The 3 Biggest Diet Vices of Fast Food, Soft Drinks and TV--Fattening up Africa!

It is hard to believe this but now more than one-third of African women and a quarter of African men are estimated to be overweight, and the World Health Organization predicts that will rise to 41 percent and 30 percent respectively in the next 10 years.

When we picture a epidemic in Africa visions of poor starving children with swollen bellies from malnurishment come to mind, yet that is no longer the case.

“We have gone from undernutrition to overnutrition without ever having passed healthy nutrition,” said Krisela Steyn, the retired director of the South African Medical Research Council’s Chronic Disease and Lifestyle unit.

Surprisingly, the poor suffer from this more than you would think. Ironically, the poorest are often most vulnerable. Children born with low birth weights to malnourished mothers tend to be more at risk of becoming overweight as adults. They are also more prone to obesity as family members give them too much food to help them catch up, according to experts at a recent conference on chronic disease in Cape Town.

It isn't that the people of Africa are becoming overweight because they have too many fresh fruits and vegetables to eat or that water is too plentiful. It is that "modernization" has brought them Coke, Big Macs and Cable!

In Africa, as elsewhere in the world, high-fat, high-sugar fast foods, snacks and fizzy drinks are in. And, like elsewhere, growing urbanization has led to less walking and other exercise and the spread of television has led to a generation of couch potatoes rather than athletes.

Please, read the rest of this article, http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15954744/ it is alarming and should be a MUST read for everyone. We have to act quickly to end our global dependence on cheap, unhealthy and obesity causing fast foods and soft drinks and increase physical activity if we hope to win our fight to end the Obesity Pandemic the world finds itself in.

My book, The Vice Busting Diet, is the ONLY "diet" book to attack the fast food and soft drink industry and directly point a finger at TV as the root causes for Obesity and to also offer a realistic and gradual solution to the problem.

I have contacted WHO and volunteered to become a Special Ambassador to help fight the Global Pandemic of Obesity. This is a fight that we must win and that with busting our vices of fast food, soft drinks and TV--we WILL win!

Carpe Diet!
Julia

Juice nutrient plus supplement: http://www.OfficialJuicePlus.com

Flu Shot or Not: A Healthy Debate

While flu shots have become such a standard action for so many people each year, no thought seems to be given as to whether or not it is really necessary. In my opinion, the drug companies have done such a good job of lobbying and marketing the need for everyone to get their flu shots because 'it's flu season' afterall.

Here's what I do understand: people with compromised immune systems - i.e. the elderly who are already sick or suffering from a disease, or someone undergoing treatment for a disease that requires some strong drugs - are those who may actually need a flu shot. But what I don't believe is that just anyone needs a flu shot because 'it's flu season.' Do you know that people die each year from immunizations? And thousands actually get sick or the flu from getting a flu shot? I heard a radio host discussing flu shots and he didn't understand why Michael Jordan wouldn't have gotten flu shots each season since he gets paid so much to be healthy so he could play basketball. What?! Have we become that conditioned to believe everything we're told? Maybe he didn't get them because he exercises and eats healthy (and did more so them, I'm sure) - unlike 65% or more of Americans.

My point is this: if you're eating right and getting regular exercise - and supplementing your diet to be sure you're getting the nutrients you need from enough fruits and vegetables - then you don't need a flu shot. You're body is equipped with an army of enemy-fighting cells that attack anything that it knows doesn't belong - all without you even thinking about it! Yet we (that is, the drug companies whose 1st goal is profit) think that we know better how to handle the body. If more people knew how the body worked - I know very little - I think we'd be amazed and would question what if any drugs that we need.

Live healthy and you'll be healthy. Your body is not lacking anything but good nutrition. Don't deny the natural goodness that it needs.

Carpe Diet
Lose weight and live healthy - http://www.vicebustingdiet.com/
Supplement your diet with nutrients from 17 fruits and vegetables: http://www.OfficialJuicePlus.com

Thought for the Holiday Season

"Shoes"

I showered and shaved............... I adjusted my tie.
I got there and sat.............. In a pew just in time.
Bowing my head in prayer......... As I closed my eyes.
I saw the shoe of the man next to me..... Touching my own. I sighed.
With plenty of room on either side...... I thought,
"Why must our soles touch?"
It bothered me, his shoe touching mine... But it didn't
bother him much.
A prayer began: "Our Father"............. I thought, "This
man with the shoes.. has no pride.
They're dusty, worn, and scratched. Even worse, there are holes on the side!"
"Thank You for blessings," the prayer went on.
The shoe man said............... a quiet "Amen."
I tried to focus on the prayer....... But my thoughts were
on his shoes again
Aren't we supposed to look our best.. When walking through that door?
"Well, this certainly isn't it," I thought, Glancing toward the floor.
Then the prayer was ended............ And the songs of praise began.
The shoe man was certainly loud...... Sounding proud as he sang.
His voice lifted the rafters......... His hands were raised high.
The Lord could surely hear.. The shoe man's voice from the sky.
It was time for the offering......... And what I threw in was steep.
I watched as the shoe man reached.... Into his pockets so deep.
I saw what was pulled out............ What the shoe man put in.
Then I heard a soft "clink" . as when silver hits tin.
The sermon really bored me.......... To tears, and that's no lie
It was the same for the shoe man..... For tears fell from his eyes.
At the end of the service........ As is the custom here
We must greet new visitors.. And show them all good cheer.
But I felt moved somehow............. And wanted to meet the shoe man
So after the closing prayer.......... I reached over and shook his hand.
He was old and his skin was dark..... And his hair was truly a mess
But I thanked him for coming......... For being our guest.
He said, "My names' Charlie.......... I'm glad to meet you, my friend."
There were tears in his eyes......... But he had a large, wide grin
"Let me explain," he said........... Wiping tears from his eyes.
"I've been coming here for months.... And you're the first to say 'Hi.'"
"I know that my appearance........."Is not like all the rest
"But I really do try................."To always look my best."
"I always clean and polish my shoes.."Before my very long walk.
"But by the time I get here........."They're dirty and dusty, like chalk."
My heart filled with pain............ and I swallowed to hide my tears
As he continued to apologize......... For daring to sit so near.
He said, "When I get here..........."I know I must look a sight.
"But I thought if I could touch you.."Then maybe our souls might unite."
I was silent for a moment............ Knowing whatever was said
Would pale in comparison... I spoke from my heart, not my head.
"Oh, you've touched me," I said......"And taught me, in part;
"That the best of any man............"Is what is found in his heart."
The rest, I thought,................. This shoe man will never know.
Like just how thankful I really am... That his dirty old shoe touched my soul
***********************************************************************

