SWIM. BIKE. RUN.

      Now that I have everyone’s attention, I’m sure I’ll hear feedback that not all fast food has to be fattening. Exactly, and I will get to that in Part II in the Winter issue, just before the holidays.  For those who think I am preaching healthy eating to the choir in an athletics magazine, think again.
       With three in 10 Iowans and 24 percent of Iowa teens considered obese by medical standards, Iowa is the 22nd most obese state in the nation, according to a recent TV newscast. The Black Hawk County Health Department reports that in the Waterloo schools alone, 48 percent of students were considered obese in 2009, a 13 percent gain over 2002.  Along with the rest of the world, we literally have a growing problem and athletes aren’t immune.
       A University of North Carolina study found that 56 percent of 2003-2004 National Football League players were considered obese.  Two researchers from Iowa State University’s Department of Health and Human Performance took the study further in 2005 with 3,683 Iowa high school football players. Along with at-risk or clinically overweight body mass indexes (BMI) in the 85th to 95th percentiles, 45 percent of the players were overweight and 28 percent were at risk for being overweight, compared to just 18.3 percent nationally. Ten percent had a BMI over 35, the adult threshold for severe obesity.
       In the study , published in the January 24/31, 2007 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association, the researchers wrote, “Adolescent overweight is related to unfavorable cardiovascular disease risk factors and predicts overweight in young adults.”  Of nine percent with severe obesity, they wrote, “That means they are in the range of adult level obesity already, and these players are only between 14 and 17 years old. What happens to them when they stop playing football?”  They warned, “bigger, if it’s fat, is not necessarily better.”
       Rather than just talk about obesity, I invite you to join me in consumer action.  I’m creating a “THAT TAKES THE CAKE!” designation for fast-food entrees in restaurants that are in a dead-heat race to capture the top of the market for those who they say really want it all: high fat, high calorie, high sugar and sodium.
       What triggered this rant of mine was a TV ad for International House Of Pancake’s spring special featuring “all your favorite tastes together”: two pancakes with a big glob (my scientific term) of cheesecake between them, crowned with fruit and whipped toppings.  IHOP’s on going menu lists New York Cheesecake Pancakes - “four fluffy buttermilk pancakes loaded with creamy, rich cheesecake pieces and crowned with cool strawberry topping, powdered sugar and whipped topping.”  The only nutritional information on their website was a “Smarter” menu of just 12 offerings under 600 calories.  An LA Times article cited 1,270 calories for the Cheesecake Pancakes (nearly a dieter’s complete calorie intake for the day).  It could take 2.25 hours of climbing stairs or five hours of walking the dog to burn 1,270 calories. Yet, this is only my “THAT TAKES THE CAKE!” runner-up.
       A few years ago, Hardees gave up battling McDonald’s for a market share of healthy offerings--i.e., salads (usually the first in wins), so they decided to go back to the big, high-calorie, high-fat sandwiches as a “branding” strategy. Now restaurants have all sorts of choices for the “hearty” eaters (the ones who stand the most chance of developing heart disease!).  True to the marketing axiom of “the first in wins”, I have designated the following Hardees offering as the current “THAT TAKES THE CAKE!” winner:
•  The 2/3 lb. Monster Thickburger sports 1,320 calories, 860 of which are from fat, 95 g of total fat and a whopping 3,020 g of sodium.
       Talk about over-catering to our genetic cravings for fat, salt and sweetness!
       Here is a bit of consumer activism that you can do. Ask every local restaurant for a brochure of their nutritional information. This will get corporate attention when the demand wears out their supply. Then, email me at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it and see if you can unseat the current “THAT TAKES THE CAKE!” winner with another contender. I will update the race standings and offer healthier solutions in the next issue.

Jean Vaux is a life and health coach, speaker and wellness advocate from Cedar Falls. You can contact her at 319-277-7444.