DavidHunnicutt.com

Please Sir, May I Have Another…

Former FDA Chief Blows The Whistle On The Food Industry…

Fat. Sugar. Salt.

In his new book, “The End Of Overeating” David Kessler reveals that these are the three points of the food industry’s compass. And if American’s can be lured into eating more of these three ingredients, collective eating patterns can be cognitively and behaviorally altered and then it’s game over.

Sounds a little too doom and gloom?

I’d bet my house that he’s right.

In this book, perhaps the most comprehensive analysis of overeating and the food industry’s quest to stimulate hyper-consumption, Kessler makes an extremely compelling case as to why the food industry is a major part of the problem as it relates to the obesity epidemic in America.

From his damning revelations about how the food industry engineers our food to promote overeating, this book will take you to several different destinations.

Your first stop will be “stunned.” But that’s only a brief excursion.

Next, you’ll be transported to the corner of pissed and agitated. Again, only a limited engagement.

When you pass through ”duped and bitter,” you’ll know you are getting close.

And when you arrive at “motivated to never be taken in by these greedy bastards again,” you’ll know you’ve arrived at your final destination.

We owe a debt of gratitude to Dr. Kessler–my prediction is that things will change because of his work.

By all means, READ THIS BOOK.

PS. The only people who are happy about this book are the tobacco executives–I’ll bet they’re wheezing a big, big sigh of relief right now.

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Posted at 11pm on 05/06/09 | Comments Off | Filed Under: Books, Building a Healthy Workplace

My Pet Fat Is A Powerful Reminder

Seeing Is Definitely Believing…

Working with people to help them lose weight is tough business.

The fact of the matter is, a lot of people say they want to lose weight but when it comes right down to it, there are very few who are willing to run the gauntlet to get the job done. Journaling, portioning, walking, shopping, preparing, and weighing is tough business–it’s easy to see how people can become disillusioned with the entire process.

That’s where My Pet Fat comes in.

My Pet Fat is basically a synthetic chunk of goop that effectively simulates what one, five and ten pounds of fat looks like. And it’s a powerful eye opener.

In fact, we keep several in our office and it is a very, very useful reminder for our employees and clients.

To learn more, be sure to visit my www.mypetfat.com.

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Wellness Is Something We Do For People…Not Something We Do To Them

The New Mantra…

These days there is a lot of buzz about health and productivity management–and for good reason.

With new research emerging almost everyday, it is becoming evident to employers, health professionals, and federal and local policy-makers alike that poor health can have an enormous impact on medical care costs as well as organizational productivity.

In a recent national policy briefing document entitled The Business Imperative for Health Promotion, Dr. Michael O’Donnell, Editor-in-Chief of the American Journal of Health Promotion, stated, “Two decades of study have established an increasingly strong link between lifestyle factors and medical costs. Our best estimates are that lifestyle factors are responsible for 25 percent to 36 percent of medical costs. With typical annual medical costs exceeding $8,500 per employee for large employers, and total U.S. health spending at $2.4 trillion annually, lifestyle factors may be responsible for as much as $3,060 in annual medical costs per employee and $864 billion for the nation as whole. Emerging work is showing a strong link between lifestyle factors and productivity as well.

Because of the strong link between lifestyle, medical costs and organizational productivity, employers are embracing population health management concepts with zeal. And, in my mind at least, this alone is reason enough to be optimistic about the future—even in the midst of economically challenging times.

When American Business gets engaged, things change.

As President of The Wellness Council of America, a national not-for profit business and health organization with a rich history in workplace wellness, I have witnessed a renaissance of sorts in the last several years. Employers of all shapes and sizes are embracing health management concepts in a way that hasn’t been seen since the safety and industrial hygiene movement took hold early in the last century.

As we move forward with our quest to link health and well-being to bottom-line organizational outcomes, it is imperative that we remember that corporate health management initiatives are something we do with and for our people—not something we do to them.

This bears repeating.

If we are to be ultimately successful in our quest to improve employee health and manage organizational costs, we must position these health management initiatives as something we do with and for people—not something we do to them.

In an age when CEO’s salaries are 400 times that of the average worker (as compared to 40 times in 1970), we must remember that by many economist’s accounts, the typical worker is making less now than they were in 1970. As a result, many employees are highly skeptical of employer-led health interventions.

As we leverage more than two decades worth of research and strive toward “zero trends,” it is my belief, that to be successful, we must strive to engage the U.S. workforce in a partnership whereby employers and employees alike race to find common ground in promoting good health at the worksite.

As a result, health will become a shared priority and our field’s efforts will be indelibly integrated into the very fabric of the organization’s culture.

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Posted at 1pm on 01/15/09 | Comments Off | Filed Under: Current Issues In Workplace Wellness, Communicating Wellness Within Your Organization, Building a Healthy Workplace