Health Digest - May 2015- UCONN Rudd Center For Food Policy and Obesity

Health Digest - May 2015 Rudd Center Recent Publications

Views on Classifying Obesity as a Disease In the first assessment of public opinion in the United States since the American Medical Association classified obesity as a disease in 2013, a study by the Rudd Center published May 13 in the journal Obesity found that a majority of Americans support the designation. "For decades, the message to the individual has been to eat less and exercise more, and for a number of reasons that has not been effective," said author Rebecca Puhl, Deputy Director of the Rudd Center. "Obesity is a much more complex issue, and the disease classification formally acknowledges this."   Rudd Center in the News   As food companies and restaurants increasingly remove artificial ingredients and GMOs from their offerings, "It's important that people still pay attention to things like portion size and calories even though the restaurant may have actually made some important changes," Rudd Center Director Marlene Schwartz said in a May 29 NBC News piece.    The Rudd Center's March study on the increasing health hazard that energy drinks pose to young people was cited in a May 19 article in Digital Trends on how players of video games are being targeted for marketing by energy drink makers. Rudd Center Deputy Director Rebecca Puhl's study assessing public opinion about the classification of obesity as a disease was highlighted in the May 13 edition of UConn Today. A May 14 commentary piece in Medscape by Dr. Puhl, "Obesity as a 'Disease' - What Americans Think, and Why That's Important," included a section on how her findings may inform relationships between healthcare providers and patients. She noted that many patients may not be aware that obesity is now considered a disease. "Healthcare providers may want to inform patients of the disease classification and discuss the implications that this has as a paradigm for diagnosis and treatment," Puhl wrote. The May 11 edition of The New York Times quoted Rudd Center Director Marlene Schwartz about making sure you get enough volume of food when you eat at a restaurant to feel satisfied when you leave. The tip appeared in an article by writer Josh Barro called "How to Eat Healthy Meals at Restaurants." Reuters ran a hard-hitting piece May 8 on a study showing that the vast majority of TV commercials during shows aimed at kids under age 12 are for unhealthy foods with too much added sugar, saturated fat or sodium. The ads don't meet proposed federal voluntary guidelines for the nutritional quality of foods advertised to children. Jennifer Harris, Rudd Center Director of Marketing Initiatives (who was not part of the study), told Reuters: "This paper is interesting because it shows that the industry's definition of what is healthy and should be marketed to kids is completely out of whack with the opinions of government experts." New York Magazine published a provocative piece on May 4 called "Willpower (or Lack of It) Is the Wrong Way to Think About Weight." Writer Melissa Dahl quoted Rudd Center Deputy Director Rebecca Puhl and cited her recent multi-national findings that, when people believe the cause of obesity is lack of willpower, they express stronger weight bias, on average, than those who believe biological or environmental factors play major roles. "...I think the way to think about this is that obesity is a very complex puzzle and personal behavior is just one of those pieces," Puhl said in the article.   The Rudd Center was featured in UConn Magazine's Spring 2015 edition in an article on our work to reverse the obesity epidemic. The piece, "National Disaster," quotes Rudd Center Director Marlene Schwartz on putting research into action. "If all I'm doing is publishing in a journal, that's not helping anybody else." Deputy Director Rebecca Puhl talks about  challenging the assumption that obesity is a matter of personal choice. "That's a false assumption," she says, pointing out that the American Medical Association now classifies obesity as a disease.   Rudd Center Director Marlene Schwartz appeared May 4 on WNPR's radio program "Where We Live" to discuss "Is Fast Food Going Out of Style?" The wide-ranging interview touched on topics including why McDonald's is struggling, how Americans are eating out more often, and policy options like taxing unhealthy foods while providing incentives for healthy foods.     News to Chew On   Los Angeles Times City of Davis sours on sweet drinks for kids' meals in restaurants U.S. News & World Report Rethink Your Child’s Sugary Drink San Jose Mercury News Berkeley soda tax: First month’s take, $116,000 The Washington Post These 26 states won't let you sue McDonald's for making you fat. The surprising consequence of banning obesity lawsuits. Time Preschoolers Aren't Getting Enough Exercise, Study Says NPR Is The War On Fat Harming Our Children? The New York Times Energy Drinks, Under Scrutiny, Tap into Young Gamer Culture   Washington Post Take off that Fitbit. Exercise alone won’t make you lose weight. Consumers Union Google’s YouTube Kids: Better for Advertisers than Families?   About.com The Relationship Between Bullying and Childhood Obesity   CSPI Dairy Queen Removes Soda from Kids' Meals Daily Mail UK Obesity epidemic to blame for record number of people suffering gout - and the sharpest rise is in patients in their 20s and 30s PR Newswire Pepsi Adds Bold Flavor to its Beverage Portfolio with Pepsi Limon CNN How paradise became the fattest place in the world   Salon Our food system is still a toxic mess: Mark Bittman on changing the way America eats     What's Simmering with Our Friends   Voices for Healthy Kids and others shared information in a May 19 #SaludTues tweetchat about "How to get more healthy drinks in Latino communities." The weekly social media chats focus on a variety of Latino health topics. These chats are co-hosted by @SaludToday, the Latino health social media campaign and Twitter handle for the Institute for Health Promotion at the University of Texas Health Center at San Antonio, which directs Salud America! Salud America! is The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Research Network to Prevent Obesity Among Latino Children.   Following public pressure from the Center for Science in the Public Interest, MomsRising.org, and other advocacy groups, Dairy Queen became the latest major fast-food chain to remove soda and other sugary drinks from children's menus. McDonald's, Burger King and Wendy's had already made this change in response to pressure campaigns. The change at Dairy Queen franchises will take effect Sept. 1. "We hope chains like Applebee's and Chili's will choose to exercise the same kind of corporate responsibility that DQ has," said CSPI nutrition policy director Margo G. Wootan.   PreventObesity.net, a project of the American Heart Association dedicated to reversing the childhood obesity epidemic, highlighted a study published in JAMA Pediatrics that found that children have a tough time recognizing healthy foods in fast food television advertising. "Although leading fast food restaurants agreed to include healthy foods in their marketing targeted to kids back in 2009, marketers are often misleading in how they present those foods, researchers say." Only 10 percent of kids surveyed could positively identify apples in a Burger King ad - likely because the apples were sliced like french fries and placed in a french fries container, the PreventObesity.net piece noted.     Share With A Friend & Sign Up for Our Newsletter Facebook Twitter Website YouTube

