Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Friday, March 26, 2010
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
Obese teen credits surgery for weight loss
I think we as a society need to investigate overweight children and blame the parents. Kids don't have jobs, most aren't even allowed near the stove. So if a child is 400 lbs at 12. Then it is the parents. I feel this should fall under child endangerment
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Diversity in Advertising: Good Job Gerber!
So often, ads are profiled on blogs or on other news agencies because they've done something fairly heinous or hateful. Well, I'd like to highlight an ad that's doing advertising right. The Gerber Company has an ad, "United Babies" that is actually quite good--its very diverse and its combating the polarization of our country by having some vaguely patriotic music in the background. The diversity of babies in this ad is both, helpful for representation, but also accurate! This year, a study finds, maybe the first year that "minority" baby births (combined) outnumber white baby births or at least by 2012! Check out the story HERE.
Anyway, I liked this ad and I think I'll try to find more advertisements and campaigns that are "doing it right" to profile instead of just reacting to the bad ads.
Monday, March 22, 2010
Sneaky Sources of Gluten
The April 17, 2010 issue of Woman's Day has a list of 12 surprising foods with gluten.
- Soy Sauce
- bouillon cubes
- blue cheese
- yogurt
- deli meat
- instant coffee
- imitation crabmeat
- baked beans
- sour cream
- some lipsticks
- some toothpaste
- some vitamins and supplements.
Worried About Shin Spints? Try This Exercise

The image is from FitSugar and the article accompanying it is about shin splints. Shin splints is primarily a runner's injury, but it can happen in other run/walk related contexts. It often happens when your calf muscles are much stronger than your shin muscles. So, try this exercise to develop shin strength!
Saturday, March 20, 2010
Two Quotes, Alotta Wrong: Bouncing Back Post-Baby Body Bullshit Take 1000
Here are two actual quotes from Vogue's recent profile of Super-model Gisele Bundchen:
I'm not including a picture in this case because its photoshopped and its a result of lifestyle adaptation that are not available, nor recommended for women who have just given birth.
- "Benjamin was born at home, in warm water in a deep bathtub that overlooks the Charles River. 'I wanted to experience the transformation,' says Gisele. A midwife friend of hers came in from Brazil as did her mother; her husband was there too. Gisele meditated through the birth.
- "She's regained her figure, apparently instantly and with no more exercise than some yoga on a mat in the living room. 'I think it's muscle memory,' she says.
I'm not including a picture in this case because its photoshopped and its a result of lifestyle adaptation that are not available, nor recommended for women who have just given birth.
Friday, March 19, 2010
Pride & Prejudice (and Zombies)
I'm sorry, but my inner-lit-geek (and my outer lit geek) loves this adaptation. Taking a classic and making it absurd is both legal (its within the public domain) and a great way to reintroduce (and hopefully encourage the reading of the original) the book to a new audience. Plus, girls in empire dresses kickin' ass? Very Buffy trapped in a time warp.
Amanda Seyfried Only Eats Spinach on "Awful" Raw Diet
For the interview, the actress -- who appears in the mag photographed in skimpy lingerie -- brings her own tabbouleh salad in a plastic container to a "deserted bar" that doesn't serve lunch so she can avoid temptation.
She says she's under a lot of pressure to be pin thin.
"If I didn't run and work out, there's no way I would be this thin," she recently told Glamour magazine. "But I have to stay in shape because I'm an actress. It's f----d up and it's twisted, but I wouldn't get the roles otherwise. If I'd been a bit bigger, I don't think they would have cast me for Mamma Mia!"
Here is another case of celebrity crazy diet. Yet, I respect her for keeping it real and not telling people she eat pizza and beer all day to look like that.
She says she's under a lot of pressure to be pin thin.
"If I didn't run and work out, there's no way I would be this thin," she recently told Glamour magazine. "But I have to stay in shape because I'm an actress. It's f----d up and it's twisted, but I wouldn't get the roles otherwise. If I'd been a bit bigger, I don't think they would have cast me for Mamma Mia!"
Here is another case of celebrity crazy diet. Yet, I respect her for keeping it real and not telling people she eat pizza and beer all day to look like that.
Labels:
Amanda Seyfried,
Celebrities,
Dangerous Diets,
Hollywood
Thursday, March 18, 2010
Three Models of Varying Sizes: Is this authentic body diversity?

