It's a big day for Homaro Cantu news here on Chicagoist. It's no secret that we were skeptical about using miracle berries to feed the poor, but this is a potentially good idea - Chef Cantu, miracle berry evangelist, told the Sun-Times last week that he's working on a diet book based on the berries. Why miracle berries? Because it would allow you to eliminate sugar from your diet without loosing the sweetness. more ›

A report released today by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and Trust for America's Health finds that adult obesity levels in Illinois increased by nearly a full percentage point in the past year. The Land of Lincoln is now the 26th-ranked state in the nation for adult obesity. more ›

The Illinois Department of Corrections has found itself on the wrong end of a lawsuit due to its supposed over-reliance on soy protein in prisoner diets. The department started serving "soy-enhanced" items in 2004 as a way to cut costs. more ›

Chicago is overflowing with fantastic food, a majority of which is not conducive to maintaining a healthy weight or preventing cholesterol from clinging for dear life to the inside of our arteries. Contrary to the reputation of a dietitian, we cannot easily conjure the name of a single food that we would forbid from touching our lips. That said, eating a healthy diet is necessary to preventing disease, avoiding weight gain, and feeling happy and energetic. Here are a few strategies to help you navigate your way around Chicago’s equally glorious and treacherous culinary landscape. more ›

So I'm a week into the Green City Market Localvore Challenge and doing well. I've been able to find really good, in-season fruits and vegetables without spending a small fortune and the meats I stockpiled over the summer in the freezer are coming into good use. I've also been surprisingly creative with my daily menus. For example, yesterday I was hard-pressed for a breakfast idea and didn't want to resort to the standard bacon-and-eggs. more ›

• From the "DUH!" Files: Apparently fast food meals aren't good for kids. The Center for Science in the Public Interest released a report this week that concluded that kids meals at fast food chains exceed the 430 calories-per-meal limit. Among the worst offenders, Chili's makes the list twice with kids meals at or over 1000 calories each. [via MenuPages Chicago]
• "Rock Star Chef City" alert: BOURDAIN is in town through next week finally filming for the No Reservations Chicago episode. He's got the venerable Louisa Chu in tow, who'll be escorting him to Calumet Fisheries, Burt's Place in Morton Grove and L2O, among other places. We're so stalking this weekend. [Food Chain]
• Lori Barrett writes about cold soups. [Drive Thru]
• An argument for frozen fish [Washington Post, via]

It's a near certainty that people who eat at McDonald's on a regular basis, like Morgan Spurlock or Little Stay-Puf in the photo, can gain weight and have other potential health issues. But can someone eating nothing but McDonald's lose weight? more ›