Currently browsing all entries in the Trends category
A Healthy Challenge
Okay gals and guys, over the weekend I came across this article
Study shows health risks of obese womenA 5-foot, 5-inch tall white woman who weighs more than 240 pounds is 86 percent more likely to die within seven years than her normal-weight peer, according to a new study.
Extremely obese white or black women are more likely to die of any cause, or to develop heart disease, diabetes or high blood pressure, said researcher Dr. Kathleen McTigue, of the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine.
"The health risks of extreme obesity have really been poorly understood because the condition used to be so rare," she said. [source]
I know most of us visit here or blog or lurk because we hate being fat, but. I've always believed whatever you resist, persists. You resist being overweight, you stay being overweight. You approach a negative situation with more negativity, the negativity continues.
Maybe we should look at it another way.
How about we love being fit & healthy? We do things that are not solely to track how much lbs we lose in a given week. Why not do things that make the heart pump and muscles grow and body fat (not scale weight!) go down?
To support this new outlook, for the rest of summer, perfect for those going back to school or Moms getting kids ready for going back to school, I'm going to launch the Forget About The lbs challenge, aka the big F.A.T. challenge.
Each week I'll devote one day to defining health related terms the media tends to avoid. The next day, I'll post a calculator. Your homework will be to figure out your standing, I'll bite the bullet and post my own stats and numbers. If you are brave enough, you can post your too. In 4 weeks we'll do a mid challenge check in and in 8 weeks, mid September, we'll have a final check in to see how healthy we all got during the summer of '06.
Wednesdays will be a book giveaway day, Thursdays topic will vary, and Friday is guest blogging day. If there is no guest blogger, I'll post healthy menus, recipes, food plans to get you thru the weekend. Actually, even if there is, I'll still post those things.
I do this challenge in conjunction with all I already do to get fit. There is no plan to follow, if you do WW or SBD, continue on. By no means am I a doctor, so please get all the necessary check ups before you attempt this. The challenge is just a way to keep people on track while educating and hopefully changing lives for the healthier.
There is no group goal to lose xxlbs or walk xx miles. Instead, let's try to reduce our other bodily stats by a point or two in the next 2 months. It may not seem like much but dropping an inch or two in the waist can reduce the risk of developing heart disease…and how many of us whip out the tape measure on a weekly basis vs. getting on a scale getting pissed at a 1 or 2 lb fluctuation that could be nothing more than water weight?
Things will kick off next Monday. I hope you'll join in 
10 Causes of Obesity
According to David B. Allison, PhD, director of the University of Alabama at Birmingham clinical nutrition research center, and his colleagues, we're paying too much attention to too much food & and too little exercise as the cause for obesity.
Allison and colleagues suggest 10 other possible causes of obesity:
- Sleep debt. Getting too little sleep can increase body weight. Today's Americans get less shut-eye than ever.
- Pollution. Hormones control body weight. And many of today’s pollutants affect our hormones.
- Air conditioning. You have to burn calories if your environment is too hot or too cold for comfort. But more people than ever live and work in temperature-controlled homes and offices.
- Decreased smoking. Smoking reduces weight. Americans smoke much less than they used to.
- Medicine. Many different drugs -- including contraceptives, steroid hormones, diabetes drugs, some antidepressants, and blood pressure drugs -- can cause weight gain. Use of these drugs is on the upswing.
- Population age, ethnicity. Middle-aged people and Hispanic-Americans tend to be more obese than young European-Americans. Americans are getting older and more Hispanic.
- Older moms. There's some evidence that the older a woman is when she gives birth, the higher her child's risk of obesity. American women are giving birth at older and older ages.
- Ancestors' environment. Some influences may go back two generations. Environmental changes that made a grandparent obese may "through a fetally driven positive feedback loop" visit obesity on the grandchildren.
- Obesity linked to fertility. There's some evidence obese people are more fertile than lean ones. If obesity has a genetic component, the percentage of obese people in the population should increase.
