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,

Is this really a good deal?

When I was a kid, my mom taught me a very valuable health and economics lesson at the grocery store.  I would always look at the great value offered by family size cereal boxes, meat packages, and juice containers, and I would point them out to my mom.  She would walk down the aisle, pick out the smaller (worse bang for your buck) cereal box and continue shopping.  Being the opinionated loving daughter that I still am, I would of course have to point out that she was not making very good use of her money.  She explained to me that the value package would be worth her money if we had a big family, but that our small family of four would not, and should not, eat that much cereal(or milk or meat…) in a week before it would go bad.  It might be a better deal for all of that food, but it is not a better deal to spend $5 instead of $3 if we are going to throw half of the big package away.

The other food lesson my mom taught me was to NOT eat everything on my plate if I was full.  I know… it is crazy.  It is wasteful to throw food away, but it is also wasteful to eat more food than my body needs.  Ideally, of course, that large quantity of food would not make its way onto my plate in the first place, so that somebody else could eat it, but that is just not always the case.  As an adult, I make my own food decisions.  That includes how much I will buy at the grocery store and how much I will eat off of my plate, but it also includes where I will chose to eat when I go out.

As a Team Lead at Amanda’s I am very conscious of this value vs. portion size dilemma in our society today.  Some customers complain that our burgers are too small, or that they could buy a half pound burger somewhere else for a better value.  Do  we really want to eat that much burger in one meal?  Do you end up throwing it away in the end anyway?  One of Amanda’s neighbors, Saul’s deli, recently struggled with their decision to make pastrami sandwiches with better ingredients, but smaller.  Does it really make sense to pay more for excess?

Back in middle school, my friends and I loved going to Taco Bell for a few tacos or a burrito. My favorite item on the menu was the Cheesey Gordita Crunch. Not only did the name sound appetizing and manly, but the taste was excellent. From the soft gordita on the outside, to the crunchy taco on the inside, it had the taste and texture to make me quite a happy camper. I didn’t care about the high calories or how bad this taco was for me; I wanted my stomach to feel the sweet satisfaction.

Today, I still crave some of the things I ate growing up as a teenager.   I may have grown out of those habits of eating whatever tastes good, but I still am tempted by Taco Bell.  If I’m this tempted, what about the rest of our country? Obesity is such a problem in America, other people must be tempted by Taco Bell and giving in even more than I do. Considering the taste, proportions, price, and convenient locations, Taco Bell might be a regular place to have lunch for some people . Changing bad habits like these can be difficult at times of economic struggle and when people need to grab food then go.   So, what’s the solution?  We need quick, convenient, affordable and delicious meal options that don’t have the horrible ingredients and portions of the traditional fast food joints.  Check out the blog posts we’ve made on some better-for-you options here.

Eating right and in the right amounts have been drilled in us since grade school, but why do we still seem to eat too much sometimes? CNN.com has gathered the top three reasons why we overeat and ways to overcome them.

We’re not getting enough shut eye:

Sleep deprivation results in a lower levels of the hormone leptin, which signals satiety, and higher levels of the hormone grhelin, which signals hunger. The combined result of the hormone imbalance? A 24% boost in appetite, according to a study in the Annals of Internal Medicine. To curb your appetite after a restless night, eat complex carbohydrates and lean protein for long lasting energy to get you through the day and try to prioritize a good night’s sleep. 

We’re too stressed:

When our bodies are stressed, we produce the hormone cortisol to help restore homeostasis. Cortisol, however, can boost your appetite and cause your body to store more visceral fat. Stress reduction techniques, such as yoga, meditation, and deep-breathing exercises should help reduce chronic cortisol exposure.

We’re hardwired to crave fatty foods:

It almost seems unfair, but our brains are working against our diets because of evolution. Our ancestors needed to find palatable, high energy food to survive and our brains have been in that mode ever since. This means that the mere sight of a food can cause a craving. To fight your cravings, just don’t tempt them. Keep junk food out of your pantry and out of sight.  

Everyone knows that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, but what if you find yourself too busy to grab something 

before work? Luckily, restaurants like Amanda’s offer quick, healthy breakfast options that you can easily pick up on your way to work or school. But in case you’re not convinced to take that extra time out of your day, here are our top 5 reasons to eat breakfast:

-Curb Cravings: Eating breakfast saves you from caving into your cravings later in the day, when you’ll be tempted to nosh on high-calorie, non-nutritious snacks. 

-Build Better Eating Habits: Starting the day with a healthy meal sets the trend — you’re more likely to keep eating well throughout the day.

-Boost Your Energy: Breakfast breaks your fast from the previous night and provides your body with the energy and nutrients it needs before lunch.

-Maintain Weight Loss: Researchers from the National Weight Control Registry found that 78% of people who’ve lost weight and maintained it for at least six years eat breakfast. 

-Enhance Cognitive Function:  Studies show that children who eat a balanced breakfast perform significantly better on standardized tests than those who did not eat breakfast at all. 

On October 18, Nike will be holding their annual Women’s Marathon in San Francisco to benefit the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. Amanda’s is going to be at the finish line, cheering runners on and selling wholesome post race meals!

Here’s some last minute nutrition tips for enhancing endurance for the big day:

-Load up on carbs: eating a diet high in complex carbohydrates the day before the race will help you store glycogen, an efficiently utilized form of energy.

-Drink plenty of fluids to prevent dehydration.

-Avoid sweets: high glycemic index foods (such as sweets) may give you a burst of energy, but once your blood glucose stabilizes, you’re left feeling drained. 

