Fat Friday: Donuts on a Diet

In this week's roundup, donuts are now on a diet, parents make their kids fat, while scientists are busy trying to invent new pills and hamburgers to make us healthy. We also learn about a new memoir of a woman's experiences as a fat teenager.

• Dunkin' Donuts on a Diet - It seems the folks at Dunkin' Donuts are trying to put their menu on a diet. Starting next month, they are going to be rolling out some healthier options, including an egg-white flatbread sandwich that rolls in under 300 calories. (The Business Journal)
  
  I don't know about everyone else, but the idea sounds really unappealing. If I want something healthy, a donut store is not the place I'm going to go. If I want a donut, then it's a different story. There are times, I think, when people don't want healthier choices.
  
  
• Neglectful Parenting Makes Kids Fat - According to this writer, it's the parents who are at fault for their obese children. (The Dallas Morning News)
  
  
• Should Trans Fats be Banned? - Now that California has banned trans fats in restaurant and bakery foods, the debate about extending the ban is moving to Oklahoma City. (NewsOK.com)
  
  
• Pills Can Help Burn Off Fat - Scientists at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute have discovered two drugs that imitate the effects of exercise. Could it be that one day, instead of exercising, we'll be able to pop a pill? (Financial Times)
  
  
• My Summers at Fat Camp - NPR interviews the author of Moose: A Memoir of Fat Camp, a memoir about one woman's life as a chubby teenager. (NPR)
  
  
• Burger Alchemy - Scientists are working on cooking up a healthy hamburger by replacing the bad saturated fats in ground beef with heart-healthy unsaturated fats. (The Washington Post)
  
  Shouldn't this be called a Frankenburger?