THURSDAY: Health Ideas and issues 

A study presented to the American Heart Association found fatty buildup in the carotid arteries of children as young as 10 years old! There was also other signs of cardiovascular disease in these children similar to what has been seen in 45 year olds!

Other shocking research shows the number of obese adolescents has tripled since 1980. 

There is a conference coming up in Chicago for health professionals about these issues, which I would LOVE to attend.  If you are a professional in the field, consider going.  The good people there sent me some information about this problem:

According to Dr. Andrew Weil, renowned author and director of the Arizona Center for Integrative Medicine of The University of Arizona Health Sciences Center, “The consequences of the typical American diet on our children are devastating. Weight gain is just the visible tip of the iceberg. They are increasing their risk of chronic diseases later in life, including diabetes, cardiovascular disease, liver disease, autoimmune diseases, and even cancer.”

Parents often make mealtime concessions, catering to taste but depriving their children of nutritional benefit. According to renowned chef and author Rick Bayless, “Our society literally segregates children at the dinner table. We have one meal for adults and “kids food” for the children, which is often much higher in saturated fat, refined sugar and sodium. Families should sit down to one nutritious meal that appeals to the entire family.” Bayless offers the following tips to help families enjoy healthy meals together:

• Add grated vegetables to the main course. 
• Make your own pizza!
• Substitute whole wheat crust for a standard crust, add low fat cheese and sliced vegetables.
• Introduce one new main course each week.
• Try meat substitutes such as whole soy, tempeh, seitan or tofu.Let children help with the shopping.
• Give them a list of healthy foods and tell them to pick three of their favorites from the list.
• Get kids cooking. Help them discover the joy of finding and trying new recipes. Let them be adventurous. If they think organic peanut butter and shredded lettuce is a gourmet treat, buy into their experiment.
• Offer low fat milk, water or fortified soy beverages instead of soda pop or juice

Dr. Weil and Rick Bayless will be speaking about childhood obesity and the role of nutrition in optimal health at the 6^th Annual Nutrition and Health Conference: State of the Science and Clinical Applications, to be held May 10 – 13, at the Chicago Marriott Downtown Magnificent Mile Hotel, 540 N. Michigan Avenue. The forum on May 10 is open to the public. For additional information, visit www.nutritionandhealthconf.org.