Fast Food Nutrition Still Needs Improvement!

In the national effort to reduce childhood obesity, there has been a large push by a variety of advocates to improve fast food nutrition and marketing.  While this movement has resulted in some commendable improvements in fast food, such as a reduction in the amount of trans fat in fried foods and an increase in more fruit and vegetable options, a new report from Yale University's Rudd Center for Food Policy & Obesity clearly indicates that more still needs to be done.

This new report studied the marketing efforts of 12 of America's largest fast food chains and assessed the nutritional quality of over 3,000 children's meal combinations.  A summary of this new study paints a rather disturbing picture:

Unhealthy foods still the norm:

• Of the more than 3,000 meal combinations analyzed, only 12 met the Yale researchers nutrition criteria for preschool children and only 15 met the nutrition criteria for older children.  That's less than 0.5% of the meals tested!
• Meals purchased by teens averaged 800-1,100 calories, which is about one-half of their daily recommendation.  This suggests that eating at a fast food restaurant puts teens at risk for consuming many more calories than needed.
• At least 30% of the calories from fast food meals came from sugar and saturated fat and a single meal often provided one-half of a child's sodium recommendation.

Healthier options are not emphasized:

• Healthier side dishes are rarely the default or 'regular' side provided with a meal.  The standard, automatically-provided side dishes remain French fries and a soda.
• Fast food restaurants are frequently renaming their portion sizes to give the appearance of being smaller rather than actually providing smaller portions.

Fast food marketing continues to increase:

• The number of fast food advertisements seen by preschoolers and children ages 6-11 in 2009 have increased by about 25-30% on average compared to the year 2007.
• 15% of preschoolers ask their parents every day to take them to a fast food restaurant, while 40% of children 2-11 years of age ask to go at least once per week.
• Over 85% of parents report taking their children to a fast food restaurants at least once per week.

This is important information for everyone, but particularly so for those who choose to dine at fast food restaurants.  It is important to remember that we can choose healthier options when dining at fast food restaurants (or any restaurant for that matter).  For example, one kid's meal that includes 4 chicken tenders + fries + a soft drink provides 645 calories, 906 mg sodium, 63 calories from fat, and 120 calories from sugar. In contrast, by replacing the fries with apple slices and the soft drink with fat-free milk, we cut calories (350 calories) and sodium (515 mg) nearly in half while reducing the amount of calories that come from fat and sugar.  Yale University's Rudd Center for Food Policy & Obesity has established a web site, Fast Food FACTS, where you can learn more about fast food nutrition and your child's exposure to fast food marketing.

Start losing pounds now with my easy diet plan using delicious, low glycemic, protein-packed bars and shakes to satisfy your hunger. Please recommend to anyone who wants to lose weight using a clinically tested diet plan and weight loss program.

New Menu Nutrition Labeling Laws

On March 23, 2010, section 4205 of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act was signed into law.  Section 4205 establishes new requirements for nutrition labeling of regular menu items in chain restaurants, similar retail food establishments, and chain vending machine operators.

This law was enacted as part of our fight against obesity.  According to the background information in a recently released FDA Guidance on the menu labeling, we Americans on average consume one-third of our total daily calories while eating out and in most cases, we are unaware of the amount of calories we consume while eating at restaurants.  By implementing this new menu labeling law, the FDA hopes to provide us consumers with access to nutritional information in restaurants and allow us to make more informed dietary decisions.

For chain retail food establishments (20 or more locations doing business under the same name and offering substantially the same menu items), the new law requires the following:

• Disclosure of the number of calories in each standard menu item on menus and on menu boards.  This includes both food and drink (including alcoholic beverages) routinely presented on the menu and/or menu boards of such restaurants.
• Make additional written nutrition information available to consumers upon request and provide a statement on menus and menu boards that such nutrition information is available upon request.  Should a customer request additional nutritional information, the restaurants must supply the total number of calories, calories from fat, total fat, saturated fat, cholesterol, sodium, total carbohydrates, sugars, dietary fiber, and total protein.
• Provide calorie information for most self-service items and foods on display by posting a sign adjacent to each food item.  This covers such items as foods at a salad bar, buffet line, cafeteria line or other similar self-service facility.

In regards to chain vending machines, operators of such chains must post the calorie content of each article of food sold in the machine in a clear and conspicuous manner.  This only applies to articles that do not allow the consumer to view the nutrition facts before purchasing the item.

