Pre-packed salads are quick and convenient. For many of us with busy lifestyles, they’re an easy way to add a little green stuff to our plates – without spending ages washing and chopping vegetables. And the range of different leaves can be appealing: if you buy a pre-mixed bag, you don’t have to get a whole romaine lettuce or grow your own rocket to go beyond the iceburg lettuce.

But could your bagged salad be putting you at risk of food poisoning?

Here’s a few facts:

Between 1992 and 2000, the period during which the new phenomenon of bagged salads took off, nearly 6% of food-poisoning outbreaks were associated with prepared vegetables and salads.

(from Felicity Lawrence in ‘Pre-washed salad is a dirty trick’, The Guardian)

In 2005, several E-Coli outbreaks in the US was linked to packaged spinach and lettuce mixes.

In 2006, three people in the US died and more than 200 people were poisoned by E coli from spinach salad leaves in 2006. The source was contamination from an intensive cattle feedlot.

At the Food Micro 2008 conference in Aberdeen, Professor Gadi Frankel (Imperial College London) said a salmonella outbreak in the UK in 2007 was traced to imported basil.

What’s E-Coli?

E-Coli is carried in animal faeces, and lettuces can be contaminated by the water used for irrigation, or by water seeping in from nearby fields of cattle. It causes stomach cramps and diarrhoea, and can lead to kidney damage and death in small children, the elderly, or people with immune system deficiencies.

Even washing vegetables is often not enough to remove the dangerous bacteria:

Once processed lettuce is contaminated, it’s difficult to remove bacteria, according to Mike Doyle, director of the University of Georgia Center for Food Safety.

Researchers at the center have experimented with washing lettuce contaminated with high doses of salmonella or E. coli bacteria in chlorinated water [the method used by commercial producers of bagged salads], Doyle said, but found it removed only a small amount of the bacteria.

(from E. coli Blog: Just how safe are pre-washed packaged salads?)

If you want to be completely sure you’re avoiding any danger of E. coli, you’re safest to buy whole heads of lettuce, remove the outer leaves and throw them onto the compost heap before washing the rest of the lettuce.

How can I avoid the risk?

Where possible, buy local, fresh salads – not ones that have been flown in from abroad in plastic bags. If you eat lettuce and other salad vegetables as soon as possible after they’ve been picked, they’ll contain more nutrients.

If you do buy “pre-washed” salads, though, make sure you thoroughly wash them yourself to be on the safe side – just as you would wash other fruit and veg.

Do you think the bagged salad scare is overblown? Do you avoid bagged salads anyway because you think they’re poor value for money? Let us know in the comments…

(Image by paulmorriss)

Needless to say, this one caught my attention. As an incurable snacker, I just had to see what this one was all about. Does the creator of this diet think this is practical? How big are the “snacks”? what kinds of food are you allowed? Let’s delve deeper in to the world of relentless snacking.

The 13 minute diet is a 14 day plan created by Norah Lane. The claim is that by eating frequently (in this case, with blinding frequency) you will lose weight (an average of 7 lbs in 2 weeks). Lane also claims that the diet is specifically helpful for those who suffer from polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). Lane’s contention is that overweight people don’t eat enough food to keep their metabolism going. (Yes, you read that correctly).

Here are some of the particulars of the diet:

• For two weeks, you choose one breakfast, lunch and dinner each day (refer to article for the lists – they are pretty low in calories). In between each meal, you snack every 13 minutes or so on regular ‘nibbles’ and ‘burns’. Shoot for about 30 nibbles or burns a day.
• Nibbles are tiny pieces of raw vegetables the size of your smallest fingernail. Carrot, celery, pepper, cauliflower, cabbage, asparagus, broccoli or cucumber are examples.
• Burns are similar-size pieces of lean protein. Options are chicken, cooked meat, fish, egg, cottage cheese or trimmed bacon. Your burns can also include hard cheese but only up to a maximum of 25g a day. Vegetarians can have Quorn, tofu or quark cheese.
• You can vary your nibbles’ and ‘burns as much as you like. You can even dip them in fat-free salad dressing or balsamic vinegar.
• In addition to the menus, have 1/2 a pint of semi-skimmed milk and three pieces of fruit (excluding bananas) a day. You’re also allowed up to three level teaspoons of low-fat spread on crispbread and bread
• Don’t drink any calorie-containing drinks. Stick to water, tea and coffee with milk from your allowance, or diet drinks.

