Living a Healthy Lifestyle is Most Favorable

When a Health News headline popped up recently on SparkPeople.com, it caught our attention. Survey results reported last month indicate Australian researchers confirmed what we already believed. People desire help to change their lifestyle instead of programs that label and stigmatize or dieting quick fixes that break their bank.

A report published in the July issue of BMC Health summarized the views of 142 obese Australians related to weight intervention approaches. Here is what was discovered.

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We Know Diet Pills Don't Work, But We're Still Buying

Most people realize that if a supplement's claims seem too good to be true, they probably are. "Lose 10 pounds in 2 days!" or "Look like this swimsuit model in less than a week!" are claims that make most of us roll our eyes and shake our heads. But for some reason, companies keep making diet pills and other supplements. What is that reason? Because they still make money. Even though we know they aren't likely to work, a lot of us are still spending big bucks in the hopes that diet pills will help us reach our goals more quickly and easily. Why?

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When Picky Eating Becomes a Bigger Problem

Growing up, I remember my mom had a friend who would not eat anything green. She had tried, but it was almost like she couldn't force herself to take a bite of something if it was green. When we talk about picky eaters, the first thought that usually comes to mind is a child who won't try anything new. But many adults who have been labeled as "picky" aren't being particular by choice; some have diets that are so limited it interferes with relationships and has a significant impact on their lives.

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Will Improving School Lunches Affect Childhood Obesity?

I've done numerous blogs about children and healthy eating. The topic has always interested me, but even more-so now that I have children of my own. Every day we hear statistics about the number of obese children in America and strategies for how to solve this growing problem. I wasn't familiar with celebrity chef Jamie Oliver until a few months ago, when I saw his new show being promoted on network television. I was curious to see if his approach to tackling childhood nutrition and obesity was going to work. Some say "yes", some say "no way".

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If More Americans are Exercising, Why Aren't We Losing Weight?

After I had my second child, I lost most of the pregnancy weight pretty quickly. I was active throughout the nine months and started back into my regular routine soon after birth. I even started training for another marathon when my son was 7 months old. But I had this pesky 5-10 pounds that just wouldn't go away. I assumed it was just because I was nursing, but I stopped when my son turned one and those pounds still hung on. I couldn't understand it; I was extremely active and ate a (generally) healthy diet. Was I destined to keep those extra pounds forever?

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Want to Lose Weight? Keep It Simple.

I've always been an advocate for learning to eat healthy instead of learning to "diet". Diets teach most people to eat in ways that they can't sustain forever. It can be easy to lose weight, but as soon as you go back to eating normally, the weight comes right back. Learning to eat a healthy, balanced diet means that you make good choices most of the time. You learn what kinds of foods are important parts of your daily nutrition, and which ones should be eaten in moderation. When you first start eating this way, it can take some time and label-reading. But eventually, it becomes an easy way of living.

For years I've tried to convince my mom to adopt this style of eating. But she says she's someone who needs structure and something that tells her specifically what she should and should not eat. She's always gone the route of dieting (which is probably why she's always struggled with her weight), but it seems that not all diets are created equal. New research is looking at what makes some diets more successful than others, since weight loss isn't quite as simple as just eating less.

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Want Bacon On That? I'll Pass, Thanks.

I'll admit it: I'm a total snob when it comes to processed meats. I like the taste of hot dogs and salami as much as the next person, and I used to eat those foods frequently. But when I got pregnant 4 years ago, I became much more conscious of the foods I eat and what is in them. Now I'm a label reader, and if something has a long list of strange ingredients in it, I won't eat it. Consequently, I won't serve it to my kids, either.

My friends and family always raise an eyebrow when they see me take the pepperoni off of my kids pizza, or politely decline breakfast sausage at a family brunch. Then they chuckle because it's just "Jen being slightly crazy about the foods her kids eat." My kids don't even notice. If my daughter wants to try a piece of sausage, I'll give her a bite. But I'm not going to load up her plate with it, because I just don't believe that foods like that have much of a place in a healthy diet. New research suggests I might be right.

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5 Good Reasons to Make Your Own Baby Food

When I was pregnant with my first child, I read all of the books new moms are "supposed" to read: the ones about sleep, discipline, eating, and anything else that could possibly happen during their first year. I really wanted to be the mom who used cloth diapers, never used a pacifier, and had their child on a schedule within the first two weeks. Those things did not happen for a variety of reasons. But one thing I was serious about was making my own baby food. It's something I was successful with for both of my kids, but why did I want to go to all of that trouble? It's not really as much trouble as you might think, and there are definitely some good benefits.

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Decreasing Calories Can Increase Stress Level

Let's face it: Dieting can be stressful. Especially when you begin to change your eating habits, there are lots of things to think about. It can be hard to count calories, track food, read labels, and do it all with a "lifestyle change" instead of "diet" mentality. New research is showing that it's not only mentally stressful, but can also be physically stressful on the body to restrict calories.

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Could you be addicted to junk food?

