Obesity Facts

Obesity Deaths Reach All-Time High

2009-05-21T04:29:00.000-07:00

(ARA) - Obesity is on the rise in the United States and kills hundreds of thousands of Americans each year. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 300,000 preventable deaths each year can be attributed to dietary habits and physical inactivity that lead to obesity. Obesity is second only to tobacco use as the leading cause of preventable death in the U.S.

Concerned about what it calls one of the most serious public health problems of our time, the American Medical Association (AMA) is encouraging physicians to help combat this epidemic. The AMA has released a new publication, Assessment and Management of Adult Obesity: A Primer for Physicians, to help physicians identify and treat obesity in their patients.

The statistics on obesity are frightening. When 64 percent of Americans are overweight or obese -- its an alarming wake-up call for all physicians, said Donald J. Palmisano, M.D., J.D., AMA president. Obesity is a leading indicator for serious health problems such as Type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke and some cancers. These are medical conditions that physicians are already managing, so it makes sense for physicians to address the underlying cause of these conditions and diseases. Dr. Palmisano said that physicians should encourage patients to eat healthily and get physical activity.

Obesity is defined as a condition in which excess body fat may compromise a persons health. One of the methods a physician can use for diagnosing obesity in adults is to calculate an individuals body mass index (BMI). This is determined by dividing a weight in pounds by height in inches, and multiplying the resulting number by 703. A BMI of 25.0 to 29.9 is considered overweight, while obesity is defined as a BMI of 30.0 or greater. Other factors should be considered to determine patient obesity.

The AMA recommends that obese patients have the best results for weight loss when they make gradual changes to their lifestyle. Eating 500 to 1,000 calories less per day, and engaging in physical activity, can result in a one to two pound weight loss each week.

Recent research findings indicate that physical activity, even when accumulated in short bouts, such as taking several 10 minute walks throughout the day, can result in significant health and fitness benefits. The eventual goal for most people is 30 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity five or more days a week, but any increased physical activity is a step in the right direction.

We want our patients to learn to think differently about what they eat and how they move. This is not a quick-fix weight loss plan. For instance, its not realistic to ask an obese patient to run five miles a day, but they need to start somewhere. Patients can think of physical activity in new ways -- such as washing the car, vacuuming the house, walking up an extra flight of stairs or around the block, putting on music and dancing around the living room. Physical activity needs to be practical, and can be fun, said Dr. Palmisano. It is never too late to make healthy changes that can have a favorable impact on health.

According to Dr. Palmisano, patients should consult their physicians and consider them their partners in health. Physicians can work closely with patients to design a program that is appropriate for them.

Assessment and Management of Adult Obesity: A Primer for Physicians gives physicians practical advice on evaluating patients for current and potential health risks related to weight, measuring BMI, and offering concrete recommendations for weight management through healthy eating and physical activity. The booklets encourage physicians to improve their communication and counseling skills, and ensure that their office environment is appropriate for overweight and obese patients.

The 10-booklet primer was written by Robert Kushner, M.D., a national expert on obesity. Dr. Kushner is Professor of Medicine, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, and Medical Director of the Wellness Institute at Northwestern Memorial Hospital. "With its practical tips and office-based support materials, this AMA primer will help physicians to manage their patients' overweight and obesity condition, said Kushner. Physicians learn how to broach the topic of weight loss, initiate an effective treatment program and monitor progress while strengthening the patient-physician relationship."

Assessment and Management of Adult Obesity: A Primer for Physicians, is part of the AMAs ongoing Roadmaps for Clinical Practice series and was developed in conjunction with the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) Healthy People 2010 initiative. The primer was funded with a grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

Courtesy of ARA Content

Cooking for a Holiday Crowd Made Easy (Peasy)ARAARA) - The holidays. A time for loads of family, gifts and good cheer. Unfortunately, the holidays also can be a huge headache when it comes to cooking a holiday dinner for a house filled with people. Plus, youre probably sick to death of turkey and wish you could serve something a little different to your holiday guests. Heres the thing: you can!

They call me the Naked Chef because I like to prepare easy, no-fuss meals. I reckon the same should go for holiday meals. The perfect holiday dinner can be prepared pretty easily, without a whole lot of extra steps -- especially when you have the right range to work with. Lucky for me, Amana has given me one of their new ranges, and it works just great. You should see it -- this range is the largest one for its size on the market, with 5.22 cubic feet of capacity -- which is large enough to let me prepare an entire holiday meal at once. Its the size of Royal Albert Hall! On the outside, though, its a standard 30-inch range so it fits perfectly in your kitchen with no problem. Its also easy to use, which is terrific when your kitchen is crazy and overflowing with holiday guests. The U-shaped EasyRack oven rack keeps you from getting burned when taking out a pizza pan or cookie sheet, while the self-cleaning oven makes clean-up a piece of cake. Theres also a warming drawer where I can heat up plates before serving the great meal. Brilliant.

Heres one of my favorite holiday meals. Its got it all -- a nice piece of pork, loads of veg and a tasty dessert. Thanks to my Amana range, I cooked the entire thing at once . . . and it was delicious.

Pork Loin with a Great Herby Stuffing

This pork recipe is great for holiday entertaining. You can serve it as a conventional roast, or let it cool, slice it and serve it as part of a buffet. Heres what youll need.

Serves 8-10

1/2 a pork loin, preferably the rib end, off the bone

1 small handful of rosemary leaves, picked

3 heaping teaspoons of fennel seeds

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 pound, 2-ounces sourdough or rustic bread

2 red onions, peeled and finely sliced

1 small handful fresh sage leaves, ripped up

1 handful of pine nuts

Extra virgin olive oil

4 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Place your pork loin in front of you and score across the skin with a sharp knife about 1/2-inch deep and about 1/2-inch apart. Using a mortar and pestle, pound up the rosemary and fennel seeds with a tablespoon of salt -- bash the mixture up until really fine and then rub it into all the score marks on the pork. Remove the crusts from the bread and slice it up. I like to toast the bread in a toaster or on a griddle until lightly golden, as this gives the stuffing a really fantastic smoky flavor. While the bread is toasting, slowly fry the onions, garlic, sage and pine nuts in a little olive oil for 10 minutes, until the onions are sweet and soft. Season with salt and pepper, add the balsamic vinegar and put the mixture in a bowl. Rip your bread into pieces and add to the bowl. Squash everything together, really squeezing the onions into the bread. Have a taste -- it may need a little more seasoning. Put to one side and allow cooling.

Insert your knife into the eye meat of the pork loin and make a cavity for your stuffing. Pack in the stuffing, then roll the pork over and tie it with a few pieces of string. Place the pork on a roasting pan and cook in the oven for just over an hour, until crisp and golden or until pork reaches 160 degrees.

Now, as your pork begins cooking, you can prepare these terrific veg dishes. Once youve prepared them, pop them in your range alongside the pork and allow everything to cook at once.

Stir-fried Savoy cabbage with garlic and Worcester sauce

This is a really simple and amazingly tasty thing to do with a Savoy cabbage. Worcester sauce (pronounced Wooster in England -- dont ask me why!) is worth looking for. You can find it in the States, but if its not in a store near you try using a strong spicy steak sauce instead.

Serves 4

1 head of Savoy cabbage

3 tablespoons of olive oil

2 cloves garlic

2 teaspoons of Worcester sauce

Cut your cabbage in half and cut out the stalk. Place the halves cut side down on a chopping board and slice the cabbage up as finely as you can.

Heat a large flat low-sided pan or a wok and add the oil. When the oils hot, add the garlic, fry for a few seconds until it turns light brown. Add the shredded cabbage and stir-fry for a minute coating all the pieces of cabbage in the garlicky oil.

Add the Worcester sauce, lots of salt and freshly ground black pepper and continue to stir-fry for another minute or two until the cabbage has wilted slightly and soaked up all the lovely sauce, but it should still have just a little crunch.

Wicked roast vegetables

Roast veg has never been so good! If you cant find parsnip, try using wedges of pumpkin instead.

Serves 4

4 medium size potatoes

2 carrots

2 parsnips

2 red onions

A handful of garlic cloves

Some rosemary sprigs

Olive oil

Pre-heat your oven to 400 degrees. Peel or scrub all the root vegetables and cut them in half, lengthways. Put the potatoes in a saucepan, cover with salted water and place on the heat. Peel the onions, cut them into quarters and toss them with the carrots and parsnips in a few tablespoons of olive oil. Season well with salt and pepper and spread out in a roasting tray. Cover tightly with foil and place in the pre-heated oven.

When the potatoes come to the boil, carefully lift them out and place in a colander to drain. After the vegetables have been in the oven for 30 minutes, take the tray out of the oven and take the foil off. Add the potatoes, garlic and rosemary and shake everything around a little. Return to the oven without the foil and roast for another 30 minutes or until cooked through and crispy brown.

Baked Pears Stuffed with Almonds, Orange and Chocolate in Flaky Pastry

Last, but not least, the holiday dessert. Heres one your guests will come back for next year.

