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Healthy Food Policies at Risk!

12/3/2013

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I'm hoping to post a few recipes later this week. Just busy in the kitchen perfecting them before I share! In the mean time, check out this article from the globe and mail. It points out how many of the expert committees Health Canada and our government put together to determine new food policies are made up of a large number of 'experts' and researchers that have ties or funding from big food. 

There has been a lot of push recently by big food to collaborate to come up with solutions for the health problems we have like diabetes, heart disease and obesity but I think this outlook is a little nieve. In order to collaborate effectively your bottom line (your overall goal) needs to be the same.

Healthcare's goal is to care for people's health.
Big food's goal is profit.

Bottom line.

Yes these companies might care about their consumers and want them healthy, but more than anything they want to sell their product. And with the movement to healthier living, it's no wonder Coca-cola is popping up at the Olympics and Boston Pizza would team up with the Heart and Stroke Foundation.

Our healthcare system need to be free from biases like these if we ever hope to see policies that are focused on the best interests for our health.

Globe and Mail Article
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/health-and-fitness/health/healthy-food-policies-at-risk-scientists-say/article15676247/

Want to read more about Big Food and Advertising? Check out this blog post: Click Here


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The Secrets of Sugar

10/16/2013

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Thank you to everyone that forwarded me this link. For those that didn't see the CBC Fifth Estate special on sugar, please follow the link below. It's a 45 minute special but well worth looking at.

I have mentioned in past posts that we live now in a fat phobic society that misses out on one of the key culprits involved in weight gain, diabetes and even heart disease: SUGAR. The big question now is if sugar will be the new big tobacco scandal. It certainly looks like it could go that way.

When you have the facts, it really is disturbing how much added sugar there is in our foods. Another reason that limiting prepared and processed foods can do wonders for your health.

http://www.cbc.ca/player/Shows/ID/2410472474/

Please watch. You'll be shocked what you find in your cupboard after watching it. :)
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What Happened to Treats?

10/8/2013

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Recently I have has a number of young parents come in concerned about their children's weight. While in some cases education has been needed around sugary drinks, including a good variety of foods from all four food groups and healthy snack ideas; a major theme that keeps coming up is the constant bombardment of unhealthy foods outside of the home. Many of these parents are trying to offer healthy foods at home and pack well balanced lunches but are feeling like it's an uphill battle when so many other establishments their children attend are loaded with nutrient empty junk food.

Parents mention things like their children's sports teams rewarding the kids with McDonald's Gift Cards, Skipping Challenges for the Heart and Stroke Foundation at school sponsored by Boston Pizza, Popcorn day at school, pizza day at school, selling chocolate bars for fundraising and children being given sweets as part of awards they receive for good marks, volunteering or even public speaking.

If you are trying to teach your children to eat well, it's enough to make a parent want to climb up a tree and call it a day.

I admit that when I was a kid we sold chocolate bars on occasion and perhaps at the end of the year we would have a pizza party, but what these parents describe is not the occasional event with food....some of them talk about it being almost a daily event.

So what can be done? When did nutrient empty foods become such a daily norm in our schools and public establishments?

It's all about shifting baselines.

This unhealthy movement didn't just arrive over night. Slowly over the years one rare event including treat foods turned in to two, then monthly and then weekly. The thing is, it happened so slow no one really noticed enough to say "Hey, this doesn't seem right."

I understand that many schools rely on the selling of these types of foods and sponsorships to maintain extra curricular activities and services, but there has to be a balance. This over exposure to junk foods and linking it as a reward for good behavior is going to create a new generation of people that associate feeling good and reward with eating junk. This is a very challenging habit to break as you get older. Many of us already struggle with this connection.

Ever cried over a bucket of Ben and Jerry's because your sweetie broke up with you?
Ever downs a bag of chips because you were stressed out from work?
Ever gone out for cake, dinner or a treat as a reward for a job well done?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, you likely developed that connection with food as a reward or comfort back when you were too young to know what the word advertising even meant.

So again, what can we do? My best suggestion would be as parents to speak up. Many schools have connections with the parents of their students either through meetings or having boards/associations with parent representatives. Let them know that constantly offering junk food as a reward isn't okay. Suggest alternatives like dollar store toys or fresh fruit as part of events rather than fat and sugar laden junk.

It isn't easy but if you can speak up. Silence won't change anything.

Does anyone have a personal experience with their children being over exposed to processed junk food outside of the home? Please share your story!
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Controversial Cheerios

7/18/2013

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For anyone not aware, Cheerios has been getting a lot of flack for one of their newest commercial. The reason people are upset is because the actors in the commercial represent a mixed family. Nothing else, just this. It has lead to people demanding it be removed and a lot of racial slurs being thrown around online.

