‘Miscellaneous’ Category
What is Binge Eating?
A lot of people ask, “What is binge eating?” wondering if they may possibly be a victim of this not-often-discussed eating disorder.
Well, according to WikiPedia, you can have a binge eating episode, without actually suffering from the disorder, as seen on this page.
So technically, binge eating is uncontrolled overeating. It can be small, like when you decide to eat half a candy bar, but eat it all instead. Or it can be large like eating several fast-food value meals, one right after the other. It’s the inability to stop eating, no matter if the amount is large or small.
What is Binge Eating Disorder?
I mentioned that you can have a binge eating episode without actually suffering from the full disorder. And really, who hasn’t had it happen before? Thanksgiving dinner is an excellent example; the vast majority of us eat far too much, then shuffle off to the couch, groaning in discomfort.
The disorder itself (which I think deserves a post of its own) is characterized more by how compelled you are to overeat. In other words, is it something that periodically happens and you feel you have no control when it does?
The disorder is also characterized by frequency. Once or twice a year at holidays is one thing. One or more times a month could be something else.
In my next post, I’ll cover common signs of the disorder, as well as some binge eating facts. Meanwhile you now know the answer to, “what is binge eating?”. It’s when you just don’t have control.
Tags: Fast Food Restaurants and South L.A.
Oh my, I seem to be covering a lot of fast food information these days. Here’s something interesting I came across. I’m not sure it will help, but maybe it’s a baby step in the right direction? Read on and decide for yourself.
South Los Angeles has decided to ban any new fast food restaurants from opening for at least one year, to give the restaurants with healthier foods a chance to gain a foothold and following.
As reported by the Associated Press, City Councilman Bernard Parks said that ”Our communities have an extreme shortage of quality foods”.
No surprise there, especially after my previous post on what restaurants, fast-food or traditional, feed us.
Fast Food’s Reply: No, Don’t Ban Us!
How about this: 72% of the places to eat in South and SE LA are fast food restaurants. Ouch! No wonder why the restaurants are trying to challenge the ban. And no wonder why healthier alternatives are having a hard time.
And another statistic: 30% of children in south Los Angeles are obese.
Now here’s a quote I loved from Don Bailey, who has owned/operated a McDonalds for 22 years. He told the LA Times that “McDonald’s believes in healthy choices”.
Sure. Right. And the Easter Bunny delivers colored eggs. OK, maybe I am being too hard on the franchise; here’s some information so you can decide.
McDonald’s and Nutrition
I went to the official McDonald’s website and they do make it hard to locate the nutritional information! I did find it, and so here it is for you to peruse: McDonald’s Nutritional Charts
Now at first glance, the hamburger doesn’t look too bad — just 250 calories and 9 grams of fat. Ah, but look farther, at the trans-fat, saturated fat, cholesterol and sodium. Hmm, healthy isn’t what I’d call it.
So, let’s move to one of the “healthier” alternatives, the grilled honey mustard snack wrap. At 260 calories, that doesn’t seem too bad. And no trans-fat. Still, read on and get a load of the sodium! And the saturated fat isn’t anything to write home about either. And just 1 gram of dietary fiber?
Raise your hand if you don’t usually order fries with your McDonald’s meal? If you’re like most people and do get the fries, you don’t want to look. Or, maybe you should so you know how much fat — of all kinds — you are feeding your body.
Mr. Bailey, I challenge you on your statement. Or maybe I shouldn’t, because just because the franchise believes in healthier foods obviously doesn’t mean they offer them.
And in case you think I’m leaving out all their salad offerings, I’m not. After looking over the chart, the salads aren’t anything to write home about. And if you are counting calories, bring your own salad dressing because their low-fat dressings are not low calorie.
It seems like I’m picking on McDonald’s, but I’m just using them as an example. Burger King, Jack in the Box, Wendy’s — they are all purveyors of fat, er, fast food.
Ok, here’s the original article I plucked the information from, and you already have the McDonald’s nutritional chart from earlier in this post.
Is the ban on new fast food restaurants justified? Or should it be all restaurant franchises, seeing as some of the regular places (Applebee’s, Red Robin, Outback, etc.) aren’t where they should be nutrition-wise either?