My girlfriend and I were both stricken by the darn flu virus this week. Not surprising then, that we spent a good chunk of time huddled feverishly in blankets, sipping NeoCitran and watching T.V.

At one point during a commercial break, I became alarmed and had to scrabbled feverishly for my thermometer. What I  had just witnessed convinced me that I had descended into a state of delirium brought on by an upward-surging of my temperature. Surely I was seeing things? Drifting in and out of consciousness? Perhaps hovering in an altered state of consciousness, trapped somewhere between fever-inspired dreams and reality?

Nope.

Apparently, Kellog’s Fruit Loops are now an even more healthful way to start the morning, thanks to added fiber. Yep, it’s true. Fruit Loops are nutritious. Don’t believe me? See for yourself…

And it’s not a pretty sight. I think his article in the LA Times, on the recent White House “Healthy Kids Fair,” was supposed to be tongue-in-cheek, but it failed… both as humor and reporting.  The problem?  Malcolm evidently couldn’t decide who he has more contempt for… Michelle Obama for using her position to promote healthy living, or overweight/obese Americans, whose “…flabby thighs are hidden by their drooping stomachs.”
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An Institute of Medicine (IOM) panel has proposed a new set of guidelines for the National School Lunch Program… and they’re long overdue.  According to the LA Times:

Children would get fewer French fries and more dark green vegetables in school cafeterias under recommendations being issued today by an Institute of Medicine panel.

In addition, for the first time in the National School Lunch Program, the committee called for calorie limits on meals in an effort to curb obesity. The lunch recommendations allot 650 calories for students in kindergarten through fifth grade, 700 calories in sixth to eighth grade, and 850 calories in high school. Breakfasts should not be above 500, 550 and 600, respectively, for the same grade levels, the committee said.

…Over the next decade, the sodium content of meals should gradually be reduced, the committee said. A typical high school lunch today contains about 1,600 milligrams of sodium; a maximum of 740 milligrams is recommended.

But the recommended upper limit of total fat would increase from 30% to 35% of calories, bringing it in line with the dietary guidelines. The goal is no trans fats and less than 10% of calories as saturated fats.

The committee recommended more legumes, vegetables and fruits — such as cups of fruit in breakfasts for all grades and in lunches for high school students. It also said no more than half of the fruit should be in the form of juice.

The committee recommended weekly amounts for vegetables, including dark green and orange vegetables, grains, and meats, cheese and yogurt for each age group. And it said fruits and vegetables were not interchangeable.

It also recommended that whole milk be replaced with low-fat or skim milk, and that refined grains be replaced with whole grain foods.

These changes are sorely needed.  Over the years, my kids resolutely refused to eat the food served in their school cafeterias, because it was always too fatty, salty and just plain unappetizing.  But a lot of kids have no choice.  Needless to state, school lunches ought to be better than fast food meals so many kids eat these days… not the equivalent (or worse).

About 400, apparently…

Low-income children in Philadelphia with about one dollar in pocket money managed to purchase almost 400 calories worth of snack food at convenience stores on the way to and from school, according to study published on Monday in the journal Pediatrics.

…“One of the most surprising findings was how many calories a dollar and seven cents can buy,” said Kelley E. Borradaile, the paper’s lead author and a professor at the Center for Obesity Research and Education at Temple University. She worked on the study with The Food Trust, a community-based organization in Philadelphia that promotes healthy eating options.

The neighborhood stores offer a wide variety of cheap packaged snacks that contain little nutrition but are high in fat and sugar, the study found. For a total tab of $1.07, a child could purchase an 8-oz. sugary drink and a single serving bag of potato chips, plus a popsicle and several pieces of individually wrapped candy. The sum total of calories: 356 calories on average per day.

Estimated calorie needs for moderately active children 9 – 13 years of age are 1,600 – 2,000 for girls, and 1,800 – 2,200 for boys… so 356 calories is a pretty significant percentage of daily needs (16% – 22%).  That’s a lot of empty calories.  Convenience store snacks probably aren’t the only sources of empty cals in the kids’ daily menus, either.  As the full study makes clear, they’re at risk not only for obesity, but also other health/behavior issues associated with nutrient-poor diets.

