San Francisco Bans Most Happy Meals

Article courtesy of the Chicago Tribune, November 02, 2010|By Sharon Bernstein

http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2010-11-02/business/ct-biz-1103-happy-meals-20101102_1_offer-toys-nanny-state-happy-meals

"San Francisco's board of supervisors has voted, by a veto-proof margin, to ban most of McDonald's Happy Meals as they are now served in the restaurants.

The measure will make San Francisco the first major city in the country to forbid restaurants from offering a free toy with meals that contain more than set levels of calories, sugar and fat.

The ordinance also would require restaurants to provide fruits and vegetables with all meals for children that come with toys.

"We're part of a movement that is moving forward an agenda of food justice," said Supervisor Eric Mar, who sponsored the measure. "From San Francisco to New York City, the epidemic of childhood obesity in this country is making our kids sick, particularly kids from low income neighborhoods, at an alarming rate. It's a survival issue and a day-to-day issue."

Just after the vote, McDonald's spokeswoman Danya Proud said, "We are extremely disappointed with today's decision. It's not what our customers want, nor is it something they asked for."

The ban, already enacted in a similar measure by Santa Clara County, was opposed by San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom, who was vying to be lieutenant governor in Tuesday's election. But because the measure was passed by eight votes — one more than needed to override a veto — his opposition doesn't matter unless one of the supervisors changes his or her mind after the promised veto.

Under the ordinance, scheduled to take effect in December 2011, restaurants may include a toy with a meal if the food and drink combined contain fewer than 600 calories, and if less than 35 percent of the calories come from fat.

Over the last few weeks, the proposed ban caused a stir online and on cable television, with supporters arguing that it would help protect children from obesity, and opponents seeing it as the latest example of the nanny state gone wild.

Supervisor Bevan Dufty, whose swing vote provided the veto-proof majority, said critics should not dismiss the legislation as a nutty effort by San Franciscans. "I do believe the industry is going to take note of this. I don't care how much they say, 'It's San Francisco, they're wacked out there.'"

Proud, the McDonald's spokeswoman, said the city was out of step with the mainstream on the issue.

"Public opinion continues to be overwhelmingly against this misguided legislation," she said. "Parents tell us it's their right and responsibility — not the government's — to make their own decisions and to choose what's right for their children."

Oak Brook-based McDonald's is not the only fast-food chain to offer toys with children's meals, but because it is so prominent the company has become a key face of opposition to the ban.

Daniel Conway, spokesman for the California Restaurant Association, bemoaned the ordinance's passage and contrasted it with San Franciscans' exuberant feelings after the Giants won the World Series on Monday night.

"One day you're world champions, and the next day, no toys for you," Conway said.

He said the industry could respond in a number of ways to the ordinance. Some might continue to include toys but charge separately for them. Others might reformulate their meals so that they comply with the law. Restaurants might also simply stop offering children's meals altogether, he said.

Proud said the company does offer more healthful menu options, including apple slices that can be ordered with kids' meals instead of french fries.

The vote was held the same day that McDonald's reintroduced nationwide its McRib sandwich, a pressed pork patty that gets half its calories from fat and has a cultlike legion of fans.

Mar said it would lead the fast-food giant and other restaurants to provide more healthful food for kids. The ban, he said, was crucial to the fight against childhood obesity and the illnesses that go along with it, including diabetes and the risk of heart problems and stroke. The cost of fighting those diseases, he said, will be in the billions.

"It's astronomical how much it's going to cost if we don't address it," Mar said. "It's incredible the crisis that's going to hit us."

Running Blog Post #2

Welcome to my 2nd running blog post! This blog post is a journal of my 3rd week of training. This is the first time I've recorded any sort of exercise regimen online and needless to say, I was super excited to make this post since I was seeing progress and feeling great while running.

As with any exercise program, there will be ups and downs, the good and the bad, the positives and the negatives, etc. You get the idea. Some days we knock out an extra rep or two, lift an extra 5 lbs, knock off 30 seconds of our running time, etc. And sometimes we're not 100% and run a little slower, lift less weight, or sometimes we get injured and we have to take time off. It's part of the game, it's the norm, it's life, etc. We're human and we're fallible.

Last Wednesday (Oct. 20) I broke my right pinkie toe when I stubbed it on a box at home. Seriously? I wish I was kidding. I've broken two toes in the past, so I was positive of the extent of my injury immediately. It is a major understatement to say that I was heartbroken, disappointed, and upset. Running was becoming an outlet and excellent way for me to spend time by myself, all the while exercising and building upon something and constantly improving. Week by week - more minutes, more miles, pushing myself, feeling better, feeling stronger...

What's done is done and the past is the past. I've accepted my injury and I've moved on. I'll be back and I'll be stronger and faster than before. Anyways, I'm posting the 3rd week of training leading up to my broken toe. I'm sure one day I'll look back on this post and laugh. :)

Week 3 (October 17-23)
Monday - 2 mile run + Resistance training (tricep and bicep workout)
Tuesday - 2.5 mile run
Wednesday - Broke my toe!

Week 3 notes: Monday's run was challenging because my knees we real sore from playing softball the week before, which surprised me. Am I really getting old? Haha. After a few blocks though, I was warmed up and felt good. Tuesday's run was the best to date. It was the first time my knees weren't sore in the beginning and during the run. As a result, I pushed myself harder to go 2.5 miles and felt great doing it! Only downside was that my right shin was slightly sore, which is a problem I've had in the past. I just have to make sure to slowly increase my distances and allow my legs to recover in-between runs.

