Researchers Prove Fast Food/Obesity Connection

September 26th, 2010 - Barbara Feiner

Fast food breakfast

Fast-food chains love to argue that their menus don’t make us fat, but a Journal of Nutrition study reveals high consumption over a long period leads to weight gain, as well as increased cardiovascular and diabetes risks.

Researchers at the University of North Carolina studied 3,643 young adults over a 13-year period (from ages 7 to 20) to identify how they ate when away from home.

Those who ate the most fast food weighed more, had larger waists and triglyceride levels, and showed signs of metabolic syndrome—a precursor to diabetes, heart disease and possibly cancer.

Tags: diabetes, fast food, Health, heart disease, obesity, restaurants
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Taco Bell: Ground Zero for Salmonella Outbreak?

August 10th, 2010 - Barbara Feiner

Taco Bell menu

Scientists at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, U.S. Department of Agriculture, and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have been investigating the source of two recent multistate salmonella outbreaks, and some experts say Taco Bell veggies are the likely culprit.

The CDC has identified the outbreak source only as a “Mexican-style fast food restaurant chain,” but Oregon Senior Epidemiologist William E. Keene told The Oregonian that Taco Bell has been in investigators’ crosshairs. He cautioned, however, that “it’s equally clear that it’s not all Taco Bell. It’s also not a single Taco Bell restaurant.”

The combined outbreaks have sickened 155 consumers, with 42 hospitalizations. Lawsuits have recently been filed, but Taco Bell’s chief quality assurance officer maintains the chain’s food is safe.

Taco Bell’s shredded lettuce was linked to an E. coli outbreak in 2006. Initially, investigators suspected green onions had sickened more than 70 people in five states.

Photo: jdsmith1021

Tags: fast food, foodborne illness, Health, salmonella, Taco Bell
Posted in Health | 1 Comment »

Build a Healthy, Organic Breakfast Sandwich

July 23rd, 2010 - Barbara Feiner

Build a Healthy Breakfast

“Healthy” and “breakfast sandwich” tend to be an oxymoron, especially when you review popular fast-food menu items:

Burger King Bacon, Egg and Cheese Biscuit: 420 calories, 25 g fat, 185 mg cholesterol, 1,360 mg sodium
Sonic Breakfast Toaster Sandwich with Bacon: 532 calories, 32.4 g fat, 323 mg cholesterol, 1,441 mg sodium
McDonald’s Egg McMuffin: 300 calories, 12 g fat, 260 mg cholesterol, 820 mg sodium

By comparison, today’s recipe for a Spicy Egg, Turkey Bacon & Cheese Breakfast Muffin contains only 226 calories, 6 g fat, 15 mg cholesterol and 534 mg sodium. The lean protein (17 g), high-fiber carbohydrates and healthy fats—an ideal nutritional trifecta—will leave you feeling satisfied, with fewer cravings throughout the day.

Substitute turkey bacon for its high-fat pork cousin, says exercise physiologist Bob Greene, Oprah Winfrey’s personal trainer and author of several books, including The Best Life Diet Cookbook. He also forsakes egg yolks and cooks with egg whites, which have no fat or cholesterol and half the calories.

The recipe’s prep time is 10 minutes, and all of the ingredients should be available at a well-stocked natural and organic food store.

Spicy Egg, Turkey Bacon & Cheese Breakfast Muffin

Makes 2 servings

1 cup (8 ounces) egg whites
1/4 teaspoon cayenne hot pepper sauce
1/8 cup (half an ounce) shredded Cheddar cheese
2 slices uncured turkey bacon, cut in half crosswise
2 whole-wheat English muffins, split

Spray a 10-inch skillet with nonstick cooking spray. Heat over medium heat.
Add egg whites, and stir in hot pepper sauce.
As eggs start to set, use a spatula to lift edges, letting uncooked whites flow to the bottom of the skillet. Cook until whites are set, but still moist.
Sprinkle shredded cheese atop the egg whites. Fold over the omelet so the cheese melts in the middle.
Place turkey bacon on a microwave-safe plate, and cover it with a paper towel. Microwave on high for 30 to 40 seconds, or until warmed.
Toast each English muffin half. Spoon about 1/2 cup of the egg mixture atop two toasted muffins.
Top each with one piece of cooked turkey bacon and the remaining toasted muffin halves.

