Very Late March 2011 News Roundup & Blog Updates

NEWS from NEW HAVEN:

Temperatures have been cool, and a cold wind has been blowing off the water, but the sun has been shining brightly and the skies have been blue for days now — finally! Everyone’s thoughts are turning to Spring and being outdoors.

The March Critical Mass bike ride took place last Friday, and the Smart Cycling Handbook (see more below) was introduced yesterday. But what should have been joyful events for New Haven’s bicycling enthusiasts were tainted by grief.

The cycling community and everyone whose life Mitchell Dubey touched are still reeling from his death last Thursday night. The popular Devil’s Gear Bike Shop service manager, punk rock musician, and straight edge vegan  was shot in the chest while sitting on a couch in his New Haven home, in the presence of his housemates. It appears that the home had been targeted for a robbery. According to the most recent reports, a ringing cellphone may have startled the armed killer. No suspect has been apprehended.

Friday’s Critical Mass ride was dedicated to Mitch, and the somber ride took a route which passed his home in Newhallville. On Sunday evening hundreds of friends from near and far gathered on the plaza outside the Devil’s Gear to grieve and to remember Mitch in the presence of his family.

A memorial concert featuring bands with which Mitch was associated will be held at Toad’s at 6 pm on Sunday, April 3 in an all-ages, alcohol free show. $10 minimum donation. Proceeds will benefit the Dubey family.

Smart Cycling Handbook: A Handbook for New Haven Cyclists has been available on the web as a pdf for some time. Yesterday it was introduced in printed form at an event at the Devil’s Gear Bike Shop. The handbook was developed the City’s Street Smarts campaign, in partnership with bicycling advocates, law enforcement officials, and local leaders. Dana Barnes (Yale SPH ’11) began this project while serving as a summer intern in the New Haven Department of Transportation, Traffic & Parking. The handbook is designed to promote cycling in New Haven while promoting safety and traffic education. The comprehensive 48-page guide addresses topics including: reasons to bike, hand signals, ordinances, proper fit for equipment, trails and parks, and how to get involved in the bike community. It’s all in there. You can access the complete guide here. According to literature distributed at the event by the advocacy group Elm City Cycling, out of every city on the East Coast, New Haven boasts the second-highest percentage of residents who walk or bike to work, but has the highest number of motorist/bicycle accidents of any city in Connecticut.

NEWS from ALL OVER:

Back in December [blog post of 12/27/10] I spoke of college classmate Dr. May R. Berenbaum, editor of the cookbook Honey, I’m Homemade, whose proceeds benefit the University of Illinois Pollinatarium — the first freestanding science outreach center in the nation devoted to flowering plants and their pollinators. May was just awarded the prestigious John & Alice Tyler Prize. According to information available at the Tyler Prize site: “Berenbaum has studied the ‘arms race’ that exists between plants and the insects that feed on them, particularly with regard to the chemical and genetic changes that plants make to keep insects from eating them and that insects make to overcome plant defenses.  Berenbaum's study of this perpetual conflict has uncovered the genetic underpinnings for the theory of coevolution, and in making these discoveries, she has transformed chemical ecology itself.” Past Tyler Prize recipients include American biologist and Pulitzer Prize-winning author Edward O. Wilson, primatologist and animal conservationist Jane Goodall, and conservation biologist Paul Ehrlich. Honey, I’m Homemade is just one of six books, 40 book chapters, over 200 letters and papers published in scientific journals, and more than 100 articles and editorials for non-scientific publications which May has written. Her list of honors is impressive, but perhaps the most telling is that May's name has appeared on the “List of Excellent Teachers” for at least 29 semesters since she began teaching at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 1980. Congratulations, May! 

My playlist: 38 artists have donated tracks to the benefit album Songs for Japan available on iTunes for $9.99. All proceeds go to the Japanese Red Cross. FYI, not every song on this album is destined to remain on my personal list, but I’ve labeled several with 5 stars.

UPCOMING EVENTS:

Sunday, April 3

6:00 PM: Benefit for Mitchell Dubey, Toad’s Place, New Haven. $10 minimum donation.

Friday, April 22

Earth Day

Saturday, April 30

Rock to Rock Earth Day Ride [more in my 3.23.post].

Saturday, April 30

National Prescription Drug Take Back Day. Visit this site for a location near you.