So, is this body diversity? Well, there's no women of color, they are all tall and leggy and conventionally beautiful, but they do wear different sizes. I guess its a step, but its still kind of playing on the "oh, Glamour is so special considering women of varying sizes and not just doing all of its shots with sample-size models like Ambrosio." So, it might be a gimmick they get tired of, not a commitment to long-lasting body diversity.
What are your thoughts readers?
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Precious Star Gabourey Sidibe Wants To Lose Weight Says Mom
Gabourey Sidibe’s mom Alice Tan Ridley told RadarOnline.com that her Oscar nominated daughter would like to lose some weight.
“The truth is Gabourey would like to lose some weight but the reality is that she would not have gotten the role of Precious if she had not been heavy," Ridley said. “As her mom I would like to see my daughter healthy but if she didn’t lose weight that’s not a problem either – it runs in our family."
If Gabourey Sidibe wants to lose weight. I am all for it. It is just that once you go Hollywood you can fall of the deep end. So watch out if you go down the weight loss journey in Hollywood.
“The truth is Gabourey would like to lose some weight but the reality is that she would not have gotten the role of Precious if she had not been heavy," Ridley said. “As her mom I would like to see my daughter healthy but if she didn’t lose weight that’s not a problem either – it runs in our family."
If Gabourey Sidibe wants to lose weight. I am all for it. It is just that once you go Hollywood you can fall of the deep end. So watch out if you go down the weight loss journey in Hollywood.
Another Take on the Femivore

Following the NY Op-ed piece on "femivores" I blogged about earlier, there's another woman's take on her status as a "femivore" over at Jezebel. She highlights how despite her feminist beliefs, education and commitment to egalitarian living within the context of the modern homesteading movement, she acknowledging that: real manual labor is hard and that perhaps her husband is better suited for it. She's noticed that the Do-it-Yourself-er's are all very male-dominated, in both their approach and conversations. She has found herself falling into work that was traditionally designated by gender--and yeah, she's doin' the chick stuff.
The whole piece is worth a read, check it out here, but her are a few choice quotes:
Modern homesteading is a self-sustaining, self-sufficient, anti-consumerist lifestyle that lends itself closely to the core tenets of feminism.
The irony is that while there's no question I'm more resourceful and frugal and self-sufficient in my new life, I actually felt like less of a feminist than ever.
Which leads me to another point. For all of my newfound self-sufficiency, there's a lot of brute, physical strength involved in living closer to the land, and I've realized after trial and error that I don't have much of that. I actually kind of suck at performing most outdoor chores. I'm still pretty much clueless when it comes to trying to navigate the back of my husband's truck onto a trailer hitch, which I know annoys him, though he tries to be patient. Horses scare the crap out of me to the point of tears. I can barely lift a bag of chicken feed from the trunk of my car. I'm expected to haul 25 pound buckets of water down to the chickens every morning, stack firewood, light fires, wield nail guns, operate Bobcat bulldozers, dig ditches and wage daily battles with an aggressive rooster who I swear is out to kill me.
I sometimes find myself wanting to hole up in the house and assuage my guilt for not helping him dig a trench to China by baking him cookies, or making him a nice casserole, or some such. Suddenly, dusting the end tables doesn't seem so bad. Betty Friedan would probably roll in her grave.
Labels:
DIY,
Homesteading,
Local Food Movement,
radical homemaking
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Dr. Sugar Talks About Going Off the Pill
Check out this article from Dr. Sugar about going off the pill. I like her approach because she both discusses the general medical view and her own experience.
The Price of Beauty: Skin Whitening Creams in Thailand
I'm fairly shocked that Jessica Simpson's new series, The Price of Beauty, is actually half-way educational. Certainly this clip regarding the dangers of skin whitening creams is.
This clip, of her giggling during meditation with a Buddhist Monk is less mature and respectful (but at least she admits to giggling in Church too--I guess she's an equal opportunity spiritual occasion giggler).
Oh, one other segment that could have been better would have been the profile of the Karen Women, who wear neck-rings (see below). I would have liked her to go into further detail how the neck rings compress the ribs and spine and if these women remove them, their neck muscles can't hold up their heads.
Let Them Eat Wild-Caught Salmon

