Make Your Diet More Mediterranean

Did you know that there’s a simple, delicious diet that may help you live longer, whittle your waistline, keep your brain sharp, and slash your risk for chronic diseases?

More than 3,000 studies show that following a Mediterranean diet – the traditional cuisine found in Spain, Greece, and Italy – may do that and more.

In fact, the US Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends a Mediterranean-style diet as a balanced approach to eating that promotes health and prevents disease. Even if you live in Buffalo or Peoria—not Barcelona or Rome—you can enjoy the delicious foods of the Mediterranean and help boost your health.

You’ve likely heard of the Mediterranean diet, but what exactly is it?

It’s pattern of eating that’s rich in fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts, olive oil, and grains (including pasta), with moderate consumption of fish, poultry, dairy and eggs, and generally low consumption of red meat and sweets.

This food pyramid shows you all the foods you can eat and how often to eat them. If you stick to these foods and exercise as recommended you'll become a happier, healthier person and you will lose that belly fat in time.

Here are 6 easy ways to make your diet more Mediterranean:

Enjoy More Plant-Based Foods

Start by eating five or more servings per day of produce and planning a meatless meal, like a pasta primavera, at least one night a week. Begin most meals with a salad or tomato-based soup and end your meals with fresh fruit or fruit-based desserts like baked apples or a berry crumble.

Enjoy Bread … and Pasta!

The Mediterranean-style of eating is not low in carbs—and the people of the Mediterranean have some of the lowest rates of obesity in the world! This is because those in the region enjoy quality carbohydrate choices, including complex carbohydrates like bread and pasta as well as whole grains like oats and couscous. In fact, bread is a staple of the region, and traditional semolina pasta is the primary source of carbs in Italy, where obesity rates are among the lowest in Europe.

Turn to the Sea(food)

Fish and seafood provide plenty of heart and brain-boosting omega-3 fatty acids.  In the Mediterranean region, people generally eat fish and seafood at least three times a week, while Americans eat a fish meal about once a week. A good rule is to swap out beef or other red meat for fish or seafood at least twice a week.

Savor Healthy Oils and Other Good Fats

While the Mediterranean diet is not low in fat, it is low in unhealthy saturated fats like those present in whole-fat dairy and red meats. In fact, a recent study reported in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology reported that replacing just 5 percent of calories from saturated fats with polyunsaturated fats reduced the risk of cardiovascular disease by 25 percent. (That same replacement with monounsaturated fat provided a reduction of risk by some 15 percent.) Foods rich in polyunsaturated fats include sunflower oil, walnuts, and fatty fish, like salmon, mackerel, and trout. Monounsaturated fats are common in olive oil and canola oil.

Sip Smart

The Mediterranean diet includes moderate amounts of red wine – which is equal to about one glass per day for women and two for men. Studies have shown that drinking red wine in moderation can be part of a heart-healthy diet. If you don’t drink alcohol, there’s good news. The dark purple Concord grape used in 100% grape juice provides beneficial plant nutrients called polyphenols. In fact, 100% grape juice delivers many of the same polyphenols and heart-health benefits as red wine.

Limit Sweets and Treats

I’d love to tell you that the Mediterranean diet has room for American-style indulgences—but that isn’t the case. The traditional diet of the Greeks and Spaniards rarely includes candy, baked goods, fried foods, soda, or other sugar-sweetened beverages. The Mediterranean diet is actually low in added sugars, which is one reason why it’s considered so beneficial for your health.

I write several blogs and e-books, check out some of my other sites.

gettingtoahealthyweight.blog
idropped40pounds.wordpress.com
howbaddoyouwanttoloseweight.blogspot.com
blogonweight.blogspot.com

If you really want to lose your body fat than look for my e-books at the websites listed below. You'll get information on Healthy eating, exercise, and diet. Instead of spending hours on the internet reading dozens of posts, you can save time by picking up one of my e-books.

