Silvester Thompson asked:


Countless people worldwide are following the Atkins Nutritional Approach. Now, a new book called “The Atkins Shopping Guide” (Avon Books/ an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers) arms you with the skills you need to navigate your grocery store so you can stock your low-carb kitchen.

The guide contains everything you must know to choose the right foods to do Atkins correctly. It also provides useful pointers for shopping at “super stores” and natural food retailers, all in a handy format perfect to carry in your pocket or purse.

Forget measuring, weighing and counting fat grams and calories. This book takes you aisle-by-aisle through the grocery store, helping you select the right foods to correctly follow a controlled-carb lifestyle, including vegetables, fruits, fish, poultry and meat, cheese, and other dairy products. There are also extensive sections on packaged foods.

The No. 1 New York Times bestseller, “Dr. Atkins’ New Diet Revolution,” forever changed the way Americans eat by offering a healthy, nutritious approach to weight loss and weight maintenance, while revealing that the typical American diet, which is high in carbohydrates, has contributed to the nation’s obesity epidemic.

Whether you’re just beginning to do Atkins or have used it for years to maintain your weight, “The Atkins Shopping Guide” will show you how to read food labels and compare different products in a product category such as tomato sauce or peanut butter.

Atkins also offers a free newsletter with product updates, low carb diet tips and recipes.



Audrey

Mark Goeder-tarant asked:


Childhood obesity has become a major health epidemic, with approximately 15% of children considered to be obese the world over. The main reason for the childhood obesity epidemic is a shift in eating habits, away from fresh food, whole grains and vegetables to convenience food high in fat, sugar and additives. Another major factor is a decline in activity for both children and adults, who now spend more time in sedentary activities like watching TV and playing computer games that participating in exercise.

In addition, children who have obese or overweight parents have a high risk of becoming obese themselves as a result of poor family eating habits and unhealthy food choices. Parents today are spending less time with their kids and giving less parental advice about healthy food and activity choices. In the USA, UK and Australia 25% of children are considered overweight or obese. The health risks associated with obesity in childhood are great including low self esteem, depression, hormonal imbalances, diabetes and joint problems.

Worse still, the obese child who remains overweight into adulthood has the potential to develop more serious health risks later in their life, including arthritis, stroke and heart attack, high blood pressure, diabetes, and bowel cancer.

Fast food marketing giants spending billions of dollars in advertising to target children and teens, selling them cheap and high-calorie low nutrition value foods, such as crisps, soft drink, hamburgers and confectionery, coupled with lack of control of parents, is the major cause of incorrect eating habits and obesity.

Research shows that even drinking soft drink or soda regularly increases a child’s chance of becoming overweight or obese by 60%. Worse still, even moderate exercise is no longer a regular daily activity for children and teens. Most children do not play any sport or even walk or cycle to school. This is compounded by the fact that busy parents have less time than ever to supervise their children and take them out to play in local parks or on the street.

A fear of stranger danger and abduction has added to the value of allowing kids to watch TV or play computer games rather than be outside without parental supervision.

Doctors and nutritionists recommend that most overweight children should be encouraged to lose weight through long lasting positive lifestyle changes in eating habits and activity, rather than be put on a weight-loss diet. It is better that children begin to moderate unhealthy choices, eat smaller portion sizes, and begin moderate exercise three to four days a week for thirty to forty five minutes, building on this over a longer period rather than staging a crash course diet.

The main parenting strategies aim to encourage children to gradually change their (1) eating habits towards well-balanced, healthy, varieties of freshly cooked and nutritious foods, with plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables, and introducing more healthy recipes and nutritious lunch box ideas; (2) become more active , and (3) monitor their own progress and weight loss – until they are able to achieve and maintain a healthy weight. It is often easier to facilitate a change in habits for children compared to adults. Importantly, parents need to talk to their ids and provide healthy choices at home, and healthy lunch box offerings for school.

