Teen's Friends Affect Weight

Childhood and teen rates of overweight and obesity are on the rise, and studies are trying to find correlations to see what we can do about it.

A new study in the Journal of Health Economics found that the weight of a teen's friends was directly correlated with their own weight. Teens with obese parents also tend to be overweight themselves.

The researchers found that eating patterns, diet, and exercise were all influenced by who the teens hung out with most. Females were affects more strongly than males.

What can we do? Encourage our children to be active in sports so that the friends they make on these teams are active and like to do active things even outside of the sport. If your child isn't especially athletic, encourage them to find activities that do require movement, like the Wii Fit. It isn't quite the same as playing soccer for hours, but at least it is movement and getting them off the couch. Encourage your kids to eat healthy foods and involve them in meal selection and preparation so they can learn how to cook and not rely on convenience foods. I know this is all easier "said than done," but we have to teach our next generation to focus on their health and wellness to keep them fit and happy!

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Top 10 Reasons to Eat Rice

Do you love rice? I love sushi and stir fry and both include rice! Here are some good reasons to eat more rice.

Top 10 Reasons to Eat Rice:

1. Rice Eaters are Healthier. Research shows Americans who eat enriched and whole grain rice consume more nutrients, are less likely to be overweight, have lower blood pressure, and lower risk of metabolic syndrome.
2. Rice is good throughout the life cycle. Enriched white rice is a good source (12% for the day in 1/2 cup cooked) of folic acid and contains 5% of the daily value for iron. Folic acid helps to prevent birth defects and may help with heart disease and certain cancers.
3. Brown rice is a whole grain. Brown rice has a nice mix of phytochemicals, vitamins, minerals, and fiber. This is a really easy switch to make to get some whole grains. One half cup cooked counts as one of your servings of whole grain for the day.
   
4. Rice is nutritious. Rice is packed with vitamins and minerals such as B-vitamins, iron, potassium, and fiber.
5. White rice is enriched in nutrients. Since 1998, white rice in the US is fortified with folic acid because of the direct link of folic acid with preventing neural tube birth defects. Enriched white rice actually has more folic acid, niacin, thiamin, and iron than brown rice.
6. Rice is cheap! With the tough economy at the present time, everyone is looking for less expensive options that are still nutritious. as half cup serving is about 10 cents. You can't beat that!
7. Rice is versatile. Because rice has such a bland flavor, you can use it in so many different dishes from side dishes to soups to desserts.
   
8. Rice is the most popular grain in the world. People of all different cultural backgrounds love rice. It is a staple in Asia and in many Latin American countries as well.
9. You support local farmers. 80% of the rice consumed in the US is grown by farmers in California, Louisiana, Arkansas, and Mississippi.
10. Rice is easy to prepare. Some companies offer 90-second pouches of brown or enriched rice, or you can easily find the quick cooking varieties that cook in less than 5 minutes.

For information on rice or for recipes, visit www.usarice.com

Photo courtesy of USA Rice

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Organic Supply Shortages

I am a fan of organic foods, but I don't buy everything organic. The reason is mainly price. We all know that the organic label comes at a premium. With food costs rising, we need to consider how we want to spend our food dollars a bit more closely.

In the Nutrition Business Journal Report on Organic Markets 2008, they say that demand for organic products is growing, but the supply is becoming uneconomical. To make sense of this, think about how a food gets labeled organic. In order for milk and meat to be labeled organic, the animals need to be fed organic feed. Many small organic farms cannot sustain their organic practices with the rising prices.

The Organic Trade Association has reported that organic food sales have grown in the US between 17 and 21% every year for the past 11 years. WOW! Other food sales have grown 2-4% in the same time period.

This demand is causing some companies who use only organic ingredients to look outside the US to supply their ingredients. This makes me a bit sad as an American because I like to shop locally and support my local farmers, too. One of the advantages to me of organic is that (I hope) produce is picked at it's peak of ripeness and nutritional quality and then gets right to me. If US companies have to get their organic produce from Central America, how fresh is it by the time they get it? I can't imagine that the nutritional quality is not going to suffer.

We know about the benefits, both health and environment, of going organic. Let's hope that organic farmers in the US are able to sustain without knocking us out with their prices so that we can continue to support them!

Image courtesy of howtogoorganic.com

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Fake Chocolate?

