Saturday, February 4, 2012

What is the single best thing we can do for our health?

This video has gone VIRAL and I just had to get it out to all of you if you have not already seen it. WELL DONE!!!!


Wednesday, January 11, 2012

Japan's New Fat Law... Should Canada Follow Suit?

So Japan has imposed a waist-line standard because it was concerned about the metabolic health of its country. Japanese lawmakers last year set a maximum waistline size for anyone age 40 and older: 85 centimeters (33.5 inches) for men and 90 centimeters (35.4 inches) for women.
This new law is called the "Metabo Law". This is an interesting move by the Japanese government but I am not sure it is the safest way to do it. I would assume that many Japanese citizens at the age of 40 are scrambling to come in under the required waistline size.
Apparently according to the Global Post many are using extreme measures in diet as well as popping herbal pills and fat loss remedies to get into the shape required. The good news is that many are also working out.

Unfortunately humans do not always make the best decisions even though we are supposed to be the most "intelligent" animals on the planet. I am not so sure! As we have witnessed with tobacco and alcohol, humans often abuse various substances. Today we see a lot of FOOD abuse. People are eating insane amounts and portion sizes around the world have increased.
The US in particular has an EXTREME obesity epidemic which then leads to a plethora of other diseases including DIABESITY. Unfortunately, Canada is not far behind

My thoughts are that we would never be able to pass a law like Japan so why not tax the hell out of fast-food, processed food, candy, POP/SODA. This way at least we could pump some money back into our already failing healthcare system.

Just my thoughts,

Cheers,

Bouncelife

Thursday, November 17, 2011

Kids and Sports Drinks


Everywhere you go nowadays you see ads for energy and sports drinks and I often see kids of various ages walking to and from school with one of these types of drinks in their hands. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), children should not consume drinks that have stimulants in them to provide energy. Many of these drinks have as much caffeine as 2-3 cups of coffee. These drinks are choc full of sugar and the "sport" drinks are also full of carbs and electrolytes and both contribute cavities, weight gain and obesity. 
Most kids do not need sports drinks unless they are playing high intensity sports and even then the drinks should be diluted with water.
Water is still the king of drinks and should be the drink of choice for our kids.

Source: Pediatrics 127 (2011): 1182–89.

Cheers,

Bouncelife

Saturday, November 5, 2011

USDA revamps Food Pyramid and Calls it MyPlate

The USDA has replaced the old Food Pyramid with a new system Called MyPlate. The Food Pyramid is similar to Canada's Food Guide and is very hard to follow. The new concept of the divided plate makes meal portion and planning much easier to follow. It is all about portion control and dividing your plate into sections for each 4 food goups and dairy. Hopefully Canada will follow suit soon.

Cheers,