HealthDay - THURSDAY, Aug. 16 (HealthDay News) -- Chronic kidney disease patients who are also obese are much more likely than normal-weight patients to have a condition called hyperparathyroidism, which raises their risk of heart problems and death, U.S. researchers say.

Reuters - A new UK study provides additional evidence that heavy people are more likely to choose other overweight individuals as mates.

Reuters - Obese middle-age and older women appear no more likely to report migraine than their non-obese counterparts, a new study suggests.

It's time to start thinking creatively about that great crop of basil you have growing in your garden or herb pot. Or if you don’t have a garden, it’s in abundant supply at your local farmer’s market. This version of pesto -- Walnut Basil Pesto -- is a popular condiment served at Green Mountain at Fox Run.

Healthy eating doesn't mean skimping on flavor! Very versatile, you can use this pesto to top fish, chicken, tofu, or pork, or use it as a spread in wraps or sandwiches, added to salad dressings or mixed into pasta dishes.

Makes about ½ cup pesto

1/4 cup toasted walnuts, cooled
1 1/3 cup packed fresh basil
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon maple syrup
1 small clove garlic
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 1/2 tablespoons parmesan cheese

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Spread walnuts on a baking sheet and bake 8- 9 minutes; cool. Put walnuts in a food processor and pulse until consistency of coarse meal. Add remaining ingredients except parmesan cheese and pulse until coarsely chopped. Add cheese and pulse again just until pesto is
combined. Pesto can be stored in the refrigerator for about a week or in the freezer for several months, so you can have it handy for other healthy recipes anytime!

For more healthy recipes check out the other delicious recipes listed on this blog or visit Green Mountain Healthy Living Recipe Favorites

Tags: walnut basil pesto, pesto recipe, healthy recipe

The American College of Sports Medicine and the American Heart Association just released new recommendations for daily physical activity for good health. The advice: 30 minutes moderately intense aerobic activity five times a week OR vigorously intense aerobic activity 20 minutes a day, 3 days a week AND 8 to 10 strength-training exercises, eight to 12 repetitions of each exercise twice a week.

It's good to see we're back to focusing on some reasonable recommendations. A few years ago, when the newest version of the US Dietary Guidelines were released, it seemed the most we heard about in the media was the recommendation to get 60 to 90 minutes a day of physical activity. For a nation of folks who don't seem to be able to get 10-15 minutes a day of activity with any regularity, we thought this new guideline was a bit discouraging at the least. Guess I should have read the fine print -- it seems the 60 to 90 minutes of physical activity was for weight loss and maintenance of that loss.

Regardless, now the media has picked up on the 30 minutes a day, and I for one am thankful. While we at Green Mountain do see that for healthy weight loss, the longer times are definitely beneficial, we also see women who can easily feel overwhelmed with lifestyle change. The shorter times, while perhaps not as conducive to weight loss, still can make a huge difference, and are what we need for good health.

Of course, there's still the question for most of us at some point of how to get even the 30 minutes recommended a day. There's a good answer: become an intrinsic exerciser. Then the joy of movement keeps us moving.

That's a goal I think we can all agree on!

Tags: intrinsic exercise , joy of movement , exercise guidelines , weight loss

Reuters - Few obese adults receive a formal weight-management plan from their doctors, despite the proven health benefits of even modest weight loss, a new study suggests.

Two weeks ago, in my post, "Is Obesity Socially Contagious?," I reported findings from a study which was funded by the National Institute on Aging and recently published in the New England Journal of Medicine. The study indicated that having obese friends may increase your own risk for becoming overweight. Critics of the study have quickly raised objections to the study findings and implications.

A Chicago Sun Times article, "Research supporting latest obesity study is pretty thin", purports that the study "may also contribute to prejudice against overweight people."

"This is another example of, oh, let's blame fat people and shun fat people as socially unacceptable," said University of Chicago professor Eric Oliver, author of Fat Politics. "That's the underlying message."

Turning the coined phrase 'socially contagious' on its head, Healthy At Every Size (HAES) website has published a critque of the obesity study entitled 'Is fat hatred contagious?' The article includes several examples of the biased way in which the results of the federally funded study has been reported in the media, including CBS, MSNBC, the BBC and others.

"What the Christakis-Fowler research actually shows is the social contagion of fat hatred, especially in regard to the way it's being disseminated and reported."

In particular, HAES argues, the media has portrayed this issue as mostly affecting women, while the original findings indicate that MEN were more likely to 'catch' obesity from other male friends, and that the average weight gain in those men was "only 5 pounds".

"Among friends of the same sex, a man had a 100%...increase in the chance of becoming obese if his male friend became obese, whereas the female-to-female spread of obesity was not significant..."

According to the HAES author, there has been no adequate discussion over whether the study results are, in fact, a matter of causation rather than correlation. The HAES article asserts that the following are key flaws of the study:

• The data was reported as if it applied to all Americans and all social classes, even though it was a non-random sampling of a white middle-class community.
• The "friends" and family members included in the study were only those whose names the Framingham Heart Study (FHS) participants.
• Using BMI as an indicator of "obesity" is inherently problematic especially for men it doesn't discriminate between muscle and adipose tissue. Muscular men could be identified as "obese" even though their body fat percentage might be within "ideal" range.

In my original post, I raised concerns over the unintended consequences of this study. Would people begin to ostracize their 'fat' friends? Would this just be another excuse for people to blame others for their own inability to maintain a healthy weight? As the Chicago Sun Times points out, weight management and healthy eating are complex in nature, and there are multiple societal pressures that have an impact on obesity. With the media's eye on the 'obese friends' angle, the public's attention is focused yet again outside themselves and not on personal behavior.

"There's no denying social pressure can encourage you to engage in unhealthy behavior. Just ask members of AA or gamblers anonymous. But people who take responsibility for their physical condition by eating right and exercising have nothing to fear from overweight peers."

FEAR - especially the fear of fat - seems to always keep great media machine running, and this latest research apparently provides more fuel for the engine. Perhaps we would all be wiser to 'fear' the fear of fat! Fat prejudice is detrimental whether directed internally or externally, and often leads to restrictive dieting, unhealthy body image, eating disorders, and - no less significantly - the emotional pain of societal rejection. I'm afraid that, even though the researchers may have intended this obesity study to be helpful in gaining insight into the social impact on and possible treatments for obesity, the end result may prove to be more harmful.

By Laura Brooks

Tags: weight loss success, healthy eating, healthy lifestyles, obesity

Reuters - The loss of estrogen that accompanies menopause contributes to the development of obesity and high blood pressure (hypertension), according to studies conducted in female rats.

Reuters - Overweight residents of an Italian town will be paid to lose weight, the mayor said on Monday.

HealthDay - FRIDAY, Aug. 10 (HealthDay News) -- Obese children diagnosed with health problems collectively known as the "metabolic syndrome" are at higher risk for developing heart disease as adults, new research reveals.