Daily Dose of Common Sense

There is a lot of talk these days about sugar in various forms. Whether it’s the raw stuff, high-fructose corn syrup, or agave nectar, people are debating what sugar is good for you and what sugar is bad for you. Guess what? It’s all sugar! And, it all has calories.

So what’s the difference between all the sugar products out there? Consumer Reports’ ShopSmart Magazine has a great breakdown in their July issue.

Raw Sugar and Natural Sweetners

Raw sugar, honey, molasses, and maple syrup are generally considered “natural” sweeteners. But, warning! You still have to use it in moderation. Just because it’s natural doesn’t mean it’s good for you. These have just as many empty calories as the next sweetener.

Agave Nectar

This sweetener, made from plants, is usually marketed as a healthy alternative for sweetening. Sold in vitamin shops and carrying a “certified organic” label, you might think this product is actually good for you. Wrong! After testing, ShopSmart Mag said to skip it. Agave nectar costs way more than sugar and it’s mostly fructose.

High-Fructose Corn Syrup

Here is Public Enemy #1. HFCS is being blamed for the obesity epidemic in this country, mainly because,

It is a marker for junk foods. Cheaper than sucrose, it turns up in all kinds of processed foods, particularly soft drinks. And there is nearly as much of it in the food supply as sucrose – 56 pounds per year per person versus 62 pounds for table sugar.

But, your body can hardly tell the difference. Sugar is sugar. Watch this report from NBC’s Nightly News:

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

The Center for Consumer Freedom commented on this video by saying:

“High fructose corn syrup is one of the most misunderstood products in the food supply,” said Harvard’s David Ludwig last night on NBC Nightly News. That’s because sugar is sugar, whether it’s made from beets, cane, or corn. All are nearly identical in molecular composition, and exactly equal in sweetness and calorie content.

The average American currently consumes about 22 teaspoons of sugar a day. How much should we have? Well, the American Heart Association recommendations 6 teaspoons a day for women and 9 teaspoons a day for men. So, we consume way more than we should, no matter in what form.

The bottom line, according to ShopSmart, is to, “choose the sugar you like best, but use it in moderation and don’t fool yourself into thinking any of it (unless it comes in a shiny apple) is health food.”

I know it’s not very PC to say this right now, but I’m one of those parents that occasionally let my kids eat fast food. We eat the majority of our meals at home where I can watch fat, salt, and sugar intake. But, as a fun outing, we take the two little ones to eat at McDonalds and then play on the indoor playground.

And, sometimes my kids get a toy with the meal that they are mildly interested in. For a minute.

Well, Santa Clara, California wants to take those toys away. They have passed an ordinance where meals sold to children have to meet certain nutritional guidelines in order to include a toy.

Any meal that has more than more than 485 calories, more than 600 milligrams of sodium, more than 35 percent of total calories from fat or more than 10 percent of calories from added sugar, or any individual food item more than 200 calories cannot include a toy under the ordinance. Violations would be punishable by fines of as much as $1,000 for each meal sold with a toy.

Now, I know there is a childhood obesity epidemic in this country. No one can deny that U.S. kids need to eat better. I have watched Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution in West Virginia with interest, and I’m encouraged by the idea of National Salt Reduction Initiative. It seems like a ball is rolling that will improve the quality and quantity of our kids’ food. But…the toys? Really? Talk about taking your eye off the big picture.

Should we take away the crayons and color books at the sit-down chains? Their food isn’t much healthier for kids:

For example, popular choices on the Kid’s Menu at Chili’s Grill & Bar might get your child anywhere from 210 to 890 calories just for the entree and a side dish, even before you add on a drink, dressing (like a side of ranch dressing for the Chicken Crispers – 240 calories), and dessert.

Do you really think that our kids are fat because of the Avatar figurines included in a Happy Meal? The toys aren’t the lure; it’s the FOOD. Deep-fried and salty, the food is what most kids really want. And, that’s not the end of the world every now and again.

Even when served with a toy.

This post originally appeared on RationalMoms on Monday, May 3, 2010.

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If you slipped on a grape while shopping in your local produce department, would you sue the store? Well, two separate women in Chicago have filed suit against two separate grocery stores for this very issue.

In one case the 64-year-old plaintiff is suing a Food 4 Less store in Cicero, IL, and its parent company Kroger for over $50,000 after she claims an errant grape caused her to incur over $21,000 in medical expenses.

The other grape-related incident allegedly occurred last May at a Moo & Oink in Hazel Crest. The plaintiff in that case says she “suffered injuries of a personal and pecuniary nature” and is suing for more than $30,000.

