Back to blogging

Hello long lost blog. Glad I found you again. Nutrition and unhealthy weight are still problems in the real world. Despite the shrinking state and county financial input or staff support, the work to reduce obesity ( from now on referred to as Uw, unhealthy weight, must continue. With this blog I will explore the ways to manage this crazy problem. Sound good? Yay!

Combat Obesity-Mrs Obama is listening

To combat obesity we should try many things beginning with this list:
*Tax soda (see Kelley Brownell's work),
*Revamp the farm bill so we don't subsidize corn (Read Michael Pollen),
*Change nutrition regulations for school breakfast and lunch (See 2009 Institute for Medicine report),
*Start a public health campaign encouraging children to walk to school (See iwalk international)
*Promote "victory" gardens on front lawns (Glad to see Mrs Obama planted her own)
*Have more health insurance polices pay for expert run weight control programs (Currently Medicare and private insurance pay for diabetes care but not preventative weight control programs)
*Fund Physical education programs in public schools.
*Promote a public health campaign -anti junk food like anti smoking (Read David Kessler- he has the experience to do this)

January is a great time to lose weight.

I started my interval training and I found my food journal(of course now I have to write in it.) I am going to lose those pesky extra pounds I gained over the holidays. Time is everything and now is the time. Monday morning and I begin.

Most Americans gain four to five pounds over the holidays. Some of my clients have reported gaining as much as ten pounds. The time has come to drop them. If there is a collective unconscious January energy encourages weight loss. We are not alone. We can lose what we have gained using the tools that are available. Take it one step at a time but take the steps and by March maybe it will be ten pounds.

The Step by Step Weight Control Plan

Take weight control one step at a time


Eat 3 meals and a snack daily. Or eat 6 small meals daily.

Eat breakfast every morning.

Eat lean protein at every meal. Protein metabolizes slowly so you won’t get as hungry.

Eat vegetables or fruit at every meal. Fill ½ your dinner plate with vegetables.

Drink enough fluid. Choose water, sparkling water, and unsweetened iced green, black or herb teas. Add lemon, lime or a bit of berry juice for flavor. Enjoy a cup or two of coffee or tea with low-fat milk. Avoid sweet drinks of all kinds, including juice and sports drinks.

Avoid processed foods made with white grains and white sugar. For a sweet tooth have a piece of dark chocolate and a few nuts. Choose chocolate with 70% or more cocoa butter.

Benefit from red wine or other alcohol by drinking it with meals. Daily recommendation: One 5 oz glass for women and two 5 oz glasses for men.

Take your supplements everyday.

Journal. Keep food records and lose weight.

Exercise 5-6 days a week. Start slow…

Join a weight loss group or start one with friends.

Two important nutrition discoveries of the last decade.

Fish Oil Proven Protective-There is not doubt.

Fish or fish oils is now considered one of the most healthful foods you can eat or supplements you can take. Fish oil benefits organs and tissues in the whole body. It encourages brain health, cardiovascular health, breast and ocular health, and boosts immunity. It even helps the skin. Research continues to highlight the benefits of fish oil. So far this is what we know. Fish oil improves:
• Joint pain. Fish oil is a known anti-inflammatory, which is why studies have shown that it helps alleviate symptoms associated with arthritis.
• The heart. Fish oil confers both protective and healing benefits for people with heart disease. Because research undeniably confirms that fish oil helps decrease the inflammation associated with cardiovascular disease, the American Heart Association began recommending it as a treatment option in 2003.
• The arteries. Fish oil protects the arteries by lowering blood triglycerides (cholesterol and fat content). Researchers have validated earlier findings that fish oil supplements, in as little as 2 gm per day, can be effective--and without any side effects.
• Menstrual cramps. Fish oil, which contains DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) and EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid), has been shown to work well for menstrual cramps even in those who didn't change their diets.
• Health of young children. Studies show that fish oil helps the development of a baby's immune system, nervous system, muscle tone, and brain.
• Reducing hot flashes. A study done in Italy indicates that taking fish oil may lessen the frequency and severity of hot flashes by 25 percent over 24 weeks.
• Lowering the affect of stress. Research suggests that fish oil's anti-inflammatory properties can help reduce the body's response to psychological stress. Researchers believe fish oil helps modulate neurotransmitters in the brain, regulating its activity and increasing serotonin.

