LA Raises the Bar on Health

The LA Board of Supes showed some real courage this week when they voted to require 100 percent of all food and beverages in vending machines under their control meet nutrition standards. Not 50 percent, not 70 percent, but 100 percent! That's the type of committment we need in the face of this obesity crisis. Way to go Supes!

Mike

What happened to Lombard Street this morning?

San Francisco's Lombard Street was transformed into a giant Candyland boardgame this morning to celebrate the iconic game's 60th birthday. The street was closed to traffic while kids from the University of California, San Francisco Children's Hospital and the nonprofit Friends of the Children participated in the game as colored game pieces, interacted with life-sized game characters and ate cake with Princess Frostine. I wonder just how tasty Chocolate Swamp and Peppermint Forest were . . .

Pictures by Ted Weinstein/SFist. Click here for more.

~ Nicole

Is obesity crushing health care?

This is one of the best articles that I've read on the relationship between the obesity epidemic and health care reform. Very perceptive quotes and premise. What do you think?

San Francisco Chronicle: Obesity a crushing weight on U.S. health care

- Paula

Legislators - it's time to put children's health first!

The child nutrition reauthorization bill, which comes up for renewal every five years, is about to go into debate. Now is our chance to strongly encourage our elected officials to put children's health first. School lunch and breakfast programs need to be adequately funded so children can enjoy healthy fruits and vegetables instead of cheap mystery meat nuggets.

Marion Nestle expressed my opinions exactly in her column, "Let the school-meals resolution begin."

- Paula

Image: Max School Bus

Quote of the Day

"Given a choice between two theories, take the one which is funnier."

- Blore's Razor

What does he mean when he says it doesn't help consumers?

On July 1, California became the latest state to impose calorie labeling. Now a federal bill with wide support in Congress would make chains with 20 or more outlets post calories on menus nationwide. The spin from the restaurant industry continues to be amusing... and annoying.

Wendy's spokesman Denny Lynch recently said: "It doesn't help the consumers; it simply puts a number up on the board."

Yum! Brands, owner of KFC, Taco Bell, Pizza Hut, Long John Silvers, and A&W, is taking the opposite approach. They are encouraging every restaurant to tell all.

If you were at KFC wouldn't you want to know that the Kentucky Grilled Chicken breast contained 180 calories compared to the extra-crispy breast that packs on a hefty 490 calories? Denny Lynch doesn't get it.

Salsa anyone?

Alice Waters would be so proud of us. We planted tomatoes in our BMC parking lot and are now enjoying a delicious harvest.

Tomato salad, pasta sauce, BLTs... the possibilities are endless.

-- Paula

How do you spend your day?

My friend just sent me this neat looking chart from The New York Times showing what exactly we’re all doing with our day. The information is based on the American Time Use Survey which asks thousands of American residents to recall every minute of a day.

I enjoyed clicking through the different demographic groups to see how time dedicated to sleep, work and leisure changes by such factors as gender, age and race. It was also cool to see what percentage of Americans is doing a certain type of activity down to the exact minute. For example, Hispanics and whites are equally likely to be dining at noon, but whites are 1.5 times as likely to be eating at 6:30 p.m., the peak dinner time. Who knew?

Want to view the chart and compare your lifestyle to the rest of America?