Childhood Obesity Linked to Adult Health

As we have discussed in several previous blogs, childhood obesity is a major concern both in the U.S. and worldwide.  According to the most recent data, over 30% of U.S. children 2-19 years of age are overweight, while 17% of U.S. children are obese.  Research has clearly shown that childhood obesity has a number of negative health effects on children; however, the impact of childhood obesity on later adult health has been a subject of some debate.

A new systematic review paper published online in the International Journal of Obesity summarized the long-term impact of childhood obesity on adult health and mortality.  The study authors searched the scientific literature published between 2002 and 2010.  Analysis of these papers revealed:

• 4 of the 5 studies that examined lifespan found that childhood overweight or obesity was linked to a substantially higher risk of early death in adulthood.
• All of the studies that reported on heart health showed that childhood overweight and obesity was linked to poorer heart health in adulthood.
• Nine studies reported that childhood obesity was linked to a variety of chronic health conditions and disability in adulthood.

Around the same time that this first paper was published, a second review paper on the same topic was also published.  Unlike the first paper, this second review paper is free to download.  The authors of this second review do a wonderful job of both describing the immediate health impact of childhood obesity and detailing the effect of childhood obesity on future adult health and lifespan.  This review paper clearly shows that many research efforts to date have reported that childhood obesity can have a major impact on adult health.  The study authors even indicated that if some of the science on childhood obesity is correct, then there is likely to be a dramatic increase in healthcare costs and possibly a decline in life expectancy in the U.S.

Together, these two review papers paint a rather bleak picture of our future health as a nation.  While most of understand the huge negative health impact obesity can have on our children, many of us probably do not realize the impact childhood obesity will have on a child's future health and quality of life as an adult.  Many of us like to believe that while a child might be overweight, he or she will grow into their weight as they become older.  Research suggests that this is probably not the case.  These two studies clearly point out the need for focusing on maintaining a healthy body weight throughout life, starting at early childhood.

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.

Individual Costs of Being Overweight

We have all heard that being overweight or obese puts a heavy burden on the health care industry resulting in substantial increases in medical costs for heavier individuals.  However, medical costs are only part of the additional costs paid by overweight or obese individuals.  Until recently, it was unclear how much being obese costs on an annual basis for individuals.

A new report from the George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Services Department of Healthy Policy outlines some of the individual costs linked to being overweight and obese.  While the full report is free to download and read, some of the most important revelations are briefly discussed below.

Direct Medical Costs.  Being obese costs an individual person $1,474 dollars a year in direct medical costs.  This includes $433/year inpatient costs, $458/year non-inpatient costs, and $586/year in prescription drug costs.  One study reported that costs increase with higher body weights; a moderately obese person (BMI 30 to 34.9) pays about $800 more per year than a normal weight person, while a morbidly obese person (BMI >40) pays about $2,800 more per year than a normal weight person.

Income.  Results of the analysis conducted for this new report indicated that obese female full time employees make $1,855 less per year compared to normal weight women.  Annual lost wages was only $75 for obese men compared to normal weight men.

Productivity.  According to this report, studies have shown that on average obesity causes a reduction in productivity at work.  The loss of productivity linked to obesity equaled $358 per obese employee.

Short-term Disability.  Several studies have indicated that obese workers are more likely to suffer a short-term disability than normal weight workers.  These studies suggest that an overweight employee is at a 26% increased risk for a short-disability event and that an obese worker is at a 76% increased risk for such an event.  These increased risks translated to increased costs.  The number of days lost due to illness cost an additional $55 per year for the average overweight individual and an additional $349 per year for an obese individual.  Annual costs for disability pension insurance was approximately $70 higher for obese individuals.

Personal Costs.  This new report examined two personal costs, gasoline cost and life insurance cost.  Morbidly obese individuals spent $30/year (men) and $36/year (women) more in gasoline costs than normal weight individuals.  In regards to life insurance costs, overweight individuals typically pay an additional $14/year, while obese individuals will generally pay an additional $111/year. 

Life Expectancy.  Obesity reduces life expectancy in men more so than it does in women.  In Caucasian men life expectancy is reduced by about 5 years, whereas life expectancy is reduced by 4 years in morbidly obese Caucasian women.  The value of life lost due to obesity was reported to be $3,486/year for men and $3872/year for women.

Total Costs.

