1.  No other household activity eats up as much free time in the U.S. as television: 6 hours 47 minutes is the average per time spend watching TV per day in each household!

2.  Kids spend an average of 1,680 minutes per week watching TV.  That’s 28 hours!

3. 54% of 4-6 year olds indicated in a survey that they’d rather spend time watching TV than with their fathers! (Ouch…)

4. Hours of TV watched by the average American youth per year: 1,500. Compare that to the average time they spend in school: 900. Who’s educating your kid?

5. Twice as many children are overweight now than in the 1960s. The main culprits cited are physical inactivity and high-calorie diets.   Big surprise…TV demands a complete lack of movement while flashing images of junk food at your kid’s FACE repeatedly.

6.  According to William H. Deitz, a pediatrician and obesity expert at Tufts University School of Medicine “Almost ANYTHING uses more energy than watching TV”.  Make watching 30 minutes of TV a warmup for something slightly more energetic and social: a game of cards with the family!

7.  Researchers found that each hour a day spent watching TV was linked with an 18% greater risk of dying from cardiovascular disease, an 11% greater risk of all causes of death, and a 9% increased risk of death from cancer. Flip the switch and you’re literally taking a gamble with your life.

8. Effects on your kid’s brain: studies show that long periods of television hamper development in the pre-frontal cortex, which is the area of the brain responsible for planning, organizing, and sequencing behavior for self-control, moral judgment, and attention.  Translation: let Junior watch TV all day and he will transform into an inattentive demonic little daredevil with poor planning skills.

9.  26% of ads on TV are for food products. Over 70% of these food ads are for high-sugar or fat-filled food.

10.  The average kid between the ages of 8 and 12 viewed an average of 21 food ads per day.  34% of those were for candy or snacks!

So what do you think now about letting your kid watch just one more episode after their homework is done? Why not challenge them to a game of hoops instead?

DON’T BE A BOOB, SHUT OFF THE TUBE (copyright pending on that slogan, by the way, so I better not see any bumper stickers!)

Myth #1: To drop weight as fast as possible, you should restrict the maximum amount of calories.

Truth: Losing more than 1-2 pounds a week is unhealthy.  Fine tune your calorie intake to gradually lose weight.

Myth #2: All fat is bad.

Truth: Saturated fat is harmful, however unsaturated fat (found in fish, nuts, sunflower seeds, and olive oils) actually reduces your overall cholesterol and provides essential nutrients.

Myth #3: By not adding extra salt to your food, you can limit your sodium intake to the right level.

Truth: Many foods come loaded with salt already, read the label! Try to limit your intake to 2,400 mg per day.

Myth #4: To get a slim figure, just cut out all carbohydrates.

Truth: If you eat less than 130 g of carbohydrates you run the risk of building up ketones in your blood. Ketones are partially-broken down fats. A buildup of these can make your body produce uric acid, which can lead to GOUT and KIDNEY STONES.  How scary is that?

Myth #5: Eating celery actually BURNS calories.

No food actually burns calories.  The only thing that can affect this is caffeine, which can increase your metabolism, which means the RATE at which you burn calories is faster.

Myth #6: Going “vegetarian”will make you lose weight and be healthier.

Truth: While vegetarians typically are leaner and healthier than the average population, they can still make similar bad food choices with high-calorie, low-nutrient snacks.

Myth #7: Cholesterol is bad.

Truth: Cholesterol is complex. Cholesterol in food is broken down in your body and is reassembled in the blood stream at the optimal amount in order to transport glucose.  So if you eat a lot of refined carbs and have high levels of glucose, your body will keep excess cholesterol on hand to transport it. THIS is bad.

Myth #8: Following a strict meal plan is the best way to lose weight and stay healthy.

Truth: Being flexible with your eating habits is the best method for being healthy.  For example, timing your sugar/carb intake to be right after your workout.

Myth #9: Chocolate is bad for you.

Truth: Commercial chocolate bars contain more sugar than the actual beneficial ingredient: cacao. Cacao is packed with antioxidants.  Avoid milk chocolate and buy dark, and you have yourself a superfood (treat yourself up to 3 times a week!)

