From Iconoculture: WHAT'S HAPPENING Call it the bridge between wiring one's jaw shut and the Slow Food movement. As the obesity pandemic continues to balloon, consumers are turning to apps and online support, but there are also devices coming out to support weight loss, like the Slow Bite, which limits the degree to which users can open their mouths while eating, so they consume less. The elastic device, which is made by Nobesity ...

From Iconoculture:  WHAT'S HAPPENING Boomers have a hearty appetite. In 2012, 48- to 67-year-old consumers rang up more than $160 billion worth of packaged foods, easily outspending other demos, according to SymphonyIRI (Food Business News, 27 March 2013). But as they age, midlifers gravitate more toward foods that address emerging health issues. While younger demos are more concerned about losing weight and managing stress, Boomers seek out foods that fit specific nutritional needs, ...

From Iconoculture: WHAT'S HAPPENING While some vending machines do offer healthier packaged fare, there has been very little progress in offering freshfood from automated machines. However, a machine vending fresh-pressed juice around the clock in Los Angeles is a hit. Kreation Organic Fresh-Pressed Juicery has a storefront in swanky Beverly Hills. Adjacent to the shop is a rustic, wood-paneled wall with a bright red panel in the center. Consumers use a touchscreen ...

From Iconoculture: WHAT'S HAPPENING What is diabetes? Why do I need sleep? No, really, why? Health answers that engage and educate kids can be difficult ground for parents to cover, but it's territory that they need to become familiar with, especially when kids have more access to information and exposure to health topics. Online sites that drill down topics by age offer explanations without being overly confusing (USAToday.com, 17 March 2013). KidsHealth.org, for ...

From Iconoculture: WHAT'S HAPPENING Health and nutrition blogs tend toward an aesthetic of soft-focus domestic bliss (think: Gwyneth Paltrow's Goop). One subversive website, Thug Kitchen, aims to change that — calling attention to the class issues often associated with health in the process. An anonymous consumer started the Tumblr site, which features exquisite photography, super healthy recipes and a lot of granular (and accurate) nutrition information. The tagline introduces the plot twist: ...

From Iconoculture: WHAT'S HAPPENING Consumers (and insurance companies) know that the obesity pandemic carries with it heavy costs: to the individual's health and quality of life, and in the expenses incurred from obesity-related health problems. In response, health insurer Humana, in partnership with Walmart, is offering a 5% discount to clients of its HumanaVitality insurance when they purchase healthful groceries with the Great for You label at Walmart. This is the ...

From Iconoculture - WHAT'S HAPPENING Today’s sedentary kids are potentially tomorrow’s obese kids —  with bad backs. Many school-based health initiatives focus on exercise and healthier eats. Simon Dennehy, of Dublin-based design studio Perch, wants to show kids that healthy seats are just as important. He's created Ray, an ergonomic chair designed to replace hard, bad-for-the-back classroom chairs. Ray's design tilts slightly forward and helps properly develop young spines. Children support their posture by making “micro movements” ...

From Iconoculture - WHAT'S HAPPENING Wellville consumers — especially vegetarians, vegans and fitness fanatics — are on a continual quest for alternative forms of protein. Lately they've been delighted to discover one type that Indians have already enjoyed for centuries: bean flour. A plant-based protein that is both dairy- and soy-free, plus rich in fiber, it's ideal for many diets. Bob's Red Mill, once a staple at health foods stores and now ...

Based on a study published in The European Heart Journal, insomnia may be linked to an increased risk of heart failure, and the more insomnia symptoms, the greater the risk. A questionnaire was used to gather data on difficulty falling asleep, difficulty staying asleep, and waking unrefreshed among more than 54,000 Norwegian adults in a population-wide health survey and all were free of heart disease at the start of the study. After ...

From: OC Register O’Neill, Hurley and Roxy are leading the charge in new ocean lifestyle-inspired exercise clothing with active wear properties. Customers want active wear that has performance technology, but that is also fashionable.  With these products, they can have both.  Hurley offers Nike DriFIT and Roxy boasts UV protection with durable yet comfortable fabrics, which means that they are closing the gap on catering to the diverse needs of these consumers. These ...