Food is worse than crack

Study Details 30-Year Increase in Calorie Consumption

A new study shows an increase in the number of calories that Americans eat over the past 30 years. Most of the caloric increase comes from eating more carbs, and the article uses this to do a little carbs-are-evil spinning. But the study's author is clear:

"This just confirms that Americans need to be more focused on a total calorie decrease," said Jacqueline Wright, an epidemiologist at the disease control centers and the author of the study.

Low-carb: fad, trend, diet

Here is an article that thoroughly examines the low-carb craze that is the current rage in the U.S. The article discusses how restaurants are responding, including T.G.I. Fridays and Ruby Tuesday. Even Eli's Cheesecake is getting into the act.

You have to read literally to the very last sentence to get to the most important part:

Even low-carb foods "all have calories, and no matter what anyone says, calories count. If you take too much energy in and don't expend it, you get fat.

"Forget the whole idea that it's magic."

Kids getting fatter

Here is more evidence that kids (along with everybody else) weigh more than ever before. Information like this helps refute the "weight is mostly genetics" argument: our genetics aren't changing, but we're eating more and more.

Atkins backlash?

Is the low-carb fad peaking? If so, it's time for the pendulum to swing back, as this article theorizes. While many companies are adding low-carb and Atkins-branded items, others are sticking to traditional ideas about nutrition:

"Everything in moderation is ultimately where all these things lead to," said Douglas Conant, chief executive of Campbell Soup Co. "These diets become fad-like and take on lives of their own ... and typically they are not sustainable."

Insurance breaks for losing weight

A state representative in Idaho, Rep. Margaret Henbest, is trying to pass a couple of laws about insurance and healthy weight. One would allow insurance companies to give discounts to people who meet weight standards or have regular physicals, and another would require insurance to pay for treatment for very fat (morbidly obese) people. The representative is a nurse practitioner, and she argues that better weight is not just about health and happiness, it's a financial boon too:

"This is a looming social problem from a health care standpoint,'' Henbest said. "There are more people with diabetes, more people with heart disease--many of them will be consuming public dollars. The more people we prevent from going down that road, the more will become less of a financial burden on the state,'' she said.

Evil sugar

Here is a long hit piece on high fructose corn syrup (HFCS). This nutrient is great for corn farmers and makes for cheaper food, but it's a big part of the reason why Americans and others are gaining weight. The article goes beyond merely stating that excess calories make us fatter and explores concerns that HFCS is a Frankenstein that's worse than other sugars.

Thanks to Bryan for the link.

Too many calories = overweight

This article explains pretty simply that Americans weigh more than ever because we're eating more calories than ever.

According to recent statistics in 2000, women consume 300 or more calories per day and men 168 more calories than 20 years ago.

Iceberg lettuce and coffee diet

Here's a great way to lose a lot of weight fast. Link courtesy of MarkD.

Doctors promoting healthy weight

A new study recommends that doctors talk to their patients more about weight issues. For example:

Assessing body mass index and waist measurements and discussing patients' activity levels at every visit. Patients who are not overweight should be congratulated. Overweight patients should be told about the dangers, which include a doubling of the risk of heart disease and a tripling of the risk of diabetes for people with a body-mass index of 30 or higher, which is obese.

Having doctors talk about a serious health issue is common sense. But they need to consider the psychological impact of their words in our food-toxic environment. Just saying "eat less" won't work for everybody.

Restaurants serving Atkins meals

Some upscale restaurants in New Jersey are serving Atkins-style low-carb meals. Not all the items are on the menu -- customers just have to ask to have food prepared the way they want.