Posts Tagged ‘Nutrition’

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Nutrition: Obesity and Diet

Monday, May 31st, 2010

A World Health Organization (WHO) report states that obesity prevalence worldwide stands at about 300 million adults worldwide.  This same report indicates that more than 60% of Americans age twenty and older are overweight and one quarter of U.S. adults are obese. According to 2002 data from the World Heart Federation 11% of U.S. children are obese.  Information from the National Women’s Health Information Center states that half:  50% of women ages 20-74 are overweight or obese.  A 2003 NCHS Health United States survey reports the percentages for men’s overweight and obesity rates ages 20-75 were between 20-33.4% depending on age.

 The CDC reports 300,000 annual premature deaths related to obesity. This figure breaks down to 25,000 deaths per month, 5,769 per week, 821 per day, and 34 deaths per hour. Most disturbing and distressing about these numbers is that they would be much lower with some slight lifestyle changes. According to NIDDK 280,000 adult deaths in the United States are directly attributed to obesity. $33 billion dollars are spent annually on weight loss products and services. $62.7 million dollars are spent on doctor visits related to obesity. $39.3 million dollars worth of lost production costs due to missed work days related to obesity problems.  89.5 million days out of the year employees remained bedridden due to obesity related health problems further decreasing production and profit.

An article written by Mark Fergusson entitled: Obesity Epidemic: Overeating is to Blame discusses the findings of United Nations and WHO surveys and also discusses the benefits of a vegetarian diet.  The United Nations survey found that the primary cause of obesity is due to overeating.  The WHO report states that in order to combat overweight and obesity rates daily food intakes for children need to be reduced by 350 calories and adult intakes need to be reduced by 500 calories. With these caloric decreases, the average weights of forty years ago could again be achieved.  These results could also be achieved by increasing physical activity such as walking by 150 extra minutes for children and 110 additional minutes for adults.

Diet of course plays a substantial role in body weight. Vegetarian diets are conducive to weight loss.  The American Dietetic Association states: “Vegetarians have been reported to have lower BMI (Body Mass Index) than non vegetarians as well as lower rates of death from ischemic heart disease,…lower blood cholesterol levels, lower blood pressure, and lower rates of hypertension, type 2 diabetes, and prostate and colon cancers. Vegetarian diets offer a number of nutritional benefits including lower levels of saturated fat, cholesterol, and animal proteins as well as higher levels of carbohydrates, fiber, magnesium, potassium, folate, and antioxidants such as vitamins C and E and phytochemicals.”

Information from the Mayo Clinic also supports the American Dietetic Associations’ statement. Research from the Mayo clinic indicates that those who follow a vegetarian diet consume less fat and calories than non vegetarians.  The same research indicated that vegetarians are also more likely to have lower body weight related to their height, which describes a healthy and appropriate BMI.

Dr. Neal Barnard of the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine stated in a Nutrition Review article that a vegetarian/ vegan diet is very conducive for weight loss. His quote from the article states: “There is evidence that a vegan diet causes an increased caloric burn after meals- meaning plant based foods are being used more effectively as fuel for the body as opposed to being stored as fat. Insulin sensitivity is increased by a vegan diet, allowing nutrients to more rapidly enter the cells of the body to be converted to heat rather than fat.”

These quotes suggest that  incorporating more vegetables and animal product free foods into your diet can not only increase levels of healthful food related sources and vitamins in the body,  it lowers cholesterol levels and blood pressure levels and reduces the risk of diabetes and some cancers. A vegetarian/ vegan diet also promotes more efficient calorie body in the body and hinders fat accumulation.  Even if you’re not willing to give up meat all together, choices like lean meats such as fish and poultry are more conducive to a low calorie and lower fat diet and also have less saturated fat than red meats. Eating less animal products and more vegetables and fruits can help facilitate weight loss simply by the decrease in caloric and fat consumption.   Foods like POPCAKE pancakes that are already low calorie and 97% fat free in junction with other smart food choices help promote a healthy body weight and overall good health.

