This video is very motivational. And, you certainly do not have to do what Ernestine has done to reap the benefits of weight training. However, weight training is important. It's even more important for "older" people than the yoot of America.

I like busting myths and the Eat This, Not That folks do a good job with this: 15 Biggest Nutrition Myths

We know this country spends vastly more on health care than any other country — about 75 percent more per person than other rich countries — without getting vastly better results. The waste in our medical system offers the best chance to reduce the deficit without harming our living standards.

Source: New York Times

Watch these five videos ... about 20-minutes. Thank you to Kirk Hamilton of Prescription 2000 (an excellent website) for pointing me to these videos.

. . . that got my attention:

1. Taco Bell is a delicacy.
2. I stopped eating fast food. (This gentleman told me he lost over 100 pounds. So, I asked him how he lost the weight.)
   
   

The title of this NPR report is: What works for overweight and obese children, however, there's a tremendous amount of insightful information presented during this report. And, some of the people who call in provide excellent information.

Nature's calling. If you have any wooded trails near your home, go for a run in the woods. 

I never thought that I would make my own cereal. However, I read a recipe for a Quinoa cereal and tried it. The great thing about Quinoa: It takes on the flavor of whatever you throw in it. In this case, cinnamon.

Here's the recipe. I modified it a little. I used water (no milk). I also made enough for a week's worth of cereal. After I made it, I stored it in the refrigerator. 

The cereal below has strawberries, walnuts, quinoa, and I added milk.

No need for a recipe: Throw the fruits in that you enjoy. I call mine the "Kitchen Sink Fruit Smoothie" - Blueberries, blackberries, apples, oranges, strawberries, some ice and whey protein. Now, sit back, relax and enjoy.

It's great for "breakfast on the run". Make it the night before, place in refrigerator, and just re-mix it in the morning. 

By the way, the store-bought smoothies contain a lot of sugar and might not have real fruit. Make it at home.

An excellent presentation about cultures around the world who eat a health-promoting diet. 

Hold the pasta! Replace it with zucchini. Things to note:

1. This takes about 5-minutes to make
2. Per person, I recommend two nice-sized zucchinis 
3. Here's a recipe from the New York Times
4. For preparation, take a look at the video below
5. It's delicious

Interesting video from Soda Free Summer. Also visit: Have a Coke and a . . .

Not only is Dr. Katz one of the most knowledgeable people about all the issues related to our obesity dilemma, he is also a very eloquent speaker.  

To gain insight into our nation's weight and health problem, listen to this interview. I recommend fast-forwarding to the 22-minute mark of  the interview.

Note: The framing of the conversation is about the recent brouhaha over removing severely obese children from the home. However, he discusses much more than that.

Finally: A study that says: "Eat More". That's my mantra!

From the New York Times (I agree):

The foods that contributed to the greatest weight gain were not surprising. French fries led the list: Increased consumption of this food alone was linked to an average weight gain of 3.4 pounds in each four-year period. Other important contributors were potato chips (1.7 pounds), sugar-sweetened drinks (1 pound), red meats and processed meats (0.95 and 0.93 pound, respectively), other forms of potatoes (0.57 pound), sweets and desserts (0.41 pound), refined grains (0.39 pound), other fried foods (0.32 pound), 100-percent fruit juice (0.31 pound) and butter (0.3 pound).

I saw this tweet this morning (actually, I had already read the article)...
Robyn O'Brien (@unhealthytruth) 7/18/11 7:14 AM
Preventing Cancer via Your Diet: And while Dr. Weil suggests 8 Steps, you can easily pick one or two to get started=> http://t.co/P1TUeQT

My advice: Be very skeptical about these types of claims. While the advice Dr. Weil provides will assist with living a healthy lifestyle, there are many factors that can lead to cancer. I would take this quote to heart when reading health claims:

There are known knowns; there are things we know we know. We also know there are known unknowns; that is to say we know there are some things we do not know. But there are also unknown unknowns – the ones we don't know we don't know. - Donald Rumsfeld

How many times have you said that or heard it? If you believe in that catch-phrase, please read this article by Andy Bellatti. 

It's an article that addresses many misconceptions that people have about living a healthy lifestyle.

Most experts would agree with the above statement. Dr. Ornish explains...

When watching a commercial for any medication, for example, *Lipitor, it's important to know the following:

1. Absolute vs Relative Risk
2. Number Needed to Treat

This site, The NNT, goes into great depth about the Number Needed to Treat.

Most likely, you will learn that a medication that is advertised on TV or in print is not as effective as stated because it will use the Relative Risk percentage.

My site: Life without Lipitor

I love French toast. The only problem: When you eat it at a breakfast joint, typically, it's a diet nightmare - far too many calories. So . . .

Can you have French Toast when maintaining a healthy diet? Absolutely. 

Here's how to do it. I recommend using Ezekiel bread (80 calories per slice).

Here's the ingredients, calories and nutrients: Ingredients: 2 Eggs, 2 Pieces of Ezekiel Cinnamon Raisin Bread, Cinnamon, and fruit (I like strawberries and blueberries)

1. 300 calories (a bargain for French Toast)
2. 15 grams of protein
3. 4 grams of fiber

The protein and fiber are sure to give you the feeling of satiety. And of course, the side of fruit ... a health booster.

Children are the object of a huge amount of research on how to seduce them to eat more of foods that are horrible for them and making them fat and giving them obesity, and we know they're going to die prematurely.  - Walter Willett (author of Eat, Drink, and Be Healthy)

From this article about the Mediterranean Diet. It's an interesting article. I recommend reading it.

To me, it's not about weight. It's about health.

This recent study mentions this sad fact:

Diabetes is the most worrisome, and rates of the illness climbed in a dozen states over the past year. Now, 32 states have diabetes rates greater than 8 percent.

Typically the tips you get from TV news aren't great. However, I agree with every tip in this segment. She mentions that Americans spend between $1 - $2-billion on weight loss each year. However, it's actually a mind-boggling $60-billion! And, with an estimated 95% failure rate, it's like throwing money out the window.

The upper left-hand corner of this Cheetos package states: 0 Grams of Trans Fat. Sorry to tell you, that's a bunch of BS. I call it the Trans fat lie.

So, this happy cartoon tiger that is downing Cheetos is actually poisoning himself (maybe a female), because this package contains trans fat (gotta read the ingredients - if it states Partially Hydrogenated Oil - oops, that's trans fat).

Trans fat is known to clog arteries and cause heart disease. Sadly, stating zero grams of trans fat is a marketing ploy. For example, the Cheetos package shown below.

To learn how the food industry can legally state "0 Grams of Trans Fat" go to my website: PartiallyHydrogenated.com.