Do you often find it hard to stop eating certain foods once you’ve started—especially foods high in sugar, salt and/or fat?

I know I've often found myself on the losing end of one of those “bet you can’t eat just one” wagers when it involves sweets, chips, sausages or something similar. If you're in the same boat, your brain just might be addicted to junk food.

This is especially likely if you happen to be a rat, according to recent research reported in this article from HealthDay. If you’re a human, using the word “addicted” may (or may not) be a little strong, but this research definitely does add another piece to the puzzle of understanding why it can be so hard for many people to “just say no” to overeating certain foods.

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Would taxes on junk food promote healthier eating?

According to a study published this week in the Archives of Internal Medicine, when the price of junk food goes up, people eat less of it, their weight goes down, and blood sugar levels improve.

The study, which is described in more detail here, followed over 5,000 people for a period of 20 years, tracking their food consumption, height, weight, and blood sugar levels. Researchers also tracked changes in food prices during this same period, and found that incremental increases in the prices of soda and delivery pizza were associated with incremental decreases in consumption of these items. For every 10% increase in cost, there was a 7% decrease in the number of soda calories consumed, and an 11.5% decrease in pizza calories consumed. Likewise, a one dollar increase in soda cost was associated with a decrease in overall calorie intake of 124 calories per day (on average), and a decrease in body weight (2.2 pounds on average). This was true even though the “real” cost of soda and delivery pizza actually decreased over the 20 year period when prices were adjusted for inflation.

Does this mean that we can (or should) use taxes and/or surcharges on junk food items to encourage people to use less them of them?

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Gluten FEAR: Should You Go Gluten-Free?

It's blamed for a host of ailments: headaches, digestive distress, weight gain, poor immune function, hormonal disruption, and even behavioral problems in children. But does gluten, the natural-occurring protein found in wheat, barley, rye and some oats, really the cause of all these health evils? Many health-conscious consumers believe so.

Oprah Winfrey tried a 21-day "cleanse” in 2008 where she eliminated meat, dairy, sugar, caffeine—and gluten—from her diet for three weeks. Grocery shoppers are seeing more food packages plastered with "gluten-free" logos on their faces, too. And specialty stores like Whole Foods offer gluten-free shopping lists and place little flags next to the gluten-free products on their shelves. As it turns out, gluten-free is a booming business. That's great for people who need to avoid gluten, but what about the rest of us?

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If the Calorie Information Isn't Accurate, What Should You Do?

Researchers at Tufts University recently looked at 29 restaurant meals from casual dining establishments such as Wendy's and Ruby Tuesday and 10 frozen supermarket meals like Lean Cuisine, Weight Watchers, and Healthy Choices. The study findings regarding the accuracy of the stated energy content have been published in this month's The Journal of the American Dietetic Association. What did they reveal?

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Improve Your Diet By Getting More Sleep

Do you find that it's easier to stick to your diet when you're well-rested? Is it difficult to stay on track when you're not? New research shows that not getting enough sleep can affect the food choices you make when you're awake. That's just one more reason to make sure you're getting enough shut-eye!

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Is Gluten Intolerance on the Rise? What You Should Know

Gluten is a protein found in products made from wheat, rye and some forms of oats. In some people, gluten can trigger an immune response, which damages the fingerlike projections of the small intestine known as villi causing them to become flattened which limits their ability to absorb nutrients properly.

People that suffer from gluten-sensitivity may become diagnosed with an autoimmune condition known as gluten-sensitive enteropathy, non-tropical sprue, or celiac sprue, which are three different names for the same condition. Since the exact cause of celiac disease is unknown, prevention is difficult. For those that can recognize risk factors or identify multiple suggestive symptoms, early diagnosis and treatment can limit long-term complications and ensure a long and healthy life. Celiac disease diagnosis is typically based on results of a series of blood tests and perhaps small intestine tissue evaluation to look at specific antigens and antibodies.

A New York Times article last week reported that celiac disease is frequently overlooked and under diagnosed.

Here are some facts from the article that I found interesting.

• One out of every 133 people in America has diagnosed celiac disease compared to 10 years ago when it was only about one out of every 10,000 people across the United States.
  
  
• There are approximately three million Americans with celiac disease.
  
  
• It takes about ten years for a person with symptoms to receive a diagnosis of celiac disease.
  
  
• In 2003 there were approximately 135 gluten-free products on the market compared to today where there are over 830.
  
  

Back in the 1990's when I was working as a Registered Dietitian in a teaching hospital, it was very rare that I would have a client in need of gluten-restricted diet education or restriction. When someone did have that need, we used a resource list for specialty products that could be mail ordered and eating away from home was strongly discouraged. Today, you can walk into many large supermarkets and find a complete gluten-free section and there are resources such as the Gluten-Free Restaurant Awareness Program to help people find gluten-free dining opportunities. However, the increased awareness and availability of gluten-free foods for those that need them also opens a door for food marketers and fad diet promoters as well.

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