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Weekly Link Roundup: A Healthy, Happy Start to Summer

By: Stepfanie Romine : 5/22/2009 2:02:03 PM : 32 comments

This weekend is Memorial Day weekend, the unofficial start to summer here in the States. It happens to be my favorite holiday of the year, mostly because my birthday usually falls over the long weekend. (Not this year--I'll celebrate the start of my 28th year on Wednesday.)

This week's links focus mostly on barbecues and cookouts--and expansion of both portions and waistlines. We share some of the most interesting online stories we read this week. We hope you like them!

Portion Explosion!
If you don't remember portions being as large as they are today, you're not forgetful, you're right. From bagels to burgers, we've super-sized our portions and our waistlines have expanded.
Back in the day, when I was a youngster... from Yahoo! Shine

I Love Sriracha--Do You?
Have you ever had the fiery but perfectly balanced hot sauce in the plastic squeeze bottle with the rooster on it? It's Huy Fong�s flagship product, Tuong Ot Sriracha (Sriracha Chili Sauce), more often called sriracha. (Pronounced SIR-rotch-ah.) It's low in calories and big on taste--and, as this NYT article explains, it's American. I put this stuff on everything from burritos and guacamole to scrambled eggs and Korean fried rice. We go through a bottle a month.
A Chili Sauce to Crow About from NYT.com

Do You Know What's in Your Soil?
As more people start gardens in urban areas, they might be at risk for lead poisoning. Be sure to have your soil tested before you start planting, according to experts.
For Urban Gardeners, Lead is a Concern from NYT.com

Anna Wintour in Minnesota: People Are Little Houses Here
Vogue's thin and powerful editor Anna Wintour recently told 60 Minutes that people in Minnesota were as large as houses. "And I just felt like there�s such an epidemic of obesity in the United States. And for some reason everyone focuses on anorexia," she said. While her words are rude, her argument about obesity vs. anorexia in the media has some merit.
Which Problem Deserves More Attention: Anorexia or Obesity? from Tres Sugar

What's Really in Your Whole Wheat Buns?
When you fire up the grill this weekend, choose whole wheat buns instead of white. But as Fit Sugar tells us, be sure what your whole wheat buns are as healthful as you think they are.
The Whole Truth on Whole Wheat from Fit Sugar

Speaking of BBQs�
Most of us will attend at least one cookout, picnic or barbecue this weekend. Unsure about what picks will keep you on track? Hungry Girl has some helpful hints, and so does SparkPeople's article Best and Worst Cookout Foods.
BBQ Survival Guide from Hungry Girl

Have a great Memorial Day weekend. Let this be a healthy, happy kickoff to your summer!
What news stories caught your attention this week? Which have kept you talking?

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Comments (Scroll to end to leave a comment)

