IN THIS ISSUE Mind, Body and Spirit: Exploring Healthy Options Duration: 12:20 the Canadian Government Considers This Country to Be in a Health Crisis

IN THIS ISSUE Mind, Body and Spirit: Exploring Healthy Options Duration: 12:20 The Canadian government considers this country to be in a health crisis. Obesity, diabetes, cancer and mental health issues are on the rise and taking a toll on the country’s health services. But we can all take steps now to live a healthier and longer life. The CBC’s health reporter Christine Birak takes us through just a few of the things you may want to change today for a healthier and happier tomorrow. Related News in Review Stories CREDITS  Health Myths Debunked (Nov 2015) News in Review is produced by CBC NEWS and Curio.ca  Addiction and the Food Industry (Feb 2014) GUIDE  Young Adults and Heart Disease (Mar 2010) Resource Guide Writer: Jennifer Watt  Fashion and the Dangerously Thin (Apr 2007) Resource Guide Editor: Sean Dolan VIDEO Other related Curio.ca content Host: Michael Serapio Senior producer: Jordanna Lake  Forever Young Packaging Producer: Marie-Hélène Savard  Ideas: Stuffed (CBC Radio) Associate Producer: Francine Laprotte  It Takes Guts Supervising Manager: Laraine Bone  Programmed to Be Fat Visit our website at curio.ca/newsinreview,  The Secrets of Sugar where you will find an archive of all previous News in Review seasons. As a companion resource, we recommend that students and teachers access cbc.ca/news for additional articles.

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VIDEO REVIEW 4. Experts recommend limiting sugar intake to no more than 12 teaspoon a day. Before Viewing  True  False

Rate yourself from 1 (strongly disagree) to 5 5. People who consume diet soda on a daily (strongly agree) on the five health indicator basis are three times more likely to develop statements below. Give yourself a total score both stroke and dementia in the next ten out of a possible 25 points. The higher the years as compared to those who do not score, the more health conscious you are. consume diet soda. Reflect on your score with a small group. What  True  False are your strengths in terms of healthy living? In 6. Name one negative effect of body what areas could you improve? shaming.  I read and understand food labels. 7. Depression is treatable.  I try to steer clear of pop, chips and other  True  False processed snacks.  I am mindful of the health risks associated 8. List one symptom of depression. with energy drinks. After Viewing  I lead a healthy lifestyle.  I have specific strategies to improve my Thinking back to your answers in the before mental health. viewing survey, what did you learn from this video about a healthy lifestyle? If you were to Viewing choose one high-impact goal to improve your health, what would you choose and why? 1. Which province polices food ads to kids under 13? Hospital visits due to health complications from drinking too many energy drinks are increasing. 2. List one change that will be made to food labels.

3. What percentage of over 40 000 packaged food labels includes added sugar?

a) 30 per cent

b) 40 per cent c) 66 per cent d) 90 per cent

THE STORY

Minds On

Have you noticed that many restaurants and coffee chains now post the calorie count of their food and beverage offerings?

Does this information impact your decisions on what to eat or drink? Why or why not?

Canadians need help It seems that Canadian children and adults need help in making healthy food and drink choices. Two ways that the government plans to help its citizens is through new regulations on food labels and in marketing food to children.

Better labelling Labels will move to the front of packages to make them more visible. Labels will reflect whether foods are high or low in salt, sugar and saturated fats. These labels will serve to of nutritionists and health agencies. Therefore, highlight the potential harm that the food may laws are needed to stop incessant ads for cause. Will consumer behaviour change with energy drinks, fast food and snack foods this “in your face” type of labelling or will aimed directly at children and youth. consumers choose to ignore it? We’ll have to wait and see. Researcher Monique Potvin Kent at the University of Ottawa found that children Marketing to children viewed 25 million ads for unhealthy foods and beverages on the top ten websites visited by The government is also considering laws that kids and teens. How can someone, especially forbid marketing of certain foods to children. a younger child, resist these messages? And Quebec already restricts marketing of “junk- how does it impact their attitudes towards food” to children under the age of 13, and the healthy eating? One out of every three federal government hopes to extend these children are overweight or obese in Canada. laws to the rest of Canada. They might even Laws restricting advertising of unhealthy foods ban marketing to any person under 17. aimed at youth might serve to make these Voluntary commitments by the food industry to foods a little less desirable. stop marketing to youth appear to be useless since most companies have ignored the pleas

To Consider Go Deeper

1. What changes to existing laws are being What are the typical qualities of an ad aimed proposed for the food industry in Canada? at a teenage audience? Create a parody on food or drink marketing aimed at teens with 2. Do you think laws should be passed to those qualities in mind. Share your parody with make people become healthier? Why or your class. why not?

