Cooking Course Takes a Bite Out Of Obesity
June 28, 2007 by Mohamed
Filed under Weight Loss
Hi All:
Found this on the net while surfing – it could very well apply to those of you out there that spend a lot of money on prepared meals versus cooking at home. I will also tackle this topic on an upcoming post.
Enjoy!
Western populations are getting fatter, due to too little exercise and too much fast food. Socially disadvantaged families are particularly prone to such diets. But a cooking course in Hamburg hopes to change that.
A cooking project in the Hamburg neighborhood Jensfeld, home to a large number of socially underprivileged families, is helping women rethink their families’ diets and start preparing more home-cooked meals.
Once a week for three hours, the participants learn how to whip up delicious healthy meals with little effort and a small budget. Home economics teacher Sabine Kuchenbecker said a lot of people don’t know that fast food isn’t only unhealthy, it’s also expensive.
She said a lot of young women who never learned how to cook automatically think it’s cheaper to buy ready-to-serve meals.
“But it’s significantly less expensive to cook yourself, especially if you shop a bit price-consciously,” Kuchenbecker said. “It’s our job to relay these skills to these women.”
Battling the bulge with healthy cooking
Every fifth German is too fat, according to the World Health Organization. This trend is particularly prominent among underprivileged families, which tend to eat fast food or ready-to-serve meals. The results are serious health problems, such as diabetes at a young age, stiffening of the joints or even cardiovascular diseases.
The charity Hamburger Tafel or Hamburg Table is coordinating the project, which costs five euros ($6.60) for the five-week course.
For the participants, healthy isn’t always easy to get used to, though. The 33-year-old single mother Katja doesn’t like mustard and turns her nose up as she takes a sniff of walnut oil to make homemade salad dressing.
“Well, it’s okay, but I think it’s a matter of taste,” Katja said, who usually buys finished products, such as French Dressing, which has lots of preservatives and is more fattening than homemade dressing.
Women like Katja are common in neighborhoods like this. But she wants to change her eating habits, she said.
“I want to learn something about cooking and nutrition because it’s important for my daughter,” Katja said. Her daughter is three years old and already slightly chubby. Katja’s unhealthy diet over the past years is evident in her figure, too.
“I usually go to a snack bar or get pizza,” Katja said. But here, she has learned that homemade pizza, for example, only costs about a third of frozen pizza.
Cooking can spice up life
Instructor Kuchenbecker said she wants to motivate these women to try out new things, such as using a different spice or tasting another type of salad. Participant Gaby is taking the course for the second time and has learned a lot. The 43-year-old mother of nine still has four children living at home.
s just had salt, pepper and paprika as spices,” Gaby said. “I didn’t dare to try anything else. Now, when I make a soup, I put in oregano and thyme and it really tastes better to me.”
Even Katja has tried her first homemade dressing with mustard and walnut oil, and it’s wasn’t bad, she said.
“It tastes good now that I’ve tried it,” Katja said. “I’m going to make my own dressing from now on.”
Cooking can boost self-confidence
But the Hamburg course is about more than just affordable meals, Kuchenbecker said. It’s also about motivation. A lot of these women have never gotten any confirmation in their lives. Many did poorly in school, for example.
“When you simply say to them, ‘wow, you did that well’ or ‘you did a super job seasoning that,’ they really beam at you, as they’ve maybe never heard that before in their lives,” Kuchenbecker said.
So that the women don’t forget what they’ve learned, every participant gets a goodie bag at the end of the course. It holds some necessary groceries and a few basics for the kitchen, like a cookbook and spices.
Technorati Tags: cooking, cooking courses, obesity, fast food, weight loss
Weight Loss and Global Warming — Are YOU Contributing to the Worlds Problems?
June 28, 2007 by Mohamed
Filed under Weight Loss
Hi Everyone,
You know, I never really thought about how our diet contributes to global warming. Yes, the two are somewhat connected. While we are all partially to blame for our planet warming up through the use of vehicles and energy consumption — the food we eat also increases our carbon footprint.
I just recently read an article about a book that is soon to be published called “Global Warming Diet” advocates such things as eating more local products, more organic products, adding more seasonal foods, using less packaging, buying in bulk and even growing your own food.
But if you think about what you’re eating TODAY you’ll see how you are contributing to the problem.
