Preschool obesity rate stable at 1 in 7: U.S. study

The U.S. obesity epidemic, which afflicts all age groups, has stabilized in the past five years among preschool-age children at about one in seven children, government researchers said on Thursday.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported 14.6 percent of 2- to 4-year-old children were obese in 2008, about the same as in 2003 and compared to a 12.4 percent obesity rate in 1998.

"These new data provide some encouragement but remind us of two things -- one, too many young children are obese, and two, we must not become complacent in our efforts to reduce obesity among young children," said Dr. William Dietz, director of the CDC's Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity and Obesity.

Childhood obesity has been shown to increase the risks of developing chronic diseases such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease later in life, and it can often lead to adult obesity. About one-third of U.S. adults over age 20 are obese and another one-third are considered overweight. Adult obesity rates have increased dramatically over the past two decades.

Obesity is associated with more than 100,000 U.S. deaths each year.

The CDC report, published in its Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, gave some credit for the stable rates among preschoolers to programs that encouraged breast-feeding, consumption of low-fat or fat-free milk by children, and reduced television viewing.

The CDC surveyed some 2 million children, and defined obesity as having a body mass index -- a measure of height and weight -- that ranked at or above the 95th percentile on growth charts.
American Indians and Alaska Natives were the only racial or ethnic group where the proportion of obese children rose between 2003 to 2008 -- rising about one-half percent per year in each group to 21.2 percent.

Hispanic preschoolers had the next-highest obesity rate in 2008 at 18.5 percent, with 12.6 percent of young white children and 11.8 percent of black children considered obese.
The author of the study, CDC epidemiologist Dr. Andrea Sharma, said reducing obesity rates required "policy changes that promote physical activity and good nutrition."

She urged "greater consumption of water and fruits and vegetables and lower consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages and foods high in fats or added sugars."

(Reporting by Andrew Stern; editing by Julie Steenhuysen)

Can You Really Lose Weight While Still Eating All Your Favorite Foods?

The 'Cheat Your Way Thin' weight loss program has been getting a lot of attention lately as several experts in the area of Health & Fitness have been promoting the program as a fun, stress free way to lose weight, without giving up the foods you love to eat. The question is - Is it all hype or does it really work?

As with any weight loss/diet program, this program will not work for everyone. Weight loss is an individual thing and what may work for one person won't necessarily work for someone else. However, the 'Cheat Your Way Thin' appears to work for most people and therefore is likely to work for You.

The program's creator Joel Marion has spent several years researching and fine-tuning the material in this program to make absolute sure it is as effective as possible and produces the very finest results for anyone who follows it correctly. So after 6 years of meticulous research it's no wonder that Joel's program has proved so successful for so many people.

I recommend you visit Joel's website and read some of the many testimonials 'Cheat Your Way Thin' has received. They clearly show how this program truly helps people to achieve their weight-loss goals and develop life-long eating habits to keep the weight off forever.

One of the great things about Joel's unique weight loss program is that, unlike most diets, it allows (even encourages) you to eat ALL your favorite foods, (Pizza, Chocolate, Ice Cream... Whatever!) throughout the diet. Sounds too good to be true doesn't it... Well the fact is it's not about what you eat, but rather how you eat, and you need to make sure you eat according to the guidelines that Joel Marion sets out in his program.

As this weight-loss program is so much fun it makes it really easy to stick to it fon a long term basis. You still need to eat healthy, fresh fruit & vegetables, and lean food most of the time, but as Joel Marion discovered, 'Cheat Your Way Thin' can actually help your body to burn off fat much faster than if you were to avoid eating your favorite foods altogether.

This is a 7 part program, and includes, video, audio, and reading material which is easy to understand & follow, and provides numerous ways for you to remain committed to the process as it is such an enjoyable way to burn off that excess fat You have been trying so hard to lose for years.

I highly recommend you visit Joel's website 'cheatyourwaythin.com' and find out more about his program, and of course check out those testimonials.

Top 10 Fat-Fighting Foods

by Cass

Avoid nasty refined foods that increase your blood sugar level for short term energy fixes and replace them with these great tasting super-foods!

1. Oatmeal: Releases energy of time - keeping you feeling full for longer. Oatmeal is a complex carbohydrate and is thought to help reduce cholesterol.

2. Greens. Broccoli, Spinach, Salad leaves, in fact any leafy vegetable is vital to keeping your system healthy. Packed full of Iron and other minerals, eating plenty of greens provides roughage and antioxidants that are believed to have long term health effects - including protecting your from memory lose.

3. Olive Oil: The health benefits of Olive Oil have been known for Millennia and countries with diets based on Olive Oil (such as Greece and Italy) tend to have longer life expectancy. Full of healthy fats, a good quality olive can be used for everything from salad dressing to deep fat frying.

4. Turmeric: Turmeric contains the highest known source of beta carotene, the antioxidant that helps protect the liver from free radical damage. It also helps your liver heal while helping your body metabolize fats by decreasing the fat storage rate in liver cells.

5. Cayenne: This hot spice lessens the risk of excess insulin in the body by speeding metabolism and lowering blood sugar levels before the excess insulin can result in fat storage.

6. Chillies: Chillies increase your metabolic rate as well as acting as an antiseptic. There a thousands of varieties of chilli and not all of them will bring ears to your eyes - although if your into that they're easy to find!

7. Tomatoes: Packed with vitamin C, tomatoes stimulate the production of the amino acid known as carnitine. Research has shown that carnitine helps speed the body's fat-burning capacity by one-third.

8. Nuts: Raw, unsalted nuts provide essential roughage, protein and fats and make for a very healthy snack. Macadamia nuts in particular are very good at keep the cravings at bay.

9. and 10. Garlic and Onions: The base of any great dish, these root vegetables are known to reduce cholesterol and fight infections. Garlic in particular is known for helping lower blood pressure.

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Stay at home mom of two wonderful kids & 5 furry ones.