The Magic of Healthy Eating at Disney

Is the happiest place on earth also becoming the healthiest place on earth? That may be a bit of a reach, but the Walt Disney Company has been improving the nutritional quality of meals offered at their park restaurants. In a new study, researchers examined the impact and acceptability of these healthy changes among diners.

Before these healthy changes took place at the Disney parks, the default side for kid’s meals was French fries and the default beverage was soda. In 2006, the Walt Disney Company swapped out the French fries and soda and offered new defaults of fruit and vegetables and low-fat milk or water. Customers are still able to order French fries and soda if they choose to 'opt-out’ of the healthy defaults.

Disney recently provided the University of Colorado Anschutz Health and Wellness Center with data on the sales of kid’s meals for the years 2010-2012. The results indicated that customers are embracing the healthy changes. Across all 145 restaurants located at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida, 48 percent of guests accepted the healthy default sides and 66 percent of guests accepted the healthy default beverages. The healthy defaults significantly improved the nutritional quality of the meals, reducing calories by 21 percent, fat by 44 percent and sodium by 43 percent. Furthermore, Disney reported the healthy changes did not impact meal cost for customers.

Bottom Line: The Walt Disney Company demonstrated that small changes can significantly improve the nutritional quality of a meal without increasing the cost or restricting choice. Many restaurants have also responded to consumers’ demands for more transparency of nutrition information by displaying calorie counts on their menus or highlighting ‘heart healthy’ options. The ‘opt-out’ approach adopted by the Walt Disney Company is another great way to make eating healthy easier for consumers. 

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Make Time for Family Dinners

As we head into 2016, resolve to make time for family meals. Convinced your schedule is too packed? Take a look at your mealtime strategy; dinner does not need to be an elaborate meal in order to be delicious, satisfying and healthy. You can make more family meals happen with a few simple tips.

•  Make a schedule: Take a look at the calendar and choose a time that will work for all or most of your family members. Mark ‘family meal’ on the time that works best each day and commit to it like you would any other appointment.
• Plan ahead: Write down what you plan to serve for dinner each night of the week. You can buy all ingredients you need over the weekend -- preventing the need to make a hurried stop after work. Furthermore, there will be less temptation to swing by the drive-thru or order takeout if you already have a meal in mind,
• Prepare: Complete any meal prep that you can over the weekend to make the cooking process faster. Slice up the veggies you will need in advance and keep them in containers so they are ready to go. You can also cook and freeze an entrée to heat up later in the week.
•  Keep it simple: No one is expecting you to prepare an elaborate meal with tons of ingredients. Look for recipes with short ingredient lists and minimal prep time. Aim for a balanced meal that provides lean protein, complex carbohydrates, fruits and veggies.
• Get the kids involved: Have the kids help with the food shopping and cooking. Not only is it nice to have the extra hands, it is also a great way to get kids excited about healthy foods. They are much more likely to eat their veggies if they have a part in choosing and preparing them.

Bottom Line: Making time for family dinners may require a little bit of planning, but it offers many rewards. Winding down at the table to share a meal teaches children how to build a healthy, balanced plate. Sitting down for a meal often leads to more mindful eating, which can help prevent overeating. Family dinners will promote healthy eating habits while also providing extra family time -- sounds like a win/win!

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Don’t Be Misled by Food Ads

Advertisements pop up everywhere -- from television to social media and magazines to billboards -- we are constantly exposed to the latest and greatest product or service. The food industry is no exception and many food and drink advertisements use fun characters and humor to target children. According to a new study, these ads are also targeting parents with a misleading emphasis on the health benefits of these food products.

Researchers collected data on all of the television advertisements for packaged foods and beverages in the United States between 2013 and 2014. The researchers first singled out food products intended for children that were advertised on kids’ channels. They then looked for advertisements of these products that aired on other channels.

They found that 25 of the 51 products intended for children were also advertised specifically to parents through images of family togetherness. Of all the airtime for children’s food products, parents were targeted 42 percent of the time. The parent-directed ads also tended to emphasize the nutritional information of the products and their supposed health benefits.

What is concerning, however, is the recent findings from the University of Connecticut’s Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity that concluded that many of these products do not actually meet federal standards for healthy foods. And, as food manufacturers face increasing pressure not to advertise unhealthy food products to children, parent-directed marketing is likely to increase. Researchers note that this shift is already starting to take place, with 73 percent of ads for sugar-sweetened beverages targeting parents.

Bottom Line: Food advertisements often contain misleading health claims and images of family togetherness to target parents. Although many of these foods do not meet healthy guidelines, it can be tricky to sift through fact versus fiction. Always remember to read the Nutrition Facts Label and ingredient lists on all food products, regardless of what the advertisements claim. Making an effort to limit processed foods altogether is a great first step to avoid the confusion of unsubstantiated health claims. 

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The Upside of Text Messages

How often do you say “just text me”? In our plugged-in world, communicating through text message is the new normal. Many stores have even jumped on the texting bandwagon and use text messages to alert customers about upcoming sales. The opportunities to communicate through text message are seemingly endless. A new study of a texting intervention sought to determine whether texting could help people increase their activity and lead healthier lives.

The study, published in the Journal of the American Heart Association, included 48 men and women ages 18-69 years old. All of the participants had risk factors for heart disease. The participants’ baseline activity was established during week one with activity trackers. The study was then conducted in two phases.

In the first phase, the participants were randomly assigned to either unblinded or blinded activity tracking. Unblinded tracking allowed participants to see their activity data through a smartphone interface, while the blinded trackers were unable to see their activity data. In phase two, the unblinded participants were randomly assigned into one of two groups, smart texts versus no smart texts (the control). The smart texts group received coaching text messages three times per day, while the control group did not receive coaching text messages. The “smart texts” incorporated the patients name and personal details to provide encouragement based on their current level of activity. All participants had a goal of 10,000 steps per day.

