Sarah Palin to Destroy "Big Government" With Cookies

Sarah Palin, ex-beauty queen and avid caribou hunter, hates big government. So, the "hockey mom" is mounting a revolution... with cookies.

As First Lady Michelle Obama goes around advocating more fruits and vegetables in public schools, Sarah Palin is visiting schools to pass out cookies.

Michelle is fronting a plan by the United States Surgeon General to improve cafeteria food, push physical education, and to bring more supermarkets to low-income communities.

But Sarah Palin has other ideas. Earlier this month, "Mama Grizzly" stopped by a school in Pennsylvania with dozens of cookies, a gesture obviously in protest to Michelle Obama's campaign for better nutrition.

"Who should be making the decisions what you eat and school choice and everything else?" Palin asked the students. "Should it be government, or should it be the parents?"

This is so silly. If Sarah Palin wants to drop by a school and hand out cookies, that's cool. I hated school, so a free cookie would have brightened up my day. But to make it some sort of political statement is dumb.

Pressuring schools to improve food is not a "political battleground." It's a no-brainer. People should be happy government is finally addressing an issue it has a decent chance of fixing.

But listen, this whole idea of "let the parents decide" isn't working. American kids are fat and getting fatter. So, either our children are a bunch of cement heads, or we have lazy parents who are too busy voting for Dancing With the Stars to teach their kids good eating habits. I say the parents stink.

Now I'm not suggesting the federal government tell you what you can and cannot eat in your own home. That's an idiotic notion. But, if a public school says no to junk food, like cookies, then that's the rule, period.

Reforming school lunch is not an attack on civil liberties. It's about healthier kids. But if you think it's un-American for your child to eat lunch without cookies, then pack them some.

Image credit: Ohio River

Food Weird cookies government junk food school school lunches 35 Comments New York Museum on 26 Nov 2010

Mrs. Palin is not interested in improving nutrition for the nation's children. She wants to be president no matter the cost. If it means more diabetes so be it!!! You betcha!

Reply Duane on 26 Nov 2010

The only reason Palin appears to be popular is because she's the only one keeping her name in the news. Her real popularity numbers are quite small, this circus will never reach the White House. Just stop paying attention to her and she'll go away.

Reply Bonnie on 26 Nov 2010

Amen, Duane: every time Palin opens her mouth (or tweets, or whatever) the media goes nuts. It's like raising kids - the behavior that gets the most attention is the behavior that gets reinforced.

What is she going to do next - go to schools and tell kids to stop playing at recess and sit on their behinds because the government wants to encourage more exercise for children?

Reply blob on 27 Nov 2010

The left can't stop paying attention to her as she rides this wave to megabank city. I'm not a Palin fan, but she certainly has a way of bouncing back which drives that certain segment nuts.

Not only that, they keep hammering her on that intelligence factor, yet she keeps getting stronger. I wouldn't discount her out, and she's a queen with the one liners.

She held her own against Biden in the VP debates and many people felt she won the second half of that debate. This woman gets torn to shreds and she fights back strong. I find it funny that the left and the right fear her.

More power to her.

Reply Duane on 27 Nov 2010

Don't know what debate you watched, but I didn't see her winning against Biden. And Biden's hardly a master debater. Hokey one liners and simple quotes anybody could toss around (Joe six pack?). When pressed on issues, her ignorance shines and if she's in the spotlight in a presidential race, she won't be able to get away with her simplistic country bumpkin responses.
I don't think the left fears her, with the exception of a few hardcore fans, most Americans won't vote for her, they can see she isn't remotely qualified. She's benefitting from our celebrity obsessed society where anybody can be famous for a while. I think she's more of a curiousity right now, like a car accident you can't help but watch. It'll pass and we'll all be the better for it.

Reply blob on 28 Nov 2010

And Biden's who they put in the vp spot? Mr Gaffmaster Flash. Pressed on issues, she'll do just fine, as she did against her republican opponents in Alaska.

I'd also say she is as remotely qualified as the fellah who can't seem to get his message out without a teleprompter, who has trouble speaking off the cuff utilizing all all that wasted airspace with stuttering, aahhs, and ummmms (basic speech 101), and can't help but blather on for fifteen minutes on a question that should take a couple.

What a load of hot air and you don't think she can win? Maybe not, but I'm not seeing much from either side.

At least she can stand up for herself when I can't seem to get what the great orator stands for on anything. He abandoned the left, he floats around confusing everyone and the rest of the planet just laughs at him.

I think James Carville got it right when he said something about if Hillary gave him one of hers they'd both have a pair.

I'll go eat some cookies now and hope Mrs O can do a better job than Mr. Communicator.

Reply Duane on 28 Nov 2010

I'll agree, Biden's no prize either. But Palin against her opponents in Alaska? Bumpkins up there. A gold mine for Jerry Springer. And she gave up on her state halfway through her term. Lots of corruption, but then again, there's corruption everywhere in politics.

Obama wasn't ready for the job, but then again, nobody was going to be able to fix what's wrong right now. 2 unwinnable wars, global recession mostly caused by greed, the guy didn't stand a chance. Too bad, he seems nice.

Reply Natalie on 27 Nov 2010

One can only hope!

Reply Nutrition Nut on 26 Nov 2010

Unfortunately Sarah Palin is focused on using the warm and fuzzy American icons or stereotypes to help her image - not, our national health!

Reply ArrowSmith on 26 Nov 2010

How does Sarah Palin want to hurt kids by keeping the yoke of government off our backs? Sarah Palin stands for FREEDOM.

Reply Nutrition Nut on 26 Nov 2010

The point is not the yoke of government - it is image building by a political machine.

Reply Mehitabel on 29 Nov 2010

Sarah Palin stands for Sarah Palin.

Reply Lestamore on 26 Nov 2010

To be honest, I was my middle school student body vice president, and this was pretty much my campaign strategy. Those kids with cookies in hand would probably totally vote for her now.

Maybe that is her plan... make new little republicans with the persuasive power of butter and sugar.

Reply Duane on 26 Nov 2010

Nah, they'll be too fat to get to the polling stations.

Reply ArrowSmith on 26 Nov 2010

You're so bigoted.

Reply Duane on 27 Nov 2010

This coming from the right. HAHA!

Reply ArrowSmith on 26 Nov 2010

Reforming school lunch is not an attack on civil liberties. It's about healthier kids. But if you think it's un-American for your child to eat lunch without cookies, then pack them some.

Except some of you would be for banning that too.

Reply Gerald "Gerry" Pugliese on 28 Nov 2010

Well, if that news came out, I'd rail against it too.

Reply ArrowSmith on 26 Nov 2010

Sarah Palin is a great American. Yup.

Reply Spectra on 26 Nov 2010

She's such a media-whore. I most definitely think she pulled this stunt to get attention from the American public and could care less about the nutrition of this country's children. Of course it's the parents' resposibility to feed their kids properly but yes, most parents are lazy and it might not be a bad idea to at least regulate what is offered to the kids at school so they aren't eating crap 24/7.

Reply carolbur89 on 26 Nov 2010

I like her

Reply Ellobern on 26 Nov 2010

I hate her.

Reply Ryan on 26 Nov 2010

The real solution is to repeal public education and let parents/private schools decide how to best handle this problem.

Reply Berzerker on 26 Nov 2010

So...She's trying to make a political statement denouncing big government by telling kids to eat junk...Um, hasn't junk food made the so-called big government quite a bit of money?

Reply ArrowSmith on 27 Nov 2010

How is she telling kids to eat junk? She's simply making a statement that government should butt OUT of parenting. I mean look at how fit Palin's kids are.. Errr, don't look at Bristol that's not Sarah's fault.

Reply Berzerker on 27 Nov 2010

It was nice of her to bring cookies until she had to make it about Michelle Obama, and turn it into a political statement; She insinuated it herself, not me.

Reply kitekrazy on 27 Nov 2010

Well doesn't this bring out the fascism, left wing insanity, communist, socialist out of 90% of the diet bloggers, author not excluded.

Brain food is missing out of a lot of people's diet.

Reply ArrowSmith on 27 Nov 2010

Too much veggies and not enough organ meats. More offal, more brain power.

Reply Berzerker on 27 Nov 2010

As a tofu munching, Portlander currently learning Swedish (The language of the commies) Let it be known we are organizing and we are coming for your junk food, your guns and...Your white women! Only country music and gay-bashing can save you now!

Reply Duane on 28 Nov 2010

Hmmmm, so if you're not a hard right winger you're a commie. Interesting. Cold war ended 20 years ago, time to get with the times.

Reply Mehitabel on 29 Nov 2010

Anyone have McCarthy on speed dial??

Reply EuropeanGirl on 28 Nov 2010

Intelligent people here in Europe know she has a very low IQ and that Americans would never vote for her. but please, do something with her so she disappears, because many Europeans that don't know much about America, think that all Amercians are such idiots and make jokes about you. Sarah Palin being on tv and on the internet all the time isn't good for you!

Reply Ninja Techniques on 28 Nov 2010

I won't comment as to whether or not she'd be good as president, but passing out cookies at a school isn't a good idea

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Huge Chocolate Christmas Tree Created in France

Christmas: traditionally a time for festive decorations, and festive gluttony. Both have been combined by Patrick Roger, a French chocolatier, who has created a ten-meter (32-foot) Christmas tree... made out of chocolate.

The tree took a month to create and weighs four tons.

Mr Roger spoke of the difficulties involved, and said:
To achieve this kind of architecture - because this really is a piece of architecture - we used a sort of cavity inside to make the chocolate solid enough, because there is very strong vertical pressure.

The tree will be dismantled and given away in return for donations during France's Telethon (a charity event supporting neuromuscular disease research), which runs on December 3rd and 4th.

