Wellness Weekly

General Motors: As Americans we are reluctant to make changes that will improve our health. I do not know why this is so, and yet it is. Americans do not like hard. Americans like to have their cake and pie and chips and dip and eat and eat and eat them too. Respected scientists and physicians like Dr. Willett, as well as popular ones, like Dr. Oz, will tell us that it is about eating well and moving more, but even our heros we do not believe or if we believe, we do not follow. We root for the drug companies and the scientists who study obesity in search of the “I can eat what ever I want and do nothing pill.” Instead, we adopt healthy behaviors sometimes because we have no choice and I admit that the more I study this issue the more I believe that is necessary. You know, you can’t eat trans fats if they stop putting them in your food and you are more likely to quit tobacco if it is illegal to purchase. Along these lines, you are more likely to take the stairs at General Motors if they turn OFF the escalator. Seriously. During certain shifts they are turning it off to save money. Lord how I love it. Obviously we have handicap issues, and it is not my intent to overlook that, just to make a point that the company will do something to save money that might coincidently save a life. See below for more.
McDonalds: The economic crisis is also affecting portion sizes when we eat out. I have already mentioned this irony. Last week though, McDonald’s made another move. They have taken there regular double cheeseburger off the value menu and replaced it with a burger that only has one piece of cheese. That cost saving trick will shave off more than 100 calories.
CEOS: The Wall St Journal recently facilitated a meeting of top CEOs regarding the problems that face our country. With regard to health care, this panel was united in claiming that our number one problem was obesity. Not lack of health care or health insurance, though they were on the list, but of utmost concern was this apparent epidemic of a controllable risk factor that leads to preventable but dire outcomes. How is it controllable? Again, due to what one eats and what one does. You can blame you genes if you want to, but not matter what your genes are programmed to do, you have a brain and you have choices. If you are prone to put on weight just by looking at certain foods, well, that SUCKS, and you have to work harder than those who do not have that genetic make up. If you want to be healthy then you will choose that option. The CEO panel stated that in America we spend more than any other country and have worse outcomes. They also stated that the three best strategies for increasing our longevity and active aging are to ban tobacco, list nutrition info and educate on weight and health. AMEN. I am trying in my small way to do just that.
Melamine: We have found traces of melamine in our infant formula. Some people are outraged and demanding that the formula be removed from shelves. Some are telling us that the amount found is so minute as not to be harmful. The FDA in fact is not making a recall. I just find it enlightening that we would become incensed over one chemical and immune to the fact that cigarettes, when lit, contain about 4000 chemicals including green house gases, toxic metals and carcinogens. What is UP with THAT?
Tar etc: Speaking of tobacco. The claim that a cigarette is low in tar and or nicotine is no longer an option according to the FTC. The machines that test these levels are not accurate, which has been true and known for sometime. People and robots do not hold the cigarette nor inhale it in the same manner. And though the FDA may tell you there is a safe level of melamine, they are NOT telling you that there is a safe level of tar. There is not. Tar coats lungs and causes emphysema and chronic bronchitis. It is found in second hand smoke as well and can affect the lung development of children… there is no safe cigarette nor is there ANY safe level of cigarette smoke and it does NOT matter who is holding the cigarette.

Happy Weekend
Don’t smoke!
Eat Well
Move more