If You Ever Have a Chance To Attend a Lecture or Seminar Given by Dr. David Katz

If