While this new law will certainly cover most of the foods at restaurants, it will not cover all of them.  Foods not covered by this new law include condiments and other items placed on the table for general use, daily specials, temporary menu items appearing for less than 60 days per year, custom orders, and food that is part of a market test appearing on the menu for less than 90 days.  Pre-packaged food that lists the nutrition facts and can be viewed before purchase also are not covered by this new law.

While the federal law only went into effect earlier this year, a number of cities and states have previously established menu labeling laws.  It will be interesting to see how this information is both received and utilized.  The idea, of course, is that we will avoid eating less healthy options when we learn just how many calories they provide.  In many cases, menu options contain more that half (sometimes more than all) of our daily energy requirements.  However, it will remain up to us as consumers to use this information and actually choose the healthier option.  This might also impact what restaurants offer to consumers.  The hope is that once restaurants have to disclose the number of calories in their food items, they will start offering healthier, lower-calorie options more regularly.  Whether this strategy will be effective or not remains to be seen, but it has the possibility to help us develop healthier eating habits.

Maintaining one's weight at a healthy level can be a challenge for many of us.  That is why I made my diet plan easy to follow while still offering some of our favorite flavors.  Visit us at www.drtabor.com to learn more and Tune in to watch me on QVC September 12th from 1 AM - 2 AM EST!

Watch What You Eat - Choose Healthy Carbs

Obesity has become a serious problem in the U.S. with approximately two-thirds of our population considered overweight or obese.  In fact, it has been reported that obesity rates have increased in 28 states and 8 states have obesity rates higher than 30% of the population.  Dietary changes, like increases in portion sizes and increases in sugar consumption, have been reported to be partly responsible for this increase in obesity.

Sugar consumption, both the amount consumed and the type consumed, has been a focus of serious and sometimes heated debate in regards to its importance to our current obesity epidemic.  This is due to the fact that sugar, particularly added sugar, has the potential to lead to excess calorie consumption.  Despite the concerns about dietary sugar, sugars will remain a very common part of our food supply.  Many sugars like glucose, fructose, sucrose, and lactose are natural components of fruits, vegetables, grains, and more.

A recent nutrition study (free to download) examined changes in energy, total sugar, and added sugar intakes from the 1970s to the 1990's using the NHANES I and NHANES III data sets.  According to the authors of this study, many previous studies assessed dietary changes on a per capita basis, which does not always take into account amounts of food purchased and consumed.  In hopes of getting a clearer picture of dietary changes, the investigators assessed dietary changes using the NHANES data, which assessed actual food consumption and has previously been used to show the nations increase in obesity.  The results of this analysis provided some interesting information...

Energy Intake:  Total energy intake increased from the 1970s to the 1990s by 144 Calories per day on average.  Interestingly, calorie intake decreased by about 56 Calories per day in people 18 years of age or younger, while people over 18 years of age increased calorie consumption by a whopping 226 Calories per day on average.

Total Sugar Intake:  Total sugar intake, which includes added sugars, increased by 10 grams per day on average.  Average total sugar intake did not increase in people 18 years of age or younger, but increased by 14% in people over 18 years of age.

Added Sugar Intake:  Similar to total sugar intake, added sugar consumption increased by 9 grams per day on average with adults over 18 years age showing the greatest increase (18% or 13 grams per day more in the 1990s than in the 1970s!) in added sugar consumption.

Total Carbohydrate Consumption:  While increases in total sugar and added sugar were evident, the increase in total carbohydrate intake was even greater.  From the 1970s to the 1990s total carbohydrate intake increased by 40 grams per day overall with an increase of 15 grams per day in individuals 18 years of age or younger and an amazing increase of 53 grams per day (25%)  in people over 18 years of age.

However, not everything looked bad.  While carbohydrate and sugar intake increased, total fat consumption remained steady and actually decreased when looked at as a percentage of total energy intake.  Additionally, saturated fat and cholesterol intake decreased, while dietary fiber increased from the 1970s to 1990s as did intake of several vitamins.  Interestingly, while sugar intake increased, it actually decreased when examined as a percent of total carbohydrate intake.  According to these study investigators, previous research studies using per capita data might have substantially over-estimated sugar consumption.

