Hot MedFax

Imagine this.  You don't have to give up supersizing to lose weight. Now, let's be clear.  We're not talking here about cheese fries and giant lattes, but splurging on a larger bag of baby carrots.  Seems consumers -- even those trying to eat healthy or lose weight -- are inevitably attracted, like moths to a flame, to anything boasting "supersized." “We know the health implications of a giant latte or supersized fries, so a little justification through feeling financially savvy and saving money makes us feel better about our decision and increases consumption,” newswise.com quotes Vanderbilt marketing researcher Kelly L. Haws. You see, we still want to feel we're getting our money's worth, even though we can't buy the fries or the lattes or the two pound bags of M&Ms for $5. But new research by Haws and co-author Karen Winterich found that consumers may be just as willing to buy healthy food if they feel they’re still getting a deal. “...

OK. So you don't drink Big Gulps full of sugary stuff. But did you know that your Starbucks drinks may now be censured, too? According to Vivian Yee and Michael M. Grynbaum, NYC's "new regulations regarding coffee hinge on delicate calculations about milk, calorie and sugar ratios. As with other sugary drinks, coffee cups 16 ounces or smaller are unaffected. But unlike sodas, which will max out at 16 ounces, cups of coffee larger than 16 ounces can still be served as long as the barista adds no more than three to five packets of sugar. (The limit depends on the size of the drink.)" Fortunately (and somewhat nonsensically), those lattes and frothy drinks (Dr. Phil calls them "hot milkshakes") will be exempt, because they are 50% milk and the NYC rules don't apply to them. “This will have no impact on a large cup of joe, unless more than four packets of sugar are added,” Samantha Levine, a city spokeswoman, told Yee and Grynbaum. “Real sweet tooths ...