American Women Speak Out About Weight Loss And Their Thoughts On Healthy Eating

On average, more than a third of American women think about their weight at least three times per day, and many think that achieving their weight loss goals or maintaining an 'ideal' weight requires overly strict and drastic lifestyle changes, according to a recent survey conducted by McNeil Nutritionals, LLC, the marketer of SPLENDA® Sweetener Products, with the support of SHAPE Magazine. Eighty-one percent of women surveyed do not think they are at their ideal weight; still, almost half are optimistic they will achieve their ideal weight in 2011. The survey, which polled women across the country ages 25-54, returned thoughtful feedback on the state of weight loss in America today and the things women are doing to stay healthy.

The survey revealed that when it comes to achieving or maintaining their ideal weight, most women are ill-informed on the most effective and/or healthy ways to do so. For example, 91 percent of women were unaware of the amount of calories one needs to burn in order to lose a pound of fat (3,500 calories). Women surveyed cited stresses, demands on their time, family obligations and financial problems as the reasons their weight loss efforts have been difficult. With so many other factors on their minds, the survey also found that women tend to overlook nutritional value in their food purchases, ranking price, taste and quality higher. Only 17 percent of women ranked nutritional value as the most important factor when purchasing food.

"We found that many women are implementing major lifestyle changes to lose weight. Oftentimes it's small, simple changes that are not only crucial to the weight loss process, but are also healthy and effective in the long run," said SHAPE magazine senior health and nutrition editor Sharon Liao. "We want to spread the message that it doesn't need to be really difficult to make a difference and get on the right track."

The survey went on to reveal some detailed information on the steps women believe are necessary to achieve or maintain a healthy weight. Many women surveyed believe that in order for an average woman to lose 20 pounds in one year, she would need to cut something like sweets or snacks out of her diet entirely (35 percent) or reduce her caloric intake to fewer than 1,000 calories per day (39 percent). In reality, an average woman can successfully lose weight if she follows a calorically-appropriate diet and stays active. The survey revealed that 70 percent of women currently add sugar to foods and beverages, most often adding it to their coffee (48 percent). By making smart substitutions with their food choices and by watching their portion sizes, women can continue to enjoy the foods they love with fewer calories from added sugars.

"If women have unrealistic ideas of what it takes to reduce calories and eat healthfully, they are more likely to become derailed in their weight loss efforts," said Fred Tewell, group product director for SPLENDA® Sweetener Products. "We want to educate women who are trying to manage their weight and let them know that a good place to start is by simply incorporating healthier habits into their daily routines, such as using SPLENDA® No Calorie Sweetener in place of sugar. If you replace 3 tablespoons of sugar each day with SPLENDA® No Calorie Sweetener, you'll save 100 calories. It's important for women to know that they can carry out their goals in simple, delicious ways that won't disrupt their daily lives."

Source:
McNeil Nutritionals, LLC

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Eating Low-fat, Thanks To Lupin Proteins

In emerging countries such as China or Brazil, meat consumption is rising dramatically. Indeed, worldwide consumption of red meat has quadrupled since 1961. The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) expects increasing prosperity to lead to a doubling of global meat production by the year 2050. The question is whether our planet, with its limited farmland resources, will still be able to meet all of our needs into the future. Possible solutions for the brewing dilemma are familiar to Dr.-Ing. Peter Eisner of the Fraunhofer Institute for Process Engineering and Packaging IVV in Freising, Germany.

It takes a lot of land to produce meat. "Producing a kilogram of meat consumes between seven and 16 kilograms of grain or soybeans as animal feed," Eisner reports. "As a result, in the US around 80 percent of grain is fed to livestock." Compared to meat production, the cultivation of plants as a food source is considerably less land-intensive. It takes 40 square meters to produce a kilogram of meat, yet that same space could produce 120 kilograms of carrots or 80 kilograms of apples instead. As the researcher points out: "Plants are a source of high-quality foodstuffs, but they can also provide raw materials for technological applications and are a source of energy." He demonstrates this in the case of sunflower seeds: up until now, they were used for oil production, their residues serving as low-grade livestock feed. As a result, a 2 ½ -acre parcel of land could be expected to yield around 950 euros. If all of the components were processed and converted to high-quality raw materials for the food, cosmetics and fuel industry, that same parcel would generate some 1770 euros in income.

Plant-based food ingredients can be expected to play a particularly important role as a substitute for raw materials derived from animals. Eisner presented a "milk substitute" made from lupin proteins and suitable as a basis for foods such as ice cream or cheese. It contains no lactose, has a neutral flavor, is cholesterol-free and rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids. Lupin seeds are also the basic ingredient in a new vegetable protein isolate with fat-like properties that has been developed by IVV researcher Daniela Sussmann. A special production method applied to the lupin seed yields a highly viscous protein suspension with a very creamy consistency. "The microscopic structure of this product resembles that of the fat particles in sausage meat. So you can use it to produce low-fat sausage products that taste just as good as the original," the researcher added. In sensory tests she investigated whether adding lupin protein could improve the juicy and creamy impression of a low-fat sausage recipe. With success: "By adding 10 percent protein isolate, we were able to markedly improve the fat-like impression of low-fat liverwurst."

Since sausage products are among the foods with the highest levels of fat, this would certainly be a step in the right direction. On average, a German eats 31 kilograms of sausage products each year. The result: An overweight population and cardiovascular disease. If some of the fat could be replaced with proteins derived from plants, every one would benefit: the consumer by eating less fat, the farmer through higher in come, and the environment because plants can be produced more sustainably than meat.

Sources: Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft, AlphaGalileo Foundation.

Note: Any medical information published on this website is not intended as a substitute for informed medical advice and you should not take any action before consulting with a health care professional. For more information, please read our terms and conditions.

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