Youll need:

Serves 4

4 perfectly ripe pears

1-1/2 ounces blanched almonds

5-1/2 ounces butter

1-3/4 ounces sugar

Zest of 1 orange

Seeds of one vanilla bean

1-1/2 ounces best-quality bittersweet chocolate

16 sheets of filo dough, defrosted if frozen

Carefully peel the pears and carve out each core from the bottom. This will give you a hole about 1-1/2 inches deep. Put the pears to one side.

Put your blanched almonds into a food processor and whiz up until really fine (or bash with a rolling pin). Put them in a bowl with 5 tablespoons of the butter, the sugar and the zest of the orange. Add the vanilla seeds to the bowl, then mix everything up until nice and smooth. Bash up the chocolate into small pieces, adding these to the mixture as well. Divide into 4 balls and put to the side.

Melt the rest of the butter in a little pan for brushing onto the filo dough. Dampen a clean dish towel and wring it out -- use this to cover the unused filo dough so it doesnt dry out. Working with one piece of filo dough at a time, spread it out in front of you and brush the sheet with melted butter. Lay the next sheet of filo dough on top and repeat until you have four brushed layers of filo dough. Cut the layered pastry down to an 8-by-8-inch square.

Take a pear and one ball of almond mix and fill the hole in the base, packing the excess filling around the base of the pear. Place in the middle of the filo square, then gather up the pastry around the stalk and pinch tight. You can leave it looking nice and rustic and flopping all over the place, as this will look really good when its cooked. Repeat this process with the other pears. Brush the outside of the pastry with any remaining melted butter, then bake on a parchment-lined baking sheet for 25 to 30 minutes, until the pastry is golden and crisp. Serve with the rest of your lovely holiday meal.

Visit www.amana.com for more practical appliance solutions from Amana.

Courtesy of ARA Content

Obesity: Can it be disabling?

2009-05-05T03:35:00.000-07:00

Social Security has a set of Impairment Listings. At one time "obesity" had an impairment listing. Thus, if the applicant was of a certain height and weight, then the applicant received Disability. For example, if you were 5'2" and 300 pounds, then you were well on your way to winning a Disability Case if you had any impairments in addition to your "obesity".

In 1999, Social Security changed the Rules and deleted the Impairment Listing for "obesity". Social Security did say it would consider the effects of "obesity" with regard to other listed impairments such as respiratory impairments, cardiovascular impairments, and muscoloskeletal impairments (back problems).

In a recent case I had a young lady who was 400 pounds and had spinal stenosis. Prior to 1999, she probably would have met the Impairment Listing for "obesity". Since the rules have changed, we had to go to a hearing before a judge and demonstrate the severity of her back problem. We won but the primary focus of the decision was on the back problem and not her "obesity."

In another case I had the applicant was a man who was over 375 pounds with congestive heart failure. Again, prior to 1999 he would have met the "obesity" listing. Instead, we had the hearing and the judge denied the claim on the grounds he had not done enough to lose weight. The United States District Court reversed the social security judge and we are awaiting a new hearing. But again, this case shows the rules have changed and "obesity" no longer is the "slam dunk" winner it once was.

This may be considered AN ADVERTISEMENT or Advertising Material under the Rules of Professional Conduct governing lawyers in Virginia. This note is designed for general information only. The information presented in this note should not be construed to be formal legal advice nor the formation of a lawyer/client relationship.

Gerald G. Lutkenhaus, has been representing Social Security Disability claimants for 30 years in the Central Richmond Area in Virginia. He was given Martindale Hubbell's highest rating in 2003, for more information check our websites at http://www.virginiadisabilitylawyer.com or http://www.geraldlutkenhaus.com or email us at jervalaw@aol.com.

Obesity Isn't The Only Problem With Today's Youth Entertainment

2009-04-07T02:47:00.000-07:00

Parents are desperately trying to lure their children away from video games and the TV for fear of obesity. Many children today are substituting good reads for TV remote and game controllers. Cindi Brown, a daycare owner expresses "Children who read at an early age seem more content with a good book and do not rely on TV and video games for entertainment as much as non-readers."

Evelyn Petersen, author of 8 books for early childhood and parenting, a writer in newspapers for over 20 years, "Detroit Free Press" and "KRTN Wire" previously, as well as writing for weekly parenting columns for the "Nashville Tennesean". Also has been published in "Children and Families" magazine comments "Many first grade teachers are noticing that children who stare at the TV screen for hours each day are often damaging the muscles in their eyes so they cannot "track" their eyes to left to right as you read."

While many parents are often too busy to take time to read to their children, it is associated that "children who are read to, are children who read," as commented by MaryAnn Kohl, author of over 15 books on creative art for children, and a columnist for many parenting magazines including Scholastic's "Let's Find Out."

Early childhood reading is considered a key element in a child's success for their future. Sue Reszka has been teaching in preschools for 25 years and has found that "children that have the opportunity to experience books at a young age, have a much easier time when learning to read on their own. Reading to children at an early age helps them learn new words, relate the spoken word to the printed word, develop listening skills and an understanding of what words mean. Books let children experience whole new worlds, people, places and ideas. The greater the variety of experiences a child has, the greater the chances that he/she will succeed."

While often children don't want to read books because their either consider to childish for their age or not entertaining enough, a current release from LH Publications and Productions has been found to entice readers of all ages while secretly unveiling a lesson or two in each story. Mysterious Chills and Thrills by author Laura Hickey is an anthology of spooky twists of fiction that weave the age old question of "what if" that many generations can apply to their own lives.

Mysterious Chills and Thrills shows promise to delight kids across the nation at a price to please parents. With book reviews such as "A young person's thriller written in their own language, 5 stars" and "Age appropriate for children six and up, these stories will have you chilled and thrilled!" from "Book Review Cafe", Mysterious Chills and Thrills isn't your average sci-fi children's book. Funny, creepy and educational, it's a triple threat of a gem of a book for kids to start reading at a young age. This holiday season remember, good readers promote communication and SOLIDIFY important skills for life.

Mysterious Chills and Thrills can be bought as an e-book or paper back book at http://www.laurahickey.com for ages 9-12.

Childhood Obesity - 6 Steps to Raising Healthy Kids

2009-04-04T03:36:00.000-07:00

Childhood obesity is on the rise and has become an important topic amongst parents, politicians and many others.

Our lifestyles have drastically changed. We dont walk as much as we used to. We eat pre-packaged or fast foods instead of home cooked meals. And what exercise can compete with video games?

These days kids would rather spend time on the computer than go outside and kick a ball around or ride their bikes. And with all the junk food advertisements aimed at children by the media, us parents definitely have our jobs cut out for us.

Times have definitely changed but that doesnt mean we have to completely give up. Its just a matter of putting some simple measures into place.

Here are some easy tips to ensure your kids develop a life-long healthy lifestyle.

1. Limit your kids television, computer and video games time. This may not be easy at first, but be persistent. Suggest an activity they can do, or better yet go outside with them and join in. Children learn through example, so if youre all set to go for a bike ride they may just want to join you.

2. Get your kids involved in the family food shopping. Make a list of healthy foods everyone agrees on and point out the health benefits to your kids. Youll be surprised at how open to eating healthy your kids can be. You dont have to drastically cut out the cakes and cookies altogether, but instead let each child choose one item they can enjoy as a special treat. This teaches kids to learn about moderation and that , yes, they can have cookies or chocolates as treats not as regular food staples.

3. Dont super size your kids. Be careful to serve kid appropriate food portions. Remember, if theyre not fully satisfied they can simply go back for seconds. Also, teach them to eat slowly and take breaks between mouthfuls to allow the brain to register when its full.

4. Try to avoid branding any foods as bad for you. Instead focus on teaching your kids everything can be enjoyed in moderation. This takes the pressure off them and gets rid of the diet mentality which can set them up for a life of yo-yo dieting.

5. Be more active! Simply stated, kids need more activity in their lives. The same goes for all of us, if we eat more calories than were using up we will gain weight. Its as simple as that. So get out there and make it fun. Try not to use the word exercise. You want this to be a lifestyle habit not something that has to be done.

6. Be a positive role model. Rather than focusing on changes for your child only, change as a family. Have a family meeting and talk about healthy eating and good nutrition. Explain all the benefits of an active lifestyle and let your kids suggest some simple activities you can do together. Start slowly and build up. If you set a good example your kids will eventually follow. It may not be easy at first, but persist. The benefits will far outweigh the tantrums and tears you may need to put up when you first change your lifestyle. Your kids will thank you for it in the long run.

Mila Sidman is a mom of three and the creator of www.easy-kid-recipes.com. A leading website providing simple, kid-friendly recipes, nutritional information, meal planning tips, fun kid cooking projects and much more.

Origins of Obesity

2009-03-31T06:03:00.000-07:00

Obesity is a leading health problem in America. At least one third of American adults are obese. Obesity is defined as anyone whose body fat is above 25%.

