Some Might Call It Sabotage

Even as they tout the benefits of the latest workout trend, or offer rapid weight-loss plans, women's magazines frequently publish ads for fats, oils, sweets and beverages.

According to researchers at City University in Flushing, N.Y., these four categories alone accounted for one-third of all food advertisements in magazines such as Good Housekeeping, Ladies Home Journal and Cooking Light.

What's worse: These ads emphasize fats and sweets at the expense of fruits and vegetables, which accounted for only 5 percent of all ads.

Researchers Jane Lohmann and Dr. Ashima K. Kant, whose study was published in the November 2000 issue of the Journal of the American Dietetic Association, found that this type of marketing ''tends to promote foods of questionable nutritional or health value.''

Given all the mixed messages, it's no wonder most people find it so difficult to achieve a healthy, balanced diet.

This appeared in ACE FitnessMatters, ACE's official magazine.
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