Childhood obesity risk can be reduce by up to 41% by eating more whole grains, vegetables and nuts.

A study of children and adolescents found a greater intake of whole grains, vegetables and nuts reduced the risk of excess weight by 41%, 40% and 33%, respectively.  Higher fat dairy products increased the risk of overweight and obesity by 36%. Nuts do have higher calories from fat but increases satiety and may decrease food intake in future meals.

PositiveTip:  Plant foods when consumed with minimal processing have higher nutrient levels and lower calorie-density thus limiting the risk of weight gain for adolescents--and probably adults, too!

Childhood obesity is a good environment for cardiovascular disease and diabetes.

Researchers examined the physiological changes in extremely obese children compared to normal weight. Those overweight and obese had higher levels of oxidized LDL cholesterol (the damaging kind) and inflammatory markers which help predict the early onset of cardiovascular disease and diabetes. The most important finding was that these predictors of early disease increased steadily with increasing weight gain in children.

PositiveTip:  Low fat diets with more wholesome foods tend to help prevent weight gain along with active family activities to reduce sedentary hours.

Increasing body weight lowers sperm count.

A study of body weight and reproductive health found that compared to normal weight men, the overweight and obese had 10% and 20% lower sperm counts, respectively. Researchers also noted that sperm motility and vitality decreased with increasing weight. Men with zero sperm count increased nearly fourfold from 1% in normal weight to 3.8% obese men.

PositiveTip: Determine to lose weight now. Eat less processed foods and walk every chance you get.

Teen lifestyle habits increase chronic headaches.

Researchers in Norway found that teenage lifestyle habits are associated with recurring headaches. Lack of physical activity, smoking, and having excess weight significantly increased the incidence of headaches. Risk was even higher if a teen had more than one of these habits.

PositiveTip: Exercising, not smoking, and keeping weight in the normal range can help prevent headaches.

Physicians with strong exercises regimes are more likely to offer lifestyle counseling.

Doctor-patient counseling averages less than 5 minutes per visit. Factors that increase a doctor's likelihood of counseling patients include being trained in counseling, being overweight, and having a personal exercise regiment. Diet is the subject that medical residents, fellows and attending physicians find least comfortable.

PositiveTips:  Ask your physician about their lifestyle habits at your next visit if you are not being counseled about how to improve your diet and exercise habits.

One-and-a-half million Americans die prematurely from preventable diseases.

Nearly 2.5 million Americans die each year.  Researchers determined that tobacco smoking is responsible for 467,000 of those, followed by high blood pressure contributing 395,000 deaths, overweight-obesity, physical inactivity and high blood glucose levels each accounting for between 190,000 to 216,000 each.  

PositiveTip: How are you doing with your lifestyle choices? Each of these diseases results in large part from the choices people make.

Physical exercise may increase non- exercise calorie metabolism

Exercise researchers working with overweight and obese adults found that moderate and high intensity walking exercise increased the burning of calories during nonexercise periods.  Interestingly, this thermogenesis effect did not show up until 48 hours after the initial exercise period

PositiveTip: Be more active! It control weight by reducing stress, improving our sense of control, balances hormone levels, and burns calories preventing them from being stored as fat.