With four thousand kilos of chocolate, the giant tree contains over 20 million calories - that's over 25 years' worth of calories for an average person.

Image: The Telegraph's video

Weird chocolate Christmas 1 Comments Anya on 29 Nov 2010

Yes. And? I guess this must be a slow news day on the diet front. It's a piece of chocolate art made to raise money... it is not a statement of health or diet for petes sake.

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Cheerios Commercial In The Middle Of a Soap Opera

I don't like marketing. Mind you, I have a degree in it, so I understand the beast. But I still don't like it. Advertising techniques are either deceptive cons or ridiculous mini-movies that have little to do with the product being sold.

That's why this makes me mad. Commercial breaks are fine. Networks need to make money. I get that. But this is an actual advertisement for Cheerios cereal built into the script of a soap opera. No, it's not a spoof.

Watching that clip actually made me violent. Next time I see a box of Cheerios I may thrash it. Listen, I know that soap operas are lame and horrible, I don't even watch them. But, they are an art form - kind of.

Some creative person toiled over a script, trying his best to make you love these characters and relate to the drama, then some network suit walks in to the writer's room - fresh off a yacht ride - and says, "I got a very cost effective idea, let's sell out and put commercials in the actual dialogue."

I'm sorry, it's sickening. It reduces television programs - again, someone's art - to a mindless formula for good advertising. It's soulless.

At least when Wayne's World did it, it was funny. And actually poked fun at how ridiculous product-placement can be.

Now, I'm smart enough to know why networks are doing this. With DVR systems you can zip past a commercial, making advertisers less willing to dish out big bucks for ad time, but still, it sets a dangerous precedence.

What's next? You'll be watching the latest John Tavolta movie, when he suddenly turns to the camera and tells you how great Acme Toupees are? "Acme Toupees, four out of five Thetan level eights recommend it."

Image credit: DaysOfOurCheerios

Big Business Weird advertising cereal 12 Comments jriley on 20 Nov 2010

but arent they called soap operas cause they used to advertise soap... ? art has always had patrons. whoa, did i just use art and soap opera in the same paragraph?

now if this was the news or Lie to Me, then id be upset!

Reply heidimont2 on 20 Nov 2010

u are right

Reply Duane on 20 Nov 2010

Wow. Just wow. So blatant. Who talks like that? That's definitely gonna take you out of the scene, so much for suspension of disbelief.

I hate having marketing in my face constantly. It encompasses everything. Not to mention those rotten telemarketing phone calls. Grrr....

Reply Lana on 20 Nov 2010

That's really annoying. That would make me use me DVR to fast forward through that stupid dialogue.
On another note, Duane, I sometimes talk like that about food. Usually it will be because I just discovered some new healthy food that I must tell people about. I will come home from the grocery store and say to my boyfriend "OMG I found these baked whole wheat high fiber tortilla chips! Only ____cals and look how much fiber!" lol So some people do actually talk like that.

Reply Gina on 20 Nov 2010

I don't mind a little product placement but a full commercial is too much.

Reply Mike Howard on 20 Nov 2010

It's ridiculous - I've seen it become more and more prominent in movies over the years (I get it, movie characters only use mac laptops).

I'm a James Bond film fan but it's just gotten absurd "Hold on a second, M - I must check my O-mega timepiece to verify". And sorry ad placement people - I don't believe for a second that bond would go from an Astin Martin to a ford.

I love the Waynes' world spot - brought back a lot of memories.

Reply ps on 20 Nov 2010

That really is over the top. I have a solution.. change the channel! The Wayne's world one is a rip though....

Reply Spectra on 20 Nov 2010

It really is getting pretty bad. We watch "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" and the Coors product placement is pretty blatant throughout the show. But product placement has been around for decades--remember how big Reeses' Pieces got after they were featured in "E.T."? But I will agree--the Cheerios spot in the soap opera IS a bit over the top.

Reply Mike Howard on 20 Nov 2010

Yes the ET reeses pieces was pretty bold for its time. Funny story is it was supposed to be M&M's and the mars brothers said "no way" (they are notorious for being "jerks"). The rest as they say is history.

I remember the first terminator had a very prominent "nike" placement too. Back to the future as well (Pepsi - likely the influence of Michael J. Fox).

Useless trivia is my forte : )

Reply Berzerker on 20 Nov 2010

I could only stomach 1:34 of that, and that was because I was hoping to watch the semi-hot guy take off his shirt. I've never considered television art, and I always thought television's main agenda was to sell products, but that soap opera clip was the most shameless product endorsement I've ever seen. Does this mean I need to stick to only books and foreign films for ad-free "wholesome" entertainment? Hehe, "wholesome"...cheerios.

Reply waynenew89 on 21 Nov 2010

you are probably right

Reply Melanie Thomassian R.D. on 23 Nov 2010

That made me cringe! I'm with ps above, change the channel, or better still chuck the TV altogether :)

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Sugary Drinks Raise Gout Risk

Before you have a Coke and a smile, consider this. That sugary-sweet beverage may increase your risk of a painful inflammatory condition called gout.

If you're a Howard Stern fan, you'll remember show hillbilly and drunk, Richard "Its My Favorite" Christy, got gout and he could barely put weight on his smelly foot.

And a new study has found drinking too many sugary drinks, like orange juice and soda, may raise your risk of gout.

Writing in the Journal of the American Medical Association, experts found women who drank two or more cans of non-diet soda per day were more than twice as likely to develop gout, compared to women who rarely drank soda.

Causes of gout vary; medical conditions like high uric acid, metabolic syndrome, and high blood pressure may lead to gout, so can lifestyle factors, such as poor diet and lack of exercise. Genetics are also a factor.

In the study, women drinking orange juice each day also faced an increased risk of gout, similar to soda. Drinking one soda per day increased gout risk by 74%, and drinking 6 ounces of orange juice raised gout risk by 41%.

However, the researchers insist the overall risk of developing gout is very low. Over a 22 year period, only 1% of the 79,000 study participants got gout.

Symptoms of gout may include redness and swollen joints, usually in the feet and big toes, resulting in pain, fatigue, and high fever. An acute outbreak of gout will usually resolve within 5 to 7 days, but medications, like steroids, are often used to relieve symptoms.

Go ahead, read about gout. You'll find out developing gout has a lot to do with your diet, i.e. a bad diet. And since so many Americans eat horribly these days, it's no surprise gout is the latest of our diet-related woes.

Recently a commercial for Uloric, a new gout medication, started airing on television. Initially, I was shocked to see it, but then again, if you look at how people eat and today's obesity epidemic, it's not surprising.

At first, I thought the Uloric ad, with its giant green potion, was an advertisement for World of Warcraft. Plus five to true shot aura!

Image credit: Comedy Central

Health advertising exercise gout Juice Drinks soda 2 Comments Spectra on 21 Nov 2010

It's interesting that gout is making a comeback. It used to be considered a disease that royalty got, probably because back in the day it was the kings and lords and dukes that never had to labor in the fields and couldn't afford rich food. I'm not terribly worried about gout--I eat very little sugar in general and I eat a lot of veggies and fruits. You know, peasant food.

Reply ArrowSmith on 22 Nov 2010

Funny whenever you watch some Hollywood movie that shows a glamorous babe, she's always munching on grapes.

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Wendy's Introduce "Gourmet" Fries

In an attempt to capture a new segment of the market, Wendy's has introduced a new take on fast-food: "natural-cut fries with sea salt."

You can imagine the same wording on a fancy restaurant menu. The fries even sound healthy. But are they?

Sadly, no. Wendy's new fries contain considerably more sodium and slightly more calories than the standard ones.

As NPR reports:
Wendy's confirmed to us that the new medium sized fry goes from 350 milligrams to 500 milligrams.

The recommended daily limit on sodium is 2,400 milligrams, the equivalent of one teaspoon of salt. These fries would account for over a fifth of that.

The word "natural" in the fries' name isn't regulated by the government. It sounds healthy, but is essentially meaningless. Other words like "pure" and "fresh" are often used in a similar way. And even legitimate claims like "fat-free" are often misapplied to products which are unhealthy in other ways.

What's the upshot for dieters?

Well, if you're going to eat fries, you may find that you prefer the new gourmet ones (which cost the same as standard fries), and perhaps you'll be satisfied with a medium portion rather than a large one. But don't kid yourself that these fries are a healthy option.

Fast Food fries salt and sodium Wendy's 14 Comments RickInMiami on 22 Nov 2010

Who do you trust? The fries are still put into oil frozen that cools the oil that needs to be reheated to fry temperature. This cooling and reheating breaks down the oil releasing free radicals. Gourmet or natural they are still processed. Too bad it's another empty example of business trying to pander to the trend.

Reply ArrowSmith on 22 Nov 2010

My arteries are screaming for free radicals. Ok, I just want any excuse to gorge myself on burgers and fries!

Reply O. on 22 Nov 2010

As far as I can remember, Wendy's was the first fast food burger restaurant to offer alternatives to fried sides.

First it was the chili, baked potatoes, and salad bar which were all pretty unheard of in that industry.

Later on, I think they were the first to have large and small prepackaged salads. They also added fruit platers at one time and followed McDonalds putting yogurt on the menu.

Most recently, it was offering these sides as an alternative to fries on the value menu without an additional charge.

I went to them alot when I first started to try to "cut back" and change my fast food habits.

Reply Spectra on 22 Nov 2010

It's just like the people who go out and buy "organic" cookies and cakes and stuff because they are organic, so they must be somehow "healthier" than any other kind of cookie. Fries are fries...they're deep fried potatoes; they shouldn't be masquerading as a health food.

Reply Suds on 22 Nov 2010

I think the "natural" word on there is supposed to fool people into thinking "healthy" even though it refers to the cut of the fries and that's it.
And the Campbell's low sodium soup advertises that it's made with sea salt so people are going to now associate sea salt with low sodium.
Spectra- organic cookies must be the new Snackwells. Everyone gorged themselves on Snackwells years ago because they were "low fat" and who cares how many calories were in them, right?