A sedentary lifestyle and modern conveniences are the culprits that leads to obesity. Id days of old, men and women both worked the land. Think about it - they churned butter, milked
cows, chopped wood, bailed hay, dug wells, built their own homes, washed clothes on a scrub board, pumped water, and much more. In other words, the people of our American society were
physically active.

Today, everything is instant and convenient. We have couch potatoes and couch tomatoes with their remote controls and sweet and salty snacks.

At the end of the great depression of the 1930's, many modern conveniences were introduced into our society to make our life easier. All for what? I'll tell you, it's so we don't have to
work so hard. All so we can take it easy. All so we can sit down and do nothing. We think all the labor saving devices are saving us time and effort. In reality, they are making us lazy.
In our laziness, our bodies are deteriorating, our muscles are
diminishing, our bowels don't function properly, we don't think clearly, and we are more nervous than ever.

Even our jobs are sedentary. Secretaries and receptionists
aren't the only ones who sit all day long. Computer programmers and webmasters sit at their computers all day. Scientists and lab technologists sit in a lab all day. Other people who are sedentary on the job are researchers, authors, poets, artists,
insurance agents, telemarketers, and telephone operators. And the list goes on and on.

We aren't as active as our grandparents were when they were young. Therefore, we need to look for ways to be active.
Physical activity not only helps you to become a slimmer you, but also provides many health benefits. Walking should be your best friend.

Slimmer You is a lifestyle not a fad diet, nor a quick fix. Rather, it is a spiritual matter. It's about changing habits and believing in your self.

What we eat and drink along with the level of physical activity is what determines whether you'll be a slimmer you or not.

http://www.slimmeryou.org

Bette has been writing articles in the weight loss, diet, and nutrition arena for over twenty years. Her degree is in applied science with a major in Medical Assistant. She is a member in good standing of the (AAMA) American Association of Medical Assistants and is a consultant for http://www.slimmeryou.org.

LETTUCE GARDENINGArleen M. Kaptur

Lettuce is a great way to begin this years garden. There are several different varieties
to choose from.

First, there is common lettuce and Romaine lettuce. Then we have this
category broken down even further into Head Lettuce (sold in supermarkets under
the name of Iceberg, Great Lakes, Imperial, Ithaca, or Oswego). It is tightly compressed
and the center ball is pale green.

Loose-leaf lettuce forms a rosette of tender green leaves. Stores sell it as Oakleaf,
Ruby (because the leaves are tinged with red), or Salad Bowl.

Butterhead lettuce has a softly compressed head with green outer leaves and pale green
to yellow inner leaves. It falls under the market names of Buttercrunch, Dark Green
Boston, Tender-Crisp, Deer Tongue, and Summer Bibb.

Head lettuce - 15 foot row yields about 15 heads of lettuce

Loose-leaf lettuce - 15 foot row yields about 2-1/2 lbs. of produce

Butterhead lettuce - 15 foot row yields about 15 heads

Romaine lettuce forms a vase shape and has a tightly compressed head. It stands about
10 inches tall and has a more piquant flavor than the other varieties.

Lettuce should be planted where it will get full sun in Spring and Fall, but partial
shade during the hottest part of the Summer season.

Plant your lettuce seeds when night-time temperatures are no longer likely to fall
below 25 degrees.

Sow the seeds sparingly about 1/2 deep and thin the plants.

The pulled plants are good to eat so dont just toss them.

Keep the soil moist but do not wet the foliage any more than necessary.

Head lettuce matures in about 10-11 weeks after the seeds are sown.

Loose lettuce matures in 6-7 weeks, Butterhead is ready in about 9-10 weeks,
and Romaine comes to full maturity in about 11-12 weeks.

If you dont use up all your lettuce seeds, dont throw them away. Unused seeds
will keep for about 6 years.

So, if you are a salad lover, than growing your own lettuce is just the thing for
your garden. Picking your own fresh salad fixings will make that rabbit food
staple of any fine meal an extra special treat.
Arleen M. Kaptur 2002

Arleen has written numerous articles for magazines/newspapers.

Author: SEARCHING FOR AUSTIN JAMES
Author: e-cookbooks
Website:
http://www.rusticliving.info
http://www.topica.com/lists/simpleliving
http://www.webspawner.com/users/rusticliving

Don't Blame the Government for America's Obesity

2009-03-24T02:54:00.000-07:00

Peter Jennings presented a report on Monday, December 8th regarding obesity in America. The show looked at the roles our government and agriculture play in our eating habits, as well as advertising (especially directed at children). The report blames the government for subsidizing corn to be fed to farm animals, as opposed to helping farmers produce more vegetables and fruit for human consumption. They also pointed out that advertising for junk food specifically designed to reach children is unethical.

Its good that Mr. Jennings pointed out the link between corn-fed animals and the misuse of antibiotics because many people dont understand this. Basically, he stated that farm animals must be fed antibiotics because a corn-based diet is not what their bodies are designed for. And if you think about what cows eat when left out to graze, hes right. They eat greens, not corn. Other agricultural cost-saving practices also contribute to illness in animals. Although not mentioned on the show, overcrowding and confinement are major problems on large farms. When humans consume meat from animals whose food was laced with antibiotics, the humans often develop immunity to those drugs. This means that when people get sick, the drugs prescribed by the doctor might not work. So the duration and severity of your illness could be much worse as your doctor searches for a medication that will kill the disease. Obviously, depending on the severity of your condition, this could even result in death.

Peter Jennings went on to point out that feeding animals what they were meant to eat raises the cost of meat. He sees this as a positive thing, because maybe then people will eat less meat and more produce (and presumably lose weight). However, we must be careful about how the produce is raised as well. A recent article in a national magazine discussed a study comparing the nutrient content of vegetables and fruits raised with pesticides using traditional mass production farming techniques to organically produced counterparts. The mass produced foods were found to contain significantly less vitamins and minerals than organically raised produce. But organic produce is more expensive. So if we raise our fruits and veggies organically, and the cost goes up, will people really eat more produce and less meat?

Paying farmers to produce more fruits and vegetables is not going to change American eating habits, because our eating habits are not constrained by the food supply. Our markets are not short on produce at all-it is quite abundant. The grocery stores are not going to allocate more space to the produce department just because the government subsidizes fruits and vegetables and makes them cheaper. Cheaper produce wont necessarily cause an increase in demand. Supply and demand rules: consumers must start buying more fruits and vegetables before the markets will expand the department. So what really needs to happen to stop the obesity epidemic in America? People need to change their eating habits!

The best reason to stop obesity is to improve health. And this has a bottom line as well. If people complain about the higher cost of eating healthy, they should really be looking at the long-term cost of being in ill health as they age. High blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes and cancer are all very costly and all (though only some forms of cancer) are related to obesity. Blaming the government and farmers for raising the wrong foods, or raising animals the wrong way, doesnt solve the problem. People must start eating differently, and buying organic meats and produce, to save their health. The market will figure out how to respond!

Advertising junk food to kids is immoral. However, adults who eat properly set the right example and tend to have kids who eat healthy. As the TV segment pointed out, much of this advertising is aimed at children around 6 years of age. They dont do their own food shopping! They might ask their parents for sugary cereals and fast food, but the parents still have the ultimate control over what comes into the house. They can also exert at least some control over what kids eat at school and at friends homes. Set a good example and teach children why healthy eating is important. Theyll get the message. Overweight children are not getting that way on too much fruit! The wrong types of food are available to them, and that food is mostly provided by parents. It is NOT a coincidence! The do as I say, not as I do approach to parenting simply doesnt work. You must be a positive role model.

If farmers refused to raise fruits and vegetables at all, or if grocery stores refused to stock them, maybe we could shift the blame for obesity to the government and the agricultural system. But there is no shortage of healthy food in America! It is all a matter of PERSONAL CHOICE.

When Americans wake up and get concerned about their health, and stop trying to fix everything with yet another pill to pop every day, the obesity epidemic will be but a memory. Until then, if you want to know why America is fat, look at how we spend our food dollars. We vote with our money. Look at the choices we make every day!

Dale Reynolds is a weight loss counselor and author living in upstate New York. She has a book entitled "A Slim Book On Weighty Matters" which is available through her website, http://www.slimdale.com. She also has a free email newsletter on Weighty Matters.

Ten Ways to Prevent Obesity in Our Families

2009-03-13T23:24:00.000-07:00

Ten Ways to Prevent Obesity in Our Families 2003 Heidi Zator

Children are our future and we as parents need to help them attain their highest potential. If we want to have a strong and healthy future.

Today's diet is high in the simple carbohydrates, sugar and fat. Soft drinks, cakes, candy,and junk food are constantly bombarding our families, it seems to be their daily diet.

Statistics show that heart disease is showing up at a younger age. Diabetes is reaching epidemic proportions, asthma is becoming a common occurance. People are beginning to look at these as normal. Well it is far from normal!

A major contributing factor in these diseases is obesity. So what is a parent to do: the first thing we must to is to educate ourselves.

Here are 10 ways to Prevent Obesity

1/ Be an example
Children learn from their parents, the first thing you as a parent must do is to show your children that you are willing to change.

