Rats, Drugs, Sex and Food

Do you know what ghrelin is? Most of us don’t, but now that your interest is peaked, here’s why it’s a good thing to know about. Ghrelin is a stomach hormone that tells your brain when to trigger hunger or fullness signals. Recent research presented at the 2010 annual meeting of the Society of Neuroscience highlighted new findings.

Using rats, the researchers found that in addition to moderating normal eating habits, ghrelin also acts on the brain’s pleasure and reward centers—and yes, those are the same areas activated by drugs and sex.

Using sugar as the bait, rats pressed a lever hundreds of times to earn a very small amount of sugar. But, rats given ghrelin worked twice as hard for the same treat. When the hormone was blocked in hungry rats (there’s an image I wouldn’t mind blocking), they were less willing to press the lever for the sugar, as if they were actually full. Increasing or decreasing the ghrelin appeared to influence whether the rats preferred environments they associated with sugar consumption.

The inference from the study is that ghrelin levels may help explain why people eat when they’re not hungry—that food intake may be driven more in some people by the pleasure they associate with food rather than by their actual hunger.

Now, intuitively, we may know that we eat even when we’re not hungry for a number of reasons: we like the taste, we’re bored, we’re stressed, and for some of us, we eat for comfort. If a specific hormone is linked to why we eat for pleasure, we might see that as a “proven scientific excuse” for what might be poor nutritional choices and behaviors.

But, we’re not rats and we can make choices, even difficult choices. Still, it’s nice to know that a hormone called ghrelin could actually be making some of those choices more difficult for some of us. Now the question is, knowing this, how can we use this knowledge to begin to change unhealthy eating behaviors? What do you think?

We Deserve That Big, Fat “F.”

As in “F” for Fast Food. Are we really a “drive-thru, sit-in-front-of, I just don’t have the energy to . . .” nation? If you haven’t been living under a pumpkin shell for the last 20 or 30 years you can see what we’ve been doing to ourselves. But, what about what we’re doing to, or allowing to happen to, our children?

The newest report from Yale’s Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity points out a few aggressive and relentless marketing statistics—and what they mean to each of us—and our children. The report findings show that fast-food marketers target children across a variety of media and restaurants, and that those restaurants are providing largely unhealthy side dishes and drinks as the default options with kids’ meals.

The fast food industry spent more than $4.2 billion dollars in 2009 on TV advertising and other media, including the Internet, social media sites and mobile applications. (See earlier post, “Is It Here to Stay?”)

The statistics are enough to kill your appetite:

• Compared with 2007, in 2009 preschoolers saw 21 percent more ads for McDonald’s, 9 percent more for Burger King, and 56 percent more for Subway. Children ages 6 – 11 saw 26 percent more ads for McDonald’s, 10 percent more for Burger King and 59 percent more for Subway. Especially notable are the increases for McDonald’s and Burger King, which have pledged to reduce unhealthy marketing to children.
• Eighty-four percent of parents reported taking their child to a fast food restaurant at least once a week.
• Just 12 of 3,039 possible kids’ meal combinations met nutrition criteria for preschoolers, while only 15 met nutrition criteria for older children.
• Only 17 percent of regular menu items qualified as healthy choices.
• Fast food snacks and desert items contain as many as 1,500 calories, 5 times more than the 200 to 300 calorie snack for active teens recommended by the American Dietetic Association.
• Teens between the ages of 13 and 18 purchased 800 to 1,100 calories in an average fast food visit.
• At least 30 percent of calories in fast food menu items purchased by children and teens were from sugar and saturated fat.
• Smartphone apps are available for eight fast food chains, providing the opportunity to reach younger consumers anytime, anywhere.

The “secret’s” out. Children who eat fast food consume more calories, fat, sugar and sugar-sweetened beverages—and less fiber, milk, fruit and vegetables than those who do not eat fast food. It’s not just an occasional “happy meal,” and it’s not that happy. Every day, one-third of American children and adolescents eat fast food. And, we wonder how childhood obesity became an epidemic.

Maybe what the fast food industry is doing through their aggressive marketing strategy aimed at our children isn’t our fault—but doesn’t it become our fault if we continue to let it happen?

They’re On the Way . . . Starting with Halloween . . . Ending January 2

The holidays. We love them, we hate them. We eat too much. We spend too much. We don’t have enough time. We have stress. We’re never ready. And then, all of a sudden, the holidays are over, and we’re let down, depressed, even more stressed—and many of us feel guilty. There’s no way to un-eat, un-drink or un-spend what we spent the previous two months eating, drinking and spending. Time for damage control.

Experts agree that pre- and post-holiday stress is a combination of many factors: unrealistic expectations, over-commercialization, financial constraints, and the demands of shopping, parties, family, house guests—and a little too much joy and cheer.

We experience stress in the form of headaches, overeating, difficulty sleeping, muscle tension, bloating and fatigue from too much fat or sugar—and the guilt that accompanies all of it. Stress is sometimes the result of just a little too much of everything, even the good times with family and friends.

But it’s not good. Did you know? . . .

• 55 percent to 85 percent of all illnesses are thought to be stress related
• 88 percent of all employees say they have a hard time juggling work and life
• Stress costs American employers approximately $200 billion a year in absenteeism, lower productivity, health care and workers compensation costs
• Between 75—90 percent of visits to primary care physicians are related to stress

If you recognize that the holidays can be responsible for increased stress levels, you’ve already started to address the problem. Take a deep breath—or a series of deep breaths. Make just a “little” plan to get you from one event, one day, one action to the next. A plan puts you in control of situations that seem out of control. Even the act of planning is productive. The reward is the follow-through.

