Blog Posts by FatFighterTV

If you have any Slim-Fast ready-to-drink cans around, get rid of them. The company has recalled 10 million of them because they could make you sick. FatFighterTV has a look at this story and other diet and fitness headlines making news this week.

Slim-Fast recall
Just wanted to make sure you were aware of this recall - Unilever has pulled 10 million cans of its Slim-Fast ready-to-drink (RTD) products in cans because they may be contaminated with a bacteria that can cause nausea and/or vomiting. If you have any Slim-Fast RTD products in cans, you should get rid of them right away and call the company at 1-800-896-9479 for a full refund.

General Mills cutting sugar in kids' cereals
After reports that show some children's cereals are more than half sugar, it's nice to see some changes. General Mills says it will cut back the sugar in 10 of its kids' cereals, including Lucky Charms, Trix, and Cocoa Puffs, to single-digit grams of sugar per serving. More people have recently been

Are you ditching name brand foods to cut costs? A new report shows sales of store brand foods are up in this tough economy. FatFighterTV has a look at this story and other diet and fitness headlines making news this week.

Obese fruit flies
Yes, it's true. Fruit flies are packing on some weight. A new study from the University of Utah shows fruit flies can have high cholesterol and become obese just like we can - by eating a diet that's too rich in fats. Researchers hope their findings can help them learn more about how people gain weight.

Two-thirds of chicken laced with bacteria
As much as I hate to see it, I don't worry much when there is contaminated beef because I don't eat the stuff. But chicken, I do eat. And this new report is pretty gross. Consumer Reports (CR) found two-thirds of whole broilers from stores across the country were contaminated with salmonella and/or campylobacter. Two-thirds - that's a lot, right? But did you know this is actually an improvement? In 2007, CR

As much as I hate to see it, I don't worry much when there are reports of contaminated beef because I don't eat the stuff. But chicken, I do eat. And this new report is pretty gross.

Consumer Reports (CR) found two-thirds of whole broilers from stores across the country were contaminated with salmonella and/or campylobacter. Two-thirds - that's a lot, right? But did you know this is actually an improvement? In 2007, CR found eight of 10 broilers were contaminated.

This time, CR had a lab analyze 382 chickens from more than 100 stores across the country. The tests included three top brands - Foster Farms, Perdue, and Tyson - as well as store brands and organic poultry.

Here are some of the highlights of the findings:

• Campylobacter was in 62 percent of the chickens, salmonella was in 14 percent, and both bacteria were in 9 percent. Only 34 percent of the birds were bacteria-free.

• Air-chilled broilers were among the cleanest overall - about 40 percent were contaminated.

• The

Ever feel like you're hooked on chips or candy? New research shows junk food can be as addictive as drugs. FatFighterTV has a look at this story and other diet and fitness headlines making news this week.

Can junk food be as addictive as drugs?
Is it a sweet tooth or an addiction? Researchers at Duke University say junk food can trigger the same response in the brain as they see in people who are addicted to drugs. Other researchers have found similar results in rats.

Some obese people don't know they have a weight problem
As obesity rates continue to climb, new research finds some obese people do not realize they have a weight problem. The study says one in ten people classified as obese do not understand they are overweight, and believe they are healthy.

Should chocolate milk stay in schools?
A new ad campaign from the dairy industry is stirring up quite a debate. The ads say that without the sugary flavoring in chocolate milk, some kids won't drink regular milk and won't get

You probably know the popcorn at the movie theaters is far from healthy, but did you know having a medium popcorn and soda from a major national chain is like eating three McDonald's Quarter Pounders with 12 pats of butter? That's according to a new report from the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI).

CSPI says the popular combo from Regal, the country's biggest movie chain, has 1610 calories and three days worth - 60 grams - of saturated fat.

The study is an update to research CSPI did on movie theater popcorn 15 years ago.

Here are some other movie theater popcorn stats from CSPI's new report:

Regal
Large, 20 cups
Calories 1200
Saturated fat 60 g
Sodium 980 mg

AMC
Large, 16 cups
Calories 1030
Saturated fat 57 g
Sodium 580 mg

Cinemark
Large, 17 cups
Calories 910
Saturated fat 2 g [popped in canola oil]
Sodium 1500 mg

Makes me want to bring my own healthy popcorn to the movies! You?

Check out the fat and calories for popular microwave popcorns here

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Salads are one of my favorite meals. Always have been. I don't mind paying $10-20 for them. But $2000? Yes, I did it and I am here to warn you not to do the same. Let me explain…

About two months ago I was eating a delicious Greek Salad. You know, just your typical Greek Salad with cucumbers, tomatoes, feta cheese… and kalamata olives. I was enjoying this salad so much, when all of a sudden - *crunch, crack, pop!* - I bit down on an olive with the pit in it. Holy ouch! I broke about a third of one of my back teeth… up past the gum line!



(blurry picture of my broken tooth)

Here's what I've endured since:

• Removal of that one-third of the tooth, which then exposed a nerve

• A root canal to fix the nerve exposure problem

• Gum surgery to remove 4 millimeters of my gum - because the tooth broke up so high, there was not enough tooth surface left below for a crown to properly adhere

• Bi-weekly exams to make sure the gum is healing properly

• A porcelain crown

Can scientists make ice cream healthy? Would you eat the new version of the frozen treat? FatFighterTV has a look at this story and other diet and fitness headlines making news this week.

Healthy ice cream? Scientists give it a go
What would you like with your bowl of ice cream? How about some fiber, antioxidants, or probiotics? Scientists are trying to turn ice cream into a functional food with these ingredients. While functional foods are very popular right now, personally, I'd rather just have a little bit of the plain stuff - ice cream or other foods - than the nutritionally "forced" versions. How about you?

French women DO get fat
Remember the book, French Women Don't Get Fat? Sadly, things have changed. A new report shows 15.1 percent of France's women are obese and another 26 percent are overweight. Researchers say the average French person has gained almost 7 pounds over the past 12 years, and part of the reason is a change in eating habits and more fast food restaurants in

Another massive meat recall - more than 500,000 pounds. This time, two deaths may be linked to bad beef. FatFighterTV has a look at this story and other diet and fitness headlines making news this week.

E. coli Warning: Two deaths may be linked to contaminated beef
Two people may have died after eating bad beef. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says 28 people have gotten sick from ground beef that may be contaminated with E. coli. Fairbank Farms recalled 545,699 pounds of fresh ground beef Friday because of the possible link. The company says customers who have the recalled meat should return it to their grocery stores for a full refund. Stores include: ACME, BJ's, Ford Brothers, Giant Food Stores, Price Chopper, Shaw's, and Trader Joe's. Go here for a complete list of the products recalled.

Can podcasts help you lose weight?
The answer, from a new study - it depends. Researchers stress not all weight-loss podcasts are equal, and caution that the programs should be