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Jamie Oliver Takes On America's Fattest Town

Diet & Weight Loss, Celebs & Entertainment

Getty Images
Photo: Getty Images

British chef Jamie Oliver has made it his personal mission to change the way people in England eat, so it's not surprising that he's taking America under his wing, too. The best place to start? The fattest town in the country, of course. Oliver recently met with the people of Huntington, W.Va. -- known as the unhealthiest place in America -- and admitted that the encounter was a hair-raising experience. So was finding out what they feed their children for lunch. "That's quite scary," he commented after discovering the school menu of hot dogs, funnel cake and hamburgers.

But he's not being mean to the town's 49,000 residents -- he's legitimately worried about their diets. "They are not stupid, they are not ignorant -- it's just they have never had food from scratch in their life," he said about the families he's worked with so far. Oliver blames the large food corporations who sell nothing but processed junk to residents, and points out the difficulty in finding fresh produce even though Huntington is a rural community surrounded by farmland.

There's no doubt that old habits will be tough to break for these southerners -- will this bumbling English chef be able to change a lifetime of bad eating? Looks like we'll have to stay tuned.

In the the meantime, find out what chef Gordon Ramsey thinks about vegetarian diets.

Duran Duran Star John Taylor is Now Du-Running

Diet & Weight Loss, Fitness, Celebs & Entertainment

john tylerDuran Duran ruled the 80's. In fact, they still kind of rule. Selling out arenas around the world isn't too shabby in anyone's book.

Even though he's still performing with his legendary band, John Taylor has reformed from his very typical rock star ways of the past, and is now a genuine fitness fiend. We spoke today, and I was delighted to hear about his new lifestyle. John told me that he gave up drinking and drugs years ago and pays a lot of attention to his health. He actually said he considers himself a runner! So cute, he called himself the "slackest runner in the world" but knows he needs that outlet because of the mental relief it provides. To quote John, he says it "suits my psychology."

When we see rock stars living the party life, it's easy to wonder what effects it will have on their futures. Some simply don't survive the lifestyle. But John did, and it's wonderful to see the man so many people adore as he lives a truly healthy life. He does struggle a bit with something, though.

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British Girl Can Lift Almost Twice Her Weight

Fitness

weightZoe Smith looks like your typical 14-year-old. She has a shy smile and, at only 5' 2'', she's quite petite. But Zoe is strong ... seriously strong. She's a competitive weightlifter and is creating quite a stir in the sport. Zoe weighs around 125 pounds, but in one clean and jerk, she hoisted 210 pounds worth of weights over her head.

Hailing from London, Zoe took gold in the 2008 Commonwealth Games and was later named one of the British Olympic Association's Athletes of the Year. That's impressive under normal circumstances, but when you consider that Zoe has only been involved in the sport for two years, it's even more astonishing.

What an awesome role model Zoe is for young girls. Strong and dedicated, she shows how young girls can accomplish anything when they set their minds to it.

Keep an eye out for Zoe in the next Olympic Games. My guess is she'll be there. And maybe she'll show her teammates how to lift without making tragic exercise faces.

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Chips Don't Count as Vegetables

Nutrition & Supplements

fruit snack
My son often begs for fruit snacks at the grocery store. Despite the hundreds of times I've told him otherwise, he still maintains that "they're fruit, so they're healthy!" Um ... no.

It turns out that my son isn't the only one confused by what actually counts as a serving of fruits or vegetables.
A recent British survey revealed lots of parents are confused as well. Some of the surprising results:

  • One in 10 believed Jaffa Cakes (a cookie-like treat made with sponge cake, orange jelly, and chocolate) counted as a fruit.
  • One in five believed orange squash (a sweetened, orange-flavored drink) counted as a fruit.
  • One in five believed Spaghetti Hoops (like Spaghetti-O's) counted as a vegetable.
  • One in 20 thought oranges and bananas didn't count as fruits.
  • 15 percent of British parents don't believe it's their job to teach their kids about nutrition.

Wow. And though it's sad to say, I think a survey in North America would have similar results. Check out the gallery for some potentially confusing items.

Does it count as a fruit or vegetable serving?(click thumbnails to view gallery)

Lego Fruit SnacksFruitabu Fruit TwirlsBanana ChipsJellyFrench fries

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Paula Radcliffe wins New York City Marathon again - are you inspired?

