Obese Nations and the Fast Food Giants

This article is a must read for anyone who consumes fast food. It is an excerpt from a book called The End Of Overeating: Taking Control Of Our Insatiable Appetite, by David A Kessler, published in today’s edition of the Guardian.

Contrary to popular belief, the  smart people are out there.  These people are asking the right questions and thanks to the internet have a tool to share their findings, it’s just up to the people to explore them.

This article explores the mass manipulation of fast food and popular snacks and why millions of people around the world are compelled to consume them.

“Three decades ago, fewer than one Briton in 10 was obese. One in four is today. It is projected that by 2050, Britain could be a “mainly obese society”. Similar, and even more pronounced, changes were taking place in the US, where researchers found that not only were Americans entering their adult years at a significantly higher weight but, while on average everyone was getting heavier, the heaviest people were gaining disproportionately more weight than others. The spread between those at the upper end of the weight curve and those at the lower end was widening. Overweight people were becoming more overweight.

What had happened to add so many millions of pounds to so many millions of people? Certainly food had become more readily available, with larger portion sizes, more chain restaurants and a culture that promotes out-of-home eating. But having food available doesn’t mean we have to eat it. What has been driving us to overeat?”

“Higher sugar, fat and salt make you want to eat more.” I had read this in scientific literature, and heard it in conversations with neuroscientists and psychologists. But here was a leading food designer, a Henry Ford of mass-produced food, revealing how his industry operates. To protect his business, he did not want to be identified, but he was remarkably candid, explaining how the food industry creates dishes to hit what he called the “three points of the compass”.

Sugar, fat and salt make a food compelling. They stimulate neurons, cells that trigger the brain’s reward system and release dopamine, a chemical that motivates our behaviour and makes us want to eat more. Many of us have what’s called a “bliss point”, at which we get the greatest pleasure from sugar, fat or salt. Combined in the right way, they make a product indulgent, high in “hedonic value”.”

Click through to read the full article…..If you dare!

Filed under: Health & Wellbeing, Words & Rants, body conscious, eat more greens, fast food, fat, health, information overload, obesity, vitality

Kino Macgregor demonstrates Advanced Backbend

Kino is one amazing lady. Hoping to do her Edinburgh workshop in March or maybe London later in the year.

She is one of few people to receive the Certification to teach Ashtanga Yoga by its founder Sri K. Pattabhi Jois. The youngest woman to hold this title, she has completed the Third Series and is now learning the Fourth Series. Living in Miami, Kino and her husband own and run the Miami Life Center, which is dedicated to teaching yoga and other holistic therapies.

This demonstration was at Purple Valley Yoga Retreat, Goa, India.

Filed under: Health & Wellbeing, Video & Moving Image, Yoga & Balance, advanced backbend, ashtanga, astanga, body conscious, health, kino macgregor, personal growth, Sri.K. Pattabhi Jois, vitality, yoga blog, youtube

Do You Feel Lucky?

I feel incredibly lucky to have gotten to this point in my life where I have recognised the importance of and begun to develop, a deeper understanding of myself, my capabilities and my impact in this world, internally and externally.
I believe there is an unspoken pact in Relationships that should be Acknowledged, Observed and Respected by the other.

We as humans, will all evolve in our own time and sometimes our actions can be perceived as self-centred or inconsiderate, when really all they are is an extension of our own growth and approach to understanding.

When you are in a couple, there has to be flexibility for the pair to grow, simultaneously or independently. And to have a partner who recognises these changes and accepts them with open arms, is invaluable. They don’t necessarily have to understand why and how, they just need to accept what is happening and follow their own paths, as you are following yours.

Most people will never get that chance in their lifetime and survive only on the surface, surrounding themselves with negative or damaging people, drowning in a world of controlling, superficial media (television, tabloids etc), and barely surviving their own self-pity (poor me syndrome).

Never once once asking why?

Or, is this all there is?

Or what steps will i take to make my life better?

I believe sharing these life events is very important, for those in the world who might be experiencing something similar! To write about my experiences as they occur, therefore creating a type of a legacy to leave behind.
I know I’m not going anywhere until I build a legacy worth its salt!
Life is and only ever will be, what we make it, right?

Filed under: Health & Wellbeing, Words & Rants, Yoga & Balance, growth, health, lucky, personal growth

Do My Shoulders Look Fat in This?

We are all living in what seems to be the height of the self conscious, body conscious, skeletal, starving, obese, depressed, eating disorder Era!

We’ve ordered it.

Cooked it. Left it on the plate.

Thrown it in the trash.

Fed it to the dog or thrown it up…..

Then we Plump it. Prod it. Pluck it.

Suck it in.

Get it sucked out.

Slather it. Salve it. Balm it.

Make it up. Wash it off. Make it up again.

Exfoliate it. Laser it. Wrap it in seaweed.

Smoke it out. Get it drunk.

Compulsively exercise it off and watch it drop dead from Exhaustion!

At the end of the day, what’s left to be self-conscious about?

Filed under: Health & Wellbeing, Words & Rants, body conscious, bukowski, depression, eat more greens, eating disorder, fat, health, starving, vitality

If I Had a Goat, This is How You’d Get It…

…..Why don’t people want to take care of themselves?

We are such strong individuals, so resilient, so tough.  Our immune systems are second to none, fighting off anything from the common cold to wretched cancers. Yet, we insist on making our bodies work to capacity most of the time. Bad Diet, Alcohol, Cigarettes, Scarcity of Exercise….

Why do we insist on making it so hard for our vehicles to get along, happily and healthily?

Is it a inherent conditioning? Is it lack of education? Or, is it just plain laziness?

Where did we adopt the attitude of  ’But it’s easier this way’, ’I’ll quit when I’m older’ or ’I’ll start taking better care of myself when I have more money/time’?

We are primed, initially by our parents but what we learn isn’t necessarily true for us as we mature. We should be encouraged and encourage our children, to educate themselves on how to treat the Vehicle, designated to them in this life.

For humans in the Age of Technology and Information, we tend to forget that knowledge is easily acquired. It’s just a matter of taking the time to go out there, find and clarify the information or simply ask an expert in that field…

It’s easy to be ambivalent, it’s easy to blame your parents and it’s easy to be what you know.

What’s hard is taking responsibility for who you are now, what you are prepared to learn and who you want to become.

Eat more greens people, start reading and do some fucking exercise…!

Filed under: Health & Wellbeing, eat more greens, goats, health, laziness, vitality