Eating to Live or Living to Eat?

There is a lot here but some very interesting information describing how different areas of the brain affect our eating habits. This might help to explain some of the cravings we have, especially, in my case with sweets after eating a meal. Basically a concise, easy to understand account of what can be a very complicated subject for some of us non-medical “civilians”.

online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704288204575363072381955744.html?mod=ITP_personaljournal_0

F as in Fat: How Obesity Threatens America’s Future 2010

It’s hard to believe with all of the media attention over the last couple years, but it appears the obesity issue in the US is getting worse instead of better. Obesity rates increased in 28 states year to year and decreased only in the District of Columbia. Most of us know intellectually that we need to monitor what we take in and increase our level of movement and exercise and yet reports like this one keep on coming. When and what will be the tipping point?

healthyamericans.org/reports/obesity2010/

Four Preventable Risk Factors Reduce Life Expectancy in U.S. and Lead to Health Disparities

I guess we already knew this, but the study below, led by the Harvard School of Public Health, confirms that smoking, high blood pressure, high blood glucose and obesity and overweight conditions, reduce life expectancy in men by 4.9 years and by 4.1 years in women. In many cases these are preventable conditions.

With just a couple minor adjustments in our eating and exercise habits we can have a major impact on our quality of life and be around a little longer to enjoy it with our family and friends!! Click on” health and wellness site” in the right column to visit tkfamilyplan.com to get started. See the Smoking Cessation section also if needed.

www.hsph.harvard.edu/news/press-releases/2010-releases/four-preventable-risk-factors-reduce-life-expectancy-in-us.html

U.S. Children: Generation Snack

This article reflects a study that surveyed over 31,000 kids but the results

would probably be similar if it surveyed 31,000 adults. It is constantly repeated

and painfully obvious, but if we just replaced highly sugared and salted snacks

with fresh fruit or even frozen fruit our calorie, processed sugar and salt

intake would decrease dramatically. Watch your local grocery store for sale

prices on fresh fruit and you (and your kids should you have them) try it for a

week and see how all of you feel.

well.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/03/02/u-s-children-generation-snack/?pagemode=print

Michelle Obama launches anti-obesity program

The First Lady’s public awareness campaign, title “Let’s Move”

is directed primarily to children’s health, wellness and fitness issues.

This program can do nothing but help but as we note on the Home Page

of our web site TKFamilyPlan.com (see link at right), these issues are not just children’s issues, they are really a family issue that needs to be addressed as such.

This article appeared in the LA Times and gives you a good basic idea of the program and we will provide more information about “Let’s Move” as it becomes available.

www.latimes.com/news/nation-and-world/la-na-obesity10-2010feb10,0,1396013,print.story

A Mentality of Wellness

The Wall Street Journal article posted earlier today refers to  a survey by Employee Benefits

Consultant, Hewitt and Associates. The survey predicts a 10% increase in the out-of-pocket

health insurance related expenses for employees in 2010. This is the biggest increase

in a decade.

No matter what comes out of Washington regarding health care/insurance reform, the

bottom line remains the same, we simply cannot afford to be sick any longer. We must

develop a mentality of wellness vs the treatment of sickness mindset we have all had

all of our lives. We are basically repeating here what we say on the home page of our

web site, www.tkfamilyplan.com/. This is the basic premise for the creation of our site

and this blog. In spite of all the publicity regarding obesity, preventable illnesses, etc. and

the associated costs things are getting worse. Overweight and obesity rates are continuing

to rise and again, as the Hewitt survey attests, health care costs are still rising also.

We, as a people, must take responsibility for our own and our family’s health. The trends are

working against us.

As a start, please refer to our web site, www.tkfamilyplan.com/, for professional nutrition and

fitness information and much more valuable wellness info. We do not advocate fad diets,

supplements or any other shortcuts. This is a simple lifestyle change. Visit our site often

along with this blog as additions and updates will be made on a regular basis.

Thanks and good health to you,

Tom

Coke Didn’t Make America Fat

Muhtar Kent, CEO of Coca Cola, in the October 8, 2009 Wall Street Journal, offering his

rebuttal to the attacks on the soft drink industry and threats to impose consumption taxes

on sugared soft drinks and some sports drinks and juices.

online.wsj.com/article/SB20001424052748703298004574455464120581696.html#mod=todays_us_opinion

Possible Consumption Tax on Soda, Sports Drinks, etc.

A review from the St. Louis Post Dispatch of an article from the New England Journal

of Medicine. Both sides of the argument re a tax on sugared soda, sports and energy drinks

and some juices and teas.

www.stltoday.com/stltoday/emaf.nsf/Popup?ReadForm&db=stltoday%5Clifestyle%5Cstories.nsf&docid=E1193E56F4FC1723862576340016DD9A

AHA Advises Cutting Added Sugar

A statement by the American Heart Association about the effect of sugar on cardiovascular health and obesity.

Below the statement is a link to the entire report that appeared in the AHA Journal Circulation.

//circ.ahajournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/120/11/1011?maxtoshow=&HITS=10&hits=10&RESULTFORMAT=&fulltext=added+sugar&searchid=1&FIRSTINDEX=0&resourcetype=HWCIT

//circ.ahajournals.org/cgi/content/full/120/11/1011?maxtoshow=&HITS=10&hits=10&RESULTFORMAT=&fulltext=added+sugar&searchid=1&FIRSTINDEX=0&resourcetype=HWCIT