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Health Digest - April 2015 Rudd Center

Health Digest - April 2015 Rudd Center Recent Publications

Weight Bias A new multinational study by the Rudd Center published online April 28 in the International Journal of Obesity found similar levels of weight bias across four Western countries, including the United States. Despite high rates of obesity in each of the countries - Australia, Canada, Iceland and the U.S. - negative biases against individuals with obesity are clearly present, and more often expressed by those who believe obesity reflects poor willpower or lack of personal responsibility, according to the study. "We hope this research can stimulate broader discussions about weight bias and ways to reduce unfair treatment based on body size," said lead author Rebecca Puhl, Deputy Director of the Rudd Center.   TV Food Advertising to Children The Rudd Center has updated its previous reports on food-related TV ads viewed by children and adolescents to include 2014 data. Trends in Television Food Advertising to Young People: 2014 Update shows that categories with more advertising to youth in 2014, compared to 2007, included candy, carbonated beverages, fast-food and other restaurants, and crackers and savory snacks, as well as yogurt and other dairy. Ads for bottled water and fruits and vegetables also increased, but these categories each represented less than two percent of food ads seen by youth. Rudd Center in the News An April 23 article in MultiBriefs: Exclusive, an online international news site, highlighted the Rudd Center's recent study on the emerging evidence showing that energy drinks pose a public health threat to children under 18. A Huffpost Parents piece posted April 16 on The Blog by a dietitian and mother of two included five lessons she vowed to teach her children about weight and body shape - to help "inch away from weight stigma, weight bullying, disordered eating, eating disorders and body dissatisfaction, all of which compromise the mental and physical health of people everywhere." The piece cites Rudd's report, "Weight Bias: A Social Justice Issue." The Plate, a National Geographic feature on food, published an article April 15 on the topic of taxing sugary drinks and junk food, citing the Rudd Center's report finding that sugar-sweetened beverages are a major source of daily calories, especially for kids ages 2-18. If other jurisdictions want to follow the Navajo Nation's success in enacting a "junk food tax," they will need to tap into grassroots power and tout similar taxes as positive, not punitive, measures, according to experts including Renee Gross, coordinator of legal initiatives for the UConn Rudd Center. Gross noted in an April 7 article in Law360 that the Navajo Nation couched its tax within a human rights framework, which gave it a loftier purpose and set it apart from similar initiatives floated by other communities. The Hill carried a piece by a University of Pennsylvania researcher about a study that reinforced our findings that parents can be misled about the healthfulness of beverages they provide to their children. "And with $784 million spent on advertising to promote sugary drinks," the April 6 article noted, "it is no wonder parents are confused." UConn Rudd Center Director Marlene Schwartz was interviewed at length about her study showing that students can eat healthier and waste less with the updated federal school lunch standards. Her interview was the focus of an April 6 Inside School Food radio program, "Reading plate waste."     News to Chew On   Science Daily Childhood obesity: One epidemic, or two? MSN What food porn does to the brain Bloomberg Business Highlighting the obesity-competency bias The Lancet Sugar intake: lowering the bar CNN America: Too Fat to Fight Daily Mail Sugar blamed for obesity epidemic   BloombergBusiness Kind Bars Aren't Healthy Enough for 'Healthy' Tag, FDA Says SF Gate France considers tough action on smoking, obesity and anorexia realbusiness (UK) Obese workers unable to play full role in business, according to UK employers Time Should I Eat Falafel   Epoch Times Fast Food Being Sold in Dozens of US Hospitals Yahoo! Food From Deep Fryers to Fruits and Veggies: How a Visionary Improved School Food in Detroit NPR Is It Time For A Warning Label On Sugar-Loaded Drinks?   