Next Biggest Diet Craze

The drug Taranabant is known to be apart of the next biggest diet craze. The drug is considered the “anti-marijuana” and works by erasing food cravings by blocking the same receptors in the brain that cannabis stimulates, causing appetite suppression. A 12 week study found that obese patients consumed 27 percent less calories when they were taking the drug. The downside of the drug is that it can possibly make a person feel nauseous, irritable, or anxious.

Burger King Will Have Healthier Kid’s Menu

Burger King has decided to offer healthier items on their menu for children under age 12. They plan to sell flame-broiled Chicken Tenders and apples cut to look like thickly cut french fries. They also have set nutritional guidelines to follow when targeting children under 12 years old in advertising by only advertising Kids Meals that have less than 560 calories with less than 30 percent of the calories from fat and no more than 10 percent of the calories from added sugars.

The company is making a Kids Meal that will have the flame-broiled Tenders, organic unsweetened applesauce, and low-fat milk. The meal would have 305 calories and 8.5 grams of fat. They are also in the process of developing the BK Fresh Apple Fries, which are red apples that are cut to look like french fries and are served in the same containers as fries. They are not fried and are served without the skin and cold. They will only have 35 calories. Burger King will use U.S. grown apples that are cut and packaged in a clean and sterile environment. They will wash the apples with a pre-wash that contains lemon to prevent them from turning brown.

All of the changes and improvements are an effort to offer healthier options and make people more aware and cautious about what they eat and feed their children at fast-food restaurants. It will only be successful if the food tastes good and is filling. It may bring positive and healthy changes.

Pepsi Set to Launch New Drinks

Pepsi is set to launch a couple new drinks. They are going to launch the caffeinated Propel Invigorating Water and a lighter version of Gatorade, called G2. G2 will have fewer calories than the original Gatorade and is aimed for when people are not working out.

The new products will be delivered to convenience stores, independent retailers, and gas stations later this year. Pepsi hopes to boost the sales growth of Gatorade since its sales have been down recently due to cooler weather and an increase in prices. They also feel that the lower calorie G2 will keep customers from moving to other lower-calorie drinks.

They expect the products to boost earnings for the Pepsi company and its shareholders. They expect shares to go up by 2 cents in 2008 and 3 cents in 2009.