Childhood Obesity Facts - just scary

If you read my blog on insulin resistance and prediabetes then you know it is a huge problem. The scariest part is that it isn't just a big problem among adults

6. Type 2 diabetes: Whereas in 1990 only 4% of newly diagnosed childhood diabetes was type 2, by 2001 the proportion was 45% in adolescents  in areas with a large population of African-American, Mexican-American, or Native-American children. Also noteworthy, type 2 diabetes in youth is more common in girls than in boys, with one study showing that up to 80 percent of children who develop type 2 diabetes are female.

You can check out 9 more scary facts about childhood obesity at Diet-Blog.com

Healthy Eating While Traveling

Eating right on the road can be an utter disaster if you don't plan ahead. This single best thing you can do is to bring healthy food with you as you're not going to find it on the road:

1. Stock up on the healthy stuff. One reason we eat crap on the road is because we're bored. After a long drive of a whole lotta nothing, what's more exciting than injecting a little fat and sugar into old bloodstream? Perhaps what's not so exciting is the size of your rear after several days of that type of behavior. One way to avoid the crap is to have plenty of healthy items available. Stock a cooler with plenty of water, fruit, yogurt and cut veggies to munch on to help you avoid temptation.

Don't forget to read my top 5 tips for healthy eating while traveling either.

Road Trip - Avoid Weight Gain on the Road [About.com]

Insulin Resistance Dangers - Start Fighting Now!

I recently blogged about insulin resistance and how it is become a huge problem.

Here's some cool info from WebMD about how you can crush your risk of getting diabetes by just some simple diet and exercise hacks

Studies have shown that people with prediabetes can prevent or delay the development of type 2 diabetes by up to 58 percent through changes to their lifestyle, including modest weight loss (as little as 5 to 7 percent of your current weight) and increasing physical exercise.

If you have prediabetes, do something about it now [WebMD]

Healthy Eating in 3 Easy Steps

Marion Nestle's tips on healthy eat are right in line with the 6 Pillars of Nutrition.

Tell patients that healthy eating simply means three things: variety, minimal processing and moderation.

Variety means choosing many different kinds of foods from the various food groups: meat, dairy, fruits, vegetables, grains. It counts because foods vary in nutrient content. Varying foods within and among food groups takes care of needs for nutrients without having to think about them. People who consume adequate amounts of varied diets rarely exhibit nutrient deficiencies. It’s the most restrictive diets that are likely to be deficient in one or another nutrient.

Minimal processing means that the foods should be as close as possible to how they came from the animal or plant. The greater the level of processing, the less the foods resemble their origins, the less nutritious they may be, and the more salt, sugar and calories get added to disguise the changes.

Minimal processing excludes foods high in salt and sugars and low in fiber, as well as sugary sodas and juice drinks, those popularly known as junk foods.

My definition of minimal processing is only slightly facetious: Don’t eat anything with more than five ingredients or an ingredient you can’t pronounce.

Moderation is about balancing calorie intake with expenditure and maintaining a healthy weight through food choices and physical activity.

 

San Francisco Chronicle column: nutrition advice to doctors [Food Politics]

Vegetarian Protein and Fake Meat

Do you eat meat substitutes? According to some new data most people are not big fans of them

According to a survey conducted by Mintel, over half of consumers are disappointed with the variety of meat-free products, with a strong perception of poor taste of these products.

Meat substitute manufacturers need to focus on more exotic and ethnic flavours, as well as more premium products to increase appeal to many consumers, particularly women, says Mintel.

I'm personally not a fan of meat substitutes because they are traditional made with allergenic foods. Check out my video on vegetarian proteins for more on that.

You can read more about the meat substitute decline here.