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Healthy Lifestyle During Heart Health Month

Friday, February 3rd, 2012

Healthy Lifestyle with Nutritious Family Meals

Enjoy nutritious meals as a family to encourage a healthy lifestyle and fight childhood obesity.

A Gallup poll released in January reported that the percentage of obese Americans has decreased slightly for the first time in three years (down to 26.1% from 26.6%). This is good step in the long-term effort toward reducing obesity, an effort we are a part of with our friends at the Healthy Weight Commitment Foundation. HWCF is made up of organizations with a shared desire to educate the public on the concept of “energy balance” – that a healthy weight is a result of balancing “calories in” (what we eat) with “calories-out” (what we burn through exercise). There are many reasons people struggle with weight, and all kinds of ways those issues get complicated. But by simplifying it down to this balance, hopefully we can encourage our friends, families and communities to make changes.

At Shane Weight Loss Camps & Resorts we offer weight loss programs for children, teenagers and adults to encourage our community to live active, healthy lifestyles.

February brings Valentine’s Day and Heart Health Month, so it’s a perfect opportunity to plan nutritious meals and activities with your loved ones to encourage “energy balance” in everyday life. Themed meals can be a fun way to introduce new and nutritious options into your family’s menu. Explore all the great winter activities available right outside the door. Throw a neighborhood snowball fight, go sledding or build a snowman. On the days you are stuck inside, take advantage of online resources. Paul Pierce of the Boston Celtics (and fellow HWCF associate member) has great videos that demonstrate exercises you can do right at home!

HWCF has developed an online community dedicated to helping families keep track of their energy balance. The Together Counts ™ campaign was created to provide encouragement, accountability, and new ideas for families looking to build active, healthy lifestyles. Go to www.togethercounts.com and join today!

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Tags: healthy lifestyle, healthy weight commitment foundation, together counts, weight loss programs for adults, weight loss programs for children, weight loss programs for teenagers
Posted in Childhood Obesity, Healthy Eating, Healthy Lifestyles, Nutrition in the News, Parenting | No Comments »

Weight Loss Surgery for Teens

Wednesday, February 1st, 2012

Childhood obesity continues to be an epidemic in the United States, and some overweight teens are turning to more extreme measures for quick weight loss. Rather than the traditional healthy eating and exercise routine, more and more young adults and teenagers are opting for weight loss surgery, especially stomach banding. A recent article in the New York Times by Anemona Hartocollis follows one young woman who went under the knife for the sake of losing weight.

There has been an explosion of weight loss surgeries recently, with about 220,000 operations per year, at the cost of over $6 billion. More young people are also being operated on, which is met with some skepticism by doctors who argue that their bodies are still in the process of going through changes. Also, long-term effectiveness is still in question.

“I think it’s pretty extreme to change the anatomy of a child when you haven’t even tackled the other elements,” said Dr. Wendy M. Scinta, a family practitioner in Manlius, a suburb of Syracuse, who specializes in pediatric weight loss. Unlike with older patients, she said, “there is not a huge rush to fix it or they will die.”

One to two percent of all weight-loss, or bariatric, operations are on patients under 21, but studies are under way to gauge the outcomes of surgery on children as young as 12. Allergan, the maker of Lap-Band, is seeking permission from the Food and Drug Administration to market to children as young as 14, four years younger than what is currently allowed.

Gastric banding, a form of weight loss surgery, restricts the amount of food that can be consumed at one time.

Stomach banding, or laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding, constitutes about 39 percent of all bariatric surgeries. The risks of all the operations have declined, partly because surgeons are now more experienced and are using less-invasive techniques, but also because they are operating on thinner, healthier patients. But long-term results are still being studied.

A Belgian study of adult patients found that nearly half had their bands removed within 12 years for various reasons. Some of these reasons included not losing much weight, regaining what they had lost, frequent heartburn or vomiting, or the band slipped or perforated the stomach.

A German study found that 30 percent of patients needed new operations within 14 years, some because they wanted bands removed, and others because of complications like slippage.

Another study in Australia found that one-third of operations on teenagers required follow-up surgeries within two years, often because of “pouch dilation,” when the stomach above the band becomes enlarged, which can happen if the patient does not follow the regimen and tries to eat too much.

Diana Zuckerman, a psychologist and president of the National Research Center for Women and Families, believes that teenagers are bad candidates for gastric banding surgery as they are often immature, rebellious, and uninterested in long-term consequences.

Some experts also question the possibility of malnutrition because the patients’ shortened digestive tracts absorb fewer nutrients, which could affect development.

