Stuff I’ve found digging around on the net … with my take on it ..c

Physical Education Key To Improving Health In Low-income Adolescents School-based physical education plays a key role in curbing obesity and improving fitness among adolescents from low-income communities, according to a new study led by researchers at the University of California, San Francisco and UC Berkeley.

It’s what we all know: physical activity is good for your body and your mind – and it’s much more fun than sitting in the classroom all day.

TV Bombards Children With Commercials For High-fat And High-sugar Foods Childhood obesity in the United States is reaching epidemic proportions. With more than one fourth of advertising on daytime and prime time television devoted to foods and beverages and continuing questions about the role television plays in obesity, a study in the November/December issue of the Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior

Bowel cancer is one of the most common cancers in New Zealand and on a world ranking we’re way up there. Around 2500 New Zealanders develop bowel cancer each year and about 1000 die.

Considering there are just over 4 million of us, it’s pretty high. Bowel cancer is not so common in Maori people but those who do develop it are less likely to be diagnosed and therefore more likely to die.

Bowel cancers begin as polyps. As you can see in the picture, taken at virtual colonoscopy, these are small growths that can enlarge within your bowel on a stalk. As they grow bigger, the more chance there is of one of these turning into a killer -  a malignant cancer.

Bowel cancer is more common as you age but it’s never too early to get into healthy habits to cut your risk. Here’s the top 4 ways…

1. Physical activity
2. Fibre especially from wholegrains and fruit
3. Garlic
4. Calcium – have some low fat milk and yoghurt each day

From a diet perspective, here are the top 4 ways to increase your risk of bowel cancer?

1. Obesity, especially around the stomach
2. Processed meat such as sausages and salami
3. Red meat – it’s great for iron and zinc but keep it to less than 500 grams a week
4. Alcohol

Found these interesting snippets surfing around the web …

The price of free choice … When National’s Tony Ryall took over as Health Minister he promised no major structural changes.  He has kept that promise. District health boards and universal subsidies for primary health care are intact. … I agree with free choice but for  many of us  ‘free choice’ does not always equate to ‘good choice’ ..c

How the food industry buried the folic acid plan … The New Zealand Government wants to defer mandatory fortification until 2012 and this week issued a public discussion document which floats that option, along with that of proceeding with the original September start, and pulling out of the rule altogether. … If you have an informed opinion on folic acid supplementation make sure you respond to this public discussion document soon – it’s on a tight time frame ..c

Keep an eye on … Viewed as the healthy children’s snack, these thin crisp rounds grab attention with claims they are 97 per cent fat- and gluten-free. The downside is they’re loaded with salt and flavour enhancers… Parents! – read this. It’s right! Have you ever smelt some of those snacks? Even a tiny pack of some of those rice snacks can stink out a car for days – and it’s definitely not a natural food smell..c

Swiss Company Promises Chocolate Revolution … Chocolate is just as much a part of Switzerland as the Alps. Now, global market leader Barry Callebaut has developed the product that competitors have been hopelessly puzzling over for 60 years — chocolate that doesn’t melt and is low in calories … Melt-proof chocolate with less calories? What will it be made of? I’d rather stick to the real stuff myself ..c

Top 10 Tips and Tricks for Better Coffee … Coffee doesn’t always make work better, but you can definitely work to get better coffee. From four-cup hotel machines to French presses, from home-roasted beans to decorative foam—we’ve got a wealth of tips for enjoying a better cup… My favourite iced coffee is the Thai style – strong black coffee mixed with sweetened condensed milk and poured over a glass of crushed ice. Delicious and naughty ..c

Hunting best buys when eating healthy costs more … WASHINGTON – Obesity experts say the lousy economy threatens to worsen Americans’ already bulging waistlines because bad-for-you food happens to be the cheapest. But there are healthy cheap eats, and new research aims to show how to eke the most … Potatoes, eggs, yoghurt and lean mince – good suggestions for healthy eating in tight times ..c

I found these digging through the www … all from down-under!

KFC dumps palm oil Yum! Restaurants, makers of KFC, will ditch palm oil for a healthier alternative, two years after the company stared down the Federal Government and refused to change its ways…

Cindy: Good news for KFC-lovers’ hearts but those deep fried delicacies will be just as fattening – and if the chicken skin is on there’s still a fair whack of saturated fat.  See my post on palm oil chocolate controversy.

Dramatic weight loss on Maori diet – Health – NZ Herald News A dangerously obese man lost 75kg in a year because he reverted to a “hunter-gatherer” diet, says a fitness expert …

Cindy: Good on you, Rob. Hopefully your example will inspire many to get back to basics – lean protein, lots of vegetables and moving your body every day. I bet he didn’t visit KFC – even with their fancy new ‘healthy’ oil!

Junk food TV ads reined in | National News | News.com.au AUSTRALIA’S fast food industry has agreed to a voluntary code to govern the way it markets products to children. The Dietitians Association of Australia (DAA)  welcomed the move as a “good start”.  “The DAA has been calling for regulation in relation to marketing to children, particularly during children’s television viewing hours, and we support any initiative to improve this,” chief executive Claire Hewat said…

Cindy: You know the thing that really jumped out at me about this story was the title of the review: The Australian Quick Service Restaurant Industry Initiative… I guess ‘The Australian Fast Food or Junk Food Industry Initiative’ just doesn’t sound nice enough! Oh, the power of words. No longer do we talk about ‘husbands’ and ‘wives’, we have ‘partners’, and now we don’t eat fast food, we go to the ‘quick service restaurant’. Doesn’t it make you feel like ‘dining out’ right now!