2/ Do a Kitchen Clean-up
Get rid of all foods that have refined flour,or sugar in them and replace with whole foods such as whole grains, whole sugars for example raw sugar, honey, or stevia, and foods with as little chemical additives as possible

3/ Replace soft drinks, and highly sugared snacks, with healthy alternatives. Be creative. Limit sugar intake to 10% of your daily diet.

4/ Limit your dietary fat intake to less than 30% of your total calories, saturated fat should be less than 10%. Avoid all trans fatty acids, such as hydrogenated fats.

5/ Exercise, exercise. It doesn't matter what you do. Be it team sports, walking, running, hiking, or tennis. Just get your body moving.

6/ Consume at least five daily servings of fresh raw fruits and vegetables,especially dark orange or green vegetables and citrus fruits. Six servings of wholegrains and a least 3-4 calcium-rich foods, and make sure you get plenty of dietary fibre.

7/Try to have 6 small nutrient-dense meals a day, rather than 3 large meals. Do not eat after 8pm. Avoid repeated unsuccessful attempts at weight loss (crash dieting).

8/Include a food supplement, high in vitamins and minerals.

9/ Consume at least 2000 calories of high-nutrient foods Select low-nutrient foods periodically, maybe once a week, as a sinday. But your daily diet should consist of high quality foods.

10/ Drink at least 6 8oz. glasses of pure, filtered water a day. Water is the best cleanser.

If you follow this advice, you will not only be preventing obesity but will also: improve resistance to colds and infection. reduce risk of developing heart disease, cancer, diabetes, high blood pressure and osteoporosis, increased resistance to stress maintain a feeling of wellbeing, help prevent premature aging increase energy to enjoy life and improve emotional and mental health.

Heidi Zator is dedicated to helping people become educated on family health.

Heidi Zator, a mother of 5 with bsc in holistic nutrition.

Obesity and Weight Loss Surgery

2009-02-26T02:07:00.000-08:00

Lets face facts; obesity is ripe today in America and rising on a global scale in western civilisation where are we going wrong. Being a health and fitness nut I would simply recommend eating a balanced diet and exercise often, but youve heard all that before, and it doesnt work for you, right? Thats ok, losing weight is tough, especially for those who some doctors would class as morbidly obese, which are those people who weight 50-100% their ideal body weight.

For these people and you may be one of them, which is why you found your way to one of my many articles on weight loss surgery, diet simply isnt a viable solution, and some seek a more permanent solution like weight loss surgery.

The most popular weight loss surgery as we all know is the gastric bypass. The stomach stapling, the miracle cure, the lifes never been so good surgery as some marketing wizards would have you believe and for some it certainly is.

Weight loss surgery can bring quick and long lasting results of permanent weight loss, though I certainly dont recommend it as a convenient solution to obesity, but those morbidly obese with their immediate health in danger I would certainly recommend researching the area of weight loss surgery to find out more.

My website is one such place where you can find a large area dedicated to gastric bypass surgery, and there are many others around the Internet.

Article by Beverley Brooke, visit the section on gastric bypass surgery on her website for more information on gastric bypass and weight loss surgery

Fast Food And Obesity:The Hidden Connection

2009-02-19T22:56:00.000-08:00

Is there a connection between Fast food and obesity?

The answer to the above question is a big yes! Research scientists say that:

"fast foods increase the risk of obesity in regular consumers by encouraging intentional overeating."

Fast food and obesity are closely linked. Studies have shown that fast foods are very high in energy density (the amount of calories different foods contain weight for weight) and these high density foods can cause people to accidentally eat more calories than they need.

A typical fast food meal has an energy density 150% more than an average traditional meal. A fast food meal contains many more calories than a similar-sized portion of a healthy meal.

Many supermarket ready-meals and convenience foods are also very energy dense. To stem the tide of obesity, its important that we dont just swap one unhealthy meal for another.

Fast foods also contain high amount of sodium(salt), oil, refined sugar and refined flour which are no good to the body. This combination of the foods is the most health harming and causes obesity.

Ayurveda medical science says that refined sugar causes obesity, acidity, dental cavities, osteoporosis, high cholesterol levels, migraine, kidney deseases etc. and leads to metabolic disorders.

Fried fast foods cause acidity and indigestion. Refined flour is made by removing the outer cover of the grain. This reduces the nutritional value of the grains by removing fibre. Foods deficient in fibre give rise to constipation and irregular bowel habits.

Many diet and weight loss programs which advice fast foods for weight loss are greatly mistaken in their approach.You are advised to always keep away from such fad diet plans.

Health and weight loss can be easily achieved by following a healthy weight loss program which recommends lots of health foods like fresh fruits,vegetables etc. in your daily diet.

You can get more cutting edge fat burning secrets in my Free 5 day email ecourse by subscribing to my newsletter at: www.eweightlosstips.com/weightlossltr.htm

Rajesh Shetty.

Expert in weight loss principles of Ayurveda Medical Science
and Author of the Best selling book,
"Proven weight loss secrets revealed".

http://www.eweightlosstips.com/weightlossltr.htm

Reasons for Obesity

2009-02-09T03:15:00.000-08:00

Causes of Obesity

Just like there is no weight loss pill or single "magic potion"
diet plan to cure obesity there is no single cause of obesity.

We are living in an age of two income families, job loss,
stress, and time constraints. It makes it difficult to prepare
and eat healthy foods. The ad agencies, the big food companies,
and the 35 Billion dollar diet plan and diet supplement
industries are taking full advantage of the American people's
need for instant gratification.

What weight loss research has uncovered is that there is no
quick fix for permanent weight loss. A person who is considered
obese must realize that no weight loss pill, no shake, no diet
plan or reduced calorie bar, is going to make him or her slim
overnight. Weight loss pills are unhealthy because they tend to
induce jitters in people, and the Food and Drug Administration
(FDA) oftentimes does not verify their safety. Just a few years
ago, weight loss pills containing ephedra were removed from the
market because they were believed to cause heart problems in
people.

What we struggle with as a nation is the idea that everything
has to happen now; no, make that yesterday. If we cannot have
immediate results, we don't want to know about it.
Unfortunately, weight loss research clearly shows that we cannot
expect to lose fat weight quickly; nor can we do so in a healthy
manner. The only path to permanent weight loss is through a
commitment to a healthier lifestyle that incorporates regular
exercise and a nutritious diet.

Depending on how much weight you have to lose, you may need the
guidance of your doctor to begin a new workout program for
weight loss. If you merely have five or 10 pounds to drop, you
can begin to take some steps to lose that weight safely. First,
take a good look at what you are putting in your mouth. Replace
processed foods with natural foods, and make sure to drink at
least 64 ounces of water each day, more if you exercise heavily.
Limit alcohol and caffeine, as both can dehydrate you quickly.

Permanent weight loss can only result from burning more calories
on a daily basis than you consume. One pound of fat equals about
3500 calories. You need to burn off those excess calories or
they are stored as fat, it's that simple.

Rapid weight loss from fad diets usually is made up of water
loss. Muscle contains four times as much water as fat. So rapid
weight loss reduces lean muscle, causing the metabolism to slow,
making the diet program eventually level out and stop.

Educate Yourself about Weight Loss, nutrition and the causes of
obesity.

The point of my book, Living to Be Younger, is to educate people
on weight loss research. I wanted people to know the facts so
that they could make informed decisions regarding their own
health.

Only you can make the decision to live a healthy life by eating
well, exercising regularly, managing stress, and getting enough
sleep. If you want to look and feel fabulous, you can. Just
remember that you must put in the necessary work to reach your
health goals. I believe you can do it, and more than that, I
believe you deserve to live your best life. Why not go for it?

Take the first step to a younger, fitter, more active lifestyle. Learn the facts about nutrition, diet plans, and how external marketing forces are driving us. Learn the facts and succeed..

Visit our wesite at:

Obesity and Weight Loss Muscle and the importance of low body fat!

2009-01-29T00:29:00.000-08:00

Today you have a good chance of getting diabetes or becoming obese or both. And if you do, then chances are you will be in for a long life filled with pain, discomfort and little quality in your life. However, it does not have to come to that.

Hi, my name is Greg Ryan. I am a high profile fitness expert. With thousands of weight loss success stories under my belt, I am here to encourage you to start exercising to lower your body fat levels.

If you are reading this, you already know you have a problem. You just need to know how to fix it and where to go for help. How do you fix obesity?

First, obesity means, your total body weight is at least thirty percent fat. When this happens, everything starts shutting down. Two things must occur in order for this not to get worse; lose fat and gain muscle.

Lose Fat: Through exercise and eating better.

Gain Muscle: Through weight training and weight bearing cardiovascular exercising.

One muscle cell burns off seven times the amount of one fat cell. So do your math. The more muscle tissue you have the more calories you will burn, even by just sitting. There is no easy way around this, you are going to have to get off your butt, or there is a good chance of something bad happening to you and your health. Incorporating, diet, exercise and movement in your life is really your only healthy choice. Do you need some help? If so, thats ok. There are those here like myself that really care about you and are not out to make a quick buck with some pie in the sky pill.

