Todays  Health Article

March 30th, 2011

TODAY,

An exotic fruit that has grabbed lots of attention lately. It has been referenced by one America’s most popular medical doctor and TV talk show host,  Dr Oz, as a miracle in your medicine cabinet that can help you lose 10 pounds. The Internet has been plastered with countless blog postings, and many of the social media, including Facebook, which have shared messages regarding this fruit benefits. This newest of diet crazes may be just what every one has been looking for… least that is what every one is promoting at the moment. Can this exotic fruit, which little is known about, be what the doctor ordered? You may not need the doctor, nor change your diet, and no exercise ( ?), and loose weight. Today it’s sharing about the little unknown  fruit, called the African Mango.

African Mango

Despite the recent frenzy surrounding African Mango and its weight-loss benefits, the fruit has actually been used as a diet aid for centuries in Cameroon, Africa. This is the only place in the world where African Mango is grown. The brightly-colored tropical fruit is found exclusively in Cameroon’s west-coastal rain-forests.  The African Mango, may also may be known by other names: Agbono, Bread Tree, Bush Mango, Dika Nut, Dikanut, Dikka, Duiker Nut, Etima, Irvingia, Irvingia barteri, Irvingia gabonensis, Kaka, Mangifera gabonensis, Odika, Ogbono, Wild Mango.

Afican Mango differs from other mango fruits, in that it produces a peculiar seed, which natives of Cameroon refer to as “Dikka nuts.”  For hundreds of years, an extract from the seeds called irvingia gabonensis had been used among Cameroon villagers. They used it for its wide-ranging medicinal benefits,  ranging from reducing and preventing obesity, lowering cholesterol, regulating blood sugar, and treating infections.

African Mango Clinical

According to a new study published in the medical journal Lipids in Health and Disease, this extract caused an average weight loss of 12.3 pounds in 30 days without diet or exercise. What’s more, subjects supplementing with this extract experienced significant decreases in bad LDL cholesterol, triglycerides, and glucose levels. No negative side effects were reported in the clinical research.

You can find out more about this study here:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19254366?dopt=Abstract
http://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT00645775

 In May 2005 a study was undertaken by the Nutrition, HIV and Health Research Unit from the University of Yaounde in Cameroon. The aim of the study was to test the effect of Irvingia Gabonensis seeds on body weight and blood lipids of obese subjects in Cameroon.

You can find out more about this study here:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18377661

African Mango Interactions and Reactions

Limited information is available regarding drug interactions. Because African mango delays stomach emptying, prescription medications should be coadministered with caution. Clinical studies enrolled a small number of patients, and mild side effects were documented. Adverse reactions included headache, dry mouth, GI complaints, sleep disturbance, and flu-like symptoms.

The use of African Mango has limited information  regarding drug interactions. Theoretically, African mango may enhance the side effects of medications used in diabetes and high cholesterol. Additive side effects may also be seen in patients treated with medications for obesity. Because African mango delays stomach emptying, prescription medications should be coadministered with caution.

Todays Health Comments

Today  we continue to seek better health and the need for many of us to get a handle on our love handles, to face obesity head on, diet is the key. We must not over look the need for eating healthy and exercising daily. If we can eat something such as the African Mango or it’s supplement and control our eating and perhaps loose some weight, than maybe it might fit some ones health  routine. We must remember that before any changes of diet, be sure to consult, as medications and supplements do not always work well with each other.

Todays Health Article

March 29th, 2011

Today we have a lot to talk about, regarding our growing waistline’s and where they may be heading. For most people, now days, is just an acceptance that they are or a mere fact of life. However, if you were to ask  most people about their waist today, most would reveal that maybe it’s time. It is time to make the necessary changes, to  stop eating the naughty foods and eat right. Many have come to realize that unless they take charge and eat  healthier, their lives are going to be shorter and filled with  illnesses related to obesity.

Naughty Foods

These foods are usually loaded with calories, fats, and sugars. However, they only become naughty when they become a consistent, or a staple, on a daily basis. A bowl of ice cream or a donut will not make a difference unless you consistently continue to chow them down. So if you were watching your intake, burning more or equal to what you had taken in, junk that is considered naughty will not add to the waistline, where the problem lies if you watch the calories eating naughty food, you may not be very healthy or may still feel Hungry. That is where the problem comes in, many of the Naughty Foods have been Jumble Sized to go along with our jumble size waste.