- Unions of obese spouses. Obese women tend to marry obese men. If there are fewer thin people around -- and if obesity has a genetic component -- there will be still more obese people in the next generation.
Fast Food News
In a way, all these stories are related. The common denominator? Fast food is trying to get "healthy".
That concept has always struck me as ironic. I heard a comedian say, people don't want to go to a burger joint to get a salad. Very true. Back in the day, eating out was a once a week or once a month treat. To indulge in a greasy burger with fries, large soda and shake wasn't horrible.
In recent years, I think, it's the 24/7 hours, the availability of restaurants on every corner, the drive thru, the cheap prices, etc etc etc, that makes it so easy to eat out daily.
There's no hard and fast answer. For me, I'm trying to not see the fast food industry not so much as the enemy, but as a once in a blue moon experience.
Mentally I'm trying to live as if I'm in ye olden days. Er…the '50's 
1. Wendy’s to switch to healthier cooking oil
Wendy’s International Inc. said Thursday it will begin frying french fries and breaded chicken items with non-hydrogenated oil, continuing a shift to offer healthier menu choices.The country’s third-largest burger chain said the blend of corn and soy oil has zero grams of artery-clogging trans fat per serving and will cut trans fat in those menu items by 95 percent. Wendy’s will begin using the oil in its 6,300 restaurants in the U.S. and Canada in August. [read more]
2. ‘Super-size’ not a super deal, study finds. Extra calories can lead to higher costs for groceries, health care and more
The "super-size" deals at fast-food restaurants aren't such a bargain once the costs of weight gain are considered, according to a new study.Researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison found that while the average "upsized" fast-food meal costs a mere 67 cents more than a regular meal, those bonus calories could translate into substantial daily costs due to weight gain.
When people put on weight, the study authors say, their grocery bills, healthcare costs and even gasoline expenses climb as well. [read more]
3. Restaurants offer too much of a bad thing. Cut portion sizes, get rid of fat-laden side dishes, health officials say
Those heaping portions at restaurants — and doggie bags for the leftovers — may be a thing of the past, if health officials get their way.The government is trying to enlist the help of the nation’s eateries in fighting obesity. One of the first things on their list: cutting portion sizes.
With burgers, fries and pizza the Top 3 eating-out favorites in this country, restaurants are in a prime position to help improve people’s diets and combat obesity. At least that’s what is recommended in a government-commissioned report released Friday. [read more]
O Canada
Canadians are healthier than Americans. They are less likely to have diabetes, high-blood pressure and other conditions. Why?
Canada's national health insurance program is part of the reason. Having universal coverage makes it easier for them to get disease-preventing health services. Harvard Med School researchers have found Americans are 42 percent more likely than Canadians to have diabetes, 32 percent more likely to have high blood pressure, and 12 percent more likely to have arthritis.
More disturbing stats below:
- 6.7 percent of Americans and 4.7 percent of Canadians reported having diabetes,
- 18.3 percent of Americans and 13.9 percent of Canadians reported having high blood pressure,
- Americans also reported more heart disease and major depression,
- 21 percent of Americans said they were obese, compared with 15 percent of Canadians,
- 13.5 percent of the Americans admitted to a sedentary lifestyle, versus 6.5 percent of Canadians,
- nearly twice as many Americans said there were medicines they needed but couldn't afford (9.9 percent versus 5.1 percent). [read the entire article]
Something tells me Americans are more likely to have Bariatric Surgery. What on earth is going on? How do Americans feel about this? People outside of America, why do you think you, as a whole, your country is healthier?
The Link Between Diet and Cancer
More sobering news on diet and cancer:
In 2002, the National Cancer Institute issued a record number of press releases regarding the impact that diet can have on cancer. Not surprisingly, diets high in fats can have the most detrimental effect, while fiber, fruits, vegetables and grains have all been identified as effective weapons in the fight against cancer. Heeding such warnings now can have a preventative effect on your risk of contracting the life-threatening disease later. [source]
Be Concerned
Five US soft drinks were found containing the cancer-causing chemical benzene at levels above the legal limit for drinking water, America’s food safety watchdog has announced, sparking calls for more thorough testing. [source]
Women who gain weight as adults face a higher lifetime risk of all types of breast cancer, researchers reported on Monday.
