Fat American Pose A Threat to National Security

Increasing rates of obesity among young Americans could undermine the future of the US military, with potential recruits increasingly too fat to serve. "Obesity rates threaten the overall health of America and the future strength of our military," generals John Shalikashvili and Hugh Shelton, both former chairs of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, wrote in a commentary.

Obesity disqualified more potential recruits for military service than any other medical factor, so the two generals urged Congress to adopt legislation that would ensure better nutrition in schools, offering children more vegetables, fruits and whole grains while cutting back on foods with high sugar, sodium and fat content.

"We consider this problem so serious from a national security perspective that we have joined more than 130 other retired generals, admirals and senior military in a non-profit group called "Mission: Readiness."

The US military faces a problem with troops already serving who are overweight, with some soldiers losing out on promotions because of their failure to meet fitness standards. The two retired generals endorsed a plan by President Barack Obama's administration to increase funding by one billion dollars a year over ten years for child nutrition programs. Investing in nutrition made sense as the country was already spending 75 billion dollars a year on medical costs associated with obesity, they said. .

"We must act, as we did after World War II, to ensure that our children can one day defend our country, if need be.

Recipes for Diabetes

In 2007, 23.6 million children and adults were diagnosed with diabetes. That's 7.8% of the U.S. population. People with diabetes are at risk for high blood pressure, heart disease and many other health complications. We did some research and found some of the tastiest foods that are heart healthy and great for the whole family.


Meat and Cheese Subs
1 14 1/2-ounce (435 g) loaf of Italian or Parisian style crusty bread, sliced in half lengthwise with soft inside discarded leaving 3/4-inch (1.9 cm) shell intact
6 ounces (180 g) roasted turkey breast, shaved thin
6 ounces (180 g) low salt, low fat ham, shaved thin
4 ounces (120 g) skim milk Swiss cheese, sliced thin
1 large firm ripe tomato, 1/2 pound (240 g), thinly sliced
1/2 cucumber, 4 ounces (120 g) peeled and thinly sliced
2 cups (110 g) shredded iceberg lettuce

Line the bottom half of the bread with turkey, ham, and cheese. Top with tomato and cucumber slices. Spread the lettuce over the top.
Top with the second bread half and tightly wrap in plastic wrap or aluminum foil. Chill for at least 2 hours or overnight.
When ready to serve, slice off and discard the bread ends. Cut the remaining sub into 6 portions.

Quick Lemon Bread
1 cup Granulated SugarLike

1/2 cup ButterLike Baking Butter, softened

1/2 cup large egg whites, lightly beaten

1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup skim milk

1 1/2 teaspoon grated lemon peel

Lemon Glaze:

1/3 cup Granulated SugarLike

4 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

In a large bowl, mix SugarLike, ButterLike, and egg whites until smooth. Add remaining muffin ingredients and mix until flour is incorporated into batter. Pour batter into a vegetable sprayed and floured 5- X 9-inch loaf pan.
Bake in a 350°F oven 45 to 50 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
As soon as bread is done, prepare glaze. Leaving loaf in pan, use a long slender skewer to poke numerous holes all the way to bottom of loaf.
In a small pan, combine SugarLike and lemon juice. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until SugarLike is dissolved. Remove from heat. Slowly drizzle over top of loaf so that glaze soaks into bread. Let bread cool in pan on rack for 15 minutes, then turn out onto rack to cool completely.



More ideas next week? We think so! Look for Part Two

Simple "Caloric Math", as i like to call it, says that if we burn more calories than we eat, we should lose weight. Right? Of course that is right, but why is it so hard to lose weight?
There are a number of reasons why "Caloric Math" can get fudged up in the process. This is where research helps us discover why "Caloric Math" doesn't work.
One reason why "Caloric Math" can get fudged up is your appetite naturally begins to go up as you began a workout program. One research study supports this theory. A study published on September 2007 in the International Journal of Obesity looked at two groups of men that worked out 7 days a week and burned 500 kcal a workout. This equated to a 3500 caloric deficit a week or 1 pound of fat a week. They found that only one group of men lost weight during the 12 week study and one group did not.
Why? The answer is because the group that did lose weight did not compensate for the decreased amount of calories they burned during there exercise routine by eating those calories back. The study found that individuals appetites will naturally increase during exercise bouts in which calories are decreased.

Take Home Message:
BE AWARE or your appetite before and after you eat. Rate your hunger levels before you start eating: Your hunger levels should not be a "ravenous hunger." This will cause you to over eat.
When eating, the challenge is to stop eating at a rating of "satisfaction" rather than full or very full.

This will help your bodies natural appetite chemicals to become in sync.

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Obese Now Outweigh Overweight

The scale of obese versus overweight people in the United States has tipped toward obesity. A recent report produced by the national Health and Nutrition Examination Survey of 4,356 respondents has determined that 34.3% of US adults aged 20 and over are obese, while slightly fewer (32.7%) are overweight. The 2005-2006 study also found that 5.9% of the population is considered "extremely obese."

"Although the prevalence of obesity has more than doubled since 1980, the prevalence of overweight has remained the same over the same time period," states the report.

That's Not Good for Anyone!!!

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Weekends Weaken Weight Loss

According to a study published in Obesity (2005; published online ahead of print July 1), the weekend tends to be a time for excessive food consumption and reduced physical activity. Subjects included 48 adults aged 50-60 who were asked to keep a food and exercise journal for 1 year.

During the study, authors determined that 36% of caloric intake took place on Saturdays and that participants seemed unaware of the weekend calorie hike. Authors also found that participants' physical activity was significantly reduced on Sundays compared with weekdays.

"It was surprising how consistent the findings were," stated lead author Susan B. Racette, PhD. "We were also surprised by the dramatic way in which weekends continued to slow weight loss throughout the course of the study."


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Exercise for Older Adults

A study published in the January issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine (2009; 169[2], 122-31), shows that a combination of resistance exercise and cardiovascular exercise can improve function capacity and reduce insulin resistance in older adults.

The study started with 136 obese men and women placed into four groups: resistance exercise, cardiovascular exercise, resistance and cardiovascular exercise combined, or a nonexercise control. They performed exercises according to their groups at different times per week.

Overall, the study showed that group with combined exercises exceeded results in all aspects above the other groups with 90 minutes of moderate-intensity cardiovascular exercise combined with 60 minutes of resistance training 3 times per week. If this combination is used regularly, disease and disability health should improve in a pragmatic manner.


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