While my approach to weight loss is the road less traveled in is the one that will most likely get you to your destination. America has an obesity and diabetes crisis because of your approach to it, not the numbers they supply on your charts. Here are five points to remember:

Determine HOW you are motivated

Determine the REASONS behind the unwanted behaviors.

Develop a great support system

Eat for fuel not for taste

Keep being active.

I truly am asking you and almost begging you to follow these points. If you dont you are really asking for trouble soon down the road. I will help you if you let me. Let me prove it to you.

START LOSING WEIGHT THE RIGHT WAY FOR GOOD TODAY! FREE MINI COURSE click here Discover the common sense way to lose weight with out dieting that the doctors DONT want you to know. Greg Ryan is a best selling author, former employee of Kathy Smith, and high profile fitness expert.

A Simple and Permanent Cure for Childhood Obesity

2009-01-16T00:00:00.000-08:00

Scouring the multitude of medical research literature, media releases, and paediatric literature, it is absolutely clear that the cure for childhood obesity is a simple case of ensuring that childrens calorie intake is appropriate for the amount of physical activity undertaken. It is clear if a child drinks a couple of cans of sweetened soft drink that same child will have consumed an extra 300 calories and 20 teaspoons of sugar, all of which need to be worked off to avoid obesity. It is estimated it would take 1 hour of intense high-impact aerobics to work off those extra 300 calories. Weve been lead to believe that avoiding childhood obesity is complicated and time-consuming, requiring a team of nutritionists, fitness experts, educators and even private investigators to ensure our children do as theyre told. Ute Fumeaux, CEO and founder of child-educational-toys.com is a mother of 3 and an ex-aerobics instructor. Her background means shes conscious of the need for all of us to move more. Ute has always encouraged her children to eat a wide variety of healthy and delicious natural, unprocessed, raw foods. Yes her children have treats but these treats are a very low percentage of the childrens daily calorie intake. Professor Gary Egger of Deakin University and author of a number of books including Gut busters agrees with Utes practice he says the problem is we and our children are getting fatter. In the last 20 years Australians have been putting on weight at the rate of one gram a day. But we eat less than our grandparents did, so why all that extra weight? Prof Egger believes technology is primarily to blame. We have so many gadgets to do things for us that we have become lazy. In fact, we are using 800 calories less energy every day than we did in 1970. I dont think the human body is ready for the technological revolution, Prof Egger said. Social factors are also contributing to this general slow down of movement, right from a childs earliest years. Parents are more reluctant to let their children play too far from the home. Very often, a childs world is limited to the house and a small backyard. And the television and home computer appear to be nudging out tree climbing and other outdoor activities on the most favoured pastimes list. Prof Egger says the evidence suggests that watching television actually slows down our metabolism, making it harder to burn off the extra calories. The snack food advertisements on TV and the fast food culture are all adding to our growing girths too. The good news is we dont have to give up all our favourite foods and we dont have to eat less. In fact, we can eat more, providing we eat differently, Prof Egger says. It is the high fat foods, the chips and peanuts, that we eat that make us put on weight. He suggests we increase our intake of raw fruit and vegetables and increase our physical activity. Prof Egger isnt suggesting we throw away our computers and techno games, after all thats part of whats making this century so interesting, all hes suggesting is that we balance it all out. Sure your child can spend an hour on the computer, watching TV or playing video games but then make sure he/she is spending at least an hour running around kicking a ball, climbing trees, swimming, bike riding, playing chasings, rumbling, jumping on a trampoline or another fun, active game. Prof Egger isnt suggesting your child never eats ice creams or lollies, hes just suggesting that those empty calories are just a very small part of a diet loaded with raw fruit, vegetables, nuts (where appropriate) and seeds, grains, lean meat. Prof Egger suggests you educate your child about healthy eating, include them in food preparation wherever possible (most mums would be happy with that) and educate them on the healthful benefits of regular exercise. The key message to all children and parents needs to be that we all need to balance out our calorie intake and energy output and make sure we have fun with both. About the author: About the Author Ute Fumeaux Sydney Australia Learn more about your child Ute Fumeaux is a fast-paced educator who blends the experience of raising her own 3 children with years of study and observation. She provides solid practical advice that answers many of the questions parents have about raising and educating their children. Learn more about Ute and her advice at <a rel="nofollow" href='http://www.child-educational-toys.com' target='_blank' class='navigation'>www.child-educational-toys.com</a> Educational toys can cost a fortune for some mums. See how these mums slashed that cost by 80%Ute FumeauxA group of like-minded mothers have discovered a way of providing their children with high quality childrens educational toys and theyre only paying 20% of store price. These mothers arent spending hours in discount stores or second hand toy stores. Theyre buying high quality, highly sought after childrens educational toys and instead of paying $100 theyre paying only $20. Theyve organised themselves in groups of 5 or 6 and each mother is buying a toy worth $100. These toys are then circulated within the group so that the group has toys to the value of $500 - $600 and each child has a one month turn with the toy before passing it on to the next family. Ute Fumeaux, CEO and founder of child-educational-toys.com is a mother of 3 who empathised with the thousands of mothers who find it tough finding the extra cash for those high quality childrens educational toys on the market. But then, Ute came up with a great idea, one that to date has probably saved her 100s of dollars.In fact this idea has saved 4 of her friends 100s of dollars. It was such a simple idea, that when Ute shared it with 4 friends in her mothers group, they laughed. It just seemed too simple not to be something that everyone did. The idea? Toy Sharing Hang on lets clarify. 5 mothers of boys and girls of similar ages got together had a look both on-line and at the multitude of toy catalogues in the mail box. They each chose $100 worth of high quality (relatively unisex) childrens educational toys. They then set up a share system or toy library system with the toys. Each family had 1 month turns of each of the toys. At the end of each month the toys were rotated within the group. Now lets have a look at what this meant firstly for the children: New high quality educational toys each month. Just when they were bored/no longer using the toy as often, it went to someone else and a new toy arrived. More space to play as their rooms were less cluttered with toys There was more money available to the family for other necessities. And then of course from the parents perspective: Because new toys were circulating every month, there was always an answer for can I have Money saved Less unused toys lying around the house High quality educational toys were available to their children. This process may seem simple but we all know there are 1000s of families feeling the pinch who still like to be able to provide high quality childrens educational toys for their children. Well why not try Utes idea and save yourself 100s of dollars and be able to give your children their toys? For more information about saving money on bringing up your children and much more go to www.child-educational-toys.com About the author: About the Author Ute Fumeaux Sydney Australia Learn more about your child Ute Fumeaux is a fast-paced educator who blends the experience of raising her own 3 children with years of study and observation. She provides solid practical advice that answers many of the questions parents have about raising and educating their children. Learn more about Ute and her advice at <a rel="nofollow" href='http://www.child-educational-toys.com' target='_blank' class='navigation'>www.child-educational-toys.com</a>

Preventing Childhood Obesity: What Parents Can Do

2008-10-25T03:07:00.000-07:00

Mastering Leptin: Solving Obesity and Preventing Disease Byron Richards, CCN, Clinical Nutritionist and Leptin Expert, is the first to explain the meaning of over 7,500 studies on the hormone leptin and its link to solving obesity with the breakthrough health book "Mastering Leptin". Leptin is a powerful hormone produced in fat cells that communicates to the brain and controls ALL other hormones. This book will change an individual's health for the better, make permanent weight loss possible, and reduce risk for disease! Second edition with the latest leptin science and The Leptin Diet will be available May 11th. Minneapolis, MN (PRWEB) April 26, 2004 -- Byron Richards, Nutritionist and Leptin Expert, has brought key science for solving the out-of-control obesity epidemic to the public in his ground-breaking book, Mastering Leptin, released in February 2003. He is the first, and only, person to compile a comprehensive study on the hormone Leptin. WHAT IS LEPTIN? Leptin is the bodys communicator hormone, regulating everything from thyroid function to cardiovascular health. Most notably, Leptin plays an important role in weight gain and obesity. If Leptins function is unbalanced in the body, then body weight will become unmanageable in relation to weight and other diseases. Leptin was discovered in 1994, but not brought to public attention until recently. This is because drug companies were unable to turn Leptin into a miracle weight loss drug, therefore deeming it unimportant information for the public. Richards extensively details this subject in his book, Mastering Leptin,as well as outlining five, simple dietary rules to master Leptin. All of this is now taking on new meaning, with announcement of the unruly obesity epidemic and growing number of related deaths per year. OBESITY DEATHS Obesity and obesity-related conditions caused a startling 400,000 deaths in America last year and the number continues to rise, soon to surpass smoking as the Number One Preventable Cause of death in this country. There is a crucial need for answers and solutions for obesity, and there has never been a more imperative time for the public to learn about the hormone Leptin. Richards is the premier authority on Leptin in not only his own field, but also in the medical field. An astronomical 7,500 scientific studies have been written about Leptin, but only one person has managed to combine the studies findings into one, easy-to-understand work. The government and medical community are searching for answers to this societal health crisis, and significant work to help solve obesity has already been done. It is right in front of their noses, through the extensive work done and presented by Byron Richards. NEW EDITION OF MASTERING LEPTIN A new edition of Mastering Leptin will be published in May 2004. This version will describe the most recent relevant studies on Leptin and the obesity epidemic, as well as additional timely information regarding obesity in relation to heart-related diseases and other serious medical conditions. To schedule an interview with Byron Richards, please contact: Jennifer Whigham Wellness Resources http://www.wellnessresources.com 7155 Amundson Avenue Edina, MN 55439 952-929-4575 Jennifer@wellnessresources.com <hr size=-1> About the author: Press Release<a rel="nofollow" href="http://"></a>

Truths about Diet, Obesity, and $75 Billion

2008-10-15T03:07:00.001-07:00

Sensible diet prevents obesity!
Healthy living prevents most diseases!
(Unfortunately, old age is not a disease.)

