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7/21 - Austin editorial - Changes in fatty foods a good recipe for a healthier America
Changes in fatty foods a good recipe for a healthier America
http://www.statesman.com/editorial/c...210ac00ac.html * Changes in fatty foods a good recipe for a healthier America Editorial Board AUSTIN AMERICAN-STATESMAN Monday, July 21, 2003 A combination of changing tastes, alarm about the growing number of obese children and fear of lawsuits is having a profound -- and beneficial -- effect on the American food industry. Fast food giant McDonald's now touts its healthy salad choices, and is experimenting with fruit in its popular Happy Meal for kids. Frito-Lay has removed trans fat from Doritos, Chee-tos and Tostitos, and labels the trans fat content in other products. Trans fat is thought to add to the risk of heart disease, and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration this month mandated its listing on food packages after 2005. Kraft Foods, which was sued over the trans fat content of Oreo cookies, is radically altering its food products by reducing the fat content and calories. Kraft also is attacking trans fat in its snack foods in an effort to reduce or eliminate it. These and many other changes are driven both by a demand from health-conscious consumers and the fear of product liability lawsuits like those filed against cigarette manufacturers. The effect has been to produce a healthier food supply, even if the industry is to a large degree changing out of self-interest. Although bills now in Congress would protect the food industry from lawsuits, their passage is far from assured. Fast foods and snacks are popular, but they are often unhealthy and high in calories, sugar, sodium and fat. One only needs to look at a bag of glowing orange Chee-tos to understand it isn't health food. While food manufacturers may be responding out of fear, everyone benefits if the industry succeeds in making healthier foods that people like. A public concern about the alarming rise in obesity is another factor in the switch to more nutritious fare. Child obesity has more than doubled in the past 25 years, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and teenage obesity has tripled. That knowledge has forced schools to reconsider their lunch menus and relocate or lock their snack and soda machines. It also has made snack food and fast-food companies take a hard look at their menus and their marketing. There is no question that food companies have aimed their high calorie, high fat foods at children. Personal decisions play a role in the fast food and snack food choices, too. Parents and individuals choose the foods they and their children eat and bear most of the responsibility if they choose unwisely. But food decisions are not only a matter of personal choice, because people are influenced by advertising, convenience and taste. And that is why food companies are taking the initiative and changing the way they prepare, package and advertise their products. These changes appear to be part of a shifting dietary landscape. Though it may take years to substantially alter America's appetite for unhealthy food, when people know what's in the food they eat and its effect on their health, they are more likely to make better choices. Food manufacturers now recognize the concern about obesity, health and a more discerning public -- plus the likelihood of expensive lawsuits -- and are changing their products. That's a good beginning toward becoming a healthier America. ON THE WEB: For more information about the FDA's rule on trans fat labeling and nutrition, go to www.fda.govoc/initiatives/transfat. Information on health and nutrition is available at the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Web site, www.cdc.gov/health/nutrition.htm. |
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7/22 - Scripps Howard MD column - Too much soda does make children fat, study finds
http://www.tcpalm.com/tcp/health_and...124783,00.html
Too much soda does make children fat, study finds By Steve Infanti Scripps Howard News Service July 22, 2003 Q: My child drinks a great deal of soda. My mother says this will make him fat. Does soda contribute to weight gain in children? A: Too much soda and other sugar-filled drinks make children fat. That is the message of a two-month study by nutritionists at Cornell University. Children who drank more than 12 ounces of sweetened drinks gained significantly more weight than children who drank less than six ounces a day. That's because children do not reduce how much food they eat at meals for the calories they consume in sweetened drinks. The more sweetened drinks they consumed, the greater their daily caloric intake and the greater the weight gain. Nutritionists also worry that soda might be crowding out bone-healthy milk on the menu and might even leach calcium out of growing bones. "Soft drinks taken in excess may result in excessive phosphorus in the diet and that, in turn, can result in low blood calcium levels," says Dr. Lisa Ritchie, assistant professor of family and consumer sciences at Harding University in Searcy, Ark. "The body will respond by pulling calcium from the bone to increase the amount in the blood." |
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