Highly palatable foods, such as those available from fast food chains, are “layered and loaded with fat, sugar and salt,” all of which, instead of satiating us, actually prompt us to continue eating, said Dr. David Kessler, former FDA commissioner and author of “The End of Overeating” (Rodale Books, 2009). Such foods cause particular excitement in areas of the brain associated with emotion and reward — much like alcohol, sex and drugs.

Why we eat the Naughty Foods

I think the average person knows what naughty foods are and there several articles listen on this site that spell out those Naughty Foods for those of you who are unsure. The “WHY” we eat these naughty foods may be for many reasons.

• Place where you work, if you are employed at a Fast Food establishment, very temping to eat the food.
• When travelling, you do not to spend the time looking for something healthy, or you are unfamiliar of your eating options, and end up snacking.When I was on an airplane, I found this to be true.
• Many business meetings limit your eating options, and are forced to eat whats available.
• Those tempting snack bars left in your hotel rooms.
• Today there are vending machines in almost every high traffic areas…. from hospitals to schools. Snapping up your pocket change.
• Last. but perhaps most important, the food industry has come to recognize that appearance, flavorings, sugars, caffeine, and others that enhance the taste to taste buds, and are pleasing to our nose.

Waistlines may be in Proportion to

* Not only to the intake of our Naughty food but may be related to our genetics as well.”Skinny people do still exist. These people have won “the throw of the genetic dice,” said Susan Carnell, an obesity researcher at the Columbia College of Physicians and Surgeons in New York.

* Genes likely control how easily one feels satiated, researchers are finding. People who lack the genes for a voracious appetite often don’t understand how hard it is for someone who isn’t so genetically lucky, Carnell said.

* New research has shown that an unborn child may receive “epigenetic” messages in the womb about how to regulate his or her weight. Epigenetics is the idea that even if genes themselves aren’t altered, how they function can change

*Research has shown that if your friends are fat, you are more likely to be also!  A reason might be, a restablishing  what you consider normal.  So these findings suggest that obesity has cultural,  psychological causes, and physiological ones.

* Cars, chairs and sofas are where alot of time is spent today. We are walking less now days, exercising a lot less, and while spending the time on the couch, snacking more. “But if you want to lose a bulge, or ten, and “you are not reducing calories, just exercising, it will take a very long time to lose a single pound,” said Caroline Apovian, an obesity researcher at the Boston University School of Medicine.

Todays Health Comments

While genes and environment are responsible for two-thirds of the differences in people’s waitlines, the remaining  is psychological. On a daily basis I see peoples  lifestyle drive them to self-medicate with food. Also stress and lack of sleep may take an unfriendly toll on metabolism.With some research how fast food has become a culture in the US, so has the bulging waistlines become a culture or a way of life. Along with those, the illnesses linked to obesity. Naughty foods have been so much a part of our lives, as this article indicates, but if we want our waistlines to become slimmer and our bodies healthier, there is no better time than now to begin.

For Further Reading

http://todayshealthsite.chttp://todayshealthsite.com/naughty-foods-taste-so-good.

htmlom/are-you-eating-naughty-.

htmlhttp://todayshealthsite.com/why-naughty-is-winning-and-nice-is-not.html

Todays Health Article

American Heart Month

February 21, 2011

Todays article. part 3 of 3 articles, on the outcome, opening and closing arguments of soft drinks, (soda pop) as to the defense of the soft drink industry and why health issues are becoming prevalent. Today’s article presents all of the health issues before you… the readers, whom are in this case the jury. Will you find the outcome  acceptable and continue to include  in your diet, or find the information  just too much. Guilty or not, you will be well informed of the present facts.

part 1 opening argument

part 2  closing argument

Reviewing before the Health  Facts    

After reviewing ingredients, flavors, preservatives, and colors ( for the list click here)  the out come was that all the ingredients were approved by the FDA (Food and Drug Administration). However, the controversy lies not with the fact that they individually are OK for you, its the fact that that they all were approved in moderation of the consideration that were were drinking quarts of it a day. That its replacing the fluids we would have normally drank, our water intake.  We are facing  the outcome of many health  issues. These need to be explored in more  detail before you decide your personal outcome.

