The shape of things

If you haven't had a chance to see Britney's "performance" on the VMAs, you're missing out. Ha, well not really, but this post will make a lot more sense if you watch it: (http://popsugar.com/613065)

I was reading through some health articles today and this headline caught my eye "Britney was bad, yes. But 'fat'?" Apparently after Britney's performance Sunday night the blogosphere went crazy about how bad she was and many (including E! News and New York Post) called her fat, lard, and said she had a bulging belly. 

I want to know what do you think, 1. Is Britney "fat" 2. Did she just choose the wrong outfit, or 3. You think she looks great.

Personally the outfit is ridiculous. But, fat? Far from it. For having two kids and partying like she does, I'd say she looks pretty good. The sad thing about all of this is that normal women and girls who are Britney's size are going to hear all these comments and what will it do for their body image? Especially if these women have worked hard to get where they are.

I think that news companies (as much as E! is news) should stick to critiquing her performance and perhaps her wardrobe, but should steer clear of these "fat bulging belly" comments. What do you think? 

Did you know the American Heart Association recommends that people limit trans fat intake to 2 grams a day? Yep, that's it.

Even more surprising - when you see "zero trans fat" on a label it might not actually mean that there is no trans fat in the food. The FDA doesn't require food labels to include trans fat if there's less than 0.5 grams per serving. The catch is that many people eat more than one serving - so that means the "zero trans fat" could easily add up to 1-2 grams! (which is the recommended daily intake!) Read the article.

So what can you do to make sure the zero trans fat food you're about to eat really has no trans fat? Check the ingredients. If "partially hydrogenated oil" is included - it's the primary source of trans fat.

Another tip - don't just look for trans fat. Saturated fat also raises your risk for heart disease, so be vigilant.

I know we look at "85 pound" Nicole Richie (*I seriously doubt she weighs that, probably more in the mid-90s) and most of us can tell she doesn't look healthy - with her sternum portruding farther than her boobs - but I'll admit there's a lot of pressure to be thin, REAL thin for young women.

Living in a celebrity-obsessed society of which the majority are very thin it makes many young women want to diet and exercise. Which, in itself, is not a bad thing. It's just when things get out of hand that it becomes a problem.

Many women think the answer is to eat as little as possible and workout as much as possible. Seems like it makes sense. But it doesn't. Here's why:

1. When you workout your body needs feul to get through it, when you're not eating enough calories your body has to look for fuel (energy) in other places which often is your muscles. So your body is eating muscles (which slows your metabolism) and stores fat. It stores fat because your body thinks that there is no food available - so as if it were in starvation mode - it stores fat for later because it thinks it won't get any more fats.

2. If that's not reason enough to get enough calories - then this new research might change your mind. This article presents the research from Ohio University that found that when you don't get enough calories your body inhibits bone formation. I hear that bones are pretty important - so please get enough calories to feul all those workouts.