat them almost exclusively if given the chance. I used to joke about them being on the Cheeto Diet, but now it's not so funny to me. When I stepped back to take a good look at their behavior around these creepy little red devils, I have to wonder if there really is an addictive ingredient in them. They don't really taste good, I think they're quite awful. The most alarming thing on the ingredients is how high on the list the artificial colors are. These dyes are not used in the UK because they are known to cause behavior changes in children (not to mention cancer), I recently read that M & M's uses artificial colors in the US, but uses natural dyes in the UK. So maybe the telltale red fingers are to blame for my kids acting like little crackheads when they get their hands on a bag. I don't know.

So wish me luck, folks. I'm going to have an intervention at my house. I'm no longer going to be the enabler to four little addicts with red stained fingers. Things might get ugly, but I won't back down. Flamin Hot Cheetos are outies!

φάτε μάτια ψάρια και κοιλιές περίδρομο. ακολασία, μικρά παιδιά διαφημίζουν τα ανείπωτα, φταίει που μας νοιάζει ο γυναικείος οργασμός, φονιάδες των λαών αμερικάνοι. και επεξηγώ. Το εν λόγω αναψυκτικό με το όνομα SQUIRT (α ρε κατακαημένη Cytherea) το έβγαλε στην αγορά αιδεδιμώτατος(ήταν πολύ για δέσιμο λέμε ο άνθρωπας) κάπου στο 1938. ο γυναικείος οργασμός με τη μορφή squirting βέβαια είναι γνωστός από αρχαιοτάτων χρόνων. τώρα δηλαδή ποιος είναι ο ανώμαλος; εγώ; ε, όχι σας ερωτώ. εδώ ρε οι τζαζεμένοι το κάναn αναψυκτικό με γεύση λεμόνι (σαφέστατη αναφορά  στα watersports)μιας και τότε δεν είχει ξεκαθαριστεί τι ήταν το squirting(περήφανα αμόλησα και το δικό μου σχόλιο στο τέλος) . δε λέω περισσότερα γιατί θα παρεξηγηθώ και δεν θέλω να μουντάρω απουσία του αντμιν. αλλά what the fuck?

Makes you wonder doesn't it?

By CrowdMatrix.com

On Derek and my road trip out west, we decided to stop in a Crackerbarrel and not only are the breakfast menus disturbing, but the "country" store in front of the restaurant is a mishmash of kitchen kitsch and junk food. Check out the displays below to see the finest in America's Fat Land. No wonder children have diabetes by age 2.

UPDATE: Lost a kilo, so thats all good :D

My top 5 foods that I miss, but won't eat at the moment:

1.  Black forest Cadbury Chocolate

2.  Dominoes Meatasaurus Triple Cheese Pizza - oh the fatty goodness

3. Salt and Vinegar Chips

4.  Dip made out of Reduced Cream and Tomato and Onion Dip (I find it makes a BBQ kinda taste)

5. Orange Chocolate Chip, Gingerbread or Cookies and Cream Icecream

Looking at that list, it is no surprise that I had weight to lose in the first place!

Any fatty favourites? Leave a comment

Você já ouviu a expressão junk food ou comida-porcaria? Em termos nutricionais, ela se refere a alimentos ricos em calorias e gorduras saturadas e pobres em fibras e nutrientes, como vitaminas e sais minerais. Sem falar dos conservantes, aromatizantes e espessantes químicos que normalmente lhes são acrescidos. Enfim, é junk food boa parte da comida industrializada que a gente está habituado a consumir.

O problema da comida tipo junk food é que ela é bonita e apetitosa. Dá vontade de comer, e muito. Já a comida mais natural, se não for bem caprichada na apresentação e nos temperos, pode não agradar. Por isso mesmo é que a grande indústria e também pequenas empresas de alimentação e alguns restaurantes naturais resolveram apostar numa comida saudável com aspecto de junk food. Isto é, uma forma bem sacada de aliar o útil ao agradável.

O resultado você já pode ver na prateleira dos supermercados. Chip assado em vez de frito, snack (salgadinho) integral de queijo, nugget assado de soja, molho de tomate orgânico, milk-shake de soja em envelopes, hambúrguer de tofu pronto, patê de soja com azeitonas ou ervas e por aí vai. O próprio Departamento de Nutrição da Faculdade de Saúde Pública da USP, sob orientação do professor José Alfredo Arêas, desenvolveu receitas de salgadinhos para a criançada levar no lanche que suprem a maioria das vitaminas de que elas precisam diariamente. A massa dos snacks, por exemplo, é feita com base no amaranto, rico cereal de origem andina. Os produtos só estão à espera de uma empresa que se disponha a fabricá-los e comercializá-los. No Nordeste, a Embrapa Tropical também pesquisa o hambúrguer e a casquinha de siri feitos com polpa de caju.