Fitness

Paula Radcliffe wins the New York City Marathon for the third time
Paula Radcliffe wins the New York City Marathon for the third time
Barbara Barker shares on Newsday.com that she went out and bought a pair of running shoes last year after Paula Radcliffe won the New York City Marathon. Remember Paula? The British woman who 10 months after giving birth ran her fit little heart out and clocked a time better than all other racers. Well, Barbara might want to get shopping again this year -- because Paula has done it again.

Sunday marked Paula's third New York win and while her other two (in 2003 and 2007) were close victories, this one was not. Paula, a two-time Olympian whose injuries kept her from winning both times, pulled away at mile 22 and won the race in two hours, 23 minutes, and 55 seconds.

Two words: I'm inspired. How about you?

For more Radcliffe inspiration, click here.

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British ban on junk food ads 'not working'

Nutrition & Supplements

Over the in UK, rules were recently placed on child-targeted advertising, prohibiting them from running junk food ads during popular kids programming. But according to recent reports from the BBC, the rules are not working. The reason? They're not strict enough. In fact, it turns out that only four of the top 20 children's shows are required to adhere to these rules. So some shows, like The Simpsons, are not allowed to run junk food ads during commercial breaks, while other like Beat the Star (which attracts half a million children!) can.

However, it's still estimated that the amount of junk food ads that children see on British TV has been reduced by around 50%. It's a start, but I'm still hoping for 100%.

What do you think about kid-targeted advertising? Is it a parent's responsibility to restrict what their kids see on TV? Or should advertising companies back off and stop aiming at impressionable minds?

(via Calorie Lab)


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Olympic hockey players wear red contact lenses

Fitness

Pollution is a big deal for Olympians this year, mainly because there's just too much of it in Beijing. Athletes will need to worry about the effects of air quality on their performance, but not just in the way you think. Hockey players are concerned that the smog and haze will inhibit their ability to see the puck clearly. And so Britain's women's team is trying out an interesting technique -- red contact lenses.

The red lenses work like sunglasses and will help the women's eyes cut through the glare and focus more clearly. They'll also limit the amount of time the players spend squinting or frowning, which will help prevent headaches and tiring. But I think these contacts will have another effect on hockey -- intimidation. Can you imagine going face-to-face with an opponent whose eyes look like this? Creepy!

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Dark chocolate sales double in two years

Celebs & Entertainment, Nutrition & Supplements

Dark chocolate has been enjoying an improved image lately, with all the good press regarding its health benefits.
It may still be high in sugar but it's rich in antioxidants, contains less fat than milk chocolate, and in some circles is considered a Super Food. No wonder dark chocolate sales are soaring.

Dark chocolate sales in Britain have doubled over the past two years, a new report reveals. By the end of the year, the British chocolate market is expected to grow even further. Predictions have sales growing 17 percent by 2013.

Experts think dark chocolate could soon be paired with wine and suggest upmarket bars could offer a choice of the finest chocolate to go with their best wine or champagne.

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It's so funny when Bear gets diarrhea

Womens Health, Celebrities and Entertainment, Diet & Weight Loss, Fitness, Celebs & Entertainment, Motivation, Alternative & Green Health, Nutrition & Supplements, Men's Health

Last night, I watched in both horror and hysterics as Bear Grylls, one of my past Celebrity Fitzness Report interview guests, devoured "too many" worms in Zambia -- which left him with an atrocious case of diarrhea. Imagine that!!! He cooked and ate a few big, gooey, spiny worms that he found on a tree, then continued to groan in agony throughout the rest of the show due to his "killer diarrhea." The guy is a combination of handsome, athletic, daring, brilliant, and accidentally hysterical all at the same time.

If you've never seen Bear's show Man vs. Wild on Discovery Channel, it's about time you check it out. Bear was a survival expert in the British Special Air Services (21 SAS). He's an elite adventurer and stops at nothing to teach us how to survive if we ever happen to get stranded in the wild. A part of survival is finding safe and energy-filled food sources. Normally I find this disgusting; typically I watch much of Man vs. Wild with my eyes under my blanket. Lately though, I've been peeking out, because Bear's facial expressions in response to his nasty food choices are side-splitting.

Watching him climb up waterfalls and run through the brush agonizing over diarrhea was priceless. My husband and I squirmed as he ate the worms, giggled as Bear grimaced while chewing on them, and then rolled in laughter as he suffered through his tummy troubles.

