women

No, it's not just your imagination: men eat more meat than women do. And women consume more fruits and vegetables than the guys.

But who eats the most eggs? Yogurt? Oysters? And who is at most risk for food-borne illness? A recent population survey of 14,000 American adults had at least a few surprises.

I feel sorry for young girls.

I'm not trying to be patronizing or condescending - after all what would a man know about such things?

However the other day as I sat and watched music videos with my daughters we discussed how women were portrayed.

Our conclusions were not good.

When people think of an eating disorder - they usually think of an extremely underweight woman in her late teens or early twenties.

However, new research out of Australia shows a dramatic increase in disordered eating among those in their 30s, 40s, and 50s.

What's driving this?

For most people, getting ready in the morning is done in a hurry-scurry manner.

If you’re anything like me, and mornings aren't your strongest suite, it’s hard to be enthusiastic about your appearance when you’d much rather be back in bed.

The quotes from these vintage ads (from the 1940s) proclaim: “Every woman has a figure problem!”

These old-fashioned ads (from Corsietere) show great similarities to today's marketing mix. This advertising brainwashing (complete with ludicrous before and after images) assured women that they were not thin enough or appealing enough for the world . Sound familiar?

In the world of the diet industry - it seems that men are the next big "pot of gold". Weight Watchers are campaigning, and even have created "workouts just for men". Perhaps men have some extra muscle groups somewhere that women don't?

I know a number of women who deadlift and bench press, for example. They haven't turned into the incredible bulk - but they do cop some subtle jibes from other women.

Ever wonder why men and women are so different when it comes to dieting and weight loss?

A new book by Karen Miller-Kovach, She Loses, He Loses: The Truth About Men, Women, and Weight Loss explores these differences.

Just this morning I was thinking of the health consequences of severe dieting episodes.

In the quest to follow strict low-fat diets and other extreme fads - many people now find themselves with health issues that may well have resulted from malnutrition. They are less fit, heavily medicated, and most likely are the same weight (or more) than when they started the vicious cycle of dieting.

Here's the good news: there is proof that an overall health and exercise program (without dieting) can have many positive results.

I'm not sure if these are on TV yet, but here are two Dove commercials that are - quite frankly - superbly done.

Researchers at universities must have a lot of spare time on their hands. Recent research shows that men who are hungry (rather than satiated) find heavier women more attractive.

Almost every news report about obesity is presented with an alarmist tone. You would think we're in the midst of an evil epidemic that will result in everyone being the size of a house by 2020. Not so. The CDC studied data from 1999-2004 and showed that, while men and children have been getting heavier, the number of overweight and obese women has stayed the same (source). "I'd like to think this shows women are leading the way in recognizing obesity as a health threat," said Dietz, director of the CDC's Division of Nutrition and Physical Activity.

83 per cent of female college students (aged 18-24) diet... no matter how much they weigh. The research appears in the Nutrition Journal (abstract here).

The chief researcher acknowledges that the figure is up from 70% (in previous research) - but that may be due to how they classify dieting.