None of us is immune, but all of us should be able to take steps to better manage holiday-related stress and stressors. Keep in mind, the holidays are about more than gifts and food. Yes, we’re celebrating, but take a minute and think about what you’re really celebrating. And, who you’re celebrating with—and why. What happens if we all act accordingly?

Here We Are

It took just two generations. In the seventies only about 5 percent of our children were obese. In the eighties, childhood obesity was considered an “issue of possible concern.” In the nineties it progressed from a definite concern to today’s epidemic.

Type 2 diabetes follows along the same path. During the last 30 years, type 2 diabetes has increased 1,000 percent, with more than 4,100 new cases diagnosed every day. And, more than 80 percent of people with diabetes are overweight or obese. An estimated 92 percent of the growing number of children diagnosed with type 2 diabetes are overweight or obese.

Now, consider that the foods we choose to eat on a daily basis (yes, that’s choose to eat) contribute 80 percent to whether we will develop diabetes, heart disease or cancer. But, consider too, that just a 7 percent weight loss can result in a 58 percent improvement in the risk of progressing from prediabetes to diabetes. (This part at least can be seen as good news.)

So here we are . . . and where are we going?

Sure, there’s plenty of blame to pass around. As food becomes more processed, we all consume more sugar, fat and salt. We spend more time in front of screens. We don’t cook, we bring dinner home in a bag or box. We’ve become used to larger portions and all-you-can-eat buffets. Snacks are now sized and bagged for convenience—chips, cookies, candy, bite-size chocolate bars—but who stops at just one? And, don’t forget soda. It’s grown up too, from the 6.5 oz. bottles to a “big gulp.” No longer special treats, these “snacks” now account for 50 percent of calories consumed by children ages 2 to 18 . . . and 40 percent of those calories are nutritionally empty. Keep in mind, these are ‘learned’ behaviors. They can be ‘unlearned.’ (So, this too can be good news if we take the responsibility to make a few positive changes.)

Still, none of this changes the fact that for the first time in 200 years, this current generation of children may have shorter life expectancies than their parents because of totally preventable diseases. We can all agree that this legacy is unconscionable. Yes, here we are, and it’s past time to move forward. But we can . . . the question is, will we?

When Thoughts Become Things

Did you know you have between 12,000 and 50,000 thoughts per day? (That number varies depending on your work, how creative or how “deep” a thinker you are.) Of these thoughts, about 95 percent are the same from day to day, and 80 percent of them are negative!

And, did you know that out of every 11,000 signals we receive from our senses, our brain only consciously processes 40 – and while your brain is processing those 40 signals, the other 10,960 are sent to autopilot. Here’s where habits kick-in, and here’s where thinking about what you’re doing can lead to positive behavior changes (which as you know is what we’re all about).

In 1973, yes, that’s 37 years ago, Napoleon Hill (not Napoleon Dynamite) wrote Think and Grow Rich, one of the best-selling books of all time. But, before that, in 1925, twelve years earlier, he wrote The Law of Success, released as a limited hand-made edition consisting of only 118 copies. Those copies were distributed to Henry Ford, Thomas Edison, John D. Rockefeller and 115 more of the most successful and powerful people in American history.

In a nutshell, here’s what he had to say:

• First comes thought; then organization of that thought, into ideas and plans; then transformation of those plans into reality. (You can see the beginning of the process starts in your imagination with your thoughts.)
• If you cannot do great things, do small things in a great way.
• It’s always your next move.
• The starting point of all achievement is desire (maybe just not for food).
• Any idea, plan or purpose may be placed in the mind through repetition of thought.

Mr. Hill had a lot more to say in those two books. And, here we are today, many of us looking for ways to reduce stress, lose weight—and regain control over our long-term health and wellness. Given the number of thoughts we’re dealing with, we think a little thought can lead to a lot of change. What do you think?

Aw, Mom . . .

There are a lot of scary things in the world that most of us feel powerless to do anything about. So, when presented with a critical problem we each have the power to change, why don’t we?

Childhood obesity is high on everyone’s list of important issues that must first be faced and then reversed. There’s a lot of blame to go around, and much of it is misplaced. But, when nearly one out of every three American children is obese or overweight it’s time for those who can do something about it to step up. Mom . . . Dad? Are you listening?

If you want your kids to be healthy, and grow up to be healthy adults, the single most important thing you can do is lead the way by being a healthy role model. Consider that:

• If one parent is obese, there is a 50 percent chance that the children will also be obese. However, when both parents are obese, the children have an 80 percent chance of being obese. – American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry.
• The single factor that puts children at greatest risk of being overweight is having obese parents. –Stanford University of Medicine researchers.
• Recent market research shows that when the adult female caregiver eats healthfully, the majority of kids in the household do so as well. – Eating Well Magazine, June 2010

According to a new survey conducted by national non-profit group Healthy Women, only 28 percent of women think they can do anything about childhood obesity. Guess what? Mom’s BMI (body mass index) has a greater impact on a child at every age than Dad’s. (Check your BMI here.) It may be unfair that it falls on Mom, but there’s a scientific reason. Mothers are viewed more as role models and are the “gatekeepers” of the food. They are also primarily responsible for planning, cooking, serving and shopping for most of the family meals.

And it starts before birth . . . the Healthy Women survey found that only 11 percent of women realize that being obese during the first trimester of pregnancy more than doubles the child’s risk of becoming obese. Research from Harvard Medical School shows that the more weight a woman gains during pregnancy, the greater the child’s chances are of being overweight by age three. Today, one in five women is obese at the time of conception.

It’s a cycle, and going forward with the same old/ same old isn’t the answer. But there is a solution. Each of us is the solution. CLICK HERE for a short presentation about what you can do to help reverse childhood obesity.

What can you do to reverse the cycle? Do you have ideas to share? We can all use them.