That’s it for today. Please remember to return for Freebie Friday. I’ll have something awesome for everyone who cooks or considers cooking.

Meatless Monday: Diners Beware Part 3

Those of you who join me regularly on Meatless Monday know that I’ve been taking a break from my usual posts to provide you with nutrition information for restaurant chains. Last week the list was Fast Food/Take-Out. This week it’s Restaurants (defined by table service). There are many regional restaurant chains, and I know I’ve missed some. But this list will give you an idea of what type of fare the chains are serving up.

There was a bit of good news in this category. Eat ’N Park, a chain in Pennsylvania  and Ohio, sources many of its ingredients from local farms. You can read testimonials from family farmers here. 

If you look carefully you will find some reasonable choices in many of these listings, particularly in sub-categories with titles like “Healthy Choices.” In general, though, if the fat or calories don’t get you, the sodium will. And do read very carefully to determine how many servings are in a portion and whether the nutritional data is for portion, serving, or piece.

As a point of reference, please keep this info in mind. A moderately active young woman requires approximately 2,000 calories per day. The American Heart Association recommends that everyone limit daily sodium consumption to 1500 milligrams (less than 3/4 teaspoon of salt), and that the aforementioned woman limit her saturated fat to 20 grams or less, and her total fat to between 50 and 70 grams per day. Most of these menus are using the older 2300 milligrams a day guideline for sodium intake.

RESTAURANTS:

99:

http://www.99restaurants.com/resources/pdf/99_AllergenInfo.pdf [Sodium is off the chart; calories and fat not looking too good either.]

Applebee’s:

http://www.applebees.com/downloads/Applebees_Nutritional_Info.pdf [Check out the under 550 Calories  and WeightWatchers offerings, but watch the sodium.]

Bertucci’s:

http://www.bertuccis.com/uploads/nutritional.pdf

Buffalo Wild Wings: 

Nutrition info is not available on their site. Some info, minus sodium and saturated fat is here: http://www.livestrong.com/thedailyplate/nutrition-calories/food/buffalo-wild-wings/

Chili’s:

http://www.chilis.com/en/nutritional%20information/chilis_nutrition_menu_generic.pdf [Watch the sodium and saturated fat.]

Cracker Barrel: Does not make this information available. 

[Read more here: http://www.crackerbarrel.com/about.cfm?doc_id=5 Among other things the site states: “While we are unable to give any exact calorie or fat content information, the following choices may help you in your selection…” Hmmmm… Won’t be going back there.]

Denny’s: 

http://www.dennys.com/LiveImages/enProductImage_900.pdf [There are a few surprises here, particularly in the Senior Menu, one of them being that you are a senior if you are 55! Watch those Scrambles and Skillets!]

Eat ’N Park:

http://www.eatnpark.com/pdfs/Nutrition.pdf [FarmSource is Eat ’N Park’s local purchasing program in which the chain partners with more than 20 farms and dairies in the areas of Pittsburgh, Harrisburg and Northern Ohio. Read more here.] 

Golden Corral:

http://www.goldencorral.com/menu/ [It’s all available here, but the complete menu is sub-divided into 5 categories.]

Longhorn Steakhouse:

http://www.longhornsteakhouse.com/pdf/2010LongHornSteakHouseNutrition.pdf

Olive Garden:

http://www.olivegarden.com/menus/printable/NutritionInformation.pdf [Watch the salt and remember to add; for pizza, toppings are listed separately.]

Outback:

http://www.outback.com/menu/nutritionselection.aspx [Calculator for individual items] For a complete list: http://www.livestrong.com/thedailyplate/nutrition-calories/food/outback-steakhouse/ [No listing for saturated fat or sodium]

Perkins:

http://nc.perkinsrestaurants.com/PerkinsNC/ [Calculator for individual items] 

For a complete list: http://www.livestrong.com/thedailyplate/nutrition-calories/food/perkins-restaurant/ [No listing for saturated fat or sodium]

Rainforest Cafe: No listing on the site.

Go here for a listing of most facts: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/nutrition-facts-calories/rainforest-cafe [No listing for saturated fat or sodium]

Red Lobster:

http://www.redlobster.com/health/nutrition/Nutrition_Facts.pdf [Watch anything Alfredo.]

