The junk food industry probably has some nice people in it.  But they are definitely doing some not nice things.  Let’s air their dirty laundry now!

1. The junk food industry deliberately targets kids as young as two years old in order to create brand preference and lifelong loyalty.
2. Fast food chains lure kids with free toys in their meals to get their parents to spend.
3. Flavorings and colorings can cause rashes, asthma, and hyperactivity.
4. Many children now prefer man-made flavors over real food!
5. The average kid in the U.S. sees 25 hours of TV, which equates to 20,000 junk food ads a year! That’s a lot of brainwashing…
6. 20% of kids under the age of two are given soft drinks by their parents! When my nephew was two, he did not need Mountain Dew. He needed to be shot with a tranquilizer dart.
7. The average can of cola has 10 teaspoons of sugar. Picture that.
8. Over 90% of children eat McDonalds at least once per month.
9. American teenagers drink, on average, over 760 cans of soda per year!

Drum roll please……

And the TENTH junk food fact that is off-the-wall-ridiculous:

10.  The average person day consumes more sugar in TWO WEEKS than a person a century ago would consume in a whole YEAR.

I know. I know. It blew my mind as well.  Somehow people 100 years ago still survived their workday without draining over TWO cans (20 teaspoons, as we now know) of sugary crap drink.

Now that I’ve opened your eyes to the deadly advertising all around you and your children, I bet you’re going to retreat into the wilderness to hide.  Fear not! We can counter this marketing movement of junk food advertising and consumption with responsible eating habits and educating kids to not believe the stupid commercials they see.

Setting an example is not the main means of influencing others; it is the only means.
Albert Einstein

I don’t bust out Albert Einstein quotes lightly.  I only use them when I really need to drive a point home, and that point is this: everything you do as a company, down to the smallest choices you make, has an impact.  Its often the little things that get overlooked, too.  For example, how many companies out there claim to be socially responsible and yet still only provide their employees with unhealthy snack and drink options from vending machines that also have a huge carbon footprint?  While these companies may be socially responsible on a large scale, what about the health of its employees and the health of the planet?

I know what you’re thinking: “Is this guy serious? Vending machines? We have bigger fish to fry!” Well, what I’m saying is how are you going to expect your employees to perform at their peak when they are putting crap in their bodies throughout the workday? And how can you really say you’re a “green” company when you won’t replace your traditional, energy-sucking vending machines with modern eco-friendly vending machines stocked with health food?

Let me hit you with hard numbers if you’re still not convinced:

A study led by University of Cincinnati on obesity’s effects on productivity on 341 manufacturing workers indicated that health-related losses in productivity were 4.2% for moderate to obese workers, costing the company $1,800 per year in absenteeism related costs!

So let’s say your company is made up of the average distribution of people in the U.S. (30% obese).  If you have 1,000 employees then 300 are obese.  300 x $1,800 = $540,000 per year.

That’s half a million greenbacks!

While you can’t be responsible for the lifestyle decisions your employees make, the least you could do is provide them with healthy snack options while they work.

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.

These aren’t your typical big brown boxes with coils just outfitted with a different product mix, either.  These healthy vending machines are high-tech!  Here’s what I’m talking about:

An LCD Screen: If I could afford it, every wall in my house would be an LCD screen.  A vending machine should be no different.  Plus, how cool is it to have nutrition facts displayed on screen of the food products you’re about to buy? Its not like you can open the machine up and read the labels. If you have to put guesswork into your healthy snack options, then you’re probably not eating as healthy as you could be.

Cashless payment options: Like most of us, I am horrible at keeping cash around.  And nothing is worse than walking by a vending machine hoping for a healthy snack and coming up with lint.  Plastic money rules, plain and simple.

Sensors that guarantee that the machine vends correctly: This is as refreshing as the natural and organic options in these machines.   You know the diagram on vending machines showing what NOT to do? (i.e. tipping the machines towards you?) Yep, I’ve been THAT guy.   Because when I get ripped off by an ugly brown box, I feel stupid. And when I feel stupid, I get angry. Angry + Stupid = I am the guy in the diagram.

Eco-Friendly Design: We all love Mother Earth.  (By “we” I am not including British Petroleum). These healthy vending machines use up to 50% less energy than standard vending machines.  This means that when you use a traditional vending machine, you are actually harming your body and the environment.  Whether you buy organic, natural, or simply healthier food from a healthy vending machine its a double-whammy of positive impact for your body and for the earth.

The bottom line is that while we still may not be able to swallow a complete steak dinner the size of an aspirin, the convenience of a high-tech healthy vending machine is a pretty cool substitute.

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.

San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom has come under fire for banning soda from vending machines on city property. I’m going to address the Top 7 Criticisms:

1. The government doesn’t have the right
2. There is no difference between soda and milk
3. People should be drinking water not milk
4. People are smart enough to decide for themselves
5. It’s dangerous for diabetics
6. It’s the wrong move
7. It won’t do anything