Parents in denial on fat kids

Subject: Parents in denial on fat kids Wed Dec 26, 2007 1:23 pm

Parents in denial on fat kids

Might be time to take a closer, more critical look at your kids' health.

More than 40 percent of 2,060 parents with obese children ages 6 to 11 describe them as "about the right weight," according to the recent National Poll on Children's Health by the University of Michigan C.S. Mott Children's Hospital.
Only 13 percent of parents with obese kids ages 6 to 11 recognize them as being very overweight, compared with nearly a third of parents with children ages 12 to 17. Researchers say if parents don't see the problem, efforts to address childhood obesity may have limited success.
Freeze-dried fruit

It's the "ultimate healthy snack," says Matt Herzog, president of Fishers-based Freeze Dried Partners. The new firm manufactures and distributes Funky Monkey Snacks, freeze-dried fruit from Brazil sold in Kroger stores.
They're crunchy, like chips, but without preservatives or added sugar. He says the freeze-drying zaps the water, but leaves nearly all the fruit flavor and nutrients.
The $1.99 bags come in four flavors -- Purple Funk, Jivealime, Carnaval and Bananamon and has three servings of fruit.
TM lowers blood pressure

When it comes to lowering one's blood pressure, not all stress-reduction techniques are created equal, it turns out.
Transcendental Meditation was the only method to produce a statistically significant drop in blood pressure, according to a meta-analysis of more than 100 studies published in this month's issue of Current Hypertension Reports. The meditation technique, which originated in India, entails silently repeating a mantra to allow the mind and body to settle into a quiet state.
Even TM did not result in major shifts, but rather small but statistically significant drops in both systolic and diastolic blood pressure.
Caffeine cream slims thighs

Caffeine may help you slim your thighs.
But not if you drink it.
Brazilian scientists had 99 women apply a topical cream consisting of a 7 percent caffeine solution to their thighs twice daily. At the end of a month, more than 80 percent of participants had slimmer thighs and 68 percent slenderer hips.
If you want to test the idea, you'll find tons of skin products containing caffeine, including Bliss Fat Girl Slim, $29 at Sephora in the Fashion Mall at Keystone at the Crossing, though that particular brand was not part of the study.