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Nutrition: The Importance of Fruits and Vegetables

Monday, May 31st, 2010

The CDC’s first report on fruit and vegetable consumption entitled: “State Indicator Report on Fruits and Vegetables 2009” indicated that fruits and vegetables are imperative for optimal child growth,  maintaining a healthy weight, and aid in the prevention of chronic diseases.  The nutritional awareness group Healthy People 2010 is seeking to increase fruit and vegetable consumption in Americans ages 2 and older. The group seeks to increase the consumption of 2 daily fruits servings to 75% and three daily vegetable servings to 50%.Injunction to increased fruit and vegetable consumption, efforts are being made to make fruits and vegetables more readily available in schools and communities, and to preserve cropland for the cultivation of vegetable crops and orchards for fruit.

The CDC 2007 survey entitled: “Youth Risk Behavior Survey” (YRBS) found the fruit and vegetable consumption of most American high school students to be greatly lacking.  In a seven day period the consumption of 100% fruit juice is as follows: 19.7% consumed no fruit juice, 34.5% consumed it 1-3 times weekly, 17.2% consumed 100% juice 4-6 times weekly, 7.8% once daily, 9.3% twice daily, 4.9% 3 times daily, and 6.5% four or more times daily. The largest percentage indicates that high school students consumed 100% only 1-3 times in seven days.  The consumption of whole fruits yielded similar percentages. The highest percentage of 38.7% indicated whole fruit consumption of 1-3 times weekly.

High school students who ate green salad the recommended amounts of three times daily was.7% and 1.3% ate 4 or more servings daily. Conversely, the highest percentages were those who ate no green salad in a week: 35.9% and 39.6% who consumed green salad 1-3 times in a week.  These figures are far below the daily recommendations for vegetable consumption.

Another YRBS survey question asked high school students how often the consumed vegetables within a one week span. 17.6% at none, 39.2% ate them one to three times weekly and only 1.9% ate 3 or more servings daily.  A mere 2.1% ate four or more servings daily.  Again, these statistics indicate an adverse relationship between the percentages of how many vegetables students actually eat and how much they should be eating. The highest percentages show little to no vegetable consumption while the lowest percentages indicate students who eat the recommended daily servings of vegetables.

The survey also asked high school students about their soda consumption. This included soda servings by the glass, can, or bottle. 18.6% of students surveyed drank no soda in a weeks’ time.  29% drank it 1-3 times weekly while 18.6% drank soda 4-6 times in a week. Daily consumption percentages were lower with 9.4% drinking soda once a day, 10% twice daily, 5.9% three times daily, and 8.5% four or more times daily. The percentage disparity is not quite as drastic as vegetable consumption and it is notable that the highest percentage only drank soda one to three times throughout the week.

High school physical activity percentages are not quite as encouraging as the soda consumption numbers.  In response to the survey question regarding physical activity for at least sixty minutes nearly a quarter; 24.9% of students surveyed reported no physical activity in a weeks’ time.  The percentages that fell in minimal physical activity recommendation of 3-5 days per week were: 11.3% three days a week, 8.3% four days weekly, and 11.5% five days a week. 6.1% and 17.1% exceeded the recommended days of physical activity by six days and seven days respectively.  It is interesting to note that the highest percentages included the two groups who did not exercise at all and those who exercised seven days a week.  Participation in physical education classes are also in decline. Nearly half: 46.4% of high school reported that they did not attend one gym class in a weeks’ time.  Interestingly the other highest percentage of 30.3% was those students who participated in 5 days worth of gym classes. 

There is also a significant decline in the participation of sports teams. Again, nearly half of high school students: 43.7% participated in no team sports or belonged to a sports team within the past year.  26% participated with one sports team, 17% belonged to two sports teams, and 13.2% participated with three or more sports teams.

A possible reason for students’ lack of physical exercise may be correlated to the amount of time spent watching television on a school day. The highest percentage of 22.5% included two hours of time spent watching television on a school day.  Disturbingly, 11.1% spent 5 or more hours watching television on a school day.  Two hours of television after school dramatically cuts into time for physical activity, but five hours or more of television allow little to no time at all for physical activity. Video games and computers games or computer usage for non school related activities also perpetuate physical inactivity, but not to the extent of television watching.  The highest percentage of 22.9% spent less than one hour playing video games or used the computer for recreation.  Still 17% reported two hours of usage and 8.5% reported five or more hours of usage. Taking into account the amount of time a child has after the conclusion of the school day to eat, do homework, and bathe and go to bed, these percentages also indicate that there is little to no time left for physical activity with the allocation of hours for sedentary video game and computer use.