Reply ArrowSmith on 22 Nov 2010

Oh god I'm stuffed.

Reply Bonnie on 22 Nov 2010

I think this is a way of cashing in on the 'foodie' craze. You're not just eating french fries - you're going the luxury route by eating gourmet fries with sea salt!

Reply O. on 22 Nov 2010

Oh I love that comment Bonnie! I hate foodies. It's like they (American ones) hate their own heritage.

Eating sea horses in China is "trendy" but eating mac and cheese is seen as "common". How do we know sea horses isn't the "common" snack in China and not gourmet?

I like gourmet, I like Kraft mac and cheese, I can make my own homemade mac and cheese. It's all good on different occasions.

Reply O. on 22 Nov 2010

I liked Wendy's original fries. They were pretty much the only other fast food fries that tasted anything close to McDonald"s awsome fries.

I mean how many places do you see people ordering ONLY fries? Mickey D's.

Reply ArrowSmith on 22 Nov 2010

Dude there's something wondrously chemical in Mickey D's fries. It's made in New Jersey.

Reply O. on 23 Nov 2010

You are so right! McDonald's fries have magical powers I swear.

Reply rupertgr10 on 22 Nov 2010

I am dying to taste them

Reply Jim F. on 23 Nov 2010

They look tasty enough...

Reply blob on 25 Nov 2010

Hooray for salt Mr Bloomberg! Seasoned, sea salt, it's all so good. Sometimes I enjoy a salt tablet before ingesting to ensure water retention. I also installed a salt lick at the dinner table to make sure I get enough.

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Diabetes to Triple in the U.S. by 2050

America, "land of the free" - yeah, free to eat whatever we want, which isn't exactly doing us any favors. Obesity epidemic, heart disease, cancer, high blood pressure, and diabetes... lots of diabetes.

And if we don't kick our unhealthy habits, it's going to get a lot worse.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warn if we continue to eat poorly and avoid exercise, one third of Americans will have diabetes by 2050.

Officials at the CDC studied census numbers and data on current diabetes trends, and made models to project future spikes in diabetes. Researchers say unless Americans change their lifestyles, diabetes could become even more common in the United States over the next 40 years.

The new report claims over the next 40 years the prevalence of total diabetes, both diagnosed and undiagnosed, could jump from 1 in 10 adults to between 1 in 5 adults, and 1 in 3 adults by 2050.

A spokesperson for the CDC said, "These are alarming numbers that show how critical it is to change the course of type-2 diabetes."

It's only 2010 and the U.S. is already mired in diabetes. In 2007, the American Diabetes Association estimated 17.9 million people were diagnosed with diabetes, with potentially another 5.7 million undiagnosed cases.

The CDC's current figures are no better. They estimate 24 million U.S. adults have diabetes, with type-2 diabetes being the most common. Poor diet, lack of exercise, and obesity are major risk factors for type-2 diabetes.

But hey, the rest of the world is in bad shape, too. The World Health Organization reports 220 million people have diabetes worldwide. World fail.

Image credit: Bektvel

Health diabetes obesity 7 Comments NEMO on 23 Nov 2010

Worldwide - 5.9% of adults have diabetes

Highest Prevalence (% of population):

Island of Nauru - 30% of population has diabetes
UAE - 18.7% of population has diabetes
Bahrain & Qatar - 17% of population has diabetes
Saudi Arabia - 16.7% of population has diabetes

Highest incidence of diabetes (number in population):

#1 - India
#2 - China
#3 - USA
#4 - Japan
#5 - Pakistan
#6 - Germany
#7 - Russia
#8 - Brazil
#9 - Mexico
#10 - Egypt

Reply Berzerker on 23 Nov 2010

Highest incidence of diabetes (number in population):
#1 - India
#2 - China

So...Not percentage wise? Maybe I misread, Because any idiot can tell you that India and China each have a population of over one billion people, so saying there are more diabetics in India or China than in the US is kind of a big fat "Duh" - More people! Aren't you glad this idiot told you that?

Reply NEMO on 23 Nov 2010

You didn't misread - I specifically noted the two methods of measure of population with diabetes currently in the world. What I find interesting is the percentage of population stats - the middle east has a very high percentage in their populations!

Reply Ryan on 23 Nov 2010

Hah, the FDA/USDA have taken great measures to make sure we haven't been free to eat what we want.

Reply Spectra on 23 Nov 2010

It's not surprising to me at all. Diabetes-related problems account for about 25-30% of our lab's business. Our company's president actually said that he expects an increase in business for us as diabetes becomes more prevalent. My mother-in-law is a type 2 diabetic and is starting to experience kidney failure related to her condition. Her doctor has told her to at least try to exercise, but she refuses to do it. I don't get it--many type 2 diabetics can be almost symptom-free if they alter their diet and get exercise. You'd think that would be the slap in the face they needed to get themselves in gear, but apparently that isn't the case.

Reply ps on 23 Nov 2010

NYC today has a type 2 diabetes epidemic. Over 12% of the population. Of that 12% over 75% are on the lower socio-economic strata. We have porkers yelling for their right to eat like pigs and then have them ask for handouts to treat their self induced illnesses. Then the FDA is under assault by the "American Beverage Council" and industrial food processors. Tax processed crap the liquor and tobacco is taxed while actually apllying the cash to treatment. And by the way to the factoid posters above, islands such as Tonga and others in the Pacific have the highest obesity rates. Type 2 diabetes is close behind.

Reply kitekrazy on 23 Nov 2010

The up side is that sugar free products will be more affordable.

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What Are You Doing to Get Through the 2010 Holidays Unscathed? [Forum]

What Are You Doing to Get Through the 2010 Holidays Unscathed? By RickInMiami on Nov 23, 2010 4

It's that time of the year. Starting off this week with a BIG meal for Thanksgiving. What plans have you in place to make sure that your first New Year's resolution doesn't involve weight loss? Now's the time to be thinking about it. How about you?

RICK

Exercise & Fitness   4 Comments

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Poll: Are You Blind To Your True Weight?

The mystery of why some obese people think that they look good in Lycra has been solved.

Usually a distorted body image is discussed in regards to skinny people who think they are fat.

However, a new study reveals that this works the other way too, as many obese women see themselves as not overweight.

The University of Texas Medical Branch surveyed 2200 women between the ages of 18 and 25 about their lifestyle, self-perception and dieting habits. About 25% of the women, who based on BMI were classified as obese, perceived themselves as normal.

Researchers say that this is alarming because if women don't see themselves as having a problem they are unlikely to eat healthy and exercise. Women aren't alone in this area as other recent studies noted that obese men often see themselves as normal also.

Do you struggle with a distorted body image or know someone that does? Participate in the poll and comments below.

Source: Fox News

Do you have an accurate perception of your body?

Yes No I do now, but didn't in the past. View results

Body Image Psychology polls 8 Comments Spectra on 23 Nov 2010

Oooh, I love the new format!

Anyways, on to the subject--Yes, I have an accurate perception of my body, but society does not. I get told all the time that I am "WAY too skinny", even though I am at a NORMAL body weight and have a normal body fat % (it's on the lower end of normal, but it's normal). I know of several people that are obese that think that they are just overweight and plenty of overweight people that think they are just normal. Vanity sizing has something to do with it, I think--after all, if you aren't in "plus sized" clothes, you aren't obese, right? Yet most women that wear a size 14 are pretty overweight in my opinion.

Reply O. on 23 Nov 2010

I like to say that vanity sizing is like paper money... it only means something if enough people get together to agree to give it a certain meaning... otherwise it's worthless.

The people who got together to give it a meaning are the same industry that has been selling and sizing clothing for often at least 1 decade prior to the vanity sizing craze.

It's like this, the more people you can sell to the more money you can make.

I think this term "vanity sizing" is the industry that praises skinny models way of getting revenge on the fact that they are at the mercy of thicker people with money to spend.

Reply O. on 23 Nov 2010

I was at the website of a woman that makes medieval costumes the other day. She said on her website that any potential client of hers must be a size 18 or smaller otherwise she cant't make a costume for them.

Why? I don't know exactly. I doubt she is making the cut off at 18 just for folly and at a loss of pontential business.

There is "bigger" and then there is someone who needs two airplane seats.

And that is what I think it is about. When you are too big to get the outfit you want or sit on a plane like a normal person.

I'm not going to make an issue out of someone who could loose what weight they need to in 2-3 months!

Do you really want to put someone 90 days aways from being treated with dignity?

Reply Berzerker on 23 Nov 2010

I was anorexic as a teen, and considered myself fat if I dared got into triple digits as far as weight ('m 5'5"). These days, if I measure over 35/25/35 I consider myself fat. (Sad as it sounds, that's a step up from my ana years.) So, in a way I can't help but envy people who are okay with themselves although they need to lose a few. It sure beats the hell I've put myself through.

Reply ralphfie89 on 24 Nov 2010

that's too much fat

Reply bijou on 24 Nov 2010

I'm disappointed when the scale shows 100 lbs and thrilled when it shows 99 lbs. I'm 5'1"-5'2".

Reply Pater Rolf Hermann Lingen on 24 Nov 2010

I have similar experiences as Spectra:

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3 Ways to Avoid Overdoing it This Holiday Season

Can a single meal trigger a heart attack?

According to researchers, a huge meal similar to what many eat at Thanksgiving or Christmas, can actually set the stage for a heart attack, in those at risk for heart disease.

The study of 1,986 heart attack patients in 2000, suggested that an unusually large meal quadrupled the chance of having a heart attack within the next two hours.

