Food News and Views

Just a few articles I found and wanted to share on today’s post. Enjoy the reading and use the info as you see fit!

How Much Sugar Do Americans Consume Daily? (Hint: Way Too Much)

In a country where candy displays are perched next to cash registers at every retail outlet imaginable and drinking soda is a birthright, it can hardly be surprising that Americans consume a large amount of sugar. But 22 teaspoons a day? That's hard to swallow.
Yet the statistic is true. U.S. adults consume 22.2 teaspoons of sugar daily -- or 355 calories, reports UPI. That wildly exceeds the daily recommended amount, says Phil Lempert, a food industry analyst. He says average-sized women should be consuming no more than 6.25 teaspoons; men 9.4.
Not only is the sugar bad for your waistline, but diets high in the sweet stuff have been shown to contribute to high blood pressure, increased triglycerides and cardiovascular disease, the American Heart Association says.
As is usually the case with dietary matters, a little moderation goes a long way.

Sugar is a hot topic on many news articles. It is the center of attention in the Corn Refiner’s Industry trying to change high fructose corn syrup to “corn sugar” thinking the new name won’t have a negative connotation. No matter the debate, it’s a non-nutritive, calorie dense ingredient in most packaged foods. An easy way to shed a few pounds is to cut out sodas and fruit drinks from the diet. Most people could do that alone and notice the improved composition and benefits in a week. Please, any sugar-filled drink users out there, switch to water for a month and see how much will change……for the good.

Dukan Diet Book, A Celeb Smash, Hits U.S. Stores

The Dukan Diet reportedly has Kate Middleton and J. Lo slenderizing. But is this high-protein, low-carb, four-phase diet really anything new? Calling Atkins and South Beach!

Now you can find out what all the hype is about. The English version of the decade-old French weight-loss bible The Dukan Diet: 2 Steps to Lose the Weight, 2 Steps to Keep It Off Forever, by French physician Pierre Dukan, MD, hits stores today, April 19.

Our friends over at Everyday Health asked nutritionist Kelly MacDonald, RD, to review the Dukan Diet, and lay out the pros and cons. Among them: "Though you may see rapid initial weight loss, it will mostly be from water and, later, from muscle mass. You'll also likely experience fatigue, moodiness, and other symptoms because the diet is so severely lacking in carbohydrates."

Full article is here - http://www.everydayhealth.com/diet-and-nutrition/the-dukan-diet.aspx

I despise fad diets, plain and simple. Most fad diets seem to have something to sell or someone will benefit with the more people trying them out. I’ve said it before and I will keep saying it, stick with foods directly from the earth and lean animal proteins and you’re good. Steer clear of any marketing, remember, businesses are just that….businesses, in order to survive, they must profit. Please stop trying to find the “trick” to weight loss and health. It’s no trick; just eat whole foods, cooked in your home most of the time. This will work for the majority of humans on Earth, please give it a try. The cost of wholesome food is offset by less medication or doctor’s visits in the long term.

Government Wants Companies to Limit Marketing to Kids

Is the federal government about to put Tony the Tiger out of a job?

In the face of a national epidemic of childhood obesity, a collection of federal agencies has been working for two years now to come up with a set of voluntary guidelines that would restrict what foods can be marketed to kids. Food companies and marketing groups rejected a set of proposed guidelines last year, and the government has repeatedly postponed releasing new ones.

But as the Associated Press reports, the feds may finally pull the trigger as soon as today. Apparently, the AP reporter got a sneak peek at the new guidelines and writes that "companies would be urged to only market foods to children ages 2 through 17 if they are low in fats, sugars and sodium and contain specified healthy ingredients."

The story goes on to say that the new guidelines are stricter than the standards companies have set for themselves in terms of targeting kids. (Not a surprise since a company like Kellogg's, for example, still doesn't see anything wrong with hawking Frosted Flakes to tots, as an article in the New York Times pointed out last year.)

The guidelines will reportedly cover not only traditional forms of advertising (e.g., commercials during Saturday morning cartoons), but the burgeoning market of online advertising as well.

There's probably more to say here, but darn it, in the middle of writing this we popped over to the Lucky Charms website (which gets, like, a quarter million hits a month), and we got so distracted trying to navigate Lucky the Leprechaun through the Chocolate Mines that we ran out of time.

Luckily, there's a tiny banner at the bottom to remind us: "Hey kids, this is advertising!"

Another attack on the marketers, I know. Well, I say adults are still the most to blame as it’s our responsibility to question what goes into our body. To this, it’s the adult’s responsibility for what goes in their kid’s body as well. I understand parents just want to make their kids happy, and buying them whatever they saw on the latest commercial will do just that…..for the day at least. So, advertising to kids is an effective approach for a business, but makes it hard (not impossible) to keep the kid’s diet clean. Parents must strive to teach their kids early and by following a healthy lifestyle themselves. So they throw a fit, it can’t last forever, just know of you succumb to the fit, they’ll be another one right around the corner.


Please consider my thoughts on these articles and do what you will with all similar info. An enjoyable life is a healthy life. Health can be obtained through wholesome foods and a better attitude towards life.