I guess it had to come up eventually.  Do you think taxing junk food solve the obesity crisis? This controversial idea has never been given a real-world tryout, but the combination of a budget busting fiscal crisis and a citizenry that keeps getting fatter is causing legislators and executives around the world to give a so-called “obesity tax” serious consideration. New York Governor David Paterson is the most serious of all, proposing in his 2009 state budget that an 18% sales tax be levied on non-diet soda and sugary juice drinks. Such a tax, he says, would raise $404 million in the fiscal year starting in April, and $539 million in the year after that—all to be earmarked for obesity-fighting public health programs.

If Paterson succeeds—and he’s already run into vociferous opposition from the soft drink industry—it would likely be the first such broad tax in the world. But the concept of a so-called obesity tax is slowly gaining support, floated by such disparate public figures as British Conservative Party leader David Cameron, San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom, French tax authorities, and politicians in regions of Canada, Australia, and Ireland.

Paterson’s proposal wouldn’t, in fact, be completely precedent-shattering. A recent study by the Institute for Health Research Policy at the University of Illinois at Chicago found that at least 27 states impose taxes of 7% to 8% on junk food such as candy, soda, and baked good snacks, usually imposed when the products are sold through vending machines. Such levies are barely noticeable on food items that cost only a dollar or two.

15 Years of Debate

But with state budgets facing steep deficits in the wake of the recession, much larger taxes on soda and unhealthy foods could become more appealing, says Kelly D. Brownell, director of Yale University’s Rudd Center for Food Policy & Obesity. “I’ve been contacted by a number of state legislators recently,” he says. “I think it’s only a matter of time before it happens.”

Brownell isn’t the most objective observer, since he was one of the first to give prominence to the idea of an obesity tax, having floated the concept 15 years ago in a New York Times op-ed essay. His proposal has generated heavy debate in food policy circles ever since. Opponents say such a tax would disproportionately fall on the poor, punish thin people who merely happen to like soda and candy, and fail to address the many complex factors that contribute to obesity. The American Beverage Assn., which says it will aggressively fight Paterson’s proposal, calls the soda tax “a money grab that will raise taxes on middle class families and threaten thousands of jobs across New York State.”

Nevertheless, the thought of raising the price of unhealthy foods in order to discourage consumption has slowly gained currency on the strength of two developments: the documented success of a similar consumption tax on cigarettes and the alarming increase in obesity rates. In 1995 about 14% of U.S. adults were considered obese (defined as having a body-mass index—a calculation based on height and weight—of 30 or above). Today that number is over 30%.

Obesity Mortality Gaining On Tobacco

A full two-thirds of American adults are overweight or obese, as are 33% of children and adolescents. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that obesity costs the nation over $90 billion in direct medical costs. And in April 2008, the Conference Board estimated that obese employees cost U.S. businesses $45 billion a year in medical expenditures and work lost.

This advertisment for a stop nail biting product is a mouth full!

Nowadays our life is getting more and more tense. People live under constant stress of various problems, such as social, ecological, economic and etc. We constantly suffer from noise and dust in big cities, diseases and instability. To overcome all difficulties we should take care of our physical and mental health.To achieve this aim it’s better to keep to a balanced diet and take prescribed supplements from a vitamin store. To my mind there is no ideal diet for all people in general because our food needs differ according to age, sex and occupation. For instance, Women’s Health Magazine claims that the ideal diet contains different types of foods in such quantities and proportions that the need for calories, minerals, vitamins and other nutrients is adequately met in our bodies and provides them with energy for all life processes and for the growth, repair and maintenance of cells and tissues.

Fluid intake in the form of water based drinks is also essential for good health. Water is essential for the correct functioning of kidneys and bowels. The famous medical specialist Jacob Bogatin thinks that at least 6-8 glasses of plain water should be drunk each day, more in hot weather.

According to Women’s Diagnostic Center in Philadelphia: there are also various factors that need to be kept in mind while you are working out the ideal diet for yourself. They are: natural qualities of each food, places and climate where the food is grown prepared and consumed. You should not forget about the presence of artificial flavors, chemicals and preservatives.

In conclusion I’d like to say that following a well-balanced diet regularly and staying at your ideal weight are crucial factors in maintaining your emotional and physical well-being.

