ARTICLE - OBESITY & SNACKING BETWEEN MEALS

Obesity and Snacking Between Meals

Obesity is a rising problem, and there is plenty of conflicting information available about avoiding it. A new research survey out of Spain indicates that snacking between meals can increase one’s risk of becoming obese.
The University of Navarra’s Department of Preventative Medicine and Public Health conducted a survey of more than 10,000 college graduates for more than four years. The survey included 136 questions about eating habits, and all the participants were weighed before and during the course of the study.

According to the findings, participants who snacked between meals showed a 69 percent increased risk of becoming obese later on.
Of course, these results had a lot to do with what they were snacking on. The heaviest eaters snacked on junk foods, soft drinks and processed meats – referred to as “high-density” snacks – rather than healthy items like fruits or vegetables. These unhealthy snack choices added as many as 300 calories in each sitting.

 Adding the wrong snacks to three meals a day can often translate into weight gain, cravings for more of the same unhealthy foods, and a lack of energy, the researchers say. Occasional munchies between meals can be fine, they note, as long as you choose wisely.

ARTICLE -ANTI-OBESITY ADS FEATUING OVERWEIGHT KIDS SPARK CONTRAVERSY IN GEORGIA

Anti-obesity ads featuring overweight kids spark controversy in Georgia 

Harsh ad campaign makes overweight kids look miserable

By Rheana Murray / NEW YORK DAILY NEWS

Monday, January 2 2012, 10:31 PM

A series of stark anti-obesity ads featuring miserable, overweight kids has sparked controversy in Georgia.
The ads feature children talking about their weight issues in between harrowing messages such as, “Some diseases aren’t just for adults anymore,” and “Being fat takes the fun out of being a kid.”
Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, which co-founded the Strong4Life ad campaign, intended for the ads to be grim, hoping the clips would help parents recognize the severity of the obesity epidemic in Georgia, where it is the second highest in the nation.

“We felt like we needed a very arresting, abrupt campaign that said: ‘Hey Georgia! Wake up. This is a problem,’” said Linda Matzigkeit, a senior vice president at Children’s Healthcare, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
“If we do not wake up, this will be disastrous for our state,” Matzigkeit said to ABC.
Critics are slamming the campaign for its use of shock tactics, saying the ads don’t actually offer a solution to child obesity, ABC reported.

“There is no mention about what a parent can do other than to say ‘stop sugarcoating the problem,’” said Dr. Lori Feldman-Winter, a pediatrics professor at the Robert Wood Johnson Medical School.
Experts also worry the campaign will create self-confidence problems for overweight children.
“Blaming the victim rarely helps,” said Dr. Miriam Labbok, a health professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, to ABC. “These children know they are fat, and they are ostracized already.”
According to Dr. John Morton of the Stanford University School of Medicine, the ads might be harsh, but they could work, ABC reported.
“To change deep-seated social and physiologic behavior like eating will require enormous work, and these ads will help the family start thinking about prevention,” he said.