There are two e-books. “How Bad Do You Want To Lose Weight?” is available at all the online bookstores selling for $1.99. Go to any of the websites below and search the title to find my e-book. This book gives you all you need to lose weight without spending money on gym memberships, diet plans or meal plans. Look for my book. at Amazon.com, B&N.com, iBooks, Kobo.com, Scribd.com, or Gardner Books in the U.K.

My new e-book is available on Smashwords.com, just type “getting to a Healthy Weight” in the search box at the top of the home page. I’ll give you a discount coupon you can use at checkout. (PJ42H) not case-sensitive the price is $1.99 w/coupon

Health Obesity, It May Be A Myth

Good post, it explains why carrying extra body fat isn't healthy no matter how good you feel.

By Robert Preidt

HealthDay Reporter

The so-called "healthy obese" don't get off scot-free. They still have a higher risk of heart disease than normal-weight people, a new British study finds.

Folks dubbed healthy obese don't have metabolic problems typically associated with obesity -- such as high cholesterol, poor blood sugar control, diabetes or high blood pressure. But, it's been unclear if they are at increased risk for problems such as heart failure or stroke.

In this study, researchers analyzed 1995-2015 electronic health records of 3.5 million people aged 18 and older in the United Kingdom who were initially free of heart disease.

Compared to normal-weight people with no metabolic problems, healthy obese people had a 50 percent higher risk of heart disease, a 7 percent higher risk of stroke, twice the risk of heart failure, and a greater risk of peripheral artery disease (or PAD, which is the narrowing of blood vessels to the arms and legs), the study found.

The researchers also found that the risk of heart disease in obese people rose with the number of metabolic problems. For example, compared to a normal-weight person with no metabolic abnormalities, an obese person with three metabolic abnormalities had almost three times the risk of coronary heart disease and nearly four times the risk for heart failure. Odds of PAD more than doubled, and risk of stroke was 58 percent higher.

"Metabolically healthy obese individuals are at higher risk of coronary heart disease, cerebrovascular disease and heart failure than normal-weight metabolically healthy individuals," said study author Dr. Rishi Caleyachetty.

"The priority of health professionals should be to promote and facilitate weight loss among obese persons, regardless of the presence or absence of metabolic abnormalities," said Caleyachetty, an epidemiologist at the University of Birmingham's College of Medical and Dental Sciences.

The study was scheduled for presentation Tuesday at the European Congress on Obesity, in Porto, Portugal.

"At the population level, so-called metabolically healthy obesity is not a harmless condition and perhaps it is better not to use this term to describe an obese person, regardless of how many metabolic complications they have," Caleyachetty said in a meeting news release.

Data and conclusions presented at meetings are usually considered preliminary until published in a peer-reviewed medical journal.

WebMD News from HealthDay

You can contact me on LinkedIn.

I write several blogs and e-books, check out some of my other sites.

gettingtoahealthyweight.blog
idropped40pounds.wordpress.com
howbaddoyouwanttoloseweight.blogspot.com
blogonweight.blogspot.com

If you really want to lose your body fat than look for my e-books at the websites listed below. You'll get information on Healthy eating, exercise, and diet. Instead of spending hours on the internet reading dozens of posts, you can save time by picking up one of my e-books.

There are two e-books. “How Bad Do You Want To Lose Weight?” is available at all the online bookstores selling for $1.99. Go to any of the websites below and search the title to find my e-book. This book gives you all you need to lose weight without spending money on gym memberships, diet plans or meal plans. Look for my book. at Amazon.com, B&N.com, iBooks, Kobo.com, Scribd.com, or Gardner Books in the U.K.

My new e-book is available on Smashwords.com, just type “getting to a Healthy Weight” in the search box at the top of the home page. I’ll give you a discount coupon you can use at checkout. (PJ42H) not case-sensitive the price is $1.99 w/coupon

What Causes A Weight Loss Plateau?