Ruby Tuesday’s:

http://www.rubytuesday.com/assets/menu/pdf/informational/nutrition.pdf [Note the Smart Eating Choices. But remember that appetizers are shown by the serving. If you plan to eat the whole thing, multiply by 4!]

Texas Roadhouse:

Does not make the information available. 
Read more here: http://www.texasroadhouse.com/contact-us/

T.G.I. Friday’s:

Does not make the information available. 
Read more here: http://www.tgifridays.com/contactus/faq.aspx 

A limited amount of information is available here: http://www.livestrong.com/thedailyplate/nutrition-calories/food/tgi-fridays/

Uno Chicago Grill:

http://www.unos.com/nutrition.php [Not a complete menu listing. But you can search for items meeting criteria such as “less than 500 calories,” “less than 750 mg. sodium,” or “vegetarian.” It’s all here, you just have to look for it. BTW, I checked out the vegetarian burger, and see that I need to multiply everything by 2 because 1 burger is 2 servings! Read carefully!]

Besides the nutritional shortcomings, another thing to consider is the sourcing and sustainability of the ingredients purchased by the chain, particularly the proteins. Other than what I’ve told you about Eat ’N Park, I’m not prepared to tackle this question, at least not yet.

Have a good week. I hope I haven’t ruined it for you. But you can’t save the planet if you’re not around… Next Monday I promise a new topic. And look for me on Freebie Friday when I’ll have a nifty tool or two.

I try to blog on food or food issues each Monday in support of Meatless Monday, one of several programs developed in the Healthy Monday project, founded in 2003 in association with Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Syracuse University’s Newhouse School of Communications. Meatless Monday’s goal is “to help reduce meat consumption 15% in order to improve personal health and the health of our planet.”

Freebie Friday 3.25.11

Worthy Things to Do, Listen To, or View that Won’t Cost You a Dime

TGIF. Welcome to another edition of Freebie Friday. Food/Eating is the theme. Once again it’s a three tip Friday. 

• First up is the National Institutes of Health’s Portion Distortion Interactive Quiz. You may have heard that portion sizes in restaurants have become larger over the past 20 years. Once you take this short, 2-part quiz you should have no remaining doubts about just how much Americans have “biggied up” in the last two decades. Along with the new calorie counts, the answer section lets you know how much exercise it would take to burn up the difference in calories. Part I starts with a bagel and ends with a turkey sandwich. Part II covers coffee, muffins, pizza, and more. 

• Next is the Eat Well Guide which allows you to find good food wherever you are — at home or on the road. Find sustainable food options by entering a keyword, zip code, or city/state. You can use Eat Well Anywhere to help plan a road trip allowing you to eat good food along the way. The Eat Well Guide is a program of the GRACE Communications Foundation. 

• Finally, I offer up The Meatrix, the first in a trilogy of animated shorts inspired by The Matrix. In the first episode Moopheus introduces Leo the pig to the reality of The Meatrix (the factory farm), “the lie we tell ourselves about where our food comes from.” The second installment covers the dark side of dairy farming, and the third, meat processing facilities. Be warned that these shorts are not for young children. The site is rich in content for further education and action steps. The Meatrix is a project of the GRACE Communications Foundation and Free Range Studios.

TGIF. Be sure to visit again on Monday for my third and final installment on the nutritional content of fast food. Have a great weekend!

FYI Why a piñata? Just like a blog link, until you open it, you won’t know what’s inside.

Late March 2011 News Roundup & Blog Updates

NEWS from ALL OVER:

The International Pancake Races [see my blog post on 3.7.11] were held on March 8. Liberal, Kansas beat Olney England. Liberal now leads Olney 36 to 25. 

The hearing for the proposed storm water authority in New Haven on March 17 was contentious. The authority would be financed by a fee levied on all property owners, tax-exempt or not, and would be based on the amount of impermeable surface on their property. A well-organized and vocal group of clergy turned out in great numbers to protest the levying of any fee against those “doing God’s work.” The New Haven Independent covered the lengthy meeting in great detail. The proposal was tabled for a second time. 

A huge full moon filled the front window of the bus I boarded in Lexington, Massachusetts on Saturday evening, March 19, just after sunset. Dubbed a “Supermoon,” it was the largest and brightest moon in nearly 20 years. The NASA site explains the phenomenon far better than I ever could. You can see some stunning views of this moon rising over US cities here.

