Subject: Diet and Nutrition

• Rockstar Thursdays

  Sachi

  March 5, 2009

• Are all Register Reporters Fat?

  Look, I should be the last person to criticize someone's physical appearance, what with my high forehead, scarred cheek, splotchy beard, lanky frame and teeth more crooked than the chompers of the Prince of Wales. But the Orange County Register's recent trend to allow its BBR (Big Beautiful Reporters) to write about their weight problems and print accompanying pictures must stop now. On Feb. 19, former Weekly writer Nguyen Huy Vu and longtime Reg obit columnist Robin Hinch filled in readers on t

  March 14, 2006

• A Little Bit Pregnant

  Whoever said you can't be a little bit pregnant never reckoned with the can-do spirit of the Bush administration. As the Washington Post reports: New federal guidelines ask all females capable of conceiving a baby to treat themselves -- and to be treated by the health care system -- as pre-pregnant, regardless of whether they plan to get pregnant anytime soon. Among other things, this means all women between first menstrual period and menopause should take folic acid supplements, refrain from

  May 17, 2006

• Free Tix Fridays: Bad Brains OR Supersuckers

  This weekend, we're giving away ten pairs of tix, lovely readers. Five are for the Supersuckers Punk Rock Karaoke show on Wed, September 19, at the Anaheim House Of Blues. The other five are for Bad Brains Whole Wheat Bread at the same venue on Tue, September 25. To score a pair, email: ocpromotions AT ocweekly DOT com with your NAME, AGE, and PHONE NUMBER. Venue is 16 without a guardian, and all ages with. Parking is free for 3 hours, and with validation during the show, you can gain a

  September 14, 2007

• Most boring drink ever?

  It's always tedious to hear health-freaks go on and on about the benefits of this or that special shake. But now there's a drink that gets right to the point, putting you to sleep all by itself. (I thought such a thing already existed, and was called "whiskey." The things you learn in this job...) So behold "dreamerz," billed as an "All Natural Sleep Beverage" and a "Dietary Supplement." The product's officially trademarked tagline is "Good Night, Better Day!", and the flavor, of course, is "c

  September 28, 2007

• Earthquake Strikes So Cal

  Just before noon this morning, an earthquake rocked Southern California--Orange County, Riverside, San Bernardino and Los Angeles. From the fifth floor of OC Weekly's Santa Ana headquarters, the 5.8** magnitude quake felt like I was standing on a rocking waterbed for at least 12 seconds. The building swayed back and forth. A large corkboard fell off my office wall. An energy drink can stupidly placed (by me) on top of a file cabinet flew three feet in the air. The staff quickly evacuated the b

  July 29, 2008

• Kuai Kuai Corn Snack

  Orange County's culturally diverse, but all cultures living here have at least one thing in common: snacks, junk food, stuff you can't really call cuisine or dinner. So, in what I hope to be a long-running and fun series, we'll pick out one "Wacky Snack" from a local market per week; then do a marginally stupid, but always frivolous mini-review. Please to enjoy, the inaugural post of "Wacky Snacks": Name: Kuai Kuai Corn Snack Origin: Taiwan Found at: 99 Ranch Market, Irvine Cost: $0.9

  September 4, 2008

• Foods to Show Country of Origin

  According to various news reports and this one from ABC News, beginning this week, the USDA is requiring that all food retailers label some foods with their country of origin. The law, called COOL (Country of Origin Labeling) will mandate that the consumer is informed where all "raw beef, veal, lamb, pork, chicken, goat, wild and farm-raised fish and shellfish, fresh or frozen fruits and vegetables, peanuts, pecans, macadamia nuts and whole ginseng" are from. Amid the widening Chinese milk sca

  September 30, 2008

• Melamine Found in Edible Sex Accessories

  Melamine-tainted baby formula: tragic and scary. Melamine-tainted pet food: sad. Now a New York Times story reports that melamine has also been detected in edible adult sex accessories sold in England. It's still disturbing, of course, but somehow, this time, you can't help but chuckle a little bit -- if only because this might just be the first time the phrase "edible sex accessories" has ever appeared on the pages of The New York Times. The short article goes on to reassure people who

  October 21, 2008

• Numb at NAMM 2004

  January 22, 2004

• And the Wiener Is ... a Burger!

