Who needs bread?

KFC just launched the TurDucken* of fast food sandwiches — the KFC Double Down.  I was light headed just reading through the ingredients:  ”two thick and juicy boneless white meat chicken filets (Original Recipe® or Grilled), two pieces of bacon, two melted slices of Monterey Jack and pepper jack cheese and Colonel’s Sauce. This product is so meaty, there’s no room for a bun!”.

It never occurred to me to bookend my bacon and cheese sandwich in fried chicken.  It makes me question whether bread has a role in any of my future sandwiches.

According to the KFC website, the basic sandwich is 540 calories, 29 g fat, and a whopping 1380 g sodium, over 1/2 the daily recommended maximum.  Combine it with a side of KFC potato wedges and you’ll be right at the daily limit.

Here’s what I want to know:  can we tax the Double Down to help pay for the increased cost in healthcare that will directly result from eating this sandwich?

*TurDucken is a small deboned chicken stuffed in a duck which is stuffed in a turkey.   A flavorful Thanksgiving alternative to a boring old fashioned turkey.

The answer is that there is a direct correlation between lack of sleep and increased hunger but there haven’t been enough studies to show a causal relationship (meaning that lack of sleep CAUSES increased hunger, and therefore weight gain).  The Washington Post does a nice job covering where research is on the subject here.

However,  just because the scientists haven’t yet designed a study to show that sleep deprivation isn’t a direct cause of weight gain doesn’t mean it isn’t true.  Most nutritionists we speak with have ample anecdotal evidence that there is a causal relationship and the belief seems to be penetrating mainstream medical thought.  Dr. Michael Aziz,  doctor of internal medicine and founder and director of New York City’s Midtown Integrative Medicine and author of The Perfect 10 Diet points to proper sleep as an important aspect of weight loss.  Some of his tips from the Washington Post article:

– “Go to sleep and wake up at the same time most days.” We can perhaps slide a bit on weekends, Aziz says, but usually we should aim to be in bed at — are you ready? — 9:30 or 10 on weeknights.

– Eat your last meal one to two hours before going to bed.

– Avoid what are commonly called simple carbohydrates and “sugary stuff” at that meal or at bedtime. Such foods will bump up insulin production. “When our insulin is very high, we can’t get to sleep,” he says. Instead, choose whole-wheat crackers, which can control insulin. Or eat turkey or bananas, both of which contain tryptophan, which is believed to trigger sleepiness. Lettuce, too, has a “long history of helping people get to sleep,” Aziz says.

– Avoid caffeinated coffee, tea and soda. And alcohol, which Aziz says “can make us go to sleep, but it’s not the deep sleep” that we need to produce growth hormone (which in turn helps regulate insulin).

– Practice good sleep hygiene. That means turning off all electronics, including the TV, and creating as quiet a sleep space as you can. Lower blinds and turn off lights so your room is as dark as possible. Make sure the room temperature is comfortable. Consider taking a warm bath or doing some gentle stretches — but not heart-pumping exercise — before turning in.

So sleep tight and don’t let the bedbugs bite.

It has come to our attention that you recently removed 5,000 members from your site because they had gained some weight  (read the full article here). We at iChange strongly disagree with your opinion that to be beautiful you must be skinny.  We believe that true beauty is created when someone is healthy and happy with themselves.

One need only look at these gorgeous plus size models or any number of iChange users to see for yourself.

As a response to your naive opinion of beauty Mr. Hintze, iChange  would like to welcome any current or former members of beautifulpeople.com to join our community to become a healthier and happier person to start the new year with support from the iChange community.

Happy New Year,

The iChange Team