Dr. Lopez-Jimenez said this,
Overeating should be considered as a heart attack trigger, much in the same way as extreme physical activities and severe anger episodes may cause an MI... People at risk for a heart attack should be careful not only about the total caloric intake they eat every day, but the size of individual meals as well.

So, if you tend to eat way to much at this time of year, here are 3 ways avoid overdoing it this holiday season:

1. Downsize Your Serveware
Most people will eat everything that is pilled onto their plates, regardless of whether it's more than they need to feel satisfied. So, eating from a salad plate is a good way to control this.

Studies have also shown that people eat as much as 56 percent more when they serve themselves from a one-gallon bowl, rather than a half-gallon one. So, if you plan to serve your Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner from large bowls in the centre of the table, try using smaller serving dishes, as a way to encourage everyone to eat a little less.

This idea works with glassware, too. Large gobblet-shaped glasses can hold up to one third of a bottle of wine. However, people fail to realize just how much alcohol they are consuming from these supersized glasses.

If you drink alcohol, limit your intake to just one small glass of wine. As for juices and soft drinks, they are simply empty calories -- you would be better sticking with water, and saving up the calories for something tastier later on.

2. Portion Control
As an extra way to check that your food portions aren't too big, here are some guidelines: fill half your dinner plate with non-starchy vegetables, then one quarter with starchy carbs, and one quarter with lean meat, or alternatives.

3. Indulge -- but just a little!
Personally, I enjoy dessert way too much to avoid it. If you are the same, pass on the drinks pre-dinner, the bread roll and butter with your entree, and also that extra scoop of potatoes at dinner. Then you can easily enjoy a small piece of cheesecake, guilt-free and without too much sacrifice.

If all else fails, and you end up eating enough to feed a tiny country, get back on the healthy eating handwagon right away, and then get some exercise. There's no point slacking off just because it's the holidays. When you do that, you set yourself up for a long slippery road back to where you were pre-vacation. It's not worth it!

So, what are your tips for surviving the holiday season without gaining those dreaded extra pounds?

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Food 14 Comments Berzerker on 24 Nov 2010

Could always try fasting for Thanksgiving - By giving up food for the day (Or at least most of), it makes you realize what you take for granted, and thus feel truly thankful. I've told several people this and they either ignore me or think I'm crazy - Figures.

Reply Melanie Thomassian R.D. on 25 Nov 2010

That would certainly be a unique way to approach the holiday. I don't fancy it personally, though!

Reply Spectra on 24 Nov 2010

I don't plan on overdoing it at all this year. I usually do what I normally do--fill about half the plate with salad and take a tiny serving of all of my absolute favorites (green bean casserole, mashed potatoes, turkey, and a little bit of cranberry sauce). I share a piece of pie with my husband and drink a cup of coffee with cream and sugar for dessert. It's a nice meal, but I don't pig out or anything.

Reply Dennis Blair Fort Collins Personal Trainer on 24 Nov 2010

You know, why is it that every year these common sense tips are always offered but never followed? We always hear about portion control, but since it is the holidays, we just tell ourselves it will be okay!

Reply Melanie Thomassian R.D. on 25 Nov 2010

Yes, and then wonder where all the extra fat came from!

Reply ArrowSmith on 25 Nov 2010

Yeah tell it our poor, overstressed bodies that it's a holiday.

Reply Bethany on 24 Nov 2010

Love the site's new look!

Reply Melanie Thomassian R.D. on 25 Nov 2010

Me too!! :)

Reply Auden C on 24 Nov 2010

Is it really that terrible to indulge for one day, especially if it is a cherished holiday? If you do not want to, more power to you. But for those dieters who love partaking in a family meal, or specifically enjoy Thanksgiving, why not have one day where you can have both cocktails and a slice of cheesecake? Think of it as your 'free' day. Checking the anxiety at the door will go a long way towards your mental health, and towards finding a balanced approach to eating, as opposed to cycles of binging and restriction. Maybe reduce calories in the days leading up if you are that concerned. For me, what has always worked is allowing myself to enjoy Thanksgiving and Christmas but showing restraint at the endless procession of holiday parties. 6 weeks of fudge trays, rhubarb pies, mashed potatoes, egg nog, etc. is what kills most people's waistlines, I think, not a slice of pumpkin pie and an extra scoop of mashed potatoes one day a year.

Reply Melanie Thomassian R.D. on 25 Nov 2010

No I don't think it is. But, overdoing it can send some people off on a downward spiral. And, the reality is that for many people the overeating is constant from Thanksgiving right through to New Year, with so many parties and family get togethers.

These tips can be applied all over the holiday season, not just on one day of the year.

Reply Larry Scott on 25 Nov 2010

Thanks for the nice article. I think that weight gain is the major concern of most people during this festive season. One simple way to avoid overeating during the holiday season is to firstly opt for veggies and healthy salads. It will ensure that you will eat less of high calorie foods on your second trip to the kitchen. Also, try to exercise a bit more to burn off the extra calories that you consumed during the holidays.

Reply ArrowSmith on 25 Nov 2010

So what are the details of the study? 2000 perfectly healthy people had heart attacks after having an "unusually large meal"? Or were it high-risk people who had this meal and that's what triggered it? Really if you're gonna have sensationalist articles like this, please back it up with more concrete facts.

Reply Melanie Thomassian R.D. on 25 Nov 2010

Hi ArrowSmith,
I've added a bit more detail to the article. The findings were reported at one of the American Heart Association's Scientific meetings. I've linked to the Medscape Medical News coverage of it in the article now. They reported that people at risk for heart disease were 4 times more likely than others to suffer a MI after eating a large meal.

Reply ArrowSmith on 25 Nov 2010

You would think those people would be extra careful with portion control.

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Aerobic and Strength Training Good for Diabetes Control

Diabetes is a pretty big deal -- with rising obesity it has become the epidemic of this century. 23.6 million children and adults in the United States alone are affected (7.8% of the population). Add another 57 million (give or take) who have pre-diabetes, and we have a crisis on our hands that is projected to triple by 2050, and cost over 3.3 trillion (with a "T") by 2020.

It's now pretty common sense that exercise does improve blood sugar control in type II diabetics, however most studies focus on singular exercise interventions.

But, a study from the Journal of the American Medical Association examined the effectiveness of both aerobic, strength training, and combined aerobics and strength training protocols when it comes to haemoglobin A1c levels (a measure of how much sugar is sticking to cells and hence a good predictor of long term elevated blood glucose). Here are the details.

Study Parameters262 men and women with type II diabetesAverage age 56 years9 month exercise programAverage Hemoglobin A1c levels 7.7% (normal levels are 4-5.9%)41 participants were assigned to the non-exercise control group; 73 to resistance training sessions; 72 to aerobic exercise sessions; and 76 to combined aerobic and resistance training.Study Results

Hba1c Levels

- 0.34% combo group- 0.16% strength training only- 0.24% aerobic training only

The control group actually increased its use of diabetes medications, while the combination training group decreased its diabetes medication use.

Weight Loss

All exercise groups reduced waist circumference (.75-1.1 inches)The resistance training group lost an average of 3.1 lbs of fat massThe combo group lost an average of 3.7 lbs of fat massFor Best Results: Diversify

If I could describe your diabetes action plan in the most basic of terms it would be clean up your diet, move, and lift. In other words, do a combo and stop ordering combos!

Make better nutritional choices by drastically reducing refined/liquid carbs and overall calories, strength train at least two times per week, and get your heart rate going through cardio activity and/or metabolic strength training. Also, keep yourself moving when you aren't doing the above.

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Science cardio diabetes strength training 2 Comments xenastar on 25 Nov 2010

maintaining your weight into healthy range will help also help you to control your diabetes

Reply Spectra on 25 Nov 2010

This is very true--my MIL is diabetic and never exercises. But I know another woman who also has type 2 diabetes and is off all her meds because she walks/jogs and lifts weights regularly. It can make a huge difference. That's part of why I stay active--diabetes runs in my family and I plan to avoid it at all costs.

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People Who Handle Your Food Work Sick

Have you ever actually found a fly in your soup? I haven't. I've seen it in cartoons, but in real life? No, never.

Unless you're eating at an outdoor café in Calcutta, you're probably safe from rabid winged pests.

But apparently food service workers are a bigger threat to your dinner than Musca domestica Linnaeus; a new study says many food restaurant employees go to work sick, and don't get sick days.

The survey, conducted by Restaurant Opportunities Centers United, a national organization representing restaurant workers, found two-thirds of restaurant workers go to work when they're sick. Oh fantastic!

It gets worse. Nearly 90% of these brave souls serving our food do not get paid sick days and 60% do not receive any health insurance.

Sorry folks, that's just wrong. But, in the United States we have a bizarre dynamic. If you button up your white collar and don't have health benefits it's a travesty, but if you punch a clock. Oh well, get a real job loser!

In the report, a lady working in the food service for 30 years talks about being really sick one day. She had a bad cold with all the trimmings: runny nose, sneezing, cough, and a fever. But she couldn't call out, she needed the money.

However, later on she asked her manager if she could leave. She was too sick to carry on and was coughing up a storm and didn't want to make the customers sick. So her compassionate manager said, "Try not to cough, then."

Now that's classy! Listen, that can't happen. People who handle your food or who take care of sick people need special allowances, for the sake of public health. And if it requires a doctor's note, fine, so be it.

If I go out to eat and someone on death's door serves me my food, I'm going to be ticked off, so any self-respecting restaurant owner should be on high-alert for that sort of thing...same goes for doctors and nurses too.

Image credit: TheEmoSurfer

Fast Food Weird food preparation food safety healthcare 11 Comments O. on 14 Nov 2010

My dad went to an old coworkers house for lunch a few months ago. I guess he had never been to the guys house. Well anyway my dad politely ( naw, probably not!) declined to eat because the guy pet his dog then went back to cooking without washing his hands.

