In this video you will discover…

i) The top 4 ways to reverse obesity. (They are SUPER simple)

ii) The emergence of ______________ about 30 years ago is the biggest cause of obesity today.

iii) Why low-fat diets always fail.

iv) The Coca Cola Conspiracy that nobody talks about.

v) A TON more interesting and useful knowledge that will hopefully give you some perspective on nutrition.

Best In Health,

Sean & Andy

In an interview with SlashFood, Jaime Oliver talks about bringing his Food Revolution to Los Angeles….whether they want him or not.

He has already been denied access by L.A. School Officials, but is determined to make Los Angeles his next destination for his hit TV show.  When asked about the rebuttal by school officials Oliver replied, “If I really want to get in, I’ll get in, however that might be.”

We say bring him on!  Jamie you could do A LOT of good in the Los Angeles School District, and provide much needed exposure for childhood obesity.

Check out the full interview below.

Part 1 Below:

Part 2 Below:

Part 3 Below:

Read more: http://www.slashfood.com/2010/11/23/jamie-oliver-warns-l-a-hes-on-his-way/#ixzz16F15jihy

We Can't Let America's Students Starve

America is the richest country in the world, so why is hunger such a huge problem?  Poverty is the number one cause of hunger and with nearly 40 million Americans living below the poverty line, it’s no wonder so many of our neighbors are going without.  Over 14% of Americans are “food insecure” and adults are not the only ones skipping meals.  Recent studies show about 13 million kids are living below the poverty line and 16 million are living in food insecure households.  These families likely don’t eat at every meal or when they do eat, their plates are not filled with well-rounded, nutritious foods.  When these kids go off to school, their parents are unable to send a bag lunch with them or give them money for a hot lunch from the cafeteria.   Poverty and hunger have been around for a long time so this is not a new problem. In fact, there has been a solution of sorts in place for decades.

Government’s Role

The National School Lunch Program was signed into law in 1946 by President Harry S. Truman in an effort to provide free or low cost meals to qualified (low income) students through government subsidies.  This program was so successful -- both in feeding America’s youth and boosting food prices by passing off surpluses to schools -- that it spawned the Child Nutrition Act.   This federal law was signed in 1966 by President Lyndon B. Johnson and established the National School Breakfast Program as well as implemented nutrition standards for school meals.  Each day these programs serve over 30 million students in 101,000 schools nationwide.

Reality Check

These school meal programs operate at a cost of nearly $9 billion, which sounds like a lot but in reality, that only affords a school about $1 per student per day.   You can’t buy anything for a dollar these days, especially a well-rounded, healthy meal.   School lunches have deteriorated into a slop of reheated processed junk that has little to no nutritional value.   Chef, author and fresh food “activist,” Jamie Oliver started his Food Revolution in England then brought his campaign across the pond in 2010. His goal was to transform the US school lunch menu from serving processed simple carbs and fats to serving fresh meats and veggies.   Starting at the elementary school level, he won over reluctant school administrators and students who, as it turns out, would eat healthy foods if they were put in front of them.   Jamie marched his way up to high school where students actually chose fresh, healthy foods over processed junk.  The real problem faced by the Food Revolution was funding. Although it’s possible to work with local farmers and distributors and get fresh foods at a discount, it simply cannot be done with the current level of funding. But there is hope on the horizon.

Farm To Fork

Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act

Legislation is in Congress right now that would give schools $4.5 billion over the next 10 years to modify school cafeteria menus by establishing healthier guidelines.  Part of the Child Nutrition Act, the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act reauthorizes child nutrition programs by authorizing the Secretary of Agriculture to establish nutrition standards.  Schools will also be reimbursed more per meal.  This bill is currently sitting in the House of Representatives after being unanimously approved by the Senate.  First Lady, Michelle Obama, is a major proponent of this legislation since it is a huge part of her Let’s Move campaign which encourages kids to exercise, eat right and be healthier.  Mrs. Obama’s goal is to end childhood obesity within one generation.  This type of law could help our kids reach that goal. If this bill passes, it could mark the end of the school vending machine era.  No longer would kids be able to get a sugary soda or bag of greasy potato chips for lunch.  Schools may be forced to remove the standard vending machines.  What happens next is up to us.

The Future of Our Kids

Parents Shouldn't Have To Worry About Nutrition At School

Some schools have already voluntarily removed standard vending machines and have seen dramatic results in students’ attention spans and behavior.  An option for schools now is the healthy vending machine which offers non-processed, organic snacks and all-natural drinks like milk, juice and water.  When kids see what choices are available apart from the usual junk food fare, they will eat better, grow stronger and learn better.   Healthy kids turn into healthy adults. Parents can join together to encourage their kids’ schools to remove these snack machines and replace them with a healthier option.   Parents can also set an example by eating better themselves and not keeping junk food in the house. Kids pay close attention to what adults do as well as what they say.  If schools and parents lead by example, our kids have a bright future.