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has been questioning the safety of the Indian Point Nuclear Reactor since he was the state’s attorney general. In light of the recent disaster at Japan’s Fukushima Nuclear Reactor, he brokered a meeting with officials from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) on March 22 and exacted an agreement that the NRC would make Indian Point “top priority,” that it would share data on seismic risk, and that state personnel would be included in the commission’s on-site inspection of the facility. Indian Point is up for relicensing in 2013. Indian Point is less than 50 miles from New York City (a 72 mile drive from New Haven, closer as the crow flies) and is situated near a fault line.

It’s Spring in New Haven, but you’d never know it. Snow fell on Monday. A little more fell this morning and a bigger storm will arrive tonight. Still, it is highly unlikely that this year we will exceed the winter snow total set in 1995-1996. We will have to settle for second place.

NEW (OR NEARLY NEW) VENTURES in NEW HAVEN:

Elm City Market received a big boost when Webster Bank committed $4 million to finance the opening of the co-op. Elm City Market has 450 members and is now expected to open this summer. It will employ more than 100 people and expects to source more than 50% of its products within 400 miles of the market.

Downtown grocery shopping will return when Stop & Shop opens at the site of the former Shaw’s in the Dwight neighborhood on April 15.

The venue for the March 16 New Haven Green Drinks [see my blog post on 1.10.10] was Elm City Handmade, “a maker’s showcase in the heart of the ninth square.” Artist Lisa Spetrini was a wonderful host and gave an enthusiastic run-down on the venture, the space, and all that happens there. Elm City Homemade features products from a number of “makers” ranging from terrariums to hula hoops, including bags by GG2G [see my blog post on 7.7.10], as well as vintage clothing, and other surprises. A participant in Project Storefronts under the auspices of the New Haven Department of Cultural Affairs, Elm City Handmade is open from 1-9 PM Tuesday through Saturday, and on Sunday from 1-5 PM. NBC-30 featured Project Storefronts during the winter holidays. 

Adjacent to Elm City Handmade in the former home of United Way is The Grove, a coworking space, billed as “a new kind of social space.”  Its members are “value-driven, collaborative people building innovative solutions for a radically better world.” You can meet them here: you, too, can become a member. The Grove is a Groundworks initiative, directed by Ken Janke and Slate Ballard. Their story is here.

Helping Hands Community Thriftstore and Furniture Bank is looking to fill its warehouse. Helping Hands opened in February. Located at 1593 State Street, New Haven in the former home of the Costume Bazaar, its hours are 9:30 AM-5:30 PM Mon-Sat. Its mission is two-fold. The Furniture Bank is open to needy clients of partnering social service non-profit organizations. For the partnering organizations, donating is a fundraising activity: each organization receives 18% of the sale price of any goods donated in their name. What a great motivation for doing a little spring cleaning! The list of what Helping Hands does and does not accept is available here. 

On a recent visit to Nica’s Market I purchased a loaf of fit bread which came in a neon green bag. It made terrific toast. Fit is baked by New Haven’s newest artisan bakery, Whole German Bread. Check out this story in the New Haven Independent to read more about the bread, its bakers, and how the business came to be. 

NEW HAVEN BICYCLE HAPPENINGS:

March’s Critical Mass [see my blog post on 5.4.10] ride will depart from the flagpole on the New Haven Green at 5:30(ish) this coming Friday, March 25. The idea behind these monthly rides? As Aretha would say, “A little R-E-S-P-E-C-T” for cyclists. Bundle up.

On Tuesday, March 29, the new Smart Cycling Handbook will be introduced in an event on Pitkin Plaza, the front yard of the Devil’s Gear Bike Shop. At 10:30 AM New Haven Mayor John DeStefano will speak on behalf of the city and in support of the handbook.  This handy guide contains everything you need to know for safe biking in the City from routes to rules to repair tips.

Saturday, April 30, is the date of the Rock to Rock Earth Day Ride in New Haven.  This event is a day-long celebration of Earth Day. Hundreds of riders traverse the city from West Rock to East Rock in a relatively flat and easy 8.5 mile route, stopping along the way to rest, eat tasty food, help plant some trees, and explore. There is a 22+ mile route for the more hard-core riders. The registration fees and pledges collected support local environmental organizations. Start training now! You can register here.

