David Zinczenko and Matt Goulding co-authored a series of books called “Eat This, Not That”, which outlines what you should and should not be eating when eating out. Today we cover Chipotle, a seemingly easy and healthy choice when faced with a fast food lunch. However, David and Matt give it a C– (worse than McDonald’s!) and say only with a careful selection and small portions can you eat healthy here.

“There are only a few bad items on Chipotle’s menu: the 290-calorie flour tortillas, the 130-calorie servings of white rice, and the 570-calorie portions of chips. Unfortunately, with Chipotle’s pared-down menu, these are the staple comestibles that form the backbone to most meals. Without realizing it, the careless customer can easily construct a thousand-calorie burrito. Drop some chips alongside it, and the meal reaches dangerous levels of calories, fat, and sodium. Still, Chipotle gets bonus points for using responsible, sustainable purveyors like Niman Ranch to fill out their fridges.”

Survival Strategy: Chipotle assures us that they’ll make anything a customer wants, as long as they have the ingredients. With fresh salsa, beans, lettuce, and grilled vegetables, you can do plenty of good. Unfortunately, with 13-inch tortillas, cheese, and huge scoops of white rice, you can do plenty of harm, too. Stick to one of our 450-calorie favorites: Three crispy tacos with carnitas, black beans, lettuce, and fresh salsa.

What are your daily food survival strategies? Share your ideas by clicking “Comments” above.

Tracy, you — and your sparkle, energy, smile, infectious laugh, and royal aspirations — will be missed! We’ll keep your throne ready for your return!

BeltLine Bike Shop exists to teach kids the value of hard work, goal setting and respect by rewarding community service with something tangible and valuable, while building positive relationships with adult role models.

BeltLine Bike Shop vision: To see the lives of youth who may be at risk of falling through the cracks, grow up to become successful leaders with purpose, character and confidence. And it all starts with a bike.

A new year gives us all the opportunity to make changes in our lives. However, so often January 1 comes, and we are no better off than we were last year (with little to no resolve to make things better).
Every year I make New Year’s resolutions, and I am dedicated to making them come true in the 12 months allotted. Sometimes I make it; sometimes I don’t. However, I believe that it’s always worth trying.
You can make New Year’s resolutions that not only stick, but are attainable. Here are seven steps to turn this year into your best year yet.

1. Think About Last Year
Reflecting on the mistakes and mishaps of last year is a good place to start when making New Year’s resolutions. Where could you have done better? What do you want to see change? No need to be down on yourself. Just take a look at your weak points and see what you can do about them this year.

2. Write It Down
There’s something to the act of putting pen to paper (or finger to keypad). It takes it from being just an idea to being real. It’s not out in the universe until it’s down on paper.
There are a lot of ways to do this. You can use a planner or a calendar. You can type it out on your laptop or write it down on a piece of paper. Just make sure it’s written and in a place where you can see it and refer to it often.

3. Don’t Try to Do It All in January
Poor, poor January. We pin all our hopes on those first 31 days. We cram a laundry list of goals into one month and try to make them all happen at breakneck speed. Inevitably, by February we are burnt out, and by the summer, our resolutions are long forgotten.
Let’s give January a break, shall we? If your goals are worth attaining, they will take time – much more than a mere month can offer. Plus the effort and energy it will take to accomplish those resolutions is too much to do all at once. Space them out.

4. From Big Goals to Baby Steps
It’s easy to look at the mountain, decide it’s too big to climb, and crawl back into bed.
Break big goals down into smaller increments. For example, if you’re writing a novel, author Karen Kingsbury once told me that if you wrote six pages every day, you’d have your book finished in a year. That is a feasible daily task that will accomplish a larger goal in time.

5. Get a Little Help from Your Friends
Chances are, if your dreams are big like losing weight or running a marathon, you’ll need a little help from your friends. Reach out and ask for the support you need. It can be a bonding experience you’ll never forget.

