What's Missing from Fast Food

I'm going to start this week off by giving out a million dollar idea..and I'm going to do it for free.

So here it goes..if you are in new product development at a fast food restaurant...pay attention.

One of the major things that is missing from fast food are herbs and spices. Almost every fast food place I've ever visited has relied almost exclusively on salt, sugar and sauces to flavor their food (which consequently is why most of their food is actually devoid of flavor).

It's time to switch it up....Imagine being at your local sub shop and being able to garnish your sub with not only the typical lettuce, onions and tomatoes, but with some actual herbs as well...

"Let's see, I'll have some green peppers, onions, black olives, some fresh basil leaves, sliced tomatoes, some parsley, some cucumbers and, oh what the heck, I'll try some cilantro"

This would be a refreshing change from the otherwise boring monotony that is fast food.

I might have exaggerated with the whole 'million dollar idea thing', but you never know, cutting edge customer service like this would definitely make me a repeat customer.

BP

PS- I'm getting great feedback about the Eat Stop Eat Advanced Audio files. If you are the type of person who needs to know the hardcore science behind a theory, then the audio files are perfect for you..you can check them out at www.eatstopeat.com/advanced

Why should I eat more herbs and spices?

You may have noticed that part of my "mantra" for healthy nutrition includes eating lots of nuts, herbs and spices.

There is a very good reason why you should include as much variety of thse foods into your diet as possible...

Back when I worked in the supplement industry I was always amused when ever I looked through the list of potential new ingredients that had strong supporting research behind their effects.

The list typically looked something like this: Green tea extract, cinnamon extract, raspberry extract, pine nut extract, curcumin, cayenne pepper extract, mint, basil, rosemary...

Notice anything about this list?

These are all ingredients that you could be adding to your diet, especially if you are following the principle of nutrition by addition. Many of these ingredients are currently being studied for their potential to have positive effects on some very important markers of health, such as helping to manage healthy insulin levels, cholesterol levels and some of the more complex areas of body weight regulation.

The funny thing is, I often wonder if these ingredients would still be considered potential "functional foods" if we ate them more often. I believe that nuts, herbs and spices are one of the missing links in North American Health. If we ate them more often, then we would be regularly reaping their health benefits, and wouldn't need some fancy label like "functional foods" to describe them!

Take pinolenic acid for example. This compound is currently being studied for its potential beneficial effects on several ofthe 'hunger hormones' that regulate our feelings of hunger.
This ingredient has some big potential and, most likely will be available in a pill sometime in the very near future.

Of course, instead of buying the pill, you could always get it in its natural form by adding a handful of pine nuts to your salad.

A perfect example of Nutrition by Addition and the importance of eating a variety of nuts, herbs and spices.

BP

PS - Here is what Craig Ballantyne had to say after he read Eat Stop Eat:

"This book will question everything you've ever been told about eating for fat loss. Bodybuilder mags have hyped up their eating & created inhuman workout programs for one reason - to sell supplements. That's right. Most nutrition programs are "designed" just to sell you stuff like protein powder and expensive post-workout sugar drinks. Brad's book turns the industry upside down and shows you how to eat normally, while making one slight, easy change that could bethe missing link in your fat loss nutrition program."


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