What the whole world needs

A cookie with the nutrition panel printed on it.

Conceived by design firm AndrewAndrew, the nutritional facts of a butter-laden, trans fats rich, sugar aplenty cookie is laser printed on icing. Now that will seriously help me in my dieting. I'll feel so lousy seeing all the %'s, the cookie will just get thrown away.

What's next after cookies? Tim Tams?

Link

Makeover 5: The Refined Carbos Rejection

I decided on a slight detour for this week's entry.

Instead of focusing on harmful food ingredients which are potentially cancerous, can cause anal leakage or hearts to explode, I'm centering on one of the world's greatest problems facing mankind:

Losing weight.

Well, at least for yours truly and a few other helpless victims of McDonaldization, shedding those extra pounds is an increasingly tall order in an increasingly yummy world. I just had do justice for me and my fellow comrades. And my relentless sniffing on the Net uncovered one of the greatest evils facing dieters: refined carbohydrates.

Breads, cereals and potatoes form the basic group in most diets. Containing starchy carbohydrates, most of them start off as grains. Refined carbos refer to foods where the high fibre bits have been removed by machinery. This is usually done so that the bread or cereal you're eating will taste softer and better, and have a longer shelf-life.

However (this word shouldn't come as a surprise by now), refined carbos cause a sudden increase in blood sugar. And if the sugar is not used by the body quickly, it is stored as fat. That's bad news for us folks wanting to not put on extra weight.

The good news is, there is an expanding variety of foods containing unrefined carbohydrates. These foods contain the whole grain, so they're higher in fibre content, and makes us feel fuller and not always getting the urge to grab that snack between meals.

And more good news. Unrefined carbs have been found to reduced chances of getting chronic disease and age-related mascular degeneration. Not that people who want to lose weight will have lots of muscle to degenerate, but well, that's besides the point.

Anyway, here's a list of 3 excellent alternatives to the refined carbohydrates foods we're so used to all these while.

Instead of white bread, go for......

Gardenia Fine Grain Wholemeal Bread


This wholemeal sandwich loaf is made with 50% wholemeal flour. So it still contains the softness of your usual white bread, while still locking in the goodness of unrefined carbs.

Instead of artificially flavoured and coloured cereals, go for......

Post Frosted Shredded Wheat


Previously, I tried the original one. But it was a tad too bland for my liking, and this frosted variation adds that bit of sugary taste which is just nice. 100% natural whole-grain wheat, so it comes with a healthy amount of fibre to keep those hunger pangs at bay.

Instead of normal pasta, go for......

San Remo Wholemeal Pasta

(picture for illustrative purposes only)

Some weightwatchers have said that wholemeal pasta, not only being healthier, tastes better than regular white flour pasta. And the best thing is, it comes at the same price as the usual varieties! Refined carbs have never come in a sweeter package.

Other than the 3 types of foods listed here, there is a myriad of alternatives for other carbo foods like rice and noodles. Take a trip down to the supermarket and shop around. The switch from one refined carbo food to an unrefined one can make a world of difference to your dieting plans.

How Nasty Are McDonalds Fries?

A clip from Supersize Me, I think. If you love Macs fries (they're soggy and chewy, i know), think again.

Makeover 4: The Corn Syrup Cancellation

I admit, I cheated.

Corn syrup on its own is not exactly harmful, high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) is. But the omission was due to, well, "aesthetic" reasons. Heheh.

I have to say, this week's story on HFCS is one of the most fascinating yet. Just read how it all came about.

Back in the 1970s, due to the influx of foreign imports, farmers in the United States were having problems selling... corn. Due to public pressure, the US government gave the go-ahead for the manufacture of a revolutionary substance known as high fructose corn syrup. Touted as the new sweetener which is (1) cheap and (2) long-lasting, it seemed like a win-win situation for the government, farmers and consumers.

Now, little known to consumers is the fact that in laboratory tests, HFCS caused male rats to never fully develop their testicles. Their female counterparts were not spared too, with some of them dying as their hearts expanded and exploded after consumption of HFCS.

And now, preliminary research has shown that HFCS could contain substances that can cause obesity, diabetic complications, cardiovascular diseases and cancer.

And I was wondering, surely after all these news, no manufacturer on earth can include such an ingredient in their products?

I was dead wrong.

Here's a list of just some popular ones (kudos to Accidental Hedonist):
A&W Root Beer
Post Blueberry Morning Cereal
Ben and Jerry's ice cream
Capri Sun juices
Snapple juices
and...

Robitussin's cough syrups.

Cough syrups! It's a rather disturbing logical connection. Cure the cough, get diabetes.

Just to make sure, I grabbed a bottle of Snapple's from the friendly neighbourhood mart.

And it's true:

For "artificially flavoured" fruit juice lovers out there, it's time to pick a new favourite. But as usual, Benjy is here to make things simple for you.

I proudly present you,

The Ribena Soda Fizz

In 5 easy steps:
1. Get a nice clean glass.
2. Pour in 3/4 can of soda water.
3. Add two tablespoons of Ribena Light (you seriously can do without the extra fructose)
4. Top up with ice cubes.
5. Enjoy!

If the normal Ribena cordial was too ordinary for you, this fizzy version will prove to be an interesting experience. Extremely smooth on the tastebuds, but just enough carbon dioxide to perk things up.

Ribena Soda Fizz
Taste: 5/5
Value: 5/5
Nutritional Value: 3/5
Makeover Success: 4/5

Footnote: If you are still unconvinced about the effects of high fructose corn syrup, this article at Sprol is a very engaging read.