Recipe and photo courtesy of Better’n Eggs/ARA

Tags: Bob Greene, breakfast, burger king, egg whites, eggs, fast food, mcdonald's, Organic Food, protein, recipes, sandwich
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Kids See Fewer Sweets/Beverages Ads, But More Fast Food Ads

July 6th, 2010 - Barbara Feiner

A new study reveals that children were exposed to fewer TV ads for sweets and beverages in 2007, but more fast food ads (as compared to 2003).

Past studies have demonstrated that TV advertising influences the short-term eating habits of children ages 2 to 11, and some research shows ads can also influence daily dietary intake. That’s why major U.S. food companies adopted the Children’s Food and Beverage Advertising Initiative in 2006, which held that 50% of child-targeted advertising would promote healthier products or good nutrition/healthful lifestyles.

But there was one significant problem: Each company had its own definition of “healthier,” according to Lisa M. Powell, PhD, and colleagues at the University of Illinois at Chicago, whose research will appear in the September issue of Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine.

Here’s what the researchers found:

Between 2003 and 2007, daily average exposure to televised food ads decreased by 13.7% among children ages 2 to 5 and by 3.7% among children ages 6 to 11, but exposure increased by 3.7% among teens ages 12 to 17.
Ads for sweets aired less often, with a 41% decrease for 2- to 5-year-olds, a 29.3% decrease for 6- to 11-year-olds and a 12.1% decrease for 12- to 17-year-olds.
Beverage ads decreased by 27% to 30% across the three age groups, with substantial cuts in ads for sugar-sweetened beverages.
But exposure to fast food ads increased by 4.7% for children 2 to 5, by 12.2% for children 6 to 11 and by 20.4% for teens 12 to 17.

Dr. Powell and her colleagues chalk up the last statistic to the power of branding. They also found a racial gap in advertising, with African-American children viewing 1.4 to 1.6 times as many food ads per day.

The researchers recommend continued monitoring of ads targeted toward children, as well as nutritional assessments for advertised products.

Tags: advertising, children, fast food, Health, Parenting, soda, sugar, TV
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6 Easy, Healthy Recipes to Make for the Summer Road Trip

June 23rd, 2010 - Scott Shaffer

Interstate highway

Summer! Time for road trips and family vacations. But if you’re anything like me, it’s the time of the year that you feel the pull of fast-food restaurants. After all, they’re cheap, convenient, and filling, right?

Wrong. You might have heard that some McDonald’s toys were contaminated with cadmium, and Subway’s recent salmonella outbreak sickened at least 97 people. To me, dealing with food poisoning doesn’t seem cheap or convenient. As for filling, take a look at the Big Mac’s nutritional information and tell me if that’s what you want filling you or your family.

But don’t despair! There’s an easy and inexpensive solution: pack your own meals. It’s better for your body, your wallet, and the planet. If you do it right, it can be tastier, too! I’ve taken the initiative to compile some of our top recipes for road-trip-ready food.

Enjoy your meals and your journey, and wave good-bye to fast food!

Tags: fast food, food safety, road trips, salads, sandwiches
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How About Some Cadmium with Your Happy Meal?

June 4th, 2010 - Barbara Feiner

McDonald’s has voluntarily recalled approximately 12 million Shrek Forever After collectible glasses (above)—sold since May 21 at the chain’s U.S. restaurants—because they contain high levels of cadmium.

The premium incentive (aka McBribery) was designed to accompany the Shrek Happy Meal promotion (right), which launched last month as a tie-in with the new Shrek 3D movie.

You can thank California Congresswoman Jackie Speier (D-San Francisco/San Mateo) for bringing the issue to light. She had been informed last week by anonymous sources that high levels of cadmium had been detected in the glassware, and she alerted the chair of the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. The commission tested the glasses and confirmed they contained cadmium.