6. Identify Time-Wasters
A lot of great tasks in life don’t get finished, because we waste a lot of time doing things that are unimportant or unrelated to our goals. Think about all the time you spend on social networking Web sites or those two hours in front of the television every night. Wouldn’t that time be better spent working towards your resolutions?
We so readily say, “Oh, I just don’t have time.” The truth is that you can make time. Identify the time-wasters in your day and replace them with projects and tasks that will bring you closer to your goal.

7. Sometimes a Year is Not Enough
As the year draws to a close, take some time to reflect on the resolutions you made in January. How did you do? Did you work hard? Did you make the deadlines or do you need another year?
Give yourself some grace. You’ve laid the ground work to achieving your dreams, and you can take the next year to perfect them. Learn from the previous year’s mistakes and grow. Every year is another chance to get it right.

Source →

Stressed about the holidays? If you’re an emotional eater, those triggers may be one more thing you’re stuck stressing over. While the holidays typically come with a great deal of celebration and joy, they can also bring up feelings of loss, regret or depression. And that’s the problem: no matter the emotional response, an emotional eater will often turn back to food.

“Many people use eating as a way to cope with difficult emotions, not only bad ones, but also happiness, excitement and celebration, for example,” says Alexis Cona, a clinical psychologist in private practice and a researcher at New York Obesity Research Center.

Researchers believe that many emotional eaters turn to food to numb emotions that are too painful or difficult to process. As Cona explains, it can be a mindless cycle in which an emotional eater suddenly finds himself in front of the fridge, not quite knowing how he got there.

Family time during the holidays can be a particular challenge, as many disordered eating habits begin with poor boundaries between family members, Cona says. Preparing oneself for difficult and triggering interactions might be an important aspect of getting ready for the holidays. What’s more, during this season, food is more plentiful. Many people have favorite, traditional treats that they only eat during this time of year.

“There are all sorts of memories associated with family favorites — these foods are imbued with expectations,” says Ellen Shuman, president of the Binge Eating Disorder Association and an emotional and binge eating recovery coach. “That feeling of deprivation can make an emotional eater feel like they have to eat their fill in that moment. They become forbidden foods — and that brings out the rebel in many emotional eaters.” Instead, Shuman counsels patients not to have once-a-year foods. If they love a certain dish, they should make it occasionally all year long to avoid that panicked feeling of scarcity.

So what’s someone with a history of stress-based eating to do as the holidays loom large?

First of all, work on mindfulness. Cona asks her patients to check in with themselves before they eat anything. Do you feel physiologically hungry? Rate your hunger on a scale. And if you aren’t actually hungry, but you want to eat, think about what you might be feeling and what underlying desire is at the bottom of the impulse to eat.

Cona also recommends practicing kindness to oneself, especially in the aftermath of an overindulgence. “Trying to find acceptance can be challenging, especially in a society that condemns us for having eaten this way; especially if our bodies don’t look the way society says they should. But it’s important not beat ourselves up over it. If this happens, try to learn from it. Don’t shame yourself.”

But Shuman adds, you may not be the only person you need to forgive. Letting go of painful family history could help prevent the emotional eater’s cycle. “Keep in mind that you don’t have to spend the holidays with your history with Mom — just with Mom in that moment.”

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“I knew it probably wasn’t from an animal because it had vegetable in the name, but I still wanted to know what it was, so I Googled it,” Ms. Kavanagh said. “A page popped up with a long list of possible side effects, including neurological disorders and altered thyroid hormones. I didn’t expect that.”

She threw the product away and started a petition on Change.org, an online petition platform, that has almost 200,000 signatures. Ms. Kavanagh, 15, hopes her campaign will persuade PepsiCo, Gatorade’s maker, to consider changing the drink’s formulation.

Jeff Dahncke, a spokesman for PepsiCo, noted that brominated vegetable oil had been deemed safe for consumption by federal regulators. “As standard practice, we constantly evaluate our formulas and ingredients to ensure they comply with federal regulations and meet the high quality standards our consumers and athletes expect — from functionality to great taste,” he said in an e-mail.

In fact, about 10 percent of drinks sold in the United States contain brominated vegetable oil, including Mountain Dew, also made by PepsiCo; Powerade, Fanta Orange and Fresca from Coca-Cola; and Squirt and Sunkist Peach Soda, made by the Dr Pepper Snapple Group.