Reply O. on 14 Nov 2010

By the way, as a former retail worker I know that that going out in public sick thing works for customers as well as employees. I'm having flashbacks of all the Christmases I caught someones cold.

Reply Bonnie on 14 Nov 2010

A friend of mine worked in a buffet style restaurant where if you came in sick they would put you at the register. The idea was that at least you weren't handling the food, just breathing (& coughing & sneezing) into customers' faces.

The restaurant industry really needs to give sick time for employees, since they don't pay enough for them to be able to miss work.

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How Much Do Fast Food Companies Spend on Advertising?

Never underestimate the power of screaming child. It's like nails on a chalkboard, only a gabillion times worse.

Most parents can barely stand their kids, especially if they're throwing a tantrum. Make them stop, make them stop!

That's why advertising to kids is so successful. It taps into the nag-factor. Why argue with a 5-year old, when you can just give them what they want and be done with it.

Fast food companies know this all too well, so they've stepped up advertising to children.

The report, from the Yale University Rudd Center for Food Policy & Obesity, found the fast food industry spent over $4.2 billion on marketing and advertising on television, Internet, social media sites, and mobile applications in 2009.

Researchers say despite pledges by fast food companies to improve their marketing practices, advertising to kids is on the up tick. Ha! Ask businesses to act responsibly? Oh that's rich!

Additionally, the experts claim preschoolers see 21% more fast food ads on television than they did in 2003. Older kids see 34% more. Figures show McDonald's has thirteen websites, attracting 365,000 unique child visitors under 12 every month, like Ronald.com.

In Europe, they've tightened restrictions on marketing to children, which is a good thing. Kids are way too naïve and impressionable. They don't know that McDonald's is unhealthy, loaded with salt and fat. It's not fair.

Then again, to be totally honest, I haven't seen too many TV commercials hawking fast food to kids anymore, more web ads than anything else. Maybe they're on kids' channels. I'm not a Sponge Bob fan so I wouldn't know.

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Big Business Teens and Kids advertising childhood obesity fast food 5 Comments Ninja Techniques on 14 Nov 2010

Totally not surprised, though. Companies love marketing to kids because of all the $ involved, but I wish they would show some restraint.

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15 Smart Tips You Can Try Now

Some of what's been swimming around in my head lately;

Moderation: It's probably less than you think it is. In general, I advise against buying into the extremes of nutritional philosophy. The answer is usually somewhere in the middle. Kick yourself in the comfort zone - try things you haven't before - attack your weaknesses in the gym and in regards to what you put down your pie-hole. If the world of dietary claims and opinions needs one thing, it's context. It is hasty to label things as "good" or "evil" without the proper context. There is a fine line between skepticism and closed-mindedness but there is an equally fine line between open-minded and gullibility. 2 things I could do without: Celebrity gyms and single-food diet experiments.Don't forget your D's! My hemisphere is approaching winter. There's a 95

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Is There Really a Food-Mood Connection?

So, chocolate makes you happy. Eating fish makes you smarter. And, sugar makes kids hyper. Right?

Many of us really want to believe that eating certain things will boost our mood. But, does the science really back up these beliefs?

It appears that many of the commonly accepted thoughts about food and mood are merely "in our head!"

A feature published in the British Medical Journal in 2008, reported that when a review of 12 trials was carried out, it found no difference could be detected in behaviour between the children who had sugar, and those who did not.

Even in studies of those who were considered "sensitive" to sugar, children did not behave differently after eating sugar full, or sugar-free diets.

It seems that when parents think their child has been given a drink containing sugar (even if it is really sugar-free), they rate their behaviour as more hyperactive.

Robin Kanarek, who directs the nutrition and behavior laboratory at Tufts University in Medford, said this: The fact that parents expect their kids to bounce off the walls after they eat sweets is what perpetuates the behavior... moreover, many parents don't realize that the body can't tell the difference between the sugar in a glass of apple juice, or the sugar in a large cookie.

Aside from the sugar-hyperactivity connection, Kanarek continues, Our perceptions about food and what it will do for us are very strong, and can create a self-fulfilling prophecy, even if no physiological evidence exists.

It's true that many adults report feeling much better after eating some chocolate or a sticky doughnut, for example. It makes me wonder, if getting your sugar fix after a hard day at the office makes you "feel" good again, is that really such a bad thing?

What do you think -- do certain foods make you feel better?

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Alcohol and High-Energy Drinks Don't Mix

After a college freshman ended up in hospital, Washington has become the fourth state in America to restrict the sale of Four Loko - a canned drink with high levels of alcohol and caffeine.

Experts say that the combination can be deadly. The high caffeine levels can make drinkers feel less intoxicated than they really are, often leading to excessive drinking.

Some students mix high-energy drinks with hard liquor, creating their own concoctions; others buy pre-packaged products.The Independent reported on the contents of one of these, Four Loko:
One can has about the same caffeine as a six-pack of Diet Coke. Four Loko's drinks contain 12% alcohol and are packaged in 23.5-ounce cans - that is reportedly equivalent to drinking almost an entire bottle of wine.

Sure, alcohol and caffeine isn't a brand new combination, rum and coke has always been popular. But excessive levels of caffeine and alcohol can lead to tragedy. New York are considering banning these drinks after a girl died.

If you enjoy drinks with mixers:

Avoid high-caffeine mixers, like Jolt and MonsterIf you're dieting, remember that liquids contain calories too. Alcohol contains seven calories per gram, and energy drinks tend to be packed with sugar (around four calories per gram).Keep an eye on your alcohol intake. Some mixed drinks taste deceptively un-alcoholic.

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Health Alcohol Caffeine 9 Comments Ann on 17 Nov 2010

This is kind of ridiculous. One of these drinks alone won't hurt you, the problem is binge drinking kids. Are they planning to ban red bull and vodka? How about Irish coffee?

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20 Healthy Snack Ideas For Children

In an on-going battle to help our children eat healthily, here is a "cheat-sheet" on some healthy snack options to have at home, pack for a multi-hour trip, or throw in the lunch box for school.

Fruits (all of them - take advantage of seasonal options)Fruit salads - why not combine several fruits?Veggies - again the world is your oyster here. Add a healthy dip such as hummus or red pepper dip. Some examples; peppers (all colours), cherry tomatoes, broccoli florets, cauliflower florets, cucumbers, green beans, peas, baby carrotsApplesauce (look for sugar free, or make it yourself and add cinnamon) Trail Mix (customized)CheeseAnts on a log - celery with peanut butter and raisins (go for nuts only peanut butter, or try other nut butters)Ants on a log supreme - add additional seeds (sesame, pumpkin, sunflower)Apple volcano (cut the core out of an apple and put peanut butter in the middle)Plain yogurt with fresh or frozen fruit (add a bit of maple syrup, or honey if too tart)Cottage cheese (with fruit if desired)Hard boiled eggsSoup in a thermos (add cheese and whole grain crackers as a side)Wraps (add low sodium, nitrate-free turkey, or other lunch meat, chicken or tuna/salmon)Edamame - heat up and serve as a side dish, or a quick snack.Smoothies - tons of options here; mix fruit with milk and yogurt.Fruit kabobs - with a wooden skewer place cheese cubes and a variety of fruits.At-home salad bar - get out greens, veggies, nuts and let your kids build their own custom salads. Lettuce wraps - take romaine hearts and place a low sodium, low nitrate lunch meat, cheese, peppers in between it, with mayo or mustard. Close with a toothpick.Homemade popsicles - invest in a popsicle tray and buy a high quality, no sugar added fruit juice - pour, freeze and serve. Perfect for hot days!What are your favorite healthy snack ideas?

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Even Preschoolers Want To Be Thin

Girls as young as three are already "emotionally invested" in being thin, according to a small study of 55 preschoolers.

I really didn't expect kids this young to even notice what weight someone was. But then again, our culture has become obsessed with body image, so does this really surprise anyone?

The girls behavior indicated they did not even want to be friends with someone who was "fat". Given the extent of our current obesity epidemic, that is particularly worrying. I mean, what kind of relationships will today's children form in later years with an attitude like this at such a young age?

Let's take a closer look at the study: Researchers had the preschoolers (3 to 5 years old) look at three figures, identical in every way except for their body size -- thin, average and fat. The children had to associate each of 12 adjectives (six positive and six negative) with a figure.Researchers then said: "Point to the girl that you think is/has ____." Positive descriptors included: nice, smart, friends, neat, cute and quiet. The negative descriptors were: mean, stupid, no friends, sloppy, ugly and loud.Then the girls were presented with nine figures, three of each body type, and they had to circle the three they would most like to play with, and one they would want as a best friend. The children were significantly more likely to choose the thin figure over the other two for a best friend. Similar results showed up for their circle of friends to play with.

They also played a game of Chutes and Ladders, or Candy Land, where they had to choose game pieces, designed for the task, varying only in body type (thin, average, and fat). Lead researcher Jennifer Harriger, of Pepperdine University in Malibu, said this:

Interestingly, several participants were reluctant to even touch the fat game piece... For example, one child selected the thin piece as the girl she wanted to 'be' to play the game. When I presented her with the fat piece and asked her if she was willing to switch, she crinkled her nose and she reached around my hand, avoiding touching the fat piece altogether, picked up the average-size piece and said, 'No, I won't switch with you, but I will be this one instead.'... Other participants made comments such as, "I hate her, she has a fat stomach," or "She is fat. I don't want to be that one." (LiveScience)So, what can we do to remedy this problem?Here are a few suggestions to help your child develop a healthy body image:Eat together at mealtimes -- families who eat together are less likely to suffer from eating issues.Don't make comments about your own weight, or the weight of others. So, no talking about how fat your stomach is, or how you really shouldn't be eating this piece of cake.Encourage your children for what they do, not what they look like.Make the focus on improving their health, not losing weight.Be a role model -- eat healthy foods and take some exercise.Limit your child's exposure to mainstream media, which tends to have a strong emphasis on thin models, or an unhealthy focus on body image.Help your children find something they can take pride in -- having a sense of accomplishment helps improve self-esteem.