Parece, mas não é

O nutricionista George Guimarães, dono do restaurante Vegethus, em São Paulo, resolveu criar, há quatro anos, a Balada Junk Food Saudável. Vegetarianos e não-vegetarianos adoram a inovação das receitas desse evento gastronômico. Pois o problema não é comer um bolinho de proteínas com molho, alface e tomate entre duas fatias de pão com gergelim. O perigo é quando as proteínas vêm de uma carne gordurosa e cheia de toxinas, a alface e o tomate estão repletos de agrotóxicos, o molho é preparado com conservantes e aromatizantes artificiais e o pão, feito com farinha excessivamente refinada. Se a proteína for vegetal, as verduras orgânicas, o pão integral e o molho feito com ingredientes naturais, não há problema algum, diz George. Ainda mais se o san-duíche for uma delícia.

que não há grande diferença entre comer um sanduíche supercalórico feito com um hambúguer e almoçar um prato de arroz branco, feijão, carne seca frita e farinha. Tal como junk food de origem norte-americana, esse tipo mais nacional do gênero contribui igualmente para o surgimento da obesidade e da hipertensão. Da mesma forma, uma alimentaçãosaudável pode ter tanto uma aparência de comida da vovó como de comida de lanchonete. O importante é que ela possa nutrir o organismo sem prejudicar a saúde dos órgãos e vasos sanguíneos, diz Glaucia Padovan, nutricionista da Mundo Verde, rede de lojas onde são vendidos alguns exemplares de junk food saudável, como pipoca de canjica com sal marinho e doces de leite preparados à base de soja e sem açúcar.

Segundo um estudo realizado em 2001 pela Mintel, empresa de pesquisas dos Estados Unidos, pelo menos 14% dos americanos se alimentavam quase que exclusivamente em redes de comida rápida. E essa tendência é mundial. Os mais afetados por essa alimentação de má qualidade são as crianças e jovens. Segundo a Organização Mundial de Saúde, cerca de 177 milhões de crianças em todo o mundo estão ameaçadas por doenças ligadas à obesidade. Há poucos meses, 50 grupos de defesa dos consumidores americanos se uniram pedindo a restrição do marketing de junk food direcionado ao público infantil.

[mais informações basta acessar o site da Revista Vida Simples]

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Uma boa Saúde a todos e até mais...

Sempre,

Alessandro Martins.

I KNOW WHAT HAPPENED TO THE RAPIDLY

DISAPPEARING TREES!

(SHHHHH....)

They were all in the napkins we got yesterday at the drive-thru window when we ordered a mere. . . 1) diet soda and  2) ice cream cone

(Fast Food x Every day) + (Excess Fat + Disease) = Death

The show was aimed at those members of the public who believe that the gherkin in their Big Mac counts towards their 5 a day and designed to pick them up by the scruff of the neck and give them a bloody good shake, and a smack around their ketchup smeared chops. Nothing that Jamie Oliver said isn't already common knowledge and in fact just basic common sense. He simply pointed out that if you shovel huge amounts of crap down your throat you will not only gain weight and look like a bouncy castle, but your body will buckle under the strain and your over inflated internal organs will eventually give up and stop working. More than likely a good few years before you are actually ready to give up on life. He also spelt out, by way of statistics and shocking test results that to continue with their junk fueled diet would put them at risk of a whole host of life threatening conditions, including heart disease, cancer and diabetes.

The 18 calorie guzzling guinea pigs on the show all had several thing in common. They lived on take aways, rarely if ever touched a vegetable and barely owned a saucepan between them. They were all classified as either overweight, obese or morbidly obese by their BMI.  They also seemed unable to put 2 and 2 together and realise that if you fill your body with saturated fats, sugar, salt and preservatives, and then run a mile from any nutrients or vitamins, you are inevitably going to look more like Miss Piggy than Miss Universe and probably won't live long enough to meet your grandchildren.

One of the volunteers had her daily food and calorie intake laid out on a table for all the world to see. While she wasn't massively over her recommended calorie intake (2550 for men and 1940 for women - UK Department of Health), the food that she did eat all arrived in a cardboard box on the back of a delivery bike. Her wake up and smell the cooking oil moment came when she was told that from her daily diet, just the one Latte coffee and a small bowl of crisps that she ate every day would cause her to gain a whopping 3 and a half stone over the course of the next 15 months - pushing her from just plain old obese to morbidly obese. This news and the estimated weight gain shown in an expanding image of her on a nearby screen was understandably enough to make her second chin start to wobble with the shock. It just goes to show that when it comes to food, moderation and self control definitely seems to be the key.

Perhaps the biggest wake up call of all was the autopsy performed by Dr Gunther von Hagens on the body of a 25-stone man, who literally ate himself to death. While there's nothing like a little late night slicing and dicing to have your recently consumed dinner churning in your stomach, it did make for fascinating viewing. Once over the initial shock of seeing a human body being cut up and flapped open, seeing the massive amount of damage caused to the heart, lungs and liver by years of excessive eating was enough to make you push away the nearby packet of biscuits and reach for a carrot stick.

