Health Education: food and obesity

North Carolina, like many states with soaring obesity rates, has a statewide obesity prevention program.  It is called Eat Smart Move More NC.  I am a naive optimist, but I like to think that when a state has such an initiative, all its departments, agencies, forms of government - etc - will work together.  At the very least they would not work against each other.    So how does the Lottery system play into this?  It's rather bizarre actually and of course, I would be the one to hear the commercial and scratch my head.  Here it goes.    Full disclosure, I didn't hear the whole commercial.  I missed the beginning. It seems like the narrator was asking people to define what "LUCKY" meant to them.  I heard the last person say, "when I circle around the parking lot for ten minutes and then find a space up front, 'I feel lucky.'"  The narrator then summed up the other responses (the ones I missed).  He said, something like, "If you get the last cookie in the break room cookie jar, or find the prize in your french fries, or get to park close to the store - you are LUCKY."  People who are having this kind of good luck, should "buy a lottery ticket.'   I was thinking, REALLY?! People who think cookies, french fries and limited physical activity are things to strive for - ought to spend their money on a good health insurance plan.    Myself - I feel damn lucky that I do not NEED to park close to a building.  I am ever grateful to have full use of my body in order to walk a few steps.

North Carolina Education Lottery and Obesity

North Carolina, like many states with soaring obesity rates, has a statewide obesity prevention program. It is called Eat Smart Move Mor...

Bigger than Brand X One of the explanations for an increase rate in obesity in any country is the change in portion sizes of meals away from home, drinks and individual food items.  Research suggests that when we have more food in front of us, we will eat more.  A bigger serving means more calories (unless they just add water).  So increased portion size = more calories = weight gain.  (of course, we could have all started to be more physically active when the food portions got bigger but we know THAT didn't happen).  My dismay should be easy to understand then.  This week I noticed a new veggie burger.  A company that sells other frozen meals has joined the veggie burger fray.  The package said something like, "10% more pattie than the leading brand."  I flipped the package over because there was no front of pack nutrient information and noted that it also has 70 more calories per serving.  We have got to stop this.  More food, whether you are a customer or the food provider is NOT what we need right now. Mammograms and 5 Year Survival For some time, the utility of regular breast cancer screenings with mammogram have been questioned.  The mammogram can detect smaller lumps than a self breast exam, but the lumps are often (not always) harmless. The harmlessness of the lump is not known until subsequent invasive tests and months of  increased stress are endured.  Furthermore, the mammogram does not appear to reduce the risk of breast cancer death. An observation piece written in the online version of the British Medical Journal is quite informative.  When considering the effectiveness of a test or treatment, we often use 5 year survivability as a measure.  The five years begin at the time of diagnosis.  Drs. Woloshin and Schwartz provide a great example in <a href="http://www.bmj.com/content/345/bmj.e5132" target="_blank">the article</a>.  If a group of women are all diagnosed at the age of 65 and die before they are 70 than the 5 year survival rate is 0.  If those same women were diagnosed at age 63, the survival rate will be increased if they die after age 68.  HOWEVER, they will all still be dead at age 70.  It is a matter of how long one is living with a diagnosis more than whether or not an early diagnosis changed thins.   The important part is what happens AFTER the diagnosis.  The treatment.  You have to make an informed decision about mammograms but I will tell you this - examining your breasts  (feeling them) and looking for lumps IS an effective screening tool.  McDonalds - <a href="http://www.cspnet.com/news/foodservice/articles/mcdonalds-launches-favorites-under-400-calories" target="_blank">Look Here</a> P&G Snacks Save the Day -  The consumer products company reported a 45% increase in sales from Q4 2011 to Q4 2012 and gives all the credit to its snacking business.  (dratz) Fruit V Fruit Juice  Dr. Robert Lustig continues to educate people on the problems with fructose as found in sucrose and HFCS.  In a radio interview, he closed his presentation by addressing the issue of fruit.  "YES" he said, People should absolutely eat fruit but just as certainly, avoid fruit juice.  He said that the most important thing that fruit offers us is fiber. He noted that most people will not over consume oranges.  They will eat one.  But think of how easy it is to drink 2-3 glasses of orange juice which has many more calories minus the fiber. Shower Scene As I was going from the pool area to the locker room one day last week, a younger student(20s) was behind me.  She asked, out of nowhere "How do you stay so thin?"  OF course this turned into a long conversation (I exercise a lot and do not eat too many calories) and a referral to my <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=39ZrmIM2fjI&list=PL65CA668E50ED16FE&index=2&feature=plpp_video" target="_blank">You Tube channel</a> where she could learn about Volumetrics.  But I also shared some personal info with my young enquirer.  At one time I weighed much much more than I do now, and I have weighed the same lower weight for over ten years. During our conversation I was either in a swim suit or a towel - so yeah - no hiding under clothes.  And she said, "But your skin looks so young."  Awesome right?.  What I think that she meant was that it had elasticity and tone.  Nice. (exercise, use lotion, don't smoke).

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Bigger than Brand X One of the explanations for an increase rate in obesity in any country is the change in portion sizes of meals away fro...

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North Carolina Education Lottery and Obesity

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