Monday, September 01, 2008 The Porky-Pink Elephant in the room! POST A COMMENT Have a seat. No, wait a sec, don't sit, I just got that new chair. 'And researchers are saying two-thirds of us are already overweight... Pointing out -- 'every American adult could be overweight 40 years from now. Intended as 'a wake-up call' the new study adds -- 'Simply telling people to eat less and exercise more is not enough. So, it really does take a village (maybe with reinforced seats) -- 'such as making communities more pedestrian-friendly so that people can walk regularly, or getting the food industry to offer healthier, calorie-conscious choices. "It really needs to be more than an individual effort. It needs to be a societal effort." -- I agree here, like climate change, it's the porky-pink elephant in the room that folks don't talk about. So, speak up. Walk it out; and learn more about what you're putting in your mouth. I wrote about my own hugging of a more 'Mediterranean lifestyle; 'read today another article suggest -- 'new studies present evidence that this plant-based diet - which features plenty of vegetables and limited meat, with olive oil the primary source of fat - also reduces cancer risk. I think some basic common sense works here, like simply writing down what you shove down your throat helps (the good, bad, ugly)...I'd suggest signing up online on one of the many social-dieting websites (they're free and it allows you to keep a daily diary that charts your progress). Isn't it really about baby-steps in the right direction. Here's a cool "eat this, not that." video...they also have a fun online quiz (Men's Health) Source: Rueters Health Labels: Health, Healthy Foods, HungryForChange.com, Mediterranan lifestyle, Obesity, Trends posted by Henry Cruz at 3:43 PM Saturday, August 02, 2008 Time to eat the donuts? POST A COMMENT When folks think of health foods Dunkin' Donunts might be the last place that pops into their heads; but, "a new slate of better-for-you" menu options -- (which debuts Aug 6) -- is gonna try and say, "Hey, we have good stuff too." I'm gonna bet however, the typical Donut customer would sooner order shredded-pig-guts in lard sauce than the healthy alternatives. So this is for your tofu-eating-skinny friend -- who wondered into Dunkin' Donuts with you -- by accident. They'll now would be able to choose "flatbread sandwiches made with egg whites," and "turkey sausage egg-white sandwich or a vegetable one." -- (all under 300 calories) -- Like most fast-food-chains... The hope is to ward off the blame-game that Americans are all turning into uncontrolable fat diabetic slobs. "We're staying very true to our brand and very true to our heritage," says the company. "We're just growing and evolving." Speaking of evolving...'before gulping down those sweeties...dieters should realize that Food is energy — it is good for you. So, allow yourself some room for calorie mistakes. While most of us know choosing the right foods will keep us healthy. those same dieters, in a hurry, or looking for a quick bite -- or something just a bit-wicked with a side order of bacon grease -- turn out to be the donut shops best friend - (and I hear egg whites with a whole-lotta-kethup tastes de-li-ish...) Source: The Business Journal Labels: Diet 101, dunkin donuts, Health, Healthy Foods, HungryForChange.com, News Trends, Obesity, Restaurants, Well-Balanced Life posted by Henry Cruz at 3:40 PM Tuesday, July 29, 2008 Food Memories: Devoid of Fanciness! POST A COMMENT A friend of mine went to one of them fancy four star restaurants -- (that cost an arm and a leg) -- this past weekend, and complained how the food was really bad: "Not up to it's reputation....'too salty, badly prepared and way too costly." It got me thinking, why do people associate good food with high prices? On the Charlie Rose show last week I heard a great line from a famous chef about good-clean-food: "Sorta, maybe like a dive-bar," said David Chang, chef / owner of Momofuku Noodle Bar (NYC), on describing a quest for taking the elitist-stigma out of high rated restaurants. "Why can't that place --(meaning a simple dive bar)-- maybe serve the most delicious food in the world?...to love food in America you have this stigma of being elitist, and that shouldn't be the way." That pretty much sums up my feelings when I go out to eat in a restaurant. It's less about going to a fancy place, where you wear a suit and tie to...or the great ambiance...My motto is take me where the cab-drivers go to for a great meal...'cause doesn't it all come down to the simple and clean food... Menu prices doesn't have to be way-too-expensive -- or showcase an elitist environment to be a great meal...there are local places you can get a great meal experience...I'll be listing a few of my favs' here and over at HungryForChange.com Labels: Charlie Rose, Chefs, Health, Healthy Foods, HungryForChange.com, NYC, Obesity, Restaurants, Whole Foods posted by Henry Cruz at 2:13 PM Wednesday, July 09, 2008 Diaries: Hungry For Change! POST A COMMENT Big news -- from nutritionists -- keeping a food diary when you're managing your weight -- actually works. This latest findings are "part of a weight-loss maintenance trial...'after analyzing the data on weight loss to see which factors made a difference, researchers concluded that the more days a person kept a careful