Current statistics show that two-thirds of adults and one-third of children are overweight or obese. The rate has skyrocketed over the last two decades, with the number of overweight or obese adults doubling and children between the ages of 6 to 11 and teenagers tripling.
Because obesity is a major risk factor for four of the 10 leading causes of death in the United States - heart disease, type two diabetes, stroke and cancer, as well as other serious health conditions - slowing this trend has become a public health priority.
Recently, people have been waking up to this problem, and it seems as though people are willing to try anything to lose weight and attain a healthier lifestyle.
One simple solution to combat weight gain is to engage in moderate-intensity physical activity for at least 30 minutes and at least five days per week, as recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and establishing a reduced-calorie diet. In addition, it has now been proven that by incorporating low-fat dairy products into a reduced-calorie diet, a more significant weight loss can be achieved.
As supported by a study led by Dr. Michael Zemel that included 32 obese adults who consumed 500 fewer calories than they needed to maintain their weight, more fat is burned when three servings of milk, cheese or yogurt are included in a daily diet than when calories are simply cut.
Participants in the study who were on a high-calcium, lower-calorie diet lost more weight than those on a lower-calorie diet alone.
Additionally, it was discovered that those on a high-dairy diet lost more weight than those on the high-calcium diet.
This goes to show that the effects of calcium helping the body break down and burn fat are significantly greater when the calcium is attained through dairy products, rather than supplements.
One of the main reasons that we find ourselves in this weight crisis is that Americans are overfed, yet undernourished.
Because dairy products are packed with eight important vitamins and nutrients besides calcium, the calories consumed through dairy products are far from empty, like the calories found in many of the foods favored today.
Numerous studies have strengthened the link between dairy consumption and weight loss, as long as calories are cut. There are many low-fat, reduced-fat and fat-free varieties of dairy products available to help you maintain a healthy weight.
Dairy products can offer some relief in the trend toward obesity and improve the overall health of our nation.
Three servings a day of milk, cheese or yogurt is the optimal amount that should be consumed.
At the right is a lightened-up version of a popular meal.
Molly O'Hara is the Cayuga County Dairy Princess.
Easy Potatoes Au Gratin
2-pound package of frozen southern-style hash brown potatoes, thawed
1 cup chopped onion
1 10-ounce can cream of chicken soup (cream of mushroom can also be used)
1 cup fat-free or light sour cream
2 tablespoons margarine, melted
1 1/2 cups shredded reduced-fat sharp cheddar cheese
24 broccoli spears
Ground pepper
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly coat a 13- by-9-inch baking dish with canola cooking spray.
Combine potatoes, onion, soup, sour cream, margarine, cheese and pepper in a bowl; mix well.
Spoon mixture into prepared baking dish and bake uncovered for 45 minutes.
Arrange the broccoli spears around the edge of the baking dish and bake another 15 minutes or until gratin is nice and bubbly and broccoli is just tender. Season with pepper to taste.
Recently, people have been waking up to this problem, and it seems as though people are willing to try anything to lose weight and attain a healthier lifestyle.
One simple solution to combat weight gain is to engage in moderate-intensity physical activity for at least 30 minutes and at least five days per week, as recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and establishing a reduced-calorie diet. In addition, it has now been proven that by incorporating low-fat dairy products into a reduced-calorie diet, a more significant weight loss can be achieved.
As supported by a study led by Dr. Michael Zemel that included 32 obese adults who consumed 500 fewer calories than they needed to maintain their weight, more fat is burned when three servings of milk, cheese or yogurt are included in a daily diet than when calories are simply cut.
Participants in the study who were on a high-calcium, lower-calorie diet lost more weight than those on a lower-calorie diet alone.
Additionally, it was discovered that those on a high-dairy diet lost more weight than those on the high-calcium diet.
This goes to show that the effects of calcium helping the body break down and burn fat are significantly greater when the calcium is attained through dairy products, rather than supplements.
One of the main reasons that we find ourselves in this weight crisis is that Americans are overfed, yet undernourished.
Because dairy products are packed with eight important vitamins and nutrients besides calcium, the calories consumed through dairy products are far from empty, like the calories found in many of the foods favored today.
Numerous studies have strengthened the link between dairy consumption and weight loss, as long as calories are cut. There are many low-fat, reduced-fat and fat-free varieties of dairy products available to help you maintain a healthy weight.
Dairy products can offer some relief in the trend toward obesity and improve the overall health of our nation.
Three servings a day of milk, cheese or yogurt is the optimal amount that should be consumed.
At the right is a lightened-up version of a popular meal.
Molly O'Hara is the Cayuga County Dairy Princess.
Easy Potatoes Au Gratin
2-pound package of frozen southern-style hash brown potatoes, thawed
1 cup chopped onion
1 10-ounce can cream of chicken soup (cream of mushroom can also be used)
1 cup fat-free or light sour cream
2 tablespoons margarine, melted
1 1/2 cups shredded reduced-fat sharp cheddar cheese
24 broccoli spears
Ground pepper
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly coat a 13- by-9-inch baking dish with canola cooking spray.
Combine potatoes, onion, soup, sour cream, margarine, cheese and pepper in a bowl; mix well.
Spoon mixture into prepared baking dish and bake uncovered for 45 minutes.
Arrange the broccoli spears around the edge of the baking dish and bake another 15 minutes or until gratin is nice and bubbly and broccoli is just tender. Season with pepper to taste.
The Citizens' Say
There are 1 comment(s)
Farmer's Gal wrote on Mar 13, 2008 7:51 AM:
The best source for natural vitamin D remains 15-20 minutes of unprotected sunlight daily when you can get the UVB rays -- be careful not to rinse off too soon either, because the sunlight needs your body's natural oils on the surface of your skin to process the D.
For years, we've sought to avoid UVB not only because they can cause sunburn, but because they are linked to cancer. But, like most things, moderation is the key. If you get too much UVB, you do indeed risk cancer. However, if you get too little, you can make yourself sick (physically and emotionally, as lack of Vitamin D is a key factor in Seasonal Affective Disorder and some other kinds of depression) from vitamin D deficiency in ways that supplements and diet alone cannot substitute.
Dairy products, most of which are enriched with vitamin D, are a good start, as are green leafy vegetables. So are fish and seafood, and these are also a good source for the healthy omega-3 oils. However, much of our seafood is also tainted with mercury, which is NOT good for anyone. Personally, I'm looking into fish oil capsules which are certified to be mercury-free.
Organ meat is another source of vitamin D. Unfortunately, organs are also where toxins in the bodies of cows and pigs gather, and meat raised in unhealthy CAFO conditions are exposed to a lot more toxins than we'd want to put into our systems -- steroids and antibiotics and chemical cleaners and so forth are all prevalent in factory "farming" -- get your organ meat from a small family farm where they don't use those bad things in, on and around their animals.
One more lesser source for vitamin D is fortified cereals -- but watch the sugar and sodium content and go more for whole grains.
Finally, in order to properly metabolize vitamin D, the body needs a certain amount of healthy fats. If your diet is TOO low-fat, then you may be consuming vitamin D but your body isn't getting the benefits because it can't process it properly. Again, it's that moderation thing.
The bottom line is to keep to the right amount of calories for you gender, age and activity level, adjusted for your own personal metabolism, and to be sure those calories come from the right mix of healthy foods. Add exercise and sunshine, plus fresh air (if you can find any around here with all the liquid manure toxins in the air) -- and you should be on a path to being as healthy as you can be. "