UPCOMING EVENTS:

Saturday, March 26

8:00 PM: Bach Collegium Japan, JS Bach: Mass in B Minor. Special Performance to Benefit Yale’s Relief Efforts for the Japan Earthquake. Woolsey Hall at Yale. Presented by the Yale Institute of Sacred Music. $15 ($8 students).

Saturday, March 26 

8:30-9:30 PM: Earth Hour

Friday, April 22

Earth Day

Saturday, April 30

National Prescription Drug Take Back Day. Visit this site for a location near you.

BLOG NEWS:

My blog’s page views crossed the 10,000 mark on March 20! And, just so you know, my own personal page views are not counted. Thanks everyone.

Be sure to come back for this week’s Freebie Friday.

Meatless Monday: Diners Beware Part 2

Those of you who joined me for Meatless Monday last week learned that I am taking a break from my usual posts to provide you with nutrition information for restaurant chains. Last week the categories were: Breakfast, Coffee, Donuts, and Ice Cream. This week I’m moving on to a bigger list — Fast Food/Take-Out — broken down into smaller sub-categories. These links will also help those seeking to avoid meat. Your options are more varied in some places than in others.

First, let me preface this new list with some good news. I’ve discovered an exception to the usual fast food chain — Chipotle. Chipotle’s founder, Steve Ells, is one of the celebrity  investors/judges on an NBC reality series on which I’ve become hooked — “America’s Next Great Restaurant”, and I've been learning a lot about Steve Ells and Chipotle while watching the show. Ells opened his first Chipotle in  Denver in 1993 with a loan from his dad. Chipotle’s slogan is: “Food with integrity” and Chipotle is committed to serving fresh food, prepared daily, on-site, with sustainably raised ingredients. You can read more in this “Letter from Steve.” The Chipotle menu has just a few items, with a long list of options from which you can “build the perfect meal.” Note that at Chipotle you can still overdo it, but whether or not you go overboard on the salt, fat, or calories is under your control.

If you look carefully you will find some reasonable choices in some of the sandwich chains as well. In general, though, if the fat or calories don’t get you, the sodium will.

As a point of reference, keep in mind this info from last week. A moderately active young woman requires approximately 2,000 calories per day. The American Heart Association recommends that everyone limit daily sodium consumption to 1500 milligrams (less than 3/4 teaspoon of salt), and that the aforementioned woman limit her saturated fat to 20 grams or less, and her total fat to between 50 and 70 grams per day. Most of these menus are using the older 2300 milligrams a day guideline for sodium intake.

Beef/Burgers:

Arbys (contains info for Arby’s and Wendy’s):

http://www.arbys.com/nutrition/Dual_Brand_Nutrition_Website_2009_12_9.pdf

Burger King:

http://www.bk.com/en/us/menu-nutrition/full-menu.html (for individual items) or read the entire list (without sodium) here:

http://www.livestrong.com/thedailyplate/search/?q=burger+king&mode=tdp

Hardee’s:

http://www.hardees.com/system/pdf_menus/9/original/Hardees_Nutritionals_5.20.10.pdf?1285096241

In-N-Out Burger:

http://www.in-n-out.com/nutritional_info.asp

Jack in the Box: 

http://www.jackinthebox.com/pdf/NutritionalGuide_2010.pdf [Contains a few “healthy choice” items but the sodium is still high]

McDonald’s:

http://nutrition.mcdonalds.com/nutritionexchange/nutritionfacts.pdf

Red Robin:

http://www.redrobin.com/customizer/ (to calculate individual items)

Read the entire list (without sodium) here: http://www.livestrong.com/thedailyplate/nutrition-calories/food/red-robin/

Sonic:

http://www.sonicdrivein.com/pdfs/menu/SonicNutritionGuide.pdf

Wendy’s (contains info for Arby’s and Wendy’s):

http://www.wendys.com/food/pdf/us/atlanta_ga.pdf

White Castle:

http://www.whitecastle.com/system/blocks/data/7/original/NY_Nutritional_Summary_PDF_Ready_Sept_2010-Revised.pdf

Chicken/Fish:

Boston Market:

http://bostonmarket.com/ourFood?page=nutritionSub&id=0&name=ALL

KFC:

http://www.kfc.com/nutrition/pdf/kfc_nutrition.pdf

Long John Silver’s:

http://www.ljsilvers.com/images/LJS_Nutritional_Information_2_11.pdf

Popeye’s (available for download by clicking on “nutrition” under the “food” tab):

http://www.popeyes.com/

Ethnic/Regional:

Chipotle:

http://www.chipotle.com/en-us/menu/nutritional_information/nutritional_information.aspx

Moe’s Southwest Grill: 

Calculate for individual menu items here.:

http://www.moes.com/Food.php?ii=1 [Check out the Homewrecker Burrito.]

