New York, U.S.A – A balanced and healthy diet is crucial to good health and overcoming stress. In his forthcoming book called entitled Stress Pandemic, lifestyle and stress expert Paul Huljich shares a simple and holistic approach to nutrition, paying added attention to the effects of what we eat on our neurochemistry.

“Ensuring that we are supporting a healthy neurochemical balance is a vital and proactive step toward managing our stress,” Hulijch asserts. “When you feel tense, stress eating or emotional-eating is triggered like an automatic response. That’s especially so if your body reacts strongly to stress-released hormones.”

A 2010 study from the University of Michigan showed that when levels of the stress hormone cortisol were boosted in healthy, non-stressed adults, they ate more junk food. When people feel stressed out, most either stop eating altogether or binge on high-fat, high-sodium products such as chocolate, doughnuts, potato chips and other snack foods. And when combined with America’s growing portion sizes, people grow sicker, gain weight and develop bad habits that can endure a lifetime unless they say “NO” and take charge of what and how they eat.

Bad eating habits start young so where else to begin teaching kids about good nutrition outside of home but in this nation’s schools?  Thankfully, people like Michelle Obama are championing this crusade. Hoping to combat the growing problem of childhood obesity, the Obama administration recently announced its long-awaited changes to government-subsidized school meals, a final round of rules that adds more fruits and green vegetables to breakfasts and lunches and reduces the amount of salt and fat.

“As parents, we try to prepare decent meals, limit how much junk food our kids eat and ensure that they have a reasonable balanced diet,” Mrs. Obama said in a statement. “And when we are putting in all that effort the last thing we want is for our hard work to be undone each day in the school cafeteria.”

About 32 million children participate in school meal programs each day. The new rules are a major component of Mrs. Obama’s campaign to reduce the number of overweight children through exercise and better nutrition. The announcement came months after the food industry won a vote in Congress to block the administration from carrying out an earlier proposal.

“Children born in the year 2000 or later are not expected to outlive their parents,” stated Dr. David Katzof the Yale Preventive Medicine Research Center at a nutrition conference in April. Why are our kids so sick? One reason is that they eat too much bad food.  In March of last year, Dr. Katz quoted in a Wall Street Journal article that a “poor diet in kids is more dangerous than alcohol, drugs, and tobacco combined!”

If you can believe it, the top 3 foods consumed in America are hot dogs, white bread and coffee. And the marketing industry is capitalizing on our society’s obsession with eating junk food, evidenced by an announcement made last week by 7-Eleven, the nation’s largest convenience chain, of a low-cal line of Slurpees! The move comes at a time when companies have been marketing everything from “Spam Lite” to “skinny cocktails” aimed at calorie-conscious consumers.

Huljich believes that as a society we must revolutionize the ways in which we eat beginning with cutting out all the C-R-A-P (an acronym for coffee, refined food, alcohol and processed food). He also does not endorse the use of fad diets, counting calories or choosing to eat certain food groups over others.

His approach to a healthy diet, which is outlined in detail in his forthcoming book Stress Pandemic, is a balanced and practical one, which first identifies and bases his diet on the good foods and eating patterns in your life while eliminating the bad ones. “The human body is designed to thrive on a variety of foods therefore I feel a more holistic approach to diet is far more effective and supportive to overall health and well-being than any of those revolving popular diet fads can ever be,”  Huljich states.

“When you go on a fad diet and exclude any of the necessary nutrients, you’re putting yourself at risk for illness.” It is precisely as Gary Taubes warned in Newsweek’s recent cover story “The government has spent hundreds of millions telling Americans to exercise more and eat less. But the country is getting heavier every year. It’s time to change the way we think about fat.”

A balanced eating plan supports all of the body’s functions so that it can absorb and use nutrients efficiently and effectively. Health maintenance promotes physical fitness and disease prevention such as the risk for heart disease, heart attack, stroke, type 2 diabetes and some forms of cancer.

America is a nation trying to find a cure yet not looking closely enough at the symptoms. By finding the courage to and wisdom to look at the root cause and going back to basics, individuals can learn how to master stress and live longer and healthier lives.

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A recent study run by scientists from the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria and the University of Granada has confirmed a link between consumption of sugary foods (doughnuts, cakes, etc.) and fast food (French fries, hamburgers, pizza, etc.) and depression.

Published in the Public Health Nutrition journal, the study concludes that consumers who eat fast food and sugary foods, compared to those who eat little to none, are 51 percent more likely to develop depression.  In addition, the results have shown that “the more fast food you consume, the greater the risk of depression,” according to Almudena Sánchez-Villegas, lead author of the study.

Participants in the study who ate great amounts of fast food and commercially baked goods were also revealed to have a greater chance of being single, less active, and have comparatively worse dietary habits, such as eating less nutritious foods like fruit, nuts, fish, vegetables, and olive oil.  Other unhealthy characteristics of this group included smoking and working over 45 hours each week.

Those who do not consume commercially baked goods and fast food in large quantities are still at risk for developing mental illness.  “Even eating small quantities is linked to a significantly higher chance of developing depression,” the university researcher from the Canary Islands noted.