The ingredient is added often to citrus drinks to help keep the fruit flavoring evenly distributed; without it, the flavoring would separate.

Use of the substance in the United States has been debated for more than three decades, so Ms. Kavanagh’s campaign most likely is quixotic. But the European Union has long banned the substance from foods, requiring use of other ingredients. Japan recently moved to do the same.

“B.V.O. is banned other places in the world, so these companies already have a replacement for it,” Ms. Kavanagh said. “I don’t see why they don’t just make the switch.” To that, companies say the switch would be too costly.

The renewed debate, which has brought attention to the arcane world of additive regulation, comes as consumers show increasing interest in food ingredients and have new tools to learn about them. Walmart’s app, for instance, allows access to lists of ingredients in foods in its stores.

Brominated vegetable oil contains bromine, the element found in brominated flame retardants, used in things like upholstered furniture and children’s products. Research has found brominate flame retardants building up in the body and breast milk, and animal and some human studies have linked them to neurological impairment, reduced fertility, changes in thyroid hormones and puberty at an earlier age.

Limited studies of the effects of brominated vegetable oil in animals and in humans found buildups of bromine in fatty tissues. Rats that ingested large quantities of the substance in their diets developed heart lesions.

Its use in foods dates to the 1930s, well before Congress amended the Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act to add regulation of new food additives to the responsibilities of the Food and Drug Administration. But Congress exempted two groups of additives, those already sanctioned by the F.D.A. or the Department of Agriculture, or those experts deemed “generally recognized as safe.”

The second exemption created what Tom Neltner, director of the Pew Charitable Trusts’ food additives project, a three-year investigation into how food additives are regulated, calls “the loophole that swallowed the law.” A company can create a new additive, publish safety data about it on its Web site and pay a law firm or consulting firm to vet it to establish it as “generally recognized as safe” — without ever notifying the F.D.A., Mr. Neltner said.

About 10,000 chemicals are allowed to be added to foods, about 3,000 of which have never been reviewed for safety by the F.D.A., according to Pew’s research. Of those, about 1,000 never come before the F.D.A. unless someone has a problem with them; they are declared safe by a company and its handpicked advisers.

“I worked on the industrial and consumer products side of things in the past, and if you take a new chemical and put it into, say, a tennis racket, you have to notify the E.P.A. before you put it in,” Mr. Neltner said, referring to the Environmental Protection Agency. “But if you put it into food and can document it as recognized as safe by someone expert, you don’t have to tell the F.D.A.”

Michael R. Taylor, deputy commissioner for food and veterinary medicine at the agency, said: “From our standpoint, we do need to look at whether this regime established by Congress almost 60 years ago gives us the information we need. It would be desirable for F.D.A. to have more information on products being added to food.”

The F.D.A. is aware of the controversy surrounding brominated vegetable oil. It took the ingredient off its list of substances “generally recognized as safe” in 1970, after the Flavor and Extract Manufacturers Association revoked its approval of it. The group’s expert panel is the primary body for evaluating the safety of flavoring substances added to food; if it rules something is “generally recognized as safe,” the F.D.A. goes along.

John Halligan, senior adviser and general counsel to the organization, said that during the late 1960s and early 1970s, the expert panel was reviewing many older additives that had been grandfathered into “generally recognized as safe” status when the federal law was changed.

“They came to B.V.O. and there had been some new studies done which weren’t definitive,” he said. “The panel looked at data and said it doesn’t look like we have an adequate database here to conclude this substance is generally recognized as safe, so they revoked its status.”

Subsequently, Patricia El-Hinnawy, a spokeswoman for the F.D.A, wrote in an e-mail, the agency asked the association to do studies on brominated vegetable oil in mice, rats, dogs and pigs. She said that the organization made “several submissions of safety data” to the F.D.A. while those studies were going on, roughly from 1971 to 1974.

“F.D.A. determined that the totality of evidence supported the safe use of B.V.O. in fruit-flavored beverages up to 15 parts per million,” Ms. El-Hinnawy wrote.

