Who would have guessed that nutrition labels could serve as a political football. We are talking about the fine print on the backside of the bags, boxes and cans our food comes in.
The use of antibiotics has been common in the meat industry for a long time, not only to treat sick farm animals or to protect them from diseases, but also to foster their growth. It seems that small doses of antibiotics administered daily makes the animals gain weight faster. According to a recent report in the New York Times (6/29/2010), 70 percent of the antibiotics used in agriculture are simply for the promotion of animal growth, not to fight illnesses.
Hypertension, also known as high blood pressure, is often called “the silent killer,” because it is a deadly disease that shows no early symptoms. It is the single most significant risk factor for heart disease, congestive heart failure, stroke and kidney disease.
No matter where you stand politically, sometimes you have to marvel when you see how free markets work. What Morgan Spurlock, the filmmaker of “Super Size Me,” could not achieve with his anti-fast-food crusade, is happening now: McDonald’s has jumped on the bandwagon of health-conscious eating. Most likely in response to Taco Bell’s heavily advertised Drive-Thru Diet, McDonald’s has decided to team up with Weight Watchers, the weight management giant, and has promptly received their seal of approval for three meals. For starters, the new partnership is currently being tested in New Zealand only.
Christine Dougherty claims she lost 54 pounds in two years, which comes to about half a pound per week. Why is this news? Because Christine wasn’t really on a diet. She ate like millions of other Americans eat every day – mostly fast food and such.
Many parents have a hard time making their kids eat healthy foods, especially fruits and vegetables. Apples and pears – no way! Brussels sprouts and spinach – forget it! Broccoli – that will be the day!
You may know the scenario. It’s war! Little jaws lock, small mouths refuse to open. You try every trick in the book and still don’t get any cooperation.
The typical American diet contains way too much salt, according to clinical studies recently published in the New England Journal of Medicine (1/22/2010; NEJM.org). This is not exactly news, however, the negative consequences for our health from the widespread overuse of salt in our food are more evident than ever before.
A few years ago, I was about to have a book published. Everything was ready to go when my publisher called with bad news. The agency in charge of the printing process had given the print job to a new company overseas. Originally, we were supposed to print in Korea, but now my book was to be printed in Hong Kong instead.
Cash-for-clunkers was extremely successful by any measure. Even those who can’t fathom government doing anything right were soon silenced by…
When World War II broke out, I was a young child living in London, England. Our part of town on the east side took the brunt of the “London Blitz,” enduring relentless air raids at day and night. Eventually, it was decided that parts of the civilian population and especially the children had to be evacuated to the safer countryside up north.
I believe that sodas, especially when consumed in large quantities, are indeed harmful for our kids’ health – and not just because they contain lots of empty calories from sugar. Unfortunately, it is only the issue of weight gain in connection with sodas that drives the current discussion. What bothers me as much, however, is the fact that almost all sodas are carbonated.
A new food labeling campaign is being launched by some of the country’s top food manufacturers. It is called “Smart Choices” and is meant to guide all of us who are interested in healthy eating. An easily identifiable label is printed on the front of the selected food packages.
A recently published study by the Columbia University Medical Center and the New York State Psychiatric Institute found that over a period of just ten years (1996 to 2005) the number of Americans taking regularly antidepressant medication has doubled – from 13.3 million to 27 million. That means 10 percent of all people living in America feel depressed enough to seek medical help.
