Tuesday, March 27, 2012

Pink Slime is Packed with Protein

When you see this picture, what comes to mind?

A. Pink slime
B. Lean beef - full of protein, iron, B vitamins, magnesium and other nutrients


If you said B, you're correct.

The photo is lean finely textured beef - a mix of fatty beef by-products and connective tissue, ground up and treated with ammonium hydroxide (used commonly to also make foods such as chocolate) and then blended with ground beef. It is completely safe and natural, according to the USDA.  It is cheaper than other beef, too.

Yet many national news sources have portrayed it to be as disgusting and harmful as it looks.

Because it is all over the news, the USDA has now given in and told schools that they don't have to serve the product - it is their choice. Several grocery chains have chosen to stop selling the meat. The plant that makes it has temporarily suspended production at 3 of 4 plants, to try to deal with their loss in revenue.

Come on people, just because something looks gross doesn't mean it is harmful or not nutritious. A few examples:


Chicken gizzards: high in protein and potassium and low in fat

Low fat cottage cheese: High in protein, minerals and B vitamins

This week, the manufacturer of "pink slime" created a new website BeefIsBeef.com, to try to set the facts straight about their product.

Here is my attempt to spread the word:


A few quotes:
“It’s safe, it’s leaner than other beef sources on the market, and it’s less costly.” - Kevin Concannon, USDA undersecretary for food, nutrition and consumer sciences

"The process used to produce LFTB is safe and has been used for a very long time. And adding LFTB to ground beef does not make that ground beef any less safe to consume." USDA, Dr. Elisabeth Hagen


Tuesday, March 20, 2012

The Hunger Games Tribute: 8 Best Outdoor Survival Workouts

As many of you probably are, I am deep into the book "The Hunger Games" this week, trying to finish it before the movie comes out this weekend. It has completely pulled me in. It is such an intriguing storyline and the author, Suzanne Collins, has such a simple, yet captivating way of writing. Plus, I have really taken a liking to how bad ass the main character, Katniss is. All of her hunting, archery and running has me truly inspired to be more outdoorsy.


So, in honor of Katniss, here are the best ways to burn calories, while being super bad ass (according to this calorie calculator and me).

Calorie-Torching Survival Workouts

Activity (for 15 minutes)          Calories Burned (for 130 lb woman)
Running (7 mph)                        170
Rock climbing                            162
Swimming (vigorously)             144
Rowing (vigorously)                  129
Chopping wood                          90
Hiking                                         88
Hunting                                       74
Archery                                       51

Now you can see why it is called "The Hunger Games." I'm hungry just thinking about how much energy it takes to survive.

What is your favorite "survival" workout?
Can you think of one that I forgot to list?

Sunday, March 18, 2012

More White Rice = Greater Risk of Diabetes

Sorry for the long hiatus. Work and visitors took priority these last few weeks! I'm starting back up again, short post for today but I'll get back into it.
So, I am not sure if you enjoy Chipotle like I do ... especially after a really hard workout. It isn't the healthiest, but if you order bowl instead of a burrito, and get rid of the sour cream and cheese, it isn't bad.

Yum.

That's why when they added brown rice to their menu (their attempt to make their food healthier) a few months ago I was pretty excited. I like white rice, but brown rice just tastes better to me.

Turns out, white rice does its damage, too. The more white rice you eat, the greater your risk of Type 2 diabetes, according to a new study. Because white rice has little nutrients, such as fiber, magnesium and vitamins, eating a lot of it may means not getting enough of those nutrients. The increase in risk for diabetes is pretty drastic, too. The study authors estimate that the risk increases by 10 percent with each additional 158g serving.

So looks like I actually prefer something that is better for me, for a change.

How about you - white or brown?

Do you love Chipotle as much as I do?