Myth #10: Soy is an awesome protein substitute.

Truth: Soy products and tofu aren’t terrible, but keep in mind the high-temperature processing in aluminum vats and acid washes required to process soy beans.  This means that they contain decently high levels of carcinogens.  Do your research and keep soy intake at a reasonable level.

There you have it. That’s TEN more healthy eating myths BUSTED by yours truly.  There are hundreds more, but I think I’ll leave that up to you.  So today’s lesson: don’t believe the hype.  Get yourself some knowledge, son.

Myth #1: Bread, pasta, and rice raise your insulin levels and cause you to gain weight.

Truth: Making these foods off-limits to yourself is denying your body carbohydrates, which are used by your body to create insulin, which in turn helps convert carbohydrates into usable energy.  The key is not to eat too much!

Myth #2: Always choose “low fat” or “fat free”.

Truth: These phrases can be misleading as a lot of times the product will still have the same number of calories as the regular version. The difference might be because sugar was used to repeat flavor lost when fat was removed.

Myth #3: Skipping breakfast will help reduce the amount of calories you take in each day, making you slimmer.

Truth: By eating breakfast you are kick-starting your metabolism.  If you don’t eat a sufficient breakfast then by the time you DO eat (lunch), your body will frantically store your lunch as energy for future use AKA fat.

Myth #4: Dairy makes you fat.

Truth: Dairy contains the hormone calcitriol, which helps conserve calcium for stronger bones while at the same time telling fat cells to convert less sugar to fat while burning more body fat.

Myth #5: If it’s brown then it’s whole grain.

Truth: Check the ingredients! Make sure whole grains actually are listed as the top ingredient.  You want this because the extra fiber makes you feel full.

You can see now how important it is to know what how to separate truth from fiction! The typical phrases people throw around like “fat is bad” and “just skip breakfast to lose weight, you’re not hungry in the morning anyway” are said out of ignorance, not out of knowledge.  Don’t be like them. Arm yourself with the facts!

Tomorrow I will destroy TEN more healthy eating tips! Stay tuned…

Habit is habit, and not to be flung out of the window by any man, but coaxed downstairs a step at a time.  ~Mark Twain

The second half of a man’s life is made up of nothing but the habits he has acquired during the first half.  ~Feodor Dostoevski

If Dostoevski is right, then apparently the second half of my life will consist of watching Shark Week while cursing like a sailor and cracking my knuckles.  Doesn’t bode well for me, but it can for you! Change your habits now so that your future self will thank you.  So you’ve already completed the first step, which is replacing a daily unhealthy snack with a healthy one.  This habit change requires that you make sure you have two things: 1) the access to healthy food and 2) the desire to always choose it over your old go-to.  Make this change every day and soon it won’t feel weird to bust out an apple instead of heading down to the vending machine for some chips.

As promised, I am going to give you 10 easy changes to your routine that will leave you feeling, looking, and living healthier in the long run:

1.  Take the stairs. Ever notice in an airport how escalators are jam-packed with people slowly waiting for it to carry them to the top, while the stairs next to them are almost completely empty? It always baffled me why after sitting in a metal tube for several hours barely able to move that people wouldn’t want to stretch their legs and walk up a couple flights of steps.  Think of all times you are faced with the choice of stairs versus escalators or elevators in your life, then think of how many steps per year this would add up to…you’ll be surprised at the extra calories you’ll burn by just adjusting this simple choice presented to you all the time.

2.  Replace ONE unhealthy drink per day with water. I’m not asking you to abandon all sodas, shakes, and mocha-frappa-schlappa-chino’s from your day.  I’m suggesting that you replace ONE of these per day with a glass of water.  This will cut out at least 100 calories a day (calories that are devoid of nutrients, too!)

3. Park your car at the far end of the lot. Force yourself to walk further.  You’ll reduce your chances of dings to your paint job too!

