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Hey everyone.  I'm still trying to get all of my old stuff posted so for those of you that want more up to date stuff I'll get to it soon.

Greetings listeners of Orange county you’re listening to food for thought the show where we talk about food stuffs. It’s Friday afternoon and once again Greg is her for what I believe is show number 5.  Previously on food for thought slurpee day, guacamole poisoning, great guacamole recipe, fruits nectarines, mangoes mangosteens, House of Big fish restaurant, donuts!  Now onto this week’s show

Last week news came out that Baskin-Robbins is Retiring French Vanilla and some of the other flavors that I don’t really care about.

·         Baskin-Robbins is making a few changes. The ice cream retailer, famous for its 31 flavors, has announced that five of the flavors are going into what it calls "deep freeze." Think of it as the ice cream equivalent of forced retirement.

The five flavors on the cusp of retirement include Campfire S'mores, Apple Pie a La Mode, Caramel Praline Cheesecake, Superfudge Truffle, and, in a sign that no flavor is safe, French Vanilla. French Vanilla! No word yet on the new flavors.

I did some research and this isn't the first time the ice cream outlet has put flavors in deep freeze. In the past, they have retired such flavors as "Lunar Cheesecake" (released in 1969, after the United States put a man on the moon), and in 1996, "Saxy Candidate" (in honor of Bill Clinton, then known more for his love of jazz music than of ladies).

Those flavors were pretty famous, as far as ice cream goes. Some lesser-known varieties have also disappeared from Baskin-Robbins over the years. For example, according to the company's official site,  "Condorman Crunch" — named after the flop 1981 movie "Condorman" which I’ve never heard of so it really was a flop I guess even though 1981 as before my time, it was around for a while. Equally bizarre: the "Temptation Island" flavor, named after some lame reality TV show of the same name which I’ve also never heard of. Both flavors are now in deep freeze, and we doubt they'll ever escape.

"French Vanilla" is, of course, a whole other ball of ice cream. It's a classic. In fact, it is definitely the most popular ice cream flavor in Yahoo! Search. FYI, Baskin-Robbins: You may be retiring a hit before its time...

Lovin’ Chocolate but hatin’ the fat? Here’s 10 Smart Nixes and Healthy Fixes

Candy is obviously not the go-to food when you're trying to lose weight. It's kind of like shopping for Ferraris on an old used car budget. But we adore our cars and our sweets. And if metallic is the new black, then cocoa is the color of confection. In a recent snacking poll I found online, 23 percent of people admit to a weakness for candy, but of those, 21 percent say it's all about chocolate.

True, we’re always reading stories about how chocolate is a health food; its flavonoids seem to reduce blood pressure, and a good portion of its fats don't clog the circulatory system. But that's when you nibble on it, it has to be dark chocolate instead of the more popular milk or white chocolate, and minus the chewy, gooey, truffley, nuggets that make us eat it in large, caloric amounts.  

So check out this healthy GPS to guide you through the chocolate candy aisles—and beyond. Thanks to The Nutrition Twins, Tammy Lakatos Shames and Lyssie Lakatos, both registered dietitians and authors of The Secret to Skinny and Fire Up Your Metabolism, we've got some great ways to treat a sweet tooth without the fat crash. 

The Six to Nix

Raising the Bar. Read the labels. A Toblerone white chocolate bar is only 180 calories; however, the slender prism is actually three servings, meaning if you eat it all, you’re getting 540 calories and 30 grams of fat. Calories in commercial bars range from the low to high 200s, depending partly on the size. Baby Ruths are particularly loaded:  280 calories and 8 grams of saturated fat. Snickers and 5 th Avenue bars are close behind. You’re much better off with, say, a York Peppermint Pattie—a slightly smaller portion, but a nice taste thwack with only 140 calories and 1.5 grams of saturated fat. 

Fattest Bites: The Lindt Classics chocolate sampler averages 230 calories and 10 grams of saturated fat for three pieces. Most assorted chocolates have similar numbers. For fewer calories and zero fat, you can have 10 times as many candy corns. Or suck on a chocolate Tootsie Pop—no fat and only 60 calories—and it will occupy your taste buds much longer than these three sampler nibbles.

