What will the potato chip of the future be like? That’s one of the snacks PepsiCo is trying to re-create as it opens a new research laboratory next to Yale University’s campus. There, eight to 10 scientists with backgrounds ranging from sensory to biochemistry will work on creating healthier foods and beverages.

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We all have a weakness food, right? Of course it’s okay to give in from time to time… but what if those time to times are too much of the time? Last month I asked you what you do to keep from over-indulging in your weakness food. I had a lot of fun reading your answers and wanted to share them. Maybe they’ll give someone else a creative way to resist temptation… when necessary.

• CPA Mom – I grab a cup of hot tea first…usually it fills me up and helps me forget I want the candy!

• Angie (Losing It and Loving It) – I have found the best way to keep me from eating too many snacky items is to portion it out into a bowl and not eat straight from the container. Sometimes I still find myself taking the whole container so it’s been a challenge to break that habit over the years.

• Deb T. – I try not to buy chocolate anything. But I tend to sneak chocolate chips when I am craving chocolate so I have my husband hide them from me, sometimes I find them and sometimes I don’t but I am sure I burn some calories trying to find them right?

• Annette – I put things deep in the pantry ….for me it’s out of sight, out of mind most of the time.

• Tamara B. – This will sound crazy but when I indulge myself buying chocolate (Lindt White Chocolate Truffles) to keep myself from going hog wild I will eat one and put the rest in the freezer. They are not too good frozen and hard to bite into them so I don’t eat them but maybe one a week.

• Mimi - If I’m chewing a piece of gum, usually something cinnamony, I can stay away, or if I brush my teeth, that will help. If it’s in the house, I have to put it up high, out of sight and a lot of work to get to..at least I have to burn a few calories before I eat what it is I’m after!

• Lisa @ Serah’s - I keep from eating lots of sweets because luckily I don’t have a sweet tooth but I do have an addiction to Pepsi so the way I stop myself from drinking lots of it is to either not buy it or keep frozen bottles of water in the fridge b/c I love ice cold water. Another thing I found is that when I drink lemon water, it makes Pepsi taste nasty so if I drink a glass of that, I’m less likely to drink the Pepsi b/c it takes a while for my taste buds to adjust.

• niwa4me2 – I keep my “office chocolate” across the office and take it to team meetings so others will indulge. Plus – I only have it for holidays.

• Jean F – I give it to my kids, and ask them to hide it for me

• DeeAnn S - My downfall is potato chips, the kettle fried, really, really crispy ones. OK, I’m drooling now! Anyway, I found if I buy the small, single serving size bags, I will pour half the bag into a very small bowl (which makes it look like there’s more), then save the rest for another day. The smaller bags are more expensive per serving which helps me not buy as many, I’m a penny pincher from way back!

• Caroline – Let’s see, chips are my weakness — specifically, potato chips. To keep from eating them, I just don’t buy them. At all. Honestly, I can only buy them if we’re having a big party or something, when I know most of them will be eaten, not by me!

• cammy – I tend to buy chocolate in singles, but I do have a bag of Dove dark chocolate in the cupboard. So far I haven’t opened it, which is my control mechanism. If I over-indulge when I do open it, I can always take the left overs to the office.

• dmarie - Chocolate is my total downfall. I love it all! So, to trick myself to think I”m getting a special treat I like to set out a pretty plate and add how ever much of the chocolate I”m allowing myself for the day. When it’s gone, i put the dish away and I tell myself I’m done.

Anyone else want to add to the list?

Me – I hide chocolate from myself in my jewelry chest. No, I’m not kidding. And yes, it really works for me! I trick myself to some extent – I think it’s just because the chocolate is not sitting right in front of me. Hey, whatever it takes, right?

[Photo Credit: stock.xchng]

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With the markets all a mess, are you digging into a big bowl of mac and cheese to make yourself feel better? Apparently, a lot of people are not only eating comfort foods, but investing in the companies that make them, too.

I just saw that Kraft Foods Inc., who makes the popular Macaroni & Cheese, and Procter & Gamble, which makes another comfort food – Pringles potato chips – are both doing well in terms of stock value.

And a warm bowl of soup is always comforting, right? Especially when it’s cheap. Which may explain why Campbell Soup Co. was the only member of the S&P 500 to see its stock go up when the markets tanked last week.

Of course, these comfort foods will not make you feel too comfortable in your jeans if you have them too often. Except for a warm bowl of healthy soup…

So how about you? Have you been reaching for any comfort foods to cope with these tough economic times? Or are you sticking to your normal healthy eating habits? Me, I’ve had a few more pieces of chocolate than usual… gotta watch that!

Photo Credit: Kraft Foods

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Four food manufacturers have agreed to reduce the levels of a cancer-causing chemical in their potato chips and french fries and pay $3 million in fines under a new settlement. California sued H.J. Heinz Co., Frito-Lay, Kettle Foods Inc., and Lance Inc. in 2005, alleging they violated a state requirement that companies post warning labels on products with carcinogens.

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Have you seen all the fruit and veggie chips at the stores lately? They’re like potato chips, only they come in flavors that include tomato, sweet potato, and berry. I haven’t tried them yet, but every time I see them I wonder can you really munch on these chips to score a serving of fruits or vegetables?

FatFighterTV got the scoop on two popular brands of fruit and veggie chips – Flat Earth and Terra. Terra says you can get a full serving of vegetables when you eat one ounce of its Sweet Potato chips.

Tara Gidus, RD, Spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association, tells FatFighterTV there is some nutritional value in Terra chips.

“The sweet potato has the most with 50-percent vitamin A in a one ounce serving. The rest of them have less than 10-percent of any vitamins and minerals, though,” says Gidus. “They may have enough actual vegetable to be considered a vegetable serving, but at 130-150 calories per one ounce serving, that will take a lot of calories to get your recommended veggie servings for the day.”

Flat Earth has similar claims. It says its baked crisps have half a serving of real fruits or vegetables in every ounce.

“The Flat Earth brand seems to have the first ingredients as rice flour and potato flakes,” notes Gidus. “They have dehydrated vegetables or powders of vegetables and also do not have a significant amount of nutritional value with the exception of some Vitamin A which appears to be coming from pumpkin.”

Because of the high fat, calories, and sodium in these fruit and veggie chips, the bottom line from Gidus – eat some in moderation, but don’t substitute them for the real deal.

What do you think of the various fruit and veggie chips?

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