American Diabetes Association trouble

Does the ADA - American Diabetes Association - need to reconsider their position with the largest promoter of diabetes-causing products (Coca-Cola)? The New York Times has a very interesting article about the ADA and its reconsideration of continued sponsorship associations with companies that promote supposedly "healthful eating" products. Please click here to read the four page article.

You can also read more here on this BLOG.

Know the truth before you even consider having soft drinks. The bottom line is that we don't need foods or drinks with HFCS - high fructose corn syrup. We need to drink more water, we need to eat foods that don't have high amounts of processing or sugar. We need to eat more fruits and vegetables. Diabetes that is genetic is one thing. Diabetes that is caused by lifestyle and diet is more about ignorance. The body was designed to have fruits and vegetables and lean meats and fish.

If you need help with your lifestyle and losing weight, go here: http://www.vicebustingdiet.com
We also recommend that you supplement your diet with juice nutrients plus because most everyone does not eat enough fruits and vegetables. Learn more...

Live healthy.
Carpe Diet!

The Fast Food Nation Diet

This week, a must see movie hits the big screen, Fast Food Nation. But the movie only addresses the problem of Fast Food, it does little to address the solution, or atleast a step by step approach to busting fast food from an individual's life.

Why must we bust? Because 2.6 million people died last year because of the illnesses brought on by eating this crap and drinking Coke--along with other equally unhealthy and high calorie vices. And, if we don't do something now to reverse this trend, "this is the FIRST generation NOT expected to outlive their parents"--Harvard, not me.

“We take Joe Camel off the billboard because it is marketing bad products to our children, but Ronald McDonald is considered cute,” says Brownell, director of the Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity at Yale. “How different are they in their impact, in what they’re trying to get kids to do?”

Not much, says Eric Schlosser, author of the 2001 best-selling book Fast Food Nation. His book, for instance, pointed out that nine of every 10 U.S. kids go to McDonald’s at least once per month, and that the hamburger mega-chain is one of the world’s largest toy distributors through its promotional efforts.

To that end, Schlosser used his book’s final chapter to urge consumers and Congress to take action. He called for legislators to more closely regulate how fast food is marketed to kids. But those legislators haven’t done much in the last five years to stop the fast food express, a juggernaut that threatens to help ruin Americans’ health over the next 20 years. One government estimate projects that the number of Americans with diabetes will increase from 21 million to nearly 30 million U.S. adults battling diabetes by 2030. Read more: http://health.msn.com/dietfitness/articlepage.aspx?cp-documentid=100148751&GT1=8717

However, it isn't going to have ANY immediate impact in the lifes of those afflicted with Obesity to simply write congress--those suffering from Overweight and Obesity related issues MUST take a healthful stand today and BUST their VICES out of their lives permanently in order that they get healthier and lose weight.

The ONLY "diet" book or expert who addresses the Fast Food issue AND offers a realistic, effective and quite easy approach to breaking the habit of eating it is my The Vice Busting Diet!

It has been endorsed by Oprah's Dr. David L. Katz, Dr. Mehmet Oz and may others.

The question would beg to be asked; why haven't we heard more about it? Well, there's a good answer. Who spends the most money adverstising on shows like Today, The View, Oprah? Soft drink companies like Coca-Cola and Fast Food pushers like McDonald's. An exective with CBS told me personally "there is NO way we can book you as a guest; you (rightfully) sued Coca-Cola and go after both them and McDonald's in your book--and you mention TV viewing as the 3rd contributor to the Obesity Pandemic--if we promoted you, they would cut or cancell their advertising AND we would be shooting ourselves in the foot!" That's a real quote folks!

They can run, but they can't hide! Fast Food, Soft Drinks and TV/sendentary lives ARE the 3 biggest contributors to the Obesity Pandemic and we are going to BUST them before they bust us!

Want a FREE copy of The Vice Busting Diet? http://www.vicebustingdiet.com/, you will get a personalized signed copy with your 26-week; 50 pounds OFF guaranteed lifestyle modification program! You will get a workbook, daily emails, daily audios, dozens of lessons and more....all for only $197, that less than $8 a week

Carpe Diet!
Julia

Urine analysis a test for diet

One of the suggestions that I've had in the past in regards to health insurance was providing discounts or money back to those who are in good health - based on factors like limited doctor visits, blood work that is all within normal range, and even data on frequency of exercise if possible. But now there comes an additional test that may provide doctors - and dare I say insurance companies? - with a gage of the patient's dietary habits and therefore health. A Canadian study finds that a urine test may able to detect a poor diet based on the levels of potassium.