Unless you have been living under a rock you have probably heard of the newest and loudest calls for more action against steriod abuse. Roger Clemens and a host of others have went before a Senate committee and it seems there are quite a few sparkling lies flying around. Anabolic steroids have many legititmate medical uses and you can indeed buy steriods everywhere but they have been plastered everywhere because of it’s abuse by proffesional athelets.

It is interesting to note that a couple of years ago when Governor, movie star former professional bodybuilder and all-around celebrity Arnold Schwarzenegger admited to using steroids and said he has no regrets. “I have no regrets about it,” said Schwarzenegger, “because at that time, it was something new that came on the market, and we went to the doctor and did it under doctors’ supervision.” The bottom line is do your research and don’t abuse them.

The new year is quickly approaching and it will be time again for making those weight loss resolutions. Here is a quick peice of advice to make this years resolution become a weight loss reality. Start changing your habits now! Don’t wait till January the first to begin altering your lifestyle because it is bound to fail. Many folks pack on an extra 10 or 15 pounds during the holiday season and that will make it that much more difficult to lose the weight come the new year. Here are some simple tips that you can start with to make your new years resolution of weight loss come true:

1. Drink more water and fruit juices and less pop, beer and wine. Don’t cut out the beverages you love completely, simply start by cutting back on two sugar loaded drinks a day and replacing them with water or fruit juice.

2. Everyone loves to snack, so replace one of your fatty snacks with an extra piece of fresh fruit or low-fat yogurt. It is a small step but every little bit helps and what really makes the difference is getting used to picking up a healthy snack as opposed to chips or a chocolate bar.

3. Do a bit of excercise every day. If you have not done anything active in a long-time or even if you do get active once-in-a-while start off with 15 minutes of brisk walking or 15 minutes of stretching every single day.

Again, the trick is to change your lifestyle habits just a little bit so when you take the next step it will be that much easier and you will have a greater chance for success. When it comes time to choose a weight loss diet make sure to pick one that offers you lots of flexibility to you can stick with it.

Biggest Loser’s Biggest Changes

A co-worker at my office recently went under the knife for a painful plastic surgeries. She was out of work for two weeks and when she returned to her desk the next Monday, she looked like death warmed over. She was in tremendous pain. Her face was bright red, her nose swollen to two times its regular size, the staples in her scalp could be seen upon closer examination, and the pain medication that she was on rendered her almost incoherent. The looks themselves were enough to break me of any desire to submit my body to that kind of torture. The sad thing was, she is only 50 years old and this was her third facial plastic surgery. This made me think that her desires to be young were more addictive than rational.

We see the same thing with dieters. Being a healthy weight is desirable but some go to extremes to obtain what they view as the perfect weight. Eating disorders such as anorexia and bulimia are examples. But these are not healthy. The key to good health and weightloss is excercise and lots of fruits and vegetables. Akavar Weight Loss Pills work great without side effects but if possible healthy eating and excercise should be tried first. Likewise there are healthy means to youthful appearance and there are very unhealthy procedures that we should stay away from.

Two Tips To Remember In Choosing A Healthy Way To Youthful Beauty

Do what feels right.

Painful procedures (like micro-derm abrasion) don’t feel good. And they are not good for you. The natural way to exfoliate dead skin is using natural exfoliator such as sea sand. There are many cosmetic exfoliators with these natural exfoliators as their main ingredients.

Work with your skin.

Don’t try to change your skin and stay away from products that claim to. Using a product such as Amatokin that works with your skin to enhance its natural abilities is a good alternative. If you have oily skin, choose products that work with oily skin (not those that eliminate it). Treat your skin with care and respect and it will serve you well for “ages” to come.

I have mentioned Amatokin because it has shown to be a very good eliminator of wrinkles. Yet it does so without painful procedures. Women should choose their way to beauty like they choose their lifestyle and their weight loss course. They should choose, with care, those products which are nourishing and beneficial for their body in the long run. Healthy skin is beautiful skin.

Another skin problem that can quickly get out of control is Vitiligo, this is a generalized disease with localized manifestations. What your eyes see is white spots on your skin but the basic abnormality is a generalized derangement of immune system.   Management of this disease focuses on cosmetic improvement of the white patches, either by re-pigmentation or camouflage if necessary.