The study adds to a large body of evidence showing that weight and breast cancer can be closely linked. [source]
Jobless or fat?
"Jobless and broke please," - 63% of women said they'd rather be poor with no extra pounds to lose than rich and substantially overweight.
That is according to a Fitness magazine poll of 1007 people. When asked if they'd rather be jobless or fat. Put me in the minority but I rather be rich and fat. Seriously. Unless they stipulation is I can not use my zillions to hire a personal trainer and chef and all the latest toys and gadgets and in order to enjoy my kabillions I must at all times be 75lbs overweight. So be it. So where do I sign up?
Lawmakers Want Junk Food Out of Schools
Trying to shrink the growing waistlines of children, lawmakers want to expel soda, candy bars, chips and other junk food from the nation's schools.[snip]
Lawmakers blame high-fat, high-sugar snacks that compete with nutritious meals in schools. [source]
When I was in high school, I don't remember us having much junk food or even vending machines. The cafe did sell ice cream bars and maybe cakes. But I got my junk food fix before and after school. There was a store on every corner from my house to school to satisfy my salty potato chips, doughnut and cola needs.
Today, candy, soda and other snacks are sold in nine out of 10 schools, according to the Government Accountability Office. Already plentiful in high schools, junk food has become more available in middle schools over the past five years, GAO found.
That's not good. Especially when most schools have cut phys ed classes. Though not having junk food in school didn't stop me from seeking it out on my own, I at least had gym 3 days a week, weights twice a week and what I forgot to note above was, I walked to & from school every day. About 2 miles. One way.
Obese Children Too Big for Car Seats
Thousands of obese children cannot fit into car seats, leaving them at risk in the event of a crash, researchers said in a study published in the journal Pediatrics.[snip]
According to the study, more than 282,000 overweight children younger than 7 do not fit into most child safety or booster seats available on the market.
I just don't even know what to say.
No. 1 Body Shape for Women
Rectangle.
WTF?
46 percent of women are shaped like a rectangle where their bust and hips are the same size and waist is less than nine inches smaller.
Uh huh.
Then we have the Spoon or pear.
20 percen have hip measurements at least two inches larger than the bust.
Then the inverted triangles of the world make up 14 percent. This group has bust sizes that are three or more inches larger than the hips.
And finally the hourglass, which is 8 percent of the group. Their bust and hip measurements are nearly equal with a narrow waist.
Not feeling like you've been represented? There's also the triangle, the bottom hourglass and the top hourglass.
Will wonders never cease.
According to Dr. Cindy Istook, the study's lead researcher and an associate professor of textile and apparel technology and management,
"What we're trying to do now is get manufacturers and retailers to understand the idea that people really are different shapes," Istook says. "If we can serve the top four groups, we would have almost 90 percent of the market covered. Right now, the industry is serving less than 90 percent because of the sizing system that's based on the hourglass."
Fat tax on Soda
One of every five calories in the American diet is liquid. The nation’s single biggest "food" is soda, and nutrition experts have long demonized it.In reports to be published in science journals this week, two groups of researchers hope to add evidence to the theory that soda and other sugar-sweetened drinks don’t just go hand-in-hand with obesity, but actually cause it. Not that these drinks are the only cause — genetics, exercise and other factors are involved — but that they are one cause, perhaps the leading cause.
[snip]
Nutrition experts want 'fat tax' on sugar-sweetened drinks [source]
Even when I was a big soda drinker, up to 3 Cokes a day, I was never a fan of the diet stuff, it seemed to lack the kick. I don't see how they can pull off taxing soda though.
Food marketing
I found this story yesterday and as I went back to get the content, another similar story was further down on the same page. Something about both of them tie into each other, though one is about kids and the other is about adults, their grandparents I suppose.