According to the study investigators, the biggest change linked to the increase in total calorie consumption was the dramatic increase in the consumption of foods classified as "mixtures of mainly grain", which included food items like burritos, tacos, pizza, egg rolls, spaghetti, rice, other pastas, and frozen meals where the main course is a grain mixture.  Regular carbonated soft drinks, remained the biggest source of added sugars regardless of the age of the population of the decade examined.  In fact, total sugar intake from soft drinks increased by over 40% from the 1970s to the 1990s.

This is an interesting paper with quite a bit of information in it about our dietary changes that I've not discussed here, making it a good read if you have the time to spare.  Based on this study, consumption of total sugars, added sugars, and total carbohydrates have increased from the 1970s to the 1990s, but the increase in carbohydrate consumption was dramatically greater than the increase in sugar consumption.  These data and the study authors suggest that the increase in "mixtures of mainly grain", which are present in common frozen and fast food meals, might be the major contributor to excess calorie consumption and the rise in obesity rates since the 1970s.  With the increasing abundance of these foods, it becomes more important for each of us to be nutritionally aware and make healthy choices whenever possible.  While sugar and carbohydrate intake has increased, we can counteract that to some degree by choosing low glycemic options.  By targeting low or even medium glycemic foods, we can minimize rapid blood sugar changes and gain better control of our food cravings and eating habits.

My easy diet plan is a great way to add delicious-tasting, low-glycemic foods to your daily plan.  Visit us at www.drtabor.com to learn more and tune in to watch me on QVC September 12th from 1 AM - 2 AM EST!

Are Restaurants Getting The Message?

Recent news stories released earlier this summer suggest that restaurants might actually be starting to provide healthier options for their patrons, which considering the present rate of obesity in the U.S. is excellent news.

According to one recent press release, 60% of consumers responding to a marketing survey want to eat food that tastes great while dining out and 23% are looking for healthier meals.  Apparently, restaurants are starting to make the necessary changes to accommodate their customer's wishes.  According to this marketing research, menu items labeled as healthy increased by 65% with some of that improvement due to an increase in dishes that contain fruits and vegetables and an increase in vegetarian options.  Whether these menu changes are resulting in diners eating healthier or vice-versa, the survey reports that about half of the individuals responding attempt to eat healthier at restaurants by choosing lower fat items, eating more fruits and vegetables, and consuming less calories.

Additional news from the University of Minnesota School of Public Health's Nutrition Coordinating Center indicates that fast food restaurants have been successfully lowering the trans fat in their food items.  By using their nutritional values database of thousands of food items, the researchers were able to analyze changes in trans fat levels in french fries made at 5 major fast food restaurants from 1997 - 2008.  According to this analysis, McDonald's, Burger King, and Wendy's all successfully reduced the amount of trans fat in their french fries without increasing the amount of saturated fat.  This is a significant step considering that trans fat has been shown to have a negative impact on heart health and health authorities recommend that trans fat consumption be held as low as possible.

Overall, these stories provide excellent news for those of us who enjoy the occasional dining-out experience, but still want to eat healthy.  While this is a great step in the right direction, improving the availability of healthy food choices is an ever-evolving challenge for restaurants.  As nutrition researchers learn more about the health effects of foods and food ingredients, dietary recommendations continue to get updated.  New recommendations due out later this year, particularly in regards to sodium intake, are likely to present additional challenges to restaurants as well as the rest of the food industry.

While restaurants continue to strive for healthier, yet still flavorful, menu items, there are actions we can all take towards healthy eating when dining out.  Below are some general tips that might help us all make healthier choices when eating out at any restaurant:

• Eat a piece of fruit before going to a restaurant in order to curb your hunger and decrease the chance of overeating.
• Share your meal with a friend... this will help reduce portion sizes.
• Order from the appetizer menu… the portions are usually smaller.
• Try to limit the amount of bread that you eat (1 piece is best).
• Look for items that are baked, broiled, braised, grilled or steamed… they are generally lower calorie choices.
• Watch out for foods high in fat and calories… terms like fried, crispy, creamed, cheese sauce, au gratin, and basted often describe higher calorie foods.
• When choosing the salad bar, skip the non-vegetable foods like meat, cheese, eggs, etc.
• Drink low calorie or calorie free options such as diet soda, water, or unsweetened tea.
• When your food arrives put half of your meal in a to go box.

