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7A THE DAILY ASTORIAN • WEDNESDAY, MARCH 15, 2017 Fewer hefty Americans are trying to lose weight Bacon, soda and too few nuts tied to big portion of US deaths Associated Press CHICAGO — Fewer overweight Americans have been trying to lose weight in recent years, and researchers wonder if fat acceptance could be among the reasons. The trend found in a new study occurred at the same time obesity rates climbed. AP Photo/Patrick Sison ONLINE CDC: www.cdc.gov/obesity/ “Socially accepted nor- mal body weight is shift- ing toward heavier weight. As more people around us are getting heavier, we sim- ply believe we are fine, and no need to do anything with it,” said lead author Dr. Jian Zhang, a public health researcher at Geor- gia Southern University. Another reason could be people abandoning efforts to drop pounds after repeated failed attempts, Zhang said. The researchers ana- lyzed U.S. government health surveys over nearly two decades from 1988 through 2014. The surveys involved in-person phys- ical exams and health-re- lated questions includ- ing asking participants if they’d tried to lose weight within the past year. More than 27,000 adults aged 20 to 59 were included. They were not asked to explain their answers. In the early surveys, about half the adults were overweight or obese. Those numbers climbed to 65 per- cent by 2014. But the por- tion of overweight or obese adults who said they were trying to slim down fell from 55 percent to 49 per- cent in the study. Body mass index, a measure of height and weight, determines weight status. Those with a BMI of 25 to 29 are considered overweight; 30 and above is obese. A BMI of 30 gen- erally reflects being about 50 pounds above your ideal weight. The study results were published March 7 in the Journal of the American Medical Association. Dr. Scott Kahan, direc- tor of a weight-loss clinic in Washington, said the study is important and echoes previous research. He acknowledged that it has become more accept- able in some circles to be overweight, but that many patients still feel stigma- tized. He said many come to his center after repeated attempts to lose weight and some give up for a while out of frustration. The study found obe- sity was most common among black women — 55 percent were obese in the most recent survey years, and there was a big decline in black women try- ing to lose weight. Whether that’s because of fat acceptance, dieting frustra- tion or other reasons is not known. The ingredients label for almond milk at a grocery store in New York. Dairy producers are calling for a crackdown on the almond, soy and rice “milks” they say are masquerading as the real thing and cloud the meaning of milk for shoppers. A group that advocates for plant-based products has countered by asking the Food and Drug Administration to say foods can use terms such as “milk” and “sausage,” so long as they’re modified to make clear what’s in them. Mayo, wings and butter: ‘Fake milk’ is latest food fight By CANDICE CHOI Associated Press NEW YORK — Is “fake milk” spoiling the dairy indus- try’s image? Dairy producers are calling for a crackdown on the almond, soy and rice “milks” they say are masquerading as the real thing and cloud the meaning of milk. A group that advocates for plant-based products, the Good Food Institute, countered earlier this month by asking the Food and Drug Administration to say terms such as “milk” and “sausage” can be used as long as they’re modified to make clear what’s in them. It’s the latest dispute about what makes a food authentic, many of them stemming from developments in manufacturing practices and specialized diets. DiGiorno’s frozen chicken “wyngz” were fodder for come- dian Stephen Colbert. An egg- less spread provoked the ire of egg producers by calling itself “mayo.” And as far back as the 1880s, margarine was dis- missed as “counterfeit butter” by a Wisconsin lawmaker. The U.S. actually spells out the required characteristics for a range of products such as French dressing, canned peas and raisin bread. It’s these fed- eral standards of identity that often trigger the food fights. ONLINE Diet guidelines: http://tinyurl.com/j5lcrv8 Nestle USA A package containing Di- Giorno pizza and boneless Wyngz. DiGiorno owner Nestle said it initially wanted to call the boneless chick- en pieces “wings,” since it believes people understand that “boneless wings” are not whole wings. The com- pany says the USDA instead proposed “wyngz.” Cow, nut, bean companies like Tofurky and milk alternatives, says stan- dards of identity were created to prevent companies from pass- ing off cheaper ingredients on customers. But the group says that’s not what soy, almond and rice milk makers are trying to do. Those companies are charging more money, and con- sumers are gravitating toward them, said Michele Simon, the group’s executive director. The FDA says it takes action “in accordance with pub- lic health priorities and agency resources.” Though soy milk and almond milk have become commonplace terms, milk’s standard of identity says it is obtained by the “complete milking