According to the National Soft Drink Association (NSDA), consumption of soft drinks is now over 600 12-ounce servings (12 oz.) per person per year. Since the late 1970`s the soft drink consumption in the United States has doubled for females and tripled for males. The highest consumption is in the males between the ages of 12 – 29; they average 1/2 gallon a day or 160 gallons a year.

The consumption of sugar-sweetened soft drinks is associated… with obesity, type 2 diabetes, dental cavities, and low nutrient levels. Experimental studies tend to support a causal role for sugar-sweetened soft drinks in these ailments, though this is challenged by other researchers. “Sugar-sweetened” includes drinks that use High-fructose corn syrup, as well as those using sucrose.

In 1998, the Center for Science in the Public Interest published a report titled Liquid Candy: How Soft Drinks are Harming Americans’ Health. The report examined statistics relating to the soaring consumption of soft drinks, particularly by children, and the consequent health ramifications, including tooth decay, nutritional depletion, obesity, type-2 (formerly known as “adult-onset”) diabetes, and heart disease. It also reviewed soft drink marketing and made various recommendations aimed at reducing soft drink consumption.

From 1977 to 2001,  the Americans  have doubled their consumption of sweetened beverages. At the same time a recognize parallel,, a doubling of the presence of obesity.  Many believe that this consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages is directly associated with weight and obesity. Infact some studies have indicated, change in consumption,  can predict the changes in weight gain or lose.

On another point of view, it is possible that people who are also unhealthy may actually consume more soft drinks, making it difficult to distinguish whether weight gain was because of unhealthy habits or the consumption of soft drinks

 Experimental evidence is needed to definitively establish the causal role of soft drink consumption and to excessive  consumption, regarding weight gain.

The consumption of sugar-sweetened soft drinks, which just seems to be  logical, you eat or drink an ongoing amount of sugar,  many weight-related diseases, diabetes,  metabolic syndrome, tooth decay, cardiovascular risks, and a elevated blood pressure are going to become relevant.

    Todays Comments Rests

Today’s Soft drinks rest entirely with you. You will be the jury, regarding the continued use of soft drinks. I think we are only beginning to see the battle beginning here in regards to our drinking habits Vs. our health. It is only common sense, if you are taking in  3 or 4 times the amount of sugar that is required for your body’s needs, it has to goes somewhere. That is plain and simple. I quit drinking the stuff and with the same exercise, I have lost 30 lbs over the year. I know its allowed me to drink more water and have felt better. That’s just my personal evaluation. It could be yours too!

American Heart Month

Today, most likely, if asked to define good health… “Alive and well, still kicking”, maybe, the jest of it. However, for most, who are serious about their health, would most likely miss or leave out a few key pieces, most likely important pieces in the definition of good health. These pieces that define good health should be reviewed so that all may have a better understanding. Though this may be a broad spectrum, it may be broken down into a general understanding, of which we can apply, to understanding our own health pieces.

Defining Health

Overall health being achieved through a combination of physical, mental, and social well-being, which, also referred to as, the Health Triangle.

Health is the general condition of a person, in all aspects.

 These aspects can be better understood by what later came to be known as the ‘LaLonde report’.  Although this report was released in 1977, it began to identify the four health fields that were interdependently responsible for individual health.

1. Environment
   All matters related to health external to the human body and over which the individual has little or no control. Includes the physical and social environment.
2. Human Biology
   All aspects of health, physical and mental, developed within the human body as a result of organic make-up.
3. Lifestyle
   The aggregation of personal decisions, over which the individual has control. Self-imposed risks created by unhealthy lifestyle choices can be said to contribute to, or cause, illness or death.
4. Health Care Organisation
   The quantity, quality, arrangement, nature and relationships of people and resources in the provision of health care.

The LaLonde report suggests that health is maintained and improved not only through the advancement and application of health science, but also through the efforts and intelligent lifestyle choices of the individual and society.