According to the research: "The study found a link between increased levels of potassium in the urine, a healthier diet, and lower weight, blood pressure and heart rate. These findings suggest, for the first time, that the amount of potassium in the urine is a valid, objective indicator of diet quality," researcher Dr. Andrew Mente, of the Prosserman Center for Health Research in Toronto, said in a prepared statement.

I think two things are making their way into our society: 1) greater awareness and therefore more people being proactive about their health; and 2) more accountability by way of new tests that will provide better markers for diet and health. Which means if you don't take responsibility for your health now, you may be forced to later.

Which is why the greatest diet in the world is worth nothing without the inspiration and motivation that we all need to live healthy, happy, and productive lives. You don't need to be told that you need more fruits and vegetables. You probably know that. What you do need - and we all need - is to be inspired to a healthy and fit life!

Find inspiration here: http://www.vicebustingdiet.com/

Carpe Diet!
Here is Healthier Eating 101 and 102 - some good information (but not the inspiration) for a healthy diet: http://www.fda.gov/fdac/features/2005/305_eat.html

The Hell is McFreezing over Diet to end childhood obesity!

OHMIGOSH, Hell just may be freezing over!...or NOT? If it walks like a duck, talks like a duck; odds are it's a duck. Or my personal favorite line, IF it is full of salt, fat, high fructose corn syrup and calories, it MUST be a Big Mac and a Coke!

Ten major food and drink makers, including McDonald’s, Coca-Cola and Campbell Soup, announced today that their child-oriented advertising will do more to promote health foods and exercise.

The companies, which account for two-thirds of child-targeted food and drink commercials on TV, agreed to reduce the use of outside characters — think Shrek and the Little Mermaid — to pitch unhealthy foods. They also said they would not advertise in elementary schools and would ensure their online “advergames” either promote good health or healthy products, among other measures. Half their ads will focus on foods that qualify as healthy or on nutrition and exercise issues.

The companies said they had no plans to stop selling or promoting sugary cereals or fatty French fries, and critics were quick to say the voluntary restrictions will have little effect.

Read the rest of the hype: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15718236/

OK, now for the truth:

• they have NO choice but to use different characters since Disney and other companies are distancing themselves from their unhealthy food/drink offerings!
• they can show Ronald McDonald playing basketball all day long, but kids aren't dumb, they KNOW who he is and where to find is food.
• Coke can take their high fructose laden regular Coke out of schools and try to look like the good guys, but to simply exchange "sports" drinks, sugar filled "waters" and "energy" drinks in place OR keep chemically sweetend cancer punch DOES NOT help kids get health. Want to help solve the Obesity Pandemic Coca-Cola, stock your machines with WATER and stop bogus contests (http://www.drinkchooselive.com/) that encourage consumption of extreme weight gaining and or deadly levels of your crap!
  

Don't fall for their ploy! This is nothing more than having the wolf agree to change his tactics when getting near the sheep--he doesn't have to advertise; he knows the sheep will continue to graze and he will slaughter them same as before. You still have a fat wolf and dead sheep, or in our case profit rich corporations and 2.6 million dead people a year who died prematurely because Coca-Cola and McDonald's, the two worst contributors to the Obesity Pandemic are allowed to set their own rules when watching the flock.

Carpe Diet.

STOP! Before you follow Victoria Beckham's diet...

It caught my eye that Victoria Beckham (former Spice Girl "Posh") had been quoted as saying that she survives on Diet Coke and low-calorie snacks and has for years (Read more...). This strikes me as sad because of the image and example that she sets for millions of young girls around the world who would love to look like and I'm sure at one time be like, her. She states that she hasn't even had water in years because she doesn't like the taste. This has got to be one of the unhealthiest recommendations - the truly unhealthiest would be recommending regular Coke and no water - for a person of her celebrity to be doling out to a public that desires her figure. Don't be fooled by the outside appearance when it comes to being healthy.

But it doesn't stop there. This next point really caught my attention. Something I didn't know about one of her children - and why would I except that it she is in the news enough that you can't help but read a story or two about her and her husband. Her 4 year old has been diagnosed with epilepsy. So I did a little research - and I'm not a scientist, and I am empathetic to those with epilepsy and family members who have children with epilepsy - with the thought that maybe the two had something to do with each other (again, before knowing much at all about epilepsy). My first thought when looking into this was "could drinking Diet Coke all the time, when she was pregnant, and not water be a possible cause of the epilepsy?

What I found is that epilepsy doesn't have one exact cause and the diagnosis can be difficult because there are many types of epilepsy. Here is a basic description:

"Epilepsy is a brain disorder. The neurons fire an abnormally high number of times in a short period. Injury to the brain may certainly cause epilepsy. This includes deprivation of oxygen at birth, trauma to the head at any time of life, and stroke or injury to part of the brain caused by blockage or haemorrhage of one of its blood vessels, or improper brain development."

But could it be possible that Diet Coke with the aspartame, phosphoric acid, and other harmful ingredients contribute to the cause of brain problems - starving the brain of oxygen and proper development (during pregnancy)? Doesn't water contain oxygen? Don't soft drinks dehydrate cells? A possible cause, I'm sure. With all of the possible birth defects that are out there...well, I'll stop there.

