I often neglect to reflect on the reason for the Memorial Day Holiday. My grandfather died in World War II, so today I think of him and the ultimate sacrifice that he made to protect innocent people. His purple heart inspires me to do the most I can to make this world a better place, one that he could my grandfather would be proud of.

I don’t personally know many people who have sacrificed their lives for their country, but I have met inspiring folks and organizations that make devote themselves fully to their communities. I’d like to acknowledge some of them today.

* Marissa LaMagna works tirelessly to promote green businesses in the Bay Area through her non-profit Bay Area Green Tours.
* Assemblymember Nancy Skinner, the rest of the California legislature, and the folks in Sacramento have such a task ahead of them to balance the budget. I visited our state capital this week when Assemblymember Skinner recognized me as Small Business Owner of the Year for her district. You can help small businesses and the state of California by shopping locally.
* The Bread Project is a non-profit job-training program. The delicious chocolate chip and oatmeal raisin cookies at Amanda’s are made by the Bread Project team.
* The Berkeley Food & Housing Project provides beds and meals for over 85 people per day.

Today, please join me in appreciating those who have given their lives in war and in devotion to their communities.

Enjoy your Memorial Day,

Join the twitter culture and read the twitters of food writers or restaurateurs. The San Francisco Chronicle recently reported about foodies in the “twitterverse”. You can follow Amanda’s twitters here.

Hello Feel Good Fast Food folks! I’m going to be on View from the Bay Today 3-4pm PT showing how to make a wholesome, balanced, tasty meal at home. This meal is under $20 for 4 and under 450 calories. You can watch it live here today or check it out online later in the show archive.

Sometimes when life seems overwhelming, it feels like it is difficult to keep up our environmental and social activism. When you are exhausted or stressed out, are you as diligent about sorting your recycling and composting? I know that sometimes I slip up.

That’s why I thought I’d remind you all about the IdealBite newsletter. I’ve been reading IdealBite for almost 3 years - see the first post I made about this inspiring and energizing daily eco-bite in February 2006 here.

As you start to draft your new years resolutions, why not add some tips from IdealBite?

There are now many IdealBites including one for Moms and local IdealBites: here’s the San Francisco one:

The holidays are typically about indulgences - usually this means an over-indulgence in not-so-good-for-you food. Why did it become that way? Do we have to buy in to this tradition?

I think that we can start a new tradition - holidays that are filled with indulging ourselves by doing what makes us feel good now and in the future. My friends and I have decided that our holiday party is going to be a hike and a healthy meal this year - I hope this will be a new tradition for us. I’ve put together a few solutions to the typical holiday dilemma:
Dilemma A: What holiday gift do I give to my friend, co-worker, mother, brother, etc.?
Solution A: One of the best holiday gifts I’ve received was a gift certificate to Trader Joe’s - I love shopping at Trader Joe’s and it is a great balance of a place for treats as well as everyday healthy food. You all know as well as I that this is a particularly unusual economic time. It’s a time when the basics are important: food, basic clothing, shelter. So, why don’t you give the gift of necessities to your friends and family with an Amanda’s gift card and or a t-shirt. The first 20 customers to buy a $20 gift card get a FREE Amanda’s t-shirt

Dilemma B: I don’t have time to make something for a holiday party.
Solution B: Bring warm cookies from Amanda’s only $8 for a dozen wrapped up like a gift

Dilemma C: How do I give my body a break from holiday over-indulgences?
Solution C1: Call-in your order to Amanda’s (510-548-2122) for your evening meal
Solution C2: Bring your friends and co-workers in to Amanda’s for a holiday get-together.
Solution C3: Plan a holiday walk instead of an over-indulgent food-focused party.

Happy Holidays!!!

With gas price hitting $4, more and more people are aware of the global energy crisis. Apart from saving gas through carpool and taking public transportations, there are actually many small steps that we can do to save more energy.

In 5 Easy Ways to Save Energy, Misty McNally has suggested some good ways to save energy. For example, purchase Energy Star computers, appliances and power adaptors, which consume half the electricity that standard models consume; Shut down computers and printers instead of leaving them in “Sleep” mode; Unplug electrical devices that we are not using, and remove battery-powered rechargeable devices from their docks after charging.

