Time for Lunch: National Day of Action - September 7th, 2009

Your child is heading back to school which may mean you are in store for a little peace and quiet. That is, of course, unless you are concerned about the mystery meat being served in the school cafeteria! Well, you are not alone. Slow Food USA is a non-profit organization which has heightened the awareness of the poor quality of school lunches with it's "Time for Lunch" program. This Labor Day, September 7th, 2009 you can take part in (or organize your own event for) the "National Eat-In."



Who: Anyone who wants to take action and improve school lunch.
Why: To get Congress' attention! The Child Nutrition Act is up for reauthorization this month but Slow Food is petitioning for change: For $1 extra per child be allotted for better, and more importantly, healthier lunches, to fund farm-to-school programs, school gardens and also to tighten nutritional guidelines.
Where: Click here for a list of eat-ins in your area. There's at least one already set up in every state.
What: Show up and eat a delicious meal courtesy of Slow Food.

Skinny gets Fancy

We just spent the past three days at the Fancy Food Show at the Jacob Javits Center in New York City. It's the hottest show in town, where all the food companies come to promote their newest products: organic, gluten-free, kosher, international, traditional to extremely innovative. You name it, we saw it. Stay tuned over the next couple of months for our product reviews. You won't want to miss a single newsletter!

Research Opportunity - Updated 06/10/09

We need women between the ages of 25 and 50 in the NY metropolitan area to participate in a research study on appetite. The study will take place over a period of five weeks, starting very shortly and finishing at the end of July. During the first week you will have one (1 hour) initial consult with the Dietitian and then complete daily food and physical activity logs online. For the following four weeks, you will be asked to consume a specific snack each weekday and report your intake and satiation levels. The snacks will be low in calories and fat and will not have any impact on current weight. 

Participants will need to come into the office once a week to pick up the snack. The office is open Monday through Friday, 9:00 am – 6:30 pm, so participants can pick the times and days that work best.  Upon completion of the study, you will be compensated with four complimentary private nutrition sessions at Tanya Zuckerbrot Nutrition, LLC. in midtown Manhattan ($1000 value)

Inclusion criteria:
•    Daily access to computer and internet connection
•    The ability to consume test snacks and complete online surveys according to the prescribed time frame.
•    The ability to submit daily online food and physical activity logs for a period of 5 weeks.
•    The ability to commit attending at least one session with a dietitian to complete study paperwork and to obtain test snacks for the study.

Exclusion criteria:
•    Any pre-existing condition that requires dietary restrictions including, but not limited to: diabetes, celiac disease, lactose intolerance, food allergies.
•    Current pregnancy or lactation

If you are eligible and interested, please e-mail Rebecca@ffactordiet.com for study enrollment!

Pistachio recall

As many of you may have heard, the FDA has issued a recall on pistachios produced at Setton Farms in California. The contamination involves multiple strains of Salmonella and the recall will likely impact many products.  Salmonella can cause serious and potentially fatal consequences for those with weakened immune systems, young children, and frail or elderly people.

At this time, pistachios from other processors are not affected by the recall, including Paramount Farms, who generously donated 5 cases of pistachios to one of our readers. The brands produced by Paramount Farms: Wonderful (TM), Sunkist (R) and Everybody's Nuts (TM) as well as their private label and bulk pistachios currently remain unaffected. So, keep enjoying those pistachios Claudia! And for everyone else, just keep an eye out for these brands at the grocery store so that you make the smart choice.

Skinny goes to the Fancy Food Show

Hi everyone! We just returned from the Winter Fancy Food Show which was held in beautiful San Francisco. Not only did we get a sneak peek at all of the hottest foods and trends on the marketplace, but practically every food and beverage imaginable had booths providing us samples to try! You name it, we saw it (and tasted it too)—everything from soup to nuts. We look forward to sharing with you our latest obsessions, new kitchen gadgets, and unique ways to reap nutrition benefits in the weeks to come. How could we keep this to ourselves?

Happy 2009 from Skinny and the City

Happy New Year! Here at Skinny and the City, we believe that 2009 will be a great year all around. And we want to help make it the healthiest year yet for you, your friends, and family. Losing weight is often on top of resolution lists, but the changes you make have to be realistic or it'll be on top of your list again next year! A complete diet makeover may work for a month or two, but then most people go back to their usual habits. Instead, make small changes based on our daily advice and your habits. Skinny is here for you. If you have any ideas on how we can help you reach your goals, let us know! We'd love to hear them.

Welcome to the Skinny and the City blog!

Hey there, and welcome to the Skinny and the City blog! This is a place where you can speak up, talk to our experts, and post your comments, questions, and concerns—because, yes, we want you to read our website, but we also want you to be a part of it. Chloe, Sofia, Ava, Raven, and I will be taking you behind-the-scenes of Skinny and the City, letting you know about our media appearances, answering your FAQs, and giving you the latest nutrition and fashion trends not featured in our articles. Check in frequently to get “The Skinny” the minute it happens!

We look forward to hearing from you!

Best, Tanya