Source: http://www.foodpolitics.com/2016/03/the-uk-soda-tax-a-tipping-point/

Wonder of wonders, the UK’s Chancellor of the Exchequer, George Osborne, has put a soda tax into his new budget initiative (see BBC account, the video and text of Osborne’s speech, and the Treasury department’s fact sheet on the soda tax).

Here’s how the tax is supposed to work:

Osborne says the tax will bring in £520 million ($732 million) in the first year, and he intends to use it to fund more sports in schools.

But it goes into effect in April 2018.  This is to give the industry time to reformulate products with less sugar.  But—the delay also gives the industry ample time to block the tax.

Public Health England supports the tax (see statement).

But the soda industry wasted no time reacting to this bad news.

Coke, Pepsi, and other soft drink companies strongly objected.
The immediate result: a fall in their stock prices.
The immediate reaction: Sue the government.  On what grounds?  Discrimination.  The tax does not affect sugary juices, milkshakes, or processed foods.

<img src="http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2016/03/16/20/3242F54B00000578-3495160-New_tax_Soft_drinks_with_more_than_5g_of_sugar_will_be_taxed_at_-m-59_1458161035633.jpg" al…

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/tinybuddha/~3/_znvecLooZo/

“We have one precious life: do something extraordinary today, even if it’s tiny. A pebble starts the avalanche.” ~K.A. Laity

Do you have a vision of a life you want to lead?

Doing work that you enjoy, being happy, healthy, and having great relationships?

You probably have your own idea of what an extraordinary life means. But how often do you feel that you are living that life?

Life is bound within the confines of our schedules, our money, and our limited resources.

There are many things that you want to do, or want to be, but most of the time you tend to go with the flow, putting things off for later. Either because you are too busy, or because you feel that you lack the means to do so.

What if that’s not true?

What if you are mistaken about the limitations you think you face? What if you can do much more—starting today?

What if, by just asking yourself a few questions every day, you could become happier, healthier, and much more successful?

For me, an extraordinary life is not about being in a permanent vacation in Vegas or having millions in the bank. My vision is not of any particular destination, but a journey. It’s a life where I am content with what I have yet strive for more. A balance of the present …

Source: http://www.foodpolitics.com/2016/03/my-latest-edited-book-big-food-critical-perspectives/

Simon N. Williams, Marion Nestle (Editors).  Big Food: Critical perspectives on the global growth of the food and beverage industry.  Routledge, 2016.

Here’s what the publisher says about it:

Obesity is a global public health problem of crucial importance. Obesity rates remain high in high-income countries and are rapidly increasing in low- and middle- income countries. Concurrently, the global consumption of unhealthy products, such as soft drinks and processed foods, continues to rise. The ongoing expansion of multinational food and beverage companies, or ‘Big Food’, is a key factor behind these trends.

This collection provides critical insight into the global expansion of ‘Big Food’, including its incursion into low-and-middle income countries. It examines the changing dynamics of the global food supply, and discusses how low-income countries can alter the ‘Big Food’-diet from the bottom-up. It examines a number of issues related to ‘Big Food’ marketing strategies, including the way in which they advertise to youths and the rural poor. These issues are discussed in terms of their public health implications, and their relation to public health activities, for example ‘soda taxes’, and the promotion of nutritionally-healthier products. This book was originally published as a special issue of Critical Pu…

Source: http://nextlevelfitness.com/get-out-of-your-comfort-zone/

The weekend before last some friends and I participated in the Navy SEAL extreme challenge, located in Cosby, TN. Despite loving the outdoors and sports in general, this was my first “adventure race.” Adventure races have become popular in the last several years, and there are plenty to choose from. However, this one is rated the hardest 5K in the southeast. Inclines that you have to use climbing techniques to get through, declines so steep and slippery that you need to slide down, walking across logs, crawling under lines, wading through icy cold water, scaling climbing walls, etc.

It was FUN!

Why am I telling you this? To brag? Heck no – I didn’t win the race; I just finished it. But I have to tell you that it was an extremely rewarding experience that came with a great sense of accomplishment. When was the last time that you got out of your comfort zone and challenged yourself with something like that? For some of you, it was today. For others….well, you might have to think a while.

So get off your butt and live! Sign up for an adventure race, try a new sport, book some tickets to New Zealand, whatever. Is it possible you may get hurt? Yep. Are you going to look back one day and wish you had stayed home? Probably not.

Please leave comments. I would love for you to share your experience on how you got out o…

Source: http://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2016/03/20/471174857/nowruz-persian-new-years-table-celebrates-spring-deliciously?utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=thesalt

In every home, the haftseen table is decorated with seven items – since seven is considered a lucky number. Each item begins with the letter sin (s) in Persian, and each item is a symbol of spring and renewal.

Azita Mehran/Turmeric & Saffron

A version of this story first ran in March 2014.

The first day of spring is cause for a celebration, especially after the winter many of us have been having. But it’s hard to top the 13-day festivities of the Persian New Year, Nowruz.