SARAHSLY 5/29/2009 10:03:46 AM	Anna Wintour's comments just made me laugh. Do you suppose if I fell on her I'd get her Jimmy Choos? I mean... seeing as I'm "as big as a house" and she might be flying around on her broomstick? Doesn't she have fact checkers on her team?	32
CONNIEK1960 5/27/2009 4:40:47 PM	Happy Birthday! Just curious if anyone in So Calif has seen this sauce in their groceries and if so, which one? Sriracha Chili Sauce I was looking for it about a month ago and could not find it. Thanks!	31
GREEKGAL1 5/27/2009 8:31:21 AM	Have a Happy birthday!	30
EILAROSE1 5/27/2009 7:43:38 AM	Hi I'm very new to Minn. Just moved here in the end of Nov and the weather was terrible .Just joined Sparks and really need to find someone in the area to help me as a buddy to find places .I walk around downtown but that gets very hard with all the restraunts in the area .I keep on trying but winter will be here soon and I'm afraid I'll settle into the comfort food routine again	29
YOUNGRA06 5/26/2009 3:27:33 PM	Seriously, as a minnesotan.. we don't appreciate the shout out. I was the biggest of all my friends in MN, but the skinniest of my friends in MI. Living in MN actually inspired me to be more fit, esp when all the people are out running around on nice days!	28
CHICORYA2 5/26/2009 10:47:26 AM	Urban gardens are starting in our community, and I haven't heard about lead testing, so that's an interesting item. Thanks!	27
KATHYLINE1 5/26/2009 8:00:24 AM	Thanks for the articles, they were all very interesting!!	26
RAINMUSIC 5/25/2009 12:24:11 PM	Gotta have my Rooster Sauce on my mega-sized French Fries! Just kidding. I do use the Rooster Sauce a lot in cooking. It's the dash of heat in anything from Thai Noodles to Bloody Marys.	25
TOBSKINNY3 5/25/2009 11:12:49 AM	Happy Birthday on Wednesday!!!	24
MIDGET2448 5/25/2009 10:46:12 AM	the articles are really great .	23
ANNIEMARIE6 5/25/2009 6:00:12 AM	This was a very good article, thanks for reminding me of the old days...	22
SISTER337 5/24/2009 4:45:24 PM	Happy Birthday! I am saddened by the words of Anna Wintour. It is easy for someone to stand in judgment and criticize what they do not know. Having been up and down as far as weight and health and wellness is concerned, most of us on SP know the trials, hardships and struggles ...emotionally, physically, spiritually and otherwise... that underlie the reality of these circumstances. The human condition is very complex and there are no easy explanations or solutions. No one person could possibly understand the diversity of situations resulting in any one person being "as large as a house" and to even refer to another human person in such a manner shows a lack of human decency. Let us not ignore the wisdom of the ages, expressed using varying words but whose meaning remains the same; the wisdom that encourages us to ...Judge not, lest you be judged...or ...Judge not the man unless you walk a mile in his shoes...and even.. Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.	21
WENDYRS 5/24/2009 2:36:36 PM	Great articles. Anna Wintour isn't known for her tact, obviously. I liked the portion distortion article best. Thanks for sharing!	20
-CORAL- 5/24/2009 2:23:23 PM	I love weekly link roundup. Thanks for the BBQ article. We do a lot of that in the summer and will be doing that today, so I can go to the grocery store more informed! Also, I've never heard of Sriracha but I love hot sauces so I will definitely be trying that out if I can find it! Thanks! Oh, and HAPPY BIRTHDAY!	19
TURTLETRACK 5/24/2009 2:04:17 PM	No wonder that we have become so fat, there I said it FAT !!! but we can do something about it and help ourselves. Sparks is a great tool. Lets all get moving. TURTLETRACK	18
NO-41_RAZZYS_PL 5/24/2009 1:23:12 PM	Nooo... I have never heard of this Sriracha Chili Sauce, Stepfanie, but it sounds sooo YUMMY, I hope I can find it here in Georgia!! Thanks, for the articles!!	17
KPHICKEY 5/24/2009 11:21:51 AM	The articles were great and timely. Thanks.	16
ACLAYJAR 5/23/2009 11:04:11 PM	Your birthday must be my wedding anniversary...1983	15
SOURDOUGHGIRL 5/23/2009 10:50:29 PM	Oh yeah, the portion explosion definitely caught my attention. Unfortunately, that's so true! Remember the days when your mom told you to finish the food off your plate? If we continue to do the same thing with food serving sizes doubled and tripled, we would really be in trouble!	14
PLSTIVER 5/23/2009 10:39:26 PM	I just want to say thank you for referring to the whole wheat buns as "healthful" and not "healthy." It made me smile.	13
