fat

Did you know that its Fat Talk Free Week?

The Reflections Program is running a campaign this week to encourage women to remove the word "fat" from their vocabulary when talking about themselves and others.

Also, in London Kathryn Szrodecki is fighting back by demanding legal protection for overweight people who are discriminated against and abused.

For some reason, people are mean to Casey Wilson. As a fan of Saturday Night Live, I could never figure that out. SNL might not have been the best format for her, and she wasn't always given the best roles, but she's one funny lady.

Casey showed grace this week when Lorne Michaels fired her from his show, sparking rumors that she was fired because she'd been asked to lose 30 pounds over the summer and either failed to, or refused.

If you eat a dozen Krispy Kreme doughnuts and then start bouncing off the walls, it's safe to say your brain activity has been altered.

It could also go the other way. If you eat a bunch of doughnuts and then purge because of shame, you'd be pretty bummed out.

That's why experts believe new findings on the effects of high-fat, high-sugar foods on brain receptors may give insight into eating disorders.

Eureka! No more diet books. Cancel your gym membership. Pour out the protein shakes. We've found the diet miracle!

Get some lab rats, scramble their livers, feed them fatty foods and they won't gain a pound, even without exercise.

Experts are hopeful this can work in humans too...

So, it should be no surprise that some experts are blaming the increase in sedentary jobs for the booming size of our buttocks.

I've said it before and I'll say it again. I have become generally desensitized to "breakthroughs" in weight loss methods. One possibility that seems to consistently manifest itself amongst the other noise has been the research on brown fat (brown adipose tissue, or BAT). It has been enough to make me pay closer attention - here's why.

In short, a recent study is showing that spending time in the cold can favorably alter our metabolic capabilities by increasing BAT.

Being hyped as the most important weight loss book of the year isn't an easy accolade to live up to. You never really know how much of the buzz is based on marketing hype or reputation for past works or both. Well, I'm here to tell you with a great deal of confidence - The Body Fat Solution did not disappoint.

Frito-Lay is about to start using a health claim on some of its foods. The application to the FDA will allow some Frito-Lay foods to state the following:

Sally Fallon, author of Nourishing Traditions has been in Australia promoting her book. Fallon promotes the benefits of saturated fats (from research undertaken by the Weston Price Foundation).

Fallon has come under heavy criticism from the Dietitians Association of Australia: "She's basing her ideas on observations of primitive populations in isolated areas who eat traditional diets, and it's so far removed from Western civilisation," [...] "In a population that is sedentary there is no need to consume saturated fats." (The Age)

So what is the truth? Are there any real answers to this controversial and ongoing debate?

Americans may eventually have a new tool to shrink growing waistlines. A Japanese preliminary study showed that the brown pigment in a type of seaweed, wakame, can help to reduce abdominal fat.

Having a fit or slim appearance may not necessarily imply good health - or the amount of fat you are carrying.

Researchers in the UK have been using MRI scanning technology to show the amount of fat surrounding internal organs.

Body fat has a mind of its own. It appears where it wants to, and seems to disappear (under great duress) from all the wrong places. Is there any rhyme or reason to fat distribution?

Here is a complete guide to body fat distribution.

In early 2005 a study was published in the journal of Neurology. The study examined the affect of a severely ketogenic diet on Parkinsons Disease. The results were encouraging, and another recent study reported similar results when treating Lou Gehrig's Disease.

Many weight loss programs use the phrase "melt fat". It's a ridiculous phase because nothing actually melts fat - except for lasers. Dermatologists at the Massachusetts General Hospital are experimenting with lasers that will heat up fat without harming the skin.

Forget the coconut oil, just give me the sunny beachIf you are interested in diet, then you've heard of Dr. Mercola (mercola.com).

Mercola's natural health site is enormously popular and has many followers. He writes fascinating articles on a multitude of nutritional issues - however there is an edge of fear and paranoia that has always made me feel uncomfortable. All that worrying about health and harmful food could end up making you sick...

One of the great debates is about the benefits of coconut oil and saturated fats.