PF Chang’s:

http://www.pfchangs.com/menu/NutritionalInfo.aspx [Really watch the sodium.]

Taco Bell:

http://www.tacobell.com/pdf/Nutrition_Guide_for_National_W1.pdf

Pizza:

Chuck E. Cheese’s (Shown by the slice):

http://www.chuckecheese.com/menu/nutritional-information.pdf

Domino’s:

http://www.dominos.com/shared/base/pdf/dominos_nutrition_v2.30.00.pdf [The math is up to you and it doesn’t look good.]

Papa John’s (Shown by the slice):

http://www.papajohns.com/menu/pdf/PJ_nutri_info.pdf

Pizza Hut (Shown by the slice):

http://www.pizzahut.com/Files/PDF/PH_WSNationalBrochure4.13.10.pdf

Sbarro: [No luck with this one, only this message: This page is under construction! I’m betting the news is not good.]

http://www.sbarro.com/ourFood/nutrition.ph

Sandwiches:

Au Bon Pain: 

http://www.aubonpain.com/pdf/cafe_nutrition.pdf [Offers a number of healthy choices — particularly in “Portions,” snacks, yogurt, and oatmeal. Watch out for the fat and calories in the blended drinks and for the salt in general.]

D’Angelo’s

http://www.dangelos.com/docs/da_menu_nutritionals_11.10..pdf [Sodium is off the chart!]

Panera:

http://www.panerabread.com/pdf/nutr-guide.pdf [Watch the sodium.]

Subway:

http://www.subway.com/subwayroot/MenuNutrition/Nutrition/pdf/NutritionValues.pdf [There are low fat choices, but the sodium is high. Read carefully to determine whether the facts pertain to a 6” or 12” selection.] 

Quizno’s

http://www.quiznos.com/subsandwiches/Menu/PDFs/NutritionalInfo.pdf [Sodium is off the chart!]

Have a good week. Join me next Monday for the listing for Restaurants with Table Service. I hope I haven’t ruined it for you. But you can’t save the planet if you’re not around…

I try to blog on food or food issues each Monday in support of Meatless Monday, one of several programs developed in the Healthy Monday project, founded in 2003 in association with Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Syracuse University’s Newhouse School of Communications. Meatless Monday’s goal is “to help reduce meat consumption 15% in order to improve personal health and the health of our planet.”

Freebie Friday 3.18.11

Worthy Things to Do, Listen To, or View that Won’t Cost You a Dime 

TGIF. Welcome to another edition of Freebie Friday. Once again it’s a three tip post. The first is a tool I discovered in thinking about the most effective ways to donate to disaster relief in Japan. The second is an easy-to-use calculator for maintaining your health and well-being. The third is a diversion with the possible benefits of mental and digital dexterity building.

• The events unfolding in Japan are on everyone’s mind. Many people want to do something, anything, to help the victims of the triple tragedy. For most of us the only option is to make a charitable donation. But how to make the most beneficial gift? I googled “charity rater” and struck gold. Charity Navigator: http://www.charitynavigator.org/ evaluates the financial health of over 5,500 of America’s largest charities. Enter the charity name, hit return, and if it is in the databank you will receive a rating of from 1-4 stars. Then click on the charity to receive details including a rating for its “organizational efficiency” (how efficiently and responsibly a charity functions in its day to day operations), its “organizational capacity” (how well a charity can sustain its efforts over time), and its CEO’s annual compensation. If an organization is being investigated for some reason, a red donor advisory comes up with an explanation, as in the case of the CT Humane Society. Charity Navigator was named an outstanding site by Forbes, Time, PC Magazine and countless other publications and users. There are other useful tools on the site including top ten lists and the ability to compare charities. Most features on the site are free, but I will warn you that there will be pop-ups asking you to make a donation to help keep the site running. You can easily decline the opportunity (ies if you stay there long enough).

