Prince Charles wants to ban McDonalds?

Apparently even British royal family are concerned about health.

Personally, I never knew that Prince Charles ate organic food or set up a farm on one of his estates that does't use artificial pesticides or fertilizers. I never thought the eating habits of the royal family.

When he suggests, banning McDonalds, he was in the United Arab Emirates when he said this. They have the world's second highest number of diabetes cases per capita.

McDonald's replying that Prince Harry ate there in 2005 is, in my opinion, silly. That was over a year ago, possibly close to two years, depending on the month.

I think moderation is the key in this though. Eating an excess of McDonald's or other fast food can cause weight problems and health problems. However, if people would focus on eating such foods in moderation would help fight these problems.

Besides, if Prince Charles wanted to talk about obesity problems, maybe he should concentrate on things in his own country.

With obesity on the rise in the United Kingdom, second in the world only to the United States, perhaps Prince Charles should look at his own people and the health issues and weight issues with them.

Lose weight without exercising

Yes, it is possible to lose weight without setting foot in a gym or lacing up a pair of running shoes. In fact, you can do it without without any excerise.

I really find this an interesting idea. It makes a lot of sense though. You either burn off calories, or you don't eat them to begin with. I can see this being true.

There have been times when I have eaten less for one reason or another and lost weight, even though I didn't go to the gym. So a person who wants to lose weight can do it without exercise.

It's not difficult either. Perhaps it is something as simple as refusing second helpings at dinner, or cutting back on snacking throughout the day.

Personally, I think it is good to exercise. It helps tone muscles and also helps reduce the possibilities of some ailments. Besides, a lot of people I know say they feel better after exercising.

That is something that not a lot of people realize. Losing weight by eating less helps if a person is overweight or obese, but that doesn't mean it does the same thing as exercise. That's why the two go hand in hand.

However, if you can't get to the gym, or don't have time to jog around the block, cutting back on some calories could help.

Can sleep battle obesity?

Now, when I was little, I was told to sleep so I wouldn't be tired the next morning, or if I was sick, I was told sleep would help me get better.

And now, it appears sleep helps children fight obesity.

This is the first time data has been collected over five years, which is the only way to do it for such a study.

I do have some thoughts on this study though. The numbers drop from 36 percent to 30 percent chance of obesity if there is an extra hour of sleep. However, I think the total amount is important.

At least some other studies explain WHY.

It does make sense. I know that I stay up later than I should on some nights and that does throw off my metabolism. If anyone has ever stayed up late, they probably have experienced it as well, maybe getting hungry at 1 am or snacking on chips while attempting to do some late night cramming.

So what does this mean? Try to go to bed earlier. Or if you can't, at least you can feel better about hitting the snooze alarm.

Battling Obesity with video games

Kids can now fight obesity and other health related illnesses through a video game.

Body Mechanics sounds like a bit of an odd name, but it is easy to remember. I never would have thought of having a video game for this!

I did hear about people losing weight playing Dance Dance Revolution, but that is not a typical video game, and it is one I love to play.

I think having a DVD included with the game will help a lot. It might help push the idea a bit more.

I just wonder, will it work? It is giving facts, giving questions to decide if the character lives or dies. But is it enough? And what about when the questions start to be repeated. Then it is just automatic. Will it work?

Keep your eyes open for it starting this Tuesday. We'll have to see if a lot of people buy it and see if it leaves an impact on the children.

Obesity report cards for kids

I know people are trying to help keep kids healthy, but obesity report cards?

I don't really know what to think of this program. I mean it is good that kids are healthy, but are obesity report cards really the best way to do it?

I think it could be disheartening for kids and yes, it might hurt their self esteem. However, would it be better to wait until they are older to worry about it? Maybe it isn't something the schools should focus on, but I think it is important.

Personally, I have seen children eat a lot of unhealthy things and I know that it can continue to affect them throughout life. It creates a pattern that should be fixed before it gets out of hand.

In my old junior high, everyone had to take a swim/gym class. I think that might be helpful elsewhere too, to help get kids in shape. I wonder if that would be better than report cards. Show how to fix some of these problems instead of just saying "This child is obese" or "This child is borderline obese" or "This child is of average weight".

But to be fair, the reports have influenced some kids to change their habits. Maybe that is what they need. I know when I was little, they measured our weight and height, but never mentioned what was considered a healthy weight.

Perhaps this will catch on like the trans fat ban.

First trans fats bans, now counting calories

It appears that Americans are getting more serious about their health, or at least some are.

So what is the newest idea?

Calories posted with items on the menu.

The California bill will be going to Governor Schwarzenegger if it gets through legislation.

Basically, this bill means putting calories on all the food items at restaurants. I have to admit I have sometimes wondered about the calories and other nutrition information when at a restaurant. However, it is only shown on food that are considered 'healthy'.

I know this could pass, which would affect all of California, and it is possible that other states might want to do the same thing. However, the cost to restaurants could be high, especially if they change their menu often.

It is mentioned that children eat twice as many calories in a restaurant. I think that could be true for most people.

I just wonder if seeing the calories will bring in less business or a change in what people order. I know I have had some food at places like that isn't healthy and probably wouldn't have touched it if it was listed.

Personally, I am torn on this issue of knowing and not knowing. While it would help with health decisions, I think the staggering numbers would be a bit intimidating.

It could help though. I know I don't go out to restaurants as often as some, but it would let people see what their calorie intake is, and where the calories are coming from.

Another new diet pill

So what makes this new diet pill so special?

It's the first one approved by the FDA.

Now, personally, I have never used diet pills just because I've heard of all the side effects. There are also so many out there. However, this one is approved by the FDA, the first one ever.

How it works is an interesting concept, absorbing fat and then having it leave the body in a natural manner. However, like with many drugs there are side effects to think about and certain people can't use it.

The important thing that most people forget is that this pill should be INCLUDED with healthy eating and exercise not IN PLACE of those things.

I am fairly certain that since this new pill has been FDA approved, there will be a lot of people who will want to try it. It might help, but I think eating healthy and exercising are more important.

Caffeine and donuts?

While I knew there would be a lot in terms of trans fat bans occuring as well as other changes in food, I never thought that caffeine would be added to food. And yet, someone wants to do it.

Caffeine in donuts.


The man who wants to market these says he could put in 100 milligrams of caffeine, which is the same amount in a 5-ounce cup of coffee. However, research says that this could be dangerous. 12-ounces of soda pop has between 30 to 55 milligrams of caffeine, so just this could equal more than 36 ounces of soda pop.

Personally, I don't drink coffee, but I also try not to have too much caffeine, mostly because if you are addicted to it and don't get it, it's nearly impossible to function.

There is just so much caffeine out there, do we really need to add more? Also, this could lead to an increase in donuts, which are certainly not good for anyone's health.