This Week in Food News: Health Edition, Pt. II
Photo by Chris Dearnley
People are willing to go to extreme lengths for the sake of their health. This week’s news stories highlight all of the different measures people are willing to take in order to stay healthy. Read below to find out more!
A 66-year-old woman named Christine Hall has recently credited Starbucks with helping her lose 85 pounds. Hall claims that she went to her local Starbucks every day to eat Starbucks’s prepackaged foods for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Her breakfasts consisted of oatmeal and black coffee, and her lunch and dinners were either a “bistro box” or Panini, with the occasional brownie for “good behavior.” While Hall’s diet plan did help her curb her caloric intake at roughly $16 a day, dietician Rebecca Scritchfield has expressed concerns for its long-term sustainability. Scritchfield also noted that by limiting yourself to one restaurant, it can be “difficult to be healthy and meet your nutrition needs.” Menuism readers, what do you think of Hall’s Starbucks claims?
In Ottawa, Canada, the Juniper Kitchen & Wine Bar is charging guests for the pleasure of smelling their food. With the “smelling” menu (known as “Le Whaf”), restaurant patrons can inhale the scent of dishes through a straw, experiencing the flavor “on [their] sinus and palate” without taking a single bite. The dishes on the Le Whaf menu are created by boiling and straining the same ingredients in a typical dish, and poured into a glass carafe. As the steam concentrates, patrons can inhale the scent of the aroma through straws in an experience that helps diners “curb cravings and consume fewer calories.” The trend has already swept through Europe, and we are curious to see how the North American dining scene reacts to this unconventional dining experience. Would you be willing to give this a try?
In New York, NY, Mayor Michael Bloomberg recently won the Board of Health’s approval to place a ban on sugar-sweetened drinks larger than 16 ounces. The ban, which is a step towards reducing obesity, extends to all restaurants, fast-food joints, delis, movie theaters, sports stadiums and food carts. It doesn’t apply to grocery stores, diet sodas, drinks with more than 70% fruit juice or 50% milk, and alcoholic beverages. The new limitations on sugar-sweetened drinks have sparked anger among many members of the beverage industry, who have begun to take countermeasures against the restrictions in a major lobbying campaign. In a recent poll, Bloomberg’s plan has also been met by opposition among most New Yorkers, with 51% against the ban. Menuism readers, what’s your stance on this issue?
