Dodgeball. Track and field day. Recess… There was a time when these words were what made us tick, when all that mattered was whether you could feasibly be cast as your favorite Disney princess. That, of course, along with what was packed in your lunchbox.

Hot lunch was only cool on pizza and chicken nugget days in my hometown, with macaroni and cheese in as close a third as possible. So rather than stash our hot lunch tickets in our Lisa Frank pencil cases, the obvious choice was hardly your choice at all. Your parents packed it, and you ate it, so they thought. But we all know better. Lunch was a trading game.

Long before we were coveting Gucci bags and Tory Burch flats, ladies, there was a time where the following items were the only accessories of importance. Below are my top five snack foods from childhood lunches, most of which I had to argue my parents for, or trade for:

1) Little Debbie ANYTHING. Zebra Cakes, Swiss Cake Rolls, lots of cake-age going on. These were the crème-de-la-crème of snacking and what made suffering through yet another PB&J worthwhile. Read More »

How many of us really know what’s in our food?

Celebrities, campaigns, and informative guides have all tried to help alert the public to the dangers of additives and saturated fats, yet we’re still far from the natural and organic palate most of us are striving to achieve.

In particular, E-numbers have caused a stir for a good few years now. Despite the banning of some, there are still a great many present in our everyday favorite drinks and foodstuffs: candy bars, fizzy drinks, crackers, and more.

For example, E102 (also known as ‘Tartrazine’) is used to color jams, cereals and drinks. It also happens to be banned in Norway and Austria, as it has been linked to thyroid tumours, chromosomal damage and asthma. Worrying? I certainly think so. Read More »

When I Googled “things that are bad for me” and Chicken Pot Pie came up, I was surprised I didn’t eat more of it. I happen to specialize in loving all things bad. I am a bad things virtuoso. I cuss, I eat candy bars for breakfast and I drink more wine than water.

If I thought of Chicken Pot Pie as something harmful, would I crave it every evening? Probably. I look at it as comfort food to eat on winter nights while wearing thick wool socks, something that just fills me up and doesn’t take any serious toll on my health and in turn, I haven’t eaten a Chicken Pot Pie since I was about eight.

When we want what we shouldn’t have, is our want purely psychological because our cravings are forbidden? Just as rules are made to be broken, “bad things” are made to be desired.

For Instance:

Frappucinos– I blame this one on Britney Spears, because anytime she waddled out of a Starbucks her best accessory was her Venti sized Mocha Frappucino (whipped cream included) Why is it bad? 500 calories in a beverage is just too many.

JUNK FOOD– The term junk came around for a reason. Case in point: I spent twenty minutes staring at cookie dough in the grocery store today, simply because I knew I shouldn’t buy a BUCKET of cookie dough because I may have an instant heart attack after I finish the whole thing, uncooked. Or I may get a serious case of salmonella. I’ve never spent 20 minutes staring at grapefruit or kale, because who desires ‘effing KALE? Read More »

It’s that time of year again.

Actually, who are we kidding? It’s always that time of year. When is there a time when we don’t wish that our jeans were a little looser, our abs were a little tighter, and that we could resist the temptation of that evil bag of chocolate chip cookies lurking in the kitchen (that always seems to magically disappears within an hour while cramming for finals)

You and I both know that stress = Get me some good food now por favor. Add that with the festive holiday treats from gingerbread lattes to potato latkes, It’s no wonder the average American gains 7-12 lbs during the holiday season.

But, winter break is around the corner and while shoveling down yummy treats may help us cope with the fact we have to learn a whole semesters worth of econ in three days, come the end of finals, we are going to feel (and look) like a big ball of grossness. Sure, Santa’s belly full of jelly is cute and cuddle-y on an old guy in a plush-velvet, red jumpsuit- but I’m thinking not-so-much my look. Especially when i’ll be spending some quality time post-finals on the beach…

Whether you want to drop a few dress sizes or just maintain your weight, foodfit.com gives us some tried and true tips from weight loss specialists to help us avoid those pounds that just seem to sneak up on us.

Remember: Each pound of weight lost requires that you either consume 3500 fewer calories or burn them off with exercise (and let us not forget, one shot = 100 calories. And really- who takes just one?)