On the bright side, the best thing about obesity is that it can be cured and better still it can be prevented. Damage to bodies can be reversed and life spans extended. Parents can educate their children to eat well and in turn try and stamp out the rise in childhood obesity (read other article). Ideas and attitudes towards food can be changed, if the motivation to do so is there. I'd have to say that for most people surely the idea of staying alive is a pretty big motivation in itself.

Of course surrounded by treats, sweets and temptation at every cashiers till, very few people could honestly say that they live a completely healthy life or would even have the will power to try. And who would want to, life without any comfort food and empty calories would be very dull indeed. The trick it seems is to reach a happy medium and balance out the Yin and the Yang of unhealthy, healthy and good old fashioned exercise. Perhaps the answer is to have a take out as a treat, but then eat it while strapped to a treadmill. Or eat an entire block of chocolate, but wash it down with 3 litres of detoxing spring water..

I like a slab of Mud cake as much as the next person. I've actually just got through 2 pieces while writing this. There is of course a valid reason for being a pig today. I need extra insulation to survive a winter in Perth and I sense I will need a bit of a sugar kick to get through the dinner, bath and bed routine today. Mud cake aside, I like to try and stay as healthy as possibly. I have cut out meat, I drink Green Tea and I try and limit myself to 1 packet of Tim Tams a week.

Because I have children I would never want to knowingly do anything that would prevent me from being there to see them grow up, and in turn have their own children. I want to live for as long as possible, watch them turn into exactly what they will say they will never be and then watch them constantly nag their own offspring about eating all of the vegetables on their plate.

So let's hope that people like Jamie Oliver continue to use their fame and positive influence to try and scare people into facing up to the facts and turn their life around. Someone give the man a medal or better still a knighthood. If actors, pop stars and talk show hosts deserve one, then surely so to does someone trying to save the lives of both this generation and the next.

MISE A JOUR Info Le Monde.fr 18.07.08 | 22h36 (France)

L'obésité poursuit sa progression aux Etats-Unis (rapport)

L'obésité a continué de progresser l'année dernière aux Etats-Unis, passant d'environ 24% de la population adulte en 2005 à plus d'un Américain sur quatre, selon un rapport officiel publié vendredi.

En 2005, 23,9% des adultes aux Etats-Unis étaient obèses, ou avaient un indice de masse corporelle supérieur à 30, tandis que le pourcentage est monté jusqu'à 25,6% en 2007, ont montré des données fournies par le Centre de contrôle des maladies (CDC).

L'indice de masse corporelle est calculé en divisant le poids en kilos par le carré de la taille en mètres.

Dans trois Etats du sud, Alabama, Mississippi et Tennessee, presqu'un adulte sur trois est obèse.

Le Mississippi, qui est aussi l'Etat le plus pauvre des Etats-Unis, a le taux d'obésité le plus élevé du pays, avec 32%, tandis que le Colorado a le taux le plus bas avec 18,7%. C'est le seul Etat où le taux d'obésité est inférieur à 19%.

Aucun Etat ne semble être près d'atteindre l'objectif officiel de faire descendre l'obésité à 15% de la population d'ici 2010, selon le rapport.

L'obésité est la plus forte chez les femmes noires, près de quatre sur dix d'entre elles étant obèses.

Les diplômés d'université sont les moins susceptibles d'être obèse: environ 22% contre 29% pour les personnes ayant arrêté leurs études après le lycée.

Un rapport publié l'an dernier par l'association Trust for America's Health (TFAH) avait établi que le taux d'obésité chez les adultes aux Etats-Unis avait plus que doublé lors des 25 dernières années, passant de 15% en 1978-1980 à 32% en 2003-2004.

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Article du 12 juillet 2008

Je vous fais un très court et non exhaustif résumé du livre Toxic (voir la page "Références" de ce blog).

Asseyez-vous une seconde parce qu'il y a une bonne et une mauvaise nouvelle.

La bonne, c'est que, selon la conclusion de l'enquête, le manque d'exercice physique n'est probablement pas la principale cause de l'obésité. Bon ça n'aide pas, on s'entend, mais c'est pas ça qui vous fait gonfler comme un pop-corn.

La mauvaise c'est qu'il y a une autre raison qui est cachée dans notre alimentation.

Pas le gras trans qui est, comme on sait, particulièrement mauvais pour le cholestérol (puisqu'il fait baisser le bon cholestérol et augmenter le mauvais). Pas le sucre en tant que tel même si ce n'est pas souhaitable de trop en consommer.

En réalité, selon l'auteur du livre, l'industrie agro-alimentaire a inventé un produit dans les années 70 dont personne ne parle mais qui est fortement suspecté - tests scientifiques à l'appui - d'être néfaste pour la santé et à l'origine de la crise d'obésité que connait le monde. Oui mais voilà, si personne n'en parle c'est que ce produit est protégé au plus haut niveau politique. Et ce n'est pas utile de préciser que c'est aux États-Unis que tout a commencé.

