Rabid Fans Have Bad Diets

Chowing down when depressed may just be instinct

(NEWSER) - There’s a reason we gorge on chocolate bars or French fries when we’re down: Fatty foods actually do make us feel better, a study suggests. Scientists in Belgium had subjects look at images of sad people and listen to sad music while being fed through a tube, the Daily Mail reports. Brain scans revealed that those who received a saline solution grew 4% more depressed, while those who got a fatty solution through the tube didn't experience changes in their mood. More»

Joe D’Amico combines passions for running, fast food

(NEWSER) - The "McRunner" likes his food like he likes his races: fast. Joe D’Amico will run his 15th marathon this month after training for 30 days ... fueled by a diet of McDonald’s, the Chicago Sun-Times reports. “My wife told me I was crazy,” says D’Amico, a fit 36-year-old. “But I love McDonald’s and I love running, and this was a great way to combine the two.” More»

What we see affects how full we feel

(NEWSER) - Out of sight, out of mind? And stomach? A new study suggests that our sense of feeling full has more to do with our eyes than our belly. A Swiss psychologist decided to test the sensory experience of eating by having 64 participants dine in a pitch-black restaurant; they were then offered skewered fruit sticks for dessert. One group got normal-size portions, the other got supersize servings. What he found is that your body has a hard time knowing how much you've eaten if you can't see it, reports Scientific American . More»

Reviewers not so fond of latest fast-food monstrosity

(NEWSER) - Congratulations, KFC, your Double Down stunt has gotten more publicity than a Nazi-themed romp with Jesse James. So here's a little more, in the form of what the reviewers are saying:

• The Double Down "arrives at a new low," writes Sam Sifton of the New York Times . Even the chain's signature chicken is "a slimy and unnaturally moist thing, with flavor ginned up in a lab. It is, in all, a disgusting meal, a must-to-avoid."

But experts are skeptical about 'Christine' and 'Drive-Thru Diet'

(NEWSER) - Want to lose weight? Then run for the border, hit Taco Bell’s Drive-Thru Diet menu, and knock off 54 lbs in two years. Or at least that’s what happened to Christine, a Jared Fogle knockoff featured in new Taco Bell ads as a devotee of the chain's Fresco items. Though the spots feature all the disclaimers—her weight loss is “exceptional,” the taco treats were part of a larger effort, don’t call the Drive-Thru Diet a diet—diet experts are largely unhappy, ABC News reports. More»