New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg’s ultimately unsuccessful efforts to ban the sale of super-sized sugary beverages within the city may have been met with skepticism by some, but a new study from the Harvard School of Public Health underscores just how devastatingly unhealthy these drinks can be. By looking at the consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages in 114 countries and correlating that data with rates of obesity-related deaths—that is, deaths resulting from heart disease, diabetes, and certain cancers—the study found that sodas and their kin could be responsible for over 180,000 premature deaths each year—25,000 of those in the US alone.

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Post tags: american beverage association, american heart association, diet illness, energy drinks, harvard school of public health, high fructose corn syrup, obesity, obesity illness, soda, soda ban, soda consumption, soda death, soda health, sugary drinks, us diet

When we consider the field of engineering, the images that come to mind run the gamut from airplanes to bridges to 3D printers. Yet we rarely think about how the processed food we consume has been designed with the same amount of attention and detail as any piece of cutting edge technology. New York Times reporter and author Michael Moss has written a book called Salt Sugar Fat: How the Food Giants Hooked Us detailing how industry titans have affected the collective American waistline. Linking their conscious development of addicting junk food to disease, he delves into how our eating habits are affected by big business and their role in the obesity epidemic.

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Post tags: addictive, american, diabetes, diet, food industry, gout, junk food, michael moss, new york times magazine, obesity, salt sugar fat: how the food giants hooked us, US

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Co-sleeping — when babies and young children share a bed with one or both of their parents — has now been linked to reduced obesity. According to a new Danish study, children who regularly co-sleep with their parents are 70-percent less likely to be overweight when compared to kids who never sleep with their parents. So what’s behind the correlation? Although researchers aren’t clear on why the co-sleepers were slimmer, they have some theories, such as kids who co-sleep may have a greater sense of emotional support, whereas children who are not allowed to sleep with their parents may feel rejected, and in turn, negative feelings may increase the risk of obesity.

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Post tags: child rearing, Children, Co-sleeping, green parenting, Health, Inhabitots, kids sleeping, obesity, parenting, sleep

Go Halfsies is a brilliant social initiative in Texas that solves the tripartite problem of obesity, food waste, and hunger in one fell swoop. When diners visit participating restaurants in Austin, they have the option of signing up for “halfsies”. In so doing, they will pay full price for a meal but receive only half the portion and the other half will be donated to people in the city who do not have enough money to purchase food. Since so many restaurants serve portions that are way larger than we actually need, it often happens that leftover food goes into the rubbish bin – where it becomes ineligible for donation. Halfsies solves that dilemma before it even happens by helping diners make good health decisions before they see the food on their plate.

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Post tags: austin, eco design, food portions, food waste, Go Halfsies, green design, halfsies, hunger, NYC, obesity, sustainable design