1. The total reported costs for being overweight is $524 per year for women and $432 per year for men.
2. The yearly costs associated with being obese is $4,879 for women and $2,646 for men.
3. If the loss in life expectancy is included, the cost of being obese is $8365 per year for women and $6,518 per year for men.

It is clear from this new report, that being overweight or obese can have a major impact on an individuals finances.  Not counting the value associated with life span, it costs about $3,000 - $5,000 per year more to be obese compared to having a normal body weight.  While some of the costs outlined in this report are shared with employers and government institutions a number of costs come directly out of a person's pocket.  The study investigators indicated that these costs are likely to be underestimated because many other consumer-related costs like travel costs, clothing costs, automobile size, and other goods and services have not been studied.  Reducing one's body weight and maintaining a healthy body weight not only has numerous health benefits, but apparently can impact personal finances.

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 World Report - Americans Among The Fattest

A new obesity report, Obesity and the Economics of Prevention: Fit Not Fat, published yesterday from the Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) indicates that the population of many of the world's leading economies are continuing to become more overweight and obese and that Americans are leading the charge.  While this organization is better known for economic-related forecasts, the impact of obesity on country economics prompted the development of this new obesity report.  While the full report is available only through purchase, parts of the report like the executive summary and some of the country data are available to read at no cost.  Some of the key facts from this new obesity report are listed below.

Key Facts from the 33 OECD Countries:

• 50% of the population in nearly half of the OECD countries is overweight or obese.
• Children with at least one obese parent are 3-4 times more likely to become obese
• Obesity results in a 25% higher cost of healthcare expenses.  In fact, according to this study, obesity is responsible for 1-3% of total healthcare costs in most OECD countries (5-10% in the U.S.)
• Obesity decreases life expectancy by 8-10 years.
• Poorly educated women are 2-3 times more likely to be obese than women with a high level of education.
• Japan and Korea have the lowest prevalence of overweight (~25%) and obese (3%) individuals.
• The United States and Mexico have the highest rates of overweight (nearly 70%) and obese (~33%) people.
• The United States and Scotland have the highest rates of childhood obesity (35%).

Key Facts from the United States:

• 75% of the U.S. population is predicted to be overweight or obese by the year 2020.
• While women with poor education are 1.3 times more likely to be overweight compared to women with a higher level of education, this disparity does not exist in men.
• Obesity rates are 17% higher in African-American women and 6% higher in Mexican-American women compared to Caucasian women.
• Childhood obesity overall, currently at about 35%, appears to have become relatively stable and is not expected to increase.
• The highest rates of childhood obesity in the U.S. are in Hispanic boys (23%) and African-American girls (21%)
• Children from poorer families are more than 1.5 times more likely to become obese compared to children from higher income families.

The authors of this new obesity report blame the increasing rates of obesity around the world to the usual things... availability of inexpensive, nutrient poor foods, increased rates of dining out, poor dietary habits, and lack of exercise.  To battle these rising rates of overweight and obese individuals, the authors of this report suggest that improving dietary habits and increasing physical activity through various means (health education, regulatory measures, and counseling by healthcare professionals) are all effective, cost efficient strategies that need to be reinforced.  This and previous obesity-related reports clearly indicate that we have a serious weight problem, particularly here in the U.S., and that we have a lot of work ahead of us to reverse this dangerous trend.

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.

Maintain A Healthy Body Weight With A Mediterranean Diet

A Mediterranean type diet pattern, which is typically rich in fruits, vegetables, fish, olive oil, nuts, beans, and seeds, with only low to moderate consumption of red meat and wine, has been reported to have a number of possible health benefits.  Some studies have suggested that the possible benefits of the Mediterranean diet might be due to the levels of olive oil consumption in a Mediterranean diet.  In fact, recent research reports that the possible benefits of olive oil might be through a reduction in chronic inflammation.

While research suggests that following a Mediterranean diet plan might support normal human health, the benefits of this dietary lifestyle on obesity risk are apparently less clear.  To examine the impact of the Mediterranean diet on weight gain and obesity risk, nutrition researchers conducted a study in over 103,000 men and over 270,000 women from 10 European countries.  Study investigators collected body characteristics at the beginning of the study and after an average of 5 years and determined the volunteers' adherence to the Mediterranean Diet pattern by measuring their consumption of 9 different dietary components typical of the Mediterranean diet.  The results of this research showed that individuals who stuck to the Mediterranean diet pattern closely maintained their body weight over the 5-year study period.  Compared to individuals who did not comply well with the Mediterranean diet pattern, individuals who complied well were 10% less likely to become overweight or obese.  The nutrition researchers further reported that the low level of meat consumption, typical of the Mediterranean diet pattern, appeared to be the reason for the ability of individuals to maintain their body weight while on this dietary pattern.