• Here’s a tool (in two variations) to help you navigate the meaning of “daily calorie needs” — a BMI and calorie counter. The first link is the more basic and easier of the two to use, most useful if you engage in roughly the same amount of physical activity each day: http://www.bcm.edu/cnrc/caloriesneed.htm The second is more appropriate for someone who engages in a variety of activities over the course of a week: http://www.caloriesperhour.com/index_burn.php. Your BMI (body mass index) is one indicator of whether or not it might be a good idea for you to take off a pound or two (or three). The information on calorie requirements and calories burned during exercise will help you in planning menus, making sense of all the menu pdfs I’ve been posting, or selecting some new pastimes to help you achieve your goals.

• Finally, the diversion: http://www.google.com/pacman/  Google PacMan is a mini version of the original PacMan game, introduced as an animated logo by Google on the game’s 30th anniversary—May 22, 2010. Have fun! 

Finally, if you have the time, please check out “Prelude to a Post,” which I published just prior to this one. I had a few things on my mind, difficult problems for which I have posted links to some of what I've been reading about them. Be forewarned of its serious nature. No humor to be found there. Please come back again soon.

FYI Why a piñata? Just like a blog link, until you open it, you won’t know what’s inside.

Prelude to a Post: “Tears Such as Angels Weep, Burst Forth”

Several difficult topics have been on my mind over the last few weeks and days. Here is some of what I’ve been reading:

We have all been bombarded by images and information concerning  the Magnitude 9.0 Earthquake in Japan — including lots of numbers, data, and technical terms. For details on the 9.0 quake and the science of how the earthquake occurred, visit the website of the U.S. Geological Survey and check out the different tabs specific to the March 11 quake: http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eqinthenews/2011/usc0001xgp/ The USGS has reported that the massive quake moved the island nation of Japan 8 feet.

For the latest news and information on the aftermath of the quake, visit the crisis response center the engineers at Google have launched: http://www.google.com/crisisresponse/japanquake2011.html#news. The site includes a “Person Finder.” Those who have photos of shelter residents can email them to the site. Using Picasa, photos are then uploaded to a photo album and scanned to be searchable. 

To get an idea, you can visit the public album: http://picasaweb.google.com/tohoku.anpi 
Volunteers are needed to translate written Japanese: http://www.google.co.jp/intl/ja/crisisresponse/japanquake2011_volunteer.html
For an explanation of “megathrust” earthquakes and thoughts on what this quake may mean for Japan’s future see this article by Yale geophysicist Jeffrey Park: http://thebulletin.org/web-edition/features/earthquake-90-what-magnitude-might-mean-japans-future

Yale Environment 360 published an article on Japan’s nuclear industry: http://e360.yale.edu/feature/japans_once powerful_nuclear_industry_is_under_siege/2383/

This site has an animated graphic of the nearly 570 earthquakes Japan has experienced since March 11: http://www.japanquakemap.com/.

A Winter to Remember. Today it looks and feels like spring in the Northeast. Here in Connecticut, particularly on the shoreline, we shoveled a lot more snow this winter than we usually do. On February 18,  Gov. Dan Malloy sent a request for assistance to FEMA based on current snow totals. By February 4, Bridgeport had received 49”, nearly twice its usual annual total. New Haven had received 52”, and winter was far from over. This article explains why our winter was this way; it has to do with climate change: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/25/science/earth/25cold.html  FYI Gov. Malloy was successful in his attempts to get FEMA aid for 6 of Connecticut’s 8 counties and the Mashantucket Pequot and Mohegan Tribal Nations.

Where’s the Wealth? As families, cities, states, and the nation all deal with budget crises, it is interesting to reflect upon the data gathered for this article in Mother Jones. http://motherjones.com/politics/2011/02/income-inequality-in-america-chart-graph  If you are in the minority group mentioned and are reading this blog, I mean no offense to you.

I hope you will continue on to my normal Friday post. These links simply didn’t belong there.

Quote in title from John Milton (1608-1674) in Paradise Lost.

  

Meatless Monday: Diners Beware Part 1

If you read my Meatless Monday post last week, you know about the sticker shock I received when I downloaded the pdf of nutritional data for IHOP’s menu. I’m taking a break from my regularly scheduled programming to demonstrate just how limited the  options are for dining out “fast casual” at a chain venue. 