I read a comment from one reader on this topic who said, "Do people really think this is bad? We're constantly told about the childhood obesity epidemic, and now we think it's bad because they want to be thin?"

What are your thoughts on this reader's attitude? Do you agree?

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Weight Loss: A Very Cool Solution

Take a curious ex-NASA scientist and a forward-thinking pop culture author, and the result may be a revolutionary (and perhaps a bit uncomfortable) weight loss method.

Using the laws of thermodynamics, Ray Cronise has hypothesised that strategic exposure to cold will accelerate weight loss. He credits this method for his 30lbs weight loss in 6 weeks.

Says Cronise; Our body temperature remains constant and it takes a lot of energy to keep it that way, no different than heating your house... I treated my body like a thermostat... to see if I could run up the utility bill and get the furnace (my metabolism) running at full blast. Source

A seed of curiosity was planted in Cronise upon hearing of Michael Phelp's prolific caloric intake. It dawned on him that it was the cold water forcing Phelps to fight to keep its temperature.

Using swimming and something called thermal loading, where the body is exposed to cold in various ways, Cronise applied some old military research and found that he could lose up to four pounds a week. Techniques include ice baths and chugging ice water.

Therein lies a paradigm shift - while traditionally we think of heating the body up to induce a metabolic boost - Cronise suggests focusing on cooling it down.

The theory will come to fruition in the form of a book by "The 4-Day Work Week" author Tim Ferris, where Cronise is a case-study and contributor. Among Ferris' extensive research, he discovered a technique that uses temperature manipulation to improve fat loss by 300 percent.

Bring on the Skepticism Dr. David Katz, founder of the Integrative Medicine Center and professor at Yale University, had this to say about the concept; Being cold is uncomfortable. Frankly, if people are willing to be that miserable to lose weight they might as well try eating well and exercising.

A valid point and one of the best quotes I've heard in a long time. And while the old military research offers some reason to be optimistic, most of it focused on keeping weight on soldiers and not weight loss, per se. I haven't seen a clinical trial with a control group to support the anecdotal experiences of Cronise.

Moreover, I live in Canada - I'm cold here 8 months of the year. The last thing I want to do after coming home from a cold rainy day is soak in a cold tub, or crush glasses of ice water.

So while the theory makes complete sense, I still recommend guarded optimism - sounds like a potentially moderately helpful adjunct strategy, to the standard eating better/less and exercising more. At best I would say this strategy is evolutionary, rather than revolutionary.

Would you try this out as a fat loss method?

Image Credit: horiavarlan

Science Weird weight loss 11 Comments Lana on 1 Nov 2010

It makes sense. I know a few of bodybuilder that will keep their house colder than normal just to get that extra calorie burning before a competition. It coul dbe dangerous though I can imagine some idiot getting hypothermia because he/she decided to try doing it improperly.

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McDonald's Employee Sues And Wins

We've all seen (and raised an eyebrow at) news stories of customers suing fast food manufacturers for making them fat.

But here's a new one: an employee of McDonald's has successfully sued the company because he gained weight while working there.

The unnamed employee of a McDonald's branch in Brazil, blamed the company for his weight gain on the grounds that:
His job requirements included taste-testing food (due to frequent "mystery customer" inspections).
He was provided with free lunches - but no healthy options.

He started working for McDonald's at the age of 18, weighing a healthy 154 pounds. After twelve years, he'd gained 65lbs.

Judge Joao Filho ruled that the company should pay $17,500 to the employee. They have the right to appeal, and are reported to be considering their options.

Frankly, I'm amazed he won. A gain of 65lbs in 12 years is around 5.5lbs per year, which isn't an excessively rapid gain. If the employee had previously had a fairly active lifestyle in school, he might well have gained just as much weight by taking up a sedentary desk job.

Whether you think it's a crazy example of litigation gone mad, or a story about McDonald's getting what they deserve, this opens up debate about how much responsibility employers have for their employee's health.

If you work in a company with limited, or unhealthy food options, are they to blame if you end up overweight? If your job involves sampling foods, what measures should your employer take to ensure that this does not affect your health?

Weird fast food mcdonald's 15 Comments LOL on 2 Nov 2010

From the linked article:

The plaintiff said that because McDonald's hired undercover customers to randomly visit restaurants and report back on quality, he felt forced to taste everything on the menu to ensure the food was up to par. He said he was also given free lunches of burgers, fries and ice cream, which contributed to his excessive weight gain during the course of employment.

A) he wasn't required to taste food, but felt compelled to?

B) he was provided free lunch, which includes all menu items, so his choice to eat just the crap is McD's fault?

Given the very tiny award (less than $1500 a year) I think it speaks volumes that the judge felt sorry for the dude and wasn't really all that harsh with McD's

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Dad's Fatty Diet May Give Daughters Diabetes

Your old man can give you a lot of things: his hot temper, his big hairy feet, his old broken down Buick - but diabetes?

Apparently so, if you're a girl.

New research found male lab rats eating a fatty diet increases the risk of their female offspring developing diabetes.

Sounds like a bizarre form of mousy nepotism.

For the study, published in the journal Nature, scientists fed one group of male lab rats a fatty diet, and another group a normal diet. No surprise, the rats on the fatty diet became obese and diabetic.

Then they gave the rats a booty call, hooking the boys up with girl rats of normal weight. After 13 weeks, the female offspring of the obese and diabetic rats began showing symptoms of diabetes. Eek! I mean, squeak!

The researchers say the obese dad's sperm may be affected by their metabolic change, and is somehow being transferred into their offspring.

I bet it happens to humans too, but it's probably more nurture than nature.

Odds are if your dad sits down to a big breakfast of steak, eggs, bacon, and sausage every morning, and you grow up thinking there's nothing wrong with that, and regularly nosh your own lumberjack breakfast, you're probably going to run into some health problems later in life too.

My old man eats Cherrios with chocolate milk, sprinkled with sugar, luckily I missed that habit. Then again, I'm not a chick!.

Image credit: USA Today

Food Weird diabetes fat 10 Comments musajen on 3 Nov 2010

The conclusions here are laughable. Mice are herbivores first and foremost. Fat is a miniscule component of their natural diet. What do you expect when you jack them full of something not typical in their diet? It's going to impact their health and infuence factors in their offspring.

Let's feed a mouse a diet contrary to what it is naturally adapted to eating but blame it on the FAT. Fat is not the problem here. A diet unnatural to the subject is the problem.

We see plenty of evidence of this in society today with humans eating a grossly unnatural diet. We can't even name half of the stuff going into processed foods and, anthropologically speaking, we're adapted for a whole foods, hunter/gatherer type of diet.

Reply Zoran on 3 Nov 2010

Hi Musajen, I think you missed and you hit the point at the same time. I guess the thing is that high fat diet is not natural to us, just as it's not natural to mices, but to a different degree ofcourse.
Today we are eating food more than enough to preserve our bodies. We often eat some food only cause it tastes good. Now, I don't say it's wrong, only some of us overdo it and get different response from their bodies then others.

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New Law Basically Outlaws Happy Meals

San Francisco is usually a laid back kind of town; hipsters, peaceniks, folk singers, stoners, and whackos, all living together in perfect harmony.

But on Tuesday, San Francisco passed new legislation that isn't so lovey-dovey, at least not for local fast food restaurants.

"Kid's meals" can no longer be sold with toys unless they meet specific nutritional standards; standards that may threaten McDonald's Happy Meals.

On Tuesday, with a veto-proof vote of 8 to 3, San Francisco officials passed a law that would allow restaurants to give away toys with kid's meals only if the meals have less than 600 calories, contain fruits and vegetables, and include drinks with no excessive fat or sugar. The law takes effect December 1, 2011.

The first thing that comes to mind is McDonald's Happy Meals. Since 1979, when Happy Meals were first introduced, McDonald's has used the kids' meal, specifically the free toy, to directly market to kids.

McDonald's might not state it that frankly, but come on, we all know what those cheap plastic "made in China" toys are really for - "Mommy I want McDonald's!"

Here's a Happy Meal commercial from 1979, in Klingon:

San Francisco officials say the law is designed to help combat childhood obesity; hard to argue against that. But McDonald's isn't happy about it. A spokesperson for the company said they are disappointed with the new law, and called getting the free toy in a Happy Meal "part of a fun, family experience."

No doubt, a law like this is one of those evil "progressive" initiatives so many Americans are scared of. And yes, it is very big brother-ish. And yes, it is the government putting the screws to private industry. But, are there any other solutions out there? We have a lot of fat kids! Just look!

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Will 50 Be The New 75 by 2050?

Remember a few years back when researchers and other academics predicted that this would be the first generation in history where today's children will die sooner than their parents?

It's one of those sobering wake-up calls that swims around in the psyches of those who are even remotely health-conscious.

Well, "50 will be the new 75" has an equally sombre ring to it.

Harvard scientists predict that 42% of Americans will be overweight by 2050, leading to grave disabilities, premature death, and shorter lives for our kids. Not a good prognosis.

As frightening as the stats are concerning adult obesity, consider that childhood obesity has risen 4-fold from 1966-2004. The increased weight has been accompanied by increased incidences of issues that previously only affected adults.

Considering today's 10 year old will be 50 by 2050, it's ironic that nowadays we call 50 the "new 40".

Moreover, as someone who will actually be 75 in 2050 (God willing), I'm uncomfortable with the thought that statistically this may become the new life expectance for males.

