Wellyourself

Showing posts with label nutrition. Show all posts

Tax your Coke & Coco Puffs?

Posted by Aaron W. On 8/28/2011 2 comments

From The Lancet

It sounds a bit crazy and even a bit against most peoples idea of freedom, but governmental regulations on junk food and beverage is being seriously considered. Don't kid yourself, it's likely to happen.

Add $1.49 per hole for tax.. you total is...

“By imposing tax on sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) and limiting marketing of unhealthy foods to children, governments can lead in making it easier for children to make healthy choices,” said lead author Steven Gortmaker, professor of the practice of health sociology at Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH).

WHY MIGHT THIS WORK? The authors note that special taxes and marketing restrictions to discourage smoking have been effective in tobacco control.

Thankfully, in addition to taxes and advertising, the authors recommend:

school-based education (nutrition, exercise)
physical activity programs for children
weight loss interventions

Press release
Photo from frankieleon (flickr)
______________________

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advertising, exercise, junk food, nutrition, obesity, sugar, tax | |

4 Keys to Weight Loss Success

Posted by Aaron W. On 12/06/2009 1 comments

Based on research by The National Weight Control Registry (www.nwcr.ws)

Since 1993, the National Weight Control Registry (NWCS) has been studying the behaviors of people who successfully lose weight and keep it off. Their research began with simply describing the kinds of people that are successful weight losers and has progressed to research comparing the success of surgical vs. non-surgical weight losers. By the way, they found it doesn't really matter how you lost it, you MUST overcome the cues that got you overweight in the first place (reference 1).

Since their beginning, the NWCS has looked at the behaviors of over 5,000 people who have manged to lose 30 lbs or more and kept it off for at least a year - their averages are 67 lbs lost and 6 years maintained. Using all this data, they've come up with 4 common characteristics amongst all these losers.

NOTE: They did NOT find that genes had the overwhelming determination if you were going to be overweight or not. You have more control than you think!

What they Screamed!!

weight loss is hard work
don't believe in programs claiming quick, or easy methods... it won't stick
Losing weight is worth the sacrifice! Life is better without the weight!
It gets easier

Eat a Low-Fat, High-Carbohydrate Diet
People stated they got most of their carbs from beans and veggies which equated to 56% of their total daily calories. In turn, they got 19% of their calories form protein and25% from fats. They seemed to consume between 1,300 and 1,400 calories per day, but the Registry feels like that's probably underestimated a bit. It was also clear to them that the problem for most people wasn't so much about WHAT they were eating, as it was HOW MUCH they were eating... calories in must be less than calories out.
Exercise Every Day
Registrants exercised 1 - 1.5 hours/day, but made note that they broke up their exercise throughout the day. For example, walking the dog 20 mins in the morning, walking the stairs 20 mins at lunch and getting on the elliptical machine for 30 mins in the evening. They noted that the most common form of exercise was walking. They proposed this question: "If you could lose weight and keep it off for the rest of your life with just 1 hr/day of exercise, would it be worth it?"
Eat Breakfast Every Day
They hypothesized that skipping breakfast often causes people to overeat later, or eat junk that is easily accessible (candy dish, vending machine). Registrants ate breakfast every day.
Keep Track of Your Weight and Eating
They say that they aren't sure why regular food and weight journaling is a common characteristic, but speculate that they use it as an "early warning system." People who are very aware of their weight can tell whether they put on a pound over the weekend and need to step it up, or whether they maintained well. Gaining weight in large bunches (which could happen when not weighing frequently) is harder to recover from and can cause a drop in morale - which could lead to giving up.

Visit www.nwcr.ws for full details

1. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19050676?ordinalpos=3&itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_DefaultReportPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSum

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breakfast, carbohydrates, exercise, fat, fitness, journal, nutrition, protein, weight, weight loss | |

8 Quick, Healthy Breakfast ideas

Posted by Aaron W. On 11/29/2009 0 comments

A higher-fiber granola bar (like Fiber One chewy bars), a banana, and 8 ounces low-fat or skim milk. This breakfast will give you 365 calories, 67 grams carbohydrate, 12 grams fiber, 13.5 grams protein, 7.5 grams fat, 3.6 grams saturated fat, 15 mg cholesterol, and 235 mg sodium.
1 small whole-wheat bagel, 1 ounce reduced-fat cheese or 1 tablespoon natural peanut butter, plus 1 cup fresh fruit (like sliced strawberries). (384 calories, 65 grams carbohydrate, 12.3 grams fiber, 20 grams protein, 6 grams fat, 3 grams saturated fat, 15 mg cholesterol, 654 mg sodium.)
Omelet made with 1/2 cup egg substitute, 1/2 cup vegetables, and 1 ounce reduced-fat cheese, served on 100% whole-grain English muffin. (288 calories, 35 grams carbohydrate, 7 grams fiber, 28 grams protein, 6 grams fat, 2.5 grams saturated fat, 15 mg cholesterol, 724 mg sodium.)
Breakfast burrito made with 1 whole-wheat tortilla (weighing about 50 grams), 1/2 cup egg substitute scrambled with 1/2 cup assorted cooked vegetables, and 1 ounce of reduced-fat cheese. (304 calories, 32 grams carbohydrate, 6 grams fiber, 25 grams protein, 7 grams fat, 2.5 grams saturated fat, 15 mg cholesterol, 669 mg sodium.)
Cooked oatmeal (1/2 cup "lower sugar" instant oatmeal cooked with 3/4 cup skim or low-fat milk), topped with 1/4 cup dried fruit or 1/2 cup fresh fruit and 1 tablespoon chopped nuts. (341 calories, 60 grams carbohydrate, 5 grams fiber, 13 grams protein, 7 grams fat, 0.5 grams saturated fat, 5 mg cholesterol, 365 mg sodium.)
Smoothie made with 6 ounces low-fat "lite" yogurt blended with 1 cup frozen fruit and 1/2 cup soy milk or low-fat milk. (230 calories, 42 grams carbohydrate, 6.5 grams fiber, 9 grams protein, 4 grams fat, 1 gram saturated fat, 5 mg cholesterol, 130 mg sodium.)
Yogurt breakfast parfait made with 6 ounces low fat "lite" yogurt, 1/2-cup fresh chopped fruit and 1/2-cup low-fat granola. (302 calories, 65 grams carbohydrate, 7 grams fiber, 10 grams protein, 4 grams fat, 2 grams saturated fat, 4 mg cholesterol, 170 mg sodium.)
Whole-grain cereal (1 cup) with 1/2-cup skim or low-fat milk and 1/2-cup fresh fruit (like blueberries). (276 calories, 62 grams carbohydrate, 10 grams fiber, 11 grams protein, 2 grams fat, 0.2 grams saturated fat, 3 mg cholesterol, 424 mg sodium.)