145 lbs SUGAR

I went to the coffee shop this afternoon to get myself a Medium Mocha, no whip. I had just finished a 2.45 h ride and needed to get some calories in my system. I walked over to the milk and sugar stand and there was this not-skinny girl topping of her coffee with sugar. She was holding the sugar dispenser over her cup circling around , must have been at least 7-10 s. To say the least, she is well contributing to the 145 lbs of sugar the average American consumes a year. Now lets makes this a little bit more visible, you can build a figure who is roughly 5'6" inches and normally built with that amount of sugar, by the time July 4th comes around, you have eaten half of the poor thing.
Reality is that there are some of us, who eat probably up to 200 lbs of sugar, since others eat considerably less.
For this upcoming week, look at the sugar you take in.

Obesity campaign "Let's move"

Since the US has now officially decided to spend money against childhood obesity, maybe even blogs like this one can get a share of the money. I have previously drawn conclusions based on the size of people i have seen in certain states and their legacy. For instance Wisconsin to me seemed to be one of the states with the highest obesity, part of that was supported by the fact that there are a lot of big people in WI and that they love their cheese. Now that I have looked at the Obesity rate by state (Source WSJ), I have been proven wrong. I am not even sure how to interpret these numbers, it looks like a few southern states are in the highest ranks, which could be explained by the fried foods. 
        Ultimately the problem seems to be spread around the whole country!! 
Solutions:
1. Eating Out:
Don't eat out as much and cook healthy meals at home with only little trans fat.
Pro: You can loose weight by still enjoying the foods you like, by the simple fact that the preparation itself makes it a lot healthier. For kids that will mean that there dinner will include veggies and all the other things that are good for you. Side Note: Have you ever looked at a kids menu? Chicken tenders and fries, or whatever the restaurant calls it. If you can find veggies on a kids menu let me know :).
Cons: We all love to eat out, it is so easy. The US services economy would be in big trouble if only half of the US decided to not eat out anymore.


2. Portion Size:
Reduce the amount of food you eat.
Pro: You can still eat the things you enjoy, but have to cut back on how much you enjoy.
Cons: This means we have to discipline ourselves, which is way to hard. We already have to do that at work and in the rest of our private life. 
Side Note: Even the FDA has recognized the issue. I find this rather humerus portion size (Source: New York Times)


Ok, I have to move now, running 10 miles this morning was just not enough :)

Cholesterol lowering foods

Here we go again, the annual physical came back with too high LDL-Cholesterol. The letter in the mail suggests regular aerobic exercise. For some people that may be the issue, for others it may not be. So what else can be done? Even for already healthy eaters, there are more things that can be done. Soluble fiber is the number 1 of the bad cholesterol lowering foods, now what is that. Fiber 101. 
Oatmeal and oat bran is followed by nuts and in third place for LDL lowering foods are fish and omega 3 fatty acids (didn't we just have those a few days ago in another blog???). This information and more can be found under (Source): http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/cholesterol/CL00002

Food for thought

Food for thought, what does that really mean!! Well, I guess there is more than one meaning. The commonly known one is a catalyst, which makes one think about a subject. The real food for thought is also referred to as brain food. Walnuts not only look like little brains, but they are also known to be a great brain food. They are a great source of Omega 3 fatty acids.
Here is some more healthful information:
http://nutritionwonderland.com/2009/06/some-food-for-your-thoughts-nuts-part-1/
http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=99