Environment

A environmental factor affecting health is water quality, especially for the health of infants and children, and the lack of neighborhood recreational space, that includes the natural environment, leads to lower levels of neighborhood satisfaction and higher levels of obesity; therefore lower overall well being. The physical environment is perhaps the most important factor that should be considered when classifying the health status of an individual. This includes factors such as clean water and air, safe houses, communities and roads all contribute to good health. 

 The social and economic environment

Generally, the context in which an individual lives, is of great importance on his life quality and health status.  Key factors in determining the health, the status of individuals given, by the fact that higher education levels are linked with a higher standard of  health.

Genetics

Genetics are closely related to the habits and behaviors individuals develop during their life, particularly in terms of lifestyle choices. An example maybe for those who had a more active parents and followed a healthier diets, non-smoking and non-drinking are more likely to follow the same pattern in their life.  Many individuals are often criticized for not taking good care of their health based on the presumption that the reflection of one’s personality is one’s health.  We all know  that there are many factors that have a significant impact on one’s health of which cannot be controlled.

Lifestyle

The Alameda County Study examines the relationship between lifestyle and health. It has found that people can improve their health via exercise, enough sleep, maintaining a healthy weight, limiting alcohol use, and avoiding smoking.

Medical Health

Moreover, the World Health Organization lists a wide range of other factors that can influence the well being of a person. According to WHO, the gender, social support networks and health services in terms of both quality and access to them are to be considered as health determinants. Access to health care is one of the large issues of the nowadays society, maybe even greater than the quality of the service. Individuals  are more prone to suffer from different health conditions because their access to the health care system is restricted mostly from financial reasons.

Maintaining health

 Today’s personal health depends partially on one’s active, passive, or your Doctors observations about your health in everyday life. This information obtained from such observations can be used to inform personal decisions and actions.  Social Activity, practicing effective hygiene, nutrition, exercise, stress management and healthcare management all play a  piece of good health.

Today Health Comments

Today we must define ”Health” for  ourselves, understanding our  physical and social environment, our family history… regarding our genetics and medical past. Our lifestyles today, have a great influence on our health and how we choose to be medically treated. For some today, medical treatment is out of the question due to costs, availability, and accessibility. I find that the 46million people (US) having no insurance coverage,  to be shocking. Due partly for our efforts, the lack of our own efforts to control obesity, diabetes, and heart disease, we are faced with epidemic numbers. If we do not get a hold, or control of our health today, our health care will become only available for the very affluent.

Todays Health Article

American Heart Month

February 5th, 2011  

Today we have been overloaded with facts and are backs perhaps up against the wall… Sounds serious, and yes, it could be. If you are looking for facts, this article is prevailing. Perhaps the people of our nation, may actually agree with me, and if you do not, that’s OK. Today, we are facing some critical issues regarding our health reform, guidelines being handed down from the federal government, legal actions being prompted by agency’s against major fast food icons, and  the Senate may vote  shortly on the Health Repeal. 

Facts  Facing Your Health

We are in  American Heart Month …

 Heart Disease is the Number 1 killer in this country, and 40 millionpeople do not even know it… this is alarming. This is your  Life Check (mylifecheck.heart.org)   Take these simple steps to find if you are at risk.

 Obesity Facts

• Obesity is the #2 cause of preventable death in the United States
• 60 million Americans, 20 years and older are obese
• 9 million children and teens ages 6-19 are overweight

Being overweight or obese increases the risk of health conditions and diseases including:

• Breast cancer,
• Coronary heart disease,
• Type II diabetes,
• Sleep apnea,
• Gallbladder disease,
• Osteoarthritis,
• Colon cancer,
• Hypertension and Stroke

http://www.getamericafit.org/statistics-obesity-in-america.html

Further Reading Facts    http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/overwt.htm

Diabetes Facts

Diabetes affects an estimated 23.6 million people in the US (90 percent to 95 percent have type 2 diabetes) - 17.9 million have been diagnosed, but 5.7 million are unaware they have the disease. According to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) and the American Diabetes Association, those affected include:

• 11.5 million US women (10.2 percent of all women age 20 years and older)
• 12 million US men (11.2 percent of all men age 20 years and older)
• 186,300 people under age 20