record, the more weight he or she lost." -- in some cases up to twice as much as others who didn't keep a daily record. My web-partner and I launched an online commnunity to motivate users on Food -- that has a daily-diary: HungryForChange.com, 'which is one option to keep track of what's going in...ultimately, there's no easy fix to dieting...but, all roads lead to making "life-style" changes that include better quality foods going in...and not so much of it. Source: U.S. News & World Report Labels: Exercise, Health, HungryForChange.com, Obesity, protein, Well-Balanced Life posted by Henry Cruz at 7:56 PM Monday, April 21, 2008 Globally: not all the same! POST A COMMENT LOCATION MATTERS? Are you a East versus West turf kinda-person? I never thought location much mattered. I'm more along-that-old-saying, "If you Cut Me, Will I Not Bleed..." - which hints that we are all kinda-made-from-the-same-stuff inside, so thanks Newsweek for F-ing with my head. Yeah, well...you live, you learn. I'm trying. According to this Newsweek Article (Blame the Bugs), location not only helps to form the way we think, it also effects our immune system. So there might be some truth behind another saying: What hurts you doesn't hurt me, it makes me stronger (if I'm on the right coast)! For example, The USA... "epitomizes individualistic, do-your-own thing cultures, ones where the rights of the individual equal and often trump those of the group and where differences are valued." Versus folks in Japan that... "exalt the larger society: behavior is constrained by social roles, conformity is prized, outsiders shunned..." So, The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence (if that fence is someplace-far-far-away). Or how many pathogens....confused yet? (your ass must be from the west coast)... "Societies that arose in places with fewer pathogens had the luxury of individualism, which is less effective at limiting the spread of disease but brings with it other social benefits, such as innovation." So basically, Your-Moms-Better-Than-Anyone-Else's (if she's from the right coast)..."For years scientists have scratched their heads over why collectivism declines with distance from the equator, and why living in colder regions should promote individualism (you'd think polar people would want to huddle together more). The answer seems to be that equatorial regions breed more pathogens." So along that thinking multi-racial people might create the best of all-worlds...in theory at least. Source: Newsweek Labels: Culture, environment, Health, race relations posted by Henry Cruz at 11:57 PM Tuesday, October 09, 2007 Exercise those hunger pains POST A COMMENT Another new study on Dieting and Exercise -- (Source NY TIMES) -- Suggests that "Moderate exercise" and "even intense exercise is no guarantee of weight loss..." Wait a second, don't jump off that treadmill just yet..."Most volunteers fell somewhere in the middle, losing only a few pounds despite the regimen.Unsurprisingly, the data did suggest that the people who failed to lose much weight had slightly increased their calorie intake by the end of the study." Basically, "The body does everything it can to steal back the calories you are so desperately trying to work off, studies have found, and different bodies do it at different rates...appetite may increase as the body strives to maintain its weight." The bottom line is exercise alone is good and gets the ball rolling in the right direction...but, that effort only works if you control what you put into your body...the key is "mind and body" working together! Here's my new breakfeast: Labels: Exercise, Health posted by Henry Cruz at 5:40 AM Tuesday, October 02, 2007 Shocker: more fat people are going to get sick! POST A COMMENT 'reading that "twice as many U.S. adults are obese" compared to those skinny bitches in Europe, (Source Journal Health Affairs) -- In that study it says Americans will "suffer more often from cancer, diabetes and other chronic ailments." -- Yeek, belly check ya'll...I'll be doing a diet soon...and offering some cool stuff I find right here! -- here are five simple tips to help out: 1. Eat smaller meals throughout the day. Five or six small meals is ideal, helping your body digest more easily while storing less fat that causes cellulite. 2. Drink water. Drinking water after every meal also helps your body digest while hydrating you. Be careful though, too much water can be a bad thing. 3. Do exercises that gets your heart pumping. You can vary the intensity and duration of the exercises throughout the week. You can do high intensity/short duration like aerobics and low intensity/long duration like walking several times a week. 4. Incorporate strength training into your workout. Building the muscles around the problem areas can greatly reduce the appearance of cellulite. 5. Get plenty of rest. 7-8 hours of sleep will help out a lot. Also, when starting out, give your body about 48 hours of rest after strength training so you do not over-exert yourself. Ah, it all sounds so simple! Labels: Exercise, Health, Obesity, Tips posted by Henry Cruz at 5:46 PM     ARCHIVES October 2005 . November 2005 . December 2005 . August 2007 . September 2007 . October 2007 . November 2007 . December 2007 . March 2008 . April 2008 . May 2008 . June 2008 . 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