Dear Kymythy: Do you have a good replacement for soda pop?

Great idea! The average American drinks about 56 gallons of soda every year! When you consume even just one soda, you’re ingesting approximately 10 teaspoons of refined sugar and 50 milligrams of caffeine, along with artificial food colors and other chemicals. What you’re not getting is any nutritional value.

There’s a strong link between soda consumption and many health problems including obesity, tooth decay, behavioral disorders, diabetes, and bone loss. And the connection between soda consumption and childhood obesity is so strong that a few schools are now beginning to remove the vending machines from school grounds. Hurray! Read the rest »

When I say “Inflammation,” thoughts of painful joints, muscles, swelling and loss of mobility probably comes to mind. But did you know that recent research shows that chronic inflammation in your body can lead to serious disease such as diabetes, heart disease, some cancers and Alzheimer’s disease, to name just a few?

The amount of inflammation in our body varies and is dependent on may circumstances like activity level, amount of sleep or stress in our lives and even the foods we eat. Now what you have to realize is that these factors are all accumulative and as the levels increase, the risk for disease increases.

Now, early in life these levels can be so low that you would not even know that you have any inflammation in your body and that is because our bodies do a fair job at controlling the inflammation at least for a while. Then, one day you wake up and you are in your 40s and something is just not right. The fear sets in and you think to yourself what did I do, what did I do wrong or what can I do right now to help myself. Read the rest »

It’s not your fault you fell off your diet. Your excuse is “I just love to eat!” Of course you do. And because food is such an important part of life, you are entitled to love it. But like any amorous relationship, if your lover is causing you pain, it may be time to re-evaluate the picture.

The truth is you don’t have to stop loving food in order to manage your weight. You just need to alter the ways you view it. Start by making a list of the foods you generally find irresistible. Evaluate the damage level from each of these foods in relation to your weight-loss goals. Then, instead of assuming you have to stop enjoying all of your favorites, consider how you can budget them into your life. Read the rest »

According to the CDC, “Since the mid-seventies, the prevalence of overweight and obesity has increased sharply for both adults and children. Data from two NHANES surveys show that among adults aged 20–74 years the prevalence of obesity increased from 15.0% (in the 1976–1980 survey) to 32.9% (in the 2003–2004 survey).” http://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dnpa/obesity/index.htm. Coincidentally in the same time span our homes have gotten much bigger, our families much smaller, and yet we have so much stuff that we have to rent storage units miles away from our homes. The storage facilities were all but unknown in the 1970’s and now they are one of the fastest growing industries because our closets, attics, basements, and garages are completely packed with stuff. Read the rest »

Many people believe that if they give their children food that is less heavy in calories, they will snack more later, and so eventually take in those calories regardless. A study by the Obesity Society reported that is not true. For one week, a group of kids was given breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks, and the next week, they received the same menu and portions, with lower calorie substitutes for milk, fruit and pasta sauces. As long as the volume of food stayed the same, the children were no more likely to snack during the week of eating fewer calories than during the high calorie week.

The Blue Lake take on it:
We are reminded of the old phrase used to describe “hearty” food: It really sticks to the ribs. Well, it seems it really just sticks to the stomach! If your child has any issues with weight, you would be doing him or her a big favor by trying some of the substitutions that worked in this study. And don’t do it secretly – kids are capable of learning with you about what works to keep weight off.

Mealtime Matters – Goal #1: Nutrition – Watching What We Put Into Our Bodies

Last week, we discussed weight management and physical activity. This week, let’s talk about what we put into our bodies . . .

In 2005 the USDA revised the Food Guide Pyramid, now there are 12 instead of one. Since this country is a patchwork of people of different ages, body makeup, and activity levels, they have revised the pyramid. Now, there is a pyramid for each person, because we don’t always need the same amounts of food. But what we do need are the same types of food.

So, find yours and get started on the right path Read the rest »

How can you incorporate nutrition into your family’s lifestyle in a budget-conscious, and well-rounded way without enrolling in a college nutrition course? Glad you asked. The next couple weeks we will be scratching the surface of nutrition so that you can have the basics in hand.

Nutrition is not all about food. The foundation is a healthy lifestyle, which begins with fitness and weight management. This doesn’t mean that everybody out there has to run a marathon, although that is a great goal. Read the rest »