Being overweight or obese has been linked to a number of chronic health conditions, which emphasizes the importance of maintaining a healthy body weight throughout life.  A typical Mediterranean diet is rich in fruits, vegetables, nuts, beans, and fish, but low in red meat and wine.  This is in contrast to a typical Western diet, which is generally high in red meat, high-fat foods, refined grains and sweet desserts.  This new research study shows that following a healthier diet pattern might help us each with our weight management goals and reduce the risk for obesity.

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.

Perceiving Our True Body Size

A large part of the fight against obesity revolves around obesity education and obesity awareness.  This involves making us aware of our body weight, exercise habits, eating habits and more and teaching us how to make appropriate changes that will hopefully lead to each of us adopting a healthier lifestyle.

Despite progress in obesity awareness and education, the results of a recent Harris Interactive poll suggests that as a whole, we still do not recognize when we are overweight or obese nor the extent of our body size.  Harris Interactive conducted an online survey between August 17-19, 2010 in which more than 2,400 volunteers answered questions about their body size image and more.  The results of this survey indicated that:

• 30% of overweight individuals think that they are within a normal body size range.
• 70% of obese people believe that they are simply overweight.
• 39% of morbidly obese people believe that they are overweight, but not obese.
• For those individuals who recognized themselves as being overweight, most of them (52% of overweight people and 75% of obese and morbidly obese people) blamed a lack of exercise on being heavy.
• Only 36% of overweight individuals, 48% of obese individuals, and 27% of morbidly obese people felt they ate more food than they should.
• Survey responders believed that weight loss surgery is the most effective weight loss method.

These are rather disturbing survey results that indicate the healthcare industry still has a lot of work to do in regards to educating us about obesity and appropriate body size.  Based on this poll, there is a large population of Americans that do not recognize they have a weight problem or do not recognize the extent of their weight problem.  Without this recognition, it is difficult for any of us to make necessary changes.  The authors of the poll suggest that fat has become the new norm, which if true, is a very unsettling situation.  Knowing your body weight and body mass index is an important part of developing and maintaining a healthy lifestyle.  You can calculate your body mass index for free at many websites, including the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute's website.  What's your BMI?

My easy diet plan uses delicious tasting, low glycemic, protein-packed bars and shakes to make it easy to control your weight.  Visit us to learn more!

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!

Aim For A Lower Glycemic Index

The glycemic index measures the impact of a food on a person's blood sugar levels.  A food with a high glycemic index causes a rapid rise in blood sugar, while a low glycemic food will not.  Numerous research studies have reported that following an overall low glycemic diet appears to have a variety of health benefits.  In regards to obesity, some studies have suggested that a diet with a low glycemic index typically has a better nutritional profile and might help improve weight control.

A new obesity research study explored the impact of the dietary glycemic index on the body mass index (BMI) and waist size of children (6-11 years of age).  For this study, obesity researchers measured the body weight, waist size, and BMI of more than 3,700 Italian school children and asked their parents to fill out a food frequency questionnaire designed to measure the types and amounts of foods and drinks consumed during the previous year.  Based on the responses to the dietary questionnaire, the study investigators calculated the glycemic index and glycemic load of each child's diet as well as their nutrient intake.  The relationship between each child's dietary habits and body measurements were analyzed.  These obesity researchers reported that:

• Children grouped into the highest quarter of glycemic index measures had the highest body mass index and highest incidence of obesity with almost a third of these children being obese.
• Over 25% of the children in the top two glycemic index levels were considered overweight.
• An increasing glycemic index value was linked to an increase is waist size.
• A high glycemic index diet was linked to increased intake of energy, carbohydrates, and fiber and decreased intake of dietary fat.

Overall, the results of this new obesity research study showed that consuming a diet with an overall high glycemic index was linked to increased body weight, waist size, and obesity risk in children. These results emphasize the importance of avoiding an overall high glycemic index diet. Previous research has also suggested that following a low glycemic diet might be important for healthy weight management due to its ability to support normal blood sugar health and to suppress hunger.