This CDC survey supports what is already apparent: poor nutrition and a lack of physical activity is perpetuating an already alarming overweight and obesity epidemic in America. The poor eating habits and lack of exercise exhibited by the statistics in this survey suggest that these high school students will continue to live this unhealthy lifestyle into and throughout adulthood.  Proper nutrition such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and  low fat low calorie foods like POPCAKE pancakes provide youth and adults alike with sensible food choices that promote a healthy body weight and overall good health.

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Nutrition: Eating Habits and Exercise

Monday, May 31st, 2010

The following data was obtained from a 2001 Community Health Needs Assessment article entitled: Poor Nutrition and Sedentary Lifestyle: “21st Century Plague. “  According to Healthy People 2010 the two leading health indicators for the nation are lifestyle related.  These two indicators are physical activity (more specifically a lack thereof) and overweight and obesity. Poor nutrition and lack of appropriate physical activity are primary causes of obesity and diabetes which are now classified as national epidemics.  Poor nutrition and physical inactivity are contributors to various diseases including heart disease and cancer which are two of the leading causes of death in the United States. Poor nutrition and physical inactivity account for 300,000 to 600,000 of preventable deaths annually.

Approximately 1/3 of all cancers are attributed to poor nutrition, physical inactivity, and overweight.  Nutrition and physical activity are associated with many chronic conditions. Currently, 90 million Americans live with chronic illnesses. Chronic illnesses represent 70% of all deaths, 60% of medical care costs, and 1/3 of potential life years lost before the age of 65 in the United States.  60% of U.S. adults are not regularly active and 25%- one quarter of the adult population is not active at all. Those who are physically inactive are 1.5 to 2.4 times more at risk of developing coronary heart disease. A sedentary lifestyle also increases the risk of developing diabetes, hypertension, colon cancer, depression, anxiety, obesity, and weak bones and muscles. Most research indicates that good nutrition and exercise is the most effective prevention against diabetes.

Less active, less fit people have a 30-50% greater risk of developing high blood pressure.  In 2000, 78% of the U.S. population was at risk for health issues related to lack of exercise. This percentage is undoubtedly higher as obesity and physical inactivity rates continue to climb. On average, those who are physically active have longer life spans than those who are not physically active.

Compounding the lack of physical activity of many Americans is their diet. Only 25% of American adults get the recommended 5 or more servings of fruit and vegetables daily.  More than 60% of American youth eat too much fat and less than 20% eat the five or more recommended daily servings of fruits and vegetables.  In 1999 it was estimated that 61% of adults and 13% of children were overweight or obese. The number of overweight children has doubled since 1980. Again these percentages are surely much higher two decades later as obesity rates hit epidemic proportions.

About 106.9 million U.S. adults are overweight and 43.6 million are considered obese. In 2000, the total cost of obesity was $117 billion with $61 billion being direct costs and $56 billion classified as indirect costs. As obesity rates increase so do the direct and indirect costs to the U.S. health care system. 9.4% of U.S. health care expenditures are directly related to obesity and physical inactivity.  If all inactive U.S. adults became active the potential savings could have amounted to $76.6 billion dollars in the projected year 2000. These billions of dollars could have been allocated to numerous other health care programs if only the 25% of the U.S population who does not exercise would initiate a more active lifestyle.

Physical activity in American youth can also amount to a substantial decrease in health care costs.  U.S. teenagers 15 years old and older who engage in physical activity on a regular basis accrued annual medical costs of $1,019 while their counterparts who did not engage in regular activity had annual medical costs of $1,349. Physically active people require fewer hospital stays, physician visits, and use fewer medications.

Study after study has demonstrated the detrimental effects of poor nutrition and physical inactivity on the overall health of adults and children. Regular exercise and low fat, low calorie foods like Popcake pancakes are easy ways to enjoy a long and healthy life.

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Nutrition: Dietary Habits of U.S. Adults and Children

Tuesday, May 11th, 2010
The U.S. Diet

rippedusa.com

 

According to the Journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics, a study conducted that monitored the eating habits of U.S. youth ages 2-19 years of age has found that the majority of  children do not meet national  dietary recommendations.  This study found that only approximately 30% of children met some recommendations, 16% met none of the recommendations and a mere 1% met all of the recommendations.  These numbers suggest that a miniscule amount; 1% of U.S. children are eating a balanced and healthy diet that meets the national standard of dietary recommendations.

