"oprah" news and stories

I watched the episode of Oprah a few weeks ago that had Jerry Seinfeld's wife Jessica, talking about her new get-your-kids-to-eat cookbook Deceptively Delicious. Basically, she purees up the good stuff her kids should be eating (broccoli, cauliflower, other veggies) and secretly puts them inside foods that her kids really love (chicken fingers, chocolate chip cookies, etc). But is this a new thing?

I ask this because I had heard about doing something similar, and a woman who wrote and published another cookbook is wondering if the two projects are too similar. Missy Chase Lapine, author of The Sneaky Chef (published in April by Running Press), says that her publicists pitched the idea to Oprah five times with no luck, and then six months later Jessica Seinfeld is on the show with her cookbook doing very similar recipes and cooking tips, and that Oprah it was being "touted as an entirely new technique."

That's according to Mehmet Oz, the doctor who always appears on Oprah in his scrubs, talking about colons, and Joel Harper, in this quick Q and A at Esquire.com.

Oz and Harper (a personal trainer) answer several questions about food, health, and exercise. Besides declaring blueberries the healthiest fruit, they also say that the only good thing about pizza is the sauce, that colon cleansing isn't really worth it, and that a little alcohol isn't bad for us at all. They also answer the question on whether it's ok to eat something that has fallen on the floor as long as we pick it up within five seconds.

As for the pizza advice, I think there's another good thing that they're forgetting: pizza is totally awesome!

I was surfing around the new and improved AOL Food today, and I came across this A to Z Guide To Diets. It doesn't have every single diet, of course (how could they when there's a new diet book out every week?), but it has the one that you're probably on or are thinking of trying, including The 3 Hour Diet, The Abs Diet, Atkins, Blood Type Diet, Bob Greene, Cabbage Soup, Dr. Phil's Diet, Fat Flush, Fat Smash, Grapefruit Diet, L.A. Weight Loss Diet, NutriSystem, Sonoma, Ultimate New York Diet, Ultrametabolism, Weight Watchers, and The Zone.

The only plan I've tried is The Abs Diet, because it's not only sensible and realistic, it promotes a lot of exercise and not starving yourself or cutting out a ton of foods you like to eat. But I cringe at the word "diet." It just screams "temporary fix," and keeping the weight off and your body healthy is a life-long plan.

I know that Joe's been slinging burgers at you every day at noon in honor of (questionably official) National Burger Month, but those are Burgers of the Day. This is the Burger of the Night.

This monster burger is from The Counter Burger in Santa Monica, CA, which happens to be number 15 on Alan Richman's GQ List of the 20 Burgers You Must Eat Before You Die (we also covered the California Burger from Houston's from that list earlier this month), and which happens to be a burger that had its own Oprah moment. I went to the Counter, and I have to say, I was not overly impressed. Then again, "must eat before you die" and Oprah builds up some pretty high expectations.

I will say, however, that the sweet potato French fries that we had with the burgers were out of this world. The Counter is definitely worth a visit if you're in the area, but don't go out of your way just to make it before you die.

A lot has been said over the past few years about "superfoods" -- certain foods that reportedly contribute greatly toward your overall health. Now, Dr. Perricone, an M.D. probably best known for his guest appearances on such television shows as 'Oprah,' the 'Today Show' and 'Larry King Live,' has weighed in with his top 10 choices. I found it interesting because even though there are some standards there, his list does include a few items that I haven't necessarily seen referred to as "superfoods" before.

Though each food has different possible benefits, it is believed that consuming these may help to regulate metabolism and burn body fat, lower cholesterol, prevent cancer, protect against heart disease and act as an aid to your digestive health. As always though, check that with your own doctor first. Perricone actually calls Wild Alaskan Salmon the "King of Superfoods" (which I suppose makes this a top 11 list instead), followed by the following 10:

• Açai Berry -- A high energy berry from the Amazon
• The Allium Family -- Garlic, onions, shallots, leeks and chives
• Barley
• Green foods including blue green algae, barley grass and wheat grass
• Buckwheat seed -- More protein than rice or wheat
• Beans and lentils -- High in fiber
• Hot peppers -- Anti-inflammatory analgesic
• Nuts and seeds
• Sprouts
• Yogurt or kefir

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