http://nyti.ms/aMuhHZ
Bottom Line:
“The B.M.I. tables are excellent for identifying obesity and body fat in large populations, but they are far less reliable for determining fatness in individuals,” explained Dr. Carl Lavie, a cardiologist at the Ochsner Heart and Vascular Institute in New Orleans.
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http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=eating-in-the-dark#comments
The importance of being intentional about the way we feed ourselves is becoming more obvious. I have been saying "slow down and eat without distraction. Really pay attention, taste, and enjoy to your food when you are eating." for years. It is exciting to have research that helps us understand our experiences. This researcher reports, "The main result is that it seems surprisingly difficult to estimate the amount of food you consume in the absence of visual information".
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http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/22/t-magazine/22face-merkin-t.html?_r=2&partner=rss&emc=rss
We talk about the "obesity" epidemic instead of simply talking about people being fat! Why can't we just say it?! 'There is something in us that doesn’t like fat, something deeply ingrained in us that draws us to thin. Female consumers of all sizes, according to a recent study, seem to prefer looking at ads with thin rather than plus-size models. The origins of this preference are complex, having to do with tangled notions about purity versus contamination, self-indulgence versus self-control, and the ambivalence with which we regard our own appetites. In some sense fashion designers are merely messengers, delivering up to us our own grotesque parody of religious grace, in which food substitutes for sex and the sinful pleasures of the flesh lead only to the purgatory of size 14. "
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There is now another good reason to exercise. Besides burning calories, exercise restores the sensitivity of neurons involved in the control of satiety (feeling full), which in turn contributes to reduced food intake and consequently weight loss.
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If you love food and you love to read, then your time has come. Our nation’s obsession with dieting and our national worries about obesity have created an opportunity for the very best writing about this topic to make it to print. It seems that the simmering of our thoughts and worries about the shapes of our bodies is allowing powerful words to bubble to the surface. This is your chance to learn a lot about our food and our relationship to it.
In April of 2009, The End of Overeating: Taking Control of the Insatiable American Appetite by David A. Kessler, M.D. was published and became an instant New York Times Bestseller. Kessler, the former commissioner of the FDA who tackled the tobacco industry, is encouraging us to take a good hard look at the food industry. In doing so, he has written a provocative account of how our food alters our eating habits and behaviors. Yes, this book is full of fascinating research, but it reads like a mystery and is far from dull and boring (hence the bestseller’s list). If you or someone you love struggles with not being able to stop eating or stop eating certain foods, this book will offer some valuable insights.
In March of this year, Thich Nhat Hanh, one of the most influential Buddhist leaders in the West, published a book about mindful eating. Savor: Mindful Eating, Mindful Life was written with the help of a Registered Dietitian/Nutritionist, Dr. Lilian Cheung. This book pulls together nutritional science and Buddhist mindfulness practices. Again, society’s unhealthy connection with food and eating is addressed. However, this book focuses on the way our rushed, busy, and mindless lifestyles alter the way we eat.
Also in March, Geneen Roth’s Women Food and God made it to the newsstand and it seemed like everyone was interviewing her! Of course the interview with Oprah Winfrey, both in her magazine and on her television show, created a buzz too loud to miss. This book is truly extraordinary in that Ms. Roth addresses the fact that many times, our struggle with food and eating is not about the food at all. As a matter of fact, we may not be hungry for food, so food cannot satisfy our cravings. Women Food and God is a deeply moving account of how our struggle with food and our bodies can take the joy right out of our lives and how breaking free from that struggle allows you to take your power back.
Temra Costa has written a book in celebration of the role women play in nurturing our families and communities in her book Farmer Jane: Women Changing the Way We Eat. She has profiled 26 dynamic women who are committed to supporting sustainable healthy foods for us and for those we love. With gusto Ms. Costa interviews activists, chefs, community organizers, nutritionists, writers and more who are committed to making a difference in how we eat. If you need to be nudged into paying attention to what is happening to our food supply, Farmer Jane might do the trick.
All of these books provoke thought and inspire action. Now is as good a time as any!
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