4. Replace white bread with whole grain wheat bread.Trust me…it tastes better any way.

5. Do easy exercises on commercial breaks. All that couch time adds up. Break up your down time with jumping jacks, calf lifts, stretching, situps, and pushups (if you’re really motivated).  Don’t go crazy, just remember that all of the little efforts you do add up.

6. Eat at least one raw vegetable a day. Make it a daily checklist item: eat one serving of raw carrots, broccoli, or celery a day.  View it as a rite of passage for you…once its over you can enjoy other food!

7. Cut one TV show out per day. Do you really need to watch that re-run of Full House? Replacing 30 mins a day of TV adds up to 182.5 HOURS a year! Think of what you could accomplish in that time to improve your health.

8. Leave the serving dishes on the counter instead of the table. Research shows that you will be less likely to get seconds this way.

9. Talk the dog for a walk. Fido will thank you. Your body will thank you. Your wife/husband will thank you. The neighborhood WON’T thank you unless you pick up his crap though. Just a little FYI for ya.

10. Cut one dessert out. Do you REALLY need a dessert for lunch AND dinner? C’mon, you’re grown up now. Cut one out and the next will be all that more tasty.

Of course doing all 10 of these changes seem like a lot. So PICK ONE that you think you can handle and integrate it into your daily routine. When you no longer have to think about it, pick another, then another, etc.  In the long run you’ll be one habit-forming son of a gun.

Think about it: If I sit on the couch and dig in to a gallon of cold, sweet, flavorful cookie-dough ice cream while watching TV for 8 hours instead of going outside (Hey, sue me, it was Shark Week) then what happens? In the short term I am happy as a pig in mud.  I am comfortable, content, and my tongue is LOVING it. What happens in the long term? I become physically weaker, fatter, and less healthy.  I am lacking in Vitamin D from not getting sunshine.  My wife eventually finds me unattractive and leaves me for the mailman, who plays volleyball on the beach in his spare time instead of watching great white sharks rip the living CRAP out of seals. MAN, I LOVE SHARK WEEK. Sorry.

So let’s flip this equation on its head.  Instead of sitting on the couch watching the greatest cinematic endeavor ever known to mankind that is Shark Week, I decide to eat a can of tuna fish and a huge handful of raw carrots.  When I’m done eating I walk down to the pool and swim laps for a while (after waiting 30 mins of course).  Short term: I am craving some sweet, cold ice cream. The tuna and carrots taste barely adequate.  Swimming is less fun than watching shark week.  Long term: I am lean, healthy, and I feel great.  My wife doesn’t even NOTICE the mailman because I’m a chiseled STUD.

See how this works? Doing the hard thing now means life will be easy later. This Master Your Life series will consist a lot of simple short-term changes you can make to see some dramatic long term results.

Just to whet your appetite, I’m going to give you your FIRST task of the week. Your mission: replace one unhealthy snack per day with these healthy alternatives:

Unsalted pretzels
Applesauce
Low-fat yogurt with fruit
Unbuttered and unsalted popcorn
Broccoli, carrots, or cherry tomatoes with dip or low-fat yogurt
Grapes
Apple slices with peanut butter
Raisins
Nuts
Graham crackers
Gingersnap cookies
Low- or reduced-fat string cheese
Baked whole-grain tortilla chips with salsa
Whole-grain cereal with low-fat milk

Do this daily until it becomes a habit.  Check in tomorrow for Master Your Life: Part 2…where I’ll reveal 10 easy changes to your routine that will shed pounds and leave you feeling healthier and happier in the long run.  Now, turn off Shark Week and GO OUTSIDE!

Difference between conventional farming & organic farming:

Organic farming: The growing and processing of agricultural products (meat, vegetables, fruits, grains, and dairy) while encouraging water and soil conservation and pollution reduction.

1. Natural fertilizer is used, such as manure or compost.
2. Beneficial insects and birds are used and instead of spraying insecticides, mating disruption techniques and traps are used.
3. To manage weeds: crops are rotated, weeds are pulled by hand, or mulch is used to manage weeds.
4. Animals are given organic feed and they have access to the outdoors. To reduce disease: rotational grazing, clean housing and a balanced diet are implemented.

