Wednesday, February 18, 2004

Books can help shed pounds

A new handy book is titled “Get with the Program! Guide to Fast Food and Family Restaurants” by Bob Greene (Simon & Schuster, $12.95). Greene is a personal trainer and exercise physiologist and Oprah Winfrey’s personal trainer. Greene’s latest guide focuses on healthy eating but zeros in on making healthy choices while eating out.

The guide provides menu suggestions from more than 50 fast food and sit-down restaurant chains including McDonalds, Wendy’s, Olive Garden and Taco Bell.

Keep raisins in your diet

According to a study being promoted by the California Raisin Marketing Board and released by Gene Spiller of the Sphera Foundation in Los Altos, Calif., raisins’ dietary fiber and tartaric acid content help colons function better and might help prevent colon cancer.

Spiller’s study, titled “Effect of Sun-Dried Raisins on Bile Acid Excretion, Intestinal Transit Time and Fecal Weight: A Dose-Response Study,” was published by the Journal of Medicinal Food (Vol. 6, No. 2). Reprints may be ordered by writing Spiller at Sphera Foundation, P.O. Box 338, Los Altos, CA 94023 or by writing spiller@sphera.org.

Syrups with something extra

Moosewood Hollow syrups infuse maple syrup with creative ingredients for a trio of unusual and delectable flavors. Sweet Ginger (maple syrup infused with ginger), Sweet Savory (rosemary, thyme and lemon) and Sweet Autumn (cinnamon and vanilla) will add panache to pancakes, poundcakes and desserts. Each 7-ounce bottle costs $12.50 online at www.moosewoodhollow.com.

Quaker Oatmeal touting healthy eating

Quaker Oatmeal is among the many food manufacturers promoting healthy eating habits as the nation struggles to manage its weight problem.

Quaker’s interactive tips are specifically geared toward parents and can be found at www.quakeroatmeal.com.

Among the suggestions: Be a good nutrition role model, eat well yourself; encourage eating a healthy breakfast; and be sure to introduce whole grains into your family’s diet. The site includes a calendar to follow as you try to improve your family’s eating habits.

Bubbly ‘apearitif’

R.W. Knudsen’s Sparkling Organic Pear Juice delivers a fruity, not-too-sweet take on non-alcoholic bubbly. We think it makes a fun mixer for cocktails and punches. A 25.4-ounce bottle costs $2-$3.50.

Playing with your food

Just how smart are you when it comes to food? FoodSmarts will help answer the question; the box of 100 flash cards in four categories — ingredients, cuisines, lingo and wild card (history and trivia) — will test your culinary knowledge. The game includes score sheets, but players establish their own rules to winning. The questions are tough, but the answers are educational, so there’s a payoff for winners and losers alike. FoodSmarts is $23-$25 at specialty stores and online at wishingfish.com.

— Wire Services

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