obesity

Are ‘Food Deserts’ a Myth or Simply Misidentified?

Angelo Franco

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) defines a food desert as a low-income community in which the nearest supermarket is at least one mile away from a populated zone. This infers that zones deemed “food deserts” would have  limited access to healthy foods without the burden of inherent hardships, such as ownership of car or access to public transportation to reach the nearest supermarket. 

Women’s Life Expectancy Is Shrinking Due to Smoking, Obesity

Rochelle Sharpe

One of the most disturbing trends in American public health is that women's life expectancy is shrinking in many parts of the U.S. Women's longevity took an unprecedented nosedive during the past decade, researchers recently discovered, with their life expectancy tumbling or stagnating in one of every five counties in the country. The last time life expectancy fell for a large number of American women was 1918, due to Spanish influenza.

The Culinary Secrets of Svelte Parisians

Misa Shikuma

Comparing the inventories of grocery stores in the two countries suggests that there is a fundamental difference in what is considered to be food. American manufacturers appear to enjoy one-upping each other by coming out with lower calorie, zero fat versions of their products, to the point where the ingredients lists read more like chemistry experiments than anything that might actually be edible. Go to France, and everything you see on the shelves is real. Better yet, head to your neighborhood’s open-air market and buy everything directly from the farmers, butchers, bakers and cheese-makers. 

PepsiCo.’s Donation to Media Organization Raises Questions About Ethics

Fernando Quintero

I don't know whether anyone on the NAHJ board or staff pointed out the parallels between the generous Philip Morris and PepsiCo gifts. Or whether there was even any debate about accepting the money. These are tough times, especially for the journalism industry. Yet, just like taking money from tobacco, accepting funding from the soda industry can put organizations like NAHJ on a slippery slope, with the potential to risk their values, integrity and public trust.

Popularity of American Fast Food Leads to Rise of Obesity in Asia

Andrew Lam

Besides the tasty draw of fatty foods and sweet sodas, there’s another reason why such establishments are making inroads in countries that are otherwise known for their excellent culinary traditions. Unlike in the U.S., where fast food is perceived as time saving and cheap and often the preferred meal of the working poor, in Asia places like Burger King and Pizza Hut are the fare of choice for those with dispensable incomes. 

Selling Soda in the Age of Obesity

Khalil Abdullah

In a nation facing unprecedented levels of obesity, efforts by health advocates to make soda Public Enemy Number-One are gaining traction. But marketers of the sugary drink still have to figure out how to sell it. The way the drink is being marketed, even as cities across the country are looking to crack down on soda – from Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s campaign to ban the sale of large sodas in New York City to a proposal to establish a soda tax in Richmond, Calif. -- was the subject of a discussion last week at the first National Soda Summit.

Cracking Down on Soda

Taisa Grant

From New America Media: Sugar is like crack. Or at least, the threat it poses to the health and well-being of people in Richmond, California, is not far off from the threat posed by crack cocaine or other harmful narcotics, according to a recent report by the Contra Costa County health department, entitled “The Impact of Sugar-Sweetened Beverage Consumption on the Health of Richmond Residents.” Soda, says the report, is particularly addictive given how effective our bodies are at absorbing sugar, which can lead to obesity, which in turn causes us to be more susceptible to disease.

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