What's Simmering with Our Friends   Prominent child and consumer advocacy groups have urged the FTC to investigate Google, citing deceptive advertising targeting children. The complaint letter from groups including Center for Science in the Public Interest and Campaign for a Commercial Free Childhood alleges that at least three examples of unfair marketing have been found in the YouTube Kids app. Common Dreams reported on the complaint.   Salud Today featured an article and petition urging Taco Bell to stop selling sugary drinks to its customers. Taco Bell recently added six new sugary drinks to their menu including Manzanita Sol which has 56 grams of sugar in a 16-ounce drink – well over the daily limit recommended for children.    Voices for Healthy Kids publicized an American Heart Association news article on a congressional hearing in which advocates who support healthier school meals urged lawmakers not to retreat from the USDA's new standards.   Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution launched a petition drive to gain support for compulsory practical food education across the world, and obtained more than 600,000 signatures the first week.   Leading public health researchers and scientists announced their support for proposed legislation in New York and California to require warning labels on sugary drinks to alert consumers to health risks related to excessive consumption. The group was organized by the Center for Science in the Public Interest and the California Center for Public Health Advocacy. CSPI featured an article on the announcement.     Share With A Friend - Sign Up for Our Newsletter Here Facebook Twitter Website YouTube

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Leyah Shanks -Your Body is Amazing- Video

  Leyah can be reached and contacted in a number of ways and several links are below.

Published on Jul 10, 2012

I'm just sick of the bombardment we get of 'perfection', people with the 'perfect' this and 'perfect' that. The truth is, NO ONE is perfect. Nearly everyone who is presented to us by the media has either had surgery, been airbrushed or is one of those one in a billion people who have been born looking like a flawless Greek Goddess!
The images we (and our children) see of stick thin women (with hu...ge boobs, non-existent waists, massive lips, big bums, 'perfect' straight nose, legs a mile long, big eyes, eyelashes the length of a ruler, 'perfect' teeth, beautifully shaped eyebrows, with flawless skin) Are simply not reality.
Everyone's different -- we come in all different shapes and sizes - and I believe that we should be embracing individuality, not condemning it.
This has mostly been with regards to women and young girls, but it's now spreading to men and young boys. There have been an increased number of men suffering from eating disorders in the past few years and studies have shown it's largely due to the images which are all around us. This proves that it really is a problem which can affect anyone and could (and I think will) be passed down to the next generation if we don't try and do something about it now. It worries me that the children of today (THE NEXT GENERATION) are growing up with these images surrounding them. Above all, I really do not want them to think that this is the norm and is what they need to conform to in order to be 'beautiful' or even just to get ahead in life. Kids are easily persuaded, so let's educate them that size zero is not reality and that individuality is incredible!
I'm on a mission. I want to promote a HEALTHY body image throughout the modelling industry and indeed throughout the world. I want to change perceptions of 'perfection' and show that a healthy body is sexy, beautiful and desirable - and from the fashion industry's point of view; make clothes look amazing!
Women are meant to have boobs, bums and hips! In the same way that both women and men have bits they don't like, wobbly bits, hairy bits, spotty bits, scarred bits, stretch marks, 'love handles', belly 'tyres', patchy bits and any other 'imperfections' that make us a perfect version of who we are as individuals.
I want to show both genders that whether you're a size 4, 6, S, 8, 12, M, 16, L 20, 26, XL 32, XXL -- Whatever you are - you're beautiful the way you are.
People should NOT feel pressured to look a way that is unrealistic and practically unattainable. Everyone should feel at home in their own skin -- not trapped in it. It needs to be emphasised that everyone is different. We should be embracing who we are not trying to change to suit other people.