What the story is really about is young, urban professionals who are finding themselves unemployed, who find out they are qualifying for food stamps and using them at Trader Joe's and Farmer's Markets for the food they feel an ethical investment toward: organic and sustainably grown. This is a generation weaned on the "eat real food" movement and as the article points out, finding themselves unemployed means that they have even more time to cook from scratch. Yeah, maybe rice and beans (which is something most foodies do eat) would be a better buy, but choosing a whole and varied diet is important and that should involve some fish and eggs and whole-grain breads.
I've seen plenty of articles criticizing working-poor folks who use their food stamps for processed foods and soda--criticizing what foods government subsidized stamps or EBT cards may be used for is a frequent hobby of many arm-chair haters on the internets. "I'm working, you're spoiled" seems to be the thrust of their arguments, but here's the thing, these folks--whether they are the "hipsters" caught up in a bad recession finding themselves unemployed or working poor with dependent children--they work too or have worked and paid into the system to help you out when you are in need and it turns out, when they are in need. The so-called "hipsters" are less ashamed of pursuing government aid during their time of need then the grumps of earlier recessions, I'm thinking in particular of the recessions of the 1980's (oh, yes there were TWO during Reagan/Bush I--although the fat-cats did well then as they are today).
Although snarking about particular food choices is easy, what this is really about is a class and racial prejudice bubbling to the surface and white, male resentment of "the other" getting assistance (which naturally, in their deluded minds, must come from putting down the white man, particularly the working-class white man). Well, guess what? It isn't a zero sum game. Also, we subsidize the military industrial complex (60% of our budget) and the banking sector far more than we give out food aid to our own citizens in need. If you are pissed off about welfare, get pissed off about corporate welfare. Helping out the unemployed or working-poor with dependent children isn't taking away your precious power and privilege, voting in thieves (Reagan, Bush I & Bush II and their interests) who stole more from the working-classes and cut off opportunities through anti-labor legislation and anti-American trade treaties that destroyed our industrial base are why the middle-class is under such a huge financial crush, not "welfare queens" which they (specifically Reagan) made the scape-goats.
So, let then eat wild-caught salmon and get pissed off at the real source of the problem: the thieves of middle-class wealth and promise, the hedge-fund managers, the subprime mortgage lenders, the health-insurance exec's who are trying to take more than 12% of your income and the politicians who support the whole rotten matrix.
Labels:
Corporate Welfare,
Food Stamps,
Hipsters,
Salon
Femivore: Back to Earth Movement and a Feminist Sensibility

Here's how Peggy Orenstein defines the movement:
Femivorism is grounded in the very principles of self-sufficiency, autonomy and personal fulfillment that drove women into the work force in the first place. Given how conscious (not to say obsessive) everyone has become about the source of their food — who these days can’t wax poetic about compost? — it also confers instant legitimacy. Rather than embodying the limits of one movement, femivores expand those of another: feeding their families clean, flavorful food; reducing their carbon footprints; producing sustainably instead of consuming rampantly. What could be more vital, more gratifying, more morally defensible?
As you may know if you've followed this blog, I love to garden, I like to compost and I'd love to keep bees and chickens, but that's not going to happen for me for quite a while (as I've decided to return to graduate school to get a Ph.D. and I'm back to urban apartment living). I enjoy these things and I'd like to get more self sufficient in terms of learning how to can/freeze my produce, I'd like to learn how to made cheese and soap, but I know that sewing is just not in the cards for me, let alone trying to be a completely self-sufficient homesteader. Sometimes I think that "radical homemaking" especially in cases when the "wife" starts to homeschool is far too close to traditional (read: oppressive with little economic self-sufficiency) homemaking for me. I generally view all extremes with suspicion. So, what do you think? Are femivores really radical homemakers or just Betty Draper's grandmother in the making?
Rielle Hunter Finds Her GQ Spread "Repulsive"
Rielle Hunter isn't pleased with her GQ spread.
"She said she found the photographs repulsive."
In one photo, Hunter has her tummy exposed as she lays with Frances Quinn, her 2-year-old daughter with former Democratic presidential candidate. John Edwards.
I think this is a perfect example, of why women need to have more control of their image. I feel that all women should request that they have the final say of all printed photos.
I also think that we should also say no to suggestive pictures. This would solve many problems if the sexy photo was never made in the first place.
"She said she found the photographs repulsive."
In one photo, Hunter has her tummy exposed as she lays with Frances Quinn, her 2-year-old daughter with former Democratic presidential candidate. John Edwards.
I think this is a perfect example, of why women need to have more control of their image. I feel that all women should request that they have the final say of all printed photos.
I also think that we should also say no to suggestive pictures. This would solve many problems if the sexy photo was never made in the first place.
Monday, March 15, 2010
Feeder Fetishist Try to Go Mainstream, Go to Daily Mail, Naturally