If you’ve ever experienced a weight-loss plateau, you know the disappointment of stepping on the scale after another week of eating well and exercising only to see the same exact number as the week before. For days, or sometimes even weeks at a time, your weight may not budge, which can make your efforts to eat well and move more seem, well, like a waste of time.

The truth is, weight-loss plateaus happen to almost everyone trying to lose weight — even those go-getters with plateau prevention plans. In order to overcome one, it’s important first to understand why they occur. Here are three contributing factors that can lead to a stalemate with the scale:

1. WATER WEIGHT LOSS RETURNS

A rapid drop in weight is normal during the first few weeks of weight loss, but what you may not realize is that a fair amount of this initial weight decrease comes from water loss as the body uses up carbohydrate stores in the form of glycogen (sugar). As carbohydrate intake fluctuates day-to-day, it’s not uncommon for some, if not all, of that water weight to return, which can offset fat loss and cause a plateau.

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2. YOUR BODY DOESN’T JUST BURN FAT

The downside to losing weight is that your body doesn’t just burn fat for energy — it breaks down muscle, too. Unlike fat, muscles burn calories, so losing muscle will slow the rate at which you use up energy from food. This, of course, impacts weight loss, and is part of the reason why cutting too many calories can work against you because your body will break down muscle at a faster rate. For tips to offset this, learn why protein is good for weight loss and how to optimize your carb, fat and protein goals.

3. WHEN YOU WEIGH LESS, YOU BURN LESS

As a smaller person, you expend less energy moving around than you did at your heavier weight. Thus, the same number of calories that produced an initial loss may now just maintain your current weight.  In other words, as you lose weight you also have to lower your calorie intake. With every 10 pound loss, you have to evaluate your calorie needs. To continue losing, you’ll have to increase the calories you burn through physical activity and/or reduce the number of calories you eat. For up-to-date calorie need estimates, be sure to update your nutrition goals in MyFitnessPal every 5–10 pounds or so.

Remember, it’s completely normal for weight loss to slow or even stall on occasion, so don’t get discouraged. Now that you understand the main causes of weight-loss plateaus, you’ll be able to devise a plan of attack if and when the number on the scale stops dropping.

Remember that you can't just keep cutting calories, at some point you have to step up your workout and burn more calories to continue losing weight.

You can contact my on LinkedIn.

I write several blogs and e-books, check out some of my other sites.

gettingtoahealthyweight.blog
idropped40pounds.wordpress.com
howbaddoyouwanttoloseweight.blogspot.com
blogonweight.blogspot.com

If you really want to lose your body fat than look for my e-books at the websites listed below. You'll get information on Healthy eating, exercise, and diet. Instead of spending hours on the internet reading dozens of posts, you can save time by picking up one of my e-books.

There are two e-books. “How Bad Do You Want To Lose Weight?” is available at all the online bookstores selling for $1.99. Go to any of the websites below and search the title to find my e-book. This book gives you all you need to lose weight without spending money on gym memberships, diet plans or meal plans. Look for my book. at Amazon.com, B&N.com, iBooks, Kobo.com, Scribd.com, or Gardner Books in the U.K.

My new e-book is available on Smashwords.com, just type “getting to a Healthy Weight” in the search box at the top of the home page. I’ll give you a discount coupon you can use at checkout. (PJ42H) not case-sensitive the price is $1.99 w/coupon

Fitness At Any Age

What are the recommendations for increasing fitness for youth, adults, and seniors?

There is good news for all Americans. Scientific evidence shows that physical activity done at a moderate-intensity level can produce health benefits (USDHHS, 1996). If people have been sedentary, they can improve their health and well-being with regular, moderate levels of activity each day. 

Those who participate in moderate- to vigorous-intensity activities regularly should be encouraged and supported in their efforts to continue. While activity at a higher intensity or performed longer offers more health benefits, this level of activity may not be a realistic goal for everyone, at least not to start with. Many Americans, for whom the term "exercise" brings up negative images and emotions, can celebrate the good news by setting a new personal goal-achieving and enjoying the benefits of a regularly active lifestyle that includes a variety of moderate- and/or vigorous-intensity activities.