On March 23, 2010, President Obama signed the health care reform legislation into law. According to information available on the U.S. Food and Drug Administration site: Section 4205 of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 requires restaurants and similar retail food establishments with 20 or more locations to list calorie content information for standard menu items on restaurant menus and menu boards, including drive-through menu boards. Other nutrient information — total calories, fat, saturated fat, cholesterol, sodium, total carbohydrates, sugars, fiber and total protein — would have to be made available in writing upon request. 

While most major chains already provide a downloadable pdf containing all such data for all their items, the pdf is not always easy to find. Furthermore, the information is sometimes available for each item individually instead of in list form, and often the data for sodium content is missing.

I’ve tried to make it easy for you. For the next three Mondays I plan to post the best links I can find to the nutritional data for menu items at a number of chains. This week it’s Breakfast, Coffee, Donuts, and Ice Cream. The lists will be alphabetical. I’m sure I’ll miss a few, but you’ll get the idea. 

The daily calories required to maintain a healthy weight vary by a number of factors including sex, age, and activity level: a moderately active young woman requires approximately 2,000 calories per day. The American Heart Association recommends that EVERYONE limit daily sodium consumption to 1500 milligrams (less than 3/4 teaspoon of salt), and that the aforementioned woman limit her saturated fat to 20 grams or less, and her total fat to between 50 and 70 grams per day. 

If you comb through this data carefully you should find a few not so bad choices. [You’re in luck if you are looking for coffee.] In general, though, “Read’em and weep,” as my dad would say:

Breakfast:

Bruegger’s Bagels: 

http://www.brueggers.com/documents/nutrition.pdf

IHOP: 

http://www.ihop.com/docs/nutritionalinformation.pdf

Coffee and…

Caribou Coffee: 

Facts available for individual items on their site (without mention of sodium): 

http://www.cariboucoffee.com/page/1/menu-nutrition.jsp 

Complete menu facts available here (without mention of sodium): 

http://www.livestrong.com/thedailyplate/nutrition-calories/food/caribou-coffee/

Dunkin Donuts (without mention of sodium):  

http://www.dunkindonuts.com/content/dunkindonuts/en/menu/nutrition/nutrition_catalog.html

Krispy Kreme:   

http://www.krispykreme.com/nutri.pdf

Peets:  

http://www.peets.com/stores/baked_goods.pdf

Starbucks Beverages (without mention of sodium): 

http://www.starbucks.com/menu/catalog/nutrition?drink=all#view_control=nutrition

Starbucks Food Items (without mention of sodium): 

http://www.starbucks.com/menu/catalog/nutrition?food=all#view_control=nutrition

Tim Horton:

http://www.timhortons.com/us/pdf/nutrition-guide-us.pdf

Ice Cream and Desserts:

Baskin Robbins:

Facts available for individual items on their site:

http://www.baskinrobbins.com/nutrition/

Complete menu facts available here (without mention of sodium): 

http://www.livestrong.com/thedailyplate/nutrition-calories/food/baskin-robbins/

Ben & Jerry’s:

http://www.benjerry.com/scoop-shops/menu/scoop-shop-nutritional.pdf

Cheesecake Factory:

http://www.cheesecakefactorynutrition.com/restaurant-nutrition-chart.php?

Coldstone Creamery:

Facts for individual items on their site:

http://www.coldstonecreamery.com/nutritional/nutrition_information.html

Complete menu facts available here (without mention of sodium):

http://www.livestrong.com/thedailyplate/nutrition-calories/food/cold-stone-creamery/

Dairy Queen:

http://www.dairyqueen.com/upload/DQFoodandTreatNutritionBrochure.pdf

Friendly’s Ice Cream (ice cream menu):

http://www.friendlys.com/media/pdf/nutrition/FriendlysIceCreamMenu.pdf

Have a good week. I hope I haven’t ruined it for you. But you can’t save the planet if you’re not around…

I try to blog on food or food issues each Monday in support of Meatless Monday, one of several programs developed in the Healthy Monday project, founded in 2003 in association with Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Syracuse University’s Newhouse School of Communications. Meatless Monday’s goal is “to help reduce meat consumption 15% in order to improve personal health and the health of our planet.”