It's really disappointing when the world is pouring out hate over something like this. The sliver lining for me however, is the video below. These children watched the commercial and gave their own comments. Just goes to show that hate can be thought. Here is hope that the views of these children continue in to the future.
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Ron Finley

5/29/2013

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I saw Ron Finley talk live in Vancouver last summer and was blown away by his project. If we had more people like Ron Finley out there, promoting local food now, our cities would look very different. Watch this awesome video!
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Inactivity: A Silent Killer

7/23/2012

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I remember going to family reunions when I was little. There I would get to play with my second and third cousins that I rarely got to see. We would run around the church hall screaming, playing tag, duck duck goose and any other game we could come up with until our parents would sit us down in a circle with some toys to occupy us (which often just resulted in more running around).

I went to a family reunion for my grandparents' wedding anniversary not long ago, now as an adult. I couldn't help but stare in awe at the younger generation attending the event. There they were dressed in their Sunday best, sitting around one of the white linen draped tables digging furiously with their thumbs and fingers at their ipod touches and PSPs, not saying a single word to one another. They did this for hours, unmoving except for when it was time to eat. There was one brief interaction between two of the boys as they exchanged games because they were bored with the ones they were playing.

It's this sort of shift in activity and socializing in children that concerns me. That we are headed down a path that is leading our next generation to a premature death or a life filled with chronic disease.

A study released just this month in The Lancet (a major medical journal) revealed that "between 70 and 79 percent of Canadian boys and 80 to 89 percent of girls between the ages of 13 to 15 are inactive."

Inactivity rates in Canada have been steadily climbing with a noticeable increase in our country from 2001-2006.

The study is simply a survey of what our activity levels look like at this point and doesn't look into rates of obesity and disease (some of the potential consequences). We do know however from more recent research posted that obesity is still on the rise, type 2 diabetes is now reaching age groups so young we didn't think it possible and the prediction is that this generation will be the first to die before their parents.

It's impossible to point the finger at one reason for all of this. It is after all, a combination of policy problems, lifestyle problems and diet problems. We need to start somewhere though and the first place should be getting kids out and active.

As a rule of thumb, children should get no more than 3 hours of screen time per day. That's computers, televisions, video games and hand held devices all included. How many people have children that spend more than 3 hours/day in front of a screen? It's time to get kids out and being active. Soccer 2 times/week and a Wii Fit at home just isn't going to cut it anymore

Think about your child's future. If you want them to grow up healthy and strong, get them doing activities that will help them do this. Get them back outside playing.

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Sugar....the new Tobacco?

2/17/2012

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Another interesting talk from the CDPAC conference was on the idea of learning from our history with Tobacco and the Law and applying it to sugar.

There is no doubt about it that our society consumes too much refined sugar. Slowly over time it has crept more and more into our food supply in the form of fructose corn syrups, refined flours and sweeteners.

In 2004 it was calculated by Stats Canada that the average Canadian consumes about 110.0 grams of sugar a day, the equivalent of 26 teaspoons (about 21% of calories in a day). In teenagers it was found to be as high as 41 teaspoons per day!!!

So imagine for the average Canadian that they are consuming about 22 sugar cubes/day. So it shouldn't be a surprise that we have increasing rates of obesity and diabetes all across the nation.

Now this is not to say sugar is solely to blame. Certainly fast foods, low activity, high fat intake and excessive portions also play a role, but with any epidemic, it can get  complicated and we have to look at where the issues are and where we can start to make changes.

Sugary beverage consumption has dramatically increased over the past few decades partially thanks to its availability, delicious taste and low cost. My mother told me that when she was a child, they would go to the store once a week and get a 750ml bottle of pop and a family size bag of chips (about half the size of current bags) and this would be split amongst the 5 of them while they watched the Brady Bunch.

Now a 750ml bottle of pop is considered a large personal sized bottle. And this is part of the problem: our baseline of reference for what is normal has shifted. The change was so slow and subtle many of us didn't even notice the change but somewhere over the last 20 years we went from occasional treats to daily treats and now we are paying for it.

So at this conference the health professionals were talking about applying the same
concepts that took down large tobacco companies and reduced rates of smoking and applying it to sweetened beverage. Keep in mind this is not just soda: It's lattes, juices, iced teas, energy drinks....anything with refined sugars in it.

You can imagine how the Food and Beverage representatives felt.

 The Food and Beverage members argued that it was unfair to target them and
they want to collaborate on a solution but health professionals keep them out.
The companies are even offering to self regulate.

You know who else offered to self regulate?

Tobacco

Do you know what they ended up doing?

Nothing

it’s Déjà vu all over again. The trouble in this instance is that it's easy with tobacco to say "stop smoking, it will kill you", but with food you can't simply say "stop eating", because we need food.

What we don't need are foods with no nutritional value. Also, just like tobacco
  we need to recognize that even though these companies do "good will activities"
like donating to hospitals and charities, their bottom line is still profit. They are a company after all. So our health is not always in their best interest; us buying their products is. So bringing them into the collaborative circle on how to deal with the disease epidemic is not likely beneficial.

