Active Living and Healthy Eating

Childhood obesity has become a national threat. There are more than 23 million young Americans who are overweight or obese today.  It is estimated that this disease is costing Americans up to $14 billion a year in health care (adult obesity costs up to $147 billion each year in direct medical expenses alone.)

"Research shows that obese children are at increased risk for becoming overweight and obese adults and that they are more likely to develop serious chronic diseases such as type 2 diabetes, asthma, cardiovascular and renal disease. As a result, many experts predict that our nation's children will pay a steep price by living sicker and shorter lives than their parents.

"Precisely because the stakes for our children's health and the country's fiscal outlook are so high, our federal, state, local and school leaders must be at the forefront of addressing the childhood obesity epidemic by advancing policies and programs that make it easier for parents and caretakers to help children be physically active and consume nutritious foods," explains Dr. Maya Rockeymoore, director of Leadership for Healthy Communities.

Reports reveal that our schools contribute to the obesity epidemic, by continuing to provide and promote high calorie/low nutritional meals. And then, our communities contribute by failing to embrace policies that increase access to affordable and fresh fruits and vegetables and to amenities that promote physical activity, such as parks, open spaces, connected sidewalks, bicycle lanes and trails.

Many families are taking active living and healthy eating seriously at home, however support from our schools and communities are needed in order to help make necessary and sweeping change. The Leadership for Healthy Communities organization has made it easy for people to make a difference ~ they have reviewed current policies and programs geared towards childhood obesity prevention and created: Action Strategies Toolkits. 

 The Action Strategies Toolkit contains policy and program strategies in 10 action areas related to active living and healthy eating. Each section includes targeted strategies, stakeholders, policy and program options, directions on how to start programs, resources that can help inform the process, and examples of how other states and localities have achieved progress.

Hats off to the Leadership for Healthy Communities for making it easier for each of us to make a big difference for our kids today and for generations to come.

Addicted to Sugar

Even if you don't feel like an addict, chances are good that you are ingesting much more sugar than you think, and much more than your body and brain can manage.

The problem is not with the the naturally occurring sugars you find in whole foods, it's the 150 pounds of added sugar the average American adult gets every year from processed foods and drinks.

And you wonder why you have a  problem losing weight and dealing with life in general!!!

Sugar hides in everything the American diet embraces ~ particularly processed foods and drinks ~ more than 3x the intake we had 100 years ago.

Energy drinks & bars, cereals, bottled teas & juices, flavored yogurts, sauces, breads...everything we are using today to create meals has added sugar.

All this excess sugar creates not only obesity, but cardiovascular disease, diabetes, hypersensitivity disorders ...wild, unruly children and many other disorders which are currently being addressed with drugs!

IF you are trying to reduce the amount of sugar in your diet, know that you do not have to give up all sweets! You can actually make significant health gains by just reducing your intake by one-third.

The key is to figure out what triggers your urge to eat sweets...Stress, boredom, bad mood, anxiety...

People who get irritable when they are hungry often reach for sugar to "help them out." To break up the up-and-down cycle, eat small, high protein meals throughout the day. Snack on almonds and walnuts which are excellent for good health...as well as any fresh fruit you can find.

Whole, fresh fruits contain blood-sugar balancing fiber, vitamins and antioxidants like quercetin and reservatol that counter fructose's fat-storing effect. 

When you are in tune with what your body is craving, your intuition will help sense your true appetite, rather than eating for eating's sake!

Insurance companies pulling the plug on kids!

  In September 2010, when we first staring writing this journal, a health reform mandate took effect requiring insurance companies to cover children with pre-existing medical conditions until the age of 19.  To lessen their burden, insurance companies have realized a way out: drop offering all child-only plans. Reportedly, at least six large insurers, including Anthem Blue Cross, Aetna, Cigna and Humana have stopped offering policies to children who are not covered by their parents' policy. The LA Times reported that as many as half a million kids will be affected by this move.

Of course there was an uproar over this change of policy.  However, instead of spending time and energy being frustrated and angry with the insurance industry or our government, we thought we would be practical and do something worthwhile with our time by looking at the more serious problem of the worsening health of American children in general; we need to get to the bottom of this problem and focus on reversing this epidemic.  Kids must start eating healthy food to avoid sickness and disease such as diabetes, heart disease, cancer, auto-immune diseases and behavioral disorders, which are all on the rise and have been linked time and time again to bad diet and poor lifestyle habits.