1. Figure out what 1,500 calories looks like. If you’re trying to lose weight on a 1,500 calorie meal plan, you need to maintain a healthy mix of those calories - at least five servings of fruits and vegetables; six of whole grain breads, rice, crackers and other grains; two of protein foods; and three of nonfat dairy products. Learn about serving sizes: 3 ounces of lean meat, fish or poultry (the size of a deck of cards) is one serving. One slice of bread is one serving, while a large bagel may equal almost five! Read More »

I am sitting at a very long table. There are hundreds of people on all sides of me also sitting at very long tables. The only things that separate us are stacks of books, empty coffee cups and crumbs from the last meal we ate 6 hours ago. I have a highlighter and a pen stuffed into my ponytail, which I pull out whenever I need to remind myself of a topic I need to re-learn.

So far, the pen and highlighter have spent the majority of the day working their way across my notebook.

My shoes were kicked off hours ago and I would be resting my feet on the chair next to me if it weren’t for this big oafy kid neeeeeeeeding to sit there to study. Ass.

I am literally ready to pull my hair out. Ready to go home and watch some crappy reality television. Ready to do anything but study. But I can’t; I have two finals tomorrow.

And I am in a sh*tty mood.

Not even my friends visiting me with a milkshake could shake me out of this funk.

Read More »

It may sound shocking, but Paris Hilton has managed to actually help someone by being constantly plastered all over the media. An overweight British woman named Parris was tired of being compared to the waif-like celebrity on a daily basis.

At a size 22, the mother of three felt humiliated by her body and this insecurity heightened every time someone referred to her namesake. She suffered from depression and binge-ate to deal with her overwhelming emotions. Parris avoided social situations at all costs and completely gave up on her decaying appearance.

During a routine trip to the grocery store, overweight Parris piled an excess of junk food on to the check out conveyor.

A tabloid featuring Paris Hilton stared her in the face. Something inside the middle-aged woman snapped. She realized that the only way to combat her over eating was to confront the problem head on.

She discovered a diet program called LighterLife and proceeded to eliminate her status as “Fat Parris”. Read More »

This past Saturday I woke up to a plate of food shoved in my face. After I wiped the sleep out of my eyes, I realized that my boyfriend had made me breakfast in bed. Although my first reaction was “Awwww,” with the warm fuzzy feelings and whatnot, upon closer inspection of the plate I wanted to vom. One very cheesy grilled cheese, mashed potatoes slathered in butter, and bacon.

I’m not a large girl by any means, I don’t know if this breakfast was an attempt to fatten me up, or just made because the guy knew that I liked grilled cheese, bacon, and occassionally mashed potatoes. When I say that I like grilled cheese, I mean that sporadically I will eat one for lunch. I scarf a couple of slices of bacon every month or so. Mashed potatoes are strictly for the holidays. I’m very much a veggie-wraps, grilled chicken, and salad kind of gal. To be faced with a plate like this and a very eager face waiting for my approval, well it was a little much for 10AM on a Saturday.

I ended up eating the entire plate, all the while feeling myself slowly expanding. Not only that, he wanted to order pizza for dinner. If I protest, I run the risk of looking like a typical diet obsessed female, to give in is only sentencing me to more ellipitical time in the coming week. Read More »

If I forget to bring my iPod to the gym, I lose all motivation, talk myself out of my usual 30 minute run on the treadmill and proceed to eat unneccessary amounts of junk food.

Hey, I need rockin’ tunes to get me going. Which is why I always update my playlists, so that I can get excited about hitting the cardio machines.

Here’s my latest mix:

1. Justin Timberlake - What Goes Around, Comes Around

2. Nelly Furtado - All Good Things

3. The Killers - When You Were Young

4. Madonna - I Love New York

5. Cake - Short Skirt, Long Jacket

6. Gwen Stefani - The Sweet Escape

7. Eric Prydz - Call On Me

8. The Pixies - Where Is My Mind

9. Sublime - Santeria

10. Kelly Clarkson - Since You Been Gone

11. Citizen Cope - Brother Lee

12. Jojo - Too Little Too Late