Before you run out and follow "Posh's" diet, take a second look at the chemicals and/or poisons that are in many of these foods and drinks and look at the consequences that are possible before deciding to consume them.

If we at least cut down on the number of possible preventable causes, we can more clearly identify some real causes - i.e. genetics. Better to get lots of good nutrition and exercise to look and feel great and have a great quality of life, than to starve yourself into an unhealthy slim figure.

Carpe Diet!
More info on Epilepsy: http://137.172.248.46/epilepsy.htm
Good resource: http://www.epilepsy.com/info/family_kids_causes.html

Kid's need to add more fruits and vegetables to their diet. And you can make up for what they're missing through supplementation. Learn more...

Chef Jamie Oliver tells it like it is...

British celebrity chef Jamie Oliver is telling it like it is when IT comes to the obesity problem - along with poor health - in Britain and the United States. "England's the most unhealthy country in Europe and America is the most unhealthy country in the world," he say. And he is right. If ever we needed more celebrity chefs (i.e. George Stella, who changed his chef ways and lost over 200 lbs) to stand up and tout the unhealthy ways of the world, now couldn't be a better time. Read the full story... Jamie knows how bad the problem is in the U.S. - he comments that he doesn't have the energy to take on the problem here. No kidding.

Let's continue to bring more awareness to the problem in order to spawn new actions from every level - coorporate, government, and individual responsabilities. Turning this ship around is going to require many more hands, but the motions are starting to take place. You can help by making healthy choices.

Live healthy. Improve your quality of life.
Carpe Diet!

Motivational lifestyle weight loss healthy living - http://www.vicebustingdiet.com/
Nutritional supplement; nutrients from 17 different fruits and vegetables: Learn more...

Coca Cola Getting Ripped...

Finally, more support comes in the direction of healthy living when Health Minister Tony Abbott (Australia) says that Coca Cola is contributing to childhood obesity. It's nice to see that the dollars of influence won't make a difference in the Health Minsister speaking the truth... unlike other countries which receive millions in "donations" for supporting and approving Coca Cola products into their nations.

The truth is there. It just takes enough people to create a movement and a tipping point. Join that movement and make it easier for others to start living healthy and free from the burdens of diet vices.

Carpe Diet
Julia

Lose weight, live healthy: http://www.vicebustingdiet.com/
Nutritional support: Recommended nutritional supplementation

Our Kids Our Fat, Give Them...Drugs?

Children with risk factors for heart disease, including high cholesterol and diabetes, are showing signs of narrowing and hardening of the arteries, conditions normally associated with adults, a study said.

An increasing number of children suffer from these and other risk factors for cardiovascular disease, including obesity, but testing for future heart conditions is not standard practice, according to a report presented at the annual American Heart Association meeting in Chicago.

Testing should include regular blood lipid and glucose level testing, said the report’s lead author, Sanaz Piran, a resident at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. Earlier treatment could include more aggressive use of cholesterol-lowering drugs called statins, she said. Read the rest of the story http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15698567/

But honestly, that was enough for me.
"Earlier treatment could include more aggressive use of cholesterol-lowering drugs!"

Here's a thought, why not have earlier treatment be getting the kids vices of FAST FOODS, soft drinks and other unhealthy foods busted AND get them exercising!?

Isn't it always the BEST or should atleast be the earliest or first step to try to get kids healthier and living healthier lifestyles than pumping them full of "more aggressive cholesterol-lowering drugs!?

What a world we live in!
"This is the first generation of children, NOT expected to outlive their parents"--Dr. David L. Katz sounded the first alarm of this dangerous prediction and Harvard concurres.

This is in most part because of their DIET and sedentary lifestyles! Dr. Katz further goes on to say that "well, they MAY live, but what quality of life remains to be seen, after all we can keep them alive with new hearts, drugs and life support."

MORE AGGRESSIVE drugs?

That's the best that the respected American Heart Association can come up with? Grow some spine, shun your big buck donating fast food and soft drink companies and tell it like it is; to save the lives of our children we MUST help them break their addication and reliance on FAST FOODS, unhealthy "JUNK" foods and sugar-filled soft drinks, sports drinks and yes, "energy" drinks! We must encourage children to consume more fruits and vegetables, whole grains, lean meats/proteins and WATER and get their bodies moving!

I almost bought my 13 year old son Clark a Glaceau "Vitamin" water after his soccer game, it was vitamin enriched after all and WATER. But thankfully I read the label. It was also sugar enriched: 2.5 servings and 50 calories per serving or 150 calories total; DUH! I could have bought him a Coke and done the same damage to his immune system, his diet and his overall health!--as my friend Dr. David L. Katz likes to say "Caveat Emptor"--Latin for buyer beware!

That is really the solution to the predicted fate of early painful fat-filled deaths that our children face!

KNOW what you are putting in your body, in the bodies of your loved ones and monitor and control (yes, we can control what our kids do!) what your children consume!

Respectfully,
Julia

Lose weight, live healthy: http://www.juliahavey.com/
A healthy lifestyle transition: http://www.vicebustingdiet.com/
Juice Nutrients Plus+ Supplement: http://www.JPsupplement.com

Are Soft Drinks Causing Cancer?

