http://www.ted.com/talks/sandra_aamodt_why_dieting_doesn_t_usually_work.html
I don’t really align with the message that dieting is futile, but I did like the section on mindful eating:
If diets worked, we’d all be thin already.
And so it begins… the long march to effect entirely legitimate change.
With a strong and independent food regulator, the UK is the western democracy best placed to see this through. All strength to their arm – it’s going to be a doozy!
From Marion Nestle: http://www.foodpolitics.com/2014/01/action-on-sugar-to-the-food-industry-reduce-sugar-now/
A group of public health experts based mainly in Britain have announced a new anti-sugar campaign.
Called Action on Sugar, it is modeled on Great Britain’s campaign to get the food industry to gradually reduce salt in processed foods—voluntarily. That campaign is considered to have led to a reduction of 25% to 40%.
Action on Sugar’s objective: Reduce sugar in packaged foods by 20% to 30% over the next 3 to 5 years.
Action on Sugar is a group of specialists concerned with sugar and its effects on health. It is successfully working to reach a consensus with the food industry and Government over the harmful effects of a high sugar diet, and bring about a reduction in the amount of sugar in processed foods. Action on Sugar is supported by 18 expert advisors.
As one of the experts put it, “Everywhere, sugary drinks and junk foods are now pressed on unsuspecting parents and children by a cynical industry focused on profit not health”—just like the tobacco industry behaves.
You have to love the British press:
Source: http://www.actiononsugar.org/
• To reach a consensus with the food manufacturers and suppliers that there is strong evidence that refined added sugar is a major cause of obesity and has other adverse health effects.
• To persuade the food processors and suppliers to universally and gradually reduce the added sugar content of processed foods.
• To ensure clear and comprehensive nutritional labelling of added sugar content of all processed foods and beverages, using the recommended traffic light system.
• To educate the public in becoming more sugar aware in terms of understanding the impact of added sugar on their health, checking labels when shopping and avoiding products with high levels of added sugar.
• To ensure that children are highlighted as a particularly vulnerable group whose health is more at risk from high added sugar intakes.
• To ensure the body of scientific evidence about the dangers of excessive refined added sugar consumption becomes translated into policy by the Government and relevant professional organisations.
• To conduct a Parliamentary campaign to ensure the Government and Department of Health take action, and that, if the food industry do not comply with the sugar targets, they will enact legislation or impose a added sugar tax.
• To work with other organisations and stakeholders in order to maximise the message about what is a healthy diet, ensuring this includes reducing the current national high added sugar intake.
• To work with experts in individual countries, the World Health Organisation (WHO) and individual ministries of health and other relevant bodies.
This is the first wave of publicity generated from aggregating data from health trackers.
At some stage we’re going to have their data incorporated into weather reports to see how well we slept, how much weight we put on and how inactive we were.
Cant wait for that…
Jawbone’s health report highlights key events where people stayed up late.
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Serena Chu on December 19, 2013. |
In order to come to these conclusions, Jawbone collected over 47 million nights of sleep log from thousands of UP wearers in 2013. So what is an UP device? It is a system that tracks and organizes your movement and sleep data into an holistic report. You can purchase one here.
Take a look at the researcher’s results, some of the findings might catch you by surprise.
Source: Jawbone
Punchy demonstration of the effect of traffic lights on food purchases. No wonder unhealthy food industry is opposed to them…
captured mainly for the image – this is a heavy weight consumer electronics company making a big statement re. health – glucometers, blood pressure monitors, heart rate monitors… BOOM!
by on Jan 6, 2014 • 4:06 pm
Samsung has received FDA 510(k) clearance for its fitness and calorie tracking app called S Health to be used as a cardiac signal transmitter, according to a report by Mobihealthnews. With this approval, the app can be synced with third party wireless blood glucometers, blood pressure monitors, and heart rate monitors. Samsung also sells a body scale and heart rate monitor that works seamlessly with the S Health app to register weight data and heart rate information for more accurate fitness tracking.
In order to use the S Health app, the user first enters relevant personal information such as age, sex, and weight, and then has the option to make use of the pedometer on phones such us Galaxy S4 and S5 to track the number of steps taken during the day. The app then uses this step data along with previously entered weight information to estimate the amount of calories burned. Users can enter “daily step goals” in the app to help motivate them to stay fit and active. The app also pulls room temperature and humidity information from the sensors in phones, such the Galaxy S4 and S5, to give the user a complete picture during their workouts.
Users can enter their calorie intake by selecting the type and portion of each meal and the app automatically determines the amount of calories consumed based on that data. Users can also tag each entry with a photo of the meal to help keep track of their entries.