Vitamin D Critical for Robust Health. After decades of advising people to stay out of the sun as a protection from skin cancer we now know that a little sunlight may instead protect us from cancer. We make Vitamin D when sunlight hits our skin--unless the skin is covered with sunscreen. Now irrefutable evidence shows that vitamin D protects virtually every cell in our bodies and may promote excellent health. Those with optimal levels of the vitamin (52ng/ml or more) enjoy a 50 percent reduced risk of breast cancer, as well as a substantially reduced risk of colon cancer, multiple sclerosis, osteoporosis, heart disease, and even risk of C-section. But supplements are easy to take. Take between 1000-2000 IU’s a day. So if you stay out of the sun or live north of San Francisco, consider a supplement. You may need a D boost to protect your health.

A few thought about eating

Eating behaviors are never perfect and there seems to be no physiological value to being a purist. It is sometimes hard to enjoy life and food when we expect so much from ourselves. I encourage you to let go of that concept and relax a bit. Food can be complicated, but it is also a very basic need for survival. We really don’t even need that much to carry on. Did you know that it only takes 10 calories to raise the blood sugar in the brain? That fuzzy, crabby feeling we get when we are hungry requires so little to extinguish. Of course, eating healthy foods, fruits, veggies, whole grains, legumes, nuts and such keep us well while sugary, fatty foods cause inflammation and make us ill. Food serves a basic but generous role in our lives.

Changing school lunch

Our National School Lunch Program is in trouble. Tight budgets and little oversight result in schools serving low-cost, often unhealthy foods to students. Historically school nutrition rules enforced by the United States Department of Agriculture requires schools to provide a certain number of foods from particular food groups but guidelines beyond these do not exist. The rules require schools serve at least two servings of fruits and vegetables at every meal, but catsup and high fructose corn syrup laden apple juice satisfy these requirements despite their lack of overall nutrients. Costs often dictate schools meet this requirement by using cheap, canned or processed foods. Some schools participating in the federal food program tailor their menus using commodity foods which are free or very low cost. Beef and bulk processed cheese are added to menus to keep costs under $1.00 a student. Since schools are place where children learn to eat, we can change what we serve to model good eating habits.

With the increased incidence of overweight and obese children and adults in America it is time we make these changes. Offering healthier foods, growing and eating foods from school gardens and experimenting with more health-conscious preparation methods requires effort and support from parents, school administrators and state and federal governments. Districts can participate in the Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program, which helps schools buy fresh produce and take advantage of the healthier commodities while purchasing more fresh fruit and vegetables. This may require a financial investment but it absolutely requires district commitment to children, health outcomes and the development of long term healthy habits.

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School lunch offers opportunity to learn

Eating habits are a learned behavior and we can learn to eat well or eat poorly. Our schools have the unique ability to model wellness and good eating habits while teaching science and enhancing the standard curriculum. Schools also have the opportunity to teach students to eat fast food, drink soda, and sports drink, eat cake like muffins and sugar cereal for breakfast and they do. Except for the current ban on sodas in schools; school breakfast and lunch expose children to high fat, high sugar foods teaching them to eat poorly, in a hurry and without alternatives. Change school lunch; change the American waist line measurement.

Kesslers's campaign

Dr. David Kessler writes about our drive to overeat and the mechanisms that encourage the behavior in his new book entitled, "The End of Overeating: Taking Control of the Insatiable American Appetite."
See the article in the Wall Street Journal. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124084009832659309.html
We eat and continue to crave high fat, high sugar salty foods even when we are full. Kesseler asks why and investigates how to overcome these urges?
Kessler holds the food industry responsible but conceeds that The food industry gives consumers exactly what we want. Processed foods are designed as highly stimulating products, encouraging us as consumers to ask for more. High fat, highly salted and sugary foods stimulate the reward centers in our brains. To overcome the stimuli we must replace one desire for another. Fast food for exercise? It can be done but it is not easy which is another reason group support helps. We are not alone in this; our culture via the food industry drives an obsession with food that encourages overeating and weight gain. Reteaching is essential and we must start now with the children in the schools and adults in the health clubs. Kessler is calling for a public health campaign and as he led the way with tobacco he can lead the way with food to improve our health and well being.

Breakfast foods matter for cell health

Researchers evaluated breakfast foods to determine how different meals affected the functioning of the blood vessel lining otherwise known as the endothelium. What they found was that high glycemic index foods mattered. Subjects ate either cornflakes, which are high on the glycemic index, a low glycemic index high-fiber cereal, a glucose supplement, or just drank water. After the meal researchers measured the function of endothelial cells. Subjects who ate the cornflakes or glucose supplement had the most impaired cell function. This is a problem since impaired function may translate to damage and this can lead to atherosclerosis and heart disease.