For parents needing support, internet Parent ’s Forums and Parenting Blogs offer support and community exchange of ideas and tips to help address issues relating to childhood obesity. Other advice includes getting kids involved in shopping and meal preparation to help teach them better nutrition and food choice, and assigning chores as another way to get kids up and active.

Avoid stocking high-fat, high-sugar snack in home, provide fruit and healthy alternatives like fat free pretzels and popcorn. Dilute fruit juice and avoid soft drinks, water is always best. Try to make good choices when going out for dinner, and avoid using food as a reward/comfort. Instead, give kids the attention they deserve by listening, providing encouraging words and hugs and treating the family out to the cinema or local bowling alley to celebrate small successes.

Physical inactivity includes pastimes such as watching TV or playing computer games, should be reduced to no more than two hours a day. Gradual increase in physical activity, such as walking, bike riding, swimming, dancing and ball sports is suggested three to four times a week to begin. Importantly, remember the time you spend together as a family being active is also a great way to reconnect and bond and should be a fun experience for all new fitness plan can mean a whole lot more than simply losing weight.



Randall

Pat Carpenter asked:


It wasn’t long ago that workout programs were limited to variations on the basics: jogging, hiking, team sports, like basketball or soccer, and, if one was lucky enough to have a home or fitness club swimming pool, a few good laps. Even exercise machines tended to only simulate the same activities. Treadmills, stair climbers, stationary bikes, and elliptical trainers were a bit like the hamster-wheel version of trying to enjoy the great outdoors, indoors.

The emphasis was on discipline, and going as long and as hard as a thumping heart would allow. Pushing to utter exhaustion and stumbling out with sweat-soaked clothes were good signs. But times, they are a’changin’, and, with a ballooning obesity epidemic on the nation’s hands, contributing, in part, to a growing health insurance crisis, this can only mean good things to come. Texas’ obesity rate alone is 27%, 3 percentage points higher than the national average.

This is not to say that a hard, sweaty workout doesn’t have its place. Particularly for the young and joint-healthy, strenuous exercise sessions can show incredible benefits. But, in the past fifteen years, new methods of research have demonstrated that increased endurance and decreased risk of certain diseases such as atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries) and diabetes and improved muscle strength, loss of fat content, lower stress levels, and better overall health can be achieved through practices like qigong, interval training, yoga, and physically-based, interactive video games, such as Dance Dance Revolution.

Texas, too, is realizing this need for varied exercise options, and cities like Dallas and Austin nourish thriving yoga studios, pilates classes, and martial arts academies.

These may all seem like familiar options to the young-adult Texas crowd, but, a little more than a decade ago, qigong master Chunyi Lin couldn’t attract a half dozen students. Now, he runs his own center in Minnesota, travels across the country conducting workshops, and teaches packed classes of sixty or more at a time. Qigong [has been] growing like crazy in the United States in the past few years. People want to be more proactive with their health care.

Americans are turning less and less to their individual health insurance companies to hand them laboratory prescriptions, and more and more to taking control of their own health through preventative care, including stress-reduction techniques.

In addition to cardiovascular fitness, the ever-increasing health-conscious population is seeking longevity, reduced stress, and overall mental and physical improvements. Let’s face it: Americans are stressed out. Folks in Texas, and the rest of the nation’s populace, are starting to realize that stress alone is causing a good portion of one’s mental and physical issues.

Qigong, a broad term for several types of energy-based practices, is growing as at least a partial solution to this problem. Through the use of slow, measured movements and deep breathing, this ancient Chinese physical art has shown evidence of reducing pain and inflammation, increasing focus and concentration, improving immunity, lowering stress levels, and providing for better overall well-being. Yoga, an even more popular practice, offers a range of workouts from sweat-inducing, muscle-cramping regimens, to measured, deep-breathing sessions suitable for all ages.

Interval training is also hitting the market again. After a brief stint of popularity in the 90’s, the exercise program seemed to fade, kept alive by cloistered professional athletes and specialized fitness chains, like Curves. Interval training alternates between short bursts of high-intensity activity, and slower, lower-energy stints. After short sessions of interval bike training spread over two weeks, a 2005 double-blind study found that 75% of its subjects increased their endurance by 100%.