We want to remind people again that we don't need to depend on insurance policies to provide a sound and good future for our kids. We need to set them up so that they won't need to rely on the healthcare industry. The magic cure for true health and well-being for kids today is parental awareness and involvement. Parents must lead by example. Kids want to be healthy! 

Who wants to live the rest of their lives fat, sickly, uncomfortable and feeling misunderstood and alone? 

The problem with kids today is ~ they are slowly eating themselves to death. Please take a few minutes to watch this very informative ABC news report. Note that this report was done in 2003. The state of our children's health has only deteriorated since then.  There needs to be a dramatic change...NOW.

We are what we eat. Click here for How to Build Your Immune System Naturally with Recipes.

About MSG

My favorite fast-food, hands down, is Chinese take-away. The only problem is the MSG frequently associated with the food (used as a flavor enhancer.)  MSG is now used by most fast-food chains and in many foodstuffs ~ particularly processed foods.

Monosodium glutamate (a.k.a. sodium glutamate and MSG) is a sodium salt of glutamic acid, a naturally occurring non-essential amino acid. Modern commercial MSG is produced by the fermentation of starch, sugar beets, sugar cane or molasses.

There have been concerns that MSG may be associated with migraines, obesity, and food allergies and hyperactivity in kids. Other adverse reactions include: flushing; sweating; numbness; tingling or burning in the face, neck and other areas; facial pressure or tightness; irritable bowel; heart palpitations; chest pain, nausea and weakness.

MSG has also been linked with: brain damage which can lead to retinal degeneration, endocrine disruption (e.g. reproductive disorders and gross obesity), behavior disorders, learning disabilities, and more.

Researchers have found no definitive evidence of a link between MSG and these symptoms, but acknowledge that a 'small percentage' of people may have short-term reactions to MSG. Symptoms are usually mild and don't require treatment. However, evidence from epidemiological studies suggests that as many as 50% of Americans are sensitive to monosodium glutamate and other ingredients that contain MSG.

The only way to prevent a reaction is to avoid foods containing MSG.  

The Chinese New Year is quickly approaching...time to say good-bye to the Year of the Rabbit and welcome the revered Year of the Dragon!

   

The chubbiest part of America needs to start growing their own!

A new report from America's Health Rankings reveal that the U.S. as a whole is getting chubbier. Mississippi leads the way with 35.3% of the population weighing in as obese. 

"Mississippi has the worst eating habits in the country.  Only 8.8% of the adult population eats the recommended amount of daily fruits and vegetables, the lowest rate in the country.  Residents consumed just under 82 gallons of soft drinks per capita in 2006, the greatest amount reported. Furthermore, the state has the third highest rate of household-level food insecurity, with 17.1% of households being effected.  It is perhaps unsurprising, then, that the state has the highest rates of both adult diabetes (12.8%) and adult obesity (35%)"*. 

Aside from being unhealthy, obese Americans are more expensive ~ diabetes, coronary artery disease, strokes, cancer, dementia, postmenopausal estrogen receptors, and an entire host of social and emotional problems are linked to poor diets.  Obesity is the most written-about health problem in the U.S. today and the number of studies about its causes and solutions increase daily. The journal Health Affairs reported last year that obesity-related health spending in the U.S. reached $147 BILLION!

So what to do Mississippi? It all starts at home and one bite at a time. It is going to take a big change in attitude. Take Californians ~ where the two 'vainest' U.S. cities are found (San Fran & L.A.) ~ if too much focus on exercise and eating healthy food gives us a bad name...We'll take it ~ and a big fat helping of vitality and longevity with it!

In the study: 10 States with the Worst Eating Habits* the primary reason for the awful and deadly eating habit was lack of access to affordable and nutritious food. And despite a lack of funds, a large portion of their money was going to junk food, soft drinks (by the gallon) and candy (by the pound.) 

Again, it all starts at home ~ making better and wiser choices with your time and money will go a LONG way.  

A 4x4 garden, planted 3 times a year will provide a family of 4 with 50% of their annual vegetable needs. Kids LOVE gardening.  Teaching children to plant and harvest will not only get them outdoors and focused on real, healthy food, it will change the doomed road they are now travelling. Check out our give2grow page for advice and ideas.

Not interested in planting your own? Check out Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) via Local Harvest.org where you will find people ready and willing to help you help yourself.

*Charles Stockdale, Douglas McIntyre and Michael Sauter report in the article: 10 States with the Worst Eating Habits