Adults should strive to meet either of the following physical activity recommendations. See General Physical Activities Defined By Level of Intensity for a chart that lists the intensity levels of many types of activities.

• Adults should engage in moderate-intensity physical activities for at least 30 minutes on 5 or more days of the week. 

• Adults should engage in vigorous-intensity physical activity 3 or more days per week for 20 or more minutes per occasion 

- Healthy People 2010 

More good news is that it's never too late to start an active lifestyle. No matter how old you are, how unfit you feel, or how long you've been inactive, research shows that starting a more active lifestyle now through regular, moderate-intensity activity can make you healthier and improve your quality of life. 

This next section provides guidelines for how active you need to be to gain some benefit and general information on activity levels of Americans. 

How active do adults need to be to gain some benefit?

Physical activity does not need to be hard to provide some benefit. Participating in moderate-intensity physical activity is a vital component of a healthy lifestyle for people of all ages and abilities. There is no demographic or social group in America that could not benefit from becoming more active. 

The table* below provides recommendations on how to increase your physical activity based on your current activity level. Check it out to see where you are and how you can challenge yourself. 

If....	Then...
You do not currently engage in regular physical activity,	you should begin by incorporating a few minutes of physical activity into each day, gradually building up to 30 minutes or more of moderate-intensity activities.
You are now active, but at less than the recommended levels,	you should strive to adopt more consistent activity: moderate-intensity physical activity for 30 minutes or more on 5 or more days of the week, or  vigorous-intensity physical activity for 20 minutes or more on 3 or more days of the week.
You currently engage in moderate-intensity activities for at least 30 minutes on 5 or more days of the week,	you may achieve even greater health benefits by increasing the time spent or intensity of those activities.
You currently regularly engage in vigorous-intensity activities 20 minutes or more on 3 or more days of the week,	you should continue to do so

So What the difference between moderate activity and vigorous activity? Moderate activity is like increased walking and vigorous activity is jogging or weight-lifting or Zumba. Vigorous activity is something you can't do every day. Your muscles have to recoup and they need 48 hours when your middle age and as much as 72 hours between workouts if you're older. You can't rush vigorous workouts because you're actually tearing down muscle tissue and it means time to recover. Moderate workouts like walking 10,000 steps is exhausting but doesn't tear down muscle tissue so you can do it more often and moderate active has been proven to be better for losing weight.

You can contact my on LinkedIn or Twitter (@ray0369)

I write several blogs and e-books, check out some of my other sites.

gettingtoahealthyweight.blog
idropped40pounds.wordpress.com
howbaddoyouwanttoloseweight.blogspot.com
blogonweight.blogspot.com

If you really want to lose your body fat than look for my e-books at the websites listed below. You'll get information on Healthy eating, exercise, and diet. Instead of spending hours on the internet reading dozens of posts, you can save time by picking up one of my e-books. 

There are two e-books. “How Bad Do You Want To Lose Weight?” is available at all the online bookstores selling for $1.99. Go to any of the websites below and search the title to find my e-book. This book gives you all you need to lose weight without spending money on gym memberships, diet plans or meal plans. Look for my book. at Amazon.com, B&N.com, iBooks, Kobo.com, Scribd.com, or Gardner Books in the U.K.

My new e-book is available on Smashwords.com, just type “getting to a Healthy Weight” in the search box at the top of the home page. I’ll give you a discount coupon you can use at checkout. (PJ42H) not case-sensitive the price is $1.99 w/coupon

How Much Fiber should I be Eating

How to Eat 37 Grams of Fiber in a Day

I couldn't believe what I was reading. An adult male should be eating 38 grams of fiber a day. Am I crazy, or doesn't that seem like a lot. I looked it up for myself and sure enough, they had it right. And to top it off, if you're not getting enough fiber, you're not going to lose weight. Maybe that's why my weight bounds around day by day.I found this info on WebMD. it's a good source for weight loss information.

