obesity

Reducing risk, ignoring rules and having horse meat for dinner + this day in history w/the IRA ceasefire and our song of the day by Steve Martin & The Steep Canyon Rangers on your Morning Monarchy for July 19, 2017.

Americans have more luxuries and more opportunities to lay back and do nothing than perhaps any other country in the world. Perhaps that’s why on a global scale, the U.S. is one of the laziest countries on Earth, according to a Stanford University study. [1]
The great Ron Swanson once said:

“The whole point of [America] is if you want to eat garbage, balloon up to 600 pounds and die of a heart attack at 43, you can! You are free to do so. To me, that’s beautiful.”

There’s nothing better than a health regimen that tastes great, so here’s one almost all of us can get on board with. Researchers have found that those who eat a pear a day are more likely to maintain a healthy body weight when compared to their non-pear-eating conterparts.

The Body Mass Index (BMI) was invented in the 1800’s and became the international standard for weight and health by the 1980’s. Current BMI standards were approved by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in 1998. But the BMI scale is considered antiquated by many, including doctors, scientists and nutritionists.

Two studies confirm that stress is a major underlying factor in the obesity epidemic among the poor. One from Scotland, published in the journal Appetite, documents the link between overeating and the stress that accompanies income inequality.

One of the keys to keeping your brain nice and plump and in proper working order is avoiding soda – and not just the sugar-sweetened kind, either. Drinking sodas, whether regular or diet, is bad for brain health, 2 recent studies show. [1]
One study showed that people who drank diet soda every day were three times more likely to have a stroke or develop dementia over 10 years compared with those who didn’t consume any diet soda.

Did you know that in past studies, avocado-eaters have been shown to be healthier than non-eaters? Chowing down on the fruit (yes, avocados are technically berries!) is associated with a lower body weight, a lower body mass index (BMI), a lower intake of added sugars, higher nutrient levels, and a better-quality diet overall. It makes perfect sense, then, that a new review of medical literature shows that eating avocados may help you avoid metabolic syndrome.

Are you eating a gluten-free diet, but you don’t have celiac disease? A new study suggests that you may not want to make that move. Not only does a gluten-free diet not prevent heart disease, but researchers say avoiding gluten when you don’t have celiac disease could lead to cardiovascular disease and more.

The simple decision to toss back a handful of peanuts a few times a week in place of other junk food snacks could go a long way to help people fight the battle of the bulge and could prevent childhood obesity, researchers say.
Peanuts are packed with vitamins and nutrients that make the tiny legumes one of the healthiest foods around. Look at the nutritional punch you get from just a 1/4 cup:

A new study published in the journal Pediatrics suggests that drinking one serving a day of 100% fruit juice is linked to a slight weight gain in children age 6 or younger, but no weight gain in children age 7 or older. [1]