-Eat a moderate amount of fiber: carb loading with simple carbohydrates can leave you constipated, weighing you down, so eating fiber will help keep  you regular.

Good nutrition should be a priority after the race as well. You just put your body through 26.2 miles of hard work. The goals of your diet following your marathon are to restore fluid and electrolyte balance, replenish depleted glycogen stores, provide nutrients to help repair muscle damage. 

To help restore electrolyte balance, eat salty snacks like popped chips.  To quickly replenish depleted glycogen stores, treat yourself to some sweet foods and drinks. As a high glycemic index food, simple sugars deliver a quick burst of much-needed glucose into the bloodstream. Drinking some fresh-squeezed lemon lime soda or apple cider will not only help replenish glycogen stores, but it will also aid in rehydration. To help muscle recovery, eat lean protein and complex carbohydrates. Our Natural Meat Cheeseburgers with Organic American Cheese have a good balance of protein and carbohydrates that provide the tools needed for your muscles to repair themselves. 

We hope this tips are helpful and we hope to see you at the race! For more information on pre and post race nutrition visit Marathonpal.com or bewell@stanford.

It’s true what they say: time flies when you’re having fun. This past year has been a joyous mix of introducing ourselves to Berkeley, meeting new people, and helping to build a healthy community. We are proud to announce that Amanda’s Feel Good Fresh Food Restaurant will be celebrating our one year anniversary!

As the assistant general manager of Amanda’s for the past year, I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone involved in helping Amanda’s Restaurant through our first year. From our incredible team, to our wonderful customers, to the unfailingly supportive Berkeley community, it has truly been a group effort.

On Saturday 25 July, 2009, we will be throwing an all-day party (from noon to 8pm) to commemorate our first year. We will be giving out samples of our delicious food throughout the day. We’ll have several different musicians performing in the front of the restaurant. You could also win prizes to Almare Gelato, the Oakland Zoo, Parrot Cellular, Juice Appeal, Jupiter, Comic Relief, Meridian, Half Price Books, OCSC Sailing, Pegasus Books, Marjorie Majenti Acupuncture, Berkeley Repertory Theatre, YMCA, Aurora Theatre Company, Backyard Food Project, Shotgun Players, Bobby G’s Pizzeria, Hotel Shattuck Plaza, Carsala, and The Bread Project during our raffle. So bring the kids, friends, and family down to Amanda’s Restaurant on 25 July for a day of fun, food, music and prizes! See you then!

For another gift of a free freshly made soda with purchase of a grilled item, bring in a non-perishable food item for our drive for the Alameda County Food Bank.

Look forward to seeing you in a few weeks! - Peter

Two documentaries, Fresh and Food, Inc., have recently premiered, addressing the dangers of our industrialized food systems and offering some examples of how changes are being made. Both films remind us of how we can make a difference in reducing the amount of fossil fuels, antibiotics, growth hormones, and unhealthy ingredients go into our food system.

In both films, Michael Pollan, author of The Omnivore’s Dilemma, describes some of the worst impacts of our food system from reliance on corn to the loss of diversity in farming. Joel Salatin’s Polyface Farm is portrayed as an idyllic diverse farm, but both films also show the struggle that a majority of farmers and ranchers have in escaping the industrialized markets. Gary Hirshberg, the inspirational founder of Stonyfield Farms shows how better-for-you foods can be affordable through selling organic yogurt to Walmart and trying to keep the perfect from being the enemy of the good. These themes are what has inspired the feelgoodfastfood.org blog to continue the conversation started by Eric Schlosser in Fast Food Nation. It is also what inspired the launch of Amanda’s in Berkeley, CA to offer affordable, approachable, convenient meals that use good quality ingredients and embrace environmental values.

While these topics can be discouraging, especially when most of us face limited time and budgets, there are hopeful suggestions that we can all start to incorporate. We can start to ask questions of our current food suppliers - what do you serve that is organic or local? is your meat naturally-raised without the use of antibiotics and growth hormones? We can start to make incremental choices to eat more local ingredients, less meat, and more fruits and vegetables to change our own health and the health of our world. Please see these films, discuss them with your communities, and join us in helping to change the world one meal at a time.

It’s true—gone are the days when slow food and fast food were unheard of as being one and the same.

 Because we believe in creating a community through environmentally sustainable practices and healthy foods, we support  and encourage the three principles of “good, clean and fair” foods that the Slow Food movement was structured upon.

 The Slow Food movement, as defined by Slow Food USA, is “ an idea, a way of living, and a way of eating” supported globally yet primarily reliant upon community’s involvement, with a mission to change the food system by making it affordable to all and reconnecting Americans with the people and traditions that generate our foods. Through it, there is the hope of ensuring “ equity, sustainability, and pleasure”.

Good news! There are several opportunities for community involvement available through Slow Food USA.  Not only is there a chapter established in Berkeley , but there are also national programs dedicated to expanding this food movement to areas such as elementary schools and college campuses through activities that range from improving school lunches, to examining food justice issues.

Local Slow Food events this summer:

 June 13, 2:00 to 5:00 p.m.

-Potluck Picnic Party in Tilden Park – enjoy summer with shared organic and locally grown/raised/brewed foods!

Help fight AIDS by eating out this Thursday, April 30. Participating restaurants donate at least 25% of dinner sales to local AIDS service organizations.

Feel Good about yourself by treating yourself to a meal at Amanda’s in Berkeley or other participating restaurants in the East Bay or search the Dine Out For Life Site for restaurants in your area.