Sugar-free Calorie Bombs. Don’t be fooled by the "free."  For example Sarris makes a sugar-free chocolate bar that contains 300 calories and 12 grams of saturated fat. (You're better off with your Snickers.) And Russell Stover sugar-free toffee has 210 and 9 grams of saturated fat for three squares. 

Worst Health Fakers: Just because a bar sits in the healthy display stand, doesn't mean it's any better than the candy on the other side of the racks. Although Kashi makes some great products, their GoLean Chewy Chocolate Almond Toffee bar is 290 calories, 4.5 grams of saturated fat, and 7 teaspoons of sugar. The Cookies N' Cream flavor is about the same. Did we hear “lean”? 

Just Beans: How much could chocolate-covered coffee beans set you back—they’re mostly java, right? The answer is, about 200 calories and 7 grams of fat for a handful. As for Boston Baked Beans candy, they’re also 200 per serving and, while peanuts are indeed legumes, they're not exactly the beans nutritionists are always telling us to eat more of.

Total Insanity: If you ever wondered how to fit almost 1000 calories in the palm of your hand, just pick up a deep fried Mars Bar. This was kind of cool to me because I’ve heard of deep fried candy bars from watching a travel channel show where they had a list of theses interesting restaurants and there was one called the chip shop in New York owned by a British guy and he fries everything there including chocolate bars and supposedly they’re one of the most popular dishes there beside deep fried twinkies.  Back to the current subject some versions come in for less, but there are so many better ways to spend your calories. Here are few:

5 Healthy Chocolate Fixes (plus a pie)

Next time you have a craving, try these low-cal, nutrient rich alternatives:

Chewy Chocolate Nuggets: Take 4 dates and roll them in unsweetened cocoa powder. You get a load of antioxidants and 3 grams of fiber for only 100 calories. 

Cake Batter Candy:  Usually people say that eating raw cake batter or cookie dough is bad but I think that is just ridiculous I think it’s just some crazy parents that worry too much about their kids preventing them from enjoying one of the pleasures of childhood, this however doesn’t have eggs in the batter and you’re not making much of it.  Mix 3 tablespoons of chocolate cake mix and 1/2 to 2 teaspoons of water, depending on how gooey you like your batter. (75 calories.)

Frozen Chocolate Chips: Slice an overripe banana into coins, drizzle with a tablespoon of sugar-free chocolate syrup, and lay them flat in a zipper plastic bag. Freeze. (About 112 calories.) 

Banana Lick-ity-Split: Take 1/2 a banana, roll it in unsweetened cocoa powder, and top with  2 tablespoons of fat- free whipped cream (70 calories, 0 grams fat.)

White Chocolate Yogurt: "You'll be surprised how the protein helps satisfy a craving,". Just add 1 to 2 teaspoons of unsweetened cocoa powder to a 6-ounce tub of light vanilla yogurt. (About 100 calories.) 

Pumpkin Cracker Pie: In case you need a chocolate break, take a can of pumpkin (lots of fiber and vitamin A) and mix it with cinnamon and a teaspoon of sugar. Serve on two (2.5 inch) Graham Cracker squares. (Just over 100 calories.)   

Now on to our next topic of the hour!

Butter or Margarine? Experts Reveal What's in Their Grocery Cart

Legend has it that grocery shopping used to be a one-hour gig. Now it's full of nutrition decisions: skim or whole? Fresh or frozen? Good fat, bad fat? U.S. News asked two nutrition experts to tell us what they put in their carts and why. Here are some of the big questions that people probably ask while pushing their shopping carts through the aisles.

Olive or canola oil? While canola has been touted in recent years as superior to olive oil, both have high proportions of polyunsaturated and monosaturated fatty acids (good fats) and are heart healthy when consumed in moderation. Registered dietician and director of the wellness for Life program at Brooklyn Hospital Center Karen Congro said "Although both are relatively low in saturated (bad) fat, the debate arose when olive oil was found to contain a slightly higher amount,". While she prefers olive oil for everyday use because of its higher level of monounsaturates, it does have a distinctive flavor and is significantly more expensive than canola.