With all the syncing capability, as well as calorie intake and fitness monitoring, users can not only have more accurate inputs for advanced calorie measurements, but can also see all their health information on the S Health dashboard and have access to pertinent cardiology metrics in the palm of their hands.
Product page: S Health…
Mobihealthnews: Samsung gets FDA clearance for S Health app…
In light of the saturation junk food advertising currently playing on TV, I’m going to stop consuming media that features junk food advertising.
The top five obesity myths
Published: December 29, 2013 – 1:01PM
The obesity epidemic is among the most critical health issues facing countries like the US and Australia. Although it has generated a lot of attention and calls for solutions, it also has served up a super-sized portion of myths and misunderstandings.
1. If you’re obese, you can blame your genes
As obesity rates have soared, some researchers have focused on individuals’ genetic predisposition for gaining weight. Yet, between 1980 and 2000, the number of Americans who are obese has doubled – too quickly for genetic factors to be responsible.
So why do we eat more than we need? The simple answer: Because we can. At home and at restaurants, a dollar puts more calories on our plates than ever before. Before World War II, the average US family spent as much as 25 per centof its total income on food – in 2011, it was 9.8 per cent. And people eat out now more than in the past. In 1966, the average US family spent 31 per cent of its food budget dining from home – in 2011, it was 49 percent. Because restaurant meals usually have more calories than what we prepare at home, people who eat out more frequently have higher rates of obesity than those who eat out less. Meanwhile, the food industry has developed tens of thousands of products with more calories per bite, as well as new, effective marketing strategies to encourage us to buy and consume more than necessary. We should blame these business practices, which are modifiable, for obesity rather than our genes, which are not.
2. If you’re obese, you lack self-control
According to a 2006 study, “research on restrained eating has proven that in most circumstances dieting is not a feasible strategy”. In other words: People won’t lose weight by trying to eat less because they can’t easily control themselves. Unfortunately, this puritanical view of personal resolve plays down how our surroundings and mental state determine what we eat.
Research shows that if we are overwhelmed with too much information or preoccupied, we have a tendency to surrender to poor dietary choices. In one study, for example, people asked to choose a snack after memorising a seven-digit number were 50 per cent more likely to choose chocolate cake over fruit salad than those who had to memorise a two-digit number. When adults in another study were asked to sample a variety of foods after watching a television show with junk-food commercials, they ate more and spent a longer time eating than a similar group watching the same show without the junk-food ads. In the same study, children ate more goldfish crackers when watching junk-food commercials than those who saw non-food commercials.
Our world has become so rich in temptation that we can be led to consume too much in ways we can’t understand. Even the most vigilant may not be up to the task of controlling their impulses.
3. Lack of access to fresh fruits and vegetables is responsible for the obesity epidemic
The US Department of Agriculture estimates that fewer than 5 per cent of Americans live in low-income communities without access to fresh food, but about 65 percent of the nation’s population is overweight or obese. For most of us, obesity is not related to access to more nutritious foods, but rather to the choices we make in convenience stores and supermarkets where junk-food marketing dominates. Since we are buying more calories than we need, eating healthily could be made more affordable by eliminating unnecessary cheaper low nutrient foods and substituting higher quality foods that may be slightly more expensive.
Obesity is usually the consequence of eating too much junk food and consuming portions that are too large. People may head to the produce section of their grocery store with the best intentions, only to be confronted by candy at the cash register and chips and soda at the end of aisles. Approximately 30 per cent of all supermarket sales are from such end-of-aisle locations. Food retailers’ impulse-marketing strategies contribute significantly to obesity across the population, not just for those who do not live near a green grocer or can’t afford sometimes pricier healthful choices.
4. The problem is not that we eat too much, but that we are too sedentary
According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there was no significant decrease in physical activity levels as obesity rates climbed in the 1980s and 1990s. In fact, although a drop in work-related physical activity may account for up to 100 fewer calories burned, leisure physical activity appears to have increased, and Americans keep tipping the scales.
There is compelling evidence that the increase in calories consumed explains the rise in obesity. The National Health and Nutrition Examination found that people consume, on average, more than 500 more calories per day now than they did in the late 1970s, before obesity rates accelerated. That’s like having a Christmas dinner twice a week or more. It wouldn’t be a problem if we stuffed ourselves only once a year, but all-you-can-eat feasts are now available all the time. It’s nearly impossible for most of us to exercise enough to burn off these excess calories.