  The Cancer Project today issued its list of the five worst fast-food value menu items. And the envelopes, please...   1) Junior Bacon Cheeseburger (Jack in the Box, pictured). $1; 400 calories; 23 grams of fat; 8 grams of saturated fat; 1 gram of trans fat; 55 milligrams of cholesterol; 860 milligram of sodium; 1 gram of fiber; processed meat; grilled beef; high-fat dairy. Judges comment: "costs a dollar, but consumers who make it a regular part of their diet might end up pa

  December 10, 2008

• FDA Wags Finger at Diet Coke's Vitamin Claims

  The FDA has issues with Coca Cola's new Diet Coke Plus.  It sent the company a letter earlier this month about the drink, which Coke purports to have a "refreshing taste...AND several essential nutrients" with "each 8 fl. oz. serving of Diet Coke Plus provid(ing) 15% of your RDI for niacin and vitamins B6 and B12, and 10% for zinc and magnesium". So what do the feds have a problem with?  It's the word "plus", believe it or not.  The FDA says that the drink fails

  December 24, 2008

• Avanti Cafe International Tuesday Menu for January

  My continued favorite food happening is 2008 OC Weekly Best Restaurant Avanti Cafe's International Tuesdays, where $11.50 gets you a three-course meal of cuisines rare to these parts. This month's theme: regional cuisines of India, as follows. Note "Veronica" and "Bart" are the junior chefs at Avanti to owners Mark Cleveland and Tanya Fuqua in name only; they can outcook most any chef in Orange County:Brahmin Veronica's PUNJABTuesday, January 6Dal Maharini - Punjab lentil soupSabzi Pulao - Veget

  January 5, 2009

• Food Created to Kill Us: Caffeinated Butterfingers

  Last month brought news that Sparks, the first name in alcoholic energy drinks and something I've imbibed many more times than I'd care to admit, would no longer have caffeine in them for a variety of health-related concerns that should all be obvious.But lest you think the world would go too long without adding an obscene amount of caffeine to something that's already clearly unhealthy for you, the other day at 7-11 I encountered the glorious display you see pictured: Butterfinger Buzz. That's

  January 14, 2009

• Nancy Silverton's Seasonal Sprouts Recipe

  I eat Brussels sprouts precisely once a year. On December 25, to be exact. I know they're good for me, with their fancy schmancy vitamin A, vitamin C, folic acid, fiber and sinigrin (the last two are believed to protect against colon cancer).But, yet, despite their impressive credentials, I could take or leave them - and leave them I do.Nonetheless, I'm sometimes tempted to try the ole sprouts-bacon-breadcrumbs combo, especially when the recipe comes from none other than Nancy Silverton, famed f

  March 10, 2009

• McDonald's Makes The Grade; Others Must Try Harder

  A few weeks back we brought you news of a survey of America's healthiest fast-food chains (Panera Bread topped the list). Now comes the reverse: America's unhealthiest fast-food restaurants. A report by health and nutrition experts David Zinczenko and Matt Goulding, authors of "supermarket survival guide" Eat This, Not That!, gives a big fat D- to Baja Fresh, Romano's Macaroni Grill and On the Border, while Chevys, Uno Chicago Grill and Chili's fared only slightly better, with a D. By compar

  March 26, 2009

• Reminder: Denny's Free Grand Slamwich, Wednesday April 8

  Don't forget: you get a complimentary Gran Slamwich at Denny's tomorrow (6:00am-2:00pm) when you bring a friend and order a Grand Slam breakfast. That's $4.99 of free food. And 1,320 calories.

  April 8, 2009

• Farmers Market Grand Opening

  November 13, 2008

• Eastern Promise

  October 2, 2008

• Space 
Invaders

  January 10, 2008

• Disneyland for Foodies

  The new Whole Foods Market fills your belly and lightens your wallet

  September 13, 2007

• Intro to Living Foods

  Whole Foods Market

  April 23, 2009

• An Ode to Lychees

  August 17, 2006

• Trendzilla

  January 19, 2006

• The Food Is Always Greener

  January 12, 2006

• Diary of a Mad County

  October 6, 2005

• LOWBALLASSCHATTER

  June 30, 2005

• Natural Selection

  April 14, 2005

• Meat Your Maker

  January 15, 2004

• Infomercial Junkies

  November 21, 2002

• New Music

  April 25, 2002

• Baked Alaska Airlines

  May 18, 2000

• No Doubt, 'Return of Saturn' (Interscope Records)