Whether you are looking to lose weight or maintain the healthy body weight you have already obtained, my easy diet plan can help.  Visit us at www.drtabor.com to learn more about my delicious, hunger-satisfying foods!

Perceptions on Pricing Strategies to Reduce Obesity

Pricing strategies to encourage healthy eating habits and reduce obesity risk are frequently discussed in the mainstream media.  These pricing strategies typically revolve around either discounting healthy foods, taxing unhealthy foods, or combination of the two.  In a previous blog, I discussed two recent studies that suggested pricing strategies might be effective at reducing overall calorie intake, which might lead to a reduction in obesity risk.  However, how these pricing strategies will be received by the consumer is still uncertain.

A new focus group oriented study explored the perceptions that consumers have about different pricing strategies.  For this study, researchers recruited 7 focus groups from deprived neighborhoods in two large cities and discussed 4 topics related to pricing strategies:

• Factors in food selection
• Attitudes and perceptions regarding food prices
• Designing pricing strategies
• Attitudes and perceptions of professionally developed pricing strategies

These focus group discussions revealed a lot of interesting information on consumers perceptions about pricing strategies:

• Price was seen as an effective tool for inducing healthier food choices
• The focus groups valued pricing strategies that focused on encouraging healthy eating more than strategies designed to discourage unhealthy eating.
• Focus group members suggested pricing strategies that included reducing the price of healthy foods, providing a healthy food discount card for low-income families, and combining price discounts with displaying healthy foods at the point of purchase.
• The focus groups believed that pricing strategies could only be effective when combined with appropriate marketing.

These are interesting results, especially in light of the previous studies on pricing strategies.  According to this focus group study, consumers appear to substantially favor strategies that revolve around the reduction in prices of healthy foods, which is not surprising.  However, the previous studies have reported that reducing the price of healthy food choices did not alter the nutritional value of consumers' dietary intake and resulted in an increase in overall calorie consumption.  In contrast, these earlier studies reported that increasing the price of fast food and taxing unhealthy foods led to an increase in the nutritional value of food purchased, a reduction in overall calories purchased and less weight gain.  The overall picture provided by these studies suggests a disconnect between what has been reported to be effective at stimulating the consumption of healthier foods and what consumers perceive as a more desirable option.  Strategies to close this disconnect and find a way to effectively stimulate healthier eating while reducing cost are needed.  Perhaps, the use of appropriate marketing tools as discussed by the focus group members in this new study might help close this disconnect.

My easy diet plan is a great way to manage your weight using high quality protein bars and shakes.  Visit us at www.drtabor.com to learn more.

Reducing Obesity By Increasing Prices of Unhealthy Foods

It was pretty controversial when the New York governor suggested imposing a ‘sin tax’ on high-calorie soft drinks and other unhealthy foods in an attempt to fight the obesity epidemic.

This is clearly a tough idea to swallow considering the current state of the economy and the soaring jobless rates.  However, two recent studies suggest that there might actually be some merit to this idea.

In one study, researchers explored the effectiveness of two pricing strategies in a simulated grocery store: (1) imposing taxes on unhealthy foods or (2) discounting the healthy foods.  Volunteers who were mothers were recruited to shop in this simulated grocery store several times under each shopping condition.  The results of this study showed that:

• Taxing unhealthy foods reduced overall calories purchased.
• Taxing unhealthy foods resulted in a lower percentage of fats and carbohydrates and a higher percentage of protein in a week’s groceries.
• Discounting the price of healthy foods increased total calories purchased and surprisingly did not change the overall nutritional value.

In a second study, 5,000 volunteers were followed for 20 years.  Information on body weight, diabetes, and cost of fast food in their communities was gathered and analyzed.  Results of this study demonstrated that:

• When fast food and soda prices increased by 10%, study participants consumed fewer calories from soda and fewer calories from pizza such that nearly 60 fewer calories were consumed per day.
• An increase in fast food prices was also associated with less weight gain and a lower risk for diabetes.

While these are truly interesting studies, which outline a potential way to reduce obesity and obesity-related conditions, the thought of increasing food prices in today’s economy is rather frightening.  Ideally, an increase in the cost of unhealthy foods would coincide with a reduction in price of healthy food options.  While this would not ease everyone’s financial burden, it might open the doors to healthier eating without an increase in our overall food budgets.

Would you eat healthier if unhealthy foods cost more?