We recently returned from a walking trip in Spain along the Camino de Santiago. Although the trek is about 800 kilometers, we walked only the last 220 kilometers and met some wonderful people along the way. We spent one pleasant evening chatting to a plastic surgeon and a retired banker who were biking across the Camino (no small thing – trust me walking is easier). As is the custom when meeting people in their own homeland, our talk turned to healthcare in Spain. Both were bemoaning what they felt was a growing problem in Spain: obesity.
Although it didn’t appear as bad to us as it is in the U.S., obesity is clearly on the rise in the world, a problem that I’ve recently heard referred to as the “industrial global diet” high in meat, fat and sugar. In other words it’s cheap food. High in calories. Terrible to one’s health.
Italy, the home of the Mediterranean Diet, also has an obesity problem, more the result of rising wealth than worsening poverty as more of the population adopts the industrial diet.
According to Dr. Angelo Pietrobelli, associate professor of pediatrics and nutrition at the University of Verona, “Unfortunately, in particular among adolescents, they try to avoid Mediterranean diet because they try to ‘imitate’ the U.S. diet.”
During the 1940s, physiologist Ancel Keys, noted that the people of the seaside town of Pioppi, were living longer, healthier lives and had a much lower rate of heart disease than their well-fed Northern European counterparts. He ended up studying their diet during the 1940s and ‘50s and the Mediterranean Diet, high in fresh vegetables, fruit and fish and low in meat, was introduced to the rest of the world. Keys himself adopted the diet and died at 101 years of age.
The problem was that the Mediterranean diet was actually a poor man’s diet, “a diet of poverty, not of choice” according to food historian Zachary Nowak of the Umbra Institute of Perugia.
Obesity is not confined to Italy where about 36% of kids aged 12-16 are overweight or obese, but is spreading to Greece as well as Spain where more young people are abandoning the Mediterranean diet in favor of fast food joints.
Too bad this is what kids want to emulate about Americans.
The International Food Information Council (IFIC) Foundation just released the results of their 2012 Food & Health Survey. Their findings show Americans knowledge on nutrition is a bit of a contradiction. While people said their nutrition is important and they want to make improvements, they also said they are unsure of what to eat to stay healthy and maintain a healthy weight.
The findings also found men and women flip-flop when it comes to eating healthy and exercise.
Men find it harder to eat right than exercise, while the opposite is true for women. Another interesting finding saw 87 percent pointing to taste as the most important factor in the food they choose, with price as the second determination.
The worst statistic of all, less than 10% could correctly estimate the number of calories they need to maintain their and only three in 10 believe all sources of calories play a role in weight gain. Multiple studies have found calories are the principle cause of weight gain and the premise of this site is to help people stay informed. Spread the word, it’s sad to know so many want to lose weight, are trying hard to, but are simply misinformed.
Caloriecount.com
Learn how to set your weight loss and fitness goals. If you’re trying to lose weight, get healthy, build muscle or excel at a sport, you’ll need specific goals. When you don’t have a specific goal, it’s difficult to keep exercising and to track your progress to see how far you’ve come. Before you get busy, take a moment and ask yourself these questions:
- What do I want to accomplish with this exercise program?
- Is my goal realistic and attainable?
- Do I know how to reach my goal?
- When do I want to reach my goal?
- How will I reward myself when I reach my goal?
For example, is it reasonable to want to lose 50 pounds in 6 months? It’s possible, but may not be reasonable unless you eat well and exercise every single day for the next 6 months. Experts recommend that you lose no more than 1-2 pounds per week, but it isn’t likely that you’ll lose 2 pounds every single week and many people find they actually lose about .5 to 1 pound on a good week. For more, check out How to Set Weight Loss Goals.
Keep in mind that:
- The more weight you lose, the harder it will be to lose weight because the less weight your body has to move around, the less calories it will burn doing so.
- The closer you get to your goal, the harder it will be to reach it–in fact, you may NEVER reach it (ever talk to someone who’s still trying to lose that last 5 pounds?).
- The weight you can maintain may not be the weight you want to be.
- Scale weight isn’t always the best way to track progress. The scale won’t tell you what you’ve lost and/or gained. Be sure to use other tools to track your progress.
