Everyday Hero in Action


Victory at last! Jamie Oliver has gotten the LA School District to drop their flavoured (read poisonous) milk! Go Jamie! For more on this, click here.


Vegetables Meet Cupcakes And Have A Baby


Today I regained my faith in the human mind. I found out about this London-based company that makes cupcakes out of...wait for it...vegetables. Yes. All natural and kind vegetables provided by the very earth we stand on. Obviously this rocked my world and I'm truly fascinated by people who are looking at alternative ways of enjoying something so mainstream and "bad" as a cupcake.

The company is called Petit Pois Cakes and they make cupcakes out of vegetables such as courgette, pumpkin and beetroot. They cakes are both gluten and lactose free and come in the flavours Chocolate & Vanilla and Lemon & Orange. Instead of being all Supersized a la America and covered completely in frosting that will make you teeth rot just by looking at it, these cupcakes are covered with a thin layer of icing and topped with a little green pea. Aw.

Check out the cupcakes of the future here.


Oink at the wedding



I've said it before and I'll say it again: Only in England. This coming weekend, Prince William and Kate are getting married and maybe they should have this as their wedding cake:






A pork pie wedding cake. No, wait, I just remembered: they're not a super gross couple.

The IQ of a celery stick


Are you a bit on the slow side? Did your mother eat a lot of mainstream vegetables when she was pregnant with you? Well make the connection here sweetie, because a recent study has shown that

"children whose mothers are exposed to high amounts of certain pesticides while pregnant appear to have lower IQs than their peers when they reach school age, according to three recent government-funded studies."

So if you don't want to pass on the "stupid gene", you better eat them organic bio-dynamic tomatoes. That is if you can afford them of course - if not, there's always Hollywood.


Suspicious Strawberries


I just read that strawberries are going to be a lot more expensive in Sweden this summer due to the fact that they've banned two different types of pesticides. Well, that's super-reassuring to know that I've spent every summer for the last 20 years eating strawberries that have been covered with poison. Damn you Swedish strawberry pancakes.


Ask And I'll Tell #1 - Banana Dilemmas


I have a new feature on this blog. Each week I'll answer one reader's question. You can ask me about anything. Except about that time when I was 16 in Mallorca. I swear I didn't know it was illegal there. Anyway. Fire away with them. Here is this week's first question:

Dear CC,

Are bananas really evil? I have read that they are just full of sugar and if I want diabetes, I should keep on peeling and eating. Could you shed some light?

Thanks,
Manish.

Answer:

Dear Manish,

When I was a crazy teenager with a worrying Britney Spears-obsession, I'll admit I use to believe that bananas were evil. I mean think about it; they're all creamy, taste so sweet and have around 110 calories each. I used to fear them and only eat banana chips (as I said, I was a big Britney fan back then, I didn't really care about my body or my ears), until I started working out. In the gym I saw a lot of hot and ripped guys running around in sexy speedos, eating bananas. I thought it was crazy. How could they look so good and eat the most fattening thing in the world?

Well my dear reader. I read up a lot and found out that bananas actually restore your electrolytes, which is crucial after you've had a hard work-out. Bananas also helps against high blood pressure and is a good source of vitamin B6 as well as potassium (you know, the thing that makes your heart smile). Not to mention they are quite filling, yellow, and above all - they're funky. Though bananas do have an amount of fruit sugar in them, they are not bad for people with diabetes and should just be consumed in moderation - like everything else that mother earth gives us. (I'm looking at you cattle ranchers).
My advice to you dear reader is to keep eating your bananas and thank mother earth for her yellow fatty beans.

Yours truly, C.C aka. The Banana Bunny




No Calorie Noodles


I know a lot of people out there with anorexic ambitions have one big wish: To find filling no calorie food. Well my little indoctrinated MTV-robots, I've found it!

Today when I was browsing an online health store I came across these noodles which have virtually no calories and no carbs, or protein or...well basically no food energy at all. The noodles are called Shirataki noodles and are made up of water and a root plant called Konjac, which grows in various places in Asia. According to people on various online forums, these noodles are quite filling, and that's crazy when you think about that one serving contains around 5 calories.

Now they only need to invent calorie free cake and the world will blossom again.




Finally Confirmed: Vegans Are Non-Humans

It's what I've always secretly known: Vegans are not human. In a copy of the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe Vol.1 from 1983, vegans are portrayed as cool and strange-looking "humanoids" with weird fingers. We dig that.






Aussi Drank


The Australian government has now dropped the idea of developing an energy drink for aussi students aged 12 - 19. Apparently the aussi students came up with the idea themselves, stating that they needed some sort of stimulant drink to sustain "alertness all day". Scaaary.


What Will and Wont Kill You


I was reading a little amusing piece today, published on a site called Second Opinions. The article, called "Child Abuse By Vegan Parents", retold the unfortunate stories of two couples tragic loss of their babies. One couple, the Moorheads in New Zealand , lost their baby in 2002 by "failing to provide the necessities of life" and according to the article, the baby died because the parents ate a vegan diet. The other couple, the Manuelyans from England, tragically lost their baby in 2000 to a chest infection, brought to the 9-month old baby girl by "malnutrition".

