Cartoon characters pull kids to eat, hopefully, produce

SpongeBob SquarePants, Shrek and other cartoon characters can encourage kids to eat fruits and vegetables, but they're even more compelling when it comes to candy say four Yale researchers.

The study found that children significantly prefer foods that have popular cartoon characters on the packages, compared to foods without them.

In the study  4 to 6 year olds were more likely to prefer the taste of graphm crackers, gummy fruit snacks and baby carrots if characters like Dora the Explorer, Scooby Do or Shrek were on the package.  The taste perception was the weakest for carrots, suggesting that using characters on healthy dfoods may not be an effective strategy to rpomote consumption of those foods.

Source: Yale study

Exercise and eat more produce

Finally, they're considering changing the food pyramid.  Right now the pyramid looks like you should be eating as much dairy as produce (the blue on the pyramid is dairy, red and green are the fruits and veggies). Made me realize the power of American Dairy Association's lobbyists.  Stay tuned, the U.S. Department of Agriculture is only considering it.

And they should, previous blogs outline an abundance of reasons and now the 2010 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee has now weighed in.
Calling obesity the greatest threat to Americans' health.  The Committee "advocates the consumption of nutrient-dense forms of foods to provide the maximum nutritional intake within calorie needs...All vegetables, fruits, whole grains, fish, eggs and nuts prepared without added solid fats or sugars are considered nutrient-dense."

The report release June 15 will be used to update federal dietary guidelines such as those outlined in the food pyramid.

I'm about halfway through and have found it incredibly interesting, more posts to follow. For your own reading pleasure.

Excercising more

Don't think of it as exercise, think of it as activity.  Make the world your gym.  Do errands on foot, park in the farthest parking space, open the garage door by hand.  You get the idea.  active is the new fit.

Go for a subtle shift in your mind-set. It's more conducive to long-term health and weight loss, according to Russell Pate, PhD, profesor of exercise science at the University of South Carolina.

From the article "More Time (for exercise) in the 3/10 Readers' Digest

Wii vs the actual sport

Using a standard measure called a metabolic equivalent of a task (MET), researchers have rated the effort required in the Wii video games. 

Overall Wii sessions aren't as tough as the activities they mimic - for example real tennis takes 7 METs but the Wii game only 3 to 4.  Although you're more active playing or doing the real thing, Wii does help you meet the American Heart Association's recommendations for optimal fitness: a half hour of moderately intense activity ( 3 to 6 METs) 5 days a week.

Nine Wii activities- including basic step class, baseball, and tennis - demanded 3 to 4 METs, putting them on par with brisk walking (3.8 METs).  Wii push-ups, advanced step and boxing called for more than four METs. 

Information from 3/10 Readers' Digest