When it comes to getting enough fiber in our diets, most of us fall short. But it's easier than you think to eat the recommended daily intake. For adults 50 and younger you need 25 grams for women and 38 grams for men. This sample menu gives you 37 grams of fiber from tasty, familiar foods:

• Breakfast: One serving of whole-grain bran flake cereal (5 grams of fiber), topped with half a sliced banana (1.5 grams of fiber) and skim milk
• Morning snack: 24 almonds (3.3 grams of fiber) mixed with a quarter cup of raisins (1.5 grams of fiber)
• Lunch: Turkey sandwich made with 2 slices of whole wheat bread, plus lettuce, and tomato (5 grams of fiber total), and an orange (3.1 grams of fiber)
• Afternoon snack: Yogurt topped with half a cup of blueberries (2 grams of fiber)
• Dinner: Grilled fish served alongside a salad made with romaine lettuce and shredded carrots (2.6 grams of fiber), plus half a cup of cooked spinach (2.1 grams of fiber), and half a cup of lentils (7.5 grams of fiber)
• After-dinner treat: 3 cups popped popcorn (3.5 grams of fiber)

This might sound a little restrictive but this is meant to give you some ideas.
Fiber helps you manage your weight, lowers cholesterol, keeps your bowel movements regular, and reduces your odds of getting diabetes and heart disease. So check food labels and choose "high fiber" foods -- which contain more than 5 grams of fiber per serving -- whenever possible. Consider fiber supplements if you continually fall short of getting what you need through what you eat. Examples include psyllium and methylcellulose.

You can also make simple substitutions to replace low-fiber foods with fiber-rich dishes. You can find fiber food charts on the internet. 

I write several blogs and e-books, check out some of my other sites.

gettingtoahealthyweight.blog
idropped40pounds.wordpress.com
howbaddoyouwanttoloseweight.blogspot.com
blogonweight.blogspot.com

If you really want to lose your body fat than look for my e-books at the websites listed below. You'll get information on Healthy eating, exercise, and diet. Instead of spending hours on the internet reading dozens of posts, you can save time by picking up one of my e-books. 

There are two e-books. “How Bad Do You Want To Lose Weight?” is available at all the online bookstores selling for $1.99. Go to any of the websites below and search the title to find my e-book. This book gives you all you need to lose weight without spending money on gym memberships, diet plans or meal plans. Look for my book. at Amazon.com, B&N.com, iBooks, Kobo.com, Scribd.com, or Gardner Books in the U.K.

My new e-book is available on Smashwords.com, just type “getting to a Healthy Weight” in the search box at the top of the home page. I’ll give you a discount coupon you can use at checkout. (PJ42H) not case-sensitive the price is $1.99 w/coupon

Losing Weight Doesn't Have To Cost Money

You don't have to spend money to lose weight. You might even save some money. It’s a misconception that you need to sign up with some weight loss program and a health club if you’re going to lose weight. Don’t believe it. You can do any workout you need at home, but where you will save the money is in the food. Yes, good food cost money, more than cheap food that has no nutrition. This is a point to always remember; cheap food or snack food has no nutritional value. And the idea is to spend your money on food that will give you all the nutrition you need. Just in case you didn’t take a health class in school, Google nutrition, it tells you that the food you eat will keep you healthy, keep you from getting sick all the time and definitely save you on doctor bills. That’s the whole idea of eating; to give your body the nutrition to keep going. Only buy what you need and if you have the time shop every day and just buy exactly what you need for the day. This isn’t a new concept, people in most countries shop this way. In most countries food is all natural, that’s all you can buy. I’m saying most not all, but in most countries, people don’t make as much money and for them food is expensive and so to save money people shop for food every day, sometimes even twice or three times daily. Some countries refrigeration isn’t the same and many homes have very small refrigerators.