Conventional Farming: The growing and processing of agricultural products (meat, vegetables, fruits, grains, and dairy) using methods that get the maximum output out of land and animals.

1. Chemical fertilizers are used to promote growth in plants.
2. Insecticides are sprayed to reduce pests.
3. Chemical herbicides are used to manage weeds.
4. Animals are given antibiotics, growth hormones, and medications to prevent disease and spur growth.

CONGRATULATIONS! You now know more than probably 80% of people who buy organic because it’s popular but don’t really know why it’s better.

Because organic is such a booming market, many companies throw around the word “organic” in order to attract customers like Hulk Hogan used to throw his enemies around in the ring: with complete disregard for their health!

Here’s what it takes to get that coveted USDA stamp o’ approval:

• 100 percent organic. Products that are completely organic or made of all organic ingredients.
• Organic. Products that are at least 95 percent organic.
• Made with organic ingredients. These are products that contain at least 70 percent organic ingredients. The organic seal can’t be used on these packages.

So the bottom line is: READ THE LABEL. Don’t you want to know what you are putting in your body? Making the choice to buy organic involves a little digging on your part.

Tomorrow I will reveal BUYING tips for when you are faced with the myriad of organic food choices at your grocery store or vending machine.  So bookmark this page and check back in to become an organic buying SUPERSTAR!

While this may be a slight exaggeration of how the typical walk to the vending machine goes, in reality each step you make towards that can of soda might as well be a walk towards the edge.  Bill learned his soda habit in school, and kept with it his whole life…and he is not alone.

Here’s some soda facts, me maties:

• Americans drink more soda pop than ever before.
• Soda accounts for more than a QUARTER of all drinks consumed in the U.S.
• More than 15 BILLION GALLONS were sold in 2000, and its only increased since then.
• 15 BILLION GALLONS works out to at least one 12-ounce can per day for every man, woman, and child!
• Soft drink consumption rates have doubled in the last decade.
• Soft drinks are the leading source of added sugars in the average American teenager’s diet, equaling 15 to 20 teaspoons of added sugar per day!
• Adolescents (ages 11-17) get 11% of their calories from soft drinks!
• Drinking soda replaces nutritious drinks like milk, leading to decreased calcium consumption in girls. (One result: osteoporosis)
• A Harvard School of Health study determined that in 9th and 10th graders, those who drank soda regularly were THREE times more likely to develop bone fractures.
• For every soft drink consumed per day, the risk of obesity goes up by 50%

YARRRRRRRR! These kind of facts make really SHIVER ME TIMBERS. I honestly have no clue what that means. But, I think it has to do with the vibrations running down a pirate’s wooden peg leg from angry convulsions.

Anyway, its obvious that soda is horrible.  But kids have few options at school, and when they’re thirsty, THEY’RE THIRSTY! And when they want to snack on junk food, who is going to stop them? The solution? First off, replacing junk food and soda vending machines with healthy snack and drink machines.

A possible objection: Won’t the school will lose money? Answer: FALSE. North Community High School in Minneapolis replaced most of its soda machines with machines stocked with fruit juices and water and their sales INCREASED.  Other schools across the nation (Miami, Washington D.C., North Carolina, etc.) are already replacing their food AND drink machines with premium, high-tech 100% healthy vending machines.

Yar.

Obesity rates are swelling in 28 of our states.  I’m no math major, but that tells me that more than half the country is getting fatter.  And obesity isn’t something these millions of people purposefully set out to achieve.  Obesity happens simply from lack of physical activity and poor nutrition.

Engaging in physical activity doesn’t take much education, its more of  a habit.  Habits are difficult to form but once you form them they are difficult to break.  It comes down to choices: going for a walk instead of watching American Idol re-runs, taking the stairs instead of the elevator, playing sports instead of watching them, etc.

