Rudd Sound Bites

Body Image as a Predictor of Health

by Beth Rocchio

When I saw the headline – “Body Image is Stronger Predictor of Health Than Obesity” - I felt concerned that it might be misinterpreted as, "as long as I feel good about myself, I don't have to lose weight to be any healthier."

It goes without saying that many different theories about obesity hold some water, and that we need to find the truth and limitations of each theory in order to attain the larger truth and best serve people.

Moving from Either/Or to Both/And

by Beth Rocchio

Every day I receive the headlines with the keyword obesity.  Last month, a very funny thing happened.  The following two headlines topped the list:

Researcher blames obesity on genes, not fast food

Root causes of obesity lie in how we look at environment, culture

What does a recovering overeater call Thanksgiving?

by Beth Rocchio

There is an old joke among recovering alcoholics that goes like this: "What does a recovering alcoholic call St. Patrick's Day?"  "March 17."  The fact that people whose lives had been nearly ruined by their addiction to alcohol can live to tell the joke is a testament to the power of people to recover from that baffling disease (using the 12 steps or any other effective means).

So, what does a recovering overeater (compulsive overeater, food addict) call Thanksgiving?

Put down cigarettes, pick up food: Evidence for addiction switching

by Beth Rocchio

Do you know anyone who quit smoking and gained a significant amount of weight?  Nearly all of us know someone.  It appears that America “put down cigarettes and picked up food.”  In addition to each of our own personal, anecdotal but powerful examples of this phenomenon, this graph depicts the rate of rise of obesity as it mirrors the decline of smoking in the US over the past forty five years or so.

Warning: this size may be hazardous to your health

by Beth Rocchio

Cigarette wrappers have them.  Alcoholic beverages have them.  Even casinos have them.  We are all familiar with warnings about how certain substances and behaviors may be unhealthy.

Using a similar approach as with other human excesses such as smoking, drinking and gambling, British health experts have proposed that large-sized clothing ought to contain warning labels on their tags with a telephone number to call for help with overeating. “What fat people need is help, advice and sympathy to overcome their addiction to food”, their report reads.  Click here for the complete article. 

Collaboration, Competition, and Elephants

by Beth Rocchio

“What we can do with public policy is incredible.  Isn’t it ridiculous that those guys in the labs are getting money for feeding rats sugar?” I actually heard this comment from a public health official at a conference last year.  A year later, at the Harvard Obesity Conference, I heard about many different views of the obesity epidemic.  Most people seem to choose a view and cling to it (like an addiction).  They believe the problem, and therefore the solution, is either genetic or environmental, biochemical or psychological, too little exercise or too much food, metabolic or nutritional, emotional or even spiritual.

How food is like the letter "Y."

by Beth Rocchio

The letter "Y" is a vowel.  Or is it a consonant?  It all depends how you use it, right?

I understand exactly why so many people have such difficulty understanding how food can be a substance of abuse.  We need food to live.  However, for many years certain people have claimed to be compulsive overeaters or self-described food addicts.  And now, there is mounting evidence from throughout the research/scientific medical community showing that for some people the brain appears the same on food as it does on drugs.

Obesity: What Do Video Games Have To Do With It?

by Beth Rocchio

On a very hot day earlier this summer, I was standing in line at Cold Stone Creamery.  Just behind me, I noticed a school-aged boy with a BMI that appeared to be around the 85th percentile.  So far, nothing unusual.  Then I noticed his tee shirt: “My parents said I should play more outside,” the caption read.  The accompanying picture was of a kid sitting on a tree limb with a video game controller in his hand playing video games on a large-screen TV.

Food Obsession: It’s only natural! (Or is it?)

by Beth Rocchio

In the nutrition advice column in this month’s O magazine, a reader asked why after weight loss and regular exercise she thinks “about food way too often” and can’t “forget about food between meals.”  In his response, medical and health expert Dr. David Katz  says we’re hardwired to obsess about food and that thinking about food is only natural.  I agree, but I also have to wonder, after we have had our need met, shouldn’t this obsession subside, and our interest move to a different need?  Among my friends and family who have never been overweight, this is precisely what happens.