Another study this year found that, after two weeks of similar training (which entailed seven interval workouts), the practice improved the cardio function of its participants by 13% and their ability to burn fat by 36%. The results were similar for all fitness levels – from the borderline sedentary to the dedicated athletes – according to Talanian, lead author of the study and exercise scientist at Ontario’s University of Guelph. That means almost anyone can do it and should expect to experience tangible results within weeks.

Interval training seems to work so well, in part, because high-intensity bursts recruit new muscle fibers, while low-intensity periods allow those muscles to rid themselves of waste products created during the workout. Contrary to popular beliefs as of a decade ago, this method actually increases endurance by a greater percentage than steady-paced, high-intensity exercise sessions. Such relatively quick, tangible results, for most exercisers, keeps them working out.

Consistent workouts not only mean feeling and looking better, but also increased immune function, which, in the long run, translates to fewer incidences of disease. Exercisers aren’t the only ones who love it; health insurance companies do, too.

“Any form of exercise that recruits new muscle fibers is going to enhance the body’s ability to metabolize carbohydrates and fat,” said Ed Coyle, director of the human performance laboratory at the University of Texas, Austin.

The only real guidelines? Higher-energy bursts should elevate heart rate to 80 to 85% of optimal performance, and the lower-energy periods should never last long enough to decrease heart rate to resting levels. Interval trainers should always warm up first, take 24- hours between sessions to give the body time to recover, and never attempt the program if over the age of 60, or at risk for heart attack, stroke, or other cardiovascular ailments without the consent of a qualified physician.

Technological trends cannot be ignored, either. As usual, children are leading the way. Dance Dance Revolution, an interactive Japanese video game that hit the Asian market about ten years ago, is now recognized as such a popular, effective, and entertaining workout, that more than 1,500 American schools are expected to integrate it into their curriculum by 2010, in the face of a growing obesity epidemic.

Recent studies in Houston and Dallas revealed alarming obesity trends in children under 18, and Texas schools are now considering revamping their physical education programs in response. Dance Dance Revolution may be an intelligent option: utilizing a foot touch pad and on-screen cues, participants learn increasingly complicated, progressively fast-paced dance moves. The game can be played individually, or in competition, which appeals to a broader audience. One need not be particularly athletic, nor competitive, to participate; the only requirement being the willingness and ability to move on cue.

“I’ll tell you one thing: they don’t run in here like that for basketball,” said Bill Hines, a physical education teacher in Morgantown, West Virginia, where the game was integrated.

So maybe workouts don’t have to be so much work. Through variety and open-mindedness, anything that gets a body moving, a heart rate up, or stress levels down, is worth a shot. And, it can even be a rewarding cultural experience. Qigong, martial arts like aikido and jujitsu, and ashtanga yoga classes can elevate more than just fitness awareness levels. Who knows, you may even get a discount on that health insurance premium over time. And don’t worry, pronunciation guides usually come with the class.

How you treat your body when you’re young will certainly affect your health as you age, and eventually your wallet.



Willie

John Mailer asked:


Obesity is the most common dog nutritional disease in American dogs today. It is the result of simply eating more calories than are burned. Dogs have a built-in protection against this disease, a control mechanism in their brains that satisfies their hunger after they have eaten enough calories to meet their daily energy needs.

However, it is possible to upset this control mechanism. By feeding the dog a dog food that is highly palatable, he will eat to satisfy his appetite and not his hunger. The only way to remove the excessive fat from a dog’s body is by reversing the way it was put on, which is feeding the dog fewer calories than he will burn for energy. When this is done, the dog’s body will burn up energy stored in his body to obtain what he needs.

Fat is the most efficient source of energy and will be used in the greatest amount whenever energy is needed. A reduction in caloric intake cannot be achieved by just cutting down the quantity of dog food you feed your dog. Drastic cuts in the quantity of dog food fed will only lead to deficiencies that pose an even greater threat to the dog than the obesity does which are deficiencies of proteins, vitamins and minerals key dog nutritions that keep him healthy. It will also make your dog ravenously hungry! Fats and carbohydrates that contain the most calories should be replaced by ingredients that are less digestible and lower in calories.

