Real Sad Tomatoes
This New York Times op-ed by Dan Barber, chef and co-owner of the Blue Hill and Blue Hill at Stone Barns restaurants is a must-read for any tomato-lover, home gardener or grow-your-own advocate. When I took my canning workshop earlier this month, the instructor explained how Stone Barns had lost its tomato crop to blight (a fungus that attacks tomatoes and potatoes). Usually this isn’t an issue for farmers since blight hits late in the season, after harvesting. This year, thanks to a lot of rain and large chain stores selling infected plants to aspiring home gardeners, the northeast got hit with blight early. What are we to do? Well, it’s too late for this year’s crops, but next year, to keep any blight contained, be sure to buy starter plants from a local grower or nursery; they monitor their plants more closely and will pull out infected plants.

Is Exercise Really Important?
The short answer: yes! But if you think you’re burning thousands of calories by going to the gym for an hour, no dice. I was shocked by the title of this Time Magazine article (”Why Exercise Won’t Make You Thin”) and immediately bought a copy. The author makes some excellent points — one goodie: you need to get off your behind and move! Not necessarily by grunting for an hour at the gym, but by walking, going dancing (sans the alcohol), gardening or walking up the stairs instead of taking the elevator or escalator. Many of my clients tell me they really lose weight when they visit their families in the Dominican Republic. Why? Because they need to walk to get anywhere and the electricity doesn’t always work (less TV and video game time!). Another good point in this article: once you’re done moving or exercising, don’t reward yourself with an ice cream sundae, donut or even a muffin. Even if the exercise makes you hungry, overdoing it afterward defeats the purpose.

Possible Ban on Drive-Thrus
Cities in states like Colorado are trying to close down drive-thrus. No, not because of the high-calorie foods often on their menus, but as a way to decrease greenhouse gas emission from the cars waiting to be served. Instead of parking and walking inside, folks prefer to stay put in their car for 5 to 12 minutes. The author of this article proposes a slight tax on orders from drive-thrus. The money would be donated to help develop new eco-friendly technologies.

Smart-Choice Logo’s Debut
Big food companies such as Coca-Cola and General Mills have banded together to create and adopt the Smart Choice logo, which starts showing up on product labels this week. The big green check mark is meant to help you easily identify healthier foods without having to read the full label. About 500 products have qualified for the mark so far, based on criteria set up using the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. Anyone seen the labels yet? I just went to the market today and didn’t come across any.

4 Ways to Prevent the “Big 3” Diseases
A study featured in August’s Archives of Internal Medicine showed that German patients who adopted or met 4 specific lifestyle choices had a 78% reduced risk to develop the top 3 major illnesses: cancer, heart disease and diabetes. So what are these healthy lifestyle changes? Having a BMI (body mass index) of less than 30, never smoking, being physically active and eating a healthy diet. This is all commonsense, right? Study after study is concluding the same thing. Doesn’t that tell you something?

ORDER: Simple and Fresh
Basic salads, such as the Mandarin Chicken or Chicken Caesar, have between 200 to 300 calories even with their special dressings. Opt out of extra toppings like crispy noodles and garlic croutons to save 70 calories and 2.5 grams of fat. Even better, pass on regular dressings, and go for the light or fat-free options instead.

You don’t see a lot of baked potatoes on fast food menus, but they’ve been a staple at Wendy’s for years. With 270 calories (without toppings), a potato and a side salad make for a well-rounded meal. Chili is also a unique offering but stick to the small size. The large cup of chili has only 280 calories but 1240 milligrams of sodium –- that’s more than half of the daily recommendation of salt.

If you’re in the mood for a sandwich or burger, the Jr. Hamburger is the best option with 230 calories, 8 grams of fat and just under 500 milligrams of sodium. Or make a meal out of the Grilled Chicken Go Wrap, which has 250 calories, 10 grams of fat and 730 milligrams of sodium.

NOT: Everything Burgers, Boneless Wings and Frozen Treats
The Triple Burger with Everything and Cheese tips the scale at 970 calories, 60 grams of fat (including 27 grams of saturated and 3.5 grams of trans fat) and 2,010 milligrams of sodium. The Baconator burger (that name just bothers me) isn’t much better with 870 calories and 51 grams of fat. Of course, it’s easy to figure out that you shouldn’t order a triple cheeseburger. The Chicken Club Sandwich might seem like a light choice, but stay away — it still packs 550 calories and 26 grams of fat.

I’ve seen a lot of commercials lately for their new boneless wings. Whether you’re eying the Bold Buffalo (520 calories), Honey BBQ (580 calories) or Sweet & Spicy Asian (550 calories), none of them are a healthy choice. Each serving has 18 grams of fat and somewhere between 1990 and 2630 milligrams of sodium –- not to mention a laundry list of preservatives, according to the ingredient info.

And what about Wendy’s signature Frosty dessert? A small Chocolate Frosty has 320 calories and 8 grams of fat, which is enough for a meal. I remember when there was just one kind of Frosty -– now there are all kinds of choices, many with added cookies and candy that only jack up the calorie and fat totals. You’re better off enjoying a small serving of chocolate ice cream from your home freezer.

