Topic: nutrition facts

You Shouldn’t Trust Restaurant Nutrition Facts (But That’s Mostly OK)

Filmmaker and health enthusiast Casey Neistat (whose videos I usually love) played ‘Calorie Detective’ in a New York Times Op-Ed published today that explores the accuracy of nutrition facts on restaurant menus and store-bought foods. Unsurprisingly (because we haven’t yet figured out how to replace food workers with robots), he found that nutrition labels are probably not all that accurate, especially for foods that are made fresh in a kitchen. But his suggestion–that we start policing nutrition data to help curb obesity–is where I’m a little surprised: Why would we waste our time policing nutrition facts? More »

Girl Scout Cookies Calories and Nutrition Facts: Do You Care?

Today is the first annual celebration of National Girl Scout Cookie Day, which the scouts are instating to celebrate the “world’s largest girl-led business,” and of course, “to make it easy for you to buy or order cookies.” But alongside the impending crush of Thin Mints, Samoas, and Do-Si-Dos, a new “healthy” variety–made with vitamin-enfused fruit concentrate–is coming to reassure you that not all Girl Scout Cookies calories are empty. More »

UNREAL Candy Is Natural, ‘Doctor-Approved’ And Surprisingly Not A Sham

UNREAL is a new brand of natural candy that, according to its new buzz-worthy marketing video, is actually “doctor-approved.” What’s more, it’s actually approved by Dr. Mark Hyman, a doctor who’s devoted to fighting diabetes and obesity (and who we happen to respect and like a lot). According to the brand’s new video (which is practically going viral on Facebook right now, thanks in part to celebrity endorsements and the genius videography of Casey Neistat, who’s pretty much making all of our favorite videos these days), their products are a lot like the candies we all love, but made with natural, sustainably-sourced ingredients. Or, as they would put it, “unjunked.” More »

McDonald’s Nutrition Facts To Be Posted On All Menus; We’re Actually Optimistic

McDonald’s nutrition facts will be posted on the menus at all 14,000-plus locations in the U.S. next week, the company announced today. You might be asking yourself, “Don’t they already do that?” or “Isn’t the government forcing them to do that anyway?”; the answer is “sort of.” The chain already posts nutrition facts in locations where state law mandates it (but not everywhere), and Obama’s healthcare reform bill will eventually require chains to post nutrition facts on menus (but not yet), so McDonald’s isn’t technically the most noble fast food joint in the world. But for once, we’re actually kind of excited about the initiative they’re taking; mostly because it sounds like they’re working hard on making some other really positive changes to their menu. More »

Why You Should Cook: 96% Of Chain Restaurants Don’t Meet U.S. Dietary Guidelines

The dietary guidelines set forth by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. aren’t exactly a beacon of perfect nutrition; many criticize the balance of nutrients and believe that it favors an overly amount of dairy, meat, and carbs. So the fact that 96% of chain restaurants fail to meet their criteria for a healthy meal according to a new study is particularly disheartening; and a pretty good reason to figure out how to cook a few healthy meals at home. More »

This Is How Much Sugar Is In Your ‘Healthy’ Breakfast

Most of you probably know that soda contains sugar; there are plenty of astounding PSAs and photos drive home the point. But a lot of us frequently dine on foods that we think of as “healthy” that can be just as much of a sugar bomb, if not more. Case in point: breakfast. Even if you steer clear of donuts and pastries that are full of sugar (duh), and make what you think are pretty smart choices, many breakfast foods contain a load of sugar you didn’t know you were in for. More »

Trader Joe’s Cookie Butter Is Delicious…And About As Unhealthy As You’d Expect

Made of crushed biscuits and oil (no almonds, unlike the homemade version that Fitnessista made), and the jar suggests eating on bread or pancakes. As other testers in the office put it, it tastes like eating a gingerbread house: delicious. And, if you want to know: It’s unhealthy, just like you’d expect. More »

That Seasonal Eggnog Latte Has More Fat And Sugar Than A Cinnamon Roll

It isn’t so much Blisstree’s goal to be the seasonal treat police. It’s just that we think some things—like eggnog lattes that have more calories, fat and sugar than a food court cinnamon roll—deserve some red flagging once in awhile. More »