Bolthouse Farms has partnered with “A Bunch of Carrot Farmers” (50 actually) to boost sales of their already popular baby carrots.  The partners have laid down an initial investment of $25 million to change to the image of baby carrots. For their new marketing campaign, the carrot farmers have tapped ideas from their junk food rivals that include, among other things; sex, action sports, and special effects.  Baby carrots will be sold in new “junk food packaging” and the web is flooded with Youtube videos of crazy, carrot inspired stunts.  They have even launched an iPhone game called Xrtreme Xrunch Kart where players perform carrot related tricks while riding around on a shopping card. Players are encouraged to, “Crunch into actual baby carrots near your mic to unleash unholy speed bursts and perform XTREME aerial tricks. Wicked!” Sounds like fun.

The new packaging is currently in a testing state, and it is too early to tell if the marketing campaign will be successful.  We hope it blows away the competition and convinces everyone to “indulge the most tasteful of your taste buds” with baby carrots, instead of junk food.

In general, healthier foods still cost a little more, but keep in mind that you’re paying for a higher quality product with REAL ingredients and nutritional substance. As more and more people are hopping aboard the healthy movement, we are starting to see a positive transition in both company and consumer priorities. Many companies are working to deliver healthier products to consumers and, in turn, we are willing to spend more on foods that we know are better for us.  That being said, affordability is becoming a non-issue and our accessibility to healthy food options is growing. Hooray!

Just look around at the grocery store — Take a stroll down the snack aisle. There are so many more delicious and healthy products now and, best of all, it won’t break the bank for us to bring them home. A lot of companies have even improved their existing products to have better ingredients, without affecting the price.

Still, there is way too much junk food out there and many of us are in the habit of turning to these products out of impulse and familiarity. We need to work on that. There are so many healthy alternatives out there to satisfy every craving, flavor, and texture that your tummy could desire. You just have to make the right choices, break your old habits, and commit to snacking smarter. It will benefit everyone, especially yourself.

Here’s a quick scenario:

You’ve got a buck in your hand, and a nagging hunger pang. You walk over to the nearest food source, a typical traditional vending machine. Hmm, what to choose? Well, there are greasy potato chips, fried corn chips with additives, snack crackers with chemical preservatives, candy bars full of high fructose corn syrup and refined sugars, fruit snacks with artificial flavors and dyes… you get the idea. Is this really what you want to spend your hard-earned money on? It may only be $0.75, but it’s still a poor investment. Don’t give this vending machine your money! Your health will be paying a lot more down the road if you choose to consistently eat from here.

Do this instead:

Take your money to 100% healthy vending machines (these guys are popping up everywhere!). Their products might be priced a little higher, but you’ll get premium, equally tasty (if not tastier) natural snack options like baked pita chips, gourmet rice puffs, fruit & granola bars, etc. that you can feel good about eating. H.U.M.A.N. Healthy Vending is even launching a $1 machine, stocked completely with 100% healthy items that will only run you a buck! Now that’s making your dollar count.

Times, they are a changing! Upgrade your eating habits, and get it out of your head that “healthy” is synonymous with “expensive.” You don’t have to settle for junk food anymore, and you don’t have to spend a lot to get a lot. Healthy eating is not a privilege, it is your right!

We all hear that our modern food choices have TOO MUCH SODIUM in them.  Anyone with half an inkling of healthy eating knowledge would tell you that we, as Americans, have way too much sodium in our food and that we should limit our intake as much as possible.  After reading up on this exciting topic I learned that sodium is just like anything else: we need it, but in moderation. So don’t get carried away just yet before your little salt-limiting plan BACKFIRES on you.

Let me titillate your mind (yes, for the record, I used the word “titillate”) with some FUN sodium facts:

• The Institute of Medicine, which establishes our national dietary guidelines, recommends that adults ages 19-50 should eat no more than 2,300 mg of sodium per day, which is about a teaspoon of salt.
• HOWEVER: Albert Einstein College of Medicine researchers determined that adults take BETWEEN 2,000 and 4,000 mg of sodium per day.

See a conflict here? One institution, meaning the ONE that we listen to, is saying to take LESS THAN 2,300 mg….which implies that if you take ZERO or 2,299 mg of sodium per day then GREAT!  The other…a school named after the Hulk Hogan of math geniuses sets the minimum at 2,000 mg!   That’s a pretty big deal for the healthy eating community.  Let’s clear this bad boy up once and for all…

First of all, what does sodium do? Its a metallic element that allows nerve impulses and muscle contractions to occur.  Sounds kind of important.  Sodium helps maintain blood volume and aids the old kidneys in determining how much water to release via your urine.  So you can see how the blanket statement of “reduce sodium intake” can be harmful to the uneducated…

Yes, sodium has negative effects: having too much in your system can cause high blood pressure.

So how do we arrive at the sacred middle ground? Don’t think too hard…your brain does it for you! Researchers have determined that our taste buds are attuned to salt so that we can seek out foods that contain sodium in an effort to get the right amount.  Studies across 30 countries found that sodium intake was about the same: an average of 3,700 mg per day.