My Thoughts

• The “to snack or not to snack” question is a highly contested one – with experts, authors and diet plans on either side of the fence.
• The most important factor at play is what you eat and how much you eat. “Snacking” can make or break your diet depending on how you use it.
• Studies are mixed as to whether snacking has an impact on overall caloric intake throughout the day.
• Snacking does not appear to impart a significant boost in metabolism, but can be helpful for those who tend to eat very large meals.
• The overall contribution of the “thermic effect” (the energy cost of eating) is anywhere from 8-13% of total metabolism. Even if snacking did have an appreciable impact on metabolism, it is highly unlikely that eating this often will rev things up any more – given that the portions are so tiny.

I don’t think this diet is at all practical. The amount of patience and diligence required to stick with such a plan is daunting to me. I would spend all day staring at a near-microscopic piece of chicken – salivating like a bulldog under a barbeque lined with steaks. Also, what do you do after the 2 weeks are up?

Could this be the solution to tweens’ inability to recognize fruit and veg? The UK government is giving a free recipe book to all the nation’s 11 year olds. The book contains 32 recipes voted for by the British public as “real meals”, such as chicken tikka, chilli con carne, spaghetti bolognaise and vegetable curry.

Even if you don’t have an 11 year old, or you’re not in the UK, you can get the book for free – download all the recipes from Real Meals on TeacherNet. But is it any good – and what else is the government doing to make sure that children have the chance to learn to cook?

What’s the Book Like?

I downloaded a few of the recipes to take a look, and was impressed by:

• The attractive page layout (the book has a fun, kid-friendly appeal – it’s designed to look like a school notebook).
• The straightforward and non-patronizing instructions which use simple cookery terms like “dice”, “simmer”, “bring to the boil” and “drain”. (Parents might need to explain some of these to their kids the first time round, but it’s good for children to learn the proper words.)
• The inclusion of tips for varying recipes, e.g. “Add mixed herbs to the mashed potato, or top with a little grated cheese before putting in the oven” on the cottage pie.
• A box on each recipe explaining what cooking skills it involves: I can see this being very useful for parents and teachers. The fajitas recipe, for instance, helps kids to develop the skills:
  • Using the hob
  • Handling and marinating raw meat
  • Stir-frying
  • Using the grater
  • Weighing and measuring
  • Combining ingredients together
  • Preparing a selection of vegetables

If that all sounds quite advanced, there are some simpler recipes for food such as custard, which would be good ones to start your kids off with.

Teaching Kids to Cook

I’m sure that Diet Blog’s readers are all well aware of the importance of healthy eating, and of encouraging kids to develop good habits whilst they’re young. There’s currently a big push towards getting children cooking in the UK, to tackle rising rates of obesity and increasing reliance on ready meals and fast food.

The government says that:

Learning cooking skills is vital to fighting obesity in young people. Once they’ve mastered the basic dishes, they can keep cooking for life.

If you’ve got kids, why not print out some of the recipes and get them to help make dinner today? You never know, you might soon be able to put your feet up in the evenings and let them get on with the cooking…

A study of more than 111,000 people has shown that overweight people have heart attacks on average 12 years earlier than “normal weight” individuals. This makes obesity worse for the heart than smoking, according to this study. Let’s pick through the data, the findings and the controversies surrounding the topic of weight and health.

Dr. Peter McCullough, lead author of the study published in The Journal of the American College of Cardiology, analyzed data from a nationwide U.S. registry of people hospitalized for heart attack and unstable angina, or chest pain, from 2001 to 2007. They were grouped according to their BMI (Body Mass Index). Here’s how the numbers break down:

• The heaviest people were an average of 59 years old when they had their heart attacks (average weight 280 pounds).
• That compares to an average age of 75 for the lightest group (average weight 103 pounds). Those in the “normal weight” category averaged 71 years (average weight 142 pounds)
• The rate of diabetes was 17 per cent in the leanest group, and 49 per cent in the most obese.
• Rates of smoking were equal across all groups, with smokers averaging a heart attack just under a decade sooner than non-smokers.
• LDL (low density lipoprotein) cholesterol levels were about the same in all groups

The Controversy Continues

Can we now say that being overweight is a surefire route to an early heart attack? Here are some points to ponder regarding the study and the perpetual controversy of weight and health.