Following an overall low glycemic diet does not necessarily mean avoiding all foods that have a high glycemic index.  In fact, some fruits (watermelon) and vegetables (some potatoes) have been reported to have a high glycemic index, but these can still be a nutritious part of an overall healthy diet.  Instead of trying to avoid all high glycemic index foods, a better approach would be to aim for a healthy balanced diet that includes plenty of low glycemic or medium glycemic index foods.  By doing this, even if you have the occasional high glycemic item, your overall diet is more likely to remain at a low or medium glycemic index level.  The Glycemic Index has a searchable database of foods and their glycemic index values, making it easier to aim for a lower glycemic diet.

My protein bars and shakes are a great way to add delicious low-glycemic, hunger-satisfying foods to your weight management plans.  Visit us to learn more about my easy diet plan!

Tune in to watch me on QVC September 12th from 1 AM - 2 AM EST

Reduce Weight Gain By Bicycling & Walking

We are all aware of the importance of regular exercise for maintaining overall health as well as maintaining a healthy body weight.  However, the benefit of some forms of exercise, particularly bicycling, on weight control are not well studied.

A 16-year follow-up study of more than 18,000 women who took part in the Nurses Health Study II investigated the impact of walking and bicycling on weight change between 1989 and 2005.  The results of this study showed that:

• At the start of the study, only 39% of the women walked briskly and only 1.2% of them bicycled for more than 30 minutes per day.
• Women who increased their bicycling or brisk walking (> 3 mph) by at least 30 minutes per day gained substantially less weight.
• Slow walking (< 3 mph) did not prevent weight gain.
• Women who did not bicycle before the study started and increased they bicycling by at least 5 minutes per day gained less weight than women who did not bike at all.
• Normal weight women who rode a bike for more than 4 hours/week had about 25% lower odds of gaining more than 5% of their initial body weight.
• Overweight women who bicycled at least 2 hours per week had a 46% lower chance of gaining more than 5% of their initial body weight.

Overall, these study results continue to show us the importance of exercise for weight control.  Even small amounts of brisk exercise can have some benefits, but as this study indicates, additional amounts of exercise have additional benefits.  According to the newest obesity report, the majority of us aren't getting the recommended amounts of exercise.  In fact, the states with the highest rates of obesity have the highest percentage of sedentary adults.  Regular moderate-intensity or vigorous-intensity exercise has multiple health benefits in addition to supporting healthy weight management, so remember to get the right amount of exercise as often as possible.

My easy diet plan recommends at least 30-45 minutes of brisk walking six days per week.  Walking is a great, low-impact way to start exercising and has many benefits.  Visit us at www.drtabor.com to learn more about my delicious foods and easy diet plan.

Obesity Rates Continue To Rise!

The newest national obesity report, "F as in Fat: How Obesity Threatens America's Future 2010" was recently made available to the public and indicates that obesity levels continue to increase.  While the full report is free to read, some of the major finding are briefly outlined below:

• Adult obesity rates rose in 28 states.
• 38 states have an obesity rate more than 25% with 8 of those states having obesity rates greater than 30%.
• Of the 11 states with the highest obesity rates, 10 are Southern states with Mississippi having the highest rate of obesity (33.8%).
• Adult obesity rose for a third year in a row in 11 states and for a second year in a row for 15 states.
• Obesity rates were highest in individuals with an income below $15,000/year and lowest in individuals with an income above $50,000/year, suggesting the cost of healthy foods is a barrier to healthy eating.
• Physical inactivity rose in 12 states with 6 states reporting that more than 30% of adults did not exercise.
• 8 of the 10 states with the highest rates of obesity also had the lowest rates of fruit and vegetable consumption.

The report indicates that obesity reached 'epidemic proportions' in 2001, after which steps were taken nation wide to slow or prevent the increase in obesity rates.  Unfortunately, these steps were often too slow to develop and were not always well-accepted.  According to this new report, programs to prevent obesity have grown tremendously in the last couple of years and research suggests that 80% of Americans recognize obesity as a national problem.  Some of the programs being widely adopted include raising nutritional standards for school lunches and foods sold in vending machines (over 20 states), requirements for body mass index screening of children and teens (20 states), linking local farms to schools (23 states), imposing soda taxes (33 states), and improving safe access to community streets for pedestrians and bicyclists (13 states).  Hopefully, this growing obesity awareness and improved obesity education will lead to a reversal of the obesity trends being reported.