The article starts with the author's wish to "illustrate the extreme vegetarianism can do".

Let's get one thing straight here people. You. Will. Not. Die. Nor. Kill. By. Eating. Greener.
The first couple's baby died because his parents took him out of the children's hospital and decided to treat him with their own herbal remedies - not because he wasn't fed corpses. The other baby girl died because her parents were fruitarians: she was living on a diet based on fruit and some nuts. And as we all know, fruit mostly consist out of water and sugar so you don't have to be a genius to understand that it's unsuitable for a baby to live on that. These tragic stories has nothing to do with the absence of meat in these people's diet. These are unfortunate stories where something has gone wrong, but to blame it on people who refuse to be a part of today's meat industry is not just a little bit absurd but totally deranged.

I would like to present alternative stories.


I can make the list a lot longer but it makes me sad googling up stories about babies dying from eating a diet which is not only accepted but encouraged by our society. Nobody blames the parents of these kids of being unhealthy meat-eaters, but vegetarians get all kinds of shit thrown at them for feeding their babies greener stuff and helping the planet at the same time.
The world is funny.



Vegan Royal


The royal wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton will be completely vegan apparently.



Booya!

Meet The New Godzilla


Poor Japan. First the earthquake, then the tsunami, now the Meat Monster. When will it ever stop? Burger King has launched its new burger in Japan: the Meat Monster, which contains 1160 calories, 24 g of saturated fat and 13 g of sugar. Oh, and don't forget the 1.5 g of trans fat - you know that kind of fat that gives you cancer and stuff.

The Meat Monster is made up of two hamburgers, a chicken breast fillet, two slices of processed cheese and three rashes of bacon, along with all the trimmings. So it's basically a dead farm and a heart attack between two buns. Oh, and if that's not enough, you can order it with the side trimmings of a fish patty, an egg and some teriyaki sauce. Just to make it a bit healthier you know.






Oh No. OH NO.


An Applebee's restaurant in Detroit accidentally served a little boy an alcoholic Margarita drink instead of apple juice. After doing the Macarena dance in his baby chair, his parents grew suspicious and took him to the hospital to get checked out. Or maybe his mother tasted the drink, I don't know, things become so blurry after surviving on morning dew.

What I find interesting is that a couple of sips of alcohol is enough for parents to take their children to the hospital, but an Applebee's Bacon Cheddar Cheeseburger for a 10-year old would probably be a-okey. The kid would probably even get a little treat if he finished it all.

The repercussions of the beast below wont be as immediate as the alcohol for a toddler, but I promise you they will come. And it wont be as pretty as the Macarena Dance.






A little bird told me...


To go and get Twittered up. So I did - I've always had a soft spot for blue things with feathers. You can find me here! Tweet tweet.


Only in Waco, Texas


A new hamburger joint is opening up in Texas. It's called Fat Ho Burgers. So if you like burgers and fat ho's on the side, you'll love this place.



It's A Matcha


I have finally bought my bags of Matcha Green Tea powder and I am starting my new matcha regime tomorrow; Matcha Green Tea lattes, Matcha Green Tea smoothie, heck, I'm even looking to make Matcha green tea cupcakes.

So, what's so great about this weird green powder? Matcha Green Tea has around 70 times more antioxidants than fresh orange juice and it is said to increase your sharpness and mental alertness. It's possessed with antibiotic properties and has nine times the beta carotene of spinach. It is said that Japanese Monks drink Matcha tea for their 12-hour meditation sessions in order to stay super focused. Woaw.

So all in all, it seems like a good way to kickstart spring! I'll let you know how I feel in a week - that is if I'm still human and not part of a higher power by then. Toodles.



Not Really Doing The British School Food-Reputation Any Favour...


I saw this ad on a bus in London 2 days ago. It says: "This is no ordinary food. This is great value, go-getting, goal-scoring, high-performance school food." And then there's a picture of sheer rubbish. I love England.


When English Food Turns Scary


What scares me is that the recipe for this Gala Pie was featured today in a British newspaper. Mashed pork with whole eggs wrapped up in pastry made with lard. Go England, you will soon reach your goal of optimal health with foods like this. Or not.


We All Knew This Day Would Come

...when they started to make cupcakes with bacon and chocolate creme eggs. Why choose between backfat and pimples when you can have both? Tihi.



Top 5 Disgusting Food


As you all know by now, I'm super fascinated by gross food. Not in the sense of eating it (well, a little), but in the sense of pointing and laughing while I'm poking it with a stick. So here comes yet another list with super gross food that will make you feel superior.

1. The Taco Bell Cheesy Double Beef wrapped up in a Pork Sausage

With 146 g of fat and 1790 calories, this beef baby ain't going nowhere but straight to your heart.


2. The Original Bacon Explosion

Made up of several different animals and jars of BBQ sauce, this weird 5000 calorie "thing" will take out anybody.