REEDSKI 5/23/2009 6:59:18 PM	I don't think Minnesota is any different than any other place either but I do think OBESITY needs more attention than anorexia. I worry about our children andthe sizes they consider normal, the amount of junk food they are allowed to eat, as well as their lack of exercise. My students are STRONGLY encouraged to bring healthy snacks for recess. I ban any mention of video games in their "journals". They have to write about playing board games, swimming, going to the park, bicycling, playing tag, jumping rope, etc. I may let them write about Wii Sports or Wii Fitness but I emphasize that they need to get outside, too.	12
AMYLOVESTZU 5/23/2009 1:08:14 PM	Great blog !!	11
HONEYB1949 5/23/2009 10:47:12 AM	The soil article really caught my eye and so I printed it out to post at a few places in my community. Thanks. I also appreciate you including the article on "The Best and Worst Cookout Foods" giving me some choices and consequences for what I eat. It's all in the planning, again - Thank you.	10
GMAGEE 5/23/2009 9:25:33 AM	Just a reminder: Memorial Day is a day to remember the men and women who gave their lives for their country. As we celebrate our ability to enjoy backyard barbecues and outings at the beach or mountains (and worry about portion control and our weight), we need to remember this most.	9
BECKYANNE1 5/23/2009 8:28:56 AM	I too am a MN resident. If I recall, we were one of the healthiest places. I don't think we're any different than any other place.	8
DOREENKNIGHT64 5/23/2009 4:10:48 AM	I always thought that the reason I couldn't manage a whole restaurant meal was to do with getting older and not having such a large appetite, but maybe I'm wrong. Portion inflation is probably live and well in the UK too.	7
DAN_ODEA 5/22/2009 10:31:51 PM	Each time I go into a restaurant and they have (or provide) those comment cards I write about the portion sizes. If not, I'll tell the manager face-to-face. For example, if the smallest cut of sirloin is 12 ounces and costs $17.95, I'll write about paying $9.95 for a six-ounce portion. I think that's a win all around; the restaurant makes more money, I spend less, and I eat less too. I used to cut my spaghetti plate in half; that's no longer enough. Now I have to cut it into quarters and bring home 3/4 of my meal. What's up with that? On the one hand one can reheat spaghetti a couple of times, so I have 2 or 3 more meals. On the other hand you can't reheat steak, mashed potatoes, pizza, or several other foods or they taste lousy, so the extra is useless. Thanks for the heads-up!	6
SP_STEPF 5/22/2009 9:28:38 PM	LEONALIONESS: Shenanigans indeed! Great word choice :)	5
HAPPYWRITER7 5/22/2009 4:41:26 PM	Anna Wintour's comment reminded me of something I overheard a nurse say about me one day last year. Apparently, she understand that if someone was "as big as a house" they must have ears all over the place. I'd lost 117 pounds at that point. I wanted to say if you think Im big now, you should have seen me a few years ago. In anycase, now Im just about 140 pounds down, so her rude comment didn't stop me, but it still smarts. Sure obesity is an epidemic in America, but I would only hope that we could have the courtesy and respect for others that we would want for ourselves when discussing it. As Wintour didn't have much courtesy or respect for anyone in Minnesota, I can only come to the conclusion that she hasn't much for herself.	4
CHRISTMASRAIN 5/22/2009 4:32:36 PM	I clicked on a link and read an article from Jillian Michaels, (the trainer from The Biggest Loser). The advice that I took away from that read. Don't waste time during your workout. I do that periodically when I don't push myself. The article talked about that little hidden energy reserve that we hide when we think we can't give any more to the workout. That is me to the T. I will remember these bits of advice when I am hiking the mountain tomorrow morning. Once again, thank you SparkPeople:)	3
TAZZIE5 5/22/2009 4:11:22 PM	The news of underdogs winning American Idol & Dancing with the Stars caught my attention.	2
LEONALIONESS 5/22/2009 3:10:05 PM	O.o As a Minnesota resident, I have NO clue what that woman is on about. I see more fit people biking/jogging/running here than I have ever seen anywhere! Sure, we're not all twiglets but I'd say the vast majority of folks I see in St. Paul look healthy and strong. It could just be my area (near Summit/Grand) or my job (I work at Whole Foods) but I very rarely see obese/very overweight people during my day. I call shennanigans!	1