Water Water Everywhere, But Everyone’s Drinking Soda
This is a second inquiry into the links between drinking soda and obesity rates. It follows High-Fructose Corn Syrup, Its Place in the Obesity Epidemic:
Consumption of sugary drinks has been on the rise since the 1970’s and it is though to be a key factor in the simultaneous rise in obesity rates. Frighteningly, soda and [...]
May 13, 2009
Tags: fast-food, nutrition, obesity, soda, sugar Posted in: Health, Science & Technology 
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High-Fructose Corn Syrup, Its Place In The Obesity Epidemic
HFCS in the Big Picture
Companies that manufacture goods heavily laden with high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) contend that it is just as good for you as regular sugar (”in moderation”). HFCS is not “the villain“.
It’s true, replacing sugar with HFCS is neither the primary nor the exact cause of the increase in obesity. Blaming just HFCS [...]
May 8, 2009
Tags: fast-food, Health, innovation, marketing, obesity, subsidies, sugar Posted in: Health, Science & Technology 5 Comments
Fast Food Bans Popping Up in London, Maybe New York
Waltham Forest, a neighborhood in London, has banned the construction and establishment of fast food restaurants within 400 meters of a school. Whereas a little over 1 in 10 children in the borough are overweight, an overwhelming majority (93 percent!) of the residents approved of the measure, intended curb childhood obesity (link).
The measure has [...]
April 22, 2009
Tags: change, fast-food, McDonald's, nutrition, obesity, policy Posted in: Health, Politics, Science & Technology 2 Comments
NIH Bans Junk Food Ads. Next Plan to Ban TV, Then Parents.
A new study conducted by the National Bureau of Economic Research and funded by the National Institutes of Health has demonstrated that banning junk food advertisements may help stem the child obesity epidemic.  The study shows that banning such ads from children’s programming will help to reduce the rate of childhood obesity by 18 % for kids 3 [...]
December 16, 2008
Tags: fast-food, marketing, nutrition, obesity, parents, policy Posted in: Health, Politics, Science & Technology No Comments
Calories on Chain Restaurant Menus, a Follow-Up
New York City’s calorie legislation has caused thousands of jaws to drop, not in preparation for eating, but in awe of the number of calories in their favorite foods.  Marion Nestle, an academic nutritionist, found a blueberry and pomegranate smoothie with 1180 calories!  Newspapers and blogs have been abuzz with the astounding calorie discoveries. But, is this consumer shockwave [...]
December 12, 2008
Tags: fast-food, marketing, nutrition, obesity Posted in: Health, Politics One Comment
Burger King Pops Whopper Virgins’ Cherries. Says He’ll Call, Doesn’t.
What could Burger King’s PR people be thinking? Probably that if they produced something outrageous, everyone would write about it, as I am now doing. Burger King spent a fortune to go to the ends of the earth and ask people who supposedly had never eaten a hamburger before whether they preferred a Whopper to [...]
December 9, 2008
Tags: fast-food, marketing Posted in: Fun Food Facts, Science & Technology, Uncategorized No Comments
KFC Challenge: 0, Home-Made Meals: 1
I don’t know about you, but I am tired of fast-food restaurants billing themselves as the go-to answer for all of our food concerns. Take the recent string of commercials by KFC: they challenge an “average family” to procure items needed to make a KFC dinner at lower cost than at the restaurant. Needless to say, the family is stumped. [...]
December 8, 2008
Tags: blogging, blogs, fast-food, marketing, moms, nutrition Posted in: Health, Uncategorized No Comments
Health Halos: How Eating at Subway Can Make You Fatter than Eating at McDonald’s
Health Halos
Researchers Pierre Chandon and Brian Wansink investigated whether the perceived healthiness of particular fast food restaurants influenced consumer perception of the calories they consume there.  This umbrella effect caused by health branding is called a health halo. Over the course of several experiments, the researchers discovered that Subway’s branding as healthy fast-food leads consumers to consistently underestimate the number of [...]
December 5, 2008
Tags: fast-food, McDonald's, nutrition, obesity, subway Posted in: Health, Science & Technology One Comment
Moms Blog for McDonald’s
McDonald’s is taking a hint from mainstream media when it comes to reinventing itself as the go-to place for busy Moms. While mainstream media asked, “who would you rather have a beer with?” to determine a candidates trustworthiness, McDonald’s is asking, “who would you make a play date with?” Beginning last year, McDonald’s has been [...]
November 22, 2008
Tags: blogging, blogs, fast-food, food, Health, marketing, McDonald's, moms Posted in: Health No Comments
Calorie Counts on Menus – Is Big Brother Coming to a Restaurant Near You?
Or is it just honest advertizing that we are seeing on menus in New York?
Not miraculously, calorie counts have been dropping on some of the most heavily caloric laden food. What consumers may not be aware of is that calories have been taken down a notch more often by simply reducing portion sizes. [...]
November 5, 2008
Tags: fast-food, Health, heroes, nutrition, obesity, policy Posted in: Health, Politics 3 Comments