How do we reverse this trend?The million dollar question to which there is no simple or one-dimensional answer. The change will be gradual, as this issue will only begin to be resolved by massive cultural shift. It begins in the home but doesn't end there. All influential entities need to be on board. It will take the education system, all levels of governments, big food companies, and individual will to tackle this problem.

In essence, physical activity and healthy food need to be accessible, heavily promoted, guided and nurtured. The socioeconomically disadvantaged are especially in need of programs to give them healthy food and access to programs that promote activity.

Only by banding together and creating opportunities can we plant these seeds of change and help them grow.

What are your ideas for how to reverse this trend?

Source: Harvard Gazette, November 4th, 2010
Image credit: Las Valley 702

Health Teens and Kids obesity trends 11 Comments Chris on 11 Nov 2010

Well at least this would solve the social security problem.

Reply

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Backyard Chicken Coops: Good Idea or Not?

The issue of whether or not urban centers should allow backyard chicken coops has sparked an ongoing debate in my neck of the woods (insert "crying foul" joke here).

Vancouver city council recently amended an animal control bylaw, making it legal to keep chickens on many more residential properties. Residents who own land of less than an acre are allowed up to 4 hens in their backyards.

Other urban areas in the US have already approved such a by-law including New York, Seattle and Portland.

Here are some of the stipulations that come with owning chickens;

Coops must be between four square feet and ten square feet in size, and cannot be kept in front yards or on apartment or condominium balconies.Other fowl such as roosters, ducks and turkeys are not allowed, and eggs produced by the hens cannot be sold commercially.When hens reach the end of their lifespan of up to six years, they cannot be killed by the owner, but must be taken to a slaughterhouse or veterinarian for slaughter or euthanasia.Backyard Coops: The ProsUrban sustainability: fresh, locally grown eggs can reduce carbon footprint.Good for communities and families as an educational tool.Instil discipline in children.Backyard Coops: The ConNoise: backyard chickens can produce noise and in smaller quarters neighbors may not appreciate it.Odour: (yes I'm going to use another "foul" joke).Disease: we had a run of avian flu a few years back and the little critters can spread disease.Urban predators: chickens may attract coyotes, foxes and other geographically-specific predators.

Where do you come out on backyard chicken coops?

Image source: laura_zz

Food Media Watch backyard chicken coops free range chickens 18 Comments Robert on 4 Nov 2010

And this is their idea of progress.

Please, proceed to disguise the descent into mediocrity, poverty, and socialism... as increased "sustainability." It's clearly fooling us all.

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Grasp This Painful Truth to Improve Your Health

You want to be healthier, fitter, happier -- that's why you're here, right?

Recognizing the importance of good health has a lot to do with seeing the "bigger picture." So, what is the real secret to improving your wellbeing long-term?

I don't think there's a one-size-fits-all way to do things, but here is one very simple fact you definitely need to understand...

Nobody is responsible for your health, but you!

The sooner you realize that, the better.

There are many things in life, which you simply cannot entrust to others. And, although you may try to delegate the responsibility of your health to diet gurus, health professionals, even your employer, or the government, ultimately you are the only person who can take care of that problem, and do it right.

So, next time you go to make an unhealthy lifestyle choice, remember that your actions will always have a consequence -- the choice to do/ or not do something is made by you alone.

Rather than viewing this responsibility as a heavy burden, though, see it as something that you can do, change, and accomplish. It's a gift -- feel empowered by it!

Image source: nkzs

Health health 8 Comments Cupsi on 5 Nov 2010

"So, next time you go to make an unhealthy lifestyle choice, remember that your actions will always have a consequence"

Just vomit the food up

No bad consequence necessary

Reply Nicole

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1 Simple Trick To Lose Fat And Stay Active

Hello Friend,

Sometime ago I was at Dick’s Sporting Good and bought a $20.00 pedometer and for the past few weeks I have been clipping it onto my belt every morning and wearing it all day to see how many steps I take each day. 

Its a pretty cool and simple little device that tallies up your steps every day.  I’ve been shooting to hit 10,000 steps a day.  Between walking around normally during the day and taking my little English Bulldog for walks around the neighborhood I have been hitting that goal pretty close to everyday.  

Fat Loss Expert Tom Venuto recently reminder me of a “2006 research study published in the American Journal of Health Promotion found that in previously sedentary overweight adults, subjects who met a 10,000-steps-per-day goal saw large improvements in body composition. Those who missed their goal did not.”

Researcher Dr. Vicki Harber said, “Getting people to do more than they currently do is imperative. The 10,000 step program is an excellent starting point. The pedometer itself provides instant feedback, is motivating for many and shows accumulated steps very nicely. It is self-paced and is geared toward getting people who do virtually nothing to do something. ‘Something’ is definitely better than nothing. So – we encourage people to accumulate 10,000 steps over the day. This would include shuffling back and forth from your desk to the photo-copier or the coffee machine as well as a hurried sprint to catch the bus. All the steps count.”

I of course recommend that you follow a structured progressive resistance training program and doing regular cardio workouts if you really want to make significant progress towards a leaner physique – the 10,000 steps a day pedometer trick is just another simple trick to help move you along the way.

Do yourself a favor and head to your local sports good store and pick one up.

Train with purpose,

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Baloney and Marshmallows For Lunch

Supermarkets are scary. Just stand in line and watch what people buy, it's startling. Blue yogurts, canned meat, and "fruit" flavored breakfast cereals.

Nasty stuff, right? Now, most people don't pay attention to other shoppers, but I'm a jerk. I take mental notes so I can pass judgment. Try it. It's a lot of fun!

Last week, I was at the store, minding my own business - not really - and watched some lady buy quite the lunch for her kids.

So this lady gets in line behind me and she's yammering on her cell phone, not even a regular one, it was one of those pseudo Secret Service ear pieces, for people who are wildly self-important. "Red team go! Red team go!"

I was ignoring her until she said, "I'm just picking up lunch for the kids." There's nothing wrong with that, until I noticed what she was piling onto the conveyor belt: sliced white bread, packaged baloney - not even the fresh stuff - and a bag of marshmallows. Wow, major parenting fail!

Listen, I'm not a parent. I don't want kids. I don't even like children. They're annoying and they smell. But how can you slap a piece of baloney between white bread and call that a meal fit for a child? The answer is, you can't.

I don't even want to know what the marshmallows were for. If she puts them on the sandwich, Child Protective Services need to be notified.

Her kids will probably grow up and be some of those annoying people who, at 35 years old, still only eat three things and pout about trying new foods.

Image credit: Warner Video

Teens and Kids Weird parenting sandwiches 18 Comments Karen on 6 Nov 2010

ahahahahah My boyfriend and I do the same thing when we go to the grocery store! lol We look at people and their purchases and makes wild guesses. For example "no wonder she is the size of an elephant..." or "they are obviously having taco night..." or "...she must be having a bunch of people over for dinner..." etc We don't always make negative comments, we just like to people watch and try to guess things about people. It is amazing what you can learn about a person by looking at what they buy at the grocery store.
My brother works in a grocery store and sometimes I shop at his store. He is not allowed to ring me through the till but his coworkers can. He has told me that his fellow employees always comment to him about my purchases. "That was the most vegetables I ever rang through the till.." its pretty funny.

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Poll: What's Your Worst Diet Excuse?

It seems that it's part of the human condition to make excuses for things.

Excuses why we were speeding, why we didn't have our homework, why we're broke, and of course, why we're fat or unhealthy.

The Mirror.co.uk recently published The World's Worst Diet Excuses. They list the excuse, why it is just an excuse, and what can be done to "beat it".

I think this list is good food for thought because it challenges the thinking and the excuses people have told themselves for so long that they believe they are true.

Which of the 10 dieting excuses have you been guilty of making now or in the past? Participate in the poll and comments below.

Image Credit: FreakingFitness

What's your worst diet excuse?

1. Diets don't work for me. 2. Regular meals are impossible. 3. I have wheat intollerance. 4. It's my hormones. 5. I've got a slow metabolism. 6. It's my medication. 7. It's in my genes. 8. I'm big boned. 9. It's water retention. 10. I suffer from insomnia. View results

Diets diet myths polls weight loss 4 Comments

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Sprinkle Crystals on Your Food and Lose Weight

Is it just me, or are diet aids getting more and more weird?

We've had "Le Whiff" - chocolate you inhale. And now, the latest upcoming craze is crystals.

Tiny crystals that you sprinkle on your food. Doesn't sound too appetising, does it?

The crystals, called Sensa granules, enhance the smell of food, meaning that it tastes better (smell can count for up to 90% of what we experience as the "taste" of a food). They were developed by the neurologist Dr Alan Hirsch (from the Smell and Taste Treatment and Research Foundation in Chicago) back in 2008.

The Sensa website claims that:
By enhancing smell, Sensa Tastants were designed to help speed up the process and trigger your "I feel full" signal, so you eat less and feel more satisfied.

Sensa is currently on sale in America, costing $59 for a month's supply of the crystals. Other countries are expected to start selling them soon. Dieters are enticed by the promise they can carry on eating exactly what they already eat, without counting calories or exercising: the only change is that they sprinkle Sensa crystals on every meal and snack.

Some experts, however, are sceptical about the use of Sensa as a diet aid. Dominic Dwyer (a neuropsychologist at Cardiff University in the UK) said the idea behind Sensa was sound, but warned:
A mouthwatering smell from food can simply make us eat more. This stuff would have to be very carefully used.

What do you think? Would you pay $59 a month to sprinkle tiny crystals on your food? Would you be satisfied with less food if it tasted really good?

Weird dieting sensa 2 Comments

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How to Build Big Bigger Arms

Whatever you call them, the fact remains that most guys want bigger arms.  While they are nowhere near as impressive as a big set of traps, you still don’t want to have and extra six inches of space in your shirt sleeves; that’s for sure. So the question is how to build bigger arms?