But nutrition does require a little education.  Its the yin to exercise’s yang.  Its the “better half” in the marriage between the two.  Here’s the breakdown:

Energy: Would you put watered down gas in your car? I sure hope not.  The same goes for your body: if you want maximum energy is your habit to grab a Snickers from the junk food machine or trail mix from a healthy vending machine?  Replacing your unhealthy go-to energy fixes with food that actually does give you energy is the first step.  Your body’s favorite fuel comes from carbohydrates: glucose.  If you eat too many simple carbohydrates (sugar and starch), your body will store these as fat.  And if you don’t have enough glucose it will create some from your fat and protein stores.

Building Blocks: Your body requires a few essential structural components in order to maintain healthy muscles, bones, your immune system, hormonal balance, nervous system, and organs: protein, calcium, and fats.

The protein in your body is naturally broken down into amino acids, which are used to repair various parts of your body. Your body naturally produces 11 non-essential amino acids that aren’t available from food.  There are an additional 9 amino acids you must have in your diet in order to maintain a high level of protein production.  Protein is the main structural component in your cells, comprising 17 percent of your total body weight!

Calcium mainly keeps your bones (and teeth) strong, but also helps the function of muscles and nerves.  It even helps prevent your blood from clotting!

FAT.  Ok, there’s a lot of confusion over fat.  Because we describe obese people as “fat”, we automatically assume its because they ate too much fat.  Not necessarily true.  WE NEED FAT! Just not all fat.  Basically: unsaturated = good, saturated = bad.

Vitamins & Minerals: Vitamins and minerals function as co-enzymes, helping the efficiency of different chemical reactions that happen in your body.  Best if found in natural and organic foods rather than a supplement.

So that’s the run-down.  Of course that was a very simple explanation of nutrition, which is as complex of a subject as the fields its related to: biology, chemistry, physiology, etc.  Bottom line is to use your common sense!Your body instinctively knows what is better for you when faced with the choice between Coke and water, vegetables over donuts, or brown rice over Twinkies.

]]> http://www.healthyvending.com/blog/whyisnutritionimportant/feed/ 0 http://www.healthyvending.com/blog/obesity-task-force-the-lowdown-on-how-the-white-houses-plan-for-healthy-schools/ http://www.healthyvending.com/blog/obesity-task-force-the-lowdown-on-how-the-white-houses-plan-for-healthy-schools/#comments Wed, 28 Jul 2010 02:00:26 +0000 Patrick Sanders http://www.healthyvending.com/blog/?p=533 When I picture an “Obesity Task Force”, I picture Richard Simmons barking orders drill-sergeant style to a platoon of spandex-clad fitness freaks.  Apparently I’m way off, because the real Obesity Task Force is deadly serious about creating healthy schools and healthy kids.

The Obesity Task Force (where people wear suits, not spandex) was created by President Obama in 2009 and is closely related to the First Lady’s “Let’s Move” campaign.  These initiatives represent the sense of urgency felt in all levels of government and society to implement concrete changes to the lifestyles of our nation’s youth.  Obesity is on the rise, healthy eating is plummeting, and physical activity is grinding to a halt.

So what makes the OTF different from every other committee that simply talks but never delivers real meaningful change? It all comes down to action plans.

According to a White House statement, the Obesity Task Force plan aims to achieve the following:

“1. Getting children a healthy start on life, with good prenatal care for their parents; support for breastfeeding; and quality child care settings with nutritious food and ample opportunity for young children to be physically active.”

In my opinion this starts at home.  If you let your kid eat McDonald’s all the time, grab soda from a traditional vending machine instead of fruit juice from a healthy vending machine, and let them sit in front of the tube all day then OF COURSE they’ll be fat.

“2. Empowering parents and caregivers with simpler, more actionable messages about nutritional choices based on the latest Dietary Guidelines for Americans; improved labels on food and menus that provide clear information to help make healthy choices for children; reduced marketing of unhealthy products to children; and improved health care services, including BMI measurement for all children.”

Kids are like lemmings.  Or do I mean monkeys? Or do I mean a weird hybrid animal between the two? (Pause here to picture this and laugh.  Now pull yourself together and keep reading).  The point is they mimic and follow what we big people do.  If they see mom and dad caring about what they eat then they will too.

