We hope you’ll be able to join us this week at Pathfinder
Produce, our “little store that’s got more” in the line of fresh veggies and
fruits. We’re open on Thursday, from 2 to 5 p.m. at the Pathfinder
Village Commons.
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The current cover of Time
Magazine shows a beautifully lit spiral of creamy yellow, and advises “Eat
Butter.” The main article of the June 23
edition discusses how the 1970s war on fat was misguided, and how the current
battle on obesity had its roots in Americans’ unintentional shift from the fats
found in meats and dairy products to refined sugars.
The latest research indicates that a fat-free or low-fat
diet really may be doing more harm than good.
Most food options that fall into reduced or no-fat categories are laden
with salts, sugars and preservatives, and can set up a vicious cycle of insulin
resistance. Although the link is very glitchy,
I recommend you watch this video on the Time website: http://time.com/2861540/fat-and-carbs-diet-guidelines/
.
More to the point is another recent film, FED UP, by executive producers Katie
Couric and Laurie David, and director Stephanie Soechtig. Playing in theaters this summer, FED UP examines the role of the food
industry in our national sugar binge. The film website offers a sobering look at
obesity, increased sugar intake, and offers ways to fight back. A point the film makes is that being
overweight is not strictly a “lack of will power” issue by heavy people, but a
societal addiction that is having a powerful effect on everyone.
FED UP reveals that
your brain reacts to sugar as it would to narcotics, and that sugar in its
various forms is found in over 80% of all commercially sold foods. (Over 250 names for hidden sugar can be found
at myfitnesspal.com).
It also offers up some sobering
predictions; chief among these is that by 2050, a third of all Americans will
have Type II diabetes.
Other sugar stats that FED UP serves include:
- A 20-ounce bottle of soda contains the equivalent of approximately 17 teaspoons of sugar.
- One soda a day increases a child’s chance of obesity by 60%.
- More than 9 Million adolescents (children and teens 6-19 years old) are considered overweight.
- It will take a 110-pound child 75 minutes of bike riding to burn off the calories in one 20-ounce bottle of soda.
- Individuals who drink one to two sugar-sweetened beverages per day have a 26% higher risk for developing type II diabetes.
- 98% of food related ads that children view (3920/year) are for products high in fat, sugar, sodium.
- In 2012, Americans consumed an average of 765 grams of sugar every 5 days, or 130 pounds each year.
- Almost 45 percent of overweight or obese children ages 10 to 17 are poor.
- In the United States, it is estimated that 93 Million Americans are affected by obesity
- Kids watch an average of 4000 food-related ads every year (10/day).
- There is overwhleming evidence of the link between obesity and the consumption of sweetened beverages, such as soft drinks, energy drinks, sweet teas and sports drinks.All of this is daunting news, but the good news is that you can take control of what you and your family eats. The easiest way to do this is to start buying more fresh vegetables and fruit (the less processed the better), and to really study ingredient labels and become knowledgeable about how hidden sugars are widely used.Until next time, be well,Lori