Consider a package of potatoe chips. To grow the source product (potatoes) takes up land, you need to irrigate, farms may be using pesticides and/or fertilizers to grow the potatoes, they need to use machinery to remove them from the ground and more machinery to process them. Then more machinery to slice them up, and fry them. You need more factories to create the plastic packaging, plus the graphics used on the packaging uses inks and dyes, then the packaging is shipped to the factory making the end product – more machinery is used to fill, seal and package the end product. It’s then shipped out — probably by rail or truck then re-shipped by truck to the retail outlet and then finally the consumer drives to purchase the product, uses it and discards the packaing; which is then taken by garbage truck and probably ends up in a landfill somewhere.
Whew.
We didn’t even go into what it takes to create the oil that is used to fry the potatoes!
While I truly realize that this is a stretch, it does give you something else to think about when you think about buying junk food versus something that is good for you.
Here is to Your Health!
Regards,
Mohammed
Technorati Tags: junk food, global warming, weight loss
Serious Weight Loss on a Treadmill
June 19, 2007 by Mohamed
Filed under Weight Loss
Do you have some extra weight that you’d like to get rid of? There are all sorts of fad diets and exercise routines that are intended for that purpose. However, one of the best, proven methods of burning lots of calories and seeing the desired result of weight loss is working out on a treadmill.
How to Shed Those Pounds
Working out on a treadmill to lose weight requires consistent exercise within a fat-burning target range for a minimum amount of time (at least, 20 minutes, but preferably, 45 minutes to one hour per workout). Of course, if you’re just starting out, you’ll want to begin at a nice, easy pace. You may choose to do shorter workouts for a few weeks and gradually increase the length and intensity of each session, as your fitness level improves. The main objective is to keep your body moving…as fast and as long as you can comfortably do so.
Doing a fat-burning workout on a treadmill means that your body will be exerting itself harder and using more muscles than if you were merely doing a normal-paced walk. This faster pace and extra effort means that you’ll be covering more distance in less time. You’ll also be burning more calories. The more calories you burn, the more weight you can lose. (Avoid pigging out on junk food during the day, however, so all the extra energy expenditure won’t be wasted. Eat a balanced, healthy diet even after you’ve lost the fat, to avoid gaining it all back. On days that you work out really hard, eat more carbs and less fat. And, don’t skip breakfast!).
Regular exercise on a treadmill will increase the body’s metabolism, so that fat will continue to be burned, even when you’re at rest. When you’re more physically active, your metabolism works more efficiently. Continuing your treadmill workouts (or, other physical activity) should be a lifestyle commitment. This type of lifestyle change will not only help you to lose the weight, but it will also help you keep it off! Remember that quick weight loss through fad diets and such is only temporary. The fat eventually returns…unless you make the effort each day to move your body…to be physically active…for the rest of your life!
Enjoy!
Regards,
Mohammed
Question/Answer Time – Speed for Treadmill for a Weight Loss Result
June 19, 2007 by Mohamed
Filed under Weight Loss
Hi,
Terry recently asked me a question, you can see the question about “speed for treadmill for a weight loss result” by clicking on the link.
Terry:
I’ve seen many workouts for treadmills, they all start out by running your treadmill at a certain speed then ramping up, and finally slowing down to complete the workout. I’ve tried many of these — but you know what, I find that they are geared towards someone that’s maybe 10-20 lbs overweight. I’ve tried them, but as I’m overweight I find it difficult to keep the treadmill at 7-8mph and run!
In all honesty I set the treadmill to about 2.5mph to a maximum (currently) of about 3.5mph and do a moderate-fast walk. I find that this helps tone the body by tightening the stomach and legs up and helps in burning fat. My wife does about the same, and find it easier to manage.
You need to do what you are comfortable with. You don’t want to be so out of breath that you could not speak to someone. At the same time, you should also speak to your doctor or health care provider to ensure you will not run into any problems working out. My doctor wanted me to take things slowly — that is, not to get carried away and try running/walking 10 miles right away but to build up my stamina to get to that point. It’s also beneficial to speak to your doctor so that you can get a stress test done on your heart to ensure there will be no adverse affects to you if you take up some type of vigorous activity.
My doctor suggested that I also do some water aerobics, since the water helps support larger people it is easier on the body and provides great resistance.