Changing school lunch

We already teach children about food at school. We teach them by serving them fast food, that french fries and chicken nuggets are standard fare. We can change it by changing school meals and teaching children to cook, grow, and understand how to eat well. We eat what we see and know so if we clean up school lunch, we can teach our youth to eat well. This is how it works. Let's give them excellent, locally grown, nutritious food. Otherwise we fail.

obesity in America

As I have been saying...
The obesity rate in the US continues to rise. Beware- because if things continue as they are by 2030, 86% of Americans will be overweight. Read the latest research with grief.
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/booster_shots/2009/07/americans-are-fat-and-getting-fatter-according-to-a-new-report-that-finds-adults-and-children-in-the-us-continue-to-pack-o.html

Nutrient rich breakfast ideas

Nutrient Rich Breakfast
1. Organic nonfat yogurt, berries of any sort, seeded berries are an excellent source of anti-oxidants, a bit of honey and chopped nuts.
2. Oatmeal with flaxseed, almonds, milk or soy milk and dried blueberries or raisins and a bit of cinnamon.
3. Omega 3 farm fresh eggs, spinich, garlic and onion. Make an omelette.
4. Whole grain toast and natural peanut butter, fruit spread or honey. Sprinkle with cinnamon.
5. Whole grain english muffin and hummas.
6. Cottage cheese with fruit and slivered almonds.
7. A poached egg, toast and tomatoes.
8. A whole grain high fiber cereal, milk and raisins.
9. One whole-grain English muffin, 1ounce melted low-fat cheese and tomato slices

Vitamin D and weight loss

There may be a link between Vitamin D levels in the body at the start of a low-calorie diet may encourage success.

Subjects in the study had vitamin D levels that many experts are considered insufficient. The authors of the study found that baseline, or pre-diet, vitamin D levels predicted weight loss in a linear relationship. For every increase of 1 ng/mL in level of 25-hydroxycholecalciferol - the precursor form of vitamin D and a commonly used indicator of vitamin D status - subjects ended up losing almost a half pound (0.196 kg) more on their calorie-restricted diet. For each 1-ng/mL increase in the active or "hormonal" form of vitamin D (1,25-dihydroxycholecalciferol), subjects lost nearly one-quarter pound (0.107 kg) more.

Additionally, higher baseline vitamin D levels (both the precursor and active forms) predicted a greater loss of belly fat.

Choosing high nutrient dense foods

Choose High Nutrient Dense Food
Breakfast
 Pick high-fiber, whole-grain cereals.
 Instead of adding sugar (processed from natural cane or beets), top with fresh fruit, such as sliced bananas or strawberries.
 Choose old-fashioned rolled oats rather than instant, flavored oatmeal. Top with honey, walnuts, raisins, low-fat milk.
 Choose whole fruit or pure fruit juices rather than "stripped" juices that have added high-fructose corn syrup added.
Snacks, desserts
 Fruit
 Have a cup of plain yogurt with a half-ounce (2 tablespoons) of raw walnuts and a tablespoon of honey.
 Mix equal amounts of raw almonds, walnuts, pecans, Brazil nuts, and filberts; eat one or two tablespoons a day as a snack (nuts are exceptionally nutrient-dense – they are tiny warehouses of important trace minerals, as well as protective fats, and natural vitamin E).
Midday and evening meals
 Sandwiches made with whole-grain breads, lean meats, tomato slices, lettuce and a little mayonnaise (mayonnaise is a good source of vitamin E)
 All kinds of fish, broiled or baked
 Fill half your plate with veggies.
- Two or three servings of vegetables, some raw (such as salads, carrot sticks), some cooked; choose some fresh vegetables as often as possible.

Starting a weight control program

Anytime we start a weight control program there seems to be so much enthusiasm. Then the difficulty sets in and it gets hard. But you can take one step at a time. I give people the tools to start and keep at it and encourage them to find the support they need because it can get rough. Eating well takes effort particularly in our fast food culture. But it can be done. The step by step weight control plan offers the steps to overcome the obstacles and make eating and food simple but delicious.
Here are the steps-Remember to take it one at a time.

Step by Step Weight Loss Plan
Take it one step at a time
Eat 5-6 small meals daily.
Have Breakfast
Snack
Lunch
Snack
Dinner
Snack (if desired)
OR
Have contact with food only 4 times a day.

1. Eat lean protein at every meal.
2. Eat breakfast every morning
3. Eat vegetables or fruit at every meal. Fill ½ your dinner plate with vegetables.
4. Drink enough fluid. Choose water, sparkling water, and unsweetened iced green, black or herb teas. Add lemon, lime or a bit of berry juice for flavor. Enjoy a cup or two of coffee or tea with low-fat milk or lemon. Avoid sweet drinks of all kinds including juice and sports drinks.
5. Avoid processed foods made with white grains and white sugar. For a sweet tooth have a piece of dark chocolate and a few nuts. Choose chocolate with 70% or more cocoa butter.
6. Benefit from red wine or other alcohol by drinking it with meals.
Daily recommendation: One 5 oz glass for women and two 5 oz glasses for men.
7. Take your supplements everyday.
8. Journal-people who journal lose weight.
9. Exercise 5-6 days a week. Start slow…
10. Join a weight loss group or start one with friends.