What does this mean? It means don’t over think it, Einstein. If you crave salty foods, you are probably a little bit lacking in sodium intake for the day. If you are thirsty, you should probably cut back on sodium and chug some agua.

Okay, maybe I’m going a bit overboard. But I’m still impressed because childhood obesity is an epidemic.  And epidemics require a broad-based systematic approach in order to stop them.  “Let’s Move” is right, we need to move!

So what does this “Let’s Move” Campaign entail? Let me break it down.

Let’s Move was given steam by President Obama when he signed a Presidential Memorandum designating an Obesity Task Force to review all programs and policies relating to child nutrition and physical activity.  The Task Force was to then develop an action plan on how to best use government resources to achieve the First Lady’s goal.

There are four SOLID pillars in this campaign:

1. Empowering parents and caregivers
2. Providing healthy food in schools
3. Improving access to healthy, affordable foods
4. Increasing activity

With the Child Nutrition Act passing in the Senate this month, there has been significant progress on the legislative side in this monumental battle against childhood obesity.  But it doesn’t get solved with just policy changes.

Here’s a good analogy: If I sit at my computer all day and type up an elaborate workout plan for the next 6 months, using spreadsheets and checklists to set goals, then it is all for nothing if I don’t physically get off of my butt and actually DO the workout.  The same goes for a lot of policy in our country.  It looks so pretty on paper, and has the signatures of these big important people on them, but they don’t get implemented because they don’t have buy-in. Well here’s where the average parent, teacher, school administrator, and concerned citizen comes in.

If you genuinely care, you need to TAKE ACTION. Demand that your school implement a physical fitness program.  Gather other like-minded parents together and let your voices be heard: “Our kids need healthy food options now!” or “Little Billy can’t see his TOES anymore!”  Whatever you want, just get creative.

And I’ll see you on the battlefield….

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.

Most people, especially in cities, have no clue about where their food is actually coming from.  Do you ever stop and think: Why is this burger SO CHEAP? Seriously, when you think about it, burgers are cheaper than vegetables! And how much labor goes into harvesting & shipping a vegetables versus raising and slaughtering a cow?  Common sense would tell us that veggies should be cheaper.  But when you see how meat is obtained now via mega-slaughterhouses feeding our distribution channels, it all makes sense. No wonder its hard to eat healthy when you’re broke! But what happens when you force meat through a hyper-efficient system designed for one purpose: low price? You get contamination, son!

In December of 2009, USA Today did a study regarding the quality of food in our nation’s schools.  Do you know what they found out? Hold on, this requires large, bold font:

Meat used in school cafeterias was REJECTED by fast food joints like KFC!

I know, I know. Ridiculous, huh? School’s only get 15-20% of their food from the government but that 15-20% is made up of key commodities like beef, chicken, fruits, and vegetables! (What else is there?)

The USDA stands by its position that schools get high quality food.  But the bottom line is that you get what you pay for and the school’s can’t afford to pay for the good stuff.  And I know what you’re thinking: so what, we’re going to pay out the #@$@! for organic food in school cafeterias now? Healthy eating in schools doesn’t have to be an extreme undertaking.  It starts with simple decisions such as replacing junk food vending machines with healthy vending machines.

The Child Nutrition Act addresses some of these quality concerns, but until its passed our kids are out of luck.  So for now, PACK THAT SACK LUNCH!

Vending machines are generally overlooked as something detrimental to a workplace,  school, or gym.  After all, the store is too far away and these people need to snack! Heck, we’ll just plug it in, sign the contract, and everyone will be happy! This is the kind of short-sighted thinking that can have negative long term effects.

Let’s take a look at some of the negative impacts the traditional junk food vending machines have:

• Energy consumption: A refrigerated vending machine can consume between 2,500 and 4,000 kilowatt-hours  per year.  To give you some perspective, in 2008 the average home consumed around 11,000 kilowatt-hours.  So if those 3-4 vending machines at work could power your home for a year! The good news: new eco-friendly vending machines now use 50% less electricity!
• Product mix: traditional vending machines contain nothing but junk food.  Its no news flash to anyone that the U.S. and the world as a whole is struggling with the rise of obesity and its associated negative health impact.  28 out of 50 states have reported an increase in the percentage of obese people, and childhood obesity is one of the greatest threats to the next generation. The good news: healthy vending machines are steadily being placed in schools, gyms, and office buildings worldwide!
• Education: traditional vending machines give no indication as to the nutritional content of their foods.  You can’t bust the glass and read the label! Consumers then rely on what tastes good, which to the average person is unfortunately some type of sugary or salty snack with little to no nutritional value.  The good news: New, high-tech vending machines with large LCD displays and on-board personal computers power an interactive snack buying experience for the consumer.  Nutritional content is now at the touch of a button!

Maybe that’s what the Cubs need: healthy vending machines in their training facility! It would explain a lot…Don’t hate on me, Chicago, I’m just trying to help.