Once you stop laughing over the name “Moo & Oink,” think about the situation. Have you ever slipped on a grape? Yes, they are small and can hide in a number of places. But, first, most of us know to watch where we’re walking in a produce section. Second, it’s not like slipping on ice–or even a banana peel. It’s a small grape. I am skeptical that a run-in with a grape caused such serious bodily damage.

Will it get to the point where grapes are sold from behind plexiglass, like meats at the deli counter?

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As a self-professed “black thumb” who loves eating garden-fresh vegetables (but struggles with the actual garden part), I was thrilled to discover the the square foot gardening concept.

Popularized in 1981 by Mel Bartholomew in his book (and subsequent PBS series) “Square Foot Gardening,” the concept is experiencing a resurgence in the blogosphere everywhere from home design blogs to of course, gardening blogs–many of which are dedicated specifically to square foot gardening.

The basic concept is just as it sounds: take a 4′x4′ plot, divide it into 1′x1′ squares and plant one type of plant in each square. Proponents claim that the square garden is space efficient (it can be as small as 4′x4′), outproduces conventional gardens, uses less water, is pestcide and fertilizer-free and reduces weeding to minutes a day. While this may sound a little too-good-to-be-true, the longevity of the idea speaks to its practicality and overall success.

Now, can a black thumb like myself pull this off? That remains to be seen.

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I was very surprised to see someone buying a pack of organic hot dog buns today. (Who knew they even made organic hot dog buns?) This struck me as really silly and a giant waste of money.

First, I’ve read all the recommendations on what organic products to buy. Mostly, these include apples, berries, spinach, and a few others. Nowhere on any of these lists are “hot dog buns.”

Second, I can’t see how the occasional regular hot dog bun (one or maybe two a week?) would really be detrimental to your system. Could there be THAT many pesticides in eating an infrequent, non-organic bun? Methinks not.

Third, do you know how much they cost? Almost double the price of regular hot dog buns.

Can you imagine how funny it would be if someone put a non-organic hot dog in an organic bun? Now that’s comedy.

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My grandmother used to admonish me when I took more than I could eat. “Your eyes are bigger than your stomach,” she would say. Apparently, this theory applies to a lot of people in this country. According to a new study, Americans throw out 40% of all food produced in this country. That’s up 50% since 1974.

So, not only do we eat more and weigh more than the rest of the world, we also waste more. Way to aim high, America.

Not everyone can afford to be so cavalier about food, however:

Meanwhile, while some have plenty of food to spare, a recent report by the Department of Agriculture finds the number of U.S. homes lacking “food security,” meaning their eating habits were disrupted for lack of money, rose from 4.7 million in 2007 to 6.7 million last year.

We should all try to do what we can to help those who are hungry, and also attempt to use what we buy. Not novel ideas, but still important ones. For example, do you have a pantry full of canned food you’ll never use? Donate it to a food shelter this holiday season. Always stuck with too many leftovers? Buy a FoodSaver and safely freeze what you don’t eat.

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Turkey gets a bad reputation as the cause of post-Thanksgiving “food comas.” This is where you’re so sleepy that you can barely function once the last bite of pumpkin pie has been swallowed. A myth has long been perpetrated about tryptophan, an enzyme in turkey, as being the cause for sleepiness. Well, that is just plain wrong.

Yes, tryptophan can cause sleepiness. But, here’s how it does it.

Tryptophan also can be metabolized into serotonin and melatonin, neurotransmitters that exert a calming effect and regulates sleep. However, L-tryptophan needs to be taken on an empty stomach and without any other amino acids or protein in order to make you drowsy. There’s lots of protein in a serving of turkey and it’s probably not the only food on the table.

Also, the concentration of tryptophan in turkey is the same as the amount found in beef and chicken, and even more tryptophan is contained in cheese and pork.

So, why are you so sleepy after all that turkey dinner?

Overeating is the culprit in this myth. Ingesting an excess of food can slow blood flow and oxygenation, which makes you feel tired. Many people are led to believe it’s the turkey that specifically makes them long for their pillow, but in reality, it’s just the quantity of dinner.

Don’t blame the turkey if you have to go to bed early tonight.

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Two college students in Pennsylvania experienced terrible service at a local pub. They did what almost anyone who gets bad service would do: they didn’t pay the tip. The problem is the students were with other friends, and the restaurant automatically adds an 18% added to any large party’s tab.

So, the restaurant called the police and the two tip skippers were later arrested. With handcuffs. Court date to come.

So, let’s look at both sides. First, how bad was the service? Here is what the two students told the media.

They had to find their own napkins and cutlery while their waitress caught a smoke, had to ask the bar for soda refills, and had to wait over an hour for salad and wings, they told NBC10.