• Although the analysis boasts a very strong sample size, there are still factors I would like to see controlled for such as; diet, activity level, family history and body fat percentage.
• While we could debate the flaws of BMI until the cows come home, it is safe to assume that most people who weigh 280 pounds have pretty high percentages of body fat.
• The question still remains, though – is it the actual weight that matters or does the root cause lie in the poor lifestyle that leads to weight gain. How much does exercise and healthy eating attenuate for excess weight?

Final Thoughts

It would appear that it is better to be lighter when it comes to averting heart attacks. This study certainly runs contrary to the one published in recent years showing a protective effect of some excess weight. That said, I still believe it unwise to judge our health strictly on our weight. You can still be healthy at a “heavier” weight and be “unhealthy” at a lighter weight.

I still cling to the belief that being active and eating healthfully should be the primary goal, rather than trying to achieve a “category” based on a pre-determined scale weight.

Source: Canada.com

One tip that most of us could use to boost our health efforts is to eat slowly. If you were ever told off as a child for gobbling your food, or not for chewing properly, then you were being given good advice – there’s a lot of benefits from taking your time over a meal…

Better digestion

Digestion starts when we place food into our mouth: chewing more thoroughly, and eating slowly gives the body plenty of time to break down the food we eat. This means that slowing down your eating can help prevent you from feeling bloated, or from suffering from indigestion, after a meal.

Eating fewer calories

If you eat slowly, you’re also likely to eat less than when you scoff down a meal as quickly as possible. Your stomach takes about twenty minutes to register that it’s full – so if you don’t take at least twenty minutes over your dinner, you’ll probably keep on eating long after you’ve had enough. (See Eat Slowly – It Really Does Work for details of a study on this.)

Enjoying your food more

Let’s face it – if you’re a bit of a foodie at heart, one of the worst things about dieting is simply that you don’t get to eat so much! But you can prolong the pleasure you get from a great meal by taking your time over it. Give yourself time to really savour that delicious dessert, if it’s a once-a-week treat. Taste and enjoy every mouthful of your dinner: when you’ve spent half an hour cooking, it’s a shame to gobble down the results in minutes.

It’s easy to list all the benefits of eating slowly, but harder to actually do it. All too often I fall into the bad habit of eating in front of my computer, or eating mindlessly without really registering what’s going into my mouth. Some great ways to slow down your eating are:

Use a knife and fork

If you tend to shovel things into your mouth as fast as possible, start using a knife and fork. Sit at the table, not on the sofa, and put your cutlery down in between mouthfuls. (If you’re eating something like a sandwich, put it down each time you’ve taken a bite.) Another good tip is to take a sip of water regularly during your meal – which will force you to put your fork down.

Chat to others as you eat

Try not to eat a meal alone. Food is best enjoyed as part of a social event – even if that’s something as simple as having lunch with a colleague, or dinner with your spouse. Don’t eat in front of the TV in the evenings: sit with your family and encourage everyone to chat about their day. You can’t talk and eat at the same time.

Don’t read or work while eating

If you try to work whilst eating lunch, you’ll hardly notice the food going in. It’s hard to concentrate on the flavors and textures of food while your mind’s on that important document for the boss. Don’t eat breakfast whilst reading your favorite blogs (I’m often guilty of this!) – take the time to enjoy ten minutes of computer-free peace while you munch away on your cereal. Your body will thank you for it, and your mind will too.

Do you eat too fast? Do you have any tips on slowing down? Have you become more aware of the speed at which you eat whilst you’ve been dieting?

Buying a plasma television is a costly investment and you want to get the whole out of it. Now you would also need a TV stand for your plasma TV for which appearance is the major factor which you need to concentrate. You want a stand that will look good and be a perfect fit for your television. Presentation plays a vital role while shopping all other kinds of stand. Another deciding factor in what kind of plasma television stand to buy is where you want to place the television.