I was quite disturbed last week while watching the TODAY show and the story on how Hershey is removing the cocoa butter and replacing it with vegetable oil in many of it's chocolate confection products. Remove the cocoa butter? Isn't that what gives chocolate it's rich taste? Why would you do this? The reason....I am sure you guessed comes down to money. Vegetable oil is much cheaper than cocoa butter, so they made the change and hoped you wouldn't notice. But you did.

Mars Snackfood announced the day after this TODAY show about Hershey that they are committed to using only 100% coca butter and that they refuse to "lower the bar" on chocolate.

Chocolate manufacturers have strict standards of identity that require them to use cocoa butter in order to be called "chocolate." The Hershey products had to change the names on their labels to say chocolate flavor instead of the real term of "milk chocolate."

Mars has the very popular and tasty DOVE line of products. I personally love DOVE because they use a type of cocoa in that product that still have a high flavonol content. I say "Bravo" to Mars for upholding the quality that we expect. And hopefully Hershey will rethink this decision to cut costs and quality. Chocolate lovers such as myself are passionate about our chocolate and we demand only the best!

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Feeling a Cold Coming On?

I have not posted very much this week because I was on vacation earlier in the week and then I got sick! I have hardly been able to function the past 3 days with a terrible cold. Part of me feels like I should be exempt from getting sick because of my healthy lifestyle. I eat right, exercise regularly, take my vitamins and eat high antioxidant foods and supplements. Doesn't that mean I should never get sick? I guess I am not as invincible as I thought I was!

Prevention
The best way to prevent cold and flu is as simple as hand washing. About 80% of contagious diseases are spread by touch. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says the simple act of hand washing is the single most important way to prevent the spread of bacteria and viruses that cause infection. Even though I feel like I have pretty good hygiene, I have to admit that I don't remember to wash my hands before every snack I eat. Washing your hands before preparing any food is really important.

Other Remedies

• Zinc: I am a big believer in Zicam, a brand of zinc supplement that has been shown in clinical studies to reduce the severity of cold symptoms as well as possibly reduce how long you have the cold. Zinc is important for fighting off infection as well as repairing tissues in your body. Studies are a bit inconclusive as to whether zinc actually works, and it is recommended that you not take these higher levels of zinc for more than 5 days in a row.
• Vitamin C: Vitamin C has been used for many years to help prevent or treat colds. The research on Vitamin C is also inconsistent. I believe in eating foods high in Vitamin C on a regular basis as well as taking a 200 mg or less supplement daily. Doses higher than 2000 mg can cause diarrhea, nausea, and kidney stones. If you think Vitamin C helps you prevent or treat colds, keep taking it as long as you take less than 2000 mg.
• Echinacea: Echinacea is an herbal remedy that is thought to boost the immune system and reduce severity of colds. Again, studies are mixed with echinacea. Because it is an herbal, avoid echinacea if you are pregnant or lactating and check with your doctor before using it.

Everyone agrees that rest and drinking plenty of fluids are good once you do get sick. I am going to sign off now so I can go relax and put my feet up and drink some decaf hot tea.

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Thank You RN Central

A big shout out to RNCentral.com for listing Healthline bloggers as one of the best health blogs in the industry! As a dedicated blogger for Healthline on the topic of Nutrition, I am happy to get the recognition from our peers.

Check out the other blogs on the Top 50 Health Blogs list from RNCentral.com.

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Weighing in for School

New York is the latest state to join 12 other states (Arkansas, Texas, California, Florida, Delaware, Illinois, Iowa, Missouri, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, and West Virginia) in requiring students to get their height and weight measured. New York is adding this to the student health certificate which is mandatory for attendance at New York schools.

The state health commissioner, Dr. Richard Daines, was quoted as saying, "Whatever you can measure, you can improve. By measuring body mass index, I think we'll see some improvement."

The students will have their height and weight measured in the form of body mass index, or BMI. Numerous studies link being overweight and obese to detrimental health problems even in children.

What do you think about requiring kids to be weighed and measured as a requirement to go to school? Do you think this will motivate students and schools to improve BMI? Or will it have a negative effect on self esteem?

Post a comment with your thoughts!

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Free Food for 30 Days

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Heavy Teens Face Liver Disease

I read a disturbing article in USA Today the other day about teenagers who are overweight who have such severe liver damage that they may require liver transplants. It is estimated that as many as 10% of all children and half of obese children have some form of liver disease.

Why the liver?
When we usually think of cirrhosis of the liver, we usually think of alcoholics or people with hepatitis. The overweight children develop what is called 'fatty liver' which can then lead to cirrhosis. It can be reversed through weight loss as long as it is caught before full blown cirrhosis. Kids who are diabetic or have heart problems are at higher risk.

