Health Habits

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Posts Tagged ‘coke’

Who needs steroids when you got McDonalds

February 21st, 2010

At this year’s Olympic games, we have seen some amazing performances.

Petra Majdic winning a bronze medal in cross country skiing after suffering 5 cracked ribs and a deflated lung.
Lindsey Vonn winning downhill gold with her messed up shins
Shaun White twisting and turning like the Tazmanian Devil
Jon Montgomery coming from behind to win gold in my new favorite winter sport – skeleton

And, in past years, we might have attributed those performances to steroids…but not with these Olympians.

They don’t need steroids.

They’re being powered by the official food & drink of the 2010 Olympics…

McDonalds and Coca-Cola

But wait, it gets better.

McDonalds has decided to sponsor hundreds of young athletes as they train & eat their way to future Olympic glory.

Allow me to introduce you to the 2026 Olympic gold medal winner in downhill skiing and competitive eating.

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You Will NEVER Drink Soda Again

December 15th, 2009

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Nutrition Myth Busted: Caffeine and Dehydration

December 9th, 2009

coffee

For years & years, we have been told that caffeinated beverages (coffee, tea, etc) are diuretics and that they dehydrate us and that they do not count towards those magic 8 glasses of water we are all supposed to drink each and every day.

And for years & years, I thought this was a colossal line of B.S.

And I was right.

According to this study & that study, there is no valid scientific support for the suggestion that consumption of caffeine-containing beverages as part of a normal lifestyle leads to fluid loss in excess of the volume ingested or is associated with poor hydration status.

Therefore, there would appear to be no clear basis for refraining from caffeine containing drinks in situations where fluid balance might be compromised.

So, the next time someone tells you that you shouldn’t drink coffee because it will dry you up like a California Raisin, send them over to Health Habits for a little book learnin’.

And once again, like those guys on the Discovery Channel, I declare this nutrition myth…BUSTED

myth-busted

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You Drink Pop = You Get Fat

April 28th, 2009

image: Rodrigo Dantas

Science is finally catching up with common sense.

A new study shows that sugar-sweetened beverages (pop, fruit drinks, fruit punch, energy drinks, slurpees, or any other high-calorie beverage sweetened with sugar) have a stronger effect on obesity than any other beverage as well as any type of solid food.

The Science

The researchers tracked the dietary habits of 810 men and women aged 25-79 years old via food logs.

Beverages were divided into 7 categories:

Sugar-sweetened beverages or SSBs

diet drinks (diet soda and other diet drinks sweetened with artificial sweeteners)

milk (whole milk, 2% reduced-fat milk, 1% low-fat milk, and skim milk)

100% juice (100% fruit and vegetable juice)

coffee and tea with sugar (sweetened with sugar)

coffee and tea without sugar (unsweetened or sweetened with artificial sweeteners)

alcoholic beverages (beer, wine, spirits, and other alcoholic drinks).

Results

At the end of the 18 month long study, researchers found that:

a reduction in liquid calorie intake was significantly associated with weight loss at both 6 months and 18 months
the weight-loss effect of a reduction in liquid calorie intake was stronger than that of a reduction in solid calorie intake
a reduction in sugar-sweetened beverage intake was significantly associated with weight loss at both 6 and 18 months
no other beverage type was associated with weight change

Conclusion

The first and most successful step to losing weight is eliminating all sugar-sweetened beverages from your diet.

Period.

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New York's OBESITY TAX…social engineering or prudent fiscal policy?

December 16th, 2008

New York state Governor David Paterson is introducing a new 15% “Obesity Tax” on high-calorie soft drinks.

Milk, fruit juices, bottled water and “diet” soft drinks will be exempt from the new tax.

When reached for comment, executives from Coca Cola and Pepsi were quoted as saying:

“that son of a bi#ch Paterson! Who the fu*k does he think he is? Does he really want to go to war with us? If he thought The Sopranos were tough, wait until I get my hands on him, I’ll rip him a new as#h@le! bleep… bleep…bleep

They went on like that for about 20 minutes. Eventually, I just gave up on the interview.