These truths should be self evident.

Yet recent shock headlines tell us that "medical problems caused by obesity are costing U.S. tax payers $75 billion
per year".

The human body is a biological machine. We all know that overloading a mechanical machine can cause it to break down, yet we allow ourselves to overload our hearts,
joints, and more. Moderate exercise helps "tune up" the machines we live in.

Think about it. Many injuries are a direct consequence of being over weight and under exercised!

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention tells us, "Seven of 10 deaths, or more than 1.7 million each year, are caused by chronic diseases."
and
that the major risk factors for chronic diseases are "tobacco use, poor nutrition, and lack of physical activity"
with
"Obesity is a major contributor to heart disease, diabetes, arthritis, and some types of cancer. Recent estimates
suggest that obesity is associated with 300,000 deaths annually, second only to tobacco related deaths."

"Type 2 diabetes, a major consequence of obesity, has also reached epidemic proportions over the last 10 years." In
fact, "adult onset diabetes" is increasing among teens and pre adolescents.

Apparently the CDC thinks the commercial food industry does a better job on shaping public opinion than do family discussions. Therefore, they are sponsoring public school
initiatives to help children, and their parents, become better educated.

If you have access to the internet, you don't have to wait for the CDC education programs. Do your own news watch and
research.

"Greedy drug companies" have been blamed for our rising health care cost. Perhaps we should look to ourselves for part of the cause.

Want some help on getting started?
Read "Easy Health Diet" by Dr. Donald A. Miller. This includes tips for on-line research, as well as much diet and health information, with sources.

** Diet with FACTS, not MYTHS. **

Dr. Miller is author of ""Easy Health Diet"" ""Exercise for
Juniors to Seniors"" and numerous free articles on health
Seven of ten deaths are caused by preventable diseases.

"Modern" diets and supplements.Dr. Donald A. MillerFor the majority of people who don't raise their own foods, diets can be deficient in vitamins and minerals. In fact, it was the study of diet deficiencies in the USA and other countries that led to the creation of vitamin and mineral supplements.

Since my late youth, when I left the farm, I have included supplements in my diet. Now I take "therapeutic" blends of vitamins, helped by mineral tablets that are high in often neglected components, such as calcium and trace elements. I do NOT take "mega doses"; some vitamins are toxic at high levels.

But exercise caution. Supplement marketers have some of the most profitable markups short of prescription medicines. Read what you can learn on the internet searches, including reputable experts, such as http://mayoclinic.com.

Herbal foods and supplements are a totally unregulated part of the economy. Some pretty outlandish claims have been made. Some "miracle herbals" can actually be toxic.

From time to time, I might suggest makers of supplements that I think are worth visiting on the internet. Read what
you can find, and make informed choices.

I welcome comments from people who have good or bad experience from various supplement sources.

** Diet with FACTS, not MYTHS. **

Dr. Miller is author of ""Easy Health Diet"" ""Exercise for
Juniors to Seniors"" and numerous free articles on health
Seven of ten deaths are caused by preventable diseases.

Causes of Obesity

2008-07-27T23:31:00.000-07:00

Obesity has become one of the major problems today that it is now termed as globesity. It is accepted as a global danger and governments are putting in resources to fight this threat. The economic resources of the country are wasted in fighting this menace.

The Survey Reports confirm that 1% obesity levels are increasing every year for the last 15-20 years and if this rate continues whole of the population of America will be over-weight by the year 2040. The eating habits of people have changed over the years. Fast food chains, more of carbonated drinks and above all, the work culture has added to all this.

The original causes of obesity have to be understood to eliminate it from its roots.

Changing Work Culture

Earlier, people were required to perform their work in a single day without any breaks and any unwanted movement. There were limitations on holidays and leaves so there was very less social life left for them.

Now-a-days, people get big breaks at their workplace so that they can take rest and they get much more time to meet their deadlines. The timings have become flexible so one can move according to his/her plans.

Junk Food

Changing time has brought many new things with it and one thing which we can mention here is fast food. This food has affected our lives like nothing else before. Low physical activity has resulted in the inability of the body to break down sugar molecules and has led to an increased desire for instant and quick absorbing, cheap energy foods. Junk food and carbonated drinks quickly emerged to replace energy foods and drinks which constituted all the necessary nutrients. By the time, people started realizing the fact that fast food is adding to their ill-health it was too late. Todays generation is totally dependent on such foods and it seems difficult to stop them.

Transportation Facilities

These days, people spend very little time walking since the mode of transportation has improved. There is little need to walk distances. There are various transportation means to travel to your destination. Life has become very fast as compared to the laid-back 20th century lifestyles. This resulted in high stress leading to an increased longing for carbohydrates and high-energy foods which gave way to fast food.

Improvement in Technology

Technology has influenced our lifestyle to a great extent. From cooking to computers, everything is just at the touch of a button involving very little physical activity. This sedentary lifestyle resulted in low metabolic activity and calorie burning. The actual exercise is walking and breathing fresh air rather than exercising in gyms on treadmills.

Role of Information Technology

Information technology has affected the work culture in a sense that you do not have to visit customers or business associates for meetings. You do everything using computers, internet, video conferencing and teleconferencing. Technology has even enabled the work to be outsourced to different countries with no physical contact needed. Work can be done sitting at one place.

Obesity and overweight needs to be tackled by designing a new lifestyle that will combine technology with natural living. Technology has to be an enabler of better health and lifestyles and not be the basis for the destruction of the mankind.

This article is submitted by Versha, Editor to Pillslim.com Please
Visit the website pillslim.com for more solutions about Weight Loss.

Obesity is becoming a big problem in America

2008-07-17T23:33:00.001-07:00

Slowly and slowly more and more people in USA is getting obese. According to a study it is reavelead that about 50% people are found obese in USA. So the question is What is Obesity? What are the cause of obesity? What are its effects? And what are the guidelines to weight loss?

Obesity : Well According to an article When a person's caloric intake exceeds his or her energy expenditure, the body stores the extra calories in the fat cells present in adipose tissue. These adipose cells function as energy reservoirs, and they enlarge or contract depending on how people use this energy. If people do not balance energy input and output by adopting healthy eating habits and regular exercise, then fat builds up, and they may become overweight.
Here I would like to mention that Obesity is not just about being fat; it is now considered a chronic disease like blood pressure or diabetes. It has serious consequences on a persons health, and is the second leading cause of preventable deaths in the U.S.

So how one can decide that who is overweight or who is not? Obesity is determined by measurement of body fat, not merely body weight. People might be over the weight limit for normal standards, but if they are very muscular with low body fat, they are not obese. Others might be normal or underweight, but still have excessive body fat.

BMI : Here one concept is very important to describe is what is BMI and how it is related to overweight? So that answer is the current best single gauge for body fat is a measurement called body mass index (BMI) Higher BMIs are associated with significant health problems. Experts argue, however, that being overweight may not harmful under various circumstances. For you knowledge I would like to mention that in general a BMI of 25 to 29.9 indicated being overweight and obesity is a BMI of 30 and above.

Research : According to research that has been conduced in past shows that the people who used weight-loss method, gain one pound weight back they lost in last few months. It is stated in a study that that every person has an inherited weight range that varies by only about 10% either up or down from some set point. (For instance, a man whose "genetically-determined" weight is 200 pounds would tend to swing from 180 to 220 pounds, but would be unlikely to lose or gain more than this.).
Weight gain or being obese is direct invitation to various diseases. For example most people with type 2 diabetes are found to be obese. Cancer is also somewhat related to overweight. Obesity also bring negative effects to our parts of body like, muscles and bones, cause eyes and mouth disorders, sleep disorders.

Obesity in USA : According to a survey billions of dollars are spending every year by Americans to lose weight. Major portion of their saving is going to diet programs, diet foods, books etc. Here one dangerous trend has started to skip you meals if you want to lose weight. What do you think about it? Do you think by doing this obesity can be eliminated?