If We Don't Study History

by Beth Rocchio

“Those who cannot study history, are doomed to repeat it.” –George Santayana

I have been blogging about food addiction syndrome as a major contributor to the obesity epidemic.  And when I thought I had just about heard it all, I read the following. Rationing high fat, high sugar, high calorie food to deal with the obesity epidemic sounds an awful lot like prohibition to me.  Santaya said, “Those who cannot study history are doomed to repeat it.” 

Snack babies

by Beth Rocchio

The current report on the treatment of childhood obesity appears dismal.  A review of more than 50 rigorous trials has shown that the current approach of nutrition education is failing to make a dent in the childhood obesity epidemic.

Dr. Zeitler at Children's Hospital in Denver explains that children born to moms who ate cheetos and white bread in pregnancy develop those “taste buds”.  The intrauterine environment's role in pediatric obesity is not new in my mind, though most people have thought me crazy for suggesting it. 

Food Addiction: Under-diagnosed and Under-treated

by Beth Rocchio

I recently attended the Harvard Medical School International Conference on Practical Approaches to the Treatment of Obesity.  One thing I observed from the conference is a pattern of under-diagnosis and under-treatment of what I will call food addiction.  I believe food addiction is part of a spectrum that includes emotional eating, mindless eating, compulsive eating, binge eating, food addiction, as well as bulimia on the far right and anorexia on the far left.

Eat all you want and not gain weight?

by Beth Rocchio

I was having a pedicure the other day, something I rarely do.  The woman performing the service wanted to make small talk, which I was more than happy to do.  I’m not sure how we got on the topic of obesity, except to say that I tend to talk about obesity with everyone who will engage.  The pedicurist told me how she eats everything she wants and can’t gain weight.

Nice and NEAT

by Beth Rocchio

NEAT was one of the interesting concepts emphasized during my recent attendance at the American Society of Bariatric Physicians conference. NEAT stands for non-exercise activity thermogenesis.  It basically refers to all of the energy we expend doing everything other than what we call exercise.  NEAT has been extensively studied at the Mayo Clinic.

Food vs. food

by Beth Rocchio

I recently read that scientists are working hard to respond to the obesity epidemic by inventing ingredients that would make people feel full and satisfied more quickly.  They hope to "prevent obesity by making people eat less."

One of the scientists said, "Twenty years ago, the industry was only interested to sell as much as possible.  That has changed, the industry now feels responsibility to respond to the health situation."

Not at odds: Enjoying food and savoring life

by Beth Rocchio

Being new to the blog world, I would like to share that I am pleased to read the lively discussion which was generated by my second blog.  The readers picked up on several themes important to any discourse on food, eating and weight.  First of all, food is meant to be enjoyable and enjoyed.  In fact, I just finished reading, "French Women Don't Get Fat," by Mareille Guiliano; the subtitle of which is, "The Secret of Eating for Pleasure."

Cirrhosis: It's not just from alcohol anymore

by Beth Rocchio

There are people who classify themselves as “foodaholics”.  And they are not joking.  One is featured on the success story page of the National Weight Control Registry.  He states, "My relationship with food was very much like that of the alcoholic with alcohol."  And yet this gentleman has maintained a 100 pound weight loss for approximately two decades.

Given that there are people who are treating food this way, it comes perhaps as no great surprise that Geisinger Health System is launching a large investigation to develop methods of diagnosing non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.

Come to the dark side; we have cookies.

by Beth Rocchio

As I drove into the parking lot of my son’s school this morning, I saw it once again. The bumper sticker on the minivan reads, “Come to the dark side. We have cookies.” I have seen it before, and at first it gave me a chuckle. But today as I drove towards my office where I work as a bariatric physician, I started thinking some more about that sticker.

Too Close for Comfort Food

by Beth Rocchio

In my practice as a family physician specializing in bariatric medicine, I frequently observe a strong connection between food and mood.  Though many of my patients see this connection as well, most of them find it ”embarrassing” to admit.  Lately, I have found myself using food advertisements to help my patients appreciate the connection between feelings and eating.  Some examples I have found in junk food ads are:

• "Hello, happiness... Betty Crocker cake mix."
• “Every taste has a feeling.”
• “Temporary ecstasy.  It tastes the way it feels to fall in love,”
• “He wondered how it was that just one delicious bite could change his whole mood,”
• “Pleasure.  Every single Pringle,”
• “Need a moment?  Chew it over with Twix.”
• “As good as a hug from mom.”