Are Soft Drinks Causing Cancer? - Dr.J. Patrick Havey

The correlation may not be proven but the headline should grab your attention because the possibilities are real. A new report about the quantity of BENZENE in soft drinks claims that the levels are low enough not to be of concer. First, what is benzene? Here it is defined ... straight from OSHA's website --

Benzene is an aromatic hydrocarbon that is produced by the burning of natural products. It is a component of products derived from coal and petroleum and is found in gasoline and other fuels. Benzene is used in the manufacture of plastics, detergents, pesticides, and other chemicals. Research has shown benzene to be a carcinogen (cancer-causing). With exposures from less than five years to more than 30 years, individuals have developed, and died from, leukemia. Long-term exposure may affect bone marrow and blood production. Short-term exposure to high levels of benzene can cause drowsiness, dizziness, unconsciousness, and death.

Now Benzene has also been shown to be the by-product of Food Additives plus Vitamin C. The World Health Organization (WHO) has set the maximum levels allowed in drinking water at 10 parts per billion. A report out of Australia (by the government) says that their soft drinks are below that level. More about that report here:http://www.abc.net.au/science/news/health/HealthRepublish_1640806.htm

Dr. Kate Hughes who is quoted in the above referenced article points out that "it is significant that the presence of benzene is an unanticipated reaction between a food additive and vitamin C." Did you get that UNanticipated! So you have to ask yourself what other possible chemicals are present as a result of an unanticipated by-product from the addition of certain chemicals to our foods?

The point to keep in mind here is that benzene is a carcinogen, that is a cancer-causing chemical. Do you want to take a risk of consuming a product - soft drinks are reference here, so we'll stick to this one in particular - that has a loaded amount of unhealthy calories and could be cancer-causing? I hope not.

One source (here) puts Benzene in the top ten of hazardous chemicals. Now you have another reason to avoid soft drinks. Learn more about Benzene and how to avoid it HERE.

Add more fruit and vegetable nutrition to your diet to help fight the toxins that you are exposed to everyday. Learn more here: http://www.juliahavey.com/motivation/juiceplus.aspx

Lose weight the healthy way: http://www.lifechanger.us/

Sing like an American Idol--Guzzle Coke!

Coca Cola is running ads on American Idol, telling the millions of viewers to "DRINK COKE, earn rewards and enjoy the rewards" (NOT DIET COKE, NOT DANSAI WATER--but COKE). They show prizes the people can win, they show the dream life that someone can have, even "record like an Idol" is one of the rewards--WHO wouldn't want to aspire to THAT?
http://mcr.us.icoke.com/index.jsp

"DRINK, CHOOSE, LIVE" is their slogan.
The dream.....the American dream of success!

http://mcr.us.icoke.com/getRewardDetail.do?rewardId=2438

Only ONE tiny problem. It takes 41600 points to win the "sing like an idol" prize. So, the consumer will go out in droves and they will buy Coke.(on the site, you learn diet coke applies but on the ADS--ONLY coke is shown). They drink the COKE--afterall, it doesn't say BUY, POUR OUT and WIN--you are to DRINK, CHOOSE and LIVE!

They earn rewards/prizes and modest ones at that, only after theoretically CONSUMING and redeeming:


Codes from 20oz, 1 liter, 1.5 liter, 2 liter and 3 liter sizes of participating Coca-Cola products. = 3 points

Codes from 12 pack of 12oz cans (fridge pack) of participating Coca-Cola products. = 10 points


Let's do some math folks:

To "sing like an Idol" it will take 4160 12 packs of COKE at 10 points each, or 6,938,880 calories, which would only pack 1982.5 pounds on a human body at the rate of 3,500 calories per pound. Why, my goodness, that's just 17.5 pounds shy of a TON of fun! 1 short ton = 2000 pounds!

BUT, not to worry! The American Beverage Association http://www.ameribev.org/health/obesity.asp says very clearly that drinking ANY beverage is good, it's fine, and that moderation must rule our actions but that drinking drinks, such as Coke and other sugar-filled beverages are not to blame for Obesity and that drinking just water is not necessary. Sounds great and official, only one problem; they are a fully funded subsidiary of Coca-Cola--how self serving! http://www.ameribev.org/about/bod.asp With a board like this, do you think any other answer would do?

OK, so the good guys running Coke, Pepsi, et al are "voluntarily" taking soft drinks out of schools within the next couple of years, but in the meantime, they are encouraging if not soliciting the consumption of almost 7 MILLION calories so that the consumer can "sing like an Idol". Yes, they will sing like an Idol, but it will be Obese Ruben and Obese Mandissa who was decried by Simon Cowell for being Obese and said "we will need a bigger stage". We will need a bigger world thanks to Coke's campaign, more just more coffins.


I think this is one competition of which I would like to be voted off!

Oh yeah, the fine print, just in case someone is going to try to drink 4160 12 packs to redeem enough points to actually get to "sing like an Idol", they had better get sipping because the contest ends December 31, 2006, so that leaves 151 days, so they will need to drink 27 - 12 packs a day by then! Good luck, you're gonna need it!

I am actually crying as I type this note to you. I am so upset about this I can't stand it. HOW am I, one person going to fight and WIN this battle? I am up against Coca-Cola and their millions of dollars in marketing dollars.

They are telling you to drink COKE and LIVE, when I know anyone drinking COKE and especially enough of it to "sing like an Idol" is likely to join the ranks of the 2.6 million people who died prematurely last year due to Obesity and Overweight complications.

Choose wisely. You can drink sugar-filled beverages and HOPE to acquire enough reward points to get something really great, or you can change your lifestyle, get healthy and ensure that your LIFE will be really great! I will do all that I can to help you to that end.

I hope this brings you empowerment!

Carpe Diet!
a VERY frustrated Julia--aka David, fighting Goliath, aka Coca-Cola!