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Artificial food coloring makes kids hyper

Diet & Weight Loss, Nutrition & Supplements

Artificial food coloring makes kids hyper, say British scientists who wish to ban six different colorings. The European Council doesn't plan on issuing any such ban, however, despite the wishes of several powerful consumer and health groups.

Researchers have concluded after the study of 300 kids that there's a link between the colorings, a certain preservative, and hyperactivity in children. The worrisome additives, found in sweets, cakes, and fizzy drinks are: tartrazine (E102), quinoline yellow (E104), sunset yellow (E110), ponceau (E124), allura red (E129), carmoisine (E122) and sodium benzoate (E211). While Britain's Food Standards Agency, a government watchdog group, has called for a voluntary ban on these colorings, an actual government policy may be a long way off.

Further study will be underway. Maybe more conclusive findings will lead to more action.

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British man taken to court for lifting weights too loudly

Fitness, Celebs & Entertainment

Giran Jobe, a grunting weightlifter, had some disgruntled neighbors who felt he was too loud when lifting his weights. And, it turns out he probably was too loud, as he has now been fined, given a noise abatement, and taken to court.

Before you get too upset, you should know that the noise coming from his top floor flat was measured last June, and found to reach 100 decibels, the level of noise typically found at a rock concert. He was ordered to keep the noise down. Then, only a month later, the neighbors lodged another complaint, so the the Council implemented some noise recording devices.

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A movie about running, sort of: Run Fat Boy, Run opens tomorrow

Fitness

I love inspirational sports movies, and I'm always excited when I hear a new one is coming out. That being said, I don't think we're in for another Hoosiers or Remember the Titans with Run, Fat Boy, Run, but then again, it's not meant to be that kind of movie.

This movie is about a man who does a horrible thing to his fiance and, years later, decides to run a marathon to prove to her that he's changed. I think we can all agree that this is not the best reason to decide to run 26.2 miles, but hey, that's why it's funny.

And, while I wouldn't opt to run a marathon to impress someone, I can't say that I haven't ever taken part in an athletic event in order to look good in front of a cute boy or impress a friend -- can you?

Run, Fat Boy, Run
hits theaters tomorrow. Will you be running out to see it?

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Lisa Marie sues over weight gain story

Celebs & Entertainment

Lisa Marie Presley is one celebrity who is not putting up with media reports pegging her as fat. In fact, she's suing British newspaper the Daily Mail for suggesting she has an unhealthy appetite and is gaining weight like her father Elvis did.

It's not appetite plaguing Presley. It's pregnancy. Yep, the 40-year-old singer is pregnant. That's why her waistline is expanding.

Presley is none too happy to be announcing her news in this fashion and on this MySpace Celebrity blog, she writes with fervor about sharing her happy news amidst a media attack.

Will Presley win this lawsuit? It's a possibility, says Mark Stephens, a leading London media law expert who says "for an observation that would not be actionable in the USA, she will undoubtedly be recovering damages in London."

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Amy Winehouse battles skin disease

Diet & Weight Loss, Celebs & Entertainment

Does the controversial in-the-news troubled British singer Amy Winehouse strike you as someone who cares about what people think of her? Well, she's not.

Winehouse, 24, is not hiding away then as she deals with her diagnosis of impetigo, a bacterial skin infection that causes pimple-like lumps. Her bumps, which are highly contagious and capable of spreading to other parts of the body and other people, are on her face. She's doing fine, though, says a pal to PEOPLE magazine. Winehouse is currently taking prescribed antibiotics for her condition.

For an overview of impetigo, including signs, symptoms, causes, risk factors, and treatment, check out this Mayo Clinic resource.

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British aren't sure they want fluoride in their drinking water

Diet & Weight Loss

If you drink water from a municipal water source (not well water), then chances are good that fluoride has been added. It's a common practice in the U.S. to protect teeth from decay. British Health Secretary Alan Johnson wants the practice to become widespread in England -- only 10% have fluoridated water there -- but he's getting resistance from people who question the safety of fluoride and who also say it's their right too choose what goes into their water.

Some studies show that an excess of fluoride can actually pit the teeth and may affect bone health. But health experts say the benefits far outweigh the risks and that children who drink fluoridated water have 15% less tooth decay than those that don't.

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