Archive for the ‘Fast Food’ Category
Bacon Cheese Doughnut Burger…Seriously?
Friday, October 9th, 2009
Posted in Fast Food, Sugar Addiction | 1 Comment »
McDonald’s Takeover
Wednesday, September 30th, 2009
I saw a couple friends post this on facebook. Every spot on the map represents a McDonald’s Cancer Center. Ok, they call them “restaurants,” but let’s be honest.
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Help Wendy’s Fight Diabetes, Eat More Frostys!!
Tuesday, September 1st, 2009
Every once in a while you find a news story that is so absurd you think it must be a joke; here is one of the best I’ve seen for quite some time.
Piscese Foods, the owners of 31 Wendy’s franchises in Austin, Texas raised over $72,000 for the Austin chapter of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. While that is an incredibly notable cause, especially since type 1 diabetes is an incurable disease that can be a major obstacle in a person’s life, you won’t believe how they raised the money.
“2009’s donation was raised through a one-month promotion beginning in mid-July in which customers at participating Austin area Wendy’s restaurants could purchase a Frosty Coupon Book for $1.00. Each book included four (4) coupons, good for either a Free Small Frosty and Frosty-Cino. Customers have been very excited about the value of the Frosty Coupon Book, where for only $1.00 they receive four (4) free Frosty’s.”
Posted in Diabetes, Fast Food, Sugar Addiction | 1 Comment »
Food may be cheap, but is it a bargain?
Wednesday, August 26th, 2009
For the longest time while I was growing up, I always wondered, “If the price of everything else goes up, why doesn’t food?” It’s ironic to me that today I spend a lot of time reading articles about the impact of those low prices.
In today’s LA Times Mary MacVean writes, “…Americans spend less of their disposable income on food, about 6%, than the citizens of other countries. Considered another way, we spent 18% less on food in 2007 than in the 1970s…” There’s no doubt I’m in the minority here, but does that seem odd to anyone else? Every time I see a Taco Bell commercial that asks, “Why pay more?” while screaming about their $0.79, $0.89, & $0.99 “food,” I think, “Because food should cost more than that.”
Plus, if you take into account the medical expenses that we all share because of that kind of “food,” $147 billion/year on obesity alone (not to mention heart disease & cancer), I think it becomes obvious that the cost of “cheap” food is MUCH higher than their advertisements let on.
So, the next time you feel like making a run for the border, do me a favor and just go for a run.
Posted in Fast Food, Public Policy, Sugar Addiction | No Comments »
Detroit Ice Cream Man’s New Competition
Wednesday, August 12th, 2009
I was happy to get some good conversation going recently when I posted “Childhood Obesity = Child Abuse?” In the post, I mentioned that obesity statistics fall largely along racial and income lines, so I was hesitant about arresting parents who can’t afford to feed their children anything besides what is available at the corner store. As a result, some people accused me of leaning toward blaming the government and society, instead of asking parents to take responsibility for their children’s health.
I would like to categorically say, as I have said numerous times in the past, that the only path to freedom is personal responsibility (and Jesus, of course).
At the same time, reading this Associated Press story about a produce truck winding through the streets of Detroit reinforced my belief that it is nearly impossible for some people to access healthy food.
In 2006, I lived on in West Detroit at epicenter of the riots of 1967. When I wanted food, I got in my car, got on the highway, and drove 13 miles to the nearest grocery story in the suburbs. Sure, I could have made my way over to that great bastion of sugar addiction, the gas station, but I wanted real food. Making the drive was easy enough for me, but what if you’re a single mother on welfare who is already working two jobs and doesn’t have enough money to afford a car payment, let alone have the time (or money) to take a cab all the way into the suburbs to buy your children fresh vegetables?
I know, the short answer in personal development is take responsibility for your life, upgrade your skills, and get out of that environment as quickly as you can. But, even if you’re on the road to a better life, how can you feed your children better on that road if the options simply aren’t available to you?
The produce truck in Detroit is one way to provide that option and, as Lisa Johanon says in the story, once you make better options available, people make better choices, “We’ve seen the stereotype that urban communities won’t eat healthy, and we’re seeing that isn’t true.”
Posted in Fast Food, Food Marketing | No Comments »
Iran Thinks You’re Fat!
Wednesday, August 5th, 2009
It’s interesting to watch the interplay between enemy nations. In the cold war, we worked extremely hard to build a strong hockey program and beat the Russians. We eventually pulled off the “Miracle on Ice” and made history.
Today, the role of the evil enemy nation is played by Iran and we have been working equally hard preparing for the imminent battle. But, I’m pretty sure they don’t play hockey, so, from the looks of this Tehran Times piece, I think we should challenge them to a duel; either a hot dog eating contest at Coney Island or an international Biggest Loser contest simulcast on NBC and Al Jazeera. Seriously, do you think they could down 68 hot dogs in 10 minutes? Not a chance! And, look at the report. We would be so much bigger losers than they could ever dream of being.
What better way is there to demonstrate our moral superiority as a country?
p.s. The picture was taken from their story. The file was named “11_American.” What a fantastic image we’ve built for ourselves around the globe!