If you look at current laws on tobacco, tobacco companies are in no way involved in the decisions on legislations made about tobacco and the reason is that their interests contradict with the health and well being of the population. As more evidence mounts on the impact of poor diets from refined foods, sugars and fats, I'm sure the need to take action and regulate these companies will become obvious.

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Advertising to Children: Part Two

2/15/2012

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I've done a post of children's advertising before, but I feel the need to bring it up again because of a conference I recently went to. The CDPAC (Chronic Disease Prevention Alliance of Canada) had their annual conference on the issues surrounding Chronic Disease (specifically diseases that are non contagious such as diabetes, obesity, heart disease and mental illness).

There were lots of great talks, but one I sat in on that was particularly interesting was on marketing to children. The conversation got really interesting when the Food and Beverage representatives and Advertising Agency members became defensive over the idea that we might need better regulations on advertising to children because it is manipulative and children don't have the ability to understand this.

 Currently we have policies in place under the Canadian Code of Advertising Standards. This was initiated a number of years ago by actual food and beverage companies that offered to collaborate with the government on a way to control the kinds of foods advertised to children on television. The idea was that there would be a reduction the in amount of advertising towards children and more “good for you” foods would be advertised over “junk food”.The only problem is that the methods they are using to choose what foods are “good for you” foods is so lax that foods like Dunk-a-Roos and Lucky Charms still make the cut. Tell me....since when do food coloring marshmallows and icing sugar constitute “good for you” foods?

The Food and Beverage members and advertising agency representatives insist we don't give children enough credit for their ability to be informed. I argue that advertising is still, at its core, manipulative (after all they are trying to make you buy their product) and such advertising is unfair to individuals that don't have fully developed thinking processes to understand this. Take this video for instance. It gives a perfect example of how easily kids can be manipulated. These children can be convinced to pick a rock over food simply by putting stickers of their favourite cartoons on them.

People will argue that regulations take away choice, I say a lack of regulations allow companies to run rampant and create an environment where sugary cereals, sweetened beverages and processed foods are the norm and preferred over whole foods like whole grains, fruits and vegetables. We need to work towards a world where whole foods are the preferred and the norm. Living in a world where they are shadowed by larger processed food advertising makes this pretty difficult.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

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Trans Fats

2/1/2012

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I've talked about how unhealthy trans fats are before, but I'm not sure people realize just how bad they are for you. Trans fats are a man made fat that has a double negative effect on your heart. Where saturated fats (found in animal products and naturally occuring) can raise your bad cholesterol if consumed in large amounts, trans fats (found mainly in packaged products and deep fried foodsman made) will raise your bad cholesterol AND lower your good cholesterol, putting you at greater risk of heart disease.

I'm hoping one day they will be banned from our food supply, but for now it's still allowed. I really enjoyed this video about trans fats when I came across it on youtube. It's nice to see someone campaigning for trans fat removal. His scientific explanation for what trans fats do isn't very accurate, but it gets the point across. Don't worry, the little gril isn't swearing, they are just bleeping out the product names. She's so cute!

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The Great Water Scam: Bottle Water

1/2/2012

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Bottled water has existed for centuries; it's just taken on different forms. Back in the day it was containers of water merchants would sell from elusive springs that supposedly had mystical properties to cure illnesses. Now we sell it in plastic bottles still emphasizing its exotic locations from certain mountains, lakes or springs. But there are a few facts you need to realize about bottled water:

1) It is not as well regulated as your municipal drinking water.
Municipal drinking water is tested on a regular basis thanks to the Clean Water Act we have in Canada. Compared to bottled water companies, we test our water 4 times or more than the average water bottle company, meaning the quality of the water is much more likely.

2) Bottled water is expensive.
Even the cheapest bottle of water will cost you an arm and a leg over time. For 1000L of bottled water you are looking at about $1500. For 1000L of tap water, $1.26.

3) Bottled water is wasteful.
If you drank 3 standard personal
sized water bottles per day for a year, you would have enough empty water
bottles to lay end to end across 8 and a half basketball courts....just you.
 
4) Plastic water bottles can be bad for your health
This is especially true if you reuse them. When a water bottle is exposed to extreme temperate like cold (freezing) or hot (microwaving or washing is hot water), it can start to release some of the chemicals from the lining like Bisphenal A (BPA) which can be harmful to your health.

There are many other reasons I believe tap water and a good filter are better for your health, but it would make this post far too long. Here is a great clip from Pen and Teller's TV show Bullshit which sums a lot of it up nicely. I should warn you as always Pen has a habit of swearing.
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    Kate Park
    RD, CDE, PTS, MAN, BASc

    Kate is a Registered Dietitian and self proclaimed foodie who studied her Master of Applied Nutrition at the University of Guelph. Currently she practices at a Family Health Team in Southern Ontario. Her greatest passion in life is food, so she spends her spare time teaching cooking classes and nutrition courses all over Ontario.

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Sensible Foodie Since 2011
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