  April 13, 2000

• C-SPAM

  October 21, 1999

• This weeks featured game: Denver vs. Kansas City

  September 23, 1999

• It Takes a Village Idiot

  August 19, 1999

• "31 Cent Scoop Night" at Baskin-Robbins

  Three weeks from tonight (That's Wednesday, April 29th), Baskin Robbins will be holding their "31 Cent Scoop Night" from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. The event honors America's firefighters with a $100,000 donation to the National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC) National Junior Firefighter Program. But for the rest of us:  Cheap ice cream! Before you start moving your diet around to make room for an ice cream bender, there are caveats.  First, tax is extra.  And second

  April 8, 2009

• KFC Lays On Free Grilled Chicken Just For Us! (Hurry: One Deal Applies Today--Tomorrow It's El Pollo Loco)

  Yes, that's right. Not only is the whole country being offered a free piece of Kentucky Grilled Chicken today (Monday, April 27, aka UNFry Day), but Southern Californians are also benefitting from a further deal: buy an eight-piece or larger KFC meal from May 4 to May 31 and you'll receive four free KGC pieces (drumsticks/thighs). That's a lot of bird.The deals come at a tricky time for the company. Last week, Yum Brands, which owns KFC, Taco Bell and Pizza Hut, announced a 14 per cent drop in p

  April 27, 2009

• Meat Free Monday Goes Mainstream

  Of course, by 'mainstream' I mean that celebrities are now endorsing the campaign. Paul, Stella and Mary McCartney today launched a new website, Meat Free Monday, which encourages everyone to, yes, you guessed it, give up meat on Mondays. Other famous names weighing in include Kevin Spacey, Sheryl Crow, Woody Harrelson, Alec Baldwin, Ricky Gervais and Chris Martin.The idea of cutting back on meat isn't a new one: think of rationing during the wars, due to short supplies. But this time it's out o

  June 16, 2009

• TMI? Frighteningly Fattening Fast Food

  Time magazine has revealed a list of the top ten worst fast-food meals. "Worst", in this case, meaning the highest in calories, fat or sodium. Everything from salads to shakes, sold by everyone from Applebee's to KFC, makes the grade. Topping the bill is Outback Steakhouse's Aussie Cheese Fries, weighing in at 2,140 calories (!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)Obviously, as this survey proves, if you want to avoid piling on the pounds, steer clear of anything with "large", "triple', "thick", "supreme", "cheese"

  June 23, 2009

• Great Park, Nearby Farms Produce 100 Tons of Food for Poor

  Anyone else have a craving for a fresh orange?The Orange County Great Park at the old El Toro Marine Corps Air Station is just getting started providing thrills, chills and paid-parking revenues, but farming has been continuing out there through it all--much to the benefit of the Orange County Food Bank. One hundred tons of fresh fruits and vegetables from the park's community farm and neighboring farms ringing it have been produced for the hunger relief nonprofit so far, reports Mark Lowry, the

  July 16, 2009

• Missed National Ice Cream Day (Yesterday)? Don't Worry, There Are Still 12 More Days of National Ice Cream Month

  Yes, it's weird that the powers that be-in this case, Ronald Reagan-saw fit to declare a NICD during NICM (isn't every day of July NICD?) But I'm not complaining. Not when there are one-of-a-kind places like Quinn's, in Los Alamitos, to satisfy my urges. Open since March, the cute parlor sells Fosselman's ices, cupcakes from the Frosted Cupcakery in Long Beach and a huge range of old-fashioned and European candy (Flakes! Crunchies! Curly Wurlies!). But if you're on a diet, forget it. Don't think

  July 20, 2009

• [Trendzilla] Whole Grain Baby's Bright Prints Aren't Just for Dress-Up Anymore

  August 6, 2009

• UK Government to Increase Recommended Calorie Intake

  ​If you've ever dieted, you probably know these numbers: 2,000 for women; 2,500 for men.These are the immutable numbers of calories the government says you should eat per day to maintain a healthy weight.Well, the British government apparently got it all wrong and will be adjusting their suggested daily calorie intake to allow for 2,400 calories a day for women and 2,900 calories a day for men, the equivalent (as the Daily Mail states) of about an extra cheeseburger a day. They say this is bec

  November 16, 2009