Flash back : début des années 70. Richard Nixon est président des États-Unis. La population est très mécontente car elle a connu un rationnement alimentaire en raison d'aléas de production. Nixon joue sa tête. Il veut en finir avec le risque de voir la production agricole jouer au yoyo et donc menacer sa carrière. Il appelle un certain Earl Butz au gouvernement pour régler le problème. Butz devient secrétaire à l'agriculture en 1971. Et grâce à lui, l'Amérique ne connaitra plus jamais la faim ou le rationnement. Seulement voilà, les décisions de Butz vont provoquer indirectement une épidémie : l'obésité qui va très vite devenir une pandémie car ce sont désormais les 5 continents qui sont touchés par ce fléau.

Bref, Butz veut rationaliser l'agriculture américaine. Ses décisions amènent à une formidable concentration des producteurs et donc une disparition des paysans. Conséquence : on passe à l'ère de l'élevage intensif (poulet, bœufs, vaches, porcs), de la production de masse, de l'utilisation massive d'herbicides, de pesticides, d'insecticides, d'antibiotiques, d'hormones, de farine animale, d'engrais chimiques et autres nitrites... Avec des conséquences désastreuses sur l'environnement et la santé humaine. Parallèlement, les consommateurs veulent du pas cher. La pression sur les prix est énorme et la concurrence est féroce. On exige un hamburger à 99 cents. McDo et Coca Cola se développent.

Les compagnies deviennent de puissants lobbys qui financent les partis politiques et notamment le parti républicain de Nixon. La politique de Butz est un succès. Trop même. Car la surproduction arrive. Le marketing et la pub se développent et s'acharnent pour faire avaler toujours plus de nourriture à l'Amérique. Un petit propriétaire de salle de cinéma du Texas trouve une autre solution : constatant la gêne des consommateurs à acheter deux portions de pop-corn, il décide d'augmenter la taille de la portion. Et ça marche ! C'est le "syndrome du glouton". Si le péché de gourmandise était un frein à la consommation de l'Amérique puritaine, l'augmentation de la taille de la portion de base ne heurte pas la psychologie de l'Oncle Sam. L'homme est recruté par McDonald's. La machine s'emballe. Nixon passe un accord secret avec l'Union Soviétique pour lui vendre 440 millions de boisseau de blé. Plus tard, la création du GATT puis de l'OMC devront permettre d'aider à trouver des débouchés extérieurs : il faut envahir les autres marchés pour écouler les stocks. Toutefois, la qualité des aliments n'est pas l'objectif : seul compte le profit.

C'est dans ce contexte que les producteurs de maïs réfléchissent à la manière d'écouler le surplus de leur production. Soutenus par le gouvernement républicain dont ils financent les campagnes, la solution arrive grâce à un nouveau procédé industriel : l'hydrolyse d'amidon de maïs. Ce procédé va permettre de transformer le maïs en sucre. On appelle ce sucre le HFCS (pour High Fructose Corn Syrup) ou plus simplement sirop de maïs ou encore glucose-fructose, autant d'appellations que l'on peut aujourd'hui retrouver sur les étiquettes de nos produits alimentaires (si, si vérifiez !).

L'intérêt du HFCS est énorme : non seulement il permet d'écouler les stocks de maïs mais en plus il s'avère être un succédané bien moins cher à produire par rapport au sucre de canne ou au sucre de betterave.

Pour les compagnies, moins cher veut immédiatement dire : plus de profits. C'est Coca Cola qui va se laisser convaincre en premier. Son cola est moins doux que Pepsi qui séduit de plus en plus. Le sirop de glucose-fructose va lui permettre d'approcher la saveur de son concurrent. La riposte est foudroyante : le HFCS est adopté par Pepsi puis par toutes les compagnies qui utilisent du sucre dans leurs recettes (sodas, "soft drinks", boissons énergisantes, glaces, biscuits, céréales, chocolats, yaourts, friandises, barres chocolatées, plats préparés, conserves, etc.) Le produit s'internationalise rapidement.

Le plus étonnant, c'est que l'on a constaté, a posteriori, que la courbe de l'obésité mondiale suit la courbe de pénétration du HFCS dans l'alimentation. Il faut dire que le produit n'avait pas été testé puisque assimilé par l'agence américaine des aliments à du sucre.

Seulement voilà, les études scientifiques allaient mettre en évidence une particularité étonnante du produit : testé sur des rats, qui partagent 99% du patrimoine génétique de l'Homme, les rats devinrent obèses. On découvrait alors que le HFCS a un effet sur le cerveau. Plus exactement, le produit interagit avec certains neurotransmetteurs. Or, ces neurotransmetteurs sont précisément ceux qui informent le cerveau lorsque la limite de la consommation en sucre est atteinte ou lorsque l'appétit est rassasié. Pour dire les choses plus simplement, les consommateurs de sirop glucose-fructose finissent par avoir la même pathologie que les oies d'élevage gavées pour produire le foie gras.