The study sample consisted of some 8,964 participants that had no past history with either depression or mental illness and were members of the SUN Project (University of Navarra Diet and Lifestyle Tracking Program). They were studied for an average of 6 months, and 493 of them were diagnosed with depression or began to use antidepressants.

These new conclusions support the results of a previous SUN project from 2011, published in the PLoS One journal.  The project recorded 657 new cases of depression out of the 12,059 people taking part in the study over the course of a little more than six months.  A 42 percent increase in risks associated with fast food was noted, a finding lower than that found in the current study.

Sánchez-Villegas says, “Although more studies are necessary, the intake of this type of food should be controlled because of its implications on both health (obesity, cardiovascular diseases) and mental well-being.”

Over 120 million people suffer from depression worldwide, meaning it is one of the leading causes of disability across the globe. Furthermore, in countries with low and medium incomes, it is the most common cause.  There is little information, however, about what role diet plays in developing different forms of depression.

Studies from the past have suggested that certain nutrients have a preventative role, such as B vitamins, omega-3 fatty acids, and olive oil. Healthy diets, such as those common in the Mediterranean, have been linked to lower risks in developing depression.

While the exact link between fast food and sugary foods and depression is not yet known, the study will hopefully pave the way for other experiments revealing the exact causes that link bad diets and depression.

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March is National Nutrition Month, bringing healthful eating and positive nutritional choices to the forefront for Americans. With nutrition top-of-mind, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration reminds you about a simple tool to help you make informed food decisions!  It’s called the Nutrition Facts Label, and you can find it on all packaged foods and beverages.

The Nutrition Facts Label lets you know exactly what you’re eating and serves as your guide for comparing foods and making choices that can affect your long-term health.

Start Today…And Use It Forever!

You’re likely hearing a lot about nutrition during the month of March. But while the Nutrition Facts Label is a tool you can start using right now … the best news is that you can continue to use it every time you shop for food. The Nutrition Facts Label serves as your guide in several ways.  And once you get started, you’ll see how easy “label reading” really is.

The Nutrition Facts Label shows the calories per serving. Keep in mind that 100 calories in a serving of food is moderate, and 400 calories is high.  The label also lists the number of servings per container.  It’s quite common for a package of food to contain more than one serving – so that means that if you eat two servings (or more) of that food, you are getting two (or more) times the number of calories and nutrients that are listed on the label.

The Nutrition Facts Label is also your tool to track nutrients. The Percent Daily Value (shown as %DV) gives you a framework for deciding if a food is high or low in a particular nutrient.

This is helpful for nutrients you are trying to get more of (such as calcium and Vitamins A and C), as well as for the ones you are trying to get less of (like sodium, total fat and cholesterol).  The %DV recommendations are based on a 2,000-calorie daily diet, and each listed nutrient is based on 100% of the recommended amounts for that nutrient. There is an easy rule of thumb to follow when comparing nutrients: 5% DV or less of a particular nutrient means the food is low in that nutrient, and 20% DV or more means it’s high!

Start using the Nutrition Facts Label today and you’ll be in the know about the foods you are choosing. Identify serving size, check calories per serving, and monitor nutrients – especially the ones you are trying to get less of, like sodium, total fat and cholesterol. That’s how you can compare foods and make the nutritional choices that are best for you and your family.

For more information about the Nutrition Facts Label and to obtain materials visit:
http://www.fda.gov/Food/ResourcesForYou/Consumers/ucm266853.htm
http://www.fda.gov/ForConsumers/ConsumerUpdates/ucm094536.htm
http://www.fda.gov/nutritioneducation

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Did you know that February is American Heart month? In addition to Valentine’s Day festivities, Lady Foot Locker wants you to celebrate your heart by making sure you take care of it. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, heart disease is the leading cause of death for men and women alike in the United States.

The best way to reduce your risk of heart disease is through a healthy diet and active lifestyle. The American Heart Association suggests at least 150 minutes per week of moderate exercise or 75 minutes per week of vigorous exercise (or a combination of both). That’s just 30 minutes a day, five times a week! Lady Foot Locker wants you to be prepared with the right shoes and clothing to get you moving:

• Physical activity is anything that will get your body moving and burn calories, which, in turn, will get your heart pumping. If you are looking for a training shoe that is made for everything from dancing to kickboxing, try the Nike Free TR Twist. The flexible sole will work with any activity you choose.
• Taking your daily walk or run outdoors is a great way to diversify your workout. If you are looking to start running, the right footwear is essential in order to protect your feet. The Asics Kayano 18 is a reliable sneaker choice by runners, known for its fit and function. The American Heart Association also recommends spending time outdoors as sunlight on your skin helps your body produce vitamin D, resulting in additional health benefits.
• Proper support and confidence in your apparel are key to a successful workout. Finding the right sports bra, one that provides comfort and mobility, is the foundation for any physical activity.
• If you’re looking for a fun way to express yourself even while working out, own it with exclusive graphic tees . They will be extra motivation to help you stay on the right track while making a statement about who you are.

Lady Foot Locker knows that looking good means feeling good, so start working towards a healthier you this February.

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