I’m of two minds about this…

In an effort to limit how much sugar and fat students put in their bellies at school, the Education Department has effectively banned most bake sales, the lucrative if not quite healthy fund-raising tool for generations of teams and clubs.

The change is part of a new wellness policy that also limits what can be sold in vending machines and student-run stores, which use profits to help finance activities like pep rallies and proms.

As a health/fitness professional, obviously I don’t support having a lot of junk food in schools.  But as a former parent-teacher organization member/officer, I also have a lot of sympathy for student groups and clubs that are being deprived of a popular fund-raising tool.

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A two year study conducted by researchers at the Baylor College of Medicine demonstrated that intensive nutrition/health education can improve body composition and lipid levels in overweight/obese children.

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‘Cause it could cost you your job.

PANAMA CITY — Bay County’s Health Department director, who courted controversy with a proposal to ban Gatorade from schools and equated Kentucky Fried Chicken and Dunkin Donuts to obesity and death, resigned Friday.

…Bay County Commissioner Mike Thomas asked for Dr. Newsom’s resignation in a letter released Thursday saying the “vitriolic messages on the billboard outside the health department,” some of which have mentioned specific local businesses such as the soon-to-open Dunkin’ Donuts, could expose the county to a lawsuit.

It’s a sad story, since Dr. Newsom sounds like a dedicated public servant… he’s someone who clearly lives according to his values and sets a high bar for his own performance.  Unfortunately, it’s a case of childish behavior all around: from the thin-skinned local business owners who complained; to the panicky commissioners who demanded the resignation of a valuable asset… to Dr. Newsom himself, whose intemperate choice of words was a) virtually guaranteed to step on some toes; and b) unlikely to yield benefits commensurate with the hassle.

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Adult obesity rates are still rising…

Still, compared with 2008, obesity rates rose in almost half the states, and decreased in none. In four states — Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee and West Virginia — more than 30 percent of adults are obese. Eight of the 10 states with the highest obesity rates are in the South, and Colorado is the only state with a rate under 20 percent. Seven of the 10 states with the highest poverty levels are also among the 10 states with the highest obesity rates.

The trend is up sharply. In 1991, no state had an obesity rate above 20 percent, and in 1981 the national average was 15 percent.

The study, published by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Trust for America’s Health, found that in 30 states, 30 percent or more of children ages 10 to 17 were overweight or obese.

Full ”F As In Fat” report here.

It’s good news…sorta.

The epidemic of obesity among American children appears to be slowing, federal health officials are reporting today.

An analysis of data collected nationally about low-income preschool-aged children ages two to four years old found the prevalence of obesity increased from 12.4 percent in 1998 to 14.5 percent in 2003, but rose only to 14.6 percent in 2008, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported. That suggests the obesity epidemic may have hit a plateau, the CDC says.

It’s still too high, of course, but for now, at least it’s not getting worse.

I just finished reading Tom Venuto’s excellent book, “The Body Fat Solution“, and will be reviewing it here later this week.  For now, all I’ll say is that it includes a thorough discussion on emotional eating, which I thought was one of the most valuable parts.  Needless to state, eating for comfort - or in response to other “triggers” that have nothing to do with physical hunger - makes it difficult, if not impossible, for many people to achieve their weight loss/fitness goals.  Fortunately, Tom has extensive, first-hand experience with helping his clients and readers get their eating behavior(s) under control.  You can get a quick feel for his approach by reading his BurnTheFatBlog post on the subject: “5 Steps to Beating Emotional Eating“. 