Cancer Facts

World Cancer Day: 340000 Cases Of Cancer A Year In The US Could Be …

About 340000 of Common Cancer Cases Preventable in U.S. …‎ – PR Newswire (press release)
Daily Toll of 7300 Cancers Deaths Could Be Avoided‎ – Medscape
Simple life changes could stop millions of cancers‎ – Reuters

Health Costs Facts

The report found health care costs will average $8,160 this year for every man, woman and child, an increase of $356 per person from last year.Meanwhile, the number of uninsured has risen to about 48 million, according to a new estimate by the Kaiser Family Foundation.The government statisticians estimated that health costs will reach $13,100 per person in 2018, accounting for $1 out of every $5 spent in the economy.  Health care costs to top $8000 per person – Health – Health care .

Acts of Health Reform

Perhaps the best definition of Health Reform  is a general  method, a tool, a measure for discussing major health policy or changes . In this conversation it is our government who has chosen policy, a policy that will affects health care delivery to you and I. This Health Care Reform Bill  is attempting to:

• Broaden the population that receives health care coverage through either public sector insurance programs or private sector insurance companies
• Expand the array of health care providers consumers may choose among
• Improve the access to health care specialists
• Improve the quality of health care
• Decrease the cost of health care

[PDF] HR 3962 Affordable Health Care for America Act  File Format: PDF/Adobe Acrobat

This bill brings along 1990 pages of reading and a whopping 900 Billion price tag for our health reform.

Health Reform… Behind the Scenes Facts

*** WASHINGTON on Jan. 31, 2011

 Announced the release of the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans. The Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius released of the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans. Basically, is the federal government’s evidence-based nutritional guidance; to promoting health, reducing the risk of chronic diseases, reducing the prevalence of overweight and obesity, through improved nutrition and physical activity.

*** McDonald’s Happy Meals

The Center for Science in the Public Interest has filed a lawsuit against McDonald’s Corp., claiming that the company’s Happy Meals unfairly entice children into eating food that can do them harm.

The Washington advocacy group warned McDonald’s in June that it would sue if the company did not stop providing toys with children’s meals that have high amounts of sugar, calories, fat and salt. The suit, filed in San Francisco Superior Court, seeks class-action status.

*** WalMart  Under Fire for Junk Food Isle

People Get Fatter

By Chris Morran on January 19, 2011 12:15 PM 0 views

  Walmart is now the largest grocery store chain in the country, and a new study says that the more super centers the company opens, the heavier the people living nearby become.

From the Montreal Gazette:

“The researchers found that one new Wal*Mart Supercenter per 100,000 residents meant an average weight gain of 1.5 pounds per person sometime over a 10-year period dating from the store’s opening. It also boosted the obesity rate by 2.3 percentage points, meaning that for every 100 people, two who weren’t obese ended up in that category after a superstore opened. ”

Study: When New Walmarts Open, People Get Fatter

Obama Foodorama: White House Press Release: Let’s Move! & Walmart

• Jan 20, 2011 … The Nutrition Charter is the result of over a year of work together between Let’s Move! and Walmart, and by collaborating with the nation’s …
  obamafoodorama.blogspot.com/…/white-house-press-release-lets-move.html

Todays Health Comments

This is only the beginning and who knows where the reform is going to end or improve, perhaps only the tip of the iceberg, Perhaps the idea is too far beyond us that the concept will escape us or we will drown in paper waste. It can be so overwhelming that perhaps clarity may never will be resolved. But for sure the facts are we have a difficult task to over come and it (Reform) needs to start with us. With 46 million with no health care,  the number of people who are overweight and obese, and add chronic diseases on top of this, a day may come when only the very affluent will be able to have health care when needed. Yet, we have let it out of control, and the only way to start, is by each and everyone living a healthier life.

Todays Health Article

January 27th, 2011

Today, I find  myself writing yet another article, on another Fast Food Icon, normally that’s not my niche. But perhaps this is all worthwhile in the end, if it moves the readers to consider their health habits or the way our children are being influenced to eat. Now, this is not no new marketing scheme, nor are we unaware of this enticement, for its been going on for years. So you may ask “Why Now the Beef”, nobody said any thing decades ago. Yes, this has been going on for decades, I remember when I was a kid, how your Favorite Cereal, Gum, Cracker Jacks, or HAPPY MEAL  gave away some toy or sports card.  We then would tell all our friends, so they could bug their parents. Was this enticement? Are we, what what we are today, because of those decades of eating those particular foods?

