'Exercise labels' should be added to food packets, expert argues

estebanrey said:
But surely it is dependent on your metabolism. Someone with a high metabolic rate but only need to run for 5 minutes whereas someone with a low one might need to go 20.

Not to mention the subjectivity of the word "run" itself. Do I need to go full Usain Bolt for 20 minutes or a mild jog?
Click to expand...

Fast metabolism are mainly a myth. Metabolism is down to lifestyle, diet and to a certain extent there is a genetic factor, you can influence your metabolism however.

Muscle mass and exercise boosts metabolism. Good quality sleep improves your metabolic balance too. Age has a factor as you get older it does slow down but that is also down to thyroid changes in your body, your thyroid effectively starts to slow down thus slowing down your metabolism.

Overall though, calories trump anything else regardless of your metabolism in terms of weight loss.
 
Moses said:
I'd guess some people ignore them now because kcals are borderline meaningless to them. Seeing it in terms they can understand can't do any damage...
Click to expand...

Fair point. But people ignore the red, amber, green ratings now - but I guess if it is not going to cost anything to implement worth giving it a go. It won't be free and cost a lot no doubt, so largely a pointless exercise. But do you want the government telling you what you need to do to eat certain foods? People will ignore it I reckon.

That said, I stand by my point that education from an early age about food and nutrition is more important than shoving labels on foods.
 
opstrat said:
what harm will it cause by doing it?
Click to expand...

Just adding to a more nanny state, the information is easily available and it will be wildy innacurate anyway. Not everyone burns kcal at the same rate.

What are they going to do? Work out each for running, walking, cycling etc? Or just one activity?

Seems like a waste of money to me. People should educate themselves, not be forced it.

And as FF said, education surruonding nutrition and excercise needs to start a young age.
 
But will people care that they need to walk for 45 minutes to burn off a mars bar? If they want to eat it they probably will anyway.

I agree it won't do any harm, but I doubt it'll be cheap to implement and well, also people who are more active, or have better performing metabolisms (I.e. Higher muscle mass, lower body fat, higher exercise levels) can deal with the calories more efficiently - so 30 mins for one person, may be 45 for another, or 22mins for someone else. Makes a big difference. It's not very accurate.

I get the concept but I don't think it will work.
 
I was thinking more about weight and how that will affect calorie burn, when I remembered about the standard 70 Kg man that used to be used for UK health,at least back in my A levels in the early 90s.

God I feel old!
 
Unfortunately these labels won't display nutritional quality at all and will further exacerbate the flawed mindset that high fat foods should be avoided in favour of carby/sugary foods.
 
They need to sort out the sugar content in things more urgently than this. We all know that the odd treat isn't going to do you too much harm, and most snacks aren't really that bad in relation to a person's daily calorie, fat and saturated fat allowances. It's the sugar that is absolutely killer. A chocolate bar and a can of coke is over two thirds of a person's daily recommended intake for sugar and that's before any meals or other snacks are accounted for.

Diabetes rates continue to increase and I wouldn't be surprised if it becomes the most common major health concern for years to come.
 
Freefaller said:
Fast metabolism are mainly a myth. Metabolism is down to lifestyle, diet and to a certain extent there is a genetic factor, you can influence your metabolism however.
Click to expand...

So how do explain the fact I eat burgers and drink energy drinks all day, keep fruit/veg intake to a bare minimum, work sat backside in an office all day, spend my evenings hunched over a laptop whilst watching TV, take part in no physical exercise whatsoever and haven't been to a gym in at least 8 years yet get called "skinny" by my work collegues? :p
 
Tbh I think people would see this on a big mac box "I'm a London marathon" and be apalled enough to eat their big mac apathetically
 
estebanrey said:
So how do explain the fact I eat burgers and drink energy drinks all day, keep fruit/veg intake to a bare minimum, work sat backside in an office all day, spend my evenings hunched over a laptop whilst watching TV, take part in no physical exercise whatsoever and haven't been to a gym in at least 8 years yet get called "skinny" by my work collegues? :p
Click to expand...

How old are you? Age plays a huge part. I have noticed now that I'm 28 that I have to be a bit more careful than I did three or four years ago. I'm still lucky that I can get away with doing less exercise and eat a bit more recklessly than some others and still stay in pretty good shape, but I have noticed a difference over the last few years.
 
estebanrey said:
So how do explain the fact I eat burgers and drink energy drinks all day, keep fruit/veg intake to a bare minimum, work sat backside in an office all day, spend my evenings hunched over a laptop whilst watching TV, take part in no physical exercise whatsoever and haven't been to a gym in at least 8 years yet get called "skinny" by my work collegues? :p
Click to expand...

Try for 2 weeks to add up everything you eat.

You'll find it probbaly averages out to be quite reasonable.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom