20 Diseases and Conditions Directly Attributed to Being Overweight

Unfortunately this list is pretty depressing. More motivation for Americans to take charge of their weight and, in turn, take charge of their health.


http://www.food-intolerance.ca/14/20-diseases-and-conditions-directly-attributed-to-being-overweight/en/

More local produce at your grocery store....

Supermarkets are selling more local produce - Here's an encouraging article that talks about how many grocery store chains are switching to purchasing more local produce. I don't know if they gas prices have caused this or not, but I think it's certainly a great idea.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/06/dining/06local.html?_r=2&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss&oref=slogin&oref=slogin

Where does your favorite restaurant get their food?

You would think that a hot dog from Yankee stadium and a meal at a 5 star restaurant would have nothing in common, but in this case they do. They both come from the same supplier. Sysco foods supplies more than 400,000 hospitals and restaurants including the fast food and 5-star ones!

There is nothing wrong with getting food from the same place. Let's hope they're not serving the same thing with the 5 star restaurants calling it "home made."

Here's my favorite quote from the article - "As the company notes on its Web site, our "unique 3-D technology gives you the look and texture of a solid muscle chicken breast, at a fraction of the cost. …""

It's pretty hard to stay away from MSG and partially hydrogenated oils when eating out, but my advice is to eat as much unprocessed foods as possible and you'll be much better off.

http://www.slate.com/id/2160284/

US Food Portions- Just About Right?

Not according to this article! "Portion sizes in the United States not only exceed those in less-developed countries, but also in the developed world. In fact, Americans have the highest per capita daily consumption in the world, eating 3,770 calories a day, more than a Canadian at 3,590 calories or an Indian at 2,440, according to data from the U.N. Food and Agricultural Organization.

"We've looked at large portion sizes almost entirely in terms of whether it's healthy for us, and now we have to consider is that sort of a demand going to be sustainable," said Paul Roberts, author of "The End of Food."

They say that the typical American adult eats at a restaurant 6 times per week and more than ½ say it's an essential part of their lifestyle. Some of this portion problem comes from the sizes of processed food portions. We've gotten used to eating those sized portions. I'm sure that advertising also contributes to how much we think we need to eat.

Here's the whole article for you to read: http://www.reuters.com/article/lifestyleMolt/idUSN2639845320080729

Nano Foods?

I guess I hadn't really heard of nano foods before I read this article. It talks mostly about labeling food that contains this nano technology.

Here is what nano foods are: "Nanotechnology involves the design and manipulation of materials on molecular scales, smaller than the width of a human hair and invisible to the naked eye. Companies using nanotechnology say it can enhance the flavor or nutritional effectiveness of food.

U.S. health officials generally prefer not to place warning labels on products unless there are clear reasons for caution or concern. But consumer advocates say uncertainty over health consequences alone is sufficient cause to justify identifying nano-foods."

Read the whole article here - http://www.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUSN3044875220080730?feedType=RSS&feedName=healthNews&pageNumber=1&virtualBrandChannel=10003

Does Food Have an Effect on Us?

Here's a great article about a neurosurgeon's finding about the effect of foods on our moods and bodies. It's a lot of what I have mentioned before (sugar, alcohol, MSG). Here are 2 interesting quotes from the article "One study found an astonishing 97 percent of alcoholics to be hypoglycemic. Yet another study showed that when an alcoholic's hypoglycemia is treated with nutrition, 70 percent of them become sober. When other alcoholism treatment methods are used, only 25 percent or less find relief from their addiction."

"Glutamate is a messenger molecule in the body. Tiny releases of glutamate play an important role in the body, but any excess can be dangerous - especially to the brain and nervous system.

This glutamate is identical to the flavor-enhancing monosodium glutamate (MSG) and its chemical cousins found in thousands of food products."

This is interesting reading, so I encourage you to read the whole article (it's not long) http://www.cbn.com/CBNnews/353246.aspx

Don't Worry About Exercise

I heard this the other day and it made sense to me. There are only a few people I know of that stay committed to 30-40 minutes of exercise a day like we all know we should be doing.

Maybe we need to shift our thinking in this area. Instead of dreading the exercise time, focus on being active. You can be active for a 30-40 minute period per day and call it exercise, but don't discount that brisk walk, or going up and down the steps 20 times, or jumping on the trampoline or doing floor exercises while you're watching TV. Try focusing on "being active" rather than "doing your exercise" each day. Let me know if it works!

I try to exercise with my younger children when I can. We set up stations.

Here's what we lay out: small dumbbells, exercise band, exercise ball, and mini trampoline. We all have several pieces of exercise equipment laying around our homes. Yours might be a little different from mine.

Then the kids and I run around the house for a few minutes to get warmed up. After warmup we each take a station and work with one of the pieces of equipment. When someone wants to switch, we each switch to a different piece of equipment. It's pretty fun to do, although I usually outlast the children - mmm….. You could do this routine on your own too. It might help to break up the time and make your activity more interesting.