Food at Work

Ok, this has to the absolute WORST story that I have ever heard about food in the workplace!

One of my clients and I were speaking on the phone today and she was telling me about her challenges in the workplace in regards to food. She is a nurse.

I have learned that nursing is a career filled with food/weight issues. It was surprising to me at first to learn this because I assumed that those giving of themselves to care for the health of others would take their own health needs very seriously. The opposite sadly is often the case.

There are indeed good reasons--stress, long hours, many hours without even a bathroom break (that would make drinking at least 64 ounces of water a day a real challenge!), the emotional toll from watching someone whom you are caring for die, and on and on. But, the worst challenge appears to be the "treats" brought to thank the nurses--by patients, doctors, administrators and other nurses.

There's a constant plethera of food in the nurses station or break room!

Another nurse (who ironically treats Eating Disorder patients) was telling me that last week, for nurse appreciation week, the hospital sent them TONS of food everyday, and nothing healthy was to be found--M&M's, donuts, cookies, cakes, pies, soda, brownies,etc.

But as bad as that might sound, because after all, we can rationize it and say the hospital administration was trying, they were at least acknowledging the good work they do (but hey, think FLOWERS or a bonus check NEXT year Mr. Hospital Administrator!)--I can't think of a worse, and this one is self-inflicted, "celebration" than this one..... (drum roll, please...)are you sufficiently teased yet?

Ok, it's really really bad...

This celebration of gluttonous excess is...

"Thunder Thigh Thursday"

Yes, you read it right.

AND it is actually arranged by and for the nurses! They set out to bring as much "bad" junk as possible and hold a gluttonious (new word?!) fest!

My clients are fighting an uphill battle! They can hold out, they can stick to their healthy resolves but geez; does it really have to be this crazy?

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The first client is recently back to work in the hospital setting after spending nearly 15 years teaching Lamaze. Now she is on a maternity ward that delivers more babies than just about any hospital in the nation. She is busy the entire time that she is at work. I have her bringing a cut up protein bar in a baggie so that she can grab a quick HEALTHY bite on the run. She has lost weight since starting this new job, but it hasn't been easy.

Her boss finally gets it and doesn't offer her the treats anymore, but she feels very lonely in her desire to be healthy in the midst of so much food. I know she isn't alone. I have more nurses as readers than perhaps any other career. Here is an article about me in NurseWeek:

http://www.nurseweek.com/news/features/04-07/weightloss.asp

Despite our job, our workplace challenges or the temptations around us, we all can band together and declare a "Fit Body Friday!" Next time it's your turn to bring a treat, cut up fresh fruit to work with you and see if you can start a new trend! And, in your next evaluation--tell you boss a thank you that would really mean something to you is CASH!--not trash!

I told my nurse to think of it this way--if someone's idea of thanking you is to bring you junk, they can't really think that highly of your work. If you hold yourself higher than that, and decline the gesture, explain WHY and hold out for something more meaningful--you just may get it!

However, if you say thanks, and open the M&M's and eat them, gain weight and then bash yourself for it later...who feels appreciated? you? your boss? or the guy making M&M's. It's war folks. Obesity kills and unhealthy food fests are the bullets. We must win the war and that means you have to fight.

If you desire to see change in the world, you must first BE the change!--Ghandi

First they will laugh at you,
Then they will ignore you,
Then they will fight you,
Then YOU will win!--Ghandi

If your boss gives you donuts, throw them at him!--Julia

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Caffeine - Another Unhealthy Vice?

Caffeine is often overlooked as a 'vice' only because of it's popularity. Whenever the majority of the population consumes something in such quantities as coffee is (certainly soft drinks can be lumped in there too!), then we all dismiss it as being 'ok'. But the reality is that too much caffeine is counter productive to our health in many ways. How efficiently our brains and/or bodies complete tasks is affected by our caffeine consumption. One very important point to note is that caffeine consumption by teenagers has grown at a very strong rate over the past few years, thanks in part to the plethora of ways a latte is offered. From frappucinos to machiatos, there are enough choices to satisfy even the pickiest of consumers.

Caffeine, however, can be of benefit in small to moderate quantities especially prior to exercise. For an average sized male, consuming just a little - 12 ounces or less (regular, not espresso!) - before exercising, can increase performance. (I guess we could then call it a "performance enhancing drug" and get it banned from professional sports!)

But the bottom line is this: too much of a good thing is no longer a good thing. Development issues arise when teens start consuming too much of..... well, anything except water (or natural juice from fruits and veggies). And the symptoms of withdrawal are plentiful. So if you've got a three Venti Latte habit a day and you decide you're going to cut down, do so slowly so to spare the rest of us with your complaints of headaches, crankiness, tiredness, sluggishness, and irritability. If you want the best stimulant in your life, go with excercise. Only positive side-effects!

Reference for this Blog: GO HERE

Carpe Diet!

Lose weight: http://www.lifechanger.us/
Healthy supplement: Learn more...

First Symptom of a Tumor - Constipation

If you are feeling well, relatively speaking - who couldn't use a little more energy and more "youth" as we get older - you don't necessarily have good health. Recently one of the instructors at the gym where we do our exercise class, was absent for a two week span. She was back tonight and we come to find out that she had benign tumor the size of a softball. This isn't the kind of thing that happens overnight. As you may know, a growth that size can take several years, sometimes 20 or more. This is a very trim, very fit woman who (I'm guessing) is in her 40's. What was her first symptom? Constapation. After an MRI, it was confirmed that she had this softball size mass that needed to be removed. Five days later she had the surgery. Two weeks later she is back teaching the BodyPump class although she can't perform the exercises yet. (NOTE: If you have constipation, it doesn't necessarily be an indication of a tumor).