That ruling, made in 1977, was supposed to be interim, pending more studies, but 35 years later it is unchanged. “Any change in the interim status of B.V.O. would require an expenditure of F.D.A.’s limited resources, which is not a public health protection priority for the agency at this time,” Ms. El-Hinnawy wrote.

Meanwhile, no further testing has been done. While most people have limited exposure to brominated vegetable oil, an extensive article about it by Environmental Health News that ran in Scientific American last year found that video gamers and others who binge on sodas and other drinks containing the ingredient experience skin lesions, nerve disorders and memory loss.

Michael F. Jacobson, co-founder and executive director of the Center for Science in the Public Interest, said some studies show that B.V.O. collects in fatty tissues, raising questions about what its effect might be during weight loss. Dr. Jacobson, who looked into the research on brominated vegetable oil after being asked about it by The New York Times, concluded, “The testing of B.V.O. is abysmal.”

He said the longest studies of the ingredient he could find covered only four months, while most food additives are usually tested for two years, making it impossible to establish a safe level of consumption.

Learn about some options for alternative sports drinks here!

Article By STEPHANIE STROM of The New York Times

Almond
Saturated Fat: 7 percent*
Monounsaturated Fat: 65 percent
Polyunsaturated Fat: 28 percent
With a high ratio of monounsaturated to saturated fat, almond oil is one of the healthiest options out there.

Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Saturated Fat: 14 percent
Monounsaturated Fat: 78 percent
Polyunsaturated Fat: 8 percent
The most well known of the healthiest oils, extra virgin olive oil is probably best known for its role in protecting the heart by boosting “healthy” HDL cholesterol. It may also help to lower cancer risk.

Avocado
Saturated Fat: 17 percent
Monounsaturated Fat: 65 percent
Polyunsaturated Fat: 18 percent
Avocado oil is a little higher in saturated fat than most of the nut oils, but it may play a role in preventing gum disease as well, making it a great option.

Learn more→

How to enjoy them: “One of the easiest ways to enjoy is in a salad raw,” says Sheth. “Or, sauté in a little olive oil and garlic. You get a little extra kick and still retain the nutrients,” she says. You can also try chopping the ‘shrooms, stir frying them and serving on top of toasts as a take on bruschetta.

2– Bok Choy

Why we love it: While its relative, cabbage, made our October list, bok choy, which hits peak season in winter months, carries many of the same benefits, says Sheth. “It’s a good source of vitamin K, which plays a role in healthy bones, and research shows a connection between vitamin K and possibly some kind of benefit with Alzheimer’s,” she says.

How to enjoy it: “The simplest way is just steamed or stir fried,” says Sheth. And be careful not to overcook it, which can sap both nutrients and flavor from the leafy green.

3– Broccoli

Why we love it: Broccoli’s healthy reputation is well deserved. It’s loaded with fiber and vitamin C, low in calories and has one of the highest antioxidant ratings around, says Sheth. Broccoli also boasts calcium, iron, potassium and vitamins B, E and K for protection again cancer, heart disease, stroke, vision problems, bone loss and more.

How to enjoy it: If you’re tired of the raw stuff in salads or steaming it for stir fries, get creative. Try it in a cozy soup or slice it extra thin for a broccoli slaw.

4– Celeriac

Why we love it: Also known as celery root, this earthy bulb is rich in fiber, vitamin B6 and potassium. There’s been some suggestion that celeriac can fight cancer, especially colon cancer, says Sheth. Its peak season ends in December, she adds, so get it while you can.

How to enjoy it: Try roasting celeriac alongside other fall and winter veggies, with a little olive oil and fresh herbs and spices. “Enjoy it as a side dish or toss it on top of salads,” Sheth suggests.

5– Garlic

Why we love it: This aromatic bulb can protect against certain cancers and help fight off bacteria and viruses. Allicin, a compound found in garlic and its cousins, onions, “is a big source of cancer protection,” Sheth says.

How to enjoy it: “You can get the benefits from a supplement, but there’s nothing like eating it,” she says. “It adds so much flavor to everything!”