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  Twitter- https://twitter.com/IAMLEYAHSHANKS

Creator of @BConfidenceRev. Featured in @CosmopolitanUK & @CosmoBodyUK. @Plusmodelmag and @TalkLifeApp writer. @HuffPostUK blogger. Beauty is limitless.

W.WIDE Edinburgh Scotland, UK.

iamleyahshanks.com

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Food: Science, Politics, Action! Radio Blog

April 29, 2014

Food: Science, Politics, Action!

Listen/Subscribe via ItunesDownloadIn this episode, we hear from the country’s leading expert on food politics Marion Nestle, on the food industry’s influence, genetically engineered and cloned food, and much more. Then food author, educator and advocate Anna Lappé tells us why GMOs won’t feed the world, and how organic farming can alleviate the climate crisis. And Rebecca Spector of the Center for Food Safety gives us updates on the latest food fights in Congress and the states.
We’re also now on Stitcher Radio!
Bay Area foodies, don’t forget the CEH gala event on Thursday, May 8, with keynote speaker Dennis Kucinich! Check the website for tickets and more information.
Marion Nestle is is Paulette Goddard Professor in the Department of Nutrition, Food Studies, and Public Health at New York University. Michael Pollan ranked her as the #2 most powerful foodie in America (after Michelle Obama), and Mark Bittman ranked her #1 in his list of foodies to be thankful for. From 1986-88, she was senior nutrition policy advisor in the Department of Health and Human Services and editor of The Surgeon General’s Report on Nutrition and Health.  She is also the author of several prize-winning books, including Food Politics: How the Food Industry Influences Nutrition and Health. Her most recent books in 2013 are the tenth anniversary edition of Food Politics (with a foreword by Michael Pollan); and a new book, Eat, Drink, Vote: An Illustrated Guide to Food Politics. Check out her blog at www.foodpolitics.com (and follow her on twitter @marionnestle).
Anna Lappé is a widely respected author and educator, known for her work as an expert on food systems and as a sustainable food advocate. The co-author or author of three books and the contributing author to ten others, Anna’s work has been widely translated internationally and featured in The New York Times, Gourmet, Oprah Magazine, among many other outlets. Named one of Time magazine’s “eco” Who’s-Who, Anna is a founding principal of the Small Planet Institute and the Small Planet Fund. She is currently the head of the Real Food Media Project, a new initiative to spread the story of the power of sustainable food using creative movies, an online action center, and grassroots events. Her latest book, Diet for a Hot Planet: The Climate Crisis at the End of Your Fork and What You Can Do About It, was named by Booklist and Kirkus as one of the best environmental book’s of 2010. Her video series on food myths is at http://foodmyths.org/ .
Rebecca Spector is West Coast Director of the Center for Food Safety. She has been working in the environmental and agricultural sector for more than 20 years; prior to CFS, she served as director of development at Green Seal, the first U.S. product eco-labeling organization, and at Mothers & Others for a Livable Planet. Rebecca is associate editor of Fatal Harvest: The Tragedy of Industrial Agriculture and Your Right to Know: Genetic Engineering and the Secret Changes in Your Food.
Take action in support of GMO labeling and in opposition to the DARK Act; also, learn more about state actions for GMO labels.
Music in this episode includes Eat it by Weird Al Yankovic, The Garden Song by Arlo Guthrie, and Aquarela do Brasil by João Gilberto.
Tags: agriculture, food, food science, GMO, hunger, organic, sustainable

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