A couple of days late this week, but nevertheless, welcome to “FitnessMantra Weekend”, your once-a-week health news update. As always you can also stay updated with the latest in fitness news by subscribing separately to the Fitness Mantra del.icio.us feed.

In February of this year, I asked if Shrek could really come across genuinely as an anti-obesity mascot given that he is an obese monster who likes nothing better than stuff stuff down his throat! Add to the fact that Shrek is already being used to promote a variety of junk and sugar-laden foods such as M&Ms and McDonalds’ foods and this was just a disaster waiting to happen and happen it did: Is Shrek bad for anti-obesity campaign? questions the decision of the Department of Health and Human Services to use Shrek as an anti-obesity mascot and pretty soon we’ll know if he’s still got the job!

“Surely Health and Human Services can find a better spokesperson for healthy living than a character who is a walking advertisement for McDonald’s, sugary cereals, cookies and candy,” said Linn, an instructor in psychiatry at Harvard Medical School.

What do you feel? Would using Shrek to promote healthy eating confuse rather than educate young minds? Pen your thoughts off in the comments while I rush out to reserve tickets to Shrek The Third (hey, at least acting is one thing he can do, can’t he?!)

Here are the week’s top health and fitness stories:

1. ‘Gym pill’ trips fat-burning gene: US scientists have devised a drug that can switch on a gene to burn body fat, offering hope of an exercise pill.
2. Veggies may ward off pancreatic cancer: A look at the eating patterns of 183,518 California and Hawaii residents has found evidence that a diet high in flavonols might help ward off pancreatic cancer.
3. Is Shrek bad for anti-obesity campaign?: A children’s advocacy group wants the Department of Health and Human Services to oust Shrek, the animated ogre, from his role as spokesman for an anti-obesity drive.
4. The new school food — fewer chips, more carrots?: Whole-grain crackers, low-fat yogurt and fruit could become the school snacks of the future, driving out fattening fancies such as cola and fried chips.
5. Meat can be murder on long-term health - Forbes.com - MSNBC.com: “Would we all be better off if we dramatically reduced meat to the point of one meal a week? I would say yes,”
6. Got heartburn? Check your waistline: Are you suffering with serious heartburn? If so, your weight might have something to do with how you’ve been feeling — and how you can feel better.
7. Breast-fed babies don’t grow up to be skinnier: While breast-feeding has many benefits, it won’t prevent a child from becoming fat as an adult, says a new study that challenges dogma from U.S. health officials.
8. Obesity rising in Europe: The number of overweight people in Europe is rising and there is an especially worrying trend of increasing childhood obesity
9. Cardio vs. Weights: The Battle Is Over: Which is better for scorching up calories: cardio workouts or weight training?
10. Sally Squires - Give Kids a Chance to Eat Wisely - washingtonpost.com: Our tendency to accept what we’re offered may have value when it comes to encouraging children to choose — and eat — healthier food at school.
11. Mother’s puberty ‘obesity clue’: The age at which a woman had her first period can help predict her children’s risk of obesity, say UK researchers.
12. Success for child obesity scheme: A community programme which aims to encourage obese children to be more healthy has proved highly successful, a study has found.
13. Exercise May Help Prevent Parkinson’s: People who exercise regularly may be less likely to develop Parkinson’s disease — but leisurely strolls may not be enough.
14. Obese File Twice as Many Workers’ Comp Claims: “Given the strong link between obesity and worker’s compensations costs, maintaining healthy weight is not only important to workers but should also be a high priority for employers,”
15. Single high-fat meal drives up blood pressure: Eating a single high-fat meal can cause a spike in blood pressure, researchers in Calgary say, a finding that suggests another way fat consumption may lead to heart damage.
16. Fat-fighting baby milk criticised: Plans to add a hormone which suppresses hunger to baby formula food are unlikely to work say experts.
17. Dieting most always fails in the long run: “As much as I would like to have a magic bullet, I knew the only way to lose weight was eat less and exercise more,”
18. Winning the Nutrition Game, With Help From a Coach - New York Times: MARIAM NOORZAI of Camarillo, Calif. tried weight programs from Atkins to Weight Watchers, but it wasn’t until she hired a personal nutrition coach last fall that she finally lost the excess weight, dropping to 128 pounds.
19. Lose weight by vegging out: Maybe you can’t learn to like vegetables, but you can trick yourself by sneaking them into your diet.

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Have a great weekend!

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Welcome to “FitnessMantra Weekend”, your once-a-week health news update. You can also stay updated with the latest in fitness news by subscribing separately to the Fitness Mantra del.icio.us feed.