Sounds pretty lousy. I wouldn’t tip either.

The restaurant, on the other hand, believes this was a violation of their policy.

The menu clearly states, “18 percent gratuity added to check of parties of 6 of more,” and a similar message is printed on receipts, a pub employee said this morning.

So, the police treated this as a theft. A theft of $16.35.

First, if you have ever waited tables, you know when you’re giving lousy service. I waited tables for years, and I knew that I was a horrible server. It’s not hard to figure it out based on your tips, guest comments, and your own common sense. This waitress went out to have smokes and let people wait an hour for food? She KNEW she didn’t deserve the tip, but thought she was entitled to it anyway. Guess what? Gratuities are given for good service.

Second, the restaurant risks bad PR and the ire of every college student in town over a lousy $16? It’s mind-boggling. Seems like these students are their bread and butter (forgive the food pun) and the restaurant should treat them a little better. It’s been a few years since I’ve been on a campus, but if I remember anything, it’s that all college students are just itching for a good protest. I smell a boycott brewing in Bethlehem.

Third, the police have nothing better to do than get involved in this case? What real crimes were being committed while these non-tippers were being booked? You would think one of the officers would show a little common sense, throw down a $20 and call it a day.

If you want to fight an automatic gratuity, talk to the manager. Explain your situation and make your case. Most times (as it happened with me a few times), the manager will remove the automatic gratuity from your bill and instead leave the tip to your discretion. If the manager isn’t there, or doesn’t agree with you, pay the tip and then talk to the owner later. Believe me, these people care about how their customers are treated. You might find a free dinner or gift certificate coming your way.

If that doesn’t work, there’s always the Fox Problem Solvers.

[Via PatsPapers.com]

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“Every meal includes kid sized American fries & choice of kids drink.” Really, Johnny Rockets?

I know the “freedom fries” and “American fries” trend started as a backlash against the French for not supporting us in Iraq. And, we all know how that turned out. We’ve now learned that there were no weapons of mass destruction, despite what we were led to believe by the Bush administration. So, can we drop the xenophobia already?

I know them as French fries. You know them as French fries. “American” fries just sounds silly. And fattening. At least with “French” thrown in there, I forget about the possibility of obesity as I’m cramming them in my pie hole.

If you’ve watched TV with commercials lately, chances are you’ve had to suffer through a Jamie Lee Curtis yogurt ad. After hearing the claims made in this ad, you might think yogurt is the next super food. Yogurt will help my digestive problems! Yogurt will keep me healthy! Yogurt will paint my house!

Okay, we made up the last one. But, seriously…has yogurt ever gotten so much healthy street cred? The secret ingredients in Activia, and other similar products, are probiotics. According to the New York Times:

Probiotics are live micro-organisms that work by restoring the balance of intestinal bacteria and raising resistance to harmful germs. Taken in sufficient amounts, they can promote digestive health and help shorten the duration of colds. But while there are thousands of different probiotics, only a handful have been proved effective in clinical trials.

The bottom line is this: there are a lot of different strains of probiotics. Not all of them have been proven to work. The claims of most of these products are unsubstantiated, as recent lawsuits and rulings have declared. In fact, a $35-million decision in a class-action lawsuit against Dannon (makers of Activia) is forcing them to list the specific probiotics used in the yogurt, as well as remove the word “immunity” from the package.

Science-based Medicine has a great article that busts the “immune-boosting” myth. The author does a great job of explaining exactly what is your immune system, and why any product claiming it can “boost” it is ludicrous.

What does that mean: boost the immune system? Most people apparently think that the immune system is like a muscle, and by working it, giving it supplements and vitamins, the immune system will become stronger. Bigger. More impressive, bulging like Mr. Universe’s bicep. That’s the body part I am thinking about. What they are boosting is vague, on par with chi/qi or innate intelligence. They never really say what is being boosted.

The other popular phrase is “support”. A product supports prostate health, or breast health or supports the immune system. It sounds like the immune system is sagging against gravity due to age and needs a lift.

The immune system, if you are otherwise healthy, cannot be boosted, and doing those things you learned in Kindergarten health (reasonable diet, exercise and sleep), will provide the immune system all the boosting or support it needs.

Most experts agree that more research is needed into these claims to see what helpful effect probiotics have on the body.

“The evidence for the general immune strengthening is just not there,” said Barry R. Goldin, a Tufts professor who helped discover LGG but no longer receives royalties from the patent.

So, eat yogurt and other probiotic products because you want to. Don’t eat them and think you’ll be protected against all of society’s ills. Instead, go for a walk, eat some broccoli, and watch this Activia parody from Saturday Night Live.