En interagissant avec ces neurotransmetteurs, le HFCS brouille l'information voire l'empêche de se diffuser. Conséquence : la consommation de sirop de maïs permet l'absorption de sucre et de nourriture en grande quantité sans aucun message d'alerte du corps. Les consommateurs sont alors sujets à développer une ceinture abdominale proéminente dont les conséquences sur la santé peuvent s'avérer... mortelles (notamment par le développement du diabète de type 2 et les problèmes cardio-vasculaires). Quant aux plus jeunes consommateurs, ils exposent leur cerveau à des traces nuisibles, rendant l'obésité plus probable et plus difficile à contrôler.

Mais ce n'est pas tout. Aux États-Unis, le maïs est le premier consommateur d'engrais chimique, d'herbicides (57% de la production totale) et de pesticides (43% de la production totale), produits qui ont la particularité d'être cancérigènes. Or, le maïs ne sert pas uniquement à la production de HFCS mais d'abord à l'alimentation du bétail qui produira la viande bon marché de nos hamburgers. La farine animale, elle, n'est pas adaptée aux estomacs de la vache - qui est herbivore faut-il le rappeler. L'apparition de la salmonelle ou de la bactérie E.coli est le résultat de ce jeu d'apprenti sorcier, de l'élevage intensif et finalement la conséquence imprévue des stocks de maïs. D'où le recours massif au chlore et aux antibiotiques, ces derniers ayant pour conséquence de rendre les bactéries plus résistantes. Au passage : en 2001, 400.000 américains mourraient des conséquences de l'obésité soit 145 fois la chute du World Trade Center. Autre chose : E.coli 0157:H7 est potentiellement mortelle pour l'Homme et tue en rongeant les organes vitaux. Elle peut s'attraper par des hamburgers mal cuits.

Du coup, en dépit des grands sourires du clown Ronald McDonald, le menu McDo - un hamburger, un soda et des frites (dont l'huile hydrogénée qui les a cuites vous procurera votre dose de gras trans) - est le pire des régimes alimentaires. C'est enfoncer une porte ouverte que de le dire. Mais au moins, on ne pourra pas dire qu'on ne savait pas.

Faites passer le message et n'oubliez pas : l'appétit vient en pensant. Bon appétit !

We are trying to be environmentally friendly in our house, so that unfortunately rules out the 'quick fix' whizz round the supermarket to pick up disposable plates, cups, cutlery, etc, plus plastic party bags and cheapie plastic toys from China to go in them! We're also trying not to give the children too much junk food, so that rules out the easy options of bags of crisps, chocolate biscuits and the dreaded Haribo sweets! (Although that's more to do with the horror of hyperactive children afterwards, to be fair!) But before you start thinking that I'm all "holier than thou", I've realised that the biggest problem with children's parties is the competition. Between mums, or perhaps I should say between parents. At the end of the day, I secretly (or not so secretly now!) want every child who comes to my child's party to go away saying it was the best party they've ever been to! How crazy is that? I mean, does it really matter?

Hmmm, unfortunately, yes it does. But I don't think it's all about me wanting to be perceived as 'super mum' though. Deep down, I realise that the effort my mum went to over my birthday parties was a sign to me of how much she loved me ... and I still remember, and talk about, the cakes! A teddy bear covered in fluffy buttercream icing, a butterfly with a Fudge bar body, a Hansel and Gretel house covered in sweets, a Dougal (from the Magic Roundabout for anyone of a different generation!) with a homemade chocolate button for his nose. And then, when I was a bit older, the best of the lot - a heart-shaped pink pavlova oozing raspberries and cream! All courtesy of Family Circle magazine, I believe!

So now, as a busy working mum, what do I do? Accept that I can't do everything and that no child will care if the cake is homemade or not as long as it's sticky and sweet? Or stay up past midnight for the next week or so to ensure that my little one has the same sort of memories as I do ... and knows how much her mummy loves her? What do you think?

Anyone got the Family Circle recipe for a butterfly cake?

Fifteen minutes into the class, I wiped the sweat out of my eyes and looked over at Sam (who was already red). I couldn't even say anything. I'm pretty sure my face said it all. About half-way through the class, I got nauseated. I mean, I really and truly thought that I was going to barf. I desperately started looking for the best place to hurl. Of course the class room is on the second floor. And the bathroom? Why that is alllll the way down on the first floor. I couldn't barf into my towel because I spilled half of my water at the beginning of class and had to use my towel to wipe it up. So ewww. Just the thought of that made me want to barf. I was seriously freaking out! I pay good money to go to this gym, the least they could do is make sure I have a safe place to spew!