All four designs—Puss ’n’ Boots, Shrek, Princess Fiona and Donkey—are affected by the recall. Refunds will be available beginning Tuesday. Consumers with questions may also call McDonald’s at (800) 244-6227.

“Although McDonald’s did the right thing by recalling these products, we need stronger testing standards to ensure that all children’s products are proven safe before they hit the shelves,” Speier says. “Cadmium is a toxic substance that is extremely dangerous to the developmental health of children.”

Photos (top to bottom): Consumer Product Safety Commission, McDonald’s

Tags: cadmium, fast food, Health, Jackie Speier, McDonald’s, Parenting, recalls, toxic chemicals
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Health Insurers Invest Billions in Fast Food Companies

June 3rd, 2010 - Barbara Feiner

Health and life insurance companies are supposed to be concerned about keeping people healthy and lowering healthcare costs.

Why, then, are they major investors in the fast food industry—to the tune of nearly $2 billion?

Researchers at Cambridge Health Alliance and Harvard Medical School found that major U.S., Canadian and European-based insurance firms hold at least $1.88 billion of investments in fast food companies.

Prudential Financial, Northwestern Mutual, Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company and ING are among the largest investors, with holdings in companies like McDonald’s, Burger King, Jack in the Box and Yum! Brands (Pizza Hut, KFC and Taco Bell).

“Our data illustrate the extent to which the insurance industry seeks to turn a profit above all else,” says J. Wesley Boyd, MD, PhD, the study’s senior author and an assistant clinical professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. “Safeguarding people’s health and well-being take a backseat to making money.

“Our research highlights the tension between profit maximization and the public good faced by countries in expanding the role of private health insurers,” Dr. Boyd adds. “If insurers are to play a greater part in the healthcare delivery system, they ought to be held to a higher standard of corporate responsibility.”

For Your Organic Bookshelf: Food Fight: The Inside Story of the Food Industry, America’s Obesity Crisis and What We Can Do About It

Tags: fast food, Health, insurance companies
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Fighting the Food Desert

November 2nd, 2009 - Laura Klein

heavy-woman-watching-tv-while-eating-junk-food-thumb5939970 About a third of our nation’s adults are obese, which translates to escalated risks for cardiovascular disease, certain types of cancer, and type 2 diabetes.

Many of our nation’s neighborhoods simply don’t have access to supermarkets, let alone fresh organic fruits and veggies. Chips, soda and other packaged, chemical-filled, unhealthy ‘convenience foods’ are cheap and readily available at the corner store…a far cry from the nourishment our body naturally craves, and a key contributor to the obesity epidemic.

The term for geographic food inequity is ‘food desert,’ and it’s defined as a district with little or no access to foods needed to maintain a healthy diet…but often served by plenty of fast food restaurants. It was coined by Mari Gallagher, a researcher who has delved deep into the topic and found that food deserts exist in every type of community across the U.S — urban, rural and suburban.

I was moved by a profile on Chicago-based Graffiti and Grub and its founder, La Donna Redmond, on CNN last week. Her community garden and store focuses on supplying several low-income Chicago communities with sustainable, organic and locally-grown food. This quote says it all…

“You could find drugs in my community, you could find a gun in my community, but you couldn’t find a tomato.”
-LaDonna Redmond

One of the critical areas of good eating habits is education – ideally from an early age as so brilliantly executed in Alice Waters’ inspirational Edible Schoolyard project. In a similar vein, Graffiti and Grub is focused on ‘providing the hip hop generation with the tools needed for maintaining a healthy lifestyle.’

Kudos to those hard-working advocates committed to changing the food desert into an organic food oasis.

Are you familiar with ‘food deserts’? I’m curious to know whether there is awareness of this issue. Let me know!

Hoki Pokey

September 13th, 2009 - Barbara Feiner

There are many reasons to avoid eating a McDonald’s Filet-O-Fish sandwich.

We can start with taste.

Next comes nutrition: The fried, soggy mess has 380 calories, 45% of which come from fat. The sandwich also delivers 640 mg sodium. That’s virtually on par with a Quarter Pounder, which has 410 calories (42% from fat) and 730 mg sodium.