Is the treadmill the best exercise for quick weight loss — there is no exercise that will give you quick weight loss, but it will help burn fat, strengthen underused and utilized muscle and body.
I find using our treadmill probably one of the best exercise equipment for weight loss.
Terry, if you have any more questions — don’t hesitate to ask!
Regards,
Here is to Your Health!
Mohammed
Low Calorie Diets
June 14, 2007 by Mohamed
Filed under Weight Loss
Hi All,
Found this on another blog:
If you want to lose weight, you don’t necessarily have to starve. A recent study indicates that foods that are low in calorie density, i.e., foods that are high in water and low in fat – such as fruits, vegetables, soup, lean meat, and low-fat dairy products – can promote healthy weight loss while helping people to control hunger.
“Eating a diet that is low in calorie density allows people to eat satisfying portions of food, and this may decrease feelings of hunger and deprivation while reducing calories” said Dr. Julia A. Ello-Martin, who conducted the study as part of her doctoral dissertation in the College of Health and Human Development at Penn State. Previously, little was known about the influence of diets low in calorie density on body weight.
“Such diets are known to reduce the intake of calories in the short term, but their role in promoting weight loss over the long term was not clear,” said Dr. Barbara J. Rolls, who directed the study and who holds the Helen A. Guthrie Chair of Nutritional Sciences at Penn State.
“We have now shown that choosing foods that are low in calorie density helps in losing weight, without the restrictive messages of other weight loss diets,” explained Ello-Martin, whose findings appear in the June 2007 issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
As always, the bottomline is: eat right for a healthier you. Of course, that’s assuming you’re not eating too much in excess of the normal daily allowance.
Here is the full alert:
Calorie density key to losing weight
Eating smart, not eating less, may be the key to losing weight. A year-long clinical trial by Penn State researchers shows that diets focusing on foods that are low in calorie density can promote healthy weight loss while helping people to control hunger.Foods that are high in water and low in fat – such as fruits, vegetables, soup, lean meat, and low-fat dairy products – are low in calorie density and provide few calories per bite.
“Eating a diet that is low in calorie density allows people to eat satisfying portions of food, and this may decrease feelings of hunger and deprivation while reducing calories” said Dr. Julia A. Ello-Martin, who conducted the study as part of her doctoral dissertation in the College of Health and Human Development at Penn State. Previously, little was known about the influence of diets low in calorie density on body weight.
“Such diets are known to reduce the intake of calories in the short term, but their role in promoting weight loss over the long term was not clear,” said Dr. Barbara J. Rolls, who directed the study and who holds the Helen A. Guthrie Chair of Nutritional Sciences at Penn State.
“We have now shown that choosing foods that are low in calorie density helps in losing weight, without the restrictive messages of other weight loss diets,” explained Ello-Martin, whose findings appear in the June 2007 issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
The researchers compared the effects of two diets – one reduced in fat, the other high in water-rich foods as well as reduced in fat – in 71 obese women aged 22 to 60. The participants were taught by dietitians to make appropriate food choices for a diet low in calorie density, but unlike most diets, they were not assigned daily limits for calories.
At the end of one year, women in both groups showed significant weight loss as well as a decrease in the calorie density of their diets. However, women who added water-rich foods to their diets lost more weight during the first six months of the study than those who only reduced fat in their diets – 19.6 pounds compared to 14.7 pounds. Weight loss was well maintained by subjects in both groups during the second six months of the study.
Records kept by the women showed that those who included more water-rich foods ate 25 percent more food by weight and felt less hungry than those who followed the reduced-fat diet. “By eating more fruits and vegetables they were able to eat more food, and this probably helped them to stick to their diet and lose more weight,” said Ello-Martin.
“Choosing foods that are low in calorie density helps to control hunger and is a healthy strategy for losing weight over the long term” said Rolls. Practical information on incorporating foods with a low calorie density in daily diets can be found in Rolls’ books “The Volumetrics Eating Plan” (2007) and “The Volumetrics Weight-Control Plan” (2000).
The Penn State researchers added that increasing the consumption of water-rich foods such as fruits and vegetables is not only in tune with current dietary guidelines, but may also help reduce the risk of chronic illnesses.
Other researchers in the clinical trial, which was funded by the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases of the National Institutes of Health, include Liane S. Roe, research nutritionist; Jenny H. Ledikwe, post-doctoral research fellow; and Amanda M. Beach, study dietician, all at Penn State.