5. We can conquer obesity through better education about diet and nutrition
According to a physicians’ health study, 44 per cent of male doctors in the US are overweight. A study by the University of Maryland School of Nursing found that 55 per cent of nurses surveyed were overweight or obese. If people who provide health care cannot control their weight, why would nutrition education alone make a difference for others?
Even with more information about food, extra-large portions and sophisticated marketing messages undermine our ability to limit how much we consume. Consider Americans’ alcohol consumption: Only licensed establishments can sell spirits to people older than 21, and no alcohol can be sold in vending machines. Yet there are very few standards or regulations to protect Americans from overeating.
In the 19th century, when there were no controls on the quality of drinking water, infectious disease was a major cause of death. Once standards were established, the number of these fatalities plummeted. Similarly, if Americans did not live in a world filled with buffets, cheap fast food, soft drinks with corn syrup, and too many foods with excess fat, salt and sugar, the incidence of obesity, heart disease, high blood pressure and diabetes probably would plummet. Education can help, but what’s really needed is regulation – for example, limits on marketing that caters to our addiction to sugar and fat.
The Washington Post
This story was found at: http://www.smh.com.au/lifestyle/diet-and-fitness/the-top-five-obesity-myths-20131229-301ch.html
Future Diets Report (PDF): http://www.odi.org.uk/sites/odi.org.uk/files/odi-assets/publications-opinion-files/8776.pdf
Related topics: Markets, Asian tastes
The number of overweight and obese adults in developing countries has ballooned from some 250m in 1980 to almost a billion today, with Indians forming a huge chunk of this number.
This figure is highlighted in a major new review by the UK’s Overseas Development Institute to expose the global scale and consequences of overweight and obesity, and what it calls governments’ failure to address this growing crisis.
The Future Diets report is an analysis of public data detailing what the world eats. It selected five middle-income countries—India, China, Egypt, Peru and Thailand—as case studies to illustrate changes in dietary trends.
One in three overweight
The results highlight that the number of adults who are obese or overweight in the developing world more than tripled between 1980 and 2008, while in richer countries the figure has risen by over 200 million. One in three of the world’s adults are now overweight or obese, it found.
According to ODI research fellow Steve Wiggins, who authored the report, the growing rate of overweight and obesity in developing countries is alarming.
“On current trends, globally, we will see a huge increase in the number of people suffering certain types of cancer, diabetes, strokes and heart attacks, putting an enormous burden on public healthcare systems,” Wiggins said, warning governments that they are not doing enough to tackle the growing crisis.
The percentage of obese and overweight in India rose from about 9% of the population in 1980 to 11% in 2008.
“India’s consumption of animal products is approaching that of China’s in terms of its contribution to the average plate, but here the increase is almost entirely in milk consumption, with only limited increases for meat,” the report said.
“Many Indians are vegetarian, avoiding beef or pork for cultural and religious reasons. The consumption of pulses remains relatively high in India, although it has been on the decline.”
Politicians fearful of meddling
Wiggins believes that the rise in obesity is partly due to politicians’ reluctance to interfere at the dinner table, along with the powerful influence of farming and food lobbies in the developing world and a large gap in public awareness of what constitutes a healthy diet.
“Governments have focused on public awareness campaigns, but evidence shows this is not enough. The lack of action stands in stark contrast to the concerted public actions taken to limit smoking in developed countries.
“Politicians need to be less shy about trying to influence what food ends up on our plates. The challenge is to make healthy diets viable whilst reducing the appeal of foods which carry a less certain nutritional value.”
However, the report does cite some successful examples of governments’ changing diets for the better. In South Korea, for example, policies that have led to an increase in fruit and vegetable consumption largely thanks to a publicity, social marketing and education campaign, including large-scale training of women in preparing traditional low-fat, high-vegetable meals.
Analysis of existing data shows that, amongst others, since 1980 overweight and obesity rates have almost doubled in China.
One indicator of changing diets is an increase in the consumption of sugar. Sugar and sweetener consumption has risen by over one-fifth per person globally from 1961 to 2009.
Fat consumption is also an issue. Among developing countries the highest consumption of fat is in East Asia, however industrialised countries still have much higher levels of fat consumption—often more than double.
Worryingly, despite a 50 per cent increase in the amount of food sourced from animals and a doubling in the quantity of fruit and vegetables being harvested, the report also notes that one in eight people (852m) in poor countries still do not have enough food to satisfy their basic needs.
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This is a terrific project endorsed by Deepak Chopra which fuses self-quantification with philanthropy…. health philantropocation? The video tells a beautiful story. It seems like a terrific alignment of interests.
Source: http://www.raisin-hell.com/2014/01/the-world-health-organisation-has-taken.html