Where is this going… Mc Pressure Cooker

McDonald’s just can not seem to get out of the pressure cooker. I believe the Fast Food Magnate has come under the magnifying glass and it is not going to get any better. Perhaps the dominoes have begun to line up, during their glory years where people were standing in long lines,  are now entangled with legal action, and the dominoes are falling.

McDonald’s under fire for toys in Happy Meals

Now McDonald’s is facing legal action in the US after accusations that it entices children to eat it”s fast food by offering toys with it’s Happy meals.

Class Action Lawsuit Targets McDonald’s Use of  Toys to Market to Children

Practice Illegally Exploits Children, Says CSPI

“WASHINGTON (December 15, 2010) —A mother of two from Sacramento, Calif., says that McDonald’s uses toys as bait to induce her kids to clamor to go to McDonald’s and to develop a preference for nutritionally poor Happy Meals. With the help of the Center for Science in the Public Interest, today the mom, Monet Parham, is filing a class action lawsuit aimed at stopping McDonald’s use of toys to market directly to young children. The suit will be filed in California Superior Court in San Francisco shortly after the court opens for business Wednesday morning.”

( The Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) is a Washington, D.C.-based non-profit watchdog and consumer advocacy group )

http://www.pendleton-gazette.com/news/mcgonaldsclassactionlawsuit.html

San Francisco bans Happy Meals

The Scope

These actions may be taken as only the beginning. Looking back at others who have been in the path of CSPI… such as;

 In 2006, CSPI notified Kellogg that it would be sued for marketing sugary cereals and other junk food directly to children. After more than a year, CSPI and Kellogg reached a historic settlement agreement.  This set nutrition standards for the foods the company may advertise on media with young audiences. 

 CSPI sued KFC for using partially hydrogenated oil, which made KFC’s chicken high in trans fat. CSPI dropped that lawsuit when the company agreed to phase out partially hydrogenated oils. KFC chicken is now trans-fat free.

Subsequently, numerous other companies announced voluntary nutrition standards for their advertising.

McDonalds  Response

They plan to uphold their 30 years of Happy Meals, which may be the case, the calorie count may be the clinker. The letter to CSPI may be read here

McDonald’s Response to CSPI Lawsuit

Todays Health Comments Part 1

Today Fast Foods and Food Providers have been under fire for their enticement of unhealthy foods. We have seen the McDonald’s, the WalMarts, Kraft, Kellogg’s, KFC all faced to change their practices of providing healthier food. After all we do have an epidemic of obesity (64%)  in this Country ( USA). We have fallen to these ways, by our very own eating habits and the lack of exercise. Today I have chosen to take both points of view, which I normally do not do. The reason , the length of the article.

Parents Under Fire for Bad Parenting

Definitions of Parenting on the Web:

• Parenting is the process of promoting and supporting the physical, emotional, social, and intellectual development of a child from infancy to adulthood. Parenting refers to the activity of raising a child rather than the biological relationship.
  en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parenting

Parenting refers to the activity of raising a child.

If this is the case, as parents are we not responsible for our children being obese, the food they eat, and the activities they do, or do not get? Does not our reflections of our parenting reflect on our own Children. Perhaps the greater look would be to Fire ourselves and Not the fast food around the corner cause we as parents can not say NO to our children, or provide them with a healthy meal. WHAT about saying Yes to the exercising?

Poverty and Parenting

In this country, the only country, that obesity does not follow the logic. In undeveloped countries, starvation is not the result of Obesity, therefore a lack of it. Today’s society believes that Fast Food is a culture that allows the very rich or the very poor to eat…that does not mean that either are going to not gain weight.

What’s Forgotten, Is the Parenting

The example led before us…McDonald’s or any other Fast Food restaurant are not responsible for parents actions or children’s activities. They are responsible for their activities as a food provider. After all ” THEY WOULD NOT SELL HAPPY MEALS,  IF NOBODY PURCHASED THEM”. Why, they would be out of business. It is just that simple. So have we encouraged McDonald’s to continue producing HAPPY Meals…Yes, for 30 years.