The first story: TV ads strongly influence kids' diets
"The foods advertised are predominantly high in calories and low in nutrition -- the sort of diet that puts children's long-term health at risk, [source]"
I don’t have kids and of course my memory of TV when I was little is limited to the cartoons I liked. I vaguely remember wanting the sugary cereals that the Bunny or the Captain or the 3 Krispie dudes talked about, but my mother only bought Raisin Bran or Corn Flakes. I wasn’t a bratty kid and she didn’t take me grocery shopping so I was spared.
Nowadays I watch Saturday morning cartoons and dear lord what they show is ridiculous. I feel the cavities forming just watching the cartoon characters and overly precocious kids market such unnatural substances. Most of the time I either mute to volume or change the channel, because it just too much to absorb.
Ok, so keep in mind the blurb about the kids and TV ads, “the sort of diet that puts children's long-term health at risk”.
Now here’s the next story: Food marketers target chronic illnesses - Industry realizes health conditions influence spending
Overweight? Diabetic? Cholesterol out of control? Have we got a deal on a meal for you!If that sales pitch sounds a little sick, that's the point. Aging baby boomers and rising rates of obesity, diabetes and other health conditions have marketers looking to chronic illness as the new must-reach demographic.
It's part of a cultural shift that increasingly sees health problems as lifestyles rather than diseases. Now the food industry is realizing those lifestyles can have a major influence on spending habits. [source]
Any lightbulbs going off?
The food they advertise to the children becomes the diseases in later life they are now trying to capitalize off of. Calling the pitch sick is an understatement. At the end of the day it’s all about choices, both in how children are raised and in what adults eat, but still, the fact that an industry both promotes and profits from creating then managing the very illness they played a role in creating, is very very disturbing.
Lose Weight on the Peanut Butter Diet
In spite of the scary news about the girl who died after kissing her boyfriend who had just eaten a peanut butter snack, it appears if you eat 4 to 6 tablespoons of peanut butter every day you'll lose weight and you won't be hungry.
For now, color me skeptical.
Yeah, yeah, peanut butter is loaded with calories. But it's also packed with monounsaturated fats, which Men's Health magazine calls the original death-defying potion. In fact, the magazine goes so far as to say we should all be on the Skippy Diet to reduce the risk of heart disease AND to lose weight.
And what does a day of peanut butter eats look like?
Breakfast: Peanut Butter and Banana Shake (1 cup of fat-free milk, 1 medium banana, and 2 Tbsp. peanut butter liquefied in a blender)
Lunch: Peanut butter and jelly sandwich and an apple
Snack: Peanut butter on a rice cake
Dinner: It's peanut-butter free! But be sensible and enjoy a skinless chicken breast, chopped nuts, an avocado, and a salad for example. [source]
Obestatin
I have a feeling in a few years this is going to the new buzzword.
In a study published Friday in the prestigious journal Science, rats injected with obestatin lost a lot of weight.[snip]
Obestatin is made in the stomach and small intestine, and reduces hunger, in part, by slowing the rate at which food travels through the stomach and the small intestine. An extra dose of obestatin could slow digestion even further. [source]
Coming soon to a burger near you
McDonald's to Post Nutrition Info on Food
Make it a burger, fries and nutritional information to go. Seeking to counter charges that its food is unhealthy and contributes to obesity, McDonald's Corp. announced Tuesday that it will display nutrition facts on the packaging for most of its menu items next year.Patrons of the world's largest restaurant company will be able to learn the amount of calories and fat, among other information, in a McDonald's product by looking at the wrapper instead of having to go to its Web site or ask for it at the counter.
[snip]
The company has long maintained that its food can be part of an active, balanced lifestyle. [source]
I do agree with the last line. Having Mickey Dee's once a month, don't faint!, isn't such a bad thing. Unfortunately, due to a whole host of social issues I'll run out of space typing about, fast food is now a once, twice, thrice daily thing.
I had a theory that if people stopped looking at Thanksgiving meals as one day thing, realizing they can have yams & cranberries all year long, people wouldn't gorge on it so much.
On the flip side, perhaps fast food should be looked at like Holiday meals. A once a month indulgence.
