Are our kids pouring on the pounds ?

I can clearly state that the disproportionate availability of sugary beverages in schools is not in the best interest of children. After attending the recent California Senate Hearing on Sugar Beverages and Childhood Obesity, and, as an individual concerned about increases in childhood obesity, I was disheartened to hear that 1) free drinking fountain water is not widely available in most schools and 2) bottled water is often more expensive than sugary drinks in cafeterias leaving many thirsty students with few options other than sugary beverages.

As a means of reducing childhood obesity, the NYC Health Department is funding a new billboard ad and television commercial to help curtail consumption of sugary beverages. The ads, intended to steer our kids away from drinking these sugary beverages in a shocking manner, portray a boy opening a can of soda which then appears as a glassful of fat that he drinks. http://newyorkblips.dailyradar.com/video/man-drinking-fat-nyc-health-anti-soda-ad-are-you/
or http://www.nyc.gov/html/doh/html/pr2009/pr083-09.shtml

Yes, the ad is shocking and disgusting. The ad's effectiveness can be debated and measured. The message of reducing childhood obesity is of critical importance. However, to this nutritionist, food researcher and new product developer the analogy is most concerning.

If you look at the label of most sugary beverages, you will not see fat as an ingredient because there is no fat in the beverage - it's our bodies that efficiently convert the sugar to fat in our bodies. You may say, well, all that matters is that we scare our children into not drinking these beverages since the bottom line is that obesity may result. To that, I respond that we spend more money than one would likely imagine to label products accurately for what they are. Further, although few would consider drinking a glass of fat, we should not want to convey the image that all fat consumption is bad. Truth in labeling is important as is truth in advertising. So, I repeat my communication mantra to those who are trying to reach consumers - if consumers seem confused, it's often because they receive confusing information. There has to be a better way to make this point and educate our children truthfully. Perhaps after drinking the soda, showing fat oozing from the boy or removing a five pound chunk or two from him would be offensive enough and not undermine what has been well communicated by nutrition educators.

Food allergies can effect your brain and behavior

Remember that food is a drug.  Food affects hormonal reactions which signal your brain to react. So you are not only are what you eat, but you behave according to how you eat.  Beware of  food allergies. Food allergens shut down your brain since the body sees the allergen as a substance that is bad for you and wants to protect your brain. In deactivating your brain, it deactivates your better sense! .Listen to Daniel Amen, author of Change Your Brain, Change Your Life at http://www.theawareshow.com/intensive/learn/amen/ to learn more on the issue.

Does one diet fit all?

The answer is clearly with varying degrees of success. Just as there are many products on the grocery shelf to choose from, there are many diets to choose from. Some are probably better than others for you, personally.

How do we choose? By starting with the individual rather than the latest new diet. That involves knowing individual food preferences, health considerations, eating patterns, etc. 

A FoodFitter can help. Follow me, FoodFitter on Twitter.

Providing healthier alternatives

This week, County supervisors approved several initiatives to promote healthy living in Los Angeles including community gardens, bike paths and the introduction of healthier food alternatives in county facilities. Adopting these initiatives qualifies the county to receive Federal Stimulus funds.

What is notable is that supervisors did not approve an initiative banning sugar-sweetened beverages from county facilities on the grounds that adults should be allowed to make their own beverages choices. Their intention was to differentiate this decision from a decision they made earlier this year banning sugar sweetened beverages from school vending machines.  Beverages in school vending machines are purchased principally by children.

While the role sugar-sweetened beverages plays in the both adult and childhood obesity epidemic remains controversial, what is important is that healthier options are provided and are easy to adopt. This is a step in the right direction. If we all just move in the direction of healthier choices, we will be well on our way to more significant consumption changes in the future.

Do you think that manufacturers should self police to limit availability of products that are less nutritionally dense to the relative proportion they should likely represent in our diet?

How to make grocery shopping more fun and entertaining!

I've been enjoying grocery shopping as long as I can remember but is it fun or a chore for most of us? With a little help to sort through the maze of products, it can be much more entertaining. Always start your shopping around the perimeter of the store - the perishable foods you find there tend to be healthiest. Here's one way to get our attention in the fruit and vegetable section....http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WnY59mDJ1gg.

Shouldn't all foods be "healthy"?

Actually, we eat for health and pleasure. But too much pleasure at the expense of our health isn't really good for us.

Why don't we take responsibility for maintaining balance in our lives? Are we being fooled or are we fooling ourselves? Do food companies give us the permission to eat whatever we want or do we choose to make unhealthy choices?

The FDA is the latest to weigh in on the issue of what constitutes a healthy food product by working on a definition of the word, "healthy", and suggestions for revising labeling on our foods.

Yet, is the reason there are so many claims and "seals of approval" on packaging because the standard label not work? If the one food label on all packages is confusing then additional claims and seals of approval on today's grocery shelf won't make it clearer until we all agree on the standards for a product to be considered "healthy".

Helping the consumer make better food choices for health with a single definition of healthy and a label that informs consumer choices is clearly an important goal. When we are all working together to clarify what constitutes a healthy food product, it will be harder for us to fool ourselves, but still likely. After all, we are human. Maintaining balance in our lives has never been a simple task. So let's head in the right direction. Government, food manufacturers and retailers, please make it as easy as possible for us all to maintain good health.


http://abclocal.go.com/kabc/video?id=7076682

Sugar is sweet and so are you

Children crave sweets for energy since they are more active typically than adults and because their bodies are growing. Once growth is complete, sugar can do more harm than good to our bodies so as adults we need to curb our sugar consumption.

Here in lies the issue we all struggle with. Since children are influenced easily liking what is what is familiar to them and tastes good especially when given as a reward or treat by an adult, the child forms a positive emotional connection with what they eat and it lasts for a lifetime. As adults, we want to limit sweets to kids because we don't want them to "learn" to eat empty calories and associate this behavior with being good to themselves when in fact, eaten in excess can be quite negative. We want our children to be healthy and be good to themselves which means being able to say no to sweets if they are overweight. Too much of anything isn't being good to oneself. So too much of a positive experience can turn negative. The crux of the issue is teaching our children how to set limits so we are eating appropriately and ultimately being good to ourselves. Since food is always around us we need to learn from an early age about how much to eat, moderation and making good choices.