by Grace Segran Insead Knowledge

Are we to blame for the obesity epidemic? Or the people who sell the food to us? New research shows that packaging and position, not just advertising, are at least part of the problem.

The world is becoming a fatter place. Obesity has been on the rise for the past 30 years. In the United States, the problem is pronounced: at the last count, 68 percent of U.S. adults were classified as overweight and 34 percent as obese, more than twice as many as 30 years ago.Read More

By Melanie Haiken, Caring.com
Tue, Sep 06, 2011

Few things feel more terrifying and random than a stroke, which can strike without warning. And fear of stroke — when a blood vessel in or leading to the brain bursts or is blocked by a blood clot, starving brain cells of oxygen and nutrients is well founded. After all, stroke is the number-three killer in the U.S., affecting more than 700,000 people each year. Here are five foods that cause the damage that leads to stroke.

1. Crackers, chips, and store-bought pastries and baked goods

Muffins, doughnuts, chips, crackers, and many other baked goods are high in trans fats, which are hydrogenated oils popular with commercial bakeries because they stay solid at room temperature, so the products don’t require refrigeration. Also listed on labels as “partially hydrogenated” or hydrogenated oils, trans fats are found in all kinds of snack foods, frozen foods, and baked goods, including salad dressings, microwave popcorn, stuffing mixes, frozen tater tots and French fries, cake mixes, and whipped toppings. They’re also what makes margarine stay in a solid cube. The worst offenders are fried fast foods such as onion rings, French fries, and fried chicken.

Ever since Adam and Eve ate the apple, Ulysses had himself tied to the mast, the grasshopper sang while the ant stored food and St. Augustine prayed “Lord make me chaste — but not yet,” individuals have struggled with self-control. In today’s world this virtue is all the more vital, because now that we have largely tamed the scourges of nature, most of our troubles are self-inflicted. We eat, drink, smoke and gamble too much, max out our credit cards, fall into dangerous liaisons and become addicted to heroin, cocaine and e-mail. Read More

Rebecca Gelber: Special to the Bonanza

INCLINE VILLAGE, Nev. — Although I consider myself an optimist, there’s one medical topic I find it hard to be hopeful about: childhood obesity. Once fodder for easy jokes, obese children are anything but a laughing matter. Several billion dollars are spent each year treating children for diseases once confined to adults: diabetes, heart disease, back problems, sleep apnea. Even sadder, many children will have to endure the physical and emotional consequences of obesity throughout their lives.

What’s most difficult is that although society is increasingly educated about the issue, the causes seem too entrenched for anyone to tackle. That’s hard to believe, as this epidemic is so recent. Thirty years ago, obese children were rare exceptions. What’s changed?To read the complete article, please click here

They may be less likely to overeat

(HealthDay News) — Whopping portion sizes are a big reason for why people overeat. But if you teach your children about appropriate portion sizes, they may be more likely to stick to healthy portions into adulthood.

The Nemours Foundation offers these suggestions:

• Put meals on smaller plates so that the portion appears larger.
• Divide snacks into small portions, instead of sending your child off to snack with the whole bag.
• Separate leftovers into small portion sizes, instead of storing them in larger containers.
• Serve food away from the table, which may limit family members from going back for seconds.
• Produce single-serving foods to help your children visualize what an appropriate serving is.
• Eat meals slowly, and make sure they contain plenty of fruits and vegetables.
• Split orders at a restaurant.
• Skip the plus-sized value meals at fast-food eateries.

– Diana Kohnle

I am in control of my health and wellness.

I am in control of my health and wellness.

Live with purpose. People who strive for something personally significant- whether it’s learning a new skill, raising a good family, or changing careers- are happier than those who don’t have strong dreams or aspirations.

Concord grape juice stimulates an arterial relaxation effect similar to that credited to red wine, laboratory research has found. The results were presented at the Wine Health 2007 conference in Bordeaux, France. In fact, the grape juice produced a prolonged relaxation effect that red wine has not been cited as stimulating. Researchers say the grape juice causes a vasorelaxation effect by stimulating the production of nitric oxide, which is known to be important in maintaining healthy, flexible blood vessels and helps support healthy blood pressures. The effect of the grape juice lasted for up to six hours, significantly longer than effects noted from red wine. The research seems to point to the benefit coming from the grapes themselves, rather than the alcohol. Concord grape juice is believed to have a blood-pressure-lowering effect, so if you’re looking for an alternative to the red-wine fix, this may be the answer.