When you eat food that is high in nutrition, that’s the things your body needs to function properly, you don’t need as much food. Now when you first start changing your program and start eating healthy, you’re going to feel like you’re not full. If you’ve read my earlier posts I talk about changing your lifestyle. When you’re eating remember that you only need enough to get through the next three hours. I personally had to go to 5 or 6 meals a day; it depends on your schedule. I would eat a small meal every three hours. I’d start at 7 a.m. and then a small snack at 10 like a yogurt cup, a small lunch at 1 p.m., and then snack again at 4, and then dinner at 7 p.m. Never eat or even consume calories 3 hours before you go to bed. I know you’ve heard that before, but that’s because your metabolism slows down at night and when you lie down it almost totally stops so your body can change functions and begin to repair itself. So what I’m getting at is that your body is barely burning calories at night then first thing in the morning you need to jump-start your metabolism again.

You can’t take this for granted; you have to consciously make the decision to do this. Eating small meals every three hours gives you those three hours to burn those calories. And don’t skip a meal because you’re not hungry. A meal doesn’t mean you have to sit down and eat. It could be a cup of yogurt and a piece of fruit at your desk. The problem with eating just three meals is that you always eat more calories than you burn and so your body stores all those extra calories and so you end up gaining weight. It’s not always enough to notice but after a week you might be 1 or 2 pounds heavier. You can cut down the quantity of your three meals but you’ll complain about starving yourself. And even if you can handle starvation, you’ll shut down your metabolism and you won’t burn any calories.

Once you get used to your new routine you’ll save money on food, and you will be eating less.

Today food shopping is so time-consuming with reading all those labels and trying to stay on your budget that shopping every day is actually much easier and remember when you buy fresh fruit and vegetables there are no labels to read. And when you buy meat, 4 oz. of protein a day is all that’s required for your diet. Buy white meat not red, fish, pork or breast of turkey or chicken. Dried beans are better than canned and you can prepare several days worth at one time and refrigerate them. Use them hot as a side dish at dinner or cold in a salad. So most of the foods you’re going to buy don't require much work. Potatoes and pasta are o.k. but be careful what you add to them. That’s where all the calories are; in the add on’s. Butter is o.k. but in small quantities, and use real butter, no sour cream or those imitation produces. Small amounts of pasta are o.k. but don’t buy those jar sauces. Normally I don’t buy can foods, but can tomatoes are the exception. When you’re making a sauce for pasta canned tomatoes are better than fresh, just my opinion, they’re always ripe and I think they have more flavor.

Vegetables including fixing for salads, remember that salad dressings will get you into trouble. When you’re home I use a little olive oil and wine vinegar in moderation. There are other healthy alternatives like lemon juice. You can look up recipes on the web. You don't want to drink calories or make or buy gravies or sauces to put over your food. You don't have to eat hot meals every day. I try not to eat hot meals in the summer, ever.

 I’ve probably forgotten a few things, but you get the idea. You don’t want to buy anything man-made or anything made with processed ingredients like white flour. Try this kind of diet using these types of foods and you won’t have to starve yourself.

I write several blogs and e-books, check out some of my other sites.

gettingtoahealthyweight.blog
idropped40pounds.wordpress.com
howbaddoyouwanttoloseweight.blogspot.com
blogonweight.blogspot.com

If you really want to lose your body fat than look for my e-books at the websites listed below. You'll get information on Healthy eating, exercise, and diet. Instead of spending hours on the internet reading dozens of posts, you can save time by picking up one of my e-books.
There are two e-books. “How Bad Do You Want To Lose Weight?” is available at all the online bookstores selling for $1.99. Go to any of the websites below and search the title to find my e-book. This book gives you all you need to lose weight without spending money on gym memberships, diet plans or meal plans. Look for my book. at Amazon.com, B&N.com, iBooks, Kobo.com, Scribd.com, or Gardner Books in the U.K.

