McDonald’s Corp., the world’s largest restaurant chain, will stop giving out Hello Kitty figurines or any other toys with its Happy Meals in San Francisco starting Thursday because of a new city ordinance. Parents will have the option to buy a toy separately for 10 cents when they purchase a Happy Meal or Mighty Kids Meal, spokeswoman Danya Proud said. Restaurant meals in San Francisco can’t include a free toy unless they have less than 600 calories, contain fruits and vegetables and have a beverage that isn’t excessively sugary or fatty.

WELL DONE THE CITY OF SAN FRANCISCO, HELPING THE FIGHT AGAINST CHILD OBESITY.

Weight-loss success linked to size of bowls, plates we use: Cornell food researcher

Posted on August 5, 2011 by Stone Hearth News

WASHINGTON – Dieters may not need as much willpower as they think, if they make simple changes in their surroundings that can result in eating healthier without a second thought, said a consumer psychologist at the American Psychological Association’s 119th Annual Convention.

 “Our homes are filled with hidden eating traps,” said Brian Wansink, PhD, , who presented his findings and strategies for a healthier lifestyle in a plenary address entitled “Modifying the Food Environment: From Mindless Eating to Mindlessly Eating Better.”

“Most of us have too much chaos going on in our lives to consciously focus on every bite we eat, and then ask ourselves if we’re full. The secret is to change your environment so it works for you rather than against you,” Wansink said

Wansink identified several myths about eating behaviors as a way to explain why Americans, on average, have been getting fatter. “People don’t think that something as simple as the size of a bowl would influence how much an informed person eats,” he said.

However, several studies show exactly that, including Wansink’s study of 168 moviegoers, who ate either fresh or stale popcorn from different size containers. People ate 45 percent more fresh popcorn from extra-large containers than large ones and the people who were eating stale popcorn ate 34 percent more from the extra-large buckets than people eating fresh popcorn, according to the study.

They just don’t realize they’re doing it,” said Wansink. This strategy also applies to what we drink. His research found that people pour about 37 percent more liquid in short, wide glasses than in tall, skinny ones of the same volume.

Even a kid’s cereal bowl can be a trap, according to Wansink. One study showed children of different weights who were given a 16 ounce bowl were more likely to serve themselves twice as much cereal than children given an 8 ounce bowl.

Another myth, according to Wansink, is that people know when they are full and stop before they overeat. His Food and Brand Lab at Cornell University tested this by designing a “bottomless bowl.” They brought in 60 people for a free lunch and gave 22 ounce bowls of soup to half, while the other half unknowingly got 22 ounce bowls that were pressure-fed under the table and slowly refilled. The results: people with bottomless bowls ate 73 percent more than those with normal bowls, yet when asked, they didn’t realize they had eaten more. “The lesson is, don’t rely on your stomach to tell you when you’re full. It can lie,” Wansink said.

Simply being aware of such findings can help people make healthier choices, especially those who are already trying to eat healthier foods, according to Wansink. One of his studies showed that people lost up to two pounds a month after making several simple changes in their environment, including:

* eating off salad plates instead of large dinner plates.
* keeping unhealthy foods out of immediate line of sight and moving healthier foods to eye-level in the cupboard and refrigerator.
* eating in the kitchen or dining room, not in front of the television.

“These simple strategies are far more likely to succeed than willpower alone. It’s easier to change your environment than to change your mind,” Wansink concluded.

Wakeupgetfit.com - A very interesting study, proving that people do eat with eyes and not their appetite.

Meaning people see it on a plate so they have to eat it.

Some have been taught from a very young age from their parents, “clean up your plate or you’re not getting desert or, “you’re not leaving the table until you eat everything.”

As a child that’s going to motivate me to overeat, how else am I going to get the hell away from the table?

What about the buffet? How many times do you see people over filling their plates with food, which they find they drop a lot of it before they even get back to their seats!!

When you feel full, STOP!!! It’s the body is telling you that you are full.

It may help you lose weight with a little exercise thrown in for dessert.   

COMPUTER GAMES- Manage your child’s time spent sitting down playing these games. Make sure it does not override playing active games outside.

FAST FOOD - It was not invented to be used as a staple diet or to be taken on a regular basis. Children are taught by adults to eat fast - food. You are their teachers, teach them healthy eating.

SCREENS- There are now many of them to choose from TV,iPods,Computer’s,iPad’s,iPhone’s etc etc. There is also many active activities YOU can choose from - do you remember when you were active?

EXCUSES - There are many today parents use to avoid exercise. But we are talking about children….give them an oppurtunity to grow up fit and healthy.