Author: Devin

Acai Berries Scam

Posted on | by Devin | Leave a Comment on Acai Berries Scam

Acai Berries
photo (c) Breno Peck

The Acai-Berry Craze

Visit any website about health today and you will likely see an advertisement about, “Dr. Oz, acai berries, or the Oprah show.” There is a new acai berry craze coming all over the internet.  In fact, this craze is getting so bad that people are actually starting to deprive the native Brazilians of the berries in their rain forests.

What is so special about these berries? The answer is nothing. Research has shown them to be like most fruits. They are antioxidants, but scored lower in antioxidant potency than many common fruits including, strawberry and grapes. The acai powders and acai juices are the same, they are no better than common fruits and vegetables.

If you live in Brazil than it might be good to eat some berries every now and again. But if you don’t, than you are only wasting your money. There are many other great, healthy foods. Go enjoy some fresh strawberries or grapes.

Scam Alert

Most of these ‘miracle berry cure’ websites will offer you a free trial, beware! In the tiny print of the terms and conditions you will see that they are going to begin charging you a monthly subscription.  What is even worse is that some of these websites will only let you cancel your surprise subscription by phone. In rare cases they won’t even answer the phone number printed on their site and people have had to cancel their credit cards.

Here is a report on acai berries by the Better Business Bureau: http://www.bbb.org/us/article/8493

The acai berries picture was taken by Breno Peck, his profile can be found here:
Açaí

The New McDonald’s Diet

Posted on | by Devin | Leave a Comment on The New McDonald’s Diet

If you haven’t heard about it yet, Chris Coleson, from Virginia, lost 80 pounds eating primarily at McDonalds.

It was a funny story. Chris Coleson said on MSNBC news that he was able to lose the weight by eating every light item on the menu. He focused on the fruits, the wraps, and the veggies entries. He kept his calories low with these foods.

This crazy diet proves that the human body can lose weight on almost anything. You don’t have to eat special-diets or fad acai berries. You just have to keep caloric intake below caloric expenditure. Having a structured plan will certainly help with this goal. That is why I suggest life-style changes.

I wouldn’t recommended this diet because it lacks variety and doesn’t have any long-term potential. However, it was fun to hear about the man that lost weight with McDonalds.

You can watch his video here: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/25281188/

5 Steps to Prevent Obesity in Children

Posted on | by Devin | Leave a Comment on 5 Steps to Prevent Obesity in Children

Obesity in children is become a large problem. In the U.S. the over-weight trend is growing, with 1 out of 3 children being classified as overweight or obese. Children are spending more time inside and less time playing outside. We are seeing fewer home cooked meals and more ‘fast and easy’ calorie-dense solutions. This is becoming a serious problem, as being over-weight is linked to large variety of health and social problems. Some of these problems may include:

  • development of unhealthy eating disorders
  • increased risk of depression or drug abuse
  • elevated blood pressure and high cholesterol with an increased risk of type 2 diabetes
  • joint and bone problems
  • shortness of breath, this makes exercise, sports, or any physical activity more difficult
  • restless or disordered sleep patterns
  • liver and gall bladder disease

It’s is important that parents are proactive. Parents can prevent obesity by supporting and working with their children. Some suggests are:

  1. Remove any ‘clean your plate’ policies. Kids should stop eating when they are full.
  2. Encourage outdoor activities and limit time spent playing computer games and watching TV.
  3. Don’t make food restrictions or limitations. Children will resist strict limitations, it is better to support and encourage health eating.
  4. Eat meals as a family. This is a great way to make sure kids are eating wholesome foods.
  5. Be a good role-model. If you need to lose weight, now is a great time to start.

Remember, no matter what your children weigh, show them that you love them.

Want to get married, lose weight

Posted on | by Devin | Leave a Comment on Want to get married, lose weight
Obesity may decrease chances of marriage in young men

I just finished reading an interesting article about obesity. Researchers have found a correlation between marriage rate  in young men and obesity. Their results were that obese young-men had a more difficult time getting married than non-obese young men.

Their study indicated that men had a 50 percent less chance of being married by their 30s and 40s if they were obese. The study suggested that women may value appearance over intellectual performance or socio-economic situation.

I’m always skeptical about these types of studies, but it was still an interesting read. Regardless of the accuracy of the results, I think the story drives a strong point. Maintaining a healthy body weight provides many benefits, including help in social situations.

You can see the full article here:   Obese young men have less hope of marriage