Saturday, March 1, 2008

Eat Less to Lose Weight

With all the new advances in nutrition and exercise research it seems to be a contradiction that obesity and over weight is on the rise in North America. It's pretty clear that we know more now than we ever did about how to eat properly and how to exercise for weight loss and overall health. research in nutrition and exercise shown us exactly what we need to do to lose weight, get into great shape, and stay that way? If science has progressed in these fields of research, why hasn't it resulted in a more fit, healthy, and slimmer population?

The truth is that the opposite is happening to the population. The percentage of overweight, obese and unhealthy adults is rising right along side our scientific knowledge of how to fight it. What is even more alarming is the rise in the percentage of overweight and obese children. We are teaching our children our bad habits.

This is sending a pretty clear message to me. The information we get from scientific research is not reaching the general population. Or more accurately, the message isn't being supported enough by government and industry in our daily routines.

For example: Science would dictate that you should eat modest portions of whole foods, with plenty of fruits and vegetables as a staple of a healthy diet. The reality is that most of us can find half a dozen fast food restaurants within 5 minutes of our houses that are offering us the exact opposite of what we know we should be eating. Even more troubling is the fact that if everyone actually tried to eat the daily recommend amount of fruits and veggies there wouldnt be enough to go around. Author and acclaimed nutrition researcher Marion Nestle points out in her book What to Eat that the north American food supply of fruits and veggies doesnt even add up to the daily recommend amount for each person. The food industry will only produce the food they know they can sell. And we as a population just dont buy that much produce.

The repeated and relentless marketing messages to eat more we receive on a daily basis can overpower most of our better intentions when it comes to making food decisions.

The one message you will never hear from the food industry is eat less. However almost all diet studies that show any significant amount of weight loss have one thing in common: the people in the study consumed less calories.

This is the paradox. Science tells us to lose weight we need to eat less. But the food industry which surrounds us every day is telling us to eat more. And the voice of the food industry is much louder than the voice of science. Just think of how many fast food restaurants, convenience stores, radio and tv commercials, flyers, coupons and other food ads you are exposed to in a day. Then think of how many daily messages you get reminding you to eat a sensible diet with moderate portions and whole foods.

Its not a fair fight, and I dont have to tell you which side usually wins in the battle for your attention. Look no further than the rising obesity, overweight, diabetes and heart disease rates and you have your answer.

food manufacturers and restaurants know how to push your buttons and entice you to purchase their products, and lots of them too, this is unlikely to change any time soon. It will always be your personal challenge and responsibility to choose to eat less in a society that will forever continue to tell you to eat more.

John Barban is a certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist and a varsity strength and conditioning coach. His trademarked http://www.6minuteCircuits.com Circuit Training Workouts is designed to get a full body cardio and muscle toning workout in the comfort of your own home. John is a senior contributor at http://www.grrlathlete.com where you can sign up to get insider information in the nutrition and fitness industry. You can ask John a question on the http://www.grrlathlete.freeforums.org dedicated to support women with their fitness and nutrition goals.

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Crime Scene Investigation: Understanding The CSI Effect

Programs such as Forensic files, Law and Order, csi, csi Miami etc may be hugely popular and thoroughly entertaining but they have created what is know in academic and professional circles as the 'CSI effect'

According to max Houck, director of the Forensic Science Initiative, a program that develops research and professional training for forensic scientists, "The csi effect is basically the perception of the near-infallibility of forensic science in response to the TV show,"

The main distortion between fictional portrayals and the application of forensic science in the real world is 'time frame'. It can take several weeks, sometimes months to get results back from the lab, however, in the fictional world of forensic science and crime scene investigation, results invariabaly come back straight away.

The csi effect in action

It would seem that the csi effect is most visible in the court room, particularly among jurors. max Houck mentioned above, argues that Prosecutors fear the csi effect among juries because they may question why everything is not subject to forensic analysis, when in fact not everything has to be. Equally, Defence attorneys are concerned about the csi effect because jurors may perceive the science of forensics as completely objective and totally accurate, thus ignoring the possibility of human or technical error.

Writing for USA today Richard Willing outlined a number of examples that highlighted the csi effect in action. These included:

A murder trial where jurors alerted the judge that a bloody coat introduced as evidence had not been tested for DNA. In fact, the tests were not needed because the defendant acknowledged being at the murder scene. The judge stated that TV had taught jurors about DNA tests, but not enough about when to use them.

A murder trial where jurors asked the judge if a cigarette butt found during the crime scene investigation could be tested to see if it could be linked to the defendant. The defence team had ordered the tests but had not introduced them into evidence. Upon doing so, the tests exonerated the defendant, and he was acquitted.

The fact that prosecutors are now being allowed to question potential jurors about their TV-watching habits.

To find out more about the csi effect and to test your own crime scene investigation skills and knowledge visit:

http://www.all-about-forensic-science.com/csi-effect.html

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