Butter or margarine? For those who believe butter is healthier because it's "natural," some bad news. "It's made from animal fat, [so it] contains cholesterol and very high levels of saturated fat. Margarine is made from vegetable oils, and plant products contain no cholesterol. It's also higher in "good" fats than butter. But some kinds of margarine may be even worse than butter because of their content of trans fats, a particular heart risk. In general, the more solid the margarine, the higher the proportion of trans fat. Steer clear of stick margarine, advises Karen Congro: "Go for the tubs of heart-healthy margarine made with omega-3 oil," such as Promise or Smart Balance.

However for all you butter lovers and fat wary athletes, and calorie counters there is still some good news.  Try giving this a chance: pasture butter, it comes from cows that graze on fresh grass in the summer and unlike ordinary butter it’s rich in vitamin E, beta-carotene, and selenium. Some studies have shown that it has more cancer fighting conjugated linoleic acids (CLA) as well as a healthier ratio of omega 3 and 6 fatty acids than regular butter, it’s in season from May through September, and one of the best producers of it is organic valley which produces an 84 percent butterfat pasture butter.  The low moisture concentrates nutrients and flavor supposedly.  Keep in mind though that pasture butter is still butter so use it sparingly

Low-fat or skim milk? Let's face it—the higher the fat content, the better the taste, but skim and 1 percent are clearly better nutritional choices, says Dawn Jackson Blatner, a dietitian and spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association. How much better, though? "The higher you climb in percentage of milk fat, the bigger the bite you're taking out of your daily recommended value of saturated fat,". According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the maximum recommended daily intake of saturated fat for the average active adult is 20 grams. One serving of skim milk can have no more than .4 of a gram of saturated fat, with 1 percent weighing in at 1.5 grams and 2 percent at 3 grams. "If you have two glasses of 2 percent milk, you've already consumed almost a third of your daily saturated fat,". "Stick to skim and 1 percent." Or go for the 2 percent but keep the saturated fat content in mind.

Skim milk is better for you but I have a word of advice to listeners who only drink milk with a certain percentage of fat in it.  If you go from a milk with a certain percentage of fat down to a lower percentage the new milk will be watery tasting for a while as you’re more used to milk with more fat the opposite can be said with milk that’s a lower fat percentage to a higher percent it will be richer tasting.

Fresh or frozen veggies? "Fresh sounds better," says Lona Sandon, a nutritionist at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center and a spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association, "and if you picked them out of your garden or at a farmer's market that sells locally grown produce, you can be assured they haven't lost nutrients in transit." But keep in mind that "if." Research at Pennsylvania State University found that a bag of spinach stored at slightly below 40 degrees Fahrenheit for eight days lost half its folate, which prevents birth defects, and carotenoids, compounds that fight heart disease. Higher temperatures accelerated the breakdown. At 50 degrees, half of the compounds were gone after six days. It took just four days at 68 degrees to drop by half. On an 80- or 90-degree day at an outdoor farm stand, the process clicks up several notches. "Frozen fruits and vegetables are processed at their peak ripeness, a time when—as a general rule—they are most nutrient-packed," says Sandon. "When you buy frozen, you know exactly what you're getting."

For all of you olive oil fan’s out there, and I’m sure there is quite a few out there there’s some bad news.

Virgin Olive oil not truly virgin despite labels according to study

Virgin olive oil that claim to be 'extra virgin' may not be after all. A new study says some Virgin olive oil brands are not the top-grade extra-virgin its labels proclaim.

Many of the olive oils lining supermarket shelves in the United States are not the top-grade extra-virgin oils their labels proclaim, according to a report from the University of California, Davis.

Researchers analyzed popular brands and found 69 percent of imported oils and 10 percent of domestic oils sampled did not meet the international standards that define the pure, cold-pressed, olive oils that deserve the extra-virgin title.

"Consumers, retailers and regulators should really start asking questions," said Dan Flynn, executive director of UC Davis' Olive Oil Center, which conducted the study in partnership with the Australian Oils Research Laboratory, in South Wales.

Funding for the study came in part from California olive oil producers and the California Olive Oil Council, a trade group that works to promote locally produced oils.