“3. Providing healthy food in schools, through improvements in federally supported school lunches and breakfasts; upgrading the nutritional quality of other foods sold in schools; and improving nutrition education and the overall school environment.”

Here’s where the school board and administrators come in.  Kids are at the mercy of your cafeteria.  With the government SUBSIDIZING your food through the National School Lunch Program, you need to choose a healthy food service.  Natural and organic foods are much better fuel for learning than the alternative. Also, replace those Coke and Pepsi machines with a healthy vending machine!

“4. Improving access to healthy, affordable food by eliminating “food deserts” in urban and rural America; lowering the relative prices of healthier foods; developing or reformulating food products to be healthier; and reducing the incidence of hunger, which has been linked to obesity.”

Low number of food options means low quality of food options.  Healthy snacks don’t just grow on trees. Oh wait, they do, they’re called apples.  But last I checked there aren’t too many apple trees in the city.  That leaves vast stretches of concrete jungle where fast food and candy/soda machines dominate your eyesight.  And until  healthy vending machines and natural food stores become conveniently common, people will keep hitting those drive-thrus.

“5. Getting children more physically active through quality physical education, recess and other opportunities in and after school; addressing aspects of the “built environment” that make it difficult for children to walk or bike safely in their communities; and improving access to safe parks, playgrounds, and indoor and outdoor recreational facilities.”

I interpreted this as “make gym class fun again”.  Kids have vast stores of energy, and this needs to be channeled into things other than video games and YouTube.  And I doubt kids are going to argue with more recess time.  Being able to ride their bikes without fear of getting hit by passing motorists would also be a plus.

Bottom line is I like where this Obesity Task Force is headed.  The gray suits are a little boring, and maybe they could use some of Richard Simmons’ flare, but they are taking a bold step in battling one of our country’s greatest threats: unhealthy children.

Obesity and malnutrition would rather step into the ring with these boxing greats than the Boys & Girls Club of Ada County, Idaho.

The mission of the Boys & Girls Club is “to enable all young people, especially those who need us most, to reach their full potential as productive, caring, responsible citizens.”

Gotta love ‘em.

On July 20th, the Garden City and Meridian clubs joined the fight to promote health for its kids by implementing a state of the art healthy vending program through H.U.M.A.N. Healthy Vending.  With a high tech machine installed at each club, the positive and measurable impact on the kids’ health has begun.

Star athletes from Boise State and nutrition experts participated in an educational event before unveiling the machines, speaking to the children about the importance of nutrition and exercise at the Moseley Center.

CHECK OUT THE NEWS COVERAGE OF THE EVENT!

Local H.U.M.A.N. operators Amy and John Hobbing are excited to be the first exclusive healthy vending operators in Idaho: “As leaders in the Treasure Valley have come to realize, poor nutrition and obesity are not just bad for kids, but its bad for business.  One out of every three adults and children are now classified as overweight or obese.  The cost of poor health is well documented: lost productivity, higher healthcare costs and a lower quality of life.  We have decided to take a stand against poor health and help innovative organizations and leaders like the Boys & Girls Club bring the right kind of tools to help kids and adults with better nutritional choices.  Lastly, we want people to know that good health can taste good!”

When I was a kid, I couldn’t tell you the difference between sodium and simple carbohydrates.  Heck, most of the time I couldn’t even match my socks.  Not surprisingly, not much has changed.  In Garden City, the kids crowded around the colorful and high-tech machine feeding it quarters and excitedly retrieving their snacks as reporters quizzed them on what the basic ingredients were.  The look on the kids’ faces said it all: “I don’t know, lady, I just know it tastes good!”

With a customized array of snacks chosen for both taste and nutritional content, kids and parents were not disappointed.

I have to say that nothing warms my heart more than seeing a kid chugging Hansen’s soda instead of Pepsi.  My wife was offended by this because apparently our wedding video should take precedence, but that’s neither here nor there.

And as childhood obesity rates soar throughout the country, the Boys & Girls Club in Ada County, Idaho has scored a first round knockout.