Jezebel
monkey see
Posts Tagged “
Junk Food
”
monkey see
Snack Break
I went to the bodega this morning to buy some breakfast — cigarettes, Gatorade, and Doritos — and saw that Doritos are doing that whole "mystery flavor" thing again. (Last year the mystery flavor turned out to be "cheeseburger.") Click the image for my guess.
trash talk
BINge Eating: When You Eat The Garbage You've Tried To Throw Out
With the release of the Sex and the City movie only one month away, I've been thinking a lot about the cultural significance of the show that so many women seem to think they relate to. While I always liked it, I still hated so many aspects about it, particularly Carrie. I never connected with her character, nor would I ever want to. But there were instances when watching the series that I'd recognize story lines that were spot on. Case in point: That time that Miranda made a chocolate cake and couldn't stop eating it so she threw it out, but then continued eating it out of her garbage the next day. Lately, I've been finding that my trash can has been feeding me way more than my fridge. More »
letter to angie
Dear Angelina, Don't Ever Change.
Dear Angelina, Look at you. You look like a goddess, and you're bribing your kids with Chee-tos. Not even the "baked" kind. Do you know how Chee-tos are made? It's a mysterious process called "extrusion." I know that because I once worked near by the headquarters of the Snack Food Association and they had lots of brochures. You're the pawn of corporate interest groups, Angie! (Fun fact: did you know the largest Chee-to known to exist is on display in a sleepy farming community in Iowa? It's the size of a large lemon.) Anyway, back to you. Angie. Junk food. It's not a healthy accessory to see on everybody. But I think we can all agree this is a healthy sign in you. More »
weighty issues
Chewing Gum: America's Newest Snack Food!
I was watching the Biggest Loser on Tuesday at the gym, (Is it masochistic to watch a weight-loss show while working out? Sadistic? Just ooky? Whatever. I digress.) and I noticed a commercial for Extra! Gum, touting it as "the long lasting 5-calorie snack" that will "take you from 'nice gut' to 'nice butt.'" The ridiculousness of the fact that five calories now equals a "snack" notwithstanding, the Los Angeles Times discussed earlier this week whether the conclusion of the ad — that chewing gum helps you lose weight — holds water. The bottom line? "If you're counting calories, a stick of gum is miles better than a Twinkie." Basically, if gum can stop you from binging on high calorie foods, then yes, chewing gum can help you lose weight (you know, when gum isn't causing you to have explosive diarrhea). What's misleading is that the trainers on the Biggest Loser have also been shilling Extra gum as a weight loss aid. More »
snack attacks
Comfort Food: Great For Stress, Except When It's Not
Yum, here's a "no shit" study that hits the spot: Researchers have discovered that junk food lowers stress levels! Go get a cookie, we'll wait. So, yeah. University of New South Wales pharmacology professor Margaret Morris took lab rats away from their mothers as babies and divided them into groups. One group was on a "lard-laden junk food diet", including cakes, chips and pies. The other was on a low fat diet. Then all the rats went through different behavioral tests, like being exposed to really bright light. Apparently the fat rats weren't fazed by the glare, like, "Dude. It's kinda like, bright in here? Burp." And the thin rats were mega-tense; all, "OMG WTF! What is that?!??!" Anyway, there could be something for humans to learn from this about stress and appetite and why you eat high-calorie food when you're freaking out. Great, right? Except not so much if you're in jail. More »
planning unparenthood
Is Junk Food The New Birth Control?
There's a new book called The Fertility Diet. The claim? That watching what you eat can boost your ability to spawn. And like all things that sound too good to be true, it probably is: The diet hasn't been tested on infertile women. Instead, the ten-step plan was formulated from dietary habits collected via surveys. (People never lie on surveys!) In any case, the plan is pretty "duh" — it's basically about good nutrition and smart health habits. For instance: If you're trying to get pregs, you need folic acid and iron from fruits, vegetables, beans, and supplements, not red meat. And guess what? Book coauthor Jorge Chavarro says, "Trans fats from doughnuts, margarine, and other processed foods seemed to have a particularly detrimental effect on fertility." Mmm, doughnuts. So wait — does this mean we can use bad eating habits as birth control? Because that sounds easy. And delicious! More »
"Research suggests that, contrary to the stereotype, women's navigation skills can be better than men's. But this ability comes to light only when there is food to be found — in particular, items laden with calories. It is thought the gender differences may be a legacy of the ancient hunter-gatherer way of life on the African savanna." [The Age]
office politics
Your Coworker With The Candy And Cookies Is Trying To Make You Fat
The modern workplace is rife with obstacles. Glass ceilings. Sexual harassers. Unpaid maternity leave. Creepy delivery guys. And eating underminers! The UK's Daily Telegraph reports that your eager-to-please, perky, perfectionist 24-year-old assistant - you know, the one with the big, constantly-refilled bowl of M&Ms on her desk and the demeanor that's just a little too nice? — is a size-4, All About Eve-type saboteur in disguise, or, what the Brits like to call, a 'biscuit pusher'!'There's a girl in my office whom we call the Tuck Shop,' says 27-year-old Lou, who works in television. 'She's always offering something to snack on, and keeps huge supplies of crisps and chocolate by her desk. She's really skinny, too.'Yeah, what a bitch! We bet her name is Jessica! More »