Shani Gofman, a teenager from Brooklyn, first learned about weight loss surgery from her pediatrician when she was 17 years old. Coming in at over 250 pounds at just 5-foot-1, she insisted that she could lose weight on her own through diet and exercise. Unfortunately, her pediatrician didn’t believe in her. After her doctor proposed weight loss surgery, she did attempt to lose weight on her own, but failed miserably and actually gained 30 pounds instead.

When Shani met with the bariatric surgeon, he informed her that post-surgery, she should expect to lose about 40 percent of her excess weight, or 70 to 80 pounds. That, of course, was if she followed the regimen.

After Shani had her surgery done, she did end up losing 20 pounds in the first 13 days, but complained of constant hunger. She said she also had to resist the temptations of unhealthy foods readily available all around her. When her surgeon advised food in moderation above all else, she told him that she is not good at moderation.

Three weeks later, Shani was down another eight pounds and had gone from a size 26 to a size 20. She also joined a gym and bought a swimsuit.

Shani did hit an obstacle when she took a trip to Israel with other teenagers. She found herself either getting sick or sitting in pain after every meal, as she was often eating on the run. She also found that junk food went down easier for her than healthier alternatives.

As it turned out, Shani gained back nearly half of what she had lost and is fighting constant hunger and slow progress. Her surgeon tightened her band to make food go down even slower. never actually revealed her current weight at the end of the article – not a promising sign.

Weight loss surgery for young people can be a very controversial topic of discussion and many believe that it is too extreme, compared to other methods such as weight loss camp. Do you believe weight loss surgery is a permanent solution? Should teenagers be allowed to have surgery done? We’d love to hear what you think about this topic.

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Tags: Childhood Obesity, losing weight, overweight teens, quick weight loss, weight loss camp, weight loss surgery for teens
Posted in Childhood Obesity, Parenting | No Comments »

Obesity Caused by Too Much Snacking

Monday, January 30th, 2012

If you’re hungry, there is most likely a snack within reach. Whether you’re on the road, at the mall, or even in your own home, food temptation is everywhere. Too much snacking can lead to weight gain or obesity, so it’s extremely important to be smart when you feel a craving coming on, as discussed in a recent ABC News article by Leslie Goldman.

According to a study published in The Journal of Nutrition, roughly a quarter of the calories in the American diet come from snacks, and that figure has jumped 41 percent in the past 20 years. Additionally, snacks in general have more calories than ever before. This could explain why the obesity rate among adults has increased from 15 percent to 34 percent over the last 30 years.

With so many unhealthy snack options out there, it is important to make good choices for your healthy diet.

One big mistake that a lot of people make is snacking too much between meals. We’ve heard from nutritionists that five or six “mini meals” can help you to lose weight, however, too many people add two or three smaller meals to their regular-sized meals and end up consuming many more calories than necessary.

People are also fooled by the names of some snacks that sound much healthier than they are. According to a study in the Journal of Consumer Research conducted earlier this year, researchers found that people tended to consume more when a food had a description such as “fruit chews” than when the identical snack was called “candy chews.” And then there is the snack-size packaging, which was supposedly introduced to help us manage our eating. Instead, it causes consumers to not feel satisfied after just one pack, so they eat multiple packs, which leads to overeating.

Many people also see snacks as a reward because they tend to be sugary, fatty, or salty. They also trigger the release of dopamine, a neurotransmitter that elicits feelings of euphoria. These kids of feelings won’t come from a salad.

According to Women’s Health weight loss columnist Keri Glassman, the secret is simple: you have to rethink what a snack is- or isn’t. For example, dessert is not a snack. “It can be real food, like a packet of oatmeal with 10 walnut halves sprinkled on top,” she says.

A 2010 Journal of the American Dietetic Association study found that people who were given the same snack, either whole or cut into halves, consumed half as much when eating the latter, possibly because they considered only the number of items (not the size of the items), they ate. This information can be useful for anyone following a portion-controlled weight loss diet.

Women’s Health advisor Susan Albers, Psy.D., has a few tricks she uses to avoid mindless snacking. Do not eat from a serving bowl, out of a big bag, or while standing at the kitchen counter. “Everything I eat goes onto a dish, which helps me keep portion control in mind,” she says.

Chewing also plays an important role in snacking (and eating in general). Besides helping you feel full, chewy foods may brighten your mood also. A 2009 study in Physiology & Behavior suggests that the act of chewing can decrease the level of stress hormones in the body. The mechanism may be physiological or psychological.

Air-popped popcorn is a great snack for your healthy lifestyle. Just make sure it isn't loaded with butter!

Maura Scott, Ph.D. recommends making your own snack packs by putting small portions of your favorite snacks into plastic Ziploc bags. Scott believes that homemade servings don’t trigger the same overeating of store-bought packs because the size of the food isn’t deceptively smaller. The amount you’re allowing yourself to eat is limited, preferably to a portion that satisfies you.