The Penn State Laboratory for the Study of Human Ingestive Behavior is at http://nutrition.hhdev.psu.edu/foodlab/index.html
Regards,
Mohammed
Marketing Foods to Children
June 14, 2007 by Mohamed
Filed under Weight Loss
We all know kids LOVE sweet stuff — it’s also reinforced on TV with slick commercials, with cute animations; basically your typical marketing but aimed at children.
The problem is, kids are more vulnerable. They still don’t know good from bad. They won’t know when they are being manipulated.
I mean as adult we’re still getting manipulated by commercials — think about all the weight loss commercials you see on tv, or commercials for the dozens of beauty products that show beautiful men/women then flash to the product. You tend to associate the product with the people.
Kellogg has announced that it may volunatrily stop marketing to kids:
“The initiative is voluntary and will be put in place over the next year and a half, The New York Times reported. The paper said the plan would apply to about half of the products that Kellogg markets to children, including Pop Tarts and Apple Jacks.”
The article went on to say:
“These products will either be reformulated to meet the nutrition standards or Kellogg will phase out marketing them to children, according to the report.”
This is definately a step in the right direction!
Regards,
Mohamed
Motivated to Lose Weight – Whats YOUR Secret?
June 11, 2007 by Mohamed
Filed under Weight Loss
Hi All,
We’ve all been there. We are super motivated to lose weight, we get rid of our “fat” clothes. We toss the junk food, and start making healthy lifestyle choices.
3 weeks later we’re back to our old self.
Our motivation has gone. Finished. Kaput.
What the heck happened to it?
So what motivates YOU to lose weight?
What keeps you motivated? If you lose your motivation, what do you do to get back on track?
I’d really like to hear from you!
Regards,
Mohammed
Treadmill to help lose weight
June 11, 2007 by Mohamed
Filed under Weight Loss
Hi All,
OK, so I finally gave in. My doctor keeps telling me to walk 3-5 miles per day, but in all honesty it is impossible for me to do this during the week for various reasons.
My son (if you’ve been following the original site, and this blog over the years you will know ALL about him) attends a montessori program aimed a pre-schoolers. Because of this, we try to get him into bed no later than 8:00pm and at the latest 9:00pm – but being 4 years old, that’s easier said then done. From the time I get home, to 9:00pm abot 5-6 hours go by, but the time is easily filled in providing relief to my wife so she can rest and relax herself, we can prepare supper, do other household chores… Yes, I know it’s all an excuse but believe me we find it tough to spare 1hr to go out for a walk!
Besides this, the area in which we live is not really designed for taking walks. There are no sidewalks and the streets are pretty narrow (only two lanes, one each way). So getting out to do 3-5 miles per day is a bit difficult.
So we bought a treadmill. Nothing fancy. We bought a Weslo Cadence 78e treadmill from our local department store. It was a floor model, and heavily discounted but came with the full warranty — so we thought, why not.
Our goal (and so far, we’ve stuck to it) is to exercise a minimum of 30 minutes per day. I alternate between the treadmill and my stationary cycle.
But we haven’t given up on the outdoors!
Every Friday/Saturday and Sunday is park + play time for our son, so we’ll go to the park, or to the water slides or even to the pool. When we go shopping we do tend to park further away from the store — mainly because I hate getting my car dinged or scratched. 
We also do little things at home, for example we love veggies so keep some fresh cut veggies in a dish in the fridge. We’ve also done something else — we bought a scale and put it RIGHT INFRONT of the fridge. So each time we get the munchies, we see the scale and think “nope — no junk food, no quick fixes”. Keeps us away from the fridge.
We also don’t keep a lot of junk food in the house. My son doesn’t like chips and stuff — he likes popcorn and has a thing for chocolate, but we’ve bought those 100 calorie bars. This keeps his chocolate to a minimum, but keeps him (and my wife) satisfied.
We are also working on staying away from processed foods (you know, stuff like Pizza Pops and all those ready made meals).
My wife feels very good about the treadmill and uses it regularly. The kid loves it too, eventhough he is too little to use it. I really think that we’ll accelerate our weight loss using the treadmill, along with all the other little things we’re doing. I will keep you posted on my results!
Regards,
Mohammed