Although the survey's sample size was relatively small and selected at random — 19 widely distributed brands purchased from retailers in San Francisco Bay Area, Sacramento and Los Angeles — the study held the claims on their labels to a scientifically verifiable standard, said Flynn.

The results came as the U.S. Department of Agriculture prepares to adopted scientifically verifiable standards for nomenclature such as "virgin" or "extra virgin," in an effort to clear up concerns about labeling accuracy. The standards will be implemented in October, and are similar to those upheld by the International OliveCouncil.

The "extra-virgin" designation indicates that the oil was extracted without the use of heat or chemicals, is pure, satisfies a taste test and falls within chemical parameters established by the IOC.

The United States is the world's third-largest consumer of olive oil, 99 percent of which comes from foreign producers.

The North American Olive Oil Association, which represents most olive oil importers, has conducted its own tests for years on the products it imports, and found problems with only one percent of samples, said its president, Bob Bauer.

He also questioned the objectivity of a study financed in part by California olive oil producers.

"The research was done by academics, but with funds supplied by the industry," Bauer said. "When you look at results that are so different from ours, it does raise some questions."

The head of the Olive Oil Chemistry and Standardization Unit at the International Olive Council, based in Spain, was not available for comment.

The study found that olive oil from Whole Foods, the country's largest organic food retailer, failed to meet two of the nine chemical parameters established for extra-virgin olive oil by the IOC. The company said it had not reviewed the study, but that it stands behind their 365 Everyday Value 100 percent Italian Extra-VirginOlive Oil.

Whole Foods' supplier performs independent tests meant to ensure the oil "meets our requirements and the industry standards for extra-virgin olive oil," said spokeswoman Jennifer Marples.

There have long been questions about the quality of some of the olive oil being sold as extra virgin, said Flynn.

Olive oil production is labor intensive and costly. Poor quality oils can be made from olives that are too ripe or damaged. Extra-virgin olive oil is also fragile — it is susceptible to oxidation and degradation of its aromatic compounds due to aging, or to exposure to high temperatures and light.

The delicate nature of the production has led to adulteration, where extra-virgin olive oil was blended with cheaper, refined olive oil, or with seed or nut oils.

The discovery of altered oils in the 1990s led the European Union, which produces much of the world's supply, to create an investigative task force to look into the matter.

The results of the survey weren't surprising to Ruth Mercurio, who owns and runs We Olive, a California chain of stores specializing in olive oil.

"It's sad for consumers that there is fraud out there," said Mercurio, who has trained in-house tasters to help verify the quality of their product. "It's a problem, and maybe this will get folks to perk up and listen."

6 "Healthy" Foods That Are Fat Traps in Disguise

Some foods that seem diet-friendly—like turkey burgers, granola, yogurt, and more—are shockingly high in calories and fat. Here's how to skirt six common fat traps. 

1. Flavored Yogurt

Brace yourself for culture shock. Plain yogurt naturally contains about 16 grams of sugar per cup. But if you eat flavored yogurt, you could be downing 15 or more additional grams of sugar, which is like shoveling in four extra teaspoonfuls.

What to eat instead: Choose plain, low-fat yogurt and stir in a teaspoon of honey, maple syrup, or all-fruit spread for a hint of sweetness. Or opt for fat-free Greek yogurt, which is lower in sugar than even regular plain yogurt but often has double the protein to keep you satisfied longer.

Don’t feel discouraged that flavored yogurt isn’t as good for you as previously thought since it is still yogurt so some of the health benefits still probably apply just burn off the excess sugar by exercise.  Here’s some surprising health benefits yogurt has

Yogurt's got power-boosting protein and bone-building calcium. It can also help you lose weight and fend off a cold. Here's the scoop on what it can do -- and how much you should eat.

1. Yogurt can give you flat abs.

Eat 18 ounces a day and you can drop a jeans size. People who ate that much -- in conjunction with cutting their total calories -- lost 22 percent more weight and 81 percent more belly fat than dieters who skipped the snack, according to research from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. They also retained one-third more calorie-torching lean muscle mass, which can help you maintain weight loss. "Fat around your waist produces the hormone cortisol, which tells your body to accumulate even more belly flab," says nutrition professor and lead study author Michael Zemel, PhD. When you eat yogurt, the calcium signals your fat cells to pump out less cortisol, making it easier for you to drop pounds, while the amino acids help burn fat.