Americans are not following health advice

Fewer Americans are following healthy lifestyle advice than in the past despite more evidence pointing to the fact that lifestyle directly impacts health outcomes. Researchers compared data from two large scale National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES)studies from 1988-1994 and from 2001-2006.

They looked at adults aged 40 to 74 years, because this is the age group where a first diagnosis of cardiovascular risk factors and disease usually arises. For the first period (1988 to 1994) the number in this age group was 7,340 (representing nearly 80 million people). The number for the second period (2001-2006) was 7,811 (representing about 65.5 million people).

The results showed that for this age group, during the 18 years between the two survey periods:

* The proportion of people with a BMI higher than 30 went up from 28 to 36 per cent.

* People doing exercise 12 times a month or more went down from 53 to 43 per cent.

* Smoking rates have not changed much (26.9 down to 26.1 per cent).

* People eating 5 or more fruits and vegetables a day went down from 42 to 26 per cent.

* People drinking moderate amounts of alcohol went up from 40 to 51 per cent.

* Overall, people adhering to all 5 healthy habits has gone down from 15 to 8 per cent of this population group.

* People with cardiovascular disease, diabetes, high blood pressure or high cholesterol, or risk factors for these conditions, were no more likely to be following a healthy lifestyle than people without such factors.

normal weight and cancer prevention

Maintaining a healthy weight is the most important thing you can do for cancer prevention. Evidence shows that being overweight puts people at increased risk of cancer and it is is the strongest contributer after smoking.

Advisers for the World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF)recommend that people stay as thin as possible without becoming underweight. Scientists believe that about a third of the most common cancers would be preventable if people ate healthily, were physically active and maintained a healthy weight.
In fact thousands of cases could be prevented each year if people maintained a BMI below 25. Body mall index is calculated by dividing weight in kilograms by height in meters squared
Normal: 18.5 - 24.9
Overweight: 25 - 29.9
Obese: Above 30
This is of grave concern since the number of people who are overweight continues to rise.

Asthma and Folic acid

Folate, a vitamin found in green leafy veggies, citrus fruits and fortified cereals, may decrease allergies and asthma.
A study funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH),reviewed medical records of about 8,000 patients who participated in 2005-2006 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES.) Serum folate levels and total IgE levels were measured. IgE, or immunoglobulin E, are antibodies that rise during allergic reactions. Asthma and respiratory symptoms were also measured.

Researcher found that patients with higher levels of folate also had lower IgE levels, fewer allergies, less wheezing and less asthma. People with the lowest folate levels had a 40 percent increased risk of wheezing, 30 percent increased risk of having elevated IgE levels, 31 percent increased risk of allergic symptoms and a 16 percent higher risk of asthma compared to those with the highest levels of folate (above 18 nanograms per milliliter of blood).

However, additional research is needed to confirm these early findings and to determine exactly how folate may work. The researchers plan to compare the effects of folic acid to placebo in people with allergies and asthma.

Winning the prize for Vitamin D

Dr. Michael Holick, from Boston University Medical School, a professor of medicine, physiology and biophysics won the Linus Pauling Prize for Health Research for his work investigating how vitamin D deficiency increases the risk of cancer, autoimmune diseases, infectious and cardiovascular disease. This deficiency has become epidemic and more than 50 percent of the children and adults in the United States are vitamin D deficient. Through his work, Holick determined that anyone living north of 35 degrees latitude can't make enough vitamin D in the skin during winter exposure to sunlight. He has also influenced fortification of more foods and brought the deficiency to the forefront. Though using sunscreen is necessary it has contributed to the problem since Vitamin D is produced in the body by sunshine.

So most of us should take a supplement of vitamin D3. It is easy to take and very beneficial.

Risky behavior and energy drinks

According to researchers energy drinks, filled with caffeine, may offer a signal to parents that their children may be risk takers. It is not that the drink itself is so bad for kids but kids who drink them also are more prone to taking risks. Tara Parker-Pope reports on this in a NYT article, Taste for Quick Boost Tied to Taste for Risk. The study, published in the March Journal of American College Health, showed a link between energy drinks, athletics and risky behavior. Dr. Kathleen Miller, an addiction researcher from the University of Buffalo, suggests that high consumption of energy drinks is associated with “toxic jock” behavior, a group of risky and aggressive behaviors.

The data suggest that a regular intake of energy drinks may offer a red flag for parents that their children are more likely to take risks with their safety and health.