What is unusually strange about the FDA caloric behavior, as well as industries who advertise the caloric content on their packaged products, is that calorie information doesn't make sense. The continuing false assumption that the world's growing obesity problem is directly associated with increased calorie intake is not supported by evidence. The mission of this HEALING2DAY blog is to bring truth to light about such false beliefs and to demonstrate that they are not scientific fact.
The underlying premise of HealthEatingAndLiving2Day (Healing2Day) is that we're ON OUR OWN; our survival depends on our saving ourselves. The blog is sending out an S.O.S. Saving Our Selves is going to require more than yesterday's methods to stop what is described as an obesity epidemic. An entirely different approach means that we will no longer rely on a medical model or blame individuals for the monumental weight gain witnessed around the world. As a professor and student of stress and health, my job is to change behavior and beliefs. Drastic change is needed, so a dramatically different way of thinking about food and energy is necessary for the battle of the life-threatening bulge.
HEALING2DAY is thus a vehicle for setting the record straight about why weight-loss seekers are losing, the "losing battle" . Like most well-trained sociologists, I focus on relationships and practice looking beyond where one is directed to look. Going beyond, for instance, the traditional distractions of counting calories and fat, we get to finally discover what is really making so many of us "fat" and/or "obese." Healing follows a particular course of action, and in this course I'm teaching, I'm going to use well-established facts, and analyses and reviews of books, articles, and stories in the news media to reveal why we're On Our Own (O3) when it comes to challenging such dual crises as obesity and diabetes. Healing2Day is a Call2Action for a healthier food supply and more truth about what is being done to the food we eat.
One way to engage in the CALL2ACTION is to accept that the On Our Own or O3 conversation is about expressing opinions and sharing experiences. In a sense we're crowdsourcing, that is, depending upon a crowd, such as the worldwide online community, for answers and new solutions. Such a virtual public square is uniquely possible in the 21st century because of social media and the Internet.
We are the change, we're seeking. I excited about being your guide! Step One begins with questioning accepted relationships involving our food; the beliefs and practices of organizations and institutions. Two recent news stories (June 2013) about coffee and soft drink companies reveal why a shift away from obesity means asking some very different kinds of questions.
CASE #1: DOES CALORIE COUNTING MAKE SENSE?
According to press releases from Starbucks, the caloric content of its food is going to be posted on its menus. Calorie counting starts June 25, 2013 at more than 11,000 Starbucks around the country ahead of final guidelines from the FDA.
The Seattle-based coffee chain is even going to post calorie information for its pastry.
But does it really matter if you can save some calories in your drinks or have a Morning Bun (350 calories) instead of a blueberry scone (460 calories). Do you believe that you can lose weight counting calories?
The real answer is in the facts posted on the Starbucks Nutrition page. If you're worried about gaining weight, shouldn't you be counting what's causing it: sugar carbs?
The following Starbucks chart from its website , for example, clearly shows that three drinks with the same caloric value (240 calories) range in sugar carbs from 34 grams to 50 grams. So it's kind of a no brainer to figure out that counting calories is not telling the true story of weight gain. And since research shows that sugar lacks any nutritional value, one could become malnourished by counting calories.
Why then does it make sense that in the 21st Century the focus is still on calories rather than carbohydrates? Hasn't the nation already grown fatter by doing what the government continues to recommend: count calories? More importantly, who really benefits from such misinformation? Who benefits from obesity?
Starbucks Nutrition
www.starbucks.com
CASE #2: ARE ALL CALORIES REALLY ALIKE?
Wow!!! Even Coca Cola is tired of the nation being fat and started launching anti-obesity ads this year.
Coke's commercials encourage consumers to count calories and make smart choices. HELP US FIGHT OBESITY, the company says on its website (http://www.coca-colacompany.com/coming-together/)
The Atlanta-based company pushes the notion that weight loss or gain is determined by calories and physical activity. Then its commercial boldly states that "all calories count in managing weight, including those in Coca Cola's products and brands." But research clearly shows that America's "leading beverage company" is WRONG! Can you really burn off the sugary content of a drink faster than that of a Twinkies via physical activity?
If you don't stop and think about what you're hearing from Coke then you might think the company is becoming more responsible, rather than being pushed into reality by force from consumers' changed soda-drinking habits. It is amazing that one of the major industries directly responsible for influencing the nation's health one way is now anxious to influence it in the opposite direction.
The simplistic view that caloric information on bottles and cans of Coke is going to put a dent in the battle against obesity is tantamount to blaming consumers for being fat and ignoring that the producers of unhealthy products are also to blame. Coke is scrambling with audacious ads because it gets it, finally!
It only takes a quick look at Coke's website to see the truth: Calories don't count, Sugar Carbs do! So why is the federal government still focusing on calories?
Coca Cola Nutrition Facts 20 oz bottle
Nutrition facts on Coca-Cola's 20 oz bottle show us that it has 240 calories, 75 mg of sodium and 65 grams of sugar. It also contains 57 mg of caffeine per 20 fl oz serving.
- Serving size- 1 bottle
- Servings per Container- 1
- Calories- 240
- Total Fat- 0g
- Sodium- 75mg, 3% of DV
- Total Carbohydrates- 65g, 22% of DV
- Sugars- 65g
- Protein- 0g
- Caffeine- 57 mg per 20 fl oz
CALL4ACTION: THE TRUTH WILL SET US FREE
It's time to spread the truth via social media that our Institutional and Economic environments are not conducive to healing or becoming healthier because of "bad" science, false beliefs, and non-wellness practices. It's time for a NATIONAL CONVERSATION about health and healing from the bottom up. In other words, we're ON OUR OWN if we going to SAVE OUR SELVES (S.O.S.) from preventable diseases, such as obesity and diabetes.
HEALING2DAY is the Call2Action for a wellness revolution for change. Speak Up! Speak Out! Advocate for healthier food and fitness practices. By exposing the facts and myths that are keeping us fat and unhealthy as a nation and offering FREE HEALTH TIPS, WEIGHT LOSS STRATEGIES, and REVIEWS of RESEARCH and HEALTH-RELATED news stories, HEALING2DAY can begin. Note to self: There is a "U" in YOU!
Assignment #1: Question your thoughts about food and take the polls on this page.
Assignment #1: Question your thoughts about food and take the polls on this page.
-Professor G
COMING UP: The Secret Three Words Missing From Most Diet Books and Guidelines.
