Weekly Roundup: 4.30.11

Can you believe tomorrow is the first day of May? I don’t know why, but the sands of 2011 are slipping quickly through the hourglass and it doesn’t seem right!

I have a big race tomorrow – a long course duathlon called the Mt. Rainier Duathlon. It seemed like ages away when I signed up, but, it’s here now. We’ll run 5 miles, bike 28.8 [hilly] miles and then run 3 miles to finish. So, today is all about preparing, gathering up various bottles, bars, gels, and clothing, and, something strange for a Saturday: Rest. Oh, and, carbs! My favorite kind of day!

Here are some of the articles I found interesting this week.

Is Sea Salt Healthier Than Table Salt? [Myth Busting] – Fooducate. I’ll cut to the chase for you here: NO. Salt is salt is salt. I have been thinking about writing a very similar post for a few weeks now, as I’ve noticed so many marketers promoting the use of sea salt as “healthier.” Fact is, salt – whether kosher, table, or sea – is made up of sodium and chlorine (in the form of chloride). Another interesting tidbit is that when Wendy’s switched to “natural cut fries with sea salt” recently, the sodium levels in their fries more than doubled. So, the bottom line is: It’s important to check labels and watch measurements and not be fooled by verbiage. Salt is salt.
Restaurants say consumers are finally ordering healthier meals – USA Today. This one came to my attention via the link roundup over at Cheap Healthy Good, and it’s great! Finally, some positive news about America’s eating habits.
Vixi Bar Review and Giveaway – Cook Train Eat Race. I had never heard of this particular bar before, but, it seems to be one that meets my “can I pronounce what’s in it?” requirements. And, it has more protein than a Lara Bar – bonus. The only thing is, they’re hard to find – they seem to be only available on the Vixi website – and kind of expensive at $2.25 each. Maybe you can win a pack!
How to Cook Everything Vegetarian iPhone/iPod Touch App – MarkBittman.com – Mark Bittman’s How to Cook Everything Vegetarian is now available as an app for iPhone and iPod Touch. It contains more than 2,000 meatless recipes and variations—plus cooking, shopping, and ingredient information. This is one I will be downloading for sure.

Have a great weekend!