Dollar Shots 30 cent Wings
Every Thursday
Try the NEW Shmo Burger
with...
Five Dollar Burger Basket &
Five Dollar Pitchers
Every Wednesday
Jo Shmo's
www.burgersbeerbocce.com
724 Mass St
Photo illustration by Jessica Sain-Baird Thanksgiving is right around the corner, so keep in mind that a serving of the warm, fluffy bliss that is mashed potatoes with gravy contains close to 300 calories.
It starts soon after birth, when a mother's breast milk can influence her child's preferences. For instance, the breast
communal eating to quick eating could be one reason for our collective fattening. "When we're distracted, we tend to eat more," Steele says. "The gravitation away from the traditional family-style meal has been, to a large degree, responsible for our nation's obesity problem, especially in children."
Fast food got its start 92 years ago here in Kansas, when the first White Castle popped up in Wichita. In the 20th century, McDonald's, Burger King and Chick-fil-A stores took hold across America. From 1929 to 1979, the number of restaurants in America increased by more than 3,000 percent, while the population grew by just 85 percent. All that dining out did a number on Americans' health. According to the Center for Disease Control, obesity rates in America have doubled in the past 30 years. America's expanding waistlines can be traced back to our innate want of serotonin-inducing sweets, but it's likely the product of social changes, as well. "Historically, gatherings with friends have revolved around food." Cole says. "We just eat too much now, have too many choices and aren't as active as we were."
Genes aren't the only things we inherit from our parents. While the shapes of our parents do help determine our natural sizes, it's the traits they teach that make the most indelible mark on our eating habits.
We are what we eat
milk of a mother who eats primarily spicy foods will train a baby to tolerate hotter flavors. Parents continue to program their children's bodies throughout infancy. Children who are consistently overfed grow accustomed to overfeeding, even if they are taking in more calories than are necessary. "Little kids, presented with a mountain of food, will eat until full," Steele says. "If a kid is always told, 'Clean your plate,' versus 'Eat until you're full,' it affects how much food they consume later in life." As they grow older, overfed kids will often continue to eat more calories than are necessary or healthy.
As children age, parents still play an influential role. According to a study at the University of Sydney in Australia, kids who were encouraged to eat breakfast daily were less likely to become obese. The same went for kids who frequently sat down to eat dinner with their families. But our extra weight doesn't fall squarely on our parents' shoulders. Eating behavior and its corresponding biology can be altered over time by adopting healthier habits.
Getting a head start on training children to like healthy foods can prevent a long adjustment period to fruits and vegetables later in life. According to some studies, altering portion size is the key to changing unhealthy eating, while others say it's possible to overhaul the brain just by cutting down on bad food over a long period of time."The human animal will gravitate toward sweet and fatty-type foods," Steele says."But that can be overridden."
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November 20,2008