TV stand which you already using may be a problem because plasma TVs is usually wider than standard televisions, the plasma stand you select will be larger in size. If you are upgrading from a standard TV to a plasma television, you might have to find a totally new location for the stand itself.

Plasma stands provide display and shelving options which are specially designed for heavier plasma TVs. Normally we look for strength with stability, extra-wide TV stands which can accommodate plasma screens as well as the larger direct view TVs. check the manufacturer’s product information for weight capacity before making a final selection.

The Nexus 21 flat-panel TV lift system is the next invisible technology that you can’t live without. At the touch of a button you can now fashionably conceal your plasma or LCD TV in a cabinet, window seat, counter, wall, or anywhere you can imagine. You can easily grab Nexus21 TV Lifts here and also check a wide range of lift available according to the needs of the specific TV’s.

If you’re counting calories and thinking about what would make a better breakfast, assuming equal calories for both: a 3.5-inch bagel with 1-ounce cream cheese and 3-ounces light nonfat yogurt or two jumbo eggs (scrambled) and two toast slices with reduced-calorie jam; which do you believe would help you lose weight faster?

At first, that bagel would seem to be the answer. Sure it contains a lot of carbohydrate, but it’s also virtually fat free (less than 1 gram), where those egg yolks definitely have fat (6.5 grams per jumbo yolk, or 58 of the egg’s 96 calories).

A study (funded by The American Egg Board) in a recenet issue of the International Journal of Obesity reveals that the counterintuitive choice, eggs, would be the far better breakfast choice for those on a a calorie-restricted food plan.

Surprising.

The study compared participants on a calorie-restricted food plan that included that egg breakfast to those following a calorie-restricted food plan that included the bagel breakfast with those with no calorie restrictions having either breakfast option.

The differences between the two breakfasts with calorie restriction were stunning: study participants, on average, lost 65 percent more weight on the egg breakfast (when consumed five out of seven days for eight weeks) than those eating the bagel breakfast. In addition, the egg breakfast caused a 34 percent greater reduction in waist circumference and a 16 percent greater reduction in body fat.

For years there has been concern that a food plan that included two eggs each day would increase total cholesterol and triglyceride (blood fat) levels. This study showed no difference in any of those factors between eating an egg breakfast or a bagel breakfast.

To apply what this study indicates, means being on a calorie-restricted food plan and consuming the egg breakfast exactly as described; no fudging.

Consider this intriguing bit: although exactly equal in calories to the egg breakfast contained more carbohydrates (46.2 vs. 31 grams); less fat (11 vs. 14.2 grams); and less protein (12.6 vs. 16.6 grams); proving how different nutritional components and still be equal in calories.

The bagel breakfast, that didn’t generate the weight loss of the egg breakfast fit perfectly into current dietetic guidelines getting 29.2 percent of calories from fat, while the egg breakfast got 37.5 percent.

One more intriguing discovery: study participants consuming the bagel breakfast without the calorie restriction food plan dropped out of the study at a significantly higher rate than all three of the other food plans (5:1).

The egg breakfast as part of a calorie-restricted plan also aided the participants in dietary restraint for the remainder of the day, though researchers can’t say why that was.

Think this is a good idea, but are pressed for time in the morning? Consider making scrambled eggs or two fried (cooked in a nonstick skillet with a whisper of oil to aid release) eggs, and then sandwich those between two pieces of whole-wheat, high fiber toast as an easy-to-eat egg sandwich.

Anything that naturally helps to lose weight and keep hunger at bay is a good idea.

Here’s how I scramble eggs without butter that taste and look decadent but are as lean as one can make them and then turn them into a quick breakfast sandwich.

• Don Mauer appears Wednesdays in Food. He welcomes questions, shared recipes and makeover requests for your favorite dishes. Address them to Don Mauer, Daily Herald Food section, P.O. Box 280, Arlington Heights, IL 60006 or don@theleanwizard.com.

Nowadays buying a car is not so difficult task but tracing the paring space is really tough job. We’ve all heard of road rage and many of us have experienced it at one point or another.