McDonald’s under fire because parents “Can not Say NO!”

Todays Health Comments

Todays comments found that decisions being made by both Fast Foods providers, like McDonald’s have an impact on our society today, not the foods we choose to eat. They are also not responsible for our lack of exercise.Parents make choices that also impact our children as well. To overcome the obesity we now face, actions and responsibility must be taken by all. This is eating healthy and exercising each day.

Today’s Health Articles                                

January 20th, 2011

The title  stimulates, expresses, and initates the opposite of good health, Is it not, ” GOOD Health”, which we should strive for… the ultimate to well being. I can not recall any one stating that their goal in life was to be or desires to be, unhealthy. Why then, are we on a  mission of ill-health? We to, continue to do just that, eat snacks and foods that are unhealthy, indulge in fast foods when we know better, continue to create unhealthy eating habits, and on top of that, choosing unhealthy ways to loose weight.

Healthy Food Misconception

Perhaps many people are lured into these unhealthy foods by such given terms or phrases, leading us to believe that what we are eating, is healthy. How many times do you see these  words on your food purchases?

Some examples of “Healthy food” words on product labels:

• Fat Free
• Reduced Fat
• Low Fat
• Sugar Free
• No Added Sugar
• Diet

By attaching these words on your favorite food, you are led to believe that each of these categories makes a food healthier. But really, this is not what they are telling you at all. Here is what those “healthy food” phrases actually translate to in simple terms. Do you know fat free is loaded with sugar and chemicals to take the taste of the fat missing, and reduced fat loaded with carbohydrates. Perhaps a consideration of low in fatbut high in glycemic index. Sugar free sounds healthy but look at the rest of the Fine Print, everything else is artificial or sugar supplements (Sweetener).  The No added Sugar is because it either is already loaded with sugar or supplements. My favorite is anything that has Diet word on it… can have a combination, of all of the above just stated, and a few other ingredients thrown in.

Unhealthy Foods Common in Diet

The  Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) has recently petitioned the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) calling for cigarette-style warnings on soft drinks to warn people of their potential health risks (weight gain, diabetes, tooth decay and more).

Popular snack foods, such as French fries, when foods baked or fried at high temperatures. known carcinogen and neurotoxin are formed. ”I estimate that acrylamide causes several thousand cancers per year in Americans,” said Clark University research professor Dale Hattis.

When CSPI conducted tests on some popular brands of French fries and chips, they found that the acrylamide in a large order of fast food fries was at least 300 times the amount allowed by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in a glass of water. That should be a warning. 

My, My those Doughnuts  are tasty,  but you’ll find nothing more than refined sugar and flour, artificial flavors and partially hydrogenated oil that’s loaded with trans fats. They have no redeeming qualities whatsoever.

“When it comes to health, the only thing good about them is the hole,” said Carla Wolper, nutritionist at the New York Obesity Research Center.

 Baked Goods  almost all varieties of baked goods,  contain high amounts of trans fats,  additives, including corn syrup, preservatives, artificial flavors, and colors. Also commercial baked goods can contain more trans fats than any other food because  they are often made with hydrogenated oils.

A University of Hawaii study that followed nearly 200,000 people for seven years, people who consumed the most processed meats (hot dogs and sausage) showed a 67 percent increased risk of pancreatic cancer over those who consumed little or no meat products.

 Canned Soup  you find at  your local grocery store  have high levels of trans fats, sodium and artificial preservatives like MSG. One cup of canned soup can have almost 1,000 milligrams of salt and most people eat more than  the one cup  of soup.

Unhealthy eating habits

Too Few Meals During the Day

 People tend to skip meals and especially breakfast and through out the day ravishing on what comes along. Along with this, failure sets in regarding a routine diet.Your diet should include 3 low calorie meals each day. Total calories for each meal should range between 300 and 400 calories for women and 400 to 600 calories for men.

 A couple of low calories snack between meals such as a fruit or sugar free, low fat yogurt will help fight the temptation to eat unhealthy.

