Weekend Fun: Trying the Cleanse

Here is a fun Memorial Day "bonus" video from the YouTube Small Bites Nutrition channel.

Everything starts off as fun and games.

That is, until I sip from my "Master Cleanse" glass...

Watch the video here or enjoy it right below this sentence!

In The News/Weekend Fun: Tear-free Onions!

Thanks to gene technology, tear-free onions will very likely be available at supermarkets around the world starting in 2017!

Weekend Fun

This cartoon perfectly captures a lot of the skewed reasoning that tends to accompany people's perceptions of healthy eating.

In case the small print is hard to read, a cashier tells a customer: "If you'd like a healthy alternative, we can wrap your cheeseburger, french fries, and fruit pie in a low fat tortilla."

Someone recently told me they were disappointed when they switched to whole wheat pasta and didn't lose any weight.

I explained that whole wheat pasta, while higher in fiber, is calorically equal to its refined relative.

The real revelation came when I asked this person how they ate their pasta.
"Alfredo sauce. Lots of it!" was the answer.

Including one healthy -- or healthier -- component in an otherwise high-calorie, high-fat meal does not make it a nutritious choice.

Other examples? Deep fried tofu, high-sugar tea, canned fruit in heavy syrup, and tempura vegetables.

Weekend Fun

Time for another cartoon!

I am not a big fan of scales. Although necessary in tracking weight loss goals, they are often misinterpreted and misused.

If your weight-loss plan includes exercise, you might lose fat and gain muscle, ultimately resulting in a higher weight than before, since muscle weighs more than fat.

Better barometers of weight loss? The clothes you wear -- especially if you are looking to shed just two or three pounds. If your 36-inch jeans are feeling looser and your weight hasn't budged, screw the scale, I say.

If you like keeping track of your weight, weigh yourself no more than twice a week. Be sure to weigh in at the same time of day each time, and be mindful of what your last meal was.

Meals high in sodium will retain water and result in slightly higher numbers.

Weekend Fun/Say What?: Please Tell Me No One Bought This

No, not a Photoshop joke courtesy of The Onion.

Japan's Sapporo beverage company released this beverage in 2004!

Weekend Fun

Cartoons often serve as scathing and witty social commentary.

Here is one I find particularly accurate, illustrating two common marketing techniques.

First, state the obvious as a "new" development (during the Atkins craze, many bottles of olive oil, which is 100% fat, boasted about their absence of carbs -- duh!).

Then, charge four times as much to make the product appear healthier or special.

Most recently, I expressed my disgust at Borba Skinwater.