For some homemade snack pack ideas, eat these foods without limits: air-popped popcorn, raw veggies, and fresh fruit. Enjoy these snacks, with some limit: one hardboiled egg with sea salt and black pepper (70 calories), a one-ounce chunk of Parmesan (110 calories), or three slices of turkey breast wrapped in lettuce with mustard (70 calories). Portion control is key with these nutritious but high-calorie snacks: half an avocado with lemon and sea salt (160 calories), a quarter cup of raisins or other dried fruit (123 calories), about 15 nuts or one tablespoon of all-natural nut butter (100 calories), or two tablespoons of hummus (50 calories).

So next time a snack craving hits, be smart about what you eat! Calories can really add up quickly, so it is important to choose your food carefully.

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Tags: lose weight, obesity, weight gain, weight loss diet
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Childhood Obesity News: School Lunches Get a Makeover

Wednesday, January 25th, 2012

School lunches and snacks have been in the news often lately, as many parents and nutritionists point to these junk foods as a reason behind the childhood obesity epidemic. For a while, there has been talk of making over school lunches to meet higher nutrition standards for a healthy diet. The government has announced today that they are releasing new nutrition standards for schools, as per an article in USA Today by Nanci Hellmich.

New Nutrition Standards for School Lunches

Today the government announced new nutrition standards for healthier school lunches.

Today the government is releasing new nutrition standards for school meals that spell out dramatic changes, including slashing sodium, limiting calories and offering students a wider variety and larger portions of fruits and vegetables. These changes will raise the nutrition standards for meals for the first time in more than 15 years.

“When we send our kids to school, we expect that they won’t be eating the kind of fatty, salty, sugary foods that we try to keep them from eating at home,” first lady Michelle Obama said in a statement. She is announcing the new standards today along with Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack..

Vilsack says this is a historic opportunity “to improve the quality and quantity of the school meal programs.”

The quality of school meals has been hotly debated for years because one-third of children in the USA are overweight or obese. The Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 directed the U.S. Department of Agriculture to set new nutrition standards for all food served in schools. The rules released today apply to school meals; regulations for other foods such those served in à la carte lines, vending machines and stores will come later.

The changes are designed to improve the health of nearly 32 million children who eat lunch at school every day and almost 11 million who eat breakfast. Overall, kids consume about 30% to 50% of their calories while at school. The new standards for school lunch:

•Establish maximum calorie and sodium limits for meals. The sodium limits are phased in over 10 years.

•Require schools to serve a fruit and vegetable every day at lunch and in larger portions than offered before. Portion sizes vary by age group. For instance, high school students will have to be offered one cup of vegetables and one cup of fruit a day. Right now they have to be offered a total of three-quarters cup of fruit and vegetables.

•Require schools to offer a minimum number of leafy green vegetables, red-orange vegetables, starchy vegetables and legumes each week. The amount varies by age group. For example, high school students have to be offered at least a half-cup of green leafy vegetables a week.

New Nutrition Guidelines for School Lunches

New nutrition guidelines include more vegetables and low-fat or fat-free milk.

•Require that after the two years of implementation, all grains offered to students must be rich in whole grains such as brown rice. Breads, buns, cereals and pastas must list whole grain as the first ingredient.

•Require milk to be either low-fat (1%) or fat-free. (That is already in effect.) Flavored milk, such as chocolate, must now be fat-free.

•Require that foods that are served contain no trans fats.

The new standards for lunch take effect the next school year. Changes for breakfast will be phased in.

Margo Wootan of the Center for Science in the Public Interest says the changes “are landmark. These are the first-ever standards for sodium, trans fat and whole grains and the first time ever they’ve had an upper limit for calories.”

Congress blocked the proposal to restrict starchy vegetables, and it required that pizza continue to count as a vegetable, she says.

The federal government will give schools an additional 6 cents a lunch to meet the standards. When the rules are fully implemented, the cost of preparing a healthier lunch that meets the new rules is estimated to rise by about 11 cents, and the cost of preparing a breakfast is estimated to increase by 28 cents, the USDA says. The agency estimates that the increased cost of producing meals that meet the standard will be $3.2 billion over five years.

Vilsack says companies that supply commodities to the USDA already are responding to the standards by offering foods that are lower in fat, sugar and sodium. Frozen fried potatoes are being replaced with potatoes that have been roasted or baked, he says.

Many schools already have made improvements. “These are all goals school nutrition professionals have been working toward, and these national nutrition standards will ensure that every student has access to a healthy meal in the cafeteria,” says Diane Pratt-Heavner of the School Nutrition Association.