Adults also hit
Obese adults are also feeling the effects of liver damage. Fatty liver as a result of obesity is expected to be the top cause of liver transplants by 2020.

This article is sparking debate among readers about whether obese adults and children should be put on the top of liver transplant lists.

This is just another serious consequence of living with extra pounds. When children are overweight or obese and persists through adulthood, they are at risk of so many diseases. We need to continue to help children learn portion control, healthier choices, and how to make exercise fun so they want to participate.

Photo courtesy of cbc.ca

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Fabulous Frozen Indulgences

While it may be cooling off in your area of the country, it is still HOT, HOT, HOT in Florida. When the weather is so hot outside, it is nice to come in and cool off with a refreshing piece of fruit or frozen treat. I often crave fruit but don't always have the willpower to eat a fresh peach instead of some ice cream!

I have discovered a new frozen fave. Have you tried Gaga's Sherbet? Gaga's (named after owner's grandma) is part skim milk with a touch of cream and part real fruit puree. It is all natural with no high fructose corn syrup or artificial flavors and colors and is gluten free. Every flavor is wonderful. It comes on a stick for 110 calories or in pints at 160 calories per half cup. YUMMY! You can find it at natural health food stores.

Another favorite are the Tofutti Cuties. They are lactose and dairy free, so for those of you who can't have regular ice cream, this is a way to get your ice cream sandwich again! They are 130 calories.

Last one I like is the Sambazon Acai sorbet. This is vegan (no animal/dairy) and is a frozen treat of high antioxidant acai fruit puree. Delicious!

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Small Packs Trick Dieters

Let me just start with saying that I love and hate these little "100 calorie packs" that have infiltrated every aisle of the grocery store. I love them because they help people control portions (or so I thought). We have learned as Americans that we cannot control our portions ourselves, so buying a smaller package is one way to control portion.

I dislike them for more reasons. Most of them are filled with ingredients that are not good for us! The majority of the 100 calorie packs out there are refined flour and sugar puffed with air and put into a small bag inside of a box that costs more and pollutes the environment. Even though I am a dietitian, I am not a perfect eater. I love sweets just like the rest of you! But I have made a very conscious effort to not have these lying around the house because I will tend to eat them thinking, "It is ONLY 100 calories!"

Many people are shocked when they hear my dislike for these little 100 calorie packs because these same people think the tiny packs are good "diet food." I prefer to recommend snacking on foods that are more nutritious and have a lower glycemic index.

The reason I started this blog ranting about the 100 calorie packs is because of a new study in the October issue of Journal of Consumer Research. This study found that the smaller packages were more likely to fuel temptation because "they are considered to be innocent pleasures," say the researchers. When subjects were observed watching TV they were more likely to open a 100 calorie pack than either skip the snack or open a larger bag.

Bottom line
Every calorie counts. Choose snacks that will five you some nutritional value and satisfaction. Small bags filled with white flour and sugar may make you feel a bit better for a short period of time, but they will not give you lasting energy (think spike and fall in blood sugar). And don't forget that just an extra 100 calories per day leads to 10 pounds of weight gain per year (3,500 calories equals a pound).

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Obama vs McCain: Which Will Be Better for Health?

The debates are heating up between the two Presidential candidates, Barak Obama and John McCain. While there are many issues to discuss, I would love to hear your opinion on the following:

Which candidate will be better for the health of our nation and why?

You can review their policies on healthcare coverage to help think about your decision, but you can also think about other issues that contribute to our health other than healthcare.

Post a comment. I would love to hear from you!

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Want to Be More Productive?

I read a really interesting survey from ComPsych that looked at worker's personal health (diet, exercise, and weight) and their levels of energy, stress, morale, and productivity. Want to know the results? The balanced diet group had 10 times the amount of high energy employees than their fellow workers with unbalanced diets. Very interesting.....

• 5% of workers with unbalanced diets reported high levels of energy while 50% with balanced diets reported high energy
• 24% with poor dietary habits reported having high productivity while 73% of employees with healthy dietary habits reported high productivity.
• 76% of employees with low levels of physical activity reported high stress while 45% of of active employees had high stress
• 25% of overweight employees reported high morale while 51% of ideal weight employees had high morale levels
• 26% of physically inactive employees reported high productivity while 66% of active employees were highly productive

Moral of the story? People who maintain a healthy weight, eat right, and exercise regularly tend to have more energy, higher morale, lower levels of stress, and are more productive at work! Which one are you?

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