Nowruz, or “new day” in Persian, is an ancient festival that marks the beginning of spring and celebrates the rebirth of nature. And naturally, it has a lot to do with fresh, green foods just beginning to poke out of the ground that remind us winter is not, in fact, eternal.</…

Source: http://bayareaconciergefitness.com/2015/07/30/pilates-for-life/

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Nam eget dui. Etiam rhoncus. Maecenas tempus, tellus eget condimentum rhoncus, sem quam semper libero, sit amet adipiscing sem neque sed ipsum. Nam quam nunc, blandit vel, luctus pulvinar, hendrerit id, lorem. Maecenas nec odio et ante tincidunt tempus. Donec vitae sapien ut libero venenatis faucibus. Nullam quis ante. Etiam sit amet orci eget eros faucibus tincidunt. Duis leo. Sed fringilla mauris sit amet nibh.

Donec sodales sagittis magna. Sed consequat, leo eget bibendum sodales, augue velit cursus nunc, quis gravida magna mi a libero. Fusce vulputate eleifend sapien. Vestibulum purus quam, scelerisque ut, mol…

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/tinybuddha/~3/DlqX_LXxZvw/

“To ease another’s heartache is to forget one’s own.” ~Abraham Lincoln

A feral cat tempered my most recent bout with depression. I wasn’t seriously depressed, nothing like the debilitating times in my past, but I had a fairly strong case of the blues.

It was just before Thanksgiving, that time of year when people across America break bread with family and friends, and I was feeling sorry for myself.

I missed the gatherings we used to have when I was married. My ex-husband and I both loved to cook and every year we put together a gourmet feast for a group of family and friends.

This year I would be alone.

I live on the high desert and winters are harsh. Outside a sixty mile an hour wind was howling and a blanket of snow covered the ground. It didn’t help my mood.

When I opened the door to let my dog out to pee, I heard a high-pitched mewling. From the frozen hillside a scrawny white and black cat came crawling out of the sage. Its fur was matted and its ribs showed.

When I moved toward it, it retreated with a hiss. My own calico eats well, so I borrowed some of her Fancy Feast, a cup of dry food, and a bowl of water and set it outside.

Before long the cat was a regular visitor, but what was more gratifying is within a we…

Source: http://evolutiontucson.com/what-highschool-strength-training-should-be/

Reminiscing back to my high school days I can honestly say I am grateful for the exposure I received to weight training. Myself and my teammates would meet at the crack of dawn during football season to pump iron in the Dungeon weight room. In the off season we would meet after school and spend hours bench pressing 3 times per week. We also squatted and practiced power cleans, and of course did a ton of bicep curls. I remember working my biceps so hard at times I couldn’t wash my hair in the locker rooms, not because they were sore, but they were actually unable to move…

Having said all this I can honestly say that our training time was rarely supervised and I don’t ever remember being taught how to squat or bench. I do remember a few moments of instruction at times after school on the power cleans, but it really was just a 3 minute introduction to one of the most complex movements in weightlifting. Having been a high school athlete I walked around for the next decade thinking I knew how to lift weights, but the truth is I was in and out of injuries that were created in the weight room. I was taught a few things, but I was never taught the fundamentals, the most important things. I was never taught how to set up a squat. I was never taught how to breath during the movement, which is crucial for not only safety, but also improvements in strength.  I will never forget being taught to look up at the ceiling when squatting. They actually had a smiley face dra…

Source: http://www.fannetasticfood.com/2016/03/18/white-house-lets-move-program-progress-updates/

On Tuesday morning, I had quite the exciting experience: a visit to the White House to hear the First Lady and her advisors speak about Let’s Move! and the health of our nation’s kids!

It’s not every day that you get an invitation to the White House – especially to see the first lady speak – so I was really pumped.

Joining me at the White House for the event were about 150 health-related bloggers and influencers, including many mom bloggers and some fellow dietitians, too. As you guys know, I have a Masters of Public Health in Nutrition, and we spent a fair amount of time in my program talking about child nutrition, community nutrition, and nutrition/health policy related to getting kids eating healthier and being more active, so I was really interested to hear what the panelists (and the first lady) had to say. Great line up of speakers!

<img title="a conversation on the health of our nation's children" style="border-left-width: 0px;border-right-width: 0px;border-bottom-width: 0px;float: none;padding-top: 0px;padding-left: 0px;margin: 0px auto;paddin…

Source: http://zenrockfitness.com/2015/11/gluten-free-and-paleo-holiday-cooking/

Gluten-free and Paleo Holiday Cooking
Saturday, December 5th at 2:00 pm
$25 per person

The holidays can be a challenging time for those of us living a gluten-free and low-carbohydrate lifestyle. Tempting treats and sweets are everywhere and they are so delicious! Often our friends and family don’t really understand our diet and lifestyle and family gatherings can become an intimidating sea of sugar and wheat. Join Chef Ella Elman, owner of The Secret Ingredient, to learn the fundamentals of gluten-free baking and cooking. She will offer some simple recipes for holiday treats and sweets that you can share with your friends and family. We will cover the following information:

What is gluten and how does it work?
What are some gluten-free alternatives?
How does gluten-free cooking and baking differ from the traditional variety?
Some gluten-free flour mixes
How paleo grain-free baking works
Recipes for holiday treats such as pie crusts, pumpkin pie, cookies, brownies, muffins and scones
Holiday and paleo recipes for stuffing, gravy, sides and salads

Ella will have a recipe handout for you to take home.

Email us to sign-up today!

More about Ella:

Ella Elman is the head chef and owner of The Secret Ingredient, a small business offering pers…