"fiber" news and stories

There are few corporations as polarizing as Starbucks. Even on this blog, it is the rare Slashbucks post that doesn't incite a ruthless comments war. Yet there is no denying that Starbucks is a fast food force and their products deserve coverage like everybody else, so simmer.

Today Starbucks is introducing yet another beverage to their liquid arsenal. Though frozen and blended, the new Vivanno isn't another tired variation on the -ccino theme. Nope, this is Starbucks' answer to Jamba Juice: A protein-packed smoothie.

Here's the scoop:

• One whole - real! - banana (seriously! it will be peeled and pulsed before your very eyes!)
• Whey protein (16 grams) and fiber powder (5 grams)
• Choice of milk (default is 2%)
• Ice
• Secret Starbucks-Proprietary Orange-Mango Naked Juice
• Portion controlled (default is Grande, and always has less than 270 calories)

Although I believe it is rather naive of the financially-woed coffee conglomerate to try and break into the oversaturated smoothie market with a mere four options, I decided to give 'em a go.

You may have noticed that flax seed has been hitting the market shelves lately. Many products are using it as an ingredient as they jump on the healthy and super-foods bandwagon. Last year more than 250 foods containing flax were put on the market. Nutritionally, flax is a great source of omega-3 without the possibility of mercury contamination like you may have with fish. One thing about it is that the seed has to be ground to be nutritionally available to the body as the whole seeds can't really be digested well. Flax is also a great source of dietary fiber.

Just yesterday I tried some pocket bread that had ground flax seed in it and the slightly nutty taste vastly improved what I normally think of as a boring bread. Expect to see more flax laced foods than ever before as many companies start adding it to their line ups. Jamba Juice will have it in smoothies, breads of all kinds will have it, and it's even making it to the snack aisle in tortilla chips. Just remember that flax seed should be eaten in moderation with no more than 1-2 tablespoons a day. More than that and the oils and fiber can be a bit more effective on cleansing the digestive system than one would like.

Source

There are two things I have been trying like the Dickens to change about my diet: 1) drinking more water, and 2) eating food with more fiber. The water part is hard for me because I don't like how plain water tastes (yes, water does have a taste, you know), and I have an unholy addiction to Diet Coke and energy drinks.

The fiber part is even harder. I love fresh fruits and vegetables, but that's not the issue. The issue is my lifestyle. I don't just have a full-time job. I have the fullest-time job possible, I blog, and I live alone. This combination makes it near impossible to cook proper meals that include fresh produce and grains with fiber. For a while, I was taking fiber supplements in the form of, you know, those "drink" things, but that stopped as soon as I realized how bloated I was getting from it.

FiberOne is a candidate in my quest for quick sources of fiber. FiberOne is a line from cereal and food company General Mills that has a few products, all focusing on high fiber. The basic cereal looks like any other fiber cereal - little "noodles" or "branches" - that definitely look too healthy to enjoy. General Mills has expanded the line with two more family friendly cereals, meaning that in the bowl, they look a lot less clinical.

I tried FiberOne Raisn Bran Clusters, which is FiberOne's entrant in the raisin bran cereal playing field, which is dominated by Kellog's Raisin Bran. However, if the marketing on the cereal box is accurate, FiberOne beats all other raisin brans with 40% of the recommended daily intake of fiber. Supposedly, that makes FiberOne's Raisin Bran Clusters the leader.

Are you a regular drinker? Let me rephrase that. Are you a "regular" drinker?

Here's a drink from The Food Monkey, which I found in Boston Now, a new free daily in the Hub. Sort of like Metro, but with better content. This drink combines booze with something you might not have thought of adding to your cocktail.

I've done an extensive survey of all of the information about weight loss that you can find on the shelves of Border's and Barnes & Noble, and here are the results.

It seems as if the best way to lose weight and get in shape is a combo of the following: eating a lot of carbs, eating a lot of fat, cutting carbs out completely, drinking a lot of water, not eating any "white" foods at night like bread, rice, and pasta, eating just grapefruit, eating your meals in a mixed-up fashion (lunch for dinner, breakfast for lunch, etc), not eating after 8pm, eating a lot of soups, cutting out all candy, cakes, and processed foods, avoiding diet drinks, eating a Subway sub a couple of times a week, eating foods according to your blood type, eating foods according to color, eating a lot of fiber, training your brain to think like a thin person, eating like they do in France, eating like they do in China, not counting calories, making sure you count calories, taking vitamins and supplements, become a vegan, eating more meat, eat a lot of apples, eating only raw foods, and joining one of the weight loss organizations such as Weight Watchers or Jenny Craig.

If you follow the above rules, you should get in shape very quickly. You're welcome.