3. The Bacon Mug

Oh come on. This "cup" consist of biscuits for moulding the cup, a mixture of cream and Swiss cheese, as well as an obscene amount of bacon. It kind of freaks me out that a human being actually came up with this, and that somebody has probably consumed it by now. What is happening to humanity?

4. The Morning Glory

This should really be called the Morning Gory: it's a sausage, egg and cheese roll - wrapped in a glazed cinnamon roll. Uhm. I just...no. Too simple.


5. Deep Fried Coke

Made up in Texas (where else?), this little treat is covered with whipped cream, cinnamon sugar and a cherry on top. Just when we thought you couldn't fry anymore stuff. What's next, a fried mars bar? Ooops, it's been done.




Vegan Comfort Food


This is an interesting link to Chow's picture special of "Vegan Comfort Food". All the food looks very...rich. And unvegan. Either way it is an unusual take on vegan food and therefore interesting.


The Wanton Debauchery of a Nampa Pharmacist and the Idaho Pharmacy Act

A nurse in Idaho calls in a prescription at the local Walgreens pharmacy for Methergine, an uterotonic drug commonly used in obstetrics and gynecology to prevent/control uterine bleeding.

The pharmacist allegedly asked if the medication was to be used in post-abortion care, which the nurse practitioner refused to answer citing patient confidentiality requirements. The pharmacist said the prescription would not be filled unless the question was answered. When the nurse asked to be referred to another pharmacy, the pharmacist hung up....

A complaint is made against the pharmacist, the Idaho Board of Pharmacy investigates and takes no action because:

1) You say a duty to fill Rx, I say a gentle, whispered suggestion

Turns out the privilege of being granted a state monopoly on dispensing/selling drugs does not come with a responsibility to actually, you know, fill prescriptions.

Seriously, I'm not kidding. According to the Board, the Idaho Pharmacy Act does not require a pharmacist to fill a prescription.

2) HIPAA violation, SHMIPAA violation

According to the Board of Pharmacy’s response, Planned Parenthood alleged the pharmacist’s inquiry violated privacy provisions of the federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, which the board is not entitled to enforce. Under the Idaho Pharmacy Act, releasing such information would be a violation, but requesting it is not, the response states.


No word yet from the Idaho Board of Pharmacy on whether imposing arbitrary conditions, like forcing the patient to bark like a seal, or the need for the pharmacist's blessing on matters unrelated to a drug's indication, as a prerequisite to filling out a prescription is, in fact, considered professional conduct in Idaho.

3) No organ failure and the patient is still alive, so what's the problem?

[Idaho Board of Pharmacy Executive Director Mark Johnston] stated that the argument that the patient's health could have been jeopardized by the refusal of the pharmacist was inaccurate. Johnston said, "The board's investigation confirmed that the patient received treatment elsewhere and therefore no 'grave danger' was realized." The investigation is closed "without any further action," he said.


Ah, yes, that most scientific, professional, and beloved pharmacy standard of all times, the "SSS Grave Danger", the one that applies exclusively to prescriptions for female patients of reproductive age.

In case you've been fortunate enough not to be subjected to this standard yet, best to become familiar with it. When your ability to fill prescriptions depends on the mercy and sunny disposition of your local pharmacist you never know when your time is up. So here are the "SSS Grave Danger" pharmacy standard basics.

The pharmacist can jeopardize your medical care by refusing to fill your prescription because your performance on the jumping through hoops requirement s/he imposed on you as a condition for filling the prescription was not satisfactory. That is all good, legal, and professional.

On top of that, the pharmacist has no duty to assist you in rectifying the health problem s/he created for you in the first place.

As long as you Somehow manage to get the medicine, from Someone, Somewhere, at some time before you become incapacitated and/or die, the pharmacist need not bother with a referral to a competent pharmacist.

Of course, in all fairness, a referral to a competent pharmacist in Idaho might be problematic.

Between the reckless disregard for professional standards enshrined in the Idaho Pharmacy Act and the impotence of Executive Director Mark Johnston and the Idaho Board of Pharmacy to do anything about it, it's unclear if there are any competent pharmacists left in Idaho.

Oh and...

April fools regarding the latest post ya'll. Even though morning dew sounds delicious.

I Have An Announcement To Make

Dear Readers,

As you all may know by now, I'm a dedicated vegan and a food fascist (?). I don't consume anything artifical or anything that used to have a mom or a Facebook account. But I have decided this week to expand my food philosophy and embrace a somewhat controversial lifestyle: The Amba Yogic Food Philosphy. For those who are not familar with this way of life I can tell you that it is a eastern philosophy which is based on the fact that we people (and listen to this) do not have to eat. At all. The Yogis who practice this philosophy believe that we can survive on meditation, sunshine and early morning dew. I have now practiced this Amba Yogic lifestyle for three days and I feel great! It's like everything is so bright, all the colours look more vivid and vibrant and my body feels so light! I can't even feel the left side of my face anymore and I think it means that my body truly is going through a metamorphosis and turning into what all our bodies should be: a concept.