Blog Posts by FatFighterTV

Nutrition labels could move to the front of food packages. But is this really helpful... or just more confusing? FatFighterTV has a look at this story and other diet and fitness headlines making news this week.

Nutrition info coming to front of food packages, along with more confusion
Will nutrition labels on the front of food packages help Americans make healthier choices… or just allow manufacturers to advertise what they want? The food industry just announced its voluntary new "Nutrition Keys," program where manufacturers will place an icon on the front of their products showing calories, saturated fat, sodium and sugar per serving. But… they can choose to list just one or two of those icons. So then… what's the point?

Also see: New nutrition labels praise sugary cereals - What???

Diabetes rises dramatically to nearly 26 million
New stats from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) show nearly 26 million Americans, or 1 in 12, have diabetes compared to estimates in

Thousands of packaged foods will soon get a healthy makeover at Wal-Mart. Will you buy them? FatFighterTV has a look at this story and other diet and fitness headlines making news this week.

Wal-Mart to make and sell healthier foods
Wal-Mart is joining First Lady Michelle Obama in fighting childhood obesity. The nation's largest grocer says it will reformulate thousands of products to make them healthier and push its suppliers to do the same. Changes include eliminating trans fats, and reducing the fat, sugar and salt in many of its packaged foods.

Also see: First Lady aims to end childhood obesity within a generation

Nutritional labels for booze?
You're used to seeing labels with nutritional information on all kinds of beverages… except alcohol. But that might change. The federal Tax and Trade Bureau - the agency with authority over alcohol labels - is now considering a proposal to list things like calories, carbohydrates, serving size and alcohol per serving.

Also see: Alcoholic

The government wants to give school lunches a healthy makeover. Will this help reverse the obesity crisis? FatFighterTV has a look at this story and other diet and fitness headlines making news this week.

USDA calls for big changes to school lunches
The first changes to the school lunch guidelines in 15 years aim to fight the childhood obesity crisis. Thursday, the USDA announced its proposed updates to the National School Lunch and School Breakfast programs. They include adding more fruits, vegetables, whole grains, fat-free and low-fat milk to school meals, and limiting saturated fat, sodium, calories, and trans fats.

Also see: New food guide pyramid for pre-schoolers

What does a tango taste like?
No, not mango... tango. It's a new citrus fruit that you'll soon see in your grocery store. Tango is a mandarin scientists at the University of California, Riverside created. It apparently has a tangy-sweet flavor, a rind that's easy to peel, and it's seedless. Sweet.

Also see: Interview

Step away from that computer when it's lunchtime. A new report finds it could keep you from pigging out. FatFighterTV has a look at this story and other diet and fitness headlines making news this week.

Chowing down at your computer might make you pig out
Do you eat lunch at your computer? A new small study finds if you do, it might boost your appetite for dessert. Researchers found people who ate lunch while playing a computer game ate more cookies 30 minutes later than those who didn't have any distractions at lunchtime. The reason might be that computer users had a hazier memory of their lunch and didn't feel as full afterward compared with those who weren't on the computer.

Also see: Festive Pita Tree Appetizers

Seriously? Mom sues McDonald's over Happy Meal toys
Okay, I get it that McDonald's entices children with toys, but is it really the fast food giant's fault that parents buy their kids the Happy Meals? This mom thinks so and she's joining the Center for Science in the

As if calories at all the holiday gatherings aren't enough, more temptations are stirring at plenty of restaurants this time of year. Yes, I'm talking milkshakes. You know, the ones with every holiday goody, like sugar cookies, eggnog, and peppermint all thrown in with ice cream. They may seem festive and all, but you better watch out - some of them have an entire day's worth of calories! Here's the scoop on five popular ones.

Sonic - Holiday Spiced Sugar Cookie Blast - Large
Calories - 1256
Fat - 58g
Saturated Fat - 39g
Carbs - 169g
Protein - 17g

Dairy Queen - Reindeer Bites Blizzard - Large
Calories - 1350
Fat - 56g
Saturated Fat - 39g
Carbs - 191g
Protein - 23g

Jack in the Box - Pumpkin Pie Ice Cream Shake - Large
Calories - 1129
Fat - 54g
Saturated Fat - 37g
Carbs - 139g
Protein - 17g

Steak 'n Shake - EggNog Shake - Large
Calories - 890
Fat - 29g
Saturated Fat - 20g
Carbs - 139g
Protein - 25g

Chick-fil-A - Peppermint Chocolate Chip Milkshake - Large
Calories - 930
Fat -

Imagine eating a decadent slice of chocolate cake one mouthwatering bite at a time. Researchers say this could be the trick to keeping you from actually eating it. FatFighterTV has a look at this story and other diet and fitness headlines making news this week.

Can visions of sugar plums help you lose weight?
Visions of sugar plums - or other treats - may actually be a good thing.... a mind trick of sorts. A new report from Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh finds just by imagining that we are eating our favorite treats, we may end up eating less of them. Maybe we should all try doing this before we go to all those holiday gatherings over the next few weeks.

Also see: 4 weird diet tricks that work

General Mills cuts more sugar from kids' cereals
Last year, General Mills cut the amount of sugar in 10 of its kids' cereals to 11 grams per serving. Now, it's bringing it down to no more than 10 grams. The company's ultimate goal is to reduce sugar to the single digits per serving.

She's back! Yep, at age 72, Jane Fonda has a brand spanking new fitness DVD. FatFighterTV has a look at this story and other diet and fitness headlines making news this week.

Jane Fonda's new fitness DVD at age 72
She might have an artificial hip and titanium knee, but at 72, Jane Fonda is still a fitness guru. She's back with her first video in 15 years. The workouts in her DVD series, "Jane Fonda: Prime Time," target seniors and have low impact moves; many can be done sitting down. Fonda says the need for fitness videos for aging boomers led her to get back into her leotards. Gooooooooo Jane!

Also see: Celebrity diet makeovers

Even a few extra pounds can hurt your health
We've heard about the health risks of being obese. Now, one of the largest studies to look at health and weight finds merely being overweight has some risk, too. Researchers say healthy white adults who were overweight were 13 percent more likely to die during the time they were followed in the study than those

What happens when a popular fast food restaurant secretly lowers the sodium in its food? Does anybody notice? FatFighterTV has a look at this story and other diet and fitness headlines making news this week.

Taco Bell secretly lowers sodium
With too much sodium lurking in so many foods out there, what happens when some of it is taken out of the things you're used to eating? Taco Bell has been testing out lower sodium items at 150 of its restaurants in the Dallas-Fort Worth area without telling anyone. Interestingly, no one even noticed. See - you may not need as much salt as you think after all.

Also see: Hidden sodium in foods you wouldn't think to check

FDA warns makers of caffeinated alcoholic drinks
After state bans and complaints about the dangers of caffeinated alcoholic drinks, the FDA sent warning letters to four companies about those beverages, including the manufacturer of the popular, Four Loko. The FDA says drinks that combine alcohol and caffeine are not safe.

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