Dieting is a principal health topic in the U.S. and rightfully so. According to the Department of Health and Human Services, almost two thirds of American adults (age 20 years and older) qualify as overweight. That's slightly over 127 million people, sixty million of whom qualify as obese, or seriously overweight. It's a major problem for our population - and therefore, naturally, a major topic on the Internet.
There are dozens of sites that are more or less informative on the issues of weight loss and dieting and dozens more that pitch one diet program or another, or provide commercial content on several diets. There's lots of money being devoted to web advertising to steer you to one diet or another, many of which have become names familiar in most households.
Of the informative sources, perhaps the most thorough on the issue of weight is the American Obesity Association (www.aoa.org) which treats the affliction as a disease and has extensive educational material available. Wikipedia (www.wikipedia.org) does an excellent job discussing the basics of dieting. Their material addresses types of diets (as opposed to brands); the relationship of exercise and dieting; how calories are counted and how they work; and some of the dangers inherent in misguided attempts at dieting.
Diets are also the core of a major American industry. Millions are spent annually on specialty diet programs - on books, prepared food programs, and hands-on therapy that involve both diet and exercise. If you're looking for an analysis of the online resources for dieting, there's a fairly extensive body of material at www.freedieting.com. The title itself illustrates the mercenary nature of most diet web sites; however it's a place to start if you want to learn about the more popular online diet programs.
Freedieting.com provides recommendations on programs, rankings based on popularity, and lots of content on the ancillary items such as workout plans and calorie counters. It is unclear, however, what criteria their recommendations are based on: it could be advertising, or it could be truly objective analysis. Given the title of the site, it may be a combination of the two.
An openly commercial site that provides comparisons of fourteen online diet programs can be found at http://www.diet-plan-offers.com. While it's clear that the programs found there paid for positioning, it provides you with an opportunity for some quick comparisons of diet program models.
In November the Department of Health and Human Services in conjunction with the FDA, announced two online tools to assist consumers in dieting. The tools are Make Your Calories Count, a Web-based learning program, and a new Nutrition Facts Label brochure. These tools combine an online diet program with a detailed explanation of how to use the nutritional facts posted on every food item sold publicly. It is the government's attempt at countering the rising tide of obesity in this country and it is possibly the only truly cost-free program you'll find online. You can find the details at http://www.fda.gov/bbs/topics/NEWS/2006/NEW01508.html.
For an overall look at the health issues and diet programs, there is a good list of specific sites found at http://www.medsurfer.com/library/diet.htm. This page contains a list of web sites that are mostly products of government agencies or non-profit organizations. The sites address particular issues such as types of fats; nutrition guides and includes archival resources on dietary management.
There is a vast amount of information online about nutrition and dieting. There are also vast numbers of online diet programs, of various designs, that are paid services. If you are interested in an online diet and exercise program, choosing among them is the second biggest challenge you will face. The number one challenge, of course, will be mustering up the discipline to follow it.
Madison Lockwood is a customer relations associate for ApolloHosting.com. She brings years of experience as a small business consultant to helping prospective clients understand the ways in which a website may benefit them both personally and professionally. Apollo Hosting provides website hosting, ecommerce hosting, vps hosting, and web design services to a wide range of customers. Established in 1999, Apollo prides itself on the highest levels of customer support. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Madison_Lockwood |
Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie: Fat Camp Counselors?
We truly live in the age of the airhead. The next season of 'reality' show The Simple Life will have Paris Hilton and Nicole Ritchie as camp counselors. "The girls[...] will be guiding the children through a week of weight loss and fitness exercises." (src)...
Fuel for the Race of Life with Dean Karnazes
What does it take in food, training and conditioning to 350 continuous miles, foregoing sleep for three nights? What does it take to run accros Death Valley in 126 degree temperatures, and run a marathon to the South Pole in negative 40 degrees. What kind of body does one need to have to swim across the San Francisco Bay, scale Half Dome in Yosemite and mountain-bike for 24-hours straight.? Dean Karnazes knows. He has done all this and more.
Men's Fitness Magazine says "Dean Karnazes might just be the fittest man in the world!"
On seven different occasions, he's run a 200-mile relay race solo, racing alongside teams of twelve. Dean is a Ten-time Western States 100-Mile Endurance Run Silver Buckle winner, has competed across the globe, and is the 2004 Badwater Ultramarathon champion, considered: 'The World's Toughest Footrace.'
We talk with Dean about these extrodinary accomplishments and how he fuels his body and mind to do what he does. Dean is sponsored in part by Nature's Path Foods and he consumes Nature's Path foods for energy.
Research In Childhood Obesity In Children Highlights Physical Activity Levels
A British study, involving 5,500 children and published in the latest issue of PLoS Medicine, used accurate methods to measure the 'fat mass' of the children and the amount of physical activity they were taking. The researchers, based at the University of Bristol, concluded that low levels of activity, particularly moderate and vigorous activity, play an important role in the development of obesity. [click link for full article]
Obesity Drives US Surgical Procedure Volumes Higher
Millennium Research Group (MRG) has conducted a detailed analysis of surgical procedures in its US Surgical Procedure Volumes 2007 report. The report finds that over 11 million Americans are considered morbidly obese, and by 2011, over 13 million will be- driving the volume of surgical procedures in the US throughout the next five years. [click link for full article]
Red Pepper: Hot Stuff For Fighting Fat?
Food scientists in Taiwan are reporting new evidence from laboratory experiments that capsaicin - the natural compound that gives red pepper that spicy hot kick - can reduce the growth of fat cells. The study is scheduled for the March 21 issue of the ACS' Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, a bi-weekly publication. [click link for full article]
Even Light Exercise Helps Smokers Quit
Even short bouts of light exercise such as strolling can help smokers quit by reducing cigarette cravings and withdrawal symptoms, say scientists at the University of Exeter in the UK. The study is published in the April edition of the journal Addiction. The scientists suggest that a short session of moderate exercise, lasting for as little as five minutes, is sufficient to reduce cravings for a cigarette. [click link for full article]
DVT Awareness Survey Findings For Respondents In High-Risk Groups: Obese Individuals
Up to two million Americans are affected each year by DVT, with up to 600,000 hospitalized. Its primary complication, pulmonary embolism (PE), claims up to 300,000 lives annually -- more than breast cancer and AIDS combined. The Coalition to Prevent Deep-Vein Thrombosis (DVT) recently sponsored an online survey of a nationally representative sample of consumers and physicians. [click link for full article]
The Answer To Childhood Obesity: 15 Minutes Of Football?
ALSPAC The Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (also known as Children of the 90s) is a unique ongoing research project based in the University of Bristol. It enrolled 14,000 mothers during pregnancy in 1991-2 and has followed most of the children and parents in minute detail ever since. [click link for full article]
As Obesity In Children Increases, The Incidence Of Fatty Liver Disease Rises
Indiana University School of Medicine researchers are taking a closer look at a disease whose incidence is rising as obesity in children increases. Non-Alcoholic Steatohepatitis, more popularly known as Fatty Liver Disease, occurs in approximately 15% of obese children. Fatty Liver Disease, in which fat accumulates in the liver, while not life threatening in children, can lead to cirrhosis (scarring) of the liver, sometimes requiring transplantation by adulthood. [click link for full article]