With no bin to barf in, I slowed my pace so that I could make it through the class. That was a long hour. My legs were shaky walking down the stairs, but at the same time I was really proud of myself. In fact, I want to make it my goal to rule that class. I think I can do it. So, to use Sam's words, today my "areas" are sore. Oddly enough the only other part of my body that is sore is the inside of the ball of my left foot. Yeah, I don't know either.

What better way to celebrate completing that class, than to go to the OC Fair! Fried food! Food on a stick! Fried food on a stick! It's like heaven on earth for my thighs and butt. Actually, I was very well behaved and managed to not overindulge myself. I only had a BBQ Beef Sandwich, a bite (or two) of my mom's Cinnamon Roll, Grilled Corn on the Cob, Soft Serve (chocolate and vanilla mix) and a beer. What? It was hot.

I was most excited to show Rydie the animals at the petting zoo. All morning I described all the animals that we would be seeing. I moo'd for him. I baa'd for him. I even cock-a-doodle-doo'd for the kid. After stuffing our faces, we headed over to see the animals. At first Ryder seemed okay. We wheeled him over to the rooster who, right on cue, cock-a-doodle-doo'd. He seemed a little weirded out, but he was okay. We went over the sheep. Where one sheep proceeded to let out the LOUDEST noise made by a small little sheep ever. That pushed him over the edge and he was a crying mess.

I picked him up so that we could look at the animals together. He seemed interested, but didn't want to pet any of them. I made friends with a nice little goat who had his head sticking waaaay out of the fence. He is my new little bestie. Every year my favorite part of the fair is the piglets. I love piglets. They are so wiggly and squirmy and sweet. This year, we timed it perfectly, as two little piglets were born the day before! They did not fail to impress.

After making our rounds, we stopped to look at the baby chicks. The fuzzy, sweet, peeping chicks. The lady that was working there saw Ryder and I peeking into the box, so she picked one of the chicks up and held it up close to him. He was totally mesmerized. Silly old hormonal me, I felt tears welling up in my eyes because it was the neatest thing. My son was discovering something new and I could see it in his face. We tried to get him to pet the chick, but as interested as he was, that was a little too much for him to handle. Poof! Moment gone.

After all that nature, Ryder needed a big nap. While he slept, we checked out the rest of the fair. It's amazing how when you are young, you can spend hours and hours at the fair. Riding all the scary fun rides and eating a ridiculous amount of junk food. As an adult? About three hours should cover it. And most of that time is spent eating! I can't wait for Ryder to be a little bigger so that he can get a little more out of it next year. I do think he enjoyed himself this year, though. What do you think?

I was alone with my thoughts today. Scary, I know. I was on my way to the gym to workout. There was no way that I was running in the heat. Hats off to Kirsten for doing it. I would die. I died getting out of my house and into the car to drive the less than 2 miles to the gym. Pathetic. Driving to the gym which is relatively close - wasting gas, adding to my carbon footprint - just to run 4 miles. I know what you're thinking, I could have run there and back. But, it was sooooooo hot and humid. 90 degrees plus the humidty. Excuses, excuses, I'm full of them. Anyway, I get into my sticky car and was half way there when I realized I forgot my Ipod. I wasn't turning back because I had to get my run in so that I could make happy hour at Claddagh. ( I have my priorities in order :) )

I got up on the treadmill and didn't even bother warming up. I just wanted to get it over with. That's all I thought about, finishing. Not really...a million thoughts went through my head. For example, there was a guy about 6' 4" walking (strolling really) on the treadmill directly in front of me blocking my lovely view of the parking lots with his backside. With nothing better to look at I saw his shape and thought his butt is the same size as mine and I am a female and much shorter. The motorcyclist was right I do have chubby cheeks (aka "fat ass")! This got me thinking to what my 'wise' 18 year old son said to Kirsten and I yesterday after we ate hot dogs and chips at the park with the students. He said why are you guys filling your bodies with junk. It's not the calories as much as the junk. He said to lose weight it's simple, calories in must be less than calories expended. But, beyond that, you guys are asking your bodies to run a marathon but you are not giving it any energy to do it. How can it run on garbage. After I yelled at him for being so mean, I had to agree, the kid had a point there.

The next day Kirsten and I discussed all the extra weight we are carrying around. She's carrying the equivalent of a ten-pound bowling ball and I am carrying the equivalent of a four of them!  I dare you to pick up a bowling ball and run with it...just one mile!  That's what we are doing each time our feet hit the pavement.   No wonder we are slow and tired. We are filling our bodies with regular gasoline and we should be fueling it with ultra premium. So much for the cheeseburgers. But if we want to succeed with this, we have to make some lifestyle changes. I am scared that they will be harder to make than running. (Not really, I still hate every minute of running and only want to be faster so the torture is over quicker).

Gnam...