 Unaware of Calories and Fat

Most people eat foods with no idea of the calorie or fat value. This leads to weight gain and unhealthy eating habits because you can easily consume twice the normal calories required to maintain your weight, if you don’t know how many calories you are eating. 

Junk Food Leads to More

 The problem with eating unhealthy foods is it makes you crave even more junk food. A handful of chips usually leaves you wanting more.Like a famous chip commercial that just dared you to eat just one.It’s much easier to maintain good eating habits once you now know, whats healthy! 

Todays Health Comments 

Today with our faster pace of life, and it challenges, access to fast food, skipping meals, and the misconception of what is and what is not healthy food  has  become the recipe for ill-health. The rise to almost epidemic proportions, “Obesity” will only become a word of the past, in each of our lives, when we choose to do the simple things first, seek professional help, and implement these steps into our daily lives. Lets all have a healthier diet in 2011.

Todays Health Article

January 20, 2011

We are into a brand new year and new  marketing strategies will be placed upon us. New billboards with the scrumptious looking hamburgers that are seen on the way to work, local  junk food adds from the super market every Thursday, the TV every night, and do not forget, the upcoming Super Bowl and their enticing commercials.  The question on everybody’s mind… Are you eating Naughty, Naughty? 

The Fact is… Many of you are!

Why express the same old story… that we have a growing world wide problem of  obesity. Yes, this is not my first article on the subject. Naughty, Naughty, I am guilty of writing “Naughty Foods Taste So Good” and “Why Naughty Is Winning And  Nice Is Not”.

WHY?

The fact is… 64%  of us, are unhealthily overweight! “It is to the very  point where eating can and is actually endangering our lives.” If  you have lived from the 50′s forward, you may have noticed that there have  been some individuals that have eaten unhealthily. This has escalated to where we are today mainly, because, “Naughty Foods Taste So Good”!  So we have chosen the naughty foods over the nice. The fastest growing segment of overweight and obese is our youth. The question is… When are the Naughty foods going to lose their presence and when are the adults going to take a stand and become examples?

Merry Go Around

Now the population as a whole  recognizes that naughty foods… which are loaded with all those calories and sugars, yet have this mentality that I will enjoy my naughty food today and diet tomorrow. Unfortunately, the same thought process continues each day until adverse health effects emerge. That another note, is why dieting has become a household word. So many people are on this merry go around where they eat, diet, and the eat again. How many people do you know like that?

Is it, our conscious thought?

 It is just another article, on  a subject that  everybody knows, leading to this problem, but it  just has not sunk in yet. Perhaps it just doesn’t want to be heard! The answer is, if this just reaches just one persons conscious thought and  results in taking action , than this was all worth it. So with some thought, are your actions here today, leading  to some conscious thought that these Naughty Foods may be hazardous to your health!

 Warning Labels…Health Issues

“Although may be part of the label, the fine print that doesn’ t get read anyway.  It’s the grams of sugar or it’s calorie count that is being ignored. Our consensus, is most people eat by what may make them feel good, or by how sweet it is, or how good it taste going down, or just how much I can eat, based on my emotion at the time.” dj author Naughty Foods Taste So Good

 Why obesity is becoming  a major concern… If this was an illness or disease that was impacting  64% of the population, with the many health issues, it would be consider a national epidemic. Yet unlike the underdeveloped countries where many face starvation, obesity doesn’t exist.  So if you live in the land of plenty… we eat with same mentality… plenty.

 The fact that it is easier for us to put on weight but harder for us to shed it. Now our elderly group are facing the greatest effect of being over weight. It can put unnecessary stress on the joints and accelerate the affects of arthritis, osteoporosis and other bone and muscle disorders and illnesses.

It can also bring about the onset of diabetes, which is more common in seniors than in any other age group as it is.

Today’s Health Comments

It all comes down to identifying these naughty foods. You and I know, moderation is the key here. While a  little of what he or she loves to eat, no matter how unhealthy it may be, is not going to have a dramatic impact, so long as the sugars and calories are a consideration, with routine exercise. What you must keep in conscious thought, is maintaining  a balanced nutritious diet.  A well balanced diet can boost your health, but a poor diet can actually cause it to deteriorate. By eating healthily on a regular basis, you can  change your diet and reap the rewards.