Trick Or Treat: Fast Food Logos That Got “Healthy” Makeovers

We see fast food logos so often that hardly even think about them, but companies spend a lot of time deciding which colors, fonts, and images will get customers to turn into their drive-thru. And in recent years, several popular chains have gotten redesigns, giving their signs, packaging and restaurants a fresh new look—and many hope, an illusion of being “healthy.” But in reality, most of the logo changes have nothing to do with a change in the menu or nutrition facts. So beware: These restaurants might look smarter, but their food is still kind of—well, stupid. More »

What We're Reading:

The Diet Is Dead and Multivitamins Will Kill You Sooner

It’s spring, which quickly leads to summer, so naturally many of us are thinking more and more about losing that winter weight and shaping up for the season, as is our annual custom. But this year, let’s try to implement our strategy differently and more effectively. Here’s help. Personal trainer and fitness expert Daniel Reynen is the author of the controversial new book The Diet Is Dead: Why Traditional Diets Fail and How You Can Succeed. This guy is seriously down on diets and dieting, and all for healthy and lasting lifestyle changes. And he’s a firm believer that there are four pillars to any weight-loss program that guarantee success. End of story. They are: behavior shifts, assessment, monitoring, and ongoing support. Reynen really tells it like it is (which we appreciate), so I asked him five pointed questions about dieting and weight-loss myths, strategies, and techniques that he brings up in his book:
More »

Hey, FDA: We Need More Than Calorie Counts on Menus to Counter Obesity

Rumor has it the Food and Drug Administration wants to put nutrition labels on restaurant menus, but the proposal is fairly confusing and, since it won’t go into effect until much later this year, at the earliest, nobody’s too bothered about what this means for restaurants just yet. But the FDA officially submitted their proposed menu-labeling regulations on April 1, so they’re starting to create more buzz. But will slapping calorie counts on the menus at chain restaurants really help America turn around its obesity epidemic? I hate to be a pessimist here, but if having our fatness shoved in our face by constant media attention (backed by scientific studies and physician advice) doesn’t make us want to run to the nearest whole foods and invest all our cash in carrots, then I don’t think calorie counts will, either. More »

Nutrition Facts Decoder: Natural Sugar vs. Added Sugar

You might be avoiding sugar for Lent, health reasons, or just because you’d like to keep off extra weight, but unfortunately, it’s not as simple as just skipping dessert. There’s sugar in everything from fresh fruit to potato chips, but even with nutrition labels and ingredient lists, it can be difficult to tell which foods you should ban until Easter. Here’s our guide to sussing out the good stuff, and leaving out the bad stuff:

Most of us are aiming to cut out added sugars (the kind in cookies, candy, soft drinks, and cake) not natural sugars. Added sugar (which can come from “natural” sources like sugar cane, brown rice, or agave) typically pack on extra calories and sweet flavor, without adding any other nutritional value. Natural sugars, on the other hand, are found in whole, unprocessed foods which also contain things like fiber, protein, fats, vitamins and minerals — these are much harder to avoid, and are generally considered much healthier than added sugars. (TIP: Don’t let food marketing get you confused; many added sugars come from “natural sources like sugar cane, brown rice, or corn; the problem is that they’ve been extracted from their source and processed so that they don’t contain any other nutritional value.) More »

Morning Links: Healthy New Year Habits

What’s in Your Beef – If you’ve ever wanted to calculate the damage of a homemade hamburger, rest assured: the USDA says it will put nutrition labels on meat by 2012. (USA Today)

A Healthy Dessert for New Year’s Eve – Serve this chocolate-zucchini cake at the New Year’s table; your blood sugar levels will thank you. (Green Lemonade)

Start the Year Off Right – Shake off the first hangover of 2011 by honoring yourself in the new year at a yoga class from one of these top studios. (Yoga Buzz) More »

7 Worst Holiday Drinks for Your Health

When you’re not shopping, you’re resting your feet at a cozy Starbucks and slurping a holiday drink. Hey – ’tis the season, right? When we took a look at the nutrition facts behind all those peppermint lattes and spiced-up hot chocolates, we realized why so many people gain weight during the holidays. Some of these drinks contain more calories than an entire meal. And they definitely contain more sugar that we really want to consume through a plastic lid. More »

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