3. Research a law that is meant to protect According to nutrition criteria created by food health such as anti-smoking laws, seat belt companies, Chocolate Lucky Charms, Fruit laws, or drinking and driving laws. How Loops, Fruit Roll-Ups and a McDonald’s Happy effective was changing the laws in Meal are “healthier” options that can be changing habits? advertised to children under 12. Research the nutritional content of some of these foods. Do you agree with the company’s nutritional criteria? Why or why not?

CANADA’S FOOD GUIDE are not in home cooked meats. These kinds of observations suggest that the food guide has Minds On left out important health information.

Compare food guidelines from around the Snack foods world. Visit the Food and Agriculture There is one type of food that is not even found Organization of the United Nations at in the food guide and that is ready-to-eat fao.org/nutrition/education/food-dietary- snack foods. According to recent statistics, guidelines/. these foods account for a quarter of the calories Why do you think there that people eat. Too are differences in food much processed food in guides from different a diet tends to lead to countries? too much salt, sugar and Canada’s Food Guide caloric consumption. Eating potato chips and Canada’s Food Guide is drinking pop every day one of the Canadian leads to an additional 54 government’s most 750 calories per year in popular documents in your diet. terms of print copy distribution and Cut the calories downloads. However, the Nutritionists feel that food guide has been Canadians need to know criticized lately and there that home cooked meals are demands for an and minimally processed updated version. One of foods are best. Most of the main criticisms is the your meals caloric guide’s habit of equating amount can be cut in very different types of half by preparing them food as being nutritionally yourself. Eating as many the same. For example, fruits and vegetables as possible is another fruit juice is equated with real fruit, deli meat is worthy goal as you don’t have to worry too equated with chicken breast, and whole grain much about serving sizes and caloric intake. cereal is equated with high sugar content cereals. Nutritionists and medical experts Criticisms of the food guide would caution people against consuming too Canada’s Food Guide has also been criticized much fruit juice and sweet cereals due to for showing a glass of milk beside a plate of added sugars, while processed meats tend to food whereas the U.S. version shows a glass of be filled with added salt and preservatives that water beside a plate of food. What would

account for this difference? Critics of Canada’s Food Guide has changed many times Canada’s Food Guide claim that the U.S. since it was first introduced in 1942. Identify some version was not influenced by food lobby of the major changes by comparing the guides groups (like dairy farmers). They feel the found in this Globe and Mail article, Canada’s Canadian food guide should represent the Food Guide through the Years: best health science available and not theglobeandmail.com/life/health- companies or lobby groups that want their and-fitness/canadas-food-guide- products reflected in the guides artwork. through-the-years/article635468/ Another glaring omission in the guide is its failure to distinguish between age groups, genders, or activity levels.

The Swedish way So, what could a revised Canadian food guide look like? The Swedish food guide is a unique example in that it takes into account the health of the planet and the impact of the human diet on the environment. It uses a simple graph with three key messages highlighted in red, green and amber. Green means eat “more” (or exercise more), amber means “switch to” and red means “eat less” (and, in the case of alcohol, drink less).

Time for a re-write According to many, the re-writing of Canada’s Food Guide (do out in 2018) is long overdue. The new guide needs to modernize and reflect the reality of the overall health benefits of a healthy diet. It needs to consider processed foods, the aging process, the difference between men and women and whether or not someone exercises. Without addressing these fundamental factors of healthy living, the guide stands to lose its “best seller” status.

