Thanksgiving Yogurt Adventure

As I sit writing this, I am at Chris' mom's kitchen table trying to get motivated to do homework. Yesterday's celebration at his dad's house was really nice, and afterwards, Chris and I stopped by the house of one of my friends from college. A whole collection of people I know from the Boston poetry scene were there, so it was great to catch up.

This morning involved going to the gym with Chris' mom and then enjoying some hot coffee while looking out over the river. Since she's only been in this apartment for about a week, there wasn't a whole lot in the fridge, but there were a few containers of Stonyfield Farms yogurt she told me to help myself to. There was also a half-finished container of whole milk plain yogurt left by the previous tenant.

I tend to prefer plain yogurt, so I will admit, I actually tasted the leftover stuff. It was still good, but I have to admit, I'm not a big fan of whole milk yogurt. I'm sure if I were used to it, I wouldn't have found the taste so weird, but it was just kind of...funny. So I reached for one of the "berry pomegranate" flavored varieties.

The yogurt was pretty good, if a little sweet. While scanning the ingredients, I noted the organic evaporated cane juice (sugar) and the organic fruit juices and the ubiquitous "natural flavor." I always find it funny how companies try to convince you that their product is somehow healthier because it's sweetened with fruit juice or with evaporated cane juice. I mean, sugar is sugar is sugar, and gram for gram, different varieties have the same nutritional value (nil). This yogurt also had pectin in it, which is a naturally occurring substance (a polysaccharide, which is a sugar) found in fruit peels and skins. It's basically what allows cooking apples to gel, and it's often used as a thickening agent.

While I guess it's better than the gelatin I saw listed in a suspisciously-thick Yoplait Light yogurt I had at a rest stop on Wednesday, it just seems weird that one would want to have their yogurt specially thickened. I mean, what's wrong with regular yogurt? It seems thick enough to me. This stuff felt a bit like eating creamy jello.

I don't think that people who buy pre-sweetened, thickened yogurts are bad or anything. Sometimes it's a better alternative than other offerings, especially if you're traveling. I just think it's annoying that the food companies add such weird stuff to otherwise innocuous products.

Anyway, that's my two cents for the day. Tonight we're going to a dosa restaurant in Central Square and to see some of Chris' high school friends. Hope everyone is having a lovely holiday!

Massachusetts gets in on the act

I know I'm a few days (or a week) late posting this, but I definitely wanted to jot down a bit about the fact that Massachusetts recently adopted strict fast-food menu rules similar to the ones we have here in New York. 

As of November 1, 2010, restaurant chains with 20 or more in-state locations will be required to post calorie counts next to each item on their menus or menu boards, including those at drive-throughs (something other states, such as California, do not require).

This applies to 50 restaurant chains with a combined 5,800 locations.

You can read more about it here. 

Personally, I think that it's a good idea to provide consumers with nutritional information. It provides them with another tool to help them make good choices. If you want a high-calorie treat, you don't have to sacrifice it; you can balance your day accordingly to make room for it if it's something you really want. Knowing how much a muffin will set you back can help you decide if it's worth eating. 

However, it is important to consider that this does belie a deeper imbalance—and that is that Americans have a really tense relationship with food that continues to grow more and more tense. There are other issues we should be addressing, but for now, I think that this can help people gain some control and learn to take responsibility for their own health.