According to an article by registered dietician, Eileen Kennedy, titled Dietary Fat Intake in the U.S. Population, the amount of fat in the typical U.S. diet has increased and is linked to obesity, heart diseases, and some types of cancer.  A consistent recommendation among the various sets of dietary guidelines is to limit the consumption of fats and saturated fats. Studies have found that those who consume less saturated fat simultaneously consume diets, which have reduced amounts of total fat.  This suggests that lower saturated fat intake may also promote an overall reduced fat consumption in one’s diet. 

Studies have found that the majority of individuals in the U.S. regardless of age consume a diet that exceeds the amounts of fat and saturated fats recommended by Dietary Guidelines for Americans. According to the Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine, the current U.S. epidemic of obesity and lifestyle related chronic diseases are fundamentally tied to American’s poor eating habits.  It is especially critical for parents to monitor the kinds of foods that their young children and particularly their teenagers eat. According to a study conducted by the National Health and Nutrition Examination Study (NHANES), total fat consumption is highest among teenagers. The U.S. fast food intake is the highest among children, teens, and young adults.

Parents need to be especially aware regarding the types of foods that are available for consumptions in the home.  (NHANES) studies have found that adults with children in the home consume more high fat foods than in households without children.  These same studies have also indicated that parents are 2-3 times more likely to name the child as the family expert for the fast food, breakfast cereal, snack foods, and restaurant meal selections.  50% of parents believe that meal choices, grocery choices, and restaurant selections are influenced by their children. Parents with children are generally under time constraints and are more susceptible to the marketing influences of the convenience of popular food choices for children. Children’s general preferences for meals are high fat and high sugar foods.  Parents may also be indirectly influenced by marketing directed toward their children.

With obesity and diet related diseases rampant in America, it is crucial that parents are aware of their children’s food choices and assist their children with making smart and healthy food choices. Foods like Popcake pancakes that are low calorie, low cholesterol, 97% fat free, and trans fat free are opportunities for parents to show their children how easy smart food choices can be made.

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Nutrition: Sugar Intake by Children

Tuesday, May 11th, 2010
Sugar Chart

theatlantic.com

According to data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the average American consumes 137 pounds of sugar annually. This is the approximately the weight equivalent to some adult females! Children tend to choose sugary sweets and juices that are high in calories but do not provide the essential components of a balanced meals. Since these are calorie dense foods, but lack vital nutritional components like fiber, they do not satisfy your child’s hunger. A child will then eat meals in addition to the sugary snacks and drinks that exceed their recommended calorie intake. This pattern contributes to excessive weight gain.

Parents need to be vigilant and monitor the sugar consumption of their children. An easy way to do this is to read food labels. Sugar is also listed as fructose, sucrose, glucose, dextrose, sorbitol, and corn syrup. The following comparison emphasizes the amounts of sugar in drinks favored by children: one cup of chopped tomatoes has 2.5g of fructose, one cup of soda has 23g, and a supersized cup of soda has 62g of fructose.

Data from the USDA suggests that the daily caloric intake in the form of sweeteners has increased from 402 calories in 1970 to 510 calories in 1999. Studies have consistently shown that insulin resistance occurs in response to fructose levels ranging from 7.5% to 25%. This suggests that even a small percentage of sugar, 7.5% can still have a detrimental effect on healthy insulin levels in the body. In addition to insulin levels, studies conducted with children ages 6-19 have shown that dietary sucrose is associated with increased plasma triglycerides and low HDL (high density lipoproteins or “good” cholesterol) . This study also found that in children ages 12-18 beverages like soda provided nearly half of fructose consumption and that beverages accounted for 30% of fructose for all age groups.

If all sources of fructose were eliminated other than natural fruits and vegetables, children would eliminate 82% andSugar in Coca Cola adults would eliminate 75% of fructose consumed. Fructose is prevalent in the U.S. diet. Fructose is found in processed foods of all categories and contributes substantially to U.S. consumption. Fructose represents 10% of all calories consumed which is an increase from prior estimates. 74% of fructose is derived from foods other than whole fruits and vegetables. Studies have shown a steady increase of fructose consumption in all Americans 2 and older.

Parents can help their children maintain a healthy diet and provide them with food choices that are lower in sugar and calories. Foods like fruits, vegetables, and Popcake pancakes are low fat and low calorie options that can promote healthy eating habits and provide good nutrition.

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