2. Most brands of yogurt contain good-for-you bacteria.

The words "live and active cultures" on the container mean that your yogurt has probiotics, beneficial bugs that live in your digestive tract and help crowd out harmful microorganisms that can cause intestinal infections. (Only a very small number of companies put yogurt through a post-pasteurization process that kills off all bacteria.)

But many varieties now also contain special strains of probiotics meant to help regulate your digestion or strengthen your immune system. The research on them isn't conclusive, however. "If you suffer from a particular health problem, like bloating or diarrhea, it's worth trying one of these products for a couple of weeks to see if it helps," says FITNESS advisory board member Dawn Jackson Blatner, RD. Otherwise, save a few dollars and stick to conventional brands.

3. Yogurt is loaded with vitamins.

One serving is a significant source of potassium, phosphorous, riboflavin, iodine, zinc, and vitamin B5 (pantothenic acid). Yogurt also contains B12, which maintains red blood cells and helps keep your nervous system functioning properly. "Vitamin B12 is found mostly in animal products, such as chicken and fish, so strict vegetarians can easily fall short," says Jackie Newgent, RD, a FITNESS advisory board member and author of Big Green Cookbook. Eating more yogurt can help close the nutrient gap: An eight-ounce serving contains 1.4 micrograms of the vitamin, about 60 percent of what adult women need daily.

4. A cup of yogurt a day can help you recover faster after a workout.

With the right ratio of protein to carbohydrates, yogurt, particularly high-protein Greek yogurt, makes an excellent post-sweat-session snack. "The perfect time to grab a container is within 60 minutes of exercise," says Keri Gans, RD, a nutritionist in New York City. The protein provides the amino acids your muscles need to repair themselves, Gans explains, and the carbohydrates replace your muscles' energy stores, which are depleted after a hard workout. It's a bonus if you drink a bottle of water along with it: The protein in yogurt may also help increase the amount of water absorbed by the intestines, improving hydration.

5. Not all yogurt is equal when it comes to calcium and vitamin D.

Since it naturally contains calcium, you'd think the amount would be the same no matter which yogurt you pick. Wrong. "The levels can vary widely from brand to brand, so you really need to check the label," Newgent says. How much is in a container depends on processing. For instance, fruit yogurt tends to have less calcium than plain because the sugar and fruit take up precious space in the container. "Vitamin D isn't naturally in yogurt, but because it helps boost calcium absorption, most companies add it," Newgent explains. Reach for brands like Stonyfield Farms Fat Free Smooth and Creamy and Yoplait Light Thick & Creamy, which contain at least 20 percent of your daily value for both nutrients.

6. Yogurt may prevent high blood pressure.

Every day 70 percent of us consume more than twice the recommended amount of salt; over time that can lead to hypertension and kidney and heart disease. The potassium in yogurt, almost 600 milligrams per eight ounces, may help flush some of the excess sodium out of your body. In fact, adults in a study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition who ate the most low-fat dairy -- two or more servings daily -- were 54 percent less likely to develop high blood pressure than those who ate the least.

7. A daily serving of yogurt keeps colds away.

Dig into four ounces each day and you may find yourself sniffle-free in the months ahead, according to a study at the University of Vienna. Women eating this amount had much stronger and more active T cells, which battle illness and infection, than they did before they started consuming it. "The healthy bacteria in yogurt help send signals to the immune-boosting cells in your body to power up and fight off harmful bugs," says lead study author Alexa Meyer, PhD, a nutrition researcher at the university. Allergy sufferers, who typically have low levels of certain T cells, may also find relief by adding yogurt to their diets. In a study in the Journal of Nutrition, people who ate seven ounces a day had fewer symptoms than those who opted for none at all.

8. Yogurt can help your smile.

Despite its sugar content, yogurt doesn't cause cavities. When scientists at Marmara University in Turkey tested low-fat, light, and fruit flavors, they found that none of them eroded tooth enamel, the main cause of decay. The lactic acid in yogurt appears to give your gums protection as well. People who eat at least two ounces a day have a 60 percent lower risk of acquiring severe periodontal disease than those who skip it.