This week, WebMD takes the prize for the most interesting article: Simple Fixes for a Healthier Diet begins by first describing the average American diet: highly deficient in key vitamins (A, C, E), minerals (potassium, magnesium) and fiber. Based on the periodic “What We Eat In America” Surveys conducted by the US Department of Agriculture, these results were derived after questioning nearly 9000 people on their daily eating habits.

Almost everyone surveyed (93%) was getting too little vitamin E from foods and beverages. Almost a third weren’t getting enough vitamin C, and about 44% were getting too little vitamin A. More than half of those surveyed weren’t getting enough magnesium, and better than 90% needed more potassium. Further, most weren’t meeting the daily fiber recommendations.

But the article author, Elaine Magee, does not stop at finding fault with our eating habits: she provides us with a priceless list of five foods that will more than make up for the shortfall we are facing.

Adding all the foods in the list to our diet will provide us with 363% of your Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) of Vitamin A, 388% Vitamin C, 90% Vitamin E, 81% magnesium, 65% RDA potassium, 20 grams of fiber (almost 80% RDA) and 0.5g of heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids.

So what are these wonder foods? Well I am not one to give away the ending to a good article but I can only tell you that it involves one-third cup of nuts. For the rest of the story you really must read the entire article - go ahead, your satisfaction is guaranteed.

Now, while you figure out how you plan to include all those great foods into your diet, go through the week’s other top health and fitness stories:

1. Harvesting a Healty Diet for Children: Kids tend to eat more fruits and vegetables — and actually like it — if their produce is homegrown, a new study shows.
2. Tea ‘could cut skin cancer risk’: Drinking just two cups of tea per day could cut the risk of developing skin cancer, a study suggests.
3. Alcohol ‘makes fruit healthier’: Strawberries are good for you but having them in a cocktail may make them even healthier, a study suggests.
4. Cut Heart Risk by Eating Less Salt: Even modest reductions in salt intake can dramatically lower heart disease risk, new research shows.
5. Simple Fixes for a Healthier Diet: What do you need to eat to have a healthier diet? If you’re like the typical American, you’re lacking six key dietary components: vitamins A, E, and C; the minerals potassium and magnesium, and fiber.
6. 8 Ways to Think Thin: If you want to succeed at weight loss, you need to “cut the mental fat, and that will lead to cutting the waistline fat,”
7. Whole-Grain Oats Cut Cholesterol: Eating a diet rich in whole-grain oats may help lower cholesterol in people at risk for heart disease.
8. That salad sounds healthful, but is it?: It turns out that what Californians “know” about the nutritional value of the food they order in chain restaurants may be the stuff of mythology.
9. I’m shaped liked SpongeBob!: What are the best exercises if you’re shaped like SpongeBob SquarePants?
10. Child Health Continues Troubling Slide: American children’s health continued to slide last year, part of a trend observers blame on worsening obesity rates.
11. Omega-3 Fatty Acid May Thwart Alzheimer’s Disease: A type of omega-3 fatty acid called docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) may help slow the growth of two kinds of brain lesions associated with Alzheimer’s disease, a new study suggests.
12. Sally Squires - Eating and Exercise: How to Find the Right Mix: Figuring out what to eat and drink before, during and after exercise can give your brain a real workout.
13. Mauritania struggles with love of fat women - More Health News - MSNBC.com: Mey Mint struggles to carry her weight up the flight of stairs, her thighs shaking with each step. Her rippling flesh is not the result of careless overeating, though, but rather of a tradition.
14. Why broccoli, soy fight cancer: Eating foods like broccoli and soy has been linked to lower cancer rates, and California researchers said on Sunday that they may have discovered the biological mechanism behind the protective effect.
15. Can Too Much Weight Cause Ear Infections in Kids?: Scientists in South Korea have uncovered a possible connection between body fat in children and a certain kind of ear infection, but several specialists in the United States are expressing doubts about the research.
16. Sit to Be Fit — and Then Make Some Moves: Part of being fit is how you sit. A few simple adjustments can pay off.
17. Obese Children: More Ear Problems?: Obese children may be more likely to have fluid build-up in the middle part of their ears.
18. Study adds data that vegetables reduce cancer risk: A large study of 500,000 American retirees has found that just one extra serving of fruit or vegetables a day may reduce the risk of developing head and neck cancer.
19. Coca-Cola To Release Vitamin-Friendly Soda: Coca-Cola said it would soon be releasing a new drink — Diet Coke Plus. Company officials said the soda is very similar to regular Coca-Cola but with vitamins.

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Have a great weekend!

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