The answer is straight-forward NO. By doing this body loses muscle and bone mass quickly and can lead to low blood sugar which is not good if you want to lose weight. Moreover skipping meal is invitation to overweight.
Solution : You need to eat sensibly and in a consistent manner if you want to lose weight. Regular exercise is also a good solution. Include crisp veggie salads in your meal instead of oily food. If possible steam, or bake you foods. Drink lots of water as it is essential to all bodily functions and has no calories. Avoid colas and other sweet drinks, instead drink fresh juices. Eat slowly and enjoy your food.
Why I am saying to eat properly is because obesity is related to your eating habits in a certain manner. By eating in proper manner it is possible to protect yourself of being overweight. Remember one thing that purpose of losing weight is to lead a healthy life, not to become thin.

This article is submitted by Madeleine, Editor to

Please Visit the website for more solutions about Weight Loss.

Bodybuilding Sins That Cause Back Pain and Missed Workouts: Part 4Jesse Cannone CFT, CPRS, CSPN and Steve Hefferon, Welcome to article number 4 in our series Bodybuilding Sins That Cause Back Pain and Missed Workouts. In this article we are going to talk about how bodybuilders tend to create massive muscle imbalances and what you can do to not be one of them.

If you missed the first article, you can read it by clicking on the link below.

Heres a breakdown of the articles to look for:

1. Article 1 - Choosing The WRONG Exercises
2. Article 2 - Training Variations for Pain Relief and Maximum Results
3. Article 3 - Targeted Stretching
4. Article 4 - Targeted Exercises
5. Article 5 - Rest, Recovery, and Injury Prevention

Article 4 - Targeted Exercises

What is a Targeted Exercise and Why You Need To Be Doing Them?
While performing three different exercises for each area of the chest may sound targeted and it may work great for targeting the chest itself this is NOT what we mean by targeted

What we are talking about is choosing exercises with more than just size increases in mind remember, there is far more to muscle than just how it looks You can be really big, but also weak, slow and inflexible.

To drive this point home some more, remember the Turtle Back Syndrome we covered in article 1? So many body builders are plagued with this gruesome condition and they dont even know it! Are you?

The Turtle Back condition is a direct result of too much focus on building up the pecs and lats and not enough focus on the upper back. Also, the lack of focus on flexibility in the chest and shoulders makes it even worse

Not only does this look stupid, but it sets you up for back, neck and shoulder problems like rotator cuff tears and the like and I know you dont want any of those!

So by targeted, we mean exercises that will not just develop muscle strength and size, but more importantly work towards correcting muscle imbalances which will mean less pain and missed workouts, better performance and function, and most of all better and balanced total body development!

So How Do You Find Out Which Ones You NEED To be Doing?

As we discussed in the previous article on Targeted Stretching, its very important to know before hand what stretches you actually NEED to be doing the same applies to exercises

and the ONLY way to find out what specific areas you need to target is to perform physical evaluations so you can pin point the weak muscles that need strengthening and the tight muscles that need stretching.

We have developed a series of simple assessments you can do yourself to identify the muscles imbalances you have

and while they are intended for people suffering from back pain or sciatica, as a bodybuilder you stand to benefit greatly because you train so hard, you are far more likely to experience injuries like bulging and herniated discs, rotator cuff tears, knee pain, etc

Plus, even if you dont have any pain or injuries now, it would be very wise to learn how to assess yourself so you can target your training now before you create an injury, which not only will slow down your training and progress, but it can also become a life-long struggle with pain and a serious loss of your strength, size and fitness.

So be sure to check out our website to learn more about how you can quickly and easily identify and eliminate any muscle imbalances you have http://www.losethebackpain.com

Article by Jesse Cannone, CFT, CPRS, CSPN and Steve Hefferon, CMT, CPRS of If youve got back pain or sciatic pain, youve gotta check out their website!

Bodybuilding Sins That Cause Back Pain and Missed Workouts: Part 3Jesse Cannone CFT, CPRS, CSPN and Steve Hefferon, Welcome to article number 2 in our series Bodybuilding Sins That Cause Back Pain and Missed Workouts. In this article we are going to talk about how bodybuilders tend to create massive muscle imbalances and what you can do to not be one of them.

If you missed the first article, you can read it by clicking on the link below.

Heres a breakdown of the articles to look for:

1. Article 1 - Choosing The WRONG Exercises
2. Article 2 - Training Variations for Pain Relief and Maximum Results
3. Article 3 - Targeted Stretching
4. Article 4 - Targeted Exercises
5. Article 5 - Rest, Recovery, and Injury Prevention

Article 3 - Targeted Stretching

Stretching can be great, but it can also make existing injuries worse or even bring about new ones!

The key to making stretching work for you is knowing which stretches you need to be working on and just because a muscle feels tight, that doesnt necessarily mean it needs to be stretched.

For example, many people stretch the hamstrings because they feel tight and they think the hamstrings are limiting their flexibility

the fact is, most of the time the hamstrings are tight because they are constantly being pulled / lengthened due to muscle imbalances that tip the pelvis forward.

As you can, when the pelvis tips forward the hamstrings get pulled upward and are constantly held in a stretched position

And this is why millions of people can stretch their hamstrings every freakin day and never make any improvement in their flexibility.

Are you one of those people?

If you are, you need to stop stretching your hamstrings and find out exactly which muscles you need to be targeting by reading the rest of this article

Not only does this forward tipping of the pelvis (which is caused by muscle imbalances) keep the hamstrings tight and make it very difficult to make improvements in the muscles flexibility, but it also leads to the following:

increased stress / wear and tear from the ankles all the way up the spine

For example, the forward tipping of the pelvis places uneven pressure on the ankle, knee and hip joints and also many of the vertebrae in the spine.

weakens the hamstrings, inhibits normal functioning and increases the likelihood of hamstring pulls

When the hamstrings are constantly being strained because of the muscle imbalances, the muscle is weak, not able to function as it normally would, prone to injury and without correcting the muscle imbalance recover can take up to 9 months to a year, or longer!

creates excess curvature in the lower and middle spine

This tipping of the pelvis places excessive amounts of abnormal stress on the muscles, vertebrae and discs in the lower and mid spine and this sets you up for potential injuries to the muscles of the lower and middle back

Plus, it also causes the discs between your vertebrae to wear down and deteriorate much faster than they normally would and this sets you up for degenerative, bulging, protruding and herniated discs along with numerous other spinal conditions like arthritis, spinal stenosis, and the oh so popular sciatica!

This hamstring example is just one of many muscle imbalances are responsible for nearly every ache, pain, injury and condition out there!

Here are a few more examples of injuries / conditions that are caused by muscle imbalances and can easily be prevented and/or eliminated with targeted stretches and exercises:

upper back and neck pain
shoulder injuries (rotator cuff)
elbow and wrist pain (carpal tunnel, tennis/golfer/baseball elbow, etc)
knee pain (runners knee, chondromalacia, ligament tears, etc)
hip pain (IT band syndrome, bursitis, etc)
ankle pain (Achilles tendonitis, shin splints, plantar fasciitis, heel spurs, etc)

All of these conditions are caused by muscle imbalances and will NOT go away unless you work towards correcting the imbalances and the only way to know for sure which imbalances are causing your pain or injury is to do a series of physical assessments like the ones covered in our Lose the Back Pain Video which is designed for anyone suffering from back pain or sciatica.

What the heck is a targeted stretch?

This is a question we are asked often and heres the definition we give it:

Targeted Stretch - a stretch or stretching exercise that is chosen, based on physical assessments, to target a specific muscle or muscle group to increase the flexibility and range of motion in that area and bring the bones and or joints back towards the normal position.
When you compare a targeted stretch to general stretches like the ones found in Yoga, Pilates and the corny ones your doctor, chiropractor or physical therapist gives you, its no surprise they give little or no pain relief and almost always fail to get rid of the problem.

Conclusion

Remember, the key to eliminating injuries and preventing future ones is to identify what areas you need to target. In the next article well be discussing in detail, how to address various injuries like back, hip, knee, and shoulder pain with targeted exercises. In the meantime, be sure to read thru all of our detailed Back Pain Articles and if you have questions, please post them in our Discussion Forum.

Article by Jesse Cannone, CFT, CPRS, CSPN and Steve Hefferon, CMT, CPRS of If youve got back pain or sciatic pain, youve gotta check out their website!

Obesity Deaths Reach All-Time High

2008-07-17T23:31:00.000-07:00

Cooking for a Holiday Crowd Made Easy (Peasy)ARAARA) - The holidays. A time for loads of family, gifts and good cheer. Unfortunately, the holidays also can be a huge headache when it comes to cooking a holiday dinner for a house filled with people. Plus, youre probably sick to death of turkey and wish you could serve something a little different to your holiday guests. Heres the thing: you can!

They call me the Naked Chef because I like to prepare easy, no-fuss meals. I reckon the same should go for holiday meals. The perfect holiday dinner can be prepared pretty easily, without a whole lot of extra steps -- especially when you have the right range to work with. Lucky for me, Amana has given me one of their new ranges, and it works just great. You should see it -- this range is the largest one for its size on the market, with 5.22 cubic feet of capacity -- which is large enough to let me prepare an entire holiday meal at once. Its the size of Royal Albert Hall! On the outside, though, its a standard 30-inch range so it fits perfectly in your kitchen with no problem. Its also easy to use, which is terrific when your kitchen is crazy and overflowing with holiday guests. The U-shaped EasyRack oven rack keeps you from getting burned when taking out a pizza pan or cookie sheet, while the self-cleaning oven makes clean-up a piece of cake. Theres also a warming drawer where I can heat up plates before serving the great meal. Brilliant.