Tags: Freedom
Posted in Fast Food, Public Policy, Sugar Addiction, The Life | No Comments »
Debunking Nutritionism; Seeing Food As More Than Nutrients.
Monday, August 3rd, 2009
I’ve been recommending and quoting Michael Pollan’s “In Defense of Food” since I read it last year. If you’ve had a conversation with me since then, you have no doubt heard the phrase, “Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.” This simple philosophy has helped to shape my view of the modern food landscape. I have intentionally stayed oblivious to the sort of hyper-scientific emphasis on nutrients found in food that Pollan so eloquently destroys. I cannot tell you one thing about what’s in broccoli, but I can tell you it makes me feel good, so I’m going to keep on eating it.
Nutritionism, Pollan explains, is an ideology that sees food as nothing more than a collection of nutrients. Therefore, according to this worldview, the only valid discussion we should have around food concerns its health benefits. This has brought about the advent of modern food science and is the biggest contributor to our modern health crisis. Highly processed foods loaded with sugar and High Fructose Corn Syrup can be re-engineered every other year with a sexy new “health” claim featuring the “savior nutrient” of the day. The most laughable example of this I’ve seen was a package of sugar-free cookies boasting its abundant supply of “Omega-3 Fatty Acids!”
Pollan brilliantly explains that, while food science seems to have some value, it is ultimately a very young science that has only served to make us sick. My favorite quote of the talk underlining this point was, ”As I see it, nutrition science is where surgery was in about 1,650; really interesting, really promising, but I’m not ready to get on the table. And we should not be ready to change the way we eat based on where they are right now.”
“In Defense of Food” is a very quick read, but if you still haven’t had time to read it, this presentation will serve as a great summary.
He walks on stage at 7:36 in the video.
Enjoy!
Tags: Freedom
Posted in Fast Food, Food Marketing, Public Policy, The Life | No Comments »
Food Inc. Is OUT!!
Saturday, July 25th, 2009
I had the great privilege of seeing Food Inc. at the Michigan Theatre in Ann Arbor last night. It was even better than anticipated. And by better I mean infuriating!
How is it possible that the people meant to oversee and regulate our food system are all former executives of the largest food corporations in America? How is it that workers who risk their lives to make your holiday ham are arrested and deported without any repercussions for the companies who recruited them from Mexico and bused them here? And how is it that a head of broccoli is more expensive than a bag of chips!??
We need change and we need it bad.
But, even with all the disappointing facts in the film, they don’t leave you feeling like you can’t help. The greatest thing they point out is that we vote three times a day. Every meal we have is an opportunity to tell food manufacturers that we don’t want steroid injected, chemically drenched food-like substances in our supermarkets.
No, we want our food the way God created it; nutritionally dense, properly fed and grown whole foods that build the health of our nation.
Vote local. Vote Real. Vote With Every Meal…And Start Today!
Tags: Freedom
Posted in Fast Food, Food Marketing, Public Policy, The Life | 1 Comment »
The Science of Overeating
Monday, July 6th, 2009
Often times when I am working with a client, I will ask, “What sort of internal shift will have to take place within you to move sugar from a treat to a poison?”
At first glance, this question may seem a bit reactionary. Seeing sugar as poison; really? But, if you are a Sugar Addict, that is exactly what you are dealing with; a substance which will ultimately ruin your day and possibly trigger a binge that could lead to a lifestyle that ruins your life when diabetes eventually sets in.
It turns out, in asking this question, I am trying to uncover the motivating factor that might bring about what author David Kessler calls a “critical perceptual shift.”
In this extremely fascinating presentation made May 28, 2009 at Google, Kessler explains many of the obstacles that are stopping Americans from putting the fries down and picking up a carrot.
If you often find yourself knee deep in the middle of a huge snacking session when you aren’t even hungry, I encourage you to take the time to watch this presentation. He offers valuable insight to the question, “Why can’t I stop eating like this? What’s wrong with me!?”
In the end, we discover there is nothing wrong with you; this is just the way you are wired. And, now that we know that, we can begin developing strategies to work with your natural brain chemistry, instead of constantly losing battles against it.
Tags: Freedom
Posted in Fast Food, Sugar Addiction, The Life | No Comments »
Don’t Eat This, Or Listen To That
Saturday, November 1st, 2008
In yet another laughable attempt at teaching families about good nutrition David Zinczenk and Matt Goulding recently published Eat This Not That! for Kids!
Here is one the more outrageous examples of “advice” that can be found in the book.
- Instead of McDonald’s Chicken Selects Premium Breast Strips (400 calories, 23 grams fat), order their 8-piece Chicken McNuggets with Apple Dippers and caramel dip (355 calories, 15.5 g fat).
If you’ve been reading this blog for any amount of time, you probably quickly noticed they left out the most important facts; carbohydrates and sugar. So, let’s examine this “health tip” with a more complete perspective.
A 3 piece McDonald’s Chicken Selects has 23g of simple carbohydrates that might as well be sugar, given how quickly they will become glucose in your system. I looked all over their web site and I couldn’t find the 8-piece being recommended; however, the 10-piece has 27g of carbohydrates. So, thanks for the advice guys, by switching to McNuggets I have accomplished nothing, besides changing the shape of the chicken-like product I am consuming.
Tags: Dead Wrong
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