President Obama's Health Report: Checking-up the President

Wow! I and President Obama share one common trait. Both our doctors have asked us to junk fatty food. The only difference is that my report did not catch the attention of the global media. That's a sin I can pardon them for.

Dr. Jeff Kuhlman, the President's physician wrote in his medical report about the American president recommending that he bring about dietary modification in his food intake pattern to reduce LDL cholesterol and bring it below to 130 from its current level of 138.

What makes the President's health report all the more interesting is the fact that apart from me, he shares this common trait with most other American. I was recently reading an article on the eat habits of American on the Palo Alto Medical Foundation website.

The article pointed out that at a time when people all over the world are looking for a quick grab. In fact, the article says that over 25 per cent of American consumes fast food every day. The article provides an interesting survey and figures. It generates information from Google map to say that there are close of 50,000 fast food chains across the United States. It adds that ninety-six per cent of the kids in school could recognize an image of McDonalds. The article also says that Americans spends nearly $ 100 billion on fast food every year. President Obama is only one of them.

How to manage your carving for fast food

Neither President Obama, nor I, or the millions of others like us will be ever able to completely overcome our craving for fast food. Without doubt it is convenient particularly when you are eating to live and not living to eat. You may be up to something urgent and fast food may be the only option for a quick bite.

The article is indeed interesting. I will provide the link at the end of this article. It says that not all fast food is bad. That is some piece of good news for me. I also agree with the writer that today many of the fast food joints are providing healthier options. The article provides a few tips which are very interesting and can be easily practiced. I have tried to summarize them here as I understood them which is written in brackets:

1. Don't order the biggest sizes: (Eat only as much as you would want. Do not get carried away be bargain offers.)

2. Sugar soda is full of sugar and calories: (Try to stay away from aerated drinks, instead prefer low-fat milk, fruit juice, diet soda or water to stay hydrated.)

3. Sauces such as mayonnaise, tartar sauce, some spreads or salad dressing can add loads of extra fat and calories: (Keep the food simple, choose low-fat or reduced fat options when possible. Salads are a healthy option, especially with a healthier dressing)

4. Fried foods are not the best choice: (Grilled or baked are better)

5. Go for the kids menu: (By far this is the best one - Kids portions are smaller in size and you can eat later in you still feel hungry).

6. Choose from the items labelled as "healthy" or "light.": (Wonder how we can believe that - But still if you find any go for it).

The link to the detailed article is provided below. I think it would make for an interesting reading if you too are looking at some healthy eating options in fast food like President Obama and me.

http://www.pamf.org/teen/health/nutrition/fastfood.html#Just how common is fast food in America?