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An editorial published yesterday in the New England Journal of Medicine lays out the “Public Policy Case for Taxes on Sugared Beverages.”  The piece, by Kelly Brownell, Ph.D. and Thomas Friedan, M.D., M.P.H.  makes several salient points:

Sugared beverages are marketed extensively to children and adolescents, and in the mid-1990s, children’s intake of sugared beverages surpassed that of milk. In the past decade, per capita intake of calories from sugar-sweetened beverages has increased by nearly 30% (see bar graph)³; beverages now account for 10 to 15% of the calories consumed by children and adolescents. For each extra can or glass of sugared beverage consumed per day, the likelihood of a child’s becoming obese increases by 60%.⁴

Taxes on tobacco products have been highly effective in reducing consumption, and data indicate that higher prices also reduce soda consumption. A review conducted by Yale University’s Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity suggested that for every 10% increase in price, consumption decreases by 7.8%. An industry trade publication reported even larger reductions: as prices of carbonated soft drinks increased by 6.8%, sales dropped by 7.8%, and as Coca-Cola prices increased by 12%, sales dropped by 14.6%.⁵ Such studies — and the economic principles that support their findings — suggest that a tax on sugared beverages would encourage consumers to switch to more healthful beverages, which would lead to reduced caloric intake and less weight gain.

Naturally, the soda industry doesn’t like the idea…

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Last weekend my girlfriend and I were in Montreal for the annual SiteSell company dinner. Of course, we took this as an opportunity to spend an extra couple of days in one of my favorite cities, doing a little sight-seeing, and taking a nice break from the daily grind.

Of course, what I do here is never far from my mind – even if I am taking a break – so it’s not surprising that a visit to our hotel’s restaurant for a buffet breakfast led to a little reflection. You see, about a week back, I made a post about a study that showed 9 out of 10 adults could be overweight or obese by 2030. This led to an interesting discussion, including several good points by Johnny about personal responsibility and the parent’s role in raising healthy and nutrition-conscious children. Continue Reading »

Thinking about what to get your kids for Xmas? How about a cookbook?
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In rats, that is.

But that’s the latest out of Rockefeller University, and a team of scientists led by senior researcher Sarah Liebowitz. What Liebowitz and her colleagues found was that the pups of pregnant rats fed a 50% fat diet over a short period of time, were born with an increased number of neurons that produce orexigenic (appetite stimulating) peptides. In addition:

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I discovered I had a flat tire this morning.  Since I’m taking off for Boston early tomorrow morning, I was torn between “Did this have to happen today?” vs.  “Thank goodness this happened today!” reactions.  I headed (slowly) for the nearest tire center, which happened to be Les Schwab.  Fortunately, they weren’t too busy, so they were able to get right on it.

So that’s not actually what I’m ranting about.  It was annoying, but c’est la vie.

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No – that’s not a typo…on a site like this, you’d think that weight and health would be more heavily stressed (no pun intended), but – as it turns out – height is important too - at least as an indicator of our health as a society.

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Unfortunately, this isn’t a joke…

My First Treadmill – Fitness Fun for Kids by iPlay
Exercise—just my size! Fitness Fun is a range of fitness equipment for ages 3 and up. Each of our pieces is constructed of sturdy steel frames and features foam padding for safety and comfort. Whether burning off extra energy or pretend playing “just like Mom and Dad”, there’s no better way to show kids how fun it is to be fit!

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Is this a great idea, or what?

Chef Phil Vickery, who wrote the foreword to the book ‘Real Meals’, said teaching children to cook was the best preparation they could receive for adulthood.

‘Cooking is a skill and often it is not learned at an early enough age,’ he added. ‘Once you can cook the basics you will have the best survival tool in the box to take you into adult life.’

The cookbook is available online and secondary heads will be able to order copies for their Class 7 pupils.

Schools secretary Ed Balls’ aim is to check fast food and tackle obesity by encouraging children to make their own meals, not only in schools, but even at their homes.

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It happens every 4 years like clockwork. My blood pressure rises. My teeth grind. I tear at my hair. I toss and turn fitfully at night. And then, as quickly as it began, it’s gone. Slowly, my blood pressure returns to normal. My dentist calls earnestly. My hair grows back. I sleep comfortably.  

Is it the Olympics?

Nope. Close though.

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Over the last few months, Elissa and I have been blogging about growing obesity crisis as it pertains to children. As detailed here and here, children are increasingly vulnerable to advertising for junk food (on which the major players spend zillions of dollars), and they are also spending more and more time in front of the tube.  

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