- Weight loss isn’t the only goal you can have and may not even be the most motivating. Giving up the Weight Loss Obsession may be your first step to success.
After you set your goal, find out how to reach it. If you want to lose weight or become better at a sport, you need to do some research to figure out where to start. Browse through these different goals to find out more about getting started:
- Setting Realistic Fitness Goals
- How to Lose Fat
- How to Gain Muscle
- Training for Sports
- Getting Healthy
It’s helpful to know what you have to do before you get started. Many people are surprised at the daily effort it takes to reach their goals.
Once you know what you’re doing and how you’re doing it, you’ll need some strategies for sticking with it:
- Schedule your workouts
- Set weekly goals and reward yourself each time you succeed
- Work out with friends or family for added motivation
- Recommit to your goals every day
- Be prepared by always having your workout bag with you, bringing your lunch to work, etc.
- Keep a food and workout journal to stay on track and measure your progress
- Take your measurements regularly
(Caloriecount.com)
As National Barbecue Month comes to an end, the official start of barbecue season kicks off with this Memorial Day Weekend’s festivities. These summer months will have you eating outside for plenty of reasons including family picnics, birthday parties, and outdoor festivals. All this means the simplicity of counting calories gets a little harder. Because you’re generally not the one cooking or controlling the menu, you’ll need a little help keeping track at these events. Below is a rundown of what you may encounter at a BBQ.
A Day’s Worth of Fat
That traditional
bratwurst is calling your name, but saying yes to it will pack on the fat grams to the tune of 25. If you go for two, you’re almost at a day’s worth of fat and almost 600 calories not even counting the bun. If a
chicken or turkey bratwurst is available, choose that. Bring a pack to the party to add to the grill if you’re unsure if it’s an option. That will save you 20 grams of fat and a third of the calories per dog. Even a hot dog or hamburger has about half the fat of a pork bratwurst.
A Day’s Worth of Added Sugar
Cookouts are a prime location for sugary beverages. Aside from the 20 oz. bottle of soda, which packs about 240 calories, you may have that highly desirable cup of lemonade. Both pack about 70 grams of added sugar. That’s a day’s worth of added sugar for most people. Drinking watered down lemonade takes all the fun out of the experience, but who says you have to fill your cup to enjoy the taste. Bring a few packs of club soda instead and add fresh fruit to it. Pieces of strawberries or watermelon are a fun surprise for the sweet taste you crave in a cold beverage in the summer months. A splash of apple or cranberry juice can get your taste buds going as well. Dress it up in a nice cocktail glass for a visual treat.
Stay Full Foods
Now for the good part (nutritionally speaking). Barbecues are the perfect place to have foods that will keep you satisfied. With high protein meats a central part of the menu, and side dishes that scream fiber, you can choose foods that will stick to your ribs as my Mom would say. A couple wedges of
watermelon has a couple grams of fiber and a high water content that will help fill you up. An ear of corn has a couple more grams of fiber. A side of broccoli
coleslaw nets you four more grams of fiber and you’re feeling pretty good on the hunger front. Add a half a
chicken breast, with 26 grams of protein and you should make it through the barbecue without the need for a second or third plate.
Missing Gems
If your family is known for not grilling fruits and vegetables to go with all that meat, be the one that steps up. Pineapples, tomatoes, zucchini, asparagus, artichokes and so many more can really add a nutritious flair. Some well placed seafood on the grill, like shrimp, salmon, halibut, or tilapia, can be another way for you to save calories without sacrificing the fun and flavor of barbecue foods.
By: carolyn_r
A study published in the March 2012 issue of the Journal of Applied Physiology revealed the affect exercise has on regions of the brain associated with food reward. Researchers tested healthy young men and women who are habitually active by testing their reactions to food cues after exercise or after rest.
Exercise lowered participants’ reactions to both high-energy and low-energy food. The findings suggest exercise reduces pleasure of food, incentive motivation to eat, and anticipation and consumption of food when compared to responses at rest. A separate University of Colorado study of obese participants in an exercise program saw a similar result, with chronic exercise showing a reduction in the response of visual food cues.
By:carolyn_r