And they weren’t the only ones losing it:

Noted Fat Acceptance guru Kate Harding had a few choice words on her blog.
Right wing blowhard Rush Limbaugh claimed to have predicted this 14 years ago. Must have been when he was hooked on the Oxycontin.
Kevin Keane, senior VP-public affairs at the American Beverage Association, said the organization has reached out to New York Gov. David Patterson’s office regarding the proposed tax on full-calorie sodas. “It looks like a money grab. [Mr. Patterson] is trying to grab money anywhere he can find it,” Mr. Keane said. “This is a time when the government, just like families, needs to tighten its belt.” Mr. Keane went on to question the validity of an ‘obesity tax‘ on full-calorie soda, given data that show that obesity rates are rising even as soft-drink sales are flat. He also said the soft-drink industry provides the state with plenty of jobs, including union jobs. PepsiCo is based in Purchase, N.Y., and major bottlers are also based in New York.blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah……

Let’s Recap

New York state is having trouble balancing it’s budget. No big surprise. Apparently the U.S. has been in recession for a full year now.
Governments raise taxes to increase their revenues.
Fat people are an easy target…no pun intended
New York city and other various levels of government have already enacted legislation in order to curb obesity.
Slapping a tax on a product linked to obesity is a no-brainer in the current political, economic and social environment.

But will it work?

Soft drink companies are heavily subsidized through their use of HFCS as their main ingredient. So what we have here is one level of government taxing a product and another level of government subsidizing it….SMART
Soft drinks are cheap! If a 2 liter bottle of Coke costs $2.00, the new “fat tax” will add 30 cents to the bill. 30 cents!!! Who can’t come up with another 30 cents? Do they really think that this extra expense is going to cause obese New Yorkers to forgo their purchase of a vanilla Coke? Hmmm, let’s see, buy that bottle of Pepsi or pay the rent. What to do, what to do…

My Conclusion

This tax is designed to bring more money into the state’s near empty coffers.

Period.

It is not going to entice anyone to drink less pop.

It will however, make it easier to add new taxes or even slap bans on other forms of junk food.

And won’t that really tick off the fat Acceptance crowd.

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A BAN on Fast Food TV Advertising Would Reverse Childhood Obesity Trends

November 19th, 2008

In the past few years, childhood obesity has grown from being a personal health issue to a public health issue.

And today, it is fast becoming a political issue.

Way back in the 1980s, this is what a fat kid looked like.

(Bonus points to anyone who recognizes Chunk from “The Goonies”)

Today, Chunk would almost be slim by comparison.

Not only are today’s fat kids fatter than ever, their numbers are swelling as well.

In 2006, the CDC said that “the prevalence of obesity among children aged 6 to 11 more than doubled in the past 20 years, going from 6.5% in 1980 to 17.0% in 2006.

The rate among adolescents aged 12 to 19 more than tripled, increasing from 5% to 17.6%“.

And if that wasn’t bad enough, research also shows that there is an 80 percent chance an overweight adolescent will become an obese adult.

But maybe, you’re not a numbers person.

If that’s the case, and this data isn’t enough to grab your attention, take a look at this train-wreck:

Clearly, we have a problem.

What to do, what to do…

Well, according to researchers from the National Bureau of Economic Research, a ban on fast food advertisements in the United States could reduce the number of overweight children by as much as 18%.

Should the U.S. pursue that path, they would follow Sweden, Norway and Finland as the only countries to have banned commercial sponsorship of children’s programs.

This new research builds onto the findings of the 2006 report issued by the Institute of Medicine.

That report:

Indicated that there is compelling evidence linking food advertising on television and increased childhood obesity
Recommended congressional regulation of television food advertisements aimed at children
But also said that the link that would definitively prove that children had become fatter by watching fast food commercials could not be made.”

Michael Grossman, co-author of the NBER study, say that “our study provides evidence of that link.”

The Link between Fast Food TV Advertising and Childhood Obesity

Alright, problem solved.

TV fast food advertising is the villain.

So, what now?

Now we just need a champion to step in and kick a little corporate butt.

Let’s see, who can we get….hmmmmm, who would be a good choice?

Wait, I know!!!

Tipper Gore

That’s perfect!

Let’s unleash Tipper on those evil fast food and television executives and our childhood obesity problem will disappear faster than the cake at a fat kid’s birthday party.

Okay, I just happen to have her private number right here….dialing……it’s ringing…….someone’s answering…..and…but….but….I see….well..but….ok…thanks anyway…

Sorry people, Tipper’s too busy helping her husband eliminate global warming to help us eliminate childhood obesity.

We’re on our own.

So what do we want to do?

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Health Habits

Posts Tagged ‘coke’

Who needs steroids when you got McDonalds

McDonalds and Coca-Cola

Related Posts

You Will NEVER Drink Soda Again

Related Posts

Nutrition Myth Busted: Caffeine and Dehydration

Related Posts

You Drink Pop = You Get Fat

The Science

Results

Conclusion

.

Related Posts

New York's OBESITY TAX…social engineering or prudent fiscal policy?

Let’s Recap

But will it work?

My Conclusion

.

Related Posts

A BAN on Fast Food TV Advertising Would Reverse Childhood Obesity Trends

The Link between Fast Food TV Advertising and Childhood Obesity

Related Posts