We have some kudos for Wendy’s: They’re conscientious about noting potential food allergens and providing a list of ingredients for all their menu items. You can look all that up at their site.

ORDER: 300 calories or less
For breakfast, a good old Egg McMuffin will keep the meal at 300 calories — a better choice than many other breakfast offerings. When it comes to burgers, keep it small. Order a cheeseburger (300 calories and 12 grams of fat) and add a side salad instead of fries.

For entrée salads, go for the Premium Asian Salad with Grilled Chicken (300 calories and 10 grams of fat). Top it with one of the low-fat salad dressing options but only use half of the packer — the low- fat dressings have 50% more sodium than the regular ones.

You might also try a Grilled Chicken Snack Wrap as a meal — at 260 calories and 9 grams of fat, it’s too much for a “snack.” Mini burgers are popping up on menus in some parts of the country -– we’ll have to wait and see what the nutrition info is on those little guys when they debut closer to home.

For something sweet, choose a small portion of reduced-fat vanilla ice cream (don’t be shy, ask for a kiddie size) or a fruit and yogurt parfait.

NOT: Nothing “DELUXE,” “LARGE,” “DOUBLE” or that ends in “FLURRY”
Deluxe Breakfast entrees have more than 1000 calories, 60 grams of fat and a days worth of sodium. The McSkillet Burrito weighs in at 600 calories and over 30 grams of fat — not an ideal way to start your day!

A large fries has almost half a day’s allowance of fat. Have those fries with a Double Quarter Pounder with Cheese and you’ll be adding 740 calories — that’s 200 more calories than a Big Mac.

McFlurry ice cream desserts fall in the 500 to 600 calorie range. Guess how many calories are in the Triple Thick Shakes? A lot.

To look up those shakes and all the other McDonald’s menu items, visit their website.

Are you “thinking outside the bun” and craving a tortilla or soft taco? If you’re on the go and this Mexican-inspired fast food chain is the best you can find, keep this in mind before you order…

ORDER: Keep it simple and small
Go simple and watch your portions. Once you start ordering multiple chalupas, gorditas and tacos, the calories add up quickly. Choose one or two beef or steak Fresco Soft Tacos (160 to 180 calories each) or Spicy Chicken Soft Tacos (170 calories). One gordita, which ranges from 270 to 340 calories, is a better choice than a chalupa, which averages between 340 to 410 calories.

NOT: Salad (yes, salad)
You think ordering a salad will skim those calories — think again! The Fiesta Taco Salad weighs in at 840 calories, with close to 50% of those calories coming from fat. The Chicken Fiesta Taco Salad has 780 calories and the Express Taco Salad rounds the group at 600 calories.

Avoid looking for a deal with the super-sized, 42-ounce soda, too. That tacks on about 525 calories and a whole lot of sugar. As obvious as it may sound, go for the diet soft drink or just plain water.

As for the “Fourthmeal” that Taco Bell promotes as a snack between dinner and breakfast, you know better than that! A healthy diet should include three meals and between two-to-three simple snacks a day. Avoid late-night fare whenever possible.

Check out Taco Bell’s full nutrition information.

When it comes to fast food, sandwiches seem like a smart choice, and in many cases, they are. There are still some menu items that might surprise you. So when dining at Subway, the king of quick sandwiches, we suggest…

ORDER: The Fresh Fit options
The subs on the Fresh Fit menu contain less than 375 calories (without cheese or mayonnaise). Go for ones with less sodium such as the Veggie Delite, Oven Roasted Chicken Breast or Roast Beef. Load up on fresh vegetables for toppings (to boost your nutrients), and get a six-inch sandwich on wheat bread. Avoid the wraps — they have more calories and sodium. For condiments, try mustard or a small amount of oil and vinegar. Ditch mayo and other creamy sauces and dressings. Complete the meal with a small bag of baked chips or pretzels and a calorie-free drink.

NOT: A tuna sub, footlongs or the extra soup and cookies
A six-inch tuna sub has 530 calories, 31 grams of fat and 7 grams of saturated fat thanks to all the mayonnaise. A footlong ham sub has almost 600 calories and more than a day’s worth of sodium. Extras like soups and cookies will add hundreds of calories to your meal, so stick to the sandwiches.

Check out the Subway menu’s full nutrition information.

First up, Burger King. We suggest…

ORDER: Whopper Jr.
The Whopper Jr. burger without cheese or mayo has 290 calories and 12 grams of fat. Even if you split a value fries and sip on some water or diet soda, your grand total equals 400 calories and 17.5 grams of fat. That will leave you enough calories for a sensible breakfast and dinner that day.

NOT: The Double or Triple Whopper
A Triple Whopper with cheese and mayo has 1250 calories and 84 grams of fat. That’s 63% of your daily calories and 100% of your allowable fat for the day (based on a 2000 calorie diet)! The Double Whopper with the full fixings isn’t much better with 1010 calories and 64 grams of fat. Add a large fries and your grand total is 1830 calories and 112 grams of fat. If you still add a milkshake or soda, well, need I say more?

Note: There are some lower calorie chicken options on the menu (see Burger King’s nutrition guidelines), but since this is Burger King, we focused on their star players: the burgers.