Maintaining a healthy body weight is an important part of living a healthy, active lifestyle.  My easy diet plan is a delicious way to manage your weight and eating habits.  Visit us to learn more!

Soda Tax Reduces Consumption of Regular Sodas

Many public officials and policy makers in the United States have been pushing for a tax on foods considered to be unhealthy. While much of America is opposed to such a tax, research exploring the effectiveness of such a strategy continues to give the concept traction.

A new study from Harvard's Brigham and Women's Hospital reports that imposing a tax on regular sodas reduced consumption of regular sodas in the hospital.  For this study, researchers measured soda purchases at their normal price before the study started.  They then imposed three primary interventions: a 35% tax on regular sodas, an educational program about the benefits of drinking zero-calorie alternatives, and a combination of the 35% tax with the educational program.  The results of the study showed that:

• Regular soft drink sales dropped by 26% during the price increase phase of the study.
• The education program by itself had no effect on sales.
• Combining the 35% tax with the education program reduced sales of regular sodas by an additional 18%.

While many of us clearly do not want to hear these kind of results, it appears that taxing unhealthy foods might be an effective way to help us change our dietary habits.  An earlier study conducted in two Dutch cities reported that consumers preferred strategies that encouraged healthy eating, reduced the price of healthy foods, and educated the public with appropriate marketing messages.  Despite this preference, other studies have reported that decreasing prices of healthy foods did NOT alter the nutritional value of consumers' dietary intake. 

While research studies are suggesting that taxing unhealthy foods might be effective, a recent Harris Poll clearly shows that the majority of Americans are opposed to such a tax.  According to this poll, 56% of the population are opposed to such a tax, 31% are supportive, and 13% are not sure.  If a tax on unhealthy foods becomes reality, it is likely that additional changes will still be necessary.  Attacking the obesity problem has to be done on multiple fronts, so such things as improving public health messages and reducing serving sizes at restaurants should still be part of solution.

Whether you are looking to lose weight or keep the weight you lost off, my easy diet plan is a simple and delicious way to reach your goal.  Visit us at www.drtabor.com to learn more!

Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2010

Dietary guidelines for American are reviewed and revised at 5 year intervals through a collaboration between the US Department of Agriculture and the US Department of Health and Human Services.  While the finalized 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans are not yet published, the 2010 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee Report, which outlines the Committee's recommendations, has been made publicly available.  Some of the points addressed and recommendations are very briefly outlined below.

The Committee Report indicates that on average Americans consume too few vegetables, fruits, high-fiber whole grains, low-fat milk products and seafood, while consuming to much added sugars, sodium, solid fats, and refined grains.  To combat this current situation, the Committee Report recommends a total diet that is energy-balanced and nutrient-dense while being flexible enough to accommodate a wide range of tastes and food preferences.  To accomplish this, the 2010 Dietary Guidelines Committee outlined several steps we can all take:

• Reduce overall calorie intake.
• Meet the 2008 Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans
• Shift food consumption patters to a more plant-based diet that emphasizes vegetables, cooked dry beans and peas, fruits, nuts, and whole grains.  As part of this shift, the Committee recommends increasing seafood and low-fat milk product consumption and eating only moderate amounts of lean meats, poultry and eggs.
• Dramatically reduce the amount of added sugars and solid fats we consume and also lower intake of sodium and refined grains.

The 2010 Dietary Guidelines Committee further indicated that more than individual efforts will be needed to achieve the necessary changes.  Rather, the Committee believes that a coordinated plan involving all sectors of society is needed to successfully change the overall food environment.  Some of the changes suggested by the Committee include:

• Improve nutritional literacy and cooking skills
• Enhance school health, nutrition, and physical education programs
• Develop financial incentives to purchase healthier foods
• Improve the availability of fresh produce
• Increase the availability of seafood to all segments of the population
• Encourage the food industry to offer health-promoting foods

It is good to see that the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans is close to completion.   While the entire Committee Report is quite long, the Executive Summary provides an excellent overveiw of the Committee's recommendations including recommended changes in the dietary intake of sodium (down to 1,500 mg/day from the current 2,300 mg/day), saturated fat (less than 7% of total calories), and seafood (consume at least 2 servings per week that provide an averge of 250 mg/day of omega-3 fatty acids) among others.  It is likely that many of the recommendations suggested by the Committee will be difficult to meet both by individual Americans and the food industry; however, if these goals can be met, these recommendations have the ability to reduce future obesity incidence and lead to healthier lives for Americans.