(duh, gak kreatif banget aku bikin judul)

Ehm, ehm, pertama-tama tulisan ini dimaksudkan untuk mengawali, dan bukannya niru² acara gak jelas di stasiun tipi yang juga gak jelas (disebut gak jelas, karena kalo saya sebut nama, ntar dibilang promosi, baidewei acara itu juga niru acara sejenis di amrik sono (yang gak jelas juga? ampun dah, jangan tanya saya!)). Dan karena ini tulisan pertama di blog saya jadi memang mestinya ada sedikit unsur perkenalan (kalo yang ini baru jelas). Perkenalan apa? Ya... perkenalan diri dan e... sejarah berdirinya blog mungkin, istilahnya the dawn of the dead lah (bener gak ya nulisnya?).

Sungguh, ibu guru bahasa Indonesia saya waktu SD pasti kaget terus cekek leher saya kalo liat tulisan ini dipenuhi dengan kurung buka ('(') dan kurung tutup (')') bergelimpangan gak karuan di mana², kayak kurung buka dan kurung tutup stoknya melimpah aja. Itu belum ditambah dengan istilah² gak aturan baku, yang hm... yo wis lah, masa mau dibikin kayak skripsi? (Baidewei, Bu Guru, saya cuma b-tjanda, jangan cekek saya yah)

Cerita berawal pas saya barusan dapet koneksi internet yang nikmat. Nikmat? Yupz, karena yang pake gak banyak, ruangannya gak rame kayak pasar (gak kayak ruang lab di sono), nyaman, kenceng, dan yang paling penting, gak di-payerwol firewall (semoga adminnya gak baca ini, ntar diblok lagi). Dan seperti villagers lain yang baru liat internet, dicobalah itu semua asyik masyuknya internet. Dari yang paling senonoh sampai yang paling ... senonoh lah (ini di kantor, euy, masa saya mau buka yang gitu², gengsi dunk, ntar dikira orang kampung yang baru liat internet). Dari chatting berjam² (sambil sok² kerja, dan bukannya kerja sambil sok² chatting), buka² artikel sampai donlot² junk food (dengan muka tak berdosa, liat temen2 sekantor mencak², internetnya jadi lemot :p).

Sampai akhirnya saya dicerahkan oleh sesuatu. Sesuatu yang tak lain dan tak bukan adalah sesepuh internet yang paling bijaksana. Siapa tuh? Mbah Maridjan? Bukan, Mbah Gugel (sodaraan kayaknya). Dari Mbah Gugel-lah saya mendapatkan begitu banyak alamat blog² yang hm... asik² (dan senonoh, sungguh). Jadi yang ngasih pencerahan Mbah Gugel atau blog² yang tadi? Hm... ini belum jelas, masih diselidiki.

Cuman kok saya jadi panas juga ya hanya jadi penonton. Apalagi temen² dah banyak yang pada bikin blog sendiri (dan biarpun tulisannya banyak yang gak penting, tapi tetep asyik (dan senonoh, sumpah) bacanya). Baidewei, kalo Anda termasuk yang blognya pernah saya baca, mohon maaf, no offense kalo saya bilang tulisan Anda gak penting, soalnya tulisan saya ini kayaknya lebih gak penting (biar gitu Anda baca juga sampe sini :p). Maka singkat cerita, jadilah saya membulatkan tekad bikin blog sendiri. Membulatkan tekad? Ya, soalnya blognya baru bener² jadi sebulan setelah saya membulatkan tekad (jadi apakah 'membulatkan tekad' itu pekerjaan yang sangat penting, menguras energi, waktu dan mempertaruhkan nyawa? Hm... ini juga belum jelas, masih perlu diselidiki).

Terus, kok pake wordpress? bukannya blogspot atau blogdetik? Weleh, saya mah gak apal nama2 BSP (blog service provider, istilah sok tau :D ), taunya abis konsultasi sama Mbah Gugel, ketemunya di sini, ya wis lah di sini aja. Saya ndak tau apakah wordpress ngasih fitur² unggulan kayak SMS gratis dari jam 5 pagi sampai jam 5 sore atau telpon setengah harga, yang penting saya asoyyy enjoy daaaaah.

Ughz, nulis banyak² isinya kok mumble² gak jelas gini? Namanya juga blog gak jelas. What do you expect? (halah).

This is a post that I may regularly update on new recommendations of things for pregnant women to avoid.  We already know about the standard advice - no cigarettes or drugs, no alcohol, no riding roller coasters.  So, this is just a list of more recent pregnancy risks that merit mention (if not concern).  Feel free to add any science-based pregnancy news in the comment section that may be suitable for the list... 

1.  Junk Food - OK, duh, right?  I'm sure there are pregnant moms-to-be out there craving frosted covered Krispy Kreme donuts thinking about their own waste lines.  Well, they need to be thinking about the kids.  A recent labrat study showed that pregnant rats fed junk food were much more likely to have obese offspring, even if the offspring were fed a healthy diet.  The baby rats had larger fat cells, increased blood sugar, and decreased insulin sensitivity, making it harder for them to lose weight.

