When the average is a bad thing.

<span style="font-size: large;">A frien<span style="font-size: large;">d shared a smart phone app with me yester<span style="font-size: large;">day.  It is called Fooducate.  You can visit the webpage by cli<span style="font-size: large;">cking<span style="font-size: large;"> <a href="http://www.fooducate.com/" target="_blank">here</a>.  If yo<span style="font-size: large;">u have a smart <span style="font-size: large;">phone (iphone or a<span style="font-size: large;">ndro<span style="font-size: large;">id)</span></span> you can download the free application.  The link was shared with me b<span style="font-size: large;">ecause I am studying the use of nutrition information in college students and my colleague<span style="font-size: large;"> thought that menu labeling wasn't go<span style="font-size: large;">i<span style="font-size: large;">ng to cut it with this age group. (I <span style="font-size: large;">plan to find out)</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;">I went ahead and downloaded the app to test it out. <span style="font-size: large;">You can hold your phon<span style="font-size: large;">e's camera lens <span style="font-size: large;">near the barcode of the food item and it will read it.  Then you are taken to a webpage th<span style="font-size: large;">at give<span style="font-size: large;">s you infor<span style="font-size: large;">mation about that <span style="font-size: large;">p<span style="font-size: large;">roduct - includ<span style="font-size: large;">ing calories, sat<span style="font-size: large;">urated fat and <span style="font-size: large;">even if <span style="font-size: large;">it has GMOs.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;">To set <span style="font-size: large;">up the application on your <span style="font-size: large;">phone, you enter 6 pieces of information.  One of them is your weight.  When I got to that screen, there was this message "the average <span style="font-size: large;">woman weigh<span style="font-size: large;">s 160 pounds and the <span style="font-size: large;">average <span style="font-size: large;">man weighs 190 pounds."  I am pretty sure it said the average American....  Let me make something very clear - the average weight is overweight or ob<span style="font-size: large;">ese - greater than 60% of the US Pop<span style="font-size: large;">ulation falls into this categ<span style="font-size: large;">ory.  In fact, the NHIS released data reports <span style="font-size: large;">today that show the obesity rate is at about 30% currently.  <span style="font-size: large;">Many w<span style="font-size: large;">omen who weigh 160 pounds are not at a healthy weight.  <span style="font-size: large;">Do NOT be comforted or fooled into thinking that</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span>  a 'normal' <span style="font-size: large;">or 'average'</span> weight is <span style="font-size: large;">good</span>.<span style="font-size: large;"> <i>(I am not speaking to anyone individually here - a healthy weight is determined by your blood work <span style="font-size: large;">(</span>glucose, cholesterol etc) and blood pressure, physical stamina<span style="font-size: large;">, physical and mental comfort, etc)</span></i></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;">I read the statement re: 160 pounds yesterday and t<span style="font-size: large;">oday the NHIS brief was in my mailbox.  I thought that was a neat co<span style="font-size: large;">incidence</span>. Here is the latest <span style="font-size: large;">data - in <span style="font-size: large;">graph form.  This comes from the CDC.</span></span></span></span>  </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmfPK-o1KkxbtmnvufoaqmvY8AUTf-Aa-W3_R_Qb0PrjBapi9YKUK2QtnxW9yd316VqVq8WNjgysnuDbcDbd4BYMYW0WbvthDJlU-rX_Id0oNnAWsWZIFOFTA9leyl2aopKz5OPOesnH10/s1600/obesity+2012.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="477" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmfPK-o1KkxbtmnvufoaqmvY8AUTf-Aa-W3_R_Qb0PrjBapi9YKUK2QtnxW9yd316VqVq8WNjgysnuDbcDbd4BYMYW0WbvthDJlU-rX_Id0oNnAWsWZIFOFTA9leyl2aopKz5OPOesnH10/s640/obesity+2012.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">NOTE: this is one of our Health Indicators... The goal is that white line... we want to be UNDER it.</span></span></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span> </span></span></span></span></span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;">Rememb<span style="font-size: large;">er that excess weight is assoc<span style="font-size: large;">iated with meta<span style="font-size: large;">b<span style="font-size: large;">olic dysfu<span style="font-size: large;">ntion.  This<span style="font-size: large;"> </span>p<span style="font-size: large;">uts a person at risk f<span style="font-size: large;">or diabetes and heart disease.  <span style="font-size: large;">The state of obesity in this country <span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;">affects</span> children and adults.  It is not okay for our normal to be unhealthy.  <span style="font-size: large;">Adults are living longer sicker and our youth are expected to have shorter life expe<span style="font-size: large;">ctancies than their pare<span style="font-size: large;">nts.  Its a serious prob<span style="font-size: large;">lem.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span>

When the average is a bad thing.

A frien d shared a smart phone app with me yester day.  It is called Fooducate.  You can visit the webpage by cli cking here .  If yo u hav...

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