Two things to note here. The first is that there aren't many ways to measure good health. But the best way you can measure your own potential for good health is by YOUR ACTIONS. What does that mean? Well, if you are drinking plenty of water everyday, eating plenty of fruits and vegetables, and getting regular exercise then you are giving yourself the best chance for optimal health and the greatest amount of longevity that your body will allow. Sure there are going to be certain influences that you have to do your best to 'manage', but the choices you can make that are under your control are the three mentioned. If you decide to drink soft drinks and eat fast food and avoid exercise and smoke, then what could be a benign tumor because of a mutated gene that has grown out of control may just be malignant (life-threatening) one.

The second point to note is the healing and recovery time. Although there are factors that are not completely under our control - mainly the different ways toxins enter our body from the air, water, certain foods, stress, etc., it is safe to say that if any one of us comes down with a sickness, condition, ailment, tumor, cyst, or disease, the chance for healing will be much greater, the time to heal will be much less, and the chances of surviving will be much higher if we are practicing good health every day... every day. Not just once a week or once per day, but as often as practical. And if you're not able to take healthy actions everyday, then work up to it.

Start with one healthy change today and make a habit of it. This is how the LifeChanger Weight Loss Program works, and that's how you should do it. Make a transition to a healthy lifestyle one step at a time so you can continue to live healthy for the rest of your life. The second step you can take is to add more fruits and vegetables to your daily diet intake. Aside from trying to eat 9-13 servings per day, we also use a nutritional supplement called Juice Plus. You can learn more about that here and decide for yourself. We no longer take any other daily supplements and have been feeling great as a result. Number three is exercise. There are thousands of ways to exercise. We love BodyPump which is an aerobic/anaerobic workout - which means you get muscle tone and work your heart and lungs. We love it! We also have an Elliptical Machine in our home which we love to because it keeps the stress off the joints, but still provides a good cardio workout with some muscle strengthening in the arms and legs. The one we have is from Octane Fitness.

Don't take your health for granted. Remember, symptoms are the last SIGN of a problem. Take action today!

Lose weight: http://www.vicebustingdiet.com/LCP.html
Fruit and veggie supplement: http://www.jpsupplement.com/
Exercise equipment: http://www.octanefitness.com/

Carpe Diet!
Julia and Dr. J. Patrick Havey
http://www.juliahavey.com/

Don't be Fooled by This Diet Pill Maker

The company Basic Research out of Utah is being fined because of deceptive claims. Why? The bottom line is because you just can't take any pill or consumable and except that you will lose lots of weight and look like a million bucks without doing anything else! Story here: http://kutv.com/topstories/local_story_132085600.html

Bottom line: you aren't going to reach your weight loss and fitness goals by popping a pill. It requires simple lifestyle changes (not typical "diets"!), and doing it one step at a time.

I am biased, but I invite you to try my Program: http://www.lifechanger.us/

You need to supplement your diet if you're not eating 9-13 servings of fruits and vegetables each day. Do it and help prevent sickness. Learn more: http://www.juliahavey.com/motivation/juiceplus.aspx

Carpe Diet!

$5 Million Diet charade

This just out from the Institute for the Complete Lack of Common Sense; Blue Cross/Blue Shield of  Western NY is shelling out $5,000,000 dollars to figure out the gold standard for treating those morbidly obese patients who would otherwise be candidates for gastric bypass surgery.

for the complete story: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/11736510/

Obviously, the insurance company wants to figure out a more cost effective approach to dealing with Obesity. Aphonso O'Neil-White, President of Blude Cross BlueSheild of Western New York said that gastric surgery cost the American health care system $4.5 billion last year --up 1,000 percent from a decade earlier.

Spending $5 Million to try to lower that is a wise move and a drop in the bucket. However, this is where things lack common sense:

"Many (patients) have been involved in repeated struggles to lose weight, perhaps jumping from one fad diet or new promising remedy," said Dr. Michael Noe, the study's lead investigator. "The real problem for many of them is not necessarily a lack of motivation but rather responding to misguided messages or bad advice."

Could he be trying to say that the failed dieter tried too much too soon on a typical "fad diet" rather than changing their lifestyle?!?!

Yet, KNOWING that such approached don't offer LASTING change, here is what the study is going to put these poor Obese 280 test subjects through:

Those taking part in the study will be divided into four groups. Two groups will consume 800 calories a day, with most calories coming from a packaged, nutritionally dense powder to be mixed into shakes, soups and other foods. (ahhhh, hello?!?, sounds to me like MEDi-fast, etc..! All things we obese have failed at numerous times--even Oprah did!)

800 calorie liquid diet, hmmmm!

The other groups will consume 1,200 to 1,500 calories a day.

Half of the participants will take an FDA-approved appetite suppressant or fat-blocker (I wonder if the drug maker is sharing in this unbiased study?) while the other half receives no medication. All will receive behavioral treatment to learn how to manage their diets, prevent relapses and stay motivated, and all will be encouraged to walk daily, eventually three miles.

Researchers expect that participants who consume 800 calories a day for 12 weeks and then increase to 1,200 to 1,500 calories a day, while taking medication, will lose 20 percent or more of their body weight, Noe said.

And Dr. Noe, I expect that at least 70% of your participants will not make it one week without breaking their 800 calorie diet to consume at least one of their "vice foods".