The phase one data revealed no significant difference in steps between the unblinded trackers and blinded trackers. The phase two data, however, demonstrated a significant difference between participants receiving smart texts compared to those who did not. Overall, those who received text messages walked an average of 2,534 more steps per day than those who did not receive a text message. Additionally, 81 percent of those receiving text messages reached their 10,000-steps-a-day goal, compared with only 44 percent of those not receiving text messages.

Bottom Line: While the market for activity trackers has grown, people may need more than an activity tracker to stay motivated to move more. Evidence has shown that text messages can help patients remember to take medications, stop smoking and request help at the first sign of medical problems. Text messaging may also prove to be a useful tool to inspire and motivate people to lead healthier lives through increased physical activity. 

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Yoga Relieves Arthritis Symptoms

Arthritis is a leading cause of disability. It is a debilitating disease that affects mobility, overall health and well-being, and quality of life. Although there is no cure for arthritis, remaining active has proven to be effective for management of the disease. In a recent study, researchers sought to examine the effect of yoga on physical and physiological health and quality of life among individuals with arthritis.

The study, conducted by John Hopkins researchers, found that weekly yoga can help improve both the physical and mental well-being of arthritic patients. While physical activity is very important for those with arthritis, 90 percent of people with arthritis do not meet the appropriate exercise recommendations -- often due to pain and stiffness.

The study included 75 participants with either knee osteoarthritis or rheumatoid arthritis. They were randomly assigned to either a wait list (control group) or an eight-week program consisting of biweekly yoga classes and a weekly yoga session at home. Participants’ physical and mental well-being were assessed before and after the yoga sessions by researchers who did not know which group the participants had been assigned to.

The research team reported a 20 percent improvement in pain, mood, energy level and physical function for those participants in the yoga group compared to the control group. Additionally, participants reported these improvements remained true nine months after the program. Yoga is likely beneficial because it serves as a form of both stress management and low intensity physical activity.

Bottom Line: Arthritis is a debilitating disease and although there is no cure, remaining active has proven to be beneficial to manage and improve symptoms of the disease. New to yoga? Try starting your day with just ten minutes of simple yoga poses. Remember to ask your doctor before starting any exercise program.

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Cooking Meat on High-Heat May Increase Cancer Risk

The World Health Organization recently made headlines with their conclusion that processed meats are cancer-causing and their classification of red meat as “probably carcinogenic”. A new study published in the journal Cancer finds the cooking techniques used to prepare meat may play into this risk.

The new study found that high-temperature cooking methods may increase the risk of kidney cancer if you consume high amounts of meat. Additionally, other studies have found high consumption of well-done meat is associated with an increased risk of many other types of cancer including colorectal cancer, pancreatic and prostate cancer.

As you cook a piece of meat the outside first begins to heat and brown, followed by the inside. As the meat is heating it goes through multiple reactions to create flavor and aroma compounds, called cyclic amines. The longer the meat is exposed to heat, the more reactions take place and more compounds are created. One of the compounds created is heterocyclic amines (HCAs). HCAs have been found to be mutagenic, meaning they can cause changes in DNA that may increase the risk of cancer.

To evaluate the association between cooking techniques and cancer risk, the researchers at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center documented the eating and cooking habits of people who had been diagnosed with kidney cancer. They then compared the kidney cancer patients' habits with the habits of healthy, cancer-free individuals.

The researchers found that those with kidney cancer consumed more meat overall and were more likely to cook it at higher temperatures. This includes cooking methods such as pan frying, grilling, or cooking meat until well-done or charred.

Bottom Line: A growing amount of research documents the health risks associated with consuming large quantities of meat, especially when using high-heat cooking methods to prepare the meat. Try incorporating at least one meat-free day into your week to cut down on meat consumption. Sources of plant-based protein include beans, seeds, nuts, grains and edamame. If you do cook meat, research suggests that baking, broiling, sous vide or using a Crock Pot are the safest cooking methods to use. 

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Tips to Drive Worksite Wellness Engagement

Sometimes employers roll out fabulous worksite wellness programs and then have a difficult time getting employees to participate.  What steps do you need to take to ensure that your program gets high engagement rates? At Wellness Workdays we work with organizations to develop a strategic, branded communications plan for every wellness program. However, this is only one tactic to drive engagement. There are a number of additional strategies that should be employed to increase participation and get workers excited about your program. A recent article in the New York Business Journal highlights additional best practices

Customize the presentation of the wellness program.
Sitting face-to-face with employees is a highly effective way to find out what their concerns are and what they are interested in. Some organizations use videoconferencing and others host brown bag lunch sessions to start discussions about wellness programs.

Meet employees at their starting point.
Employees come in all shapes, sizes and ages. In any one organization, some employees are avid exercisers while others have no interest in exercise.  Some employees are knowledgeable about nutrition while others don’t know what information to look for on food labels. Each individual’s health and wellness needs are different and employers should offer programs that meet varying needs.

Recognize that changing behavior is hard.
Employers should not be discouraged.  It takes a long time to break bad habits. Wellness programs should be viewed as a continuum and not just a once and done situation. Employers should be prepared to continually educate, encourage and bring employees on the journey. About 75% of health care costs are related to lifestyle, including diet, sleep and exercise habits, so it is in an employer’s best interest to be patient and resilient when implementing any workplace wellness plan.

Sell the wellness program to senior level executives with solid data.
Numbers have a profound effect on CEOs and top management. For example, a highly-engaged workforce in a wellness program can lower workers’ compensation costs by 39 percent. Once the health, productivity and financial connection is made, many senior executives will support the implementation of a worksite wellness plan and will be avid participants, helping to drive engagement.

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