Balance of Food

Fat Tuesday

Today celebrates the time known as Fat Tuesday, the day where Christians load up on fun before Ash Wednesday. What I find funny about Fat Tuesday is we keep the "fat" part of the tradition, but not so much with the deprivation of Lent.

It's a convenient day to eat beignets even if we have never been to New Orleans. But if we have leftovers tomorrow, we'll eat them then.

Without the religious significance, Fat Tuesday is an excuse to party when there aren't any major holidays nearby.

You can, if you can, still enjoy what Fat Tuesday has to offer. Just remember the significance of why it exists.

Less sodium for Campbell's soups

"Soups taste good and can be good for you." How many times have you heard that? Well, if you don't care about sodium levels, eat all the soup you want. But those who have to watch sodium (yes, I'm raising my hand) have problems with soup.

Campbell's is trying something new: natural, low-sodium sea salt. The company announced that it will be used in about 30 soups — both new and reformulated recipes. They are supposed to be on supermarket shelves in August.

According to George Dowdie, Campbell's vice president for research and development, the sea salt has 40 percent less sodium than the regular stuff.

I'm just glad chicken noodle is on the list. Then I might eat it more than when I get sick.

If this works, the possibilities are endless. Tons of processed foods use sodium to make up for taste/quality imbalances. If taste can be maintained, more companies will use this process.

True Life: I'm a Competitive Eater

MTV does these "True Life" documentaries, and it is devoting 60 minutes to one of my favorite topics on this blog: competitive eating.

"True Life: I'm a Competitive Eater" spotlighted three young men who compete in the sport. Tim "Eater X" Janus, one of the top eaters; Ian "The Invader" Hickman, who is just starting out; and the unofficial champion of the sport, Takeru "Tsunami" Kobayashi. Having a nickname apparently helps you do well.

I saw Janus and Kobayashi last summer on ESPN. Hickman was recently spotlighted in The Washington Post.

I don't want to spoil it for you, but it's a rather intriguing spotlight into a growing (pun intended) sport. It's truly not as simple as it looks; strategy and training definitely go into being successful.

The premiere is tonight at 10 p.m. EST on MTV. Here are the other times the program airs (Eastern time):

• February 23: 9 pm
• February 24: 2:30 pm
• February 25: 7:30 pm/1:30 am
• February 26: 1:30 pm/6:30 pm
• February 28: 1 pm/11 pm
• March 1: 9 pm

Kellogg's turns 100

Congratulations to Kellogg's on 100 years of making breakfast cereals.

Cereals have taken a few shots in recent years, from its high prices to being encouraged to reduce sugar and add whole grains. But W.K. Kellogg and his brother, John Harvey, revolutionized an entire meal for American society.

In case you don't know the story. In 1894, the chief physician at the Battle Creek Sanatorium (John Harvey) and his younger brother (W.K.) were trying to create a better-tasting concept to replace the nutritious but bland bread served to patients. Instead, they accidentally ended up inventing flaked cereal.

I should point out a bias since I lived in Battle Creek for about 2 1/2 years. Years before that, I actually took a tour of the Kellogg's plant back when tours were allowed. It was a wonderful experience, watching the process.

The actual anniversary is today, February 19.

Enormous sandwich lives in Visa ad

The new Visa credit card ad, called "Life Takes," celebrates the enormous sandwich. OK, so that's not the point of the ad. But Barbara Lippert of Adweek put it well:

"...it contains likeable scenes heavy on wacky (a guy eating an enormous sandwich shaped like a Galapagos turtle, amateur bowlers and another crazy guy doing a backflip off a tree trunk-not something you see every day)."

I will have to take another look at the size of the sandwich in the spot. And while I haven't seen too many Galapagos turtles, I know they're big. Hopefully, there is somewhere you can buy that sandwich, and hopefully, they take credit cards.

Doonesbury loading on calories

I hope you've been following Doonesbury lately. It's back on the theme of excessive calories. In today's trip, Zonker brags about moving 115,650 calories that night. (For moving the most calories, he gets a trip to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.)

There have been several similar themes, following on a earlier tangent where Garry Trudeau has put his take on huge calorie dishes in restaurants.

Even if you are dieting, the strips are still pretty funny.

What makes a cheese parmesan?

For those who think true Parmesan cheese comes from a green shaker can, you might not think this story is a big deal. To those in Parma in Italy, this is a big deal.

The standard for what makes Parmesan cheese differs depending on the country. In Italy, at least a year. The U.S. standard is 10 months. However, Kraft Foods says it can speed the process and wants a six-month standard.

To clarify the difference, what is in a name is highly important. Only cheese from Parma and nearby provinces can be called Parmigiano Reggiano. And those dairies are strictly regulated. Elsewhere in the world, the same type of cheese is called Parmesan.

My sympathy goes to the Italians on this one. To call what comes out of the green can "parmesan" is an insult to Parma. Especially if you have tasted Parmigiano Reggiano cheese. If Kraft wants to do that, it should change the name. But keep the green can; that is still pretty cool.

President Clinton to help childhood obesity

Always good to see former presidents using their influence to make a better society. Former President Bill Clinton and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation are launching an $8 million initiative to fight childhood obesity by encouraging more exercise and healthier food in schools.

This effort is part of a campaign that started last year by Clinton's foundation and the American Heart Association. Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, a Republican and loser of 110 pounds, is co-chairman of the initiative, dubbed the Alliance for a Healthier Generation.

"What we want to do is to create a national recognition program shining a spotlight on schools that have done a good job, with concrete, innovative steps to create healthier learning environments for children and healthier work environments for staff," Clinton said at a Harlem public school.

According to the campaign, 285 schools in 13 states had been chosen for the pilot phase of the program, beginning next fall.

Clinton has had his issues with being overweight. He underwent heart bypass surgery in 2004 and was known for his trips to McDonald's while in office.

Shriver wants to help obesity

Maria Shriver, known more for being the First Lady of California than her marginal journalism career at NBC, is going to be one of 300 major entertainment, political and health leaders on hand tomorrow at the Four Seasons Hotel in Beverly Hills. The gathering is designed to discuss ways California can work with different organizations to educate people on obesity and its related health problems.

The Health Focus 2006 luncheon was put together by the Entertainment Industry Foundation, Novo Nordisk, a world leader in diabetes care, and Prevention magazine.

Shriver, with her thin frame, should be a good inspiration to those gathered. Hopefully, her words and reactions will have enough pull with Gov. Schwarzenegger. It would be good to see California be a trailblazer in fighting obesity.

Oakland passes 'fast food' tax

Many cities have threatened a "fast-food" or "litter" tax. Now Oakland will get to show everyone whether it will work or not. The California city is placing a new tax on fast-food restaurants and convenience stores to fund the cost of cleaning up litter.

Eateries and convenience stores will have to pay between $230 and $3,800 a year, with the exact amount depending on their size. The money will be used to pay work crews to clean up litter.

Watching the poor shop for food makes you feel sorry for this fast-food tax. And places that suggest it (or pass it) usually have a lot of poor and minority people. Beverly Hills would never pass one, but Detroit considered it. And now Oakland has passed it.

At least we'll see what effect, positive or negative, a tax like this will have.