Now there’s parking rage, a lesser known but equally alarming phenomenon fueled by the scarcity of parking in our streets.

Parking rage has a number of different guises. The next time you see a motorist hurling abuse at a ticket warden, bumping into the parked car in front or behind just to squeeze into a spot or deliberately defying parking regulations and parking illegally, you’ll know someone’s seeing red over parking.

Pay-and-display machines and parking meters are increasingly bearing the brunt of drivers’ parking rage. It’s hard to imagine that things have got this far but otherwise lawful residents throughout the country are venting their anger by blowing up parking ticket machines with industrial fireworks in the middle of the night and sabotaging parking meters by chopping off their heads.

When it comes to parking outside their own front door, drivers become very territorial, using traffic cones, rubbish bins and if necessary an assertive note plastered on the windscreen of other cars to reserve a space.

A better solution still is for drivers to rent and reserve a parking space in someone else’s driveway or garage. Having a pre-booked, penalty-free parking space close to your destination and waiting for you at the end of your journey brings peace of mind and saves all the stress that comes with looking for parking. No one can lay claim to or compete for a spot that has your name on it. And you aren’t going to cause another driver’s blood to boil by parking there.

By utilizing existing space to provide additional parking for drivers, we can help solve the root cause of parking rage; a disparity between the number of drivers needing a space and the number of parking spaces actually available.

Without solutions like these, the parking problem will worsen and incidents of parking rage will increase. Whether we continue to drive traditional cars as we know them today or use some sort of solar-powered, pollution-free golf buggies, the unrivalled flexibility and safety of cars means that for the foreseeable future they are here to stay. And by extension, London Parking for Rent will always be in high demand. As it is, the Department of Transport predicts that car ownership will soar by forty five per cent in the UK in the next twenty-five years, squeezing pressure on finite and already limited space and fuelling disputes between drivers.

These days we have been hearing a lot about web based diet generating program from Fat loss 4 idiots which they claim is the easiest and fastest method to lose weight extra weight we are carrying for years. I first came to know about this diet program from one of my relative who was already successfully going through Fat loss 4 idiots program. After hearing his success story, I decided to give it a try.

The basic idea behind Fat loss 4 idiots diet is that, we can lose 9 pounds in 11 days following their generated diet program (That’s what they claim). It looks impossible to me that someone will be able to lose 9 pounds in 11 days time only. But I decided that I’m going to try it and find how much of weight I’m going to lose with Fat loss 4 idiots diet program.

Diet generating program will ask your favorite foods and create a meal plan for 11 days according to your food choices. According to Fat loss 4 idiots diet plan, we are supposed to make four meals a day and need to keep a gap of 2.5 at least between each meal. Once we have completed our first cycle of 11 days, we are free to eat whatever we like for the next three days. After completion of three days, we are supposed to start this 11 day diet plan once again.

One needs to continue this process by the time they reach their targeted weight. With Fat loss 4 idiots diet program, we don’t need to count our calorie intake and also don’t need to restrict our food amount. So one will have any problem in adopting this diet plan and will really enjoy it because they are eating foods of their choices.

In the first cycle, I was able to lose 8 pounds with Fat loss 4 idiots diet program which includes some water loss as well. And in the second cycle, I was able to lose 6 pounds. So in total I was able to lose 14 pounds in this short period of time. No doubt, this is less than what Fat loss 4 idiots diet claim. But losing 14 pounds in less than a month time is not small by any parameter.

For people who have been struggling with their extreme weight for years, should try Fat loss 4 idiots diet program. Fat loss 4 idiots diet is easy to follow and we don’t need to starve and also don’t need to count our calorie consumption etc.

I’ve seen dogs dig up months-old bones… and start chewing on them. And… I’ve unfortunately witnessed dogs attempt to eat their own… well… Iet’s not get into that.

If you want your dog to eat better than you – check out this frozen organic yogurt.

According to the site:

Our Organic Banana & Peanut Butter recipe features potassium rich bananas, which are also a great source of the prebiotic inulin, along with peanuts for flavor and antioxidants. And of course, its primary ingredient is organic, low fat yogurt with live and active cultures, complete with all the benefits of probiotics.

