Fast Food and Calorie Counts in New York January 24, 2008
March 31, 2008 will mark a new day in New York City. The day that Article 81.50 of the New York City Health Code will take effect which requires fast food restaurants with 15 or more national chains to display calorie counts on their menu items. Calorie count menus must be in close proximity to menu items and calorie menu boards must have letters and numbers as large as the name of the item on the menu. NY is believed to be the first U.S. city to require calories on menus. California, Washington and Seattle lawmakers are considering similar bills.
The rate of obesity in the United States has reached epidemic proportions and as Dr. Thomas Frieden, New York City’s Health Commissioner, recently stated, the law would strike a blow against obesity by helping consumers make informed choices. Over the past several years New York City has paid increasing attention to the food content of their residents and recently banned trans-fat-laden cooking oils from all restaurants. Chuck Hunt, a spokesman for the New York Restaurant Association, said the regulation would not stop people from eating fattening foods. He pointed to the nutritional information that is already required on packaged items sold in stores. “It’s been done in supermarkets for 13 years,” Hunt said. “Has it worked? Has obesity declined?”
What does this say to me: As arrogant and cynical as Mr. Hunt sounds in this piece, he is accurate regarding the current availability of labeling on packaged items and the American peoples continued love affair with unhealthy foods and their careless attitudes regarding their health, however little by little that attitude is changing. More and more Americans are making educated choices about their health and as a New Yorker I am happy that fast food restaurants are required to display the calorie count. Now health care professionals have to get busy teaching society what those calories mean. For additional information:http://www.cspinet.org/new/200801223.html
Yours in Good Health
Giant Euphoria – Part 2 January 23, 2008
http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2008/01/20/sports/20090121_GIANTS_SLIDESHOW_index.html
There is nothing like pure joy and love. In our society, sports events — cheering for our team — gives us an emotional outlet that is unlike anything else. In a prior blog entry I discussed two studies showing that people who exhibit positive emotions are less likely to become ill and are likely to have greater well being, health, and longevity. I firmly believe that. I can attest to the accuracy of those studies. I am a New York Giants fan and because of the “high” that I got from their victory over the Dallas Cowboys last week, I had a great week.
This past weekend was highlighted by the William Sisters Australian Open victories and the NY Giants thrilling edge of the seat victory over the Green Bay Packers. Sport events have always had a significant impact on the life’s of people and have helped communities bond.This weekend the Green Bay community bonded together and showed their dedication to and LOVE for their team in a manner that the rest of us can only applaud. In minus 24 degree temperatures a group of community volunteers shoveled snow from the parking lots around the stadium and cleaned the stadium seats before the game. In the wee hours of Sunday morning, cars lined up around Lambeau Field and when the stadium doors opened 2 hours prior to kick off (about 4PM), 70,000+ fans joyfully walked through the gates of an open outdoor stadium and sat on freezing cold aluminum seats to cheer on their team.
What does this say to me: At times, sports have enabled communities to come together and look past their differences for a common cause. On a day that commemorates the memory of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., it is only fitting that the images of joy on the football field yesterday in New England and Green Bay were not of blacks hugging blacks or whites hugging whites but of people expressing their love and joy for one another as community, because of the joy that their team had given them.
Yours in Good Health
The Safety of Products from Cloned Animals January 19, 2008
I have been bumping into cows all week, either in photos or the many articles flying around regarding the safety of food from cloned animals. I have always had an interest in the science of cloning but didn’t pay much attention to it because it didn’t affect my reality. Well that may not be the case for very long. This week the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the use of meat and milk from cloned livestock, stating it was safe for human consumption. A similar decision was made by The European Union several days before. In addition, various food products made from cloned animals does not require product labeling. I must admit that it made the hairs on the back of my neck rise just a little. I thought it was time I looked at the issue more carefully.
First off, what is a clone any way? An animal clone is a genetic copy of a donor animal, similar to identical twins but born at different times. Cloning is not the same as genetic engineering, which involves altering, adding or deleting DNA; cloning does not change the gene sequence. Cloned animals are expensive/pricey and are replicas of some of the finest farm animals ever born. They will be used primarily as breeding stock to create what many say will be a new generation of superior farm animals. Almost all of the food that comes from the cloning process is expected to be from sexually-reproduced offspring and descendents of clones, and not the clones themselves.
The FDA reviewed hundreds of peer-reviewed publications and other studies on the health and food composition of clones and their offspring. According to Stephen F. Sundlof, D.V.M., Ph.D., director of FDA’s Center for Veterinary Medicine, the FDA “determined that meat and milk from clones and their offspring are as safe as food we eat every day,” and that “cloning poses no unique risks to animal health when compared to other assisted reproductive technologies currently in use in U.S. agriculture.”
In assessing the wholesomeness of food, FDA scientist used the same standards used by farmers. If an animal appears healthy, then they presume that food from that animal is safe to eat. The FDA also looked at nutrient levels in meat and milk from a few dozen cattle and pig clones and hundreds of their progeny, and compared them with values from conventional animals and found it to be indistinguishable. Consumer groups have been concerned about whether offspring of cloned animals suffered increased stress because it has been found that stressed animals produce pathogens. I am not clear that this issue was addressed in the FDA report.
Several opinion polls show the majority of Americans do not want milk or meat from cloned animals in their food. They are uncomfortable with animal cloning and want to see cloned meat and dairy products labeled. A Gallup Poll found that 60% of Americans believed that it is immoral to clone animals and won’t buy milk from cloned animals. In reality, it will be years before foods from clones or their off-springs find their way to store shelves in significant quantities, mainly because the clones themselves are too valuable to slaughter or milk.
So at the end of the day do I feel comfortable gulping down a glass of cloned milk? Well not exactly, I would like to see longer term studies as well as strict regulations on the breeding and care of clone animals and their off-spring. Like it or not cloning is increasingly becoming a reality in the US and elsewhere so as consumers, educators, and health care professionals we have to become educated about the issues so we can make informed decisions about what we put into our bodies. And food products from cloned products should be labeled.
http://www.centerforfoodsafety.org/CloningPR01_15_08.cfm
http://www.courant.com/news/nationworld/hc-clones0115.artjan15,0,5365024.story
Yours in Good Health
Giant Euphoria January 14, 2008
http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2008/01/13/sports/20070814_GIANTS_SLIDESHOW_2.html
What does the New York Giants football team’s victory over the Dallas Cowboys have to do with health and wellness? Besides my being a huge Giant fan and waking up euphoric this morning, several studies have confirmed that people who are happy, lively or who exhibit positive emotions are less likely to become ill when they are exposed to a cold virus than those who report few of these emotions. A recent study by Professor Sheldon Cohen from Carnegie Mellon University found that when happy people do come down with a cold, they report fewer symptoms than would be expected from objective measures of their illness. Another article by Stephen Post revealed that Altruistic emotions and behaviors are associated with greater well-being, health, and longevity. This particular article presented a summary and assessment of existing research data on altruism and its relationship to mental and physical health. All that to say that euphoric Giant fans should live a fairly healthy life this week, until Sunday when we will all again be at the edge of our seats.
Yours in Good Health