of one or more healthy cows.” That’s a point the dairy industry is now emphasizing, with the support of lawmakers who last month introduced leg- islation calling for the FDA to enforce the guidelines. “Mammals produce milk, plants don’t,” said Jim Mul- hern, president of the National Milk Producers Federation. The federation says it has been trying to get the FDA to enforce the standard since at least 2000 , and that the lack of enforcement has led to a pro- liferation of imitators play- ing “fast and loose” with dairy terms. Those products often refer to themselves as “soymilk” or “almondmilk,” single words that the dairy industry says is a way to get around the guide- lines for “milk.” The Plant Based Foods Association, which represents The little-known Associa- tion for Dressing and Sauces showed its might in a 2014 mayonnaise melee. The group repeatedly com- plained to the FDA that an egg- less spread was calling itself Just Mayo, noting that under the federal rules mayonnaise is defined as having eggs. Hellmann’s mayonnaise maker Unilever, one of the association’s members, had sued Just Mayo’s maker citing the same issue. That lawsuit was dropped after the company faced blowback from the vegan spread’s supporters. The dressings and sauces group wasn’t the only one upset by Just Mayo’s name. The CEO of the American Egg Board, which represents the egg indus- try, also tried unsuccessfully to get a consultant to stop the sale of Just Mayo at Whole Foods. The revelations led to an investigation by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Soon after, the egg industry Edible, but eggless P LACE Y OUR A DS N OW ! Our Packages Include: • Daily Astorian • Chinook Observer • Coast Weekend • TMC Marketplace • Seaside Signal • CB Gazette • and online! Jamie Call Today (503) 325-3211 ext 231 Visitors will be arriving soon - Make sure your staff is ready! W E G ET R ESULTS ! group’s CEO retired earlier than expected. As for Just Mayo, the com- pany worked out an agreement with the FDA to keep its name — with some strategic tweaks to its label to make clear it does not contain eggs. Straining for yogurt It was a milk protein con- centrate at issue in a lawsuit over Yoplait Greek. That ingredient isn’t listed in the FDA’s standard of identity for yogurt. What’s more, the suit said General Mills relied on the ingredient to thicken its yogurt, rather than straining it the way other Greek yogurts are made. “Not only was it not Greek yogurt, it wasn’t yogurt at all,” said Brian Gudmundson, the Minnesota lawyer who filed the suit. By LINDSEY TANNER Associated Press 45 percent of those deaths, according to the study. CHICAGO — Gorging on bacon, skimping on nuts? These are among food habits that new research links with deaths from heart disease, strokes and diabetes. Overeating or not eat- ing enough of the 10 foods and nutrients contributes to nearly half of U.S. deaths from these causes, the study suggests. “Good” foods that were under-eaten include: nuts and seeds, seafood rich in omega-3 fats including salmon and sardines; fruits and vegetables; and whole grains. “Bad” foods or nutri- ents that were over-eaten include salt and salty foods; processed meats including bacon, bologna and hot dogs; red meat including steaks and hamburgers; and sugary drinks. The research is based on U.S. government data show- ing there were about 700,000 deaths in 2012 from heart disease, strokes and diabetes and on an analysis of national health surveys that asked par- ticipants about their eating habits. Most didn’t eat the recommended amounts of the foods studied. The 10 ingredients com- bined contributed to about Typical American diet It may sound like a famil- iar attack on the typical Amer- ican diet, and the research echoes previous studies on the benefits of heart-healthy eating. But the study goes into more detail on specific foods and their risks or ben- efits, said lead author Renata Micha, a public health researcher and nutritionist at Tufts University. The results were pub- lished Tuesday in the Jour- nal of the American Medical Association. Micha said the 10 foods and nutrients were singled out because of research link- ing them with the causes of death studied. For exam- ple, studies have shown that excess salt can increase blood pressure, putting stress on arteries and the heart. Nuts contain healthy fats that can improve cholesterol levels, while bacon and other pro- cessed meats contain satu- rated fats that can raise levels of unhealthy LDL cholesterol. In the study, too much salt was the biggest problem, linked with nearly 10 percent of the deaths. Overeating pro- cessed meats and undereating nuts and seeds and seafood each were linked with about 8 percent of the deaths. AP Photo/Alex Brandon Canadian certified organic farm-raised King Salmon fi- lets are placed on a tray in a store in Fairfax, Va. Join us for the SPRING MEMBERSHIP DRIVE at M onday, M arch 13 to W ednesday, M arch 22 Raise your hand, stand up, count yourself in and make a difference today. Call 503.325.0010 * Click on CoastRadio.org Donate through Facebook Walk in the station at 14th and Exchange, Astoria