Schools must meet the standards to get federal reimbursements for meals, she says. They now receive $2.77 from the federal government for every child who is on the free-lunch program. “Healthy food costs more, so school programs will have to find ways to meet the standards while staying within their budget.”

Here’s how elementary school lunch menus will change on two sample days:

DAY 1

Before regulation:
Hot dog on bun (3 oz.) with ketchup (4 Tbs.)
Canned pears (¼ cup)
Raw celery and carrots (1/8 cup each) with ranch dressing (1.75 Tbs.)
Low-fat (1%) chocolate milk (8 oz.)

After the regulation:
Whole-wheat spaghetti with meat sauce (½ cup) Whole-wheat roll with soft margarine (5 grams)
Green beans, cooked (½ cup)
Broccoli (½ cup) Cauliflower (½ cup)
Low-fat ranch dip (1 oz.)
Kiwi halves, raw (½ cup)
Low-fat (1%) milk (8 oz.)

DAY 2

Before the regulation:
Cheese pizza (4.8 oz)
Canned pineapple (¼ cup)
Tater Tots (½ cup) with ketchup (2 Tbs.)
Low-fat (1%) chocolate milk (8 oz)

After the regulation:
Whole-wheat cheese pizza (1 slice)
Baked sweet potato fries (½ cup)
Grape tomatoes, raw (¼ cup)
Low-fat ranch dip (1 oz.)
Applesauce (½ cup)
Low-fat (1%) milk (8 oz.)

Source: U.S. Department of Agriculture

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Tags: Childhood Obesity, healthy diet, overweight or obese
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Healthy Lifestyle City Farm: Supermarket of the Future?

Tuesday, January 17th, 2012

Isn’t it such a hassle trying to find certain ingredients for your recipe, but they’re not all available in one market? It would be so much easier to have all of the choices available in one place. That dream may become a reality for some people in the near future. According to a recent article on CNN.com by George Webster, a group of Dutch architects are planning a “Park Supermarket,” an urban farming project that will attempt to grow and sell all of the food of a modern supermarket in one place. This may also be a big step for any weight loss diet, as it will offer healthy diet options and fresh locally-grown produce.

Concept for healthy lifestyle park supermarket, where consumers can choose their own fresh produce.

This plan calls for the park supermarket to be constructed in Randstad, Holland’s largest metropolitan area. In defiance of the country’s moderate climate, the architects say they have devised a system to control the park’s outdoor environment, using old and new farming technologies to simulate Mediterranean and tropical climates in an ecologically sustainable way.

“The cities surrounding the proposed site are home to 170 different eating cultures — from Moroccan to Indonesian, from Turkish to Chinese — and we’re aiming to grow food to satisfy all their tastes,” said Jago van Bergen, one of the brains behind the “Park Supermarket,”

“The plan is to divide the park into three climate zones — moderate, Mediterranean and tropical. Because this will also be a recreational space, our goal is to make it as open as possible, without using greenhouses,” he said.

The Park Supermarket plan does not appeal to everyone.

“Anything that reduces food miles and other carbon emissions linked to food production is normally a positive thing,” said Dr Nicola Canon, lecturer in crop sciences at the UK’s Royal Agricultural College. “However, I have reservations about any system that creates open artificial climates.

“We know that we are suffering from climate change, with one area enduring long wet spells while another goes through a prolonged drought. I wonder if we really ought to be exploring technologies that seek to control our already unpredictable weather cycles.”

Canon is also concerned that the introduction of alien climates may also precipitate the introduction of alien pests.

“Every time you raise humidity, you raise disease affectability — because where you have good conditions for growth you also have good conditions for disease to grow. I think creating tropical climates next to moderate ones could introduce a host of new diseases and pests to the region in quite an unpredictable way,” she warned.

For van Bergen, this type of criticism misses the point, because he sees the Park Supermarket as just one of many possible alternatives to the existing system of food production.

“I’m not a preacher of any one form of agriculture,” he said. “Just like our energy, I think our future food supplies will have to come from a variety of sources, using a variety of methods — of which we are sure this will be one.

“But this is about more than sustainable, non-intensive farming, it’s about cultivating community ties and giving new meaning to a space on the edge of the city that is currently being used for very little else.”

What are your thoughts on this Park Supermarket? Could this be beneficial to our country to fight childhood obesity and encourage weight loss through healthy eating? Besides healthy lifestyle benefits, could it potentially benefit the economy as well? We would love to hear your thoughts on this one!

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Tags: Childhood Obesity, healthy diet, healthy lifestyle, weight loss diet
Posted in Healthy Eating, Healthy Lifestyles, Wellness | No Comments »