The diet of an overweight dog should not contain more than 1400 calories per pound of dry dog food. This is approximately 1250 to 1300 calories per pound of dry dog food or 330 to 350 calories per pound of canned dog food. A more accurate and convenient way of obtaining a reducing diet is to use a dietary dog food specifically designed for that purpose. This food can be obtained from a vet. It contains 330 calories per pound and is balanced to provide the correct amount of other nutrients for the dog when fed at that caloric density. Whatever the dog food used, the quantity of it that should be fed has to be estimated.

Portion control is the only method of feeding that can be used during a weight reducing program. A dog food Treat or supplement should not be given during the reduction program. If a dog is more than 10 pounds overweight, (over his ideal body weight) begin your weight reducing program by feeding him only 2/3 the quantity calculated to maintain his desired weight. The full amount of dog food should be given once a reduction in weight begins to occur.

For dogs that are less than 10 lb overweight, begin with the full amount calculated. In dogs weighing less than 10 pounds, use the two-thirds guide for any dog that is more than 33% of his desired weight overweight. It may require several months or longer before a dog reaches his optimum weight. Do not expect your dog to lose the weight in just a few days. Taking off weight too fast can be dangerous to a fat dog. Once optimum weight has been attained, most dogs will have to be kept on portion control feeding. Dogs that tend to get fat need to have their intake closely regulated to prevent them from gaining back the lost weight.



Eugene

Karin Manning asked:


The prevalence of obesity in minors is increasing in the United States. Childhood obesity is rounded at a critical stage as approximately 15.3% of children aged between 6 and 11 and 15.5% of adolescents ages 12 to 19 are overweight, and an additional 15% children and 14.9% adolescents are at risk for overweight.

Childhood obesity is on the rise and the victims are all at risk to developing Type II Diabetes, hypertension, heart disease and other obesity-related diseases at a very young age. So early in their development stage and their life expectancy already becomes predetermined limited. And at their short lifespan their memories are crammed with insults, bullying, and destruction of self-esteem. What could be the reason for their mishap?

The reason for this is two-fold. First is the genetic-factor adding to the vulnerability for childhood obesity and second and most notably, the passing-down of poor lifestyle and eating habits.

Sorry to say but the current age is made up of digital generation kids spellbound by inactive indoor entertainment and fast food convenience. Surrounded by computers, video games, and the television, children are hard to pull from the couch to have a healthy and worthwhile physical activity outdoors. And even when they eat it’s difficult to keep them from sweet and fat-saturated snacks impossible for them to burn-off.

Finally when they go to school the bad custom is enforced ever more as virtually all kids do the same. The result, widespread childhood obesity. So what should the parent do?

Not to be obese themselves is one. Yet childhood obesity is such a serious condition that efforts of providing a good example through proper nutrition and efficient exercise at home still requires established guidelines that will help parents and school-systems make significant changes against the problem.

These weight-health guidelines are crucial to educate all children about the perils and reality of childhood obesity and encourage them to participate in all efforts dealing with the issue. Encouragement of children to eating healthy foods and getting plenty of exercise shall produce results rather than futile if the health measures are imposed. Parents need to ensure their children about the importance of choosing healthy habits. Yet, they also need to make the assurance that such healthy alternatives are available.

Concerned individuals should keep with the USDA The Prescription for Change And Healthy School Nutrition Environments. School canteen meals should comply with nutritional standards and guidelines, while providing plenty of food choices and introducing new foods to keep the menu healthy and interesting; additional vending machines and packaged snacks should represent the 5-major food groups in the Food Guide Pyramid; students should have designated mid-day lunch periods at a healthy environment; and all decisions made by the school-system regarding student consumption should be based on nutritional goals and guidelines, and not on profit.

Efforts should also include education and information on healthy eating habits as well as active school activity programs for students from Kindergarten through Grade 12.



Ryan