Now, there’s another reason to Filet-O-flee: ecosystem damage.

While McDonald’s claims to use sustainable fish, the fast-food titan is drawing fire from environmental groups.

Instead of buying the expected Pacific cod or Alaskan pollock (both eco-friendly choices), much of the chain’s fish is New Zealand hoki, whose sustainability is being questioned.

As New York Times reporter William J. Broad reveals in From Deep Pacific, Ugly and Tasty, with a Catch:

Without formally acknowledging that hoki are being overfished, New Zealand has slashed the allowable catch in steps, from about 275,000 tons in 2000 and 2001 to about 100,000 tons in 2007 and 2008—a decline of nearly two-thirds.

Peter Trott, fisheries program manager for Australia’s World Wildlife Fund, told Broad that his group has “major concerns” about hoki. Click here to read the full story.

And here’s an idea: Avoid fast-food fish by making an eco-friendly choice and grilling or baking it to perfection. We can suggest the following recipes from our organic blog:

McBribery Pisses Me Off

June 23rd, 2009 - Barbara Feiner

In July 2006, I wrote a post called A Mountain of Meat and Cheese, which covered Burger King’s introduction of Double, Triple and Quad Stackers. That last sandwich consisted of four burgers, four pieces of cheese and eight pieces of bacon on a flaccid bun, weighing in at a hefty 1,000 calories, 68 g fat and 1,800 mg sodium.

The post garnered more controversy than I expected. Some readers thought I was a dietary stick-in-the-mud:

“Had a quad yesterday and a triple today,” noted Rick, apparently not referring to bypass surgery. “Outstanding, exactly what I like.”

“I don’t care,” wrote James. “It’s so good. Really good. I’ll eat a salad for dinner. Actually, I’ll just eat more of these.”

Alrighty then.

I’m not sure how James’s and Rick’s cholesterol levels are doing, but these readers are certainly entitled to shovel Death Wish Burgers into their mouths. (FYI, dudes: You’re reading an online magazine dedicated to organic living. How did you even find us?)

But besides voicing my horror at super-sizing an already super-sized menu, I had another point:

Of course, Burger King is enticing kids to order this “produce-free” behemoth through a series of TV ads featuring a crew of miniature construction workers that “diligently stacks meat, cheese, bacon and BK Stacker Sauce.”

If that’s not enough, “2.5″ collectible figurines of some of the most memorable characters from the BK Stackers television ads can be purchased online…Fans can purchase a set of three figurines, including Vin the Foreman, the Kid and the Cheese Welder.”

For parents who promote organic living and healthy eating, this is yet another example of how fast-food companies and advertising agencies pander to kids without any regard for their health. It’s irresponsible at a time when childhood obesity is epidemic.

Flash-forward 3 years and little has changed. McDonald’s, inventor of the Happy Meal/free toy marketing juggernaut, is currently promoting kids’ meals with plastic dinosaurs from the new Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs film.

“We’re committed to bringing the biggest and most exciting properties to life for our customers, and offering them the high-quality food they love,” says Mary Dillon, McDonald’s global chief marketing officer. “The McDonald’s Ice Age Happy Meal event will feature movie characters on a variety of Happy Meal food choices worldwide, such as Apple Dippers and low-fat white and chocolate milk jugs in the U.S., to reach kids in a fun and responsible way.”

And according to a McDonald’s press release, “Select restaurants in the U.K. will host family scavenger hunts, taking kids on an underground adventure to help the movie characters retrieve lost items, and will offer in-store giveaways such as character masks and balloons.”

I’m assuming a Quarter Pounder and fries will figure into the McFun.

Here’s the problem: Not every parent insists on Apple Dippers over French fries or low-fat milk over sugary sodas. That’s a parenting choice—and often a dismal one.

In the long run, continuing to use toys to promote Happy Meals amounts to McBribery, something Ronald McDonald shouldn’t be celebrating.

For further information, please check out these stories from our blog archives:

Photo courtesy of McDonald’s