9. Raw doesn't mean better.

Virtually all the yogurt in your grocery store has been pasteurized -- that is, exposed to high temperatures to kill any harmful pathogens. Raw-dairy fans claim that unpasteurized milk, yogurt, and cheese are better for you because they contain more health-boosting bacteria, but pasteurization doesn't destroy beneficial probiotics, Newgent explains. Plus, studies show that those who eat raw yogurt don't have stronger immune or digestive systems than people who stick to the pasteurized stuff. And raw-dairy products carry a risk of food poisoning. "E. coli and salmonella are two of the pathogens that can lurk in these foods and end up in your body," Newgent says.

10. Yogurt is a high-protein food.

Yogurt can be an excellent source of protein, but "one variety may contain more than double the protein of another," Blatner says. Greek yogurt, which is strained to make it thicker, has up to 20 grams of protein per container; traditional yogurt may have as few as five grams. If you're eating it for the protein, look for brands that provide at least eight to 10 grams per serving.

2. Sugar-Free Cookies and Candy

Don't fall for the no-sugar scam: When manufacturers remove the sweet stuff, they often add fat. One popular brand offers chocolate-chip cookies that each contain 160 calories and 9 grams of fat, so why not eat the real thing? You might save calories with sugar-free candy, but many contain sorbitol, which can cause bloating and diarrhea.

What to eat instead: Get your cookie fix with graham crackers, which have almost a teaspoon less sugar per serving than many other packaged cookies. Or find a 100-calorie snack pack of your favorite (try Keebler Fudge Shoppe Mini Fudge Stripes). Taking a trip to candy land? Grab a 60-calorie Tootsie Pop or a York Peppermint Pattie (140 calories and 2.5 grams of fat).

3. Trail Mix

Store-bought versions of this hiking staple should take a hike. A 1-ounce handful of banana chips packs 10 grams of fat (they're usually deep-fried), and yogurt-covered raisins are coated with partially hydrogenated palm kernel oil, which contains saturated and trans fats.

What to eat instead: Toss your own trail mix with nuts, dried fruit (raisins or chopped apricots), whole-grain cereal, mini pretzels, and a few chocolate chips. Limit your portion to one cup. 

4. Veggie Chips

The rainbow-hued chips are no better than their potato counterparts. While both may boast a little vitamin A or C, your hips won't know the difference: The salty snacks have about 150 calories and 9 or 10 grams of fat per handful. And that bag may contain plain old chips in disguise; sometimes manufacturers simply add food coloring to potato flour.

What to eat instead: Be sure your chips list a vegetable, not potato flour or corn flour, as the first ingredient (we like Terra Chips) and stick with just one portion. Or skip them in favor of baked tortilla chips: Pair a serving (about 12 chips) with 1/2 cup of salsa; you'll quell your crunch craving and get a full serving of veggies with only 153 nearly fat-free calories. 

5. Granola

Pancakes drowned in syrup, eggs swimming in hollandaise sauce -- is there a healthy option on the brunch menu? Granola seems harmless, but it's no breakfast of champions. One cup contains up to 560 calories and 28 grams of fat before you add milk.

What to eat instead: Reluctant to give up that sweet, nutty taste? Skip granola at restaurants, where you can't control your portion. Enjoy it at home by mixing a quarter cup into a cup of low-cal, whole-grain cereal, such as All-Bran Complete Wheat Flakes, or sprinkle a tablespoon on oatmeal. 

6. Ground Turkey

It seems like a no-brainer for burgers and lasagna, but ground turkey often includes fat and skin. A 3-ounce serving can contain 13 grams of fat -- almost triple the amount in lean ground beef. With 40-plus percent of your day's worth of cholesterol, regular ground chicken is no better.

What to eat instead: Look closely at labels. Extra-lean turkey is your best bet, with 1 gram of fat and no saturated fat per serving. Can't find it? Buy at least 92 percent lean ground beef.

Well that’s all the time I have for today’s show.  If you have any questions or if you’re interested in doing an interview with me then you can email me at engg@uci.edu, or my other email Gregory.eng @ gmail.com.  See you next week stay tuned for the OC show.