Sizeism: A Mental Health and Human Rights Issue

Sizeism deals with personal and intimate read the following information together and feelings about body-image, how we see and answer the questions that follow. feel about ourselves, and how these views and feelings are shaped by the perception of Part Two: others. It can also be profoundly affected by There are many types of discrimination and people’s mistreatment of us. Be respectful prejudice. Fat shaming, a form of sizeism, is a during the discussions to follow about the views prevalent example of discrimination and and feelings of others and be careful not to prejudice in Canadian society. Sizeism is intentionally or unintentionally strengthen discrimination based on the size of a person’s stereotypes that lead to the mistreatment of body. people with large bodies. There is considerable social stigma attached to Part One: Confidentially write your answers obesity. People who are overweight face to the following questions. stereotypes that they are lazy or undisciplined. 1. How do you define the “perfect” body They face extreme pressure from strangers, shape? friends and institutions to change their bodies. Celebrities (often women), people on social 2. To what extremes might some people go to media, and people in social spaces are attain the “perfect” body type? subjected to cruel and dehumanizing comments about their bodies. People who 3. What “put down” words are used to engage in “fat shaming” argue that they are describe someone who does not have the trying to motivate the person to be healthier. “perfect” body type? This is a ridiculous argument and hides the cruelty at the root of the problem. And the 4. Have you ever experienced these “put problem of fat shaming extends to very young downs”? How did you feel? children. 5. Where did this ideal of the “perfect” body shape come from? (media, friends, family, etc.). Who benefits from maintaining this ideal? Who suffers?

6. What do you think motivates someone who “shames” someone else for their body size? What actions can we take so that this shaming doesn’t happen?

Share some of your answers with one other person that you feel comfortable with. Next,

A Yahoo health survey on body image and To Consider acceptance found that it takes women half their lives to achieve half the level of body self-esteem 1. How many models, actors, people in the as the average teenage male. media, politicians, business leaders and yahoo.com/lifestyle/the-shocking-results-of- athletes are obese? Make a list based on yahoo-1332510105509942.html your knowledge of popular culture and the world your live in. Are obese people under- represented in these roles? Children can be victimized, teased and bullied for their size. And it’s not just peers that do the 2. Do you think shows like the Biggest Loser bullying or teasing. Parents of overweight teens and reality shows like My 600 Pound Life are also perpetrators of this shaming. The help or hurt in the fight against sizeism? Are American Academy of Pediatrics (A.A.P.) these shows respectful and responsible claim that parent comments related to weight portrayals of individuals with large bodies? and size can often have a negative effect on 3. Why do you think that sizeism, especially children. They say, “Rather than motivate towards big people, seems to be one of the positive change, this stigma contributes to few acceptable forms of discrimination in behaviours such as binge eating, social today’s society? isolation, avoidance of health care services, decreased physical activity and increased 4. How could you prove that you are an ally weight gain, which worsen obesity and create to a large-bodied friend or acquaintance? additional barriers to healthy behaviour change.” When parents use words like “obese” or “fat” with their children, their child will feel sad, embarrassed and ashamed. The A.A.P. recommends talking about “unhealthy weight” when doctors speak to families. They also encourage doctors to steer clear of terms like “obese” or “morbidly obese.”

If you needed further convincing of the negative impacts of sizeism, a recent study found a relationship between suicidal behaviour, suicide attempts and obesity in both genders. We must all take a stand against discrimination against people with based on their body shape.

Sources Gibbs, C. (November 20, 2017). Fat-Shaming children can cause them to gain more weight. New York Daily News. Retrieved from nydailynews.com/life-style/health/fat-shaming- children-gain-weight-article-1.3646278 Lunn, S and Harris, K. (October 24, 2016). Health Ministry Jane Philpott announces new food labelling, marketing regulations. CBC News. Retrieved from cbc.ca/news/politics/food-regulation-marketing-children-jane- philpott-1.3818267 The Canada Food Guide is killing you. (April 4, 2016). National Post. Retrieved from nationalpost.com/news/canada/the-canada-food-guide-is- killing-you-the-obesity-epidemic-really-began-with-our-dietary- guidelines Wagner, B., Klinitzke, G., Brähler, E. & Kersting, A. (2013). Extreme obesity is associated with suicidal behavior and suicide attempts in adults: Results of a population-based representative sample. Depression and anxiety. 30.10.1002/da.22105. Retrieved from researchgate.net/publication/236192786_Extreme_obesity_is_ass ociated_with_suicidal_behavior_and_suicide_attempts_in_adults _Results_of_a_population-based_representative_sample Weeks, C. (February 1, 2017). Youth Being bombarded with unhealthy food ads, study says. The Globe and Mail. Retrieved from theglobeandmail.com/life/health-and- fitness/health/youth-being-bombarded-with-unhealthy-food- ads-study-finds/article33855338/