Winning a national championship is not the only thing Eli Manning can put on his resume. The Superbowl-winning quarterback is also an ambassador for Building Our Kids’ Success (BOKS) – an organization that works with schools to get children moving more throughout the day for both physical and mental health.

The fact that today’s generation of youth has more interest in electronic devices than playing sports or running around outside is just one of the numerous factors contributing to childhood obesity. Poor diet and a lack of exercise are two more. Currently, 9 million children over the age of six are considered obese. And comparatively speaking, obesity in America has taken a turn for the as obesity rates have more than tripled in recent years.

Growing up, children cherish memories of recess and gym class in elementary school. Recess is that critical break that children need to get away from classroom studies and relish in the benefits of fresh air and physical activity. While national guidelines recommend 60 minutes of physical activity a day, schools have started to limit recess time and physical education classes in order to achieve more time in the classroom.
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If you mention weight loss it seems a million “tips” or “pieces of advice” come flying out of the woodwork. There’s many of them out there like, “Don’t eat after such and such time,” “Stop eating bread and carbs,” or “Eat eight tiny meals a day.” Most of this can be overturned and found to be another empty promise of how to lose weight. One myth that seems to be pushed is about how water has the power to flush out fat from the body. Sadly, it seems this may be just another myth.

The myth is often stated that, “drinking eight glasses of water a day flushes out fat.” Truth is, that’s simply not true.

“…There’s no magic about drinking water,” says Sue Gebo, RD, MPH, an assistant professor at the University of Connecticut School of Medicine.

Gebo explains that water cannot flush away fat, that is just a hopeful myth. While water can not perform this trick, a Virginia Tech University study explains how this myth may have started.

The study found that people who drank 16 ounces of water prior to eating a meal actually consumed 75 to 95 fewer calories than the control group. Both groups in the study were on prescribed low-calorie diets and on average the water drinkers lost more weight, 4.5 pounds more than the non-water drinkers.
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We’re still a full month away from the first day of summer, but the season unofficially starts this weekend with Memorial Day. Gas and charcoal grills the nation over are primed and ready to fire up the best warm-weather eats. But are you ready for what’s about to be dished out?

The grill can be a friend and a foe. Rather than deep- or pan-frying, you can grill for better flavor and far less calories and fat. However, depending on the cut of meat, how you dress it after, and even how you prepare it to cook can turn perfectly healthy foods in to calorie bombs. Follow our simple guide for healthier cookouts and you won’t have anything to regret by summer’s end.

Grill a Better Burger.

If you can’t bare to part with beef then select the leanest cut you can find. A 93/7 ground beef is pretty widely available and will still hold up on the grill. If you’re buying local meat, be sure to specifically request lean cuts.
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As part of our weekly cooking series, we’re doing a special feature today on how to cook with real food, in celebration of Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution Day.

The idea is simple: Put away the fake ingredients and pre-made mixes and sauces and cook with real food for better health.

This idea is being brought to American dinner tables and school cafeterias by one seriously-determined British chef – Jamie Oliver. Oliver has started a movement both stateside and in Britain called the Food Revolution, which aims to get back to real, quality food, and move away from the high-fat, sugar-laden processed foods most Americans are eating today.

For a better sense of how Oliver views healthy eating, here is his food philosophy as stated on his website.
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Carbs: Are they good? Are they bad? It can all be very confusing. But one man is stepping in the middle of that gap, saying there can be a healthy balance that can yield optimum weight loss and fat burn.

That man is Robert Ferguson, MS, who is a weight-loss coach, CEO of Diet Free Life, motivational speaker and author. Recently, Ferguson has been speaking out about carb confusion- specifically concerning how too many can be a bad thing, and too few can be even worse.

In an article recently featured in First for Women Magazine, Ferguson discussed new science that’s showing our blood sugar has a sweet spot that results in optimal fat burning and peak metabolism. And he says this research is going to help women melt pounds away without feeling deprived.

The secret? Finding the right balance of fast carbs and slow carbs.
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