The Weekly Skinny: All the healthy news you need (3-11-11)

FatFighterTV








15 states have been newly named part of the "diabetes belt." Is your state one of them? FatFighterTV has a look at this story and other diet and fitness headlines making news this week.

Do you live in the "diabetes belt?"
The southeastern U.S. is already known as the "stroke belt." Now the region has also earned the unhealthy title of "diabetes belt" from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention because close to 12 percent of people there have diabetes compared to 8.5 percent in the rest of the country. The 15 states in the diabetes belt are Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas ,Virginia, West Virginia and Mississippi.

Also see: Great. Now 1 in 3 of us will have diabetes by 2050

Kids think food tastes better if cartoon character is on box
Give kids the same cereal in two different boxes - one with a cartoon character on it and one without - and guess what happens? The children think the stuff in the cartooned box tastes better. That's what a new study published in the March issue of Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine finds. Interestingly, if no characters are on the box, researchers say kids prefer the cereal that promotes health over sugar.

Also see: Healthy Recipe - Peanut Butter Breakfast Sandwiches

Does 'exergaming' really help kids shape up?
Activity-based video games seem to be everywhere these days. But are they really doing your kids any good? A new report says 'yes.' Researchers find games where you have to physically move and interact - like Dance Dance Revolution and Nintendo Wii's Boxing - can indeed burn those calories.

Also see: Wii Fit - a review from Consumer Reports


Don't miss a thing! Sign up for FatFighterTV's FREE daily updates right here.

[photo credit: Getty Images]