2.  Cell Phones - This may be a statistical anomaly with some other explanation, but a Danish retrospective cohort study surprised the scientific community with the claim that cell phone use by pregnant mothers may create behavioral problems for their future offspring.  The cell phone using moms eventually had children with a 54% greater chance of emotional problems, hyperactivity, conduct problems, and peer problems.  There are a few things that confuse me about this study, the first of which is that people aren't likely to be using their bellies to talk on their cell phones.  How can a signal from a phone be strong enough to effect a fetus?  My second issue is that I don't understand how a cell phone signal can alter the future behavior problems of children.  We're talking about an effect that happens eight years later.

Nuts - A study by the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine recently compared a diet questionaire from pregnant women eight years ago and the health status of their present offspring.  The results seem startling.  Women who ate peanut products (peanut butter, etc) every day had children with a 40-60% greater chance of eventually developing asthma.  To the contrary, women who regularly ate fruit had children with a lower incidence of asthma.  These studies always seem so sketchy to me.  The media siezes on them for a good headline, but really they are reasons for further studies.  Oh well.

Truthfully, in my home, I do permit a little bit of this kind of nostalgic junk in. I let my kids eat Captain Crunch, I still occasionally buy Chips Ahoy (which my husband usually devours) and I made Hamburger Helper once -- just to see if it still tasted as good as I remembered (it didn't). I draw the line at Twinkies and Little Debbies, although when I see them I do feel a slight pang of longing.

My basic view is everything in moderation. If I force my kids to eat tofu and nothing even remotely sweet, aren't they going to crave it later on when they can make their own choices? At the end of day, let's be honest, Oreos taste good. They may have no redeeming nutritional value, but sometimes eating an Oreo with a glass of milk can wash away all of the day's angst, even for us big kids.

FDA Slowing New Medicine Pipeline (WSJ via azcentral.com)

100 Californians Injured by Hospitals Each Month (MedHeadlines)

Mother's Junk Food "Harms Child" (BBC)

Early Life Nutrition May Be Associated with Adult Intellectual Functioning (Science Daily)

Scientists Learn How Food Affects the Brain: Omega 3 Especially Important (Science Daily)

Meditation, Yoga Might Switch Off Stress Genes (US News & World Report)

then, the day after that, i packed myself a lovely little bento lunch:  top layer was nuts and dried fruits, bottom layer was local-homemade yogurt, homemade jam, locally foraged juneberries.  gorgeous.  crazy healthy.  de-lish.

then-and here's the part where you are about to be very proud of me indeed:

then i had a bad weekend.  it was rough, kids.  burglaries, faucets that wouldn't shut off, that kind of thing.  bad.  so, clearly, i reached for the chips and dip.  the kicker?

yep, it's local:

i just realized, just now, as i was feeling guilty about my stress eating, (with the bag of chips getting low by the end of the weekend you'll notice) that my dip came from bareman's dairy farm, in holland, michigan.  and my chips are "better made," from detroit.  don't get all impressed, it wasn't like i was going to find some local crap to be all high and mighty about discovering local food in its various forms.  i just went for the chips and dip. no forethought.  just GIMME THE SALT AND NOBODY GETS HURT was all i was thinking.  these were cheap and close, from one of the local party stores (ghetto grocer, corner store, beer store, whatever it's called in your area, you know what i'm talking about right?).  this seems to happen a lot at wealthy market, and many party stores, i've noticed:  more local fare.  crappy, not good for you, yes, all of that.  but Local.

impressed?  no?

yeah, me neither.  but it made me laugh.  and not take myself so seriously, which is always a good thing for this little girl to do more of.

and no, deb, this is definitely Not the local challenge meal of the week.

Claiming that it's a vegetarian snack is enough to make me want to try but there are other claims as printed on the label:

No MSG (Ok, that's good)
Excellent Source of Iron (still good)
No Artificial Color (that explains the color. Bleh)
Baked Not Fried (They do care!)
Rich In Fiber (probably 45% -see below-)
55% Green Peas (I knew there was a downside to this...)

When I tasted my first pod, all I could taste was the salt and it felt like I was munching on a soft chip of wood. But as I continue to eat more I started to taste the peas, faintly. I think the idea is to eat the entire content and only then you will get the full flavor. It's all in the after-taste. I can't say that it's bad because it isn't. It's the same feeling as eating your veggies. It will make you want to eat Cheetos.

As far as I know, this snack is only available in the Philippines.

neste exato momento estou mamando uma lata de leite condensado, sou tarado por doces. depois das refeições é obrigatório adocicar meu paladar, quando fico de bobeira ou me recuperando de uma madrugada maluca como a de ontem, mando a ver no açúcar.

ps - a propaganda do leite moça foi gratuita porque é o meu favorito, mas dou liberdade total para a nestlé me enviar um kit de suas guloseimas a esta pobre formiga, rs.