My new e-book is available on Smashwords.com, just type “getting to a Healthy Weight” in the search box at the top of the home page. I’ll give you a discount coupon you can use at checkout. (PJ42H) not case-sensitive the price is $1.99 w/coupon

Why Are Two-Thirds Of Americans Overweight?

America Loves Fast Food

Latest Nutrition, Food & Recipes News

Americans love fast food -- even if they can afford meals that aren't prepackaged in grease-resistant wrappers, according to a new study. Is it any wonder so many of us have a weight problem. This blog post will give you the truth about America's overweight problem. It's no wonder health care costs are sky-rocketing. This blog post first appeared on Medicinenet.com. 

The study found that Americans of all economic classes eat fast food. Middle-income Americans are the most likely to eat fast food, but only by a slight margin from other income groups. Even the wealthiest Americans admit to eating fast food, trailing other groups by just a bit, the researchers said.

"It's not mostly poor people eating fast food in America," said study co-author Jay Zagorsky, a research scientist at Ohio State University's Center for Human Resource Research.

"Rich people may have more eating options, but that's not stopping them from going to places like McDonald's or KFC," he said in a university news release.

The study included information from a national survey. The researchers zeroed in on roughly 8,000 people who were questioned about their weekly fast food intake in 2008, 2010 and 2012.

The participants, who were all middle-aged, were asked how many times they had eaten food from a fast food restaurant, such as McDonald's, KFC or Taco Bell, in the past seven days.

The answers were then compared to questions about their wealth and income. The study found that the fondness for fast food transcends economic classes and is shared by rich and poor alike.

Overall, the researchers found that 79 percent of the participants ate fast food at least once a week. Twenty-three percent ate fast food three or more times during any one of the weeks examined in the study.

The researchers noted that people whose income fluctuated dramatically in either direction didn't change their eating habits. "If you became richer or poorer, it didn't change how much fast food you ate," Zagorsky said.

Income may not have influenced the participants' fast food habits, but their schedules did. The researchers found those who opted for fast food tended to have less free time and were more likely to work longer hours than those who didn't rely on fast food for their meals.

Some of those polled admitted to eating all of their meals at fast food restaurants.

The study's authors said the respondents didn't reveal what they ordered from the fast food restaurants. Some people may have eaten salads or other healthier menu items.

Since all of the people included in the study were middle-aged, the study doesn't reflect differences in fast food intake among people of other age groups.

Still, the researchers suggested their findings could help health officials develop strategies to curb the obesity epidemic and guide Americans to follow a healthy diet.

"If government wants to get involved in regulating nutrition and food choices, it should be based on facts," said Zagorsky. "This study helps reject the myth that poor people eat more fast food than others and may need special protection."

When I was working in an office all day, I'd say that 90% of the office workers would eat fast food mainly because of the convenience.

I write several blogs and e-books, check out some of my other sites.

gettingtoahealthyweight.blog
idropped40pounds.wordpress.com
howbaddoyouwanttoloseweight.blogspot.com
blogonweight.blogspot.com

If you really want to lose your body fat than look for my e-books at the websites listed below. You'll get information on Healthy eating, exercise, and diet. Instead of spending hours on the internet reading dozens of posts, you can save time by picking up one of my e-books.

There are two e-books. “How Bad Do You Want To Lose Weight?” is available at all the online bookstores selling for $1.99. Go to any of the websites below and search the title to find my e-book. This book gives you all you need to lose weight without spending money on gym memberships, diet plans or meal plans. Look for my book. at Amazon.com, B&N.com, iBooks, Kobo.com, Scribd.com, or Gardner Books in the U.K.

My new e-book is available on Smashwords.com, just type “getting to a Healthy Weight” in the search box at the top of the home page. I’ll give you a discount coupon you can use at checkout. (PJ42H) not case-sensitive the price is $1.99 w/coupon