Comments on: What I’m Reading: The Fattening Of America http://www.modernforager.com/blog/2008/05/12/what-im-reading-the-fattening-of-america/ Respect Your Food. Respect Yourself. Thu, 28 Aug 2008 00:56:28 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.1 By: Scott Kustes http://www.modernforager.com/blog/2008/05/12/what-im-reading-the-fattening-of-america/#comment-12001 Scott Kustes Fri, 16 May 2008 14:47:23 +0000 http://www.modernforager.com/blog/?p=756#comment-12001 Anna, this could be a decent book for an HR person to read because he discusses why most workplace wellness programs fail. Specifically, gyms are often used mainly be people that were already going to the gym and given that employees typically move jobs every 5 years or less, employers have little incentive to invest in major measures. The problem is that I don't think he really ran through what <i>does</i> work. It will show the benefits person that the companies providing the wellness solutions are probably not achieving the results they claim to be, but I'm not sure it's going to put them on the right path either. That's a tough nut to crack. Cheers Scott Anna, this could be a decent book for an HR person to read because he discusses why most workplace wellness programs fail. Specifically, gyms are often used mainly be people that were already going to the gym and given that employees typically move jobs every 5 years or less, employers have little incentive to invest in major measures. The problem is that I don’t think he really ran through what does work. It will show the benefits person that the companies providing the wellness solutions are probably not achieving the results they claim to be, but I’m not sure it’s going to put them on the right path either. That’s a tough nut to crack.

Cheers
Scott

]]> By: Anna http://www.modernforager.com/blog/2008/05/12/what-im-reading-the-fattening-of-america/#comment-11685 Anna Thu, 15 May 2008 19:45:24 +0000 http://www.modernforager.com/blog/?p=756#comment-11685 The workplace issue is one that I am wrestling with, too, though it is my husband's workplace that is the issue, as I am an unpaid (but happy) slave in the home :-). Creeping, nay, skyrocketing healthcare costs are a huge issue each year as his not-for-profit biomedical research institute struggles to construct an attractive benefits package for the employees. I have no argument with them giving a small discount on health insurance premiums to non-smokers (and smokers who complete a smoking cessation program even if they don't manage to quit), but I can see that "healthy" diet and lifestyle suggestions are probably lurking right around the corner in their attempt to slow health insurance premium increases. Despite this institute's cutting edge position on important basic and biomedical research, I fear the diet and health advice they will dispense will inevitably be very mainstream (and wrong) and sourced from the usual suspects (same thing from the medical insurance provider's diabetes education campaign in which I am enrolled). So I have been thinking about finding a constructive way to either respond to misguided, ineffective, and perhaps even erroneous suggestions or to direct them in a better direction. Any suggestions are appreciated. Do you think this book would be a good one to recommend to the benefits person in the HR dept? The workplace issue is one that I am wrestling with, too, though it is my husband’s workplace that is the issue, as I am an unpaid (but happy) slave in the home :-). Creeping, nay, skyrocketing healthcare costs are a huge issue each year as his not-for-profit biomedical research institute struggles to construct an attractive benefits package for the employees. I have no argument with them giving a small discount on health insurance premiums to non-smokers (and smokers who complete a smoking cessation program even if they don’t manage to quit), but I can see that “healthy” diet and lifestyle suggestions are probably lurking right around the corner in their attempt to slow health insurance premium increases. Despite this institute’s cutting edge position on important basic and biomedical research, I fear the diet and health advice they will dispense will inevitably be very mainstream (and wrong) and sourced from the usual suspects (same thing from the medical insurance provider’s diabetes education campaign in which I am enrolled). So I have been thinking about finding a constructive way to either respond to misguided, ineffective, and perhaps even erroneous suggestions or to direct them in a better direction. Any suggestions are appreciated.

Do you think this book would be a good one to recommend to the benefits person in the HR dept?

]]> By: Scott Kustes http://www.modernforager.com/blog/2008/05/12/what-im-reading-the-fattening-of-america/#comment-11634 Scott Kustes Thu, 15 May 2008 13:40:39 +0000 http://www.modernforager.com/blog/?p=756#comment-11634 Skyler, good article. Thanks Debs, I concur. My old employer rolled out a Heart Healthy Lunchroom last Feb. You can see my take on it <a href="http://www.modernforager.com/blog/2007/02/16/heart-healthy-lunchroom/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">here</a>. It's a shame that even good intentions have unintended consequences and the prevailing dogma is what is pushed so often. I suppose that's why we're all here trying to fight the good fight. Cheers Scott Skyler, good article. Thanks

Debs, I concur. My old employer rolled out a Heart Healthy Lunchroom last Feb. You can see my take on it here. It’s a shame that even good intentions have unintended consequences and the prevailing dogma is what is pushed so often. I suppose that’s why we’re all here trying to fight the good fight.

Cheers
Scott

]]> By: Debs http://www.modernforager.com/blog/2008/05/12/what-im-reading-the-fattening-of-america/#comment-10264 Debs Mon, 12 May 2008 20:03:08 +0000 http://www.modernforager.com/blog/?p=756#comment-10264 Even when workplaces do try to keep employees healthy, they often go about it in the same well-intentioned yet misguided way that most mainstream health sources approach eating a healthy diet. My workplace at a "health fair" recently, at which you could get a few tests done, sign up for services, and so forth. The people doing the cholesterol and blood glucose tests handed me an American Heart Association flyer about keeping your cholesterol low. Almost every single thing on it was wrong - no mention of reducing sugar at all, and it was all about cutting out egg yolks, not eating cholesterol, not eating organ meats, eating more vegetable oil and vegetable spray, and so forth. It was atrocious. <a href="http://food.gofrolic.org" rel="nofollow">Food Is Love</a> Even when workplaces do try to keep employees healthy, they often go about it in the same well-intentioned yet misguided way that most mainstream health sources approach eating a healthy diet. My workplace at a “health fair” recently, at which you could get a few tests done, sign up for services, and so forth. The people doing the cholesterol and blood glucose tests handed me an American Heart Association flyer about keeping your cholesterol low. Almost every single thing on it was wrong - no mention of reducing sugar at all, and it was all about cutting out egg yolks, not eating cholesterol, not eating organ meats, eating more vegetable oil and vegetable spray, and so forth. It was atrocious.

Food Is Love

]]> By: Skyler Tanner http://www.modernforager.com/blog/2008/05/12/what-im-reading-the-fattening-of-america/#comment-10166 Skyler Tanner Mon, 12 May 2008 16:57:56 +0000 http://www.modernforager.com/blog/?p=756#comment-10166 Scott, Your mention of phenotype reminds me of an article written by my friend Dr. Doug McGuff and the limited number there really are: http://ultimate-exercise.com/phenotypes.html Best, Skyler Scott,

Your mention of phenotype reminds me of an article written by my friend Dr. Doug McGuff and the limited number there really are:
http://ultimate-exercise.com/phenotypes.html

Best,
Skyler

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