For now, this is the conclusion of my running blog posts. I'll be back though! Thanks for reading.

Running Blog Post #1

Welcome to my first post for my "running blog"! These running blog posts are more for documenting my own training/running regimen, not necessarily to educate readers, etc. Obviously, if you're able to take anything away from my running blog posts and apply it to your own fitness, that's great!

I want to preface this post with a confession: I'm not a runner. Actually, I'm not a long-distance runner. I've never had much interest in running races, seeing how far I can run, etc. A lot of this probably stems from the fact that I've always been tall and lean and therefore, my fitness goals have primarily been to increase strength and lean mass. Running is/can be counterproductive to those goals, so I've typically avoided taking on any kind of running regimen.

For the time being, there's not going anything impressive about these posts. As mentioned previously, these posts are to document my own progress. This first entry will combine weeks 1 and 2. Please feel free to comment!

*All days that include running, playing softball, etc., begin with warming up and then static and active stretches for hamstrings, quadriceps, calves, and glutes.

Week 1 (October 4-9)

Monday - 1.25 mile run
Tuesday - 1.25 mile run (faster pace)
Wednesday - Resistance training w/weights (back, biceps, leg workout)
Thursday - Played softball
Friday - 1.9 mile run
Saturday - Rest

Week 1 notes: I did one day of SMR (self myofascial release), also known as Foam Rolling. I noticed an immediate improvement with my conditioning while I was doing the 1.9 mile run.

Week 2 (October 10-16)

Sunday - Rest
Monday - Rest
Tuesday - 2 mile run
Wednesday - Resistance training (shoulder and bicep workout)
Thursday - Played softball
Friday - Rest
Saturday - Rest

Week 2 notes: I let too many distractions get in the way of my running regimen this past week. Despite being active 3 days of the week, I did not run often enough. Ideally, I would be running 3 times per week, playing softball once a week, and doing resistance training 3 days per week. Also, I wanted to get one day of cycling in this week, to give my knees a break but work on conditioning, but that didn't happen. I did do 1 day of SMR (foam rolling), but I need to be doing 2-3 days of foam rolling a week.

Thanks for checking in and reading my entries! I'll be posting these on a weekly basis from here on out. My next entry is already looking good, but you'll find out more next week as to what happened. Also, be sure to check out my training site at www.getfitaz.com.

Trying to lose weight? Drink more water.

"(Health.com) -- Forget diet pills and cleanses. A new study suggests that an effective weight-loss aid is available straight from your kitchen sink.

Drinking two 8-ounce glasses of water before breakfast, lunch, and dinner while also cutting back on portions may help you lose weight and keep it off for at least a year, according to research presented today at the annual meeting of the American Chemical Society, in Boston.

"As part of a prudent, low-calorie weight-loss diet, adding water may help with weight-loss success," says Brenda Davy, Ph.D., the lead author of the study and an associate professor of nutrition at Virginia Tech, in Blacksburg.

Health.com: The wet way to lose weight

Dietitians have long recommended drinking water as a way to shed pounds, but little research has been done to confirm this conventional wisdom, the researchers say. Though small, Davy's study is the first randomized controlled trial to examine the benefits of "preloading" with water before meals.

The study included 48 overweight or obese men and women between the ages of 55 and 75 who were on a low-calorie diet (1,200 calories per day for women and 1,500 calories per day for men). Half of the people were instructed to drink 16 ounces of water -- the amount in a small bottle of spring water -- before meals.

After three months, the participants who drank water had lost an average of about 15.5 pounds, compared with just 11 pounds in the control group, according to the study, the first results of which were published earlier this year in the journal Obesity.

Health.com: 25 diet-busting foods you should never eat

And the weight loss appears to be lasting, new data suggest. After a full year of the same regimen, the water drinkers had slimmed down by an additional 1.5 pounds, on average, while those who didn't load up on water before meals gained about 2 pounds, Davy says. (Unlike the data published in Obesity, the findings presented today have not been thoroughly vetted by other experts in the field, as is required by most medical journals.)

Davy and her colleagues aren't sure why drinking water before meals encourages weight loss, but the main reason appears to be that it helps fill your stomach, making you less hungry and less likely to overeat.

In addition, drinking more water may discourage you from guzzling soda and other calorie-laden beverages. (The study included only plain water, not mineral, flavored, or vitamin waters.) Even the routine of drinking water before meals may have a beneficial effect because it's a reminder that you're trying to lose weight, the researchers suggest.

Health.com: 15 big benefits of water

Drinking more water is a low-risk way to lose excess weight, especially if it takes the place of other liquid calories, says Stephen Cook, M.D., an obesity expert at the University of Rochester Medical Center, in N.Y.

"This is an easy way to replace those calories, and if everything is equal, it will slow down your weight gain or reverse it," says Cook, who was not involved in the new research. "It is one of the safest things we can recommend to help people lose weight."

Davy says that people who are trying to lose weight should bring a refillable water bottle to work and drink from it throughout the day. "And try to have two cups of water 20 minutes before each main meal," she says.

Health.com: How much water do you really need?

While each person's hydration needs are different, the Institute of Medicine advises that men and women try to consume about 3.7 and 2.7 liters of water a day, respectively, including water found in food and other beverages.

The American Chemical Society is a nonprofit professional organization for scientists that was chartered by Congress in 1937."

Link courtesy of http://www.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/08/23/drink.water.lose.weight/index.html