I read the Daily Mail piece, which you can read here and I read Jezebel's short take down, which the comments are way more interesting and indepth than the article itself, here. The Daily Mail, which never fails to take the most grave issues and turn them into some sort of parody of chattering biddies, once again is sensationalist and limited in its ability to dig one teaspoons depth into what really is going on here.
The comments section of Jezebel is for the most part remarkably sensible and thoughtful. That this behavior is certainly part of the ED spectrum is apparent and that it is not about basic rights for fatties is certain. If she were trying to become the world's thinnest woman and she had a pro-ani site, most would certainly say she is sick. The same is true for Ms. Simpson, but anti-fat bias has the comments on the Daily Mail in an uproar.
Feeder fetishist have been around for a while, but this piece is bringing them out of the shadows. I don't know how I feel about that. Its a dependent/codependent relationship gone to extremes and it preys on mentally and physically ill or at least compromised individuals. If mental health treatments can be designed to help out individuals engaged in this destructive behavior (which is a dubious option considering that binge-eating is only recently being classified as an ED in the latest DMV). For now, it looks like the media (for the most part) is much happier as showcasing these sub-cultures as freaks to be looked on and ridiculed rather than as mentally ill people in need of treatment.
Labels:
Daily Mail,
Eating Disorders,
Idiotic Media Trends
Weekend Food Blogging
So, yeah this was a weekend of eating out (and I'm too damn poor for that).
Friday, March 12, 2010
Thursday, March 11, 2010
Seriously: Study finds median wealth for single black women at $5!!!!!!!!!!!!

Here's an excellent breakdown at Jezebel about the median wealth of women of color in comparison to white women and men of all ethnic groups. There's graphs, pie charts and tables to help illustrate this, but the main take-away is that wealth is your net worth minus all debts and the average single Black woman's "wealth" is $5, this is not a typo.
Married couples of all racial groups fared better than their single counterparts. See chart below for comparison:

Marriage appears to be a money-maker for all racial groups. Wealth is often passed down from generation to generation, so the lack of social justice and fair wages that most deeply impacted racial groups in the past (although, hey, check out the income chart in the story and you'll find wage discrimination is alive and kicking today) have repercussions for their descendants and confer privileges for others (read: white folks). At the same time, I think that this also speaks to the burdens of single-mothers carry (which impacts women of all colors), but is a proportionally more heavy burden for Black women.
Now, I can already anticipate all the "oh, dear" shaming articles and news segments that this will generate and I can already predict what they'll say: Women of Color need more Financial Literacy and Education. Like, somehow WofC are really all at fault for this predicament because they use their credit cards for sort-term purchases, like food. I love that particular piece of advice that shows up in every pamphlet on financial literacy--don't use credit cards for disposable or short-term purchases like food/eating out. If you are using your credit card at the grocery store, its probably because you need food to live and using credit is the only way you can at that particular moment. Yes, financial literacy is important, but a living wage, universal health care and affordable housing are more important and would do much more to increase the personal wealth of every American except for the top 1% who own 95% of the wealth currently.
Anyway, check out the article in full and/or leave a comment.
Food Blogging: Thursday, March 11th
Chia Oatmeal made with a dash of Vanilla Soy milk (no Smart Balance) and agave. I thought it wouldn't be as good without the Smart Balance, but a dash of the soy milk really dresses it up!
Food Blogging: Wednesday, March 10th
Kendra: My Post-Baby Body Was "Such a Culture Shock"
Kendra Baskett admits in the new issue of Us Weekly that she struggled to accept her new body weeks after the Dec. 11 birth of Hank IV, her son with husband Hank Baskett.
Having a different body was such a culture shock. I'm so used to being hot and fit." Although "it wasn't that extreme," the reality star says, "I did go through some depression."
The one-time centerfold adds that her body confidence remains shaky. "I love my legs, and I love my butt, but everything else I hate."
Even when pregnant, she was smaller then most of the people at my Walmart. Yet, I think she is the text book example of how celebrities get a warped sense of what one should look like that the biological act of giving birth is overshadowed by 00 desire.
Having a different body was such a culture shock. I'm so used to being hot and fit." Although "it wasn't that extreme," the reality star says, "I did go through some depression."
The one-time centerfold adds that her body confidence remains shaky. "I love my legs, and I love my butt, but everything else I hate."
Even when pregnant, she was smaller then most of the people at my Walmart. Yet, I think she is the text book example of how celebrities get a warped sense of what one should look like that the biological act of giving birth is overshadowed by 00 desire.
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Help Me Out Here Readers, What to order at a Mexican restaurant?
So, I'm trying to stick to about 1400-1600 calories per day (and I've been writing them down). But what is relatively low-cal to eat at a non-chain Mexican restaurant? Any hints or ideas. I'll go do some research now and update the post, but in the meanwhile, leave me your suggestions in the comments section, thanks!
Update #1: It looks like my best bet would be tacos with Mexican rice or tortilla soup. Or, fajitas sans the tortillas with Mexican rice. I have 910 calories already, so it'll be a close call with either orders. I'll let you know how it turned out tomorrow.
Update #2: So here's what I decided to have. Its shrimp on skewers with onions and peppers served with rice and tortillas. I didn't have any of the tortillas and about 1/2 the rice. I'm not sure what the calories would be on this dish, so I'm not going to fudge that data in my food journal, but I'm pretty sure that shrimp, veggies and rice = not bad at all! I didn't eat all!
Check out the photo:
Update #1: It looks like my best bet would be tacos with Mexican rice or tortilla soup. Or, fajitas sans the tortillas with Mexican rice. I have 910 calories already, so it'll be a close call with either orders. I'll let you know how it turned out tomorrow.
Update #2: So here's what I decided to have. Its shrimp on skewers with onions and peppers served with rice and tortillas. I didn't have any of the tortillas and about 1/2 the rice. I'm not sure what the calories would be on this dish, so I'm not going to fudge that data in my food journal, but I'm pretty sure that shrimp, veggies and rice = not bad at all! I didn't eat all!
Check out the photo:
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Food Blogging: Tuesday, March 9th
Food Blogging: Sunday, March 7, 2010
Food Blogging: Saturday, March 6, 2010
I'm Back!
Sorry for my MIA status! I went on two business trips last week--to Savannah, GA for a conference and then to Cincinnati for a morning meeting followed by 5 hours blissfully spent at IKEA (aka Disney Land for Adults). Then, coming back into the office Monday, I actually had work to do! Crazy, I know.
I'm going to start Food Blogging again! But before the healthy food blogging, I'm going to share the dangerous and delicious fare from my trip to Savannah! I got to go to Paula Deen's restaurant, The Lady and Sons and oh, my god/dess it was delicious. We all got the buffet, which sounds low-rent, but it allowed you to try all of her magnificent sides. The fried chicken and ribs were pretty much just good fried chicken, not so good ribs, so even though they're on my plate I ate only a couple bites of the ribs and half of the piece of chicken.