The answer is not as simple as you might assume. If it were easy, you would see tons of guys walking around with 18 inch arms. But that simply isn’t the case.

It’s been said over and over again that in order to add an inch to your upper arms you need to gain ten pounds of bodyweight. This advice has become gospel and it seems that nearly everyone agrees with this these days. Real world evidence shows that this is not the case, however. Walk into any public gym on a Monday night at five o’clock and you will see quite a few skinny guys, weighing no more than 170 pounds, who are sporting decent sized arms.

Many of them probably have not gained more than 10 or 15 pounds total since they started training but they all have put more than an inch or two on their arms. This is because localized hypertrophy/ muscle growth will take place if enough volume is present, without a large increase in bodyweight. Look at the calves on soccer players or the forearms on mechanics. But this only happens up to a certain point.

So these young guys read in some magazine about how to build bigger arms and start by doing ten sets of arms two or three days a week. The volume is enough to elicit a growth response and they may even get a good eight weeks out of this and a quick two inches of arm growth in the absence of any significant weight gain. Seems to defy the ten pounds per inch rule, right?

But what happens after that? Where do they go from there? The gains will halt and there will be absolutely no more arm growth whatsoever unless they make some drastic changes. And that is the pitfall of high volume training- where can you go when you plateau? Add more volume? At what cost? How much volume can you add? If ten sets isn’t enough should you try twenty? And then thirty? And eventually a hundred?

There’s nowhere to go with this approach. Like I said, it’s great for some quick gains on your arms but isn’t a long term approach. Once you hit a plateau you have no choice but to start lifting heavier weights and eating more. More weight on the bar and more food on your plate is the fastest way to increase the size of any body part. All the fancy supersets, drop sets, tri sets, pre exhaustion, post exhaustion techniques in the world won’t help in the least if you are not doing those two very important things.

Beginners can train the arms three times per week and intermediate and advanced lifters seem to do better training them twice per week. Stick with big exercises like close grip chin ups, barbell curls, hammer curls, towel curls, dumbbell curls, parallel bar dips, close grip benches, and lockouts. You shouldn’t need more than 2-4 sets of biceps and triceps twice per week to achieve optimal growth, providing that you are always increasing your loads and steadily adding more calories to your diet. After a couple of heavy sets finish your arm workout by getting the biggest pump possible with one or two higher rep sets.

For more information on how to build bigger arms and increase the size of every other body part, check out Muscle Gaining Secrets now.

Train hard,

Jason Ferruggia

About The Author:

Jason Ferruggia is a world famous fitness expert who is renowned for his ability to help people build muscle as fast as humanly possible. He is the head training adviser for Men’s Fitness Magazine where he also has his own monthly column dedicated to muscle building. For more How to Build Muscle Fast tips, check out Muscle Gaining Secrets

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Is Your Grocery Store Making You Fat?

howdy shopper,

Let’s face it – every nutrition decision you make starts in the grocery store.

If you don’t know what foods to choose…and which to lose, you will continue to struggle in achieving that lean, healthy body you’ve desired.

Over 90% of shoppers make impulse buys

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1 Simple Trick To Lose Fat And Stay Active

Hello Friend,

Sometime ago I was at Dick’s Sporting Good and bought a $20.00 pedometer and for the past few weeks I have been clipping it onto my belt every morning and wearing it all day to see how many steps I take each day. 

Its a pretty cool and simple little device that tallies up your steps every day.  I’ve been shooting to hit 10,000 steps a day.  Between walking around normally during the day and taking my little English Bulldog for walks around the neighborhood I have been hitting that goal pretty close to everyday.  

Fat Loss Expert Tom Venuto recently reminder me of a “2006 research study published in the American Journal of Health Promotion found that in previously sedentary overweight adults, subjects who met a 10,000-steps-per-day goal saw large improvements in body composition. Those who missed their goal did not.”

Researcher Dr. Vicki Harber said, “Getting people to do more than they currently do is imperative. The 10,000 step program is an excellent starting point. The pedometer itself provides instant feedback, is motivating for many and shows accumulated steps very nicely. It is self-paced and is geared toward getting people who do virtually nothing to do something. ‘Something’ is definitely better than nothing. So – we encourage people to accumulate 10,000 steps over the day. This would include shuffling back and forth from your desk to the photo-copier or the coffee machine as well as a hurried sprint to catch the bus. All the steps count.”

I of course recommend that you follow a structured progressive resistance training program and doing regular cardio workouts if you really want to make significant progress towards a leaner physique – the 10,000 steps a day pedometer trick is just another simple trick to help move you along the way.

Do yourself a favor and head to your local sports good store and pick one up.

Train with purpose,

View the Original article

Working From Home: My Story Of Lean, To Fat, Back To Lean and Now Fit For Life

I have struggled with my weight since I was in grade school.  I think that is one of the key reasons I gravitated towards studying Exercise Physiology in College. I graduated college ready to change the world and help anyone who would listen with understanding how to get lean and fit.

I studied, trained, and soaked up fitness information, I studied human nature and psychology, and I worked with kids, athletes, adults, and seniors applying what I had learned in the real world.

I loved training and working with people and after years in the field I had the opportunity to go down a new path…

A Path that would allow me to help thousands and thousands of people in less time… from my home.

You see, although I loved my work I knew I wanted more for myself.  I wanted to help more people than just those few I was able to work with in my local area. 

I wanted to also gain control of my own personal schedule, I wanted income freedom, and I wanted to live and work on my terms – not someone elses. I wanted more for myself…

(If you work from home you might relate).  

I took some chances and calculated risks…

I put together a plan on how to make my dreams a reality and I partnered with one of my long time mentors Tom Ventuto, author of “Burn The Fat, Feed the Muscle” to help him build an online fat loss support community called the Burn The Fat Inner Circle. 

After 3 months in a row where my ‘Internet Side Job’ was making me more money than my fulltime job I made the switch and went full time online…

I quit my job at the Physical Therapy clinic I was working for.

I started working with less personal training clients so I could spend more time on building the Inner Circle.

I bought a house and put a home office in one of the rooms…

I spent hours every day learning about online business, building out the Burn The Fat Inner Circle, and ‘sharpening my online skills’ so I could make my dream a reality. 

I did end up building a very successful online business working how I wanted, when I wanted, from my home office but it came at a cost. 

In my previous life I was extremely active all day, on my feet, training people hands on in the gym. 

In my new life I sat in front of a computer all day long…

It caught up with me and I started packing on the pounds and I am not sure if you can relate but the mind has a way of tricking you and it was not until I saw a family picture with me in it.

I looked fat and bloated and could not believe that was me…

How did this happen?

How did I go from being in such great shape to being so out of shape? 

I will reveal to you why this happened, how I stopped the cycle, and what I did to get my physique back. 

There are so many amazing benefits to working from home but I don’t think you have to let your body go as part of the deal.

I will be showing you how you can work from home AND live a fit lifestyle in a body that you are proud of. 

Stay tuned and train with purpose,

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Paying With Cash Means Less Junk Food

Who pays with cash anymore? Today it's all about plastic. Heck, even gentlemen's clubs have ATMs. Not that I know first hand. I've just heard they do.

But maybe we should break out the dead presidents again, because a new study says when you pay with cash, you're less likely to buy junk food.

I bet the vending machine industry has known this for years. Their dirty little secret, "If you build it, they will buy."

Published in the Journal of Consumer Research, scientists found people are less likely to buy unhealthy foods when they go grocery shopping if they pay with cash, instead of those evil plastic credit or debit cards.

When analyzing the shopping carts of 1,000 United States households over six months, researchers observed shopping carts contained more impulse buys or junk food when people paid with credit or debit cards, and not cash.

The researchers called cash payments "more painful than card payments." Painful is the perfect word for it. Buying junk food with plastic is easier to swallow, so encouraging people to shop with cash could help them develop better shopping and eating habits.

Its really tempting to over-shop when you're not paying with cash. When you put your toilet paper, generic vodka, and orange juice on the register, it's easy to grab a Snickers bar. You're money seems limitless. Just deal with it when the bill comes.

I haven't gone grocery shopping with cash in years. If I went to pay and ran out of cash, I'd have a stroke and drop dead on the spot.

Image credit: South Park Studios

Health junk food vending machines 4 Comments Maggie on 9 Nov 2010

Husband and I made a decision about six months ago to use cash for groceries because it seemed our grocery budget was creeping upward and we have goals to meet - namely paying off our mortgage in the next five years (20 years ahead of schedule). To do that means we live on a tight budget and groceries are a generous column item (we buy almost all organic), but it was creeping up.

When he gets paid, I take the grocery budget, put it in an envelope and that's what I use - I know exactly how much I have and guess what? We stay within budget!

It has nothing to do with junk food versus healthy food - we already eat healthy and did before - junk just doesn't come into our house. For us it's that I am much more conscious about sticking to the list and picking up things on sale over buying stuff whatever the price. I now look at the price and if, say, red peppers are outrageously priced, I'll sub green peppers or change menu plans for something else that is within the budget.

We do the same thing for eating out - we don't have a defined number of nights in a month we'll eat out, we have a defined eating out budget we work with and since we eat healthy, eating out with cash, within the budget means just once or twice a month - but it's incredible food and we savor the treat to eat out!

Reply blob on 9 Nov 2010

Using actually cash instead of atm's or credit makes you keenly aware of what you are spending. Add to that a monthly food budget and you will be amazed at how frugile you will become.

I highly recommend looking into Dave Ramsey's "Total Money Makeover." It will not only change your financial fitness, but you will become prudently aware of what you are spending on food. You may even drop a few pounds while incorporating Dave's tenets into your lifestyle.

Maggie is right, the envelope system is simple and genius.

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