Heres one of my favorite holiday meals. Its got it all -- a nice piece of pork, loads of veg and a tasty dessert. Thanks to my Amana range, I cooked the entire thing at once . . . and it was delicious.

Pork Loin with a Great Herby Stuffing

This pork recipe is great for holiday entertaining. You can serve it as a conventional roast, or let it cool, slice it and serve it as part of a buffet. Heres what youll need.

Serves 8-10

1/2 a pork loin, preferably the rib end, off the bone

1 small handful of rosemary leaves, picked

3 heaping teaspoons of fennel seeds

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 pound, 2-ounces sourdough or rustic bread

2 red onions, peeled and finely sliced

1 small handful fresh sage leaves, ripped up

1 handful of pine nuts

Extra virgin olive oil

4 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Place your pork loin in front of you and score across the skin with a sharp knife about 1/2-inch deep and about 1/2-inch apart. Using a mortar and pestle, pound up the rosemary and fennel seeds with a tablespoon of salt -- bash the mixture up until really fine and then rub it into all the score marks on the pork. Remove the crusts from the bread and slice it up. I like to toast the bread in a toaster or on a griddle until lightly golden, as this gives the stuffing a really fantastic smoky flavor. While the bread is toasting, slowly fry the onions, garlic, sage and pine nuts in a little olive oil for 10 minutes, until the onions are sweet and soft. Season with salt and pepper, add the balsamic vinegar and put the mixture in a bowl. Rip your bread into pieces and add to the bowl. Squash everything together, really squeezing the onions into the bread. Have a taste -- it may need a little more seasoning. Put to one side and allow cooling.

Insert your knife into the eye meat of the pork loin and make a cavity for your stuffing. Pack in the stuffing, then roll the pork over and tie it with a few pieces of string. Place the pork on a roasting pan and cook in the oven for just over an hour, until crisp and golden or until pork reaches 160 degrees.

Now, as your pork begins cooking, you can prepare these terrific veg dishes. Once youve prepared them, pop them in your range alongside the pork and allow everything to cook at once.

Stir-fried Savoy cabbage with garlic and Worcester sauce

This is a really simple and amazingly tasty thing to do with a Savoy cabbage. Worcester sauce (pronounced Wooster in England -- dont ask me why!) is worth looking for. You can find it in the States, but if its not in a store near you try using a strong spicy steak sauce instead.

Serves 4

1 head of Savoy cabbage

3 tablespoons of olive oil

2 cloves garlic

2 teaspoons of Worcester sauce

Cut your cabbage in half and cut out the stalk. Place the halves cut side down on a chopping board and slice the cabbage up as finely as you can.

Heat a large flat low-sided pan or a wok and add the oil. When the oils hot, add the garlic, fry for a few seconds until it turns light brown. Add the shredded cabbage and stir-fry for a minute coating all the pieces of cabbage in the garlicky oil.

Add the Worcester sauce, lots of salt and freshly ground black pepper and continue to stir-fry for another minute or two until the cabbage has wilted slightly and soaked up all the lovely sauce, but it should still have just a little crunch.

Wicked roast vegetables

Roast veg has never been so good! If you cant find parsnip, try using wedges of pumpkin instead.

Serves 4

4 medium size potatoes

2 carrots

2 parsnips

2 red onions

A handful of garlic cloves

Some rosemary sprigs

Olive oil

Pre-heat your oven to 400 degrees. Peel or scrub all the root vegetables and cut them in half, lengthways. Put the potatoes in a saucepan, cover with salted water and place on the heat. Peel the onions, cut them into quarters and toss them with the carrots and parsnips in a few tablespoons of olive oil. Season well with salt and pepper and spread out in a roasting tray. Cover tightly with foil and place in the pre-heated oven.

When the potatoes come to the boil, carefully lift them out and place in a colander to drain. After the vegetables have been in the oven for 30 minutes, take the tray out of the oven and take the foil off. Add the potatoes, garlic and rosemary and shake everything around a little. Return to the oven without the foil and roast for another 30 minutes or until cooked through and crispy brown.

Baked Pears Stuffed with Almonds, Orange and Chocolate in Flaky Pastry

Last, but not least, the holiday dessert. Heres one your guests will come back for next year.

Youll need:

Serves 4

4 perfectly ripe pears

1-1/2 ounces blanched almonds

5-1/2 ounces butter

1-3/4 ounces sugar

Zest of 1 orange

Seeds of one vanilla bean

1-1/2 ounces best-quality bittersweet chocolate

16 sheets of filo dough, defrosted if frozen

Carefully peel the pears and carve out each core from the bottom. This will give you a hole about 1-1/2 inches deep. Put the pears to one side.

Put your blanched almonds into a food processor and whiz up until really fine (or bash with a rolling pin). Put them in a bowl with 5 tablespoons of the butter, the sugar and the zest of the orange. Add the vanilla seeds to the bowl, then mix everything up until nice and smooth. Bash up the chocolate into small pieces, adding these to the mixture as well. Divide into 4 balls and put to the side.

Melt the rest of the butter in a little pan for brushing onto the filo dough. Dampen a clean dish towel and wring it out -- use this to cover the unused filo dough so it doesnt dry out. Working with one piece of filo dough at a time, spread it out in front of you and brush the sheet with melted butter. Lay the next sheet of filo dough on top and repeat until you have four brushed layers of filo dough. Cut the layered pastry down to an 8-by-8-inch square.

Take a pear and one ball of almond mix and fill the hole in the base, packing the excess filling around the base of the pear. Place in the middle of the filo square, then gather up the pastry around the stalk and pinch tight. You can leave it looking nice and rustic and flopping all over the place, as this will look really good when its cooked. Repeat this process with the other pears. Brush the outside of the pastry with any remaining melted butter, then bake on a parchment-lined baking sheet for 25 to 30 minutes, until the pastry is golden and crisp. Serve with the rest of your lovely holiday meal.

Visit www.amana.com for more practical appliance solutions from Amana.

Courtesy of ARA Content

Obesity: Can it be disabling?

2008-07-17T23:29:00.000-07:00

Obesity Isn't The Only Problem With Today's Youth Entertainment

2008-07-08T23:04:00.000-07:00

Mysterious Chills and Thrills can be bought as an e-book or paper back book at http://www.laurahickey.com for ages 9-12.

Obesity Isnt The Only Problem With Todays Youth Entertainment

2008-07-03T01:53:00.000-07:00

Parents are desperately trying to lure their children away from video games and the TV for fear of obesity. Many children today are substituting good reads for TV remote and game controllers. Cindi Brown, a daycare owner expresses Children who read at an early age seem more content with a good book and do not rely on TV and video games for entertainment as much as non-readers.

Evelyn Petersen, author of 8 books for early childhood and parenting, a writer in newspapers for over 20 years, Detroit Free Press and KRTN Wire previously, as well as writing for weekly parenting columns for the Nashville Tennesean. Also has been published in Children and Families" magazine comments Many first grade teachers are noticing that children who stare at the TV screen for hours each day are often damaging the muscles in their eyes so they cannot track their eyes to left to right as you read.

While many parents are often too busy to take time to read to their children, it is associated that children who are read to, are children who read, as commented by MaryAnn Kohl, author of over 15 books on creative art for children, and a columnist for many parenting magazines including Scholastic's Let's Find Out.

Early childhood reading is considered a key element in a child's success for their future. Sue Reszka has been teaching in preschools for 25 years and has found that children that have the opportunity to experience books at a young age, have a much easier time when learning to read on their own. Reading to children at an early age helps them learn new words, relate the spoken word to the printed word, develop listening skills and an understanding of what words mean. Books let children experience whole new worlds, people, places and ideas. The greater the variety of experiences a child has, the greater the chances that he/she will succeed.

While often children don't want to read books because their either consider to childish for their age or not entertaining enough, a current release from LH Publications and Productions has been found to entice readers of all ages while secretly unveiling a lesson or two in each story. Mysterious Chills and Thrills by author Laura Hickey is an anthology of spooky twists of fiction that weave the age old question of what if that many generations can apply to their own lives.

Mysterious Chills and Thrills shows promise to delight kids across the nation at a price to please parents. With book reviews such as A young person's thriller written in their own language, 5 stars and Age appropriate for children six and up, these stories will have you chilled and thrilled! from Book Review Cafe, Mysterious Chills and Thrills isn't your average sci-fi children's book. Funny, creepy and educational, it's a triple threat of a gem of a book for kids to start reading at a young age. This holiday season remember, good readers promote communication and SOLIDIFY important skills for life.

Mysterious Chills and Thrills can be bought as an e-book or paper back book at http://www.laurahickey.com for ages 9-12.