Will ANY of them be encouraged to change their lifestyle ONE step at a time? Will any of them be told how important water consumption is and to start there as their first solid habit? Will any of these 280 souls be encouraged to get rid of their worst diet vices, one at a time and slowly migrate towards a healthy lifestyle that will last forever?

Doesn't sound like it to me.

$5 million dollars to study what we already know?!  Little wonder insurance premiums are so high. Blue Cross could give each of these 280 people LifeChanger, they would lose 20% of their body weight and they would be more likely to keep it off and by starving them with a liquid diet and expecting different results than in the past.

Insanity--doing the same thing and expecting a different outcome.

Carpe Diet!
Julia

LifeChanger...everything else is just a diet!

http://www.LifeChanger.us

Kraft foods, NOT for health conscious!

Warning to all you coffee drinkers out there!

Recently I bought a small glass container of Maxwell House Instant coffee. I added it to my morning Protein Smoothie--sort of a healthier version of a frappacino! Anyway, after having used about 1/2 of the container, imagine my surprise when my next scoop had a 2 inch sliver of glass in it!

I immediately called Kraft, the maker of Maxwell House, and they rushed to investigate the matter, sending me a packing slip to send them the potentially deadly brew. Well, rushed if you are the Pony Express, but their label arrived 12 days later--and the return label would have taken equally as long to get to them. I sent it back to them via Priority mail so they could more quicly investigate the matter.

I also checked with the local Health Department to make sure that something was being done and that all of the same batch had been taken off of local store shelves, as I didn't want to be responsible for someone else consuming glass. Surprisingly, this was the first they heard of it.

         NOT good to the last drop--or shard!

Well, flash forward many weeks, and apparently the Kraft Snack Fairy has concluded his investigation, Inspector Kluso must have been busy--, but there is "NO way that the glass, which looked and felt exactly like the bottom of the container that I bought, could have gotten into the jar while it was in the factory". Well, thank goodness! I feel better. I guess the large chunk of glass was a fragment of my imagination?

NO WAY!?, then how did it get there? Perhaps they think I am the Wendy's chili finger-planting woman's partner in crime? I was so insulted by the way that the "executive respresentative" from Kraft spoke with me and more insulted by the complete and total lack of concern that Kraft has for the health of their customers.

I should have known what to expect, after all, Kraft's committment to our health is evident by the products that they produce--cookies, Velveta,  macaroni and cheese, etc... and the shameful and blatant marketing that they do to our nation of obese children.

If you are with me on this, how about a Boycott of ALL Kraft products? Maybe we can show them that from coffee with glass, to foods that go straight to our as__--we want BETTER from our nations leaders in food production!

 

Do you see ANY products above that belong in the body of a health conscious person? If your answer is NO, look for these labels when shopping and just say NO WAY!

   

Carpe Diet!

Julia

Vice Busting Diet THE answer to obesity!

Low-fat, low-cal, low-carb. Atkins, South Beach, The Zone. Food fads may be distracting attention from something more insidiously piling on pounds: beverages.

One of every five calories in the American diet is liquid. The nation's single biggest "food" is soda, and nutrition experts have long demonized it. This article discusses the matter in great detail: Soft drinks=Obesity!

What I have been preaching for YEARS is that no one need ever consume a soft drink, sugar filled or "diet"! They are the WORST and most unnecessary things that we put in our bodies and now, we know they are 1/5 of our caloric intake. Think about that, if you simply made WATER your beverage of choice you would cut 1/5 of your caloric intake out effortlessly!

A reader of mine years ago doubted that her daily soft drink fix would lead to great weight loss, I encouraged her to give it up, especially after I found out that she was consuming 3 LITERS of Dr. Pepper a day! She did it, she busted her soft drink vice and 75 pounds of weight loss later, she is very thankful that she did so!

Soft drink consumption rose more than 60 percent among adults and more than doubled in kids from 1977-97. The prevalence of obesity roughly doubled in that time. Scientists say these parallel trends are one criterion for proving cause-and-effect.

Biologically, the calories from sugar-sweetened beverages are fundamentally different in the body than those from food.

The main sweetener in soda - high-fructose corn syrup - can increase fats in the blood called triglycerides, which raises the risk of heart problems, diabetes and other health woes.

Sugar-sweetened beverages affect the intake of other foods, such as lowering milk consumption.  Such beverages also may be psychological triggers of poor eating habits and cravings for fast food.

Despite the fact that reasearch clearly shows that sugar-filled drinks are a big factor in the obesity crisis, diet gurus and the beverage lobby continue to espouse the ridiculous and damaging notion of "moderation". Book shelves are stacked with titles proclaiming "eat the foods you LOVE and still lose weight", many diet plans encourage a day off to consume whatever you want while diet pills lead the overweight consumer to think they don't need to change anything they are doing but only need to pop a pill to realize the body of their dreams.

To the best of my knowledge, I am the ONLY one saying give up Sugar-Filled soft drinks, Fast "food" and your other worst "vices" FOREVER---for the rest of and BEST of your life!

A movement is underway and it is changing the diet of America--it is called Vice Busting and it works, and will work for YOU!

Learn why Dr. David L. Katz (Yale University, O' Magazine, Oprah Show, The Flavor Point Diet, The Way to Eat) and Dr. Mehmet Oz (You, the Owner's Manual, Discovery Health) and Mark Victor Hansen (Chicken Soup for the Soul, Motivational guru) ALL agree that The Vice Busting Diet IS the solution to the Obesity epidemic.

Get started today by visiting www.LifeChanger.us