My easy diet plan is an excellent and delicious way to start managing your weight, whether you are a looking to lose a few pounds or maintain a healthy weight.

Promote Healthy Eating Habits At Your Workplace

When we think about developing healthy eating habits and losing weight, we often think about doing this at home on our own.  However, there is an increasing movement to get obesity awareness and healthy eating educational messages out into public places more frequently.  This is probably seen at the greatest extent in our school systems where replacement of junk foods with healthier options in vending machines and cafeterias has been shown to successfully slow the obesity rate.  However, the success of such public messages to places frequented by adults is uncertain.  Two new studies published this month tested the effect of such messages on eating habits.

In one study, nutrition researchers changed the food environment of a worksite cafeteria in an attempt to improve the employees' dietary intake.  Employees who participated in this study were assigned to one of two situations:

1. a change in food environment that consisted of the addition of 10 new low-energy-dense (i.e. high nutrient) foods and handing out of nutrition labels of all foods available at lunch or
2. the same food environment change plus education about low-energy-dense foods in 4 group sessions, and pricing incentives to purchase low-energy-dense foods.

Lunch choices were monitored daily for 6 months, 3 months before the intervention and 3 months after the introduction of the dietary change.  This change in workplace food environment and education about healthy eating habits resulted in a decrease in fat consumption and an increase in carbohydrate consumption.  Similar improvements in eating habits were seen in both study groups.

A second study examined the impact of a healthy eating education program in two beauty salons.  This pilot study tested the effectiveness of a 6-week health intervention to improve fruit and vegetable consumption, water consumption, and physical activity in African-American women.  This health intervention consisted of motivational sessions between the cosmetologists and their clients, educational information packets, and a starter kit of samples.  Responses to questionnaires provided to the beauty salon clients showed that fruit and vegetable consumption was substantially increased in clients that received the 6-week health intervention compared to clients that did not receive the samples and educational materials.

The positive results of these two studies suggest that workplace changes designed to provide healthier food options and/or education about healthy eating habits can improve our dietary habits.  While much of this type of research has focused on childhood obesity, these studies clearly point out that similar types of interventions can improve the eating habits of adults as well.  Continued development and use of employee wellness programs and changes in workplace break room food options have the ability to positively impact eating habits and obesity risk.

The personal development of healthy snacking habits can be a great place to start making better eating decisions.  My Crispy Lace nibbles make a great option with 7 grams of protein and 2 grams of fiber per serving.  Visit us to learn more about our delicious foods!

Television Food Ads Promote Poor Nutrition

The headline above clearly seems obvious, doesn't it?  If you are like me and many other individuals, when you first read the blog title images of kid snacks and cereals typically advertised during Saturday morning cartoons floated through your head.  However, the extent to which television ads promote poor nutrition is apparently much greater than many realize.

New research published in the June 2010 issue of the Journal of the American Dietetic Association provides some pretty scary numbers.  The purpose of this study was to compare the nutritional profile of foods advertised on television at the serving size shown to current nutritional guidelines and recommended daily servings.  To make this comparison, the study investigators observed food advertisements for a total of 96 hours, 84 hours of prime time television and 12 hours of Saturday morning television.  The study comparisons revealed that consuming a diet based on these food advertisements would over-supply a number of food groups and nutrients and under-supply several others. 

In terms of daily servings of food groups, a diet based on the advertised foods would provide more than 2,500% (25 times) of the daily servings of sugar and more than 2,000% of the daily servings of fat.  In contrast, to these enormous values of sugar and fat, a diet based on these advertisements would only provide low levels of vegetables (40% of the recommended daily servings), dairy (32%) and fruits (27%).   Similar disturbing trends were observed for specific nutrients:

• Nutrients Over-Supplied:  Protein, Total Fat, Saturated Fat, Cholesterol, and Sodium
•  Nutrients Under-Supplied:  Carbohydrates, Fiber, Vitamins A, E, & D, and numerous minerals including iron and calcium

While I doubt that this news actually surprises many people, the extent to which advertised food differs from accepted nutritional guidelines is probably much greater that most people realized.  Sadly, despite our current obesity epidemic, many of the foods advertised on television consist of food groups that have been suggested to increase obesity risk and lower overall health.  One of my blog posts last week discussed the increased obesity risk from television watching in regards to increased sedentary time and decrease physical activity.  This new report emphasizes the large impact television can have on obesity risk.  Not only does television watching reduce physical activity, but it also appears to promote imbalanced, unhealthy eating behaviors.  Increased obesity awareness and knowledge of healthy eating behaviors are more important than ever in light of these current findings.