Apart from saving energy, there are also small steps that we can follow to live a greener life. Eco-designer Danny Seo has shared some simple ways to live more earth-friendly. For example, we can use micro-fiber cloth towels instead of paper towels, because micro-fiber cloth towels are machine-washable and we can use them over and over again. We can bring our old cell phones to a Call2Recycle box— a non-profit program from the Rechargeable Battery Recycling Corporation which recycles our phone for free into new metal products. We can try bandanas instead of paper napkins when entertaining. Finally, we can make a donation to FreeCycle, a website that connects people with things to give away with people who need those things.

It is easy to ignore one’s own power. Like myself, when I hear words like “save the world” and “environmental-friendly”, I always think these are big things I cannot help. How can a tiny little person like me save the world? But I am wrong. The above ways remind me that even though I am a tiny person, I still have power to contribute and bring a change. Its time! Let’s us bring a change to our daily habits and save the world together. Remember, small steps, big changes!

Hello Feel Good Fast Food readers, we’ve been focused on our restaurant opening, so haven’t gotten a post up with restaurant & food news, other than Amanda’s opening. We’ll get back to that soon.

In the meantime, thought you’d like to see some great pics and a nice review of Amanda’s on the “Garden of Eating” blog.

Amanda’s Restaurant is now open in Downtown Berkeley from 11am-9pm daily.

We serve picnic-fresh and naturally delicious food that is easy on your schedule, wallet, and conscious. Please stop by to try our freshly made salads, naturally-raised burgers, freshly stirred sodas and milks, and healthy snacks.

After working on this blog and planning our restaurant for several years, I am so pleased to be able to welcome you in for a feel good meal or a snack.

Child Obesity has become a global health problem, but there are some solutions.

First of all, let’s look at our nation, America. According to article “Time looks at issue of childhood obesity“ in CalorieLab, 4 percent of kids age six to eleven were obese in 1971; by 2004, almost 19 percent were obese.   According to Dr. Joyce Lee, a pediatric endocrinologist at the university’s C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital, studies have shown that children who are obese today are more likely to develop type 2 diabetes as young adults. In addition, people who were obese as kids may have a 35 percent higher likelihood of developing cancer later.

The main reasons behind the increasing number of child obesity are the increasing intake of high-calorie foods and the lack of physical exercises.  Family’s low income levels have been correlated with childhood obesity.  Our blog has discussed the relation between low income and obesity in “Fast Food and Obesity in Low Income Areas”. Fresh and healthy food are relatively more expensive than junk food. Therefore, people who have a tight budget for food tend to buy fast food or unhealthy food. However, we can always find some good place to hunt for inexpensive healthy food, like Trader Joe’s and local farmers’ market. Amanda’s is also a good choice for you— healthy, fresh, fast food at very affordable prices.

After all, if we look at obesity in a broader view, obesity is a global problem that the whole world has to fight together. According to the research done by the Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, almost 58 percent of the world’s population will be overweight or obese by 2030—more specifically, 2.16 billion people will be overweight, and 1.12 billion will be obese. If we don’t want the problem to further worsen, the key is to eat healthy and exercise more.

What sort of benefits can you get from your friends? Companionship? Networking? Money? If you treat fiber as one of your good friends, you can get far more than that. According to Dr. Mike Roizen, co-author of You: The Owners Manual and founder of Real Age.com, fiber not only lessens the risk of obesity, but it also helps to reduce constipation.

Fiber can come in two varieties: insoluble and soluble. According to Dr. Charlene Prather, a gastroenterologist at the St. Louis University School of Medicine, insoluble fiber helps to relieve constipation by pushing waste material rapidly through your system, while soluble fiber benefits the body as it reduces the risk of heart disease, lowers cholesterol, and is associated with reversing obesity.

Insoluble fiber is found in the indigestible parts of plants that we eat — grain husks, skins of fruits and vegetables, brown rice, the exterior of beans, peas and berries. Soluble fiber turns up generally in the pulp of fruits, vegetables, grains and beans. Rather than using stomach acids and enzymes to digest soluble fiber, your body uses bacteria causing the digestion of fiber to be slower. The slower digestive process keeps food in the stomach longer and deters one’s hunger too. At the same time drinking lots of water while consuming fiber can make the digestive process even slower.

I personally see the benefits of fiber, however, I often get so busy with everyday activities that I’m not always able to prepare my own meals that are rich in fiber. I have found that fiber supplements really come in handy. Recently I have been using Metamucil’s Instant Fiber Supplement in the orange flavor. Its low in calories, sugar-free, and the taste is not that bad. Also, it’s convenient, easy, and time-saving! However, it’s probably best to get your fiber from your regular daily meals— this way you can enjoy feel good food and treat fiber like a good friend!