The "One Cookie" Debate

The NYT Well blog this week features an interesting article debating whether cutting one cookie or a can of soda a day from your diet is enough to make any significant impact on weight loss. Or taken writ large that question could be posed: Can small changes in behavior be enough to make a dent in the obesity epidemic in America? The 385 + comments that trail from the blog post, while not in unison, pose an important challenge to the author: if we don't have the "small changes" to make, what do we have? Some people report how several small changes, taken together, start to amount to broad changes toward healthier lifestyles. Others seem to suggest that a commitment to a better diet or improved activity has to start somewhere. Only a few seemed willing to throw up their hands and give up.

Another issue is that we are actually not talking about ONE cookie; we are talking about many cookies and extra snacks a day. (See Parker-Pope's blog the every next day: Generation Snack.) And sometimes it's the GIANT cookies or muffins or bagels you find at the local bakery, which are many times the calories of a lowly normal cookie. The habits of having a cookie a day or a soda a day are not learned overnight, and may take some doing to unlearn. Again, acknowledging the problem and starting "somewhere," is an important step.

Sometimes dramatic change in lifestyle or diet is needed. Often a surprising lab result from a doctor's visit or a loved one's illness can prompt one to review diet and activity levels. But what's the best way to make life-long behavior changes? Single drastic changes, such as adopting "the all fruit diet," "the all carb diet," or whatever fad diet is in the spotlight, are doomed to be short-lived. On the other hand, focusing on the "small stuff" can actually mean making mindful changes in eating or exercising habits. This represents a constant, on-going process of decision-making that can result in more profound changes. It is not an overnight fix, mandated and scripted by someone else. It is taking responsibility for ones' self and making manageble changes that will improve your health, both now and long term.

In Obesity Epidemic, What's One Cookie? Tara Parker-Pope, Well Blog, NYT, 3.1.10
U.S. Children: Generation Snack, Tara Parker-Pope, Well Blog, NYT, 3.2.10

Super Bowls and Super Snacks

As we go into Super Bowl weekend, some thoughts on super bowls and chip dipping, plus some suggestions for healthier alternatives.

Americans are estimated to eat a grand total of 30 million pounds of snacks during the Super Bowl. Calorie Control Council and the Snack Food Association, NewsDaily

Beware of Super-Sized Bowls
Dr. Brian Wansink of the Cornell Food and Brand Lab has done some great work on portion size and eating. One project, “Super Bowls: Serving Bowl Size and Food Consumption,” (Research Letter, JAMA April 2005 ) demonstrated that large serving bowls of typical party snacks led participants to eat a whopping 56% more food than participants who were served snacks in smaller bowls.
Lesson: Break out some modest-sized bowls for your chips.

Dip Once or Dip Twice?
This NYT article revisits to the classic Seinfeld episode in which George is taken to task for “double-dipping.” That is, he has dipped his chip in the bowl again, after he’s taken the first bite, potentially spreading germs. Prof. Paul Dawson, a food microbiologist at Clemson University, recently tested this claim in terms of food safety. He found that there is, in fact, a contamination threat, though small, and mitigated by the type of dip. My kids are always trying to catch someone in the process of a "double-dip." I think it's from camp, not Seinfeld, for them.
Lesson: Not sure...either, stop worrying, no dip at all, or small, individual plates so you can dip at will? You decide.

Healthy Super Bowl snack alternatives abound. We often have a take-out sushi fest for the Super Bowl. Or if you have a crowd, you can serve a hearty chili or soup. Here are more traditional tips and recipes for low-fat snack alternatives.