Finding a healthy weight loss plan doesn't have to be difficult.  My easy diet plan is a great way to lose weight or maintain a healthy weight loss with convenient, delicious foods.  Visit us to learn more!

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.

Weight Loss Tip: Don't Serve Food From The Table

There are lots of weight loss tips floating around and many of them work if we actually follow them on a regular basis.  A new research study examined the effectiveness of one weight loss tip on caloric intake.

In this new healthy eating research study, researchers investigated whether the place from which food was served had an impact on how much food was consumed.  For the study, food was served to 78 study volunteers either (1) from the kitchen counter/stove or (2) from serving dishes placed on the dinner table.  The number of calories consumed under each serving condition was measured.  The results showed that:

• Serving food from the kitchen instead of the dinner table resulted in a 23-35% decrease in food consumption.
• The decrease in food consumption that resulted from keeping the serving dishes of the dinner table was greater in men than women.

This is a great example of Mindless Eating®.  If the food is placed on the table in a serving dish and we are allowed to eat what we want, we typically eat more than we realize.  This is because it is much easier to take a second or even third helping if the food remains on the table in front of us.  If we have to leave the table to get an additional helping of food from the kitchen, we are less apt to have a second helping.  The study researchers suggest that this same strategy can be used for foods of all types... simply keep healthy foods, fruits and vegetables in particular, in plain sight and easy reach and hide unhealthy foods from site.

Keep simple ideas like this in mind when trying to develop healthy eating habits.  Following a good diet plan is another way to start developing good eating habits.  My diet plan is an easy and delicious way to help with your weight management goals.

Our Beliefs About Obesity Might Shape Our Behavior

While there are rare cases of obesity being caused by a single genetic disorder, most cases of obesity result from multiple causes.  While genetics can certainly contribute to obesity risk and incidence, they are generally just one part of the equation that includes other risk factors like physical activity and dietary habits.  We all have our own beliefs regarding the causes of becoming overweight or obese; however, little is apparently known about how these beliefs impact our lifestyle behaviors.

A new research study, which is free to download or read online, examines this relationship between beliefs about the causes of obesity and related behaviors.  For this study, researchers used data from more than 3,500 individuals who took part in the Health Information National Trends Survey.  Participants in this survey responded to two questions about the causes of obesity:

1. "To what extent do you believe that obesity is caused by overeating and not exercising?"
2. To what extent do you believe that obesity is inherited?"

In addition to answering these two questions, the participants also provided information on their fruit and vegetable consumption and physical activity habits.  The results of this study indicated:

• 72% of participants responded that overeating and not exercising had 'a lot' to do with obesity.
• About 19% of participants believed strongly that obesity is inherited.
• Obese men and women more strongly believed that obesity was caused by genetics compared to individuals who were not overweight or obese.
• Individuals who believed that obesity was inherited reported lower levels of physical activity and lower consumption of fruits and vegetables.
• Study participants who believed that obesity was caused by lifestyle behaviors reported greater levels of physical activity.

These are fascinating results that suggest our beliefs about the causes of obesity can have a substantial impact on our lifestyle behaviors.  According to these survey results, obese individuals might be more likely to believe that genetics cause obesity and this belief might lead to a decrease in exercise and a decrease in healthy eating habits.  The authors of this study imply that public health messages about the genetic causes of obesity might influence health behaviors in some individuals.  While this might be true, these public health messages remain an important part of obesity education and awareness.  However, since these messages might lead to unhealthy, obesity-related lifestyle behaviors in some people, it will become even more important to strongly emphasize the fact that obesity has many contributing factors and diet and physical activity still remain critical parts of the fight against obesity. 

Maintaining a healthy body weight is an important part of living a healthy lifestyle.  Visit me at www.drtabor.com to learn more about my easy diet plan.