All that for $4.88 a punnet. At least it’s cheaper than doggy diet pills.

You stir the sauce for dinner and you try a teeny bit … and a bit more … and another spoonful. You grate some cheese and slice a hunk off to nibble on. And maybe more olives find their way into your mouth than into the salad. It’s easy to clock up an extra couple of calories before you even sit down for a meal.

Here’s five simple ways to stop yourself picking at food while cooking:

1. Have a light snack before you start

If you’re already hungry when you begin preparing dinner, no wonder you end up eating whatever’s within reach. Have a piece of fruit or a small snack beforehand, to take the edge off your hunger. Try some of these if you want more ideas.

2. Chew sugar-free gum

Whenever I made a chocolate biscuit cake, I used to find it almost impossible not to “tidy up” the edge pieces – by eating them. Then I started chewing gum whilst slicing up the cake: an easy way to avoid “accidentally” popping a piece of cake into my mouth.

3. Chop up some veggies to munch on

If you really want something to eat while cooking, slice up a handful of raw vegetables. Just use a bit of whatever you’re going to be having for dinner; a few carrot sticks, celery or some slices of sweet pepper are ideal.

4. Chant a corny slogan

I came across this great saying in an old slimming book: “Little pickers wear bigger knickers.” (In the UK, “knickers” are ladies’ underpants.) So next time you’re tempted to just have a “little pick” at dinner, you might want to chant that one. Or invent your own! “A pre-dinner snack will set you back” is the best I can come up with…

5. Get someone else to cook!

The ultimate way to avoid snacking whilst preparing dinner is to stay out of the kitchen altogether. Get your partner to cook, or your kids – even younger children can help with much of the preparation.

Do you snack while you’re cooking, or are you great at resisting? Do you have any good tips – or any favorite silly slogans or mantras – to share?

(Image by obo-bobolina)

A recent study carried out in the UK found that a high proportion of 11-13 year olds couldn’t recognize basic vegetables and fruits. Could your kids do better?

The Tootsies restaurant chain surveyed 200 children, asking them to identify 40 common varieties of fruit and vegetables. Some of the results are dismaying:

Over a third of the children – 35% — weren’t able to identify celery.

• More than 20% didn’t know what a potato looked like.
• 5.5% (11 kids) didn’t recognize a carrot.
• A third (33%) of the boys couldn’t name the cucumber – though 90% of girls could.

I’m not so shocked by some of the other findings:

• Only 9% (18 kids) correctly recognized a turnip
• Only 8% (16 kids) knew what a pomegranate was
• Only 6.5% (13 kids) recognized an eggplant (called an aubergine in the UK)
• Only 3% (6 kids) could identify an artichoke
• And just 1% (2 kids) were able to spot a gooseberry

I’m pretty sure when I was 11, I’d have got some of those wrong… how many tweens do you know who eat artichokes? And most kids’ experience of eggplant (aubergine) will be in moussaka or ratatouille.

Get Your Kids Involved With Fruit and Veg

If you want to help your kids eat more healthily, why not get them involved with preparing dinner? By the age of 11, most children are sensible enough to use a vegetable knife safely under supervision – so get them to help chop the veg. With slightly younger ones, how about getting them to help make a big fruit salad?

Another good way to teach kids what pre-cooked fruit and vegetables look like is to take them to the market, give them a section of your shopping list, and turn them loose. Let them find the eggplant, courgettes, onions and tomatoes for your ratatouille – if they get stuck, the labels on the shelves will help.

If dinner time in your house tends to involve a select few “kiddie-friendly” veg like peas, sweetcorn and carrot, why not branch out a bit? Introduce a new vegetable every week – if you let the kids pick one at the market, it might encourage them to try it. With fruit, go for some slightly unusual options (kiwis, mangos, figs) rather than sticking with endless apples and bananas. And don’t always buy tinned: no wonder some kids can’t recognize a peach when they think it comes ready peeled and sliced in a can…

Are your kids fruit-phobic or veg-experts? Can they recognize a gooseberry or an artichoke? Or, if you don’t have kids, would you have been able to identify these when you were 12?