Since I was in the Deep South, I ordered Sweet Tea which my Kentucky colleagues called me out on--our sweet tea, they exclaimed is just as good as Paula's--its all Lipton's after all!
So, we went with the buffet, which was $17, instead of ordering off of the menu, probably $34. Truth is, I've heard wonderful things about her sides and the buffet offers more of those. Seen here, the MOST AMAZING COLLARD GREENS I'VE EVER HAD! Supper yummy green beans, corn puddin', mac-n-cheese, yams. There's also the fried chicken and ribs--the chicken was really good, I didn't like the sauce on the ribs, but I didn't really eat much of either in the end because the sides were so darn good! I also had (about two hours later) a couple bites of "butter cake" which was included in the buffet price but came from the dessert tray--it was really like a bar of butter & joy, not so much a cake, but I wouldn't mind looking at the recipe.
So, if you are heading to Savannah anytime soon, I'd definitely recommend Paula's. I also got some yummy Shrimp & Grits at the Shrimp Company on the trip, image below!
I'm going to start Food Blogging again! But before the healthy food blogging, I'm going to share the dangerous and delicious fare from my trip to Savannah! I got to go to Paula Deen's restaurant, The Lady and Sons and oh, my god/dess it was delicious. We all got the buffet, which sounds low-rent, but it allowed you to try all of her magnificent sides. The fried chicken and ribs were pretty much just good fried chicken, not so good ribs, so even though they're on my plate I ate only a couple bites of the ribs and half of the piece of chicken.

Prior to ordering, they bring you out a sizzling hot hoe cake (kind of like a pancake made out of corn meal) and a garlic cheese biscuit, even better than the Red Lobster garlic cheese biscuits. They were seriously worth difficulty of having to come down at lunch to get a reservation for dinner alone!

Since I was in the Deep South, I ordered Sweet Tea which my Kentucky colleagues called me out on--our sweet tea, they exclaimed is just as good as Paula's--its all Lipton's after all!

So, if you are heading to Savannah anytime soon, I'd definitely recommend Paula's. I also got some yummy Shrimp & Grits at the Shrimp Company on the trip, image below!

Monday, March 8, 2010
Post Oscar Complaints
1. It is awful all we can talk about post Oscars are the dresses. I feel that all those celebrity women need a round of applause for fitting in the dresses in the first place. That was not an easy task. It is very difficult to walk around in a mermaid skirt.
2. I am sick of them dogging Miley Cyrus. I know very few 17 year olds with good posture. I know even fewer adults with good posture.
3. Why isn't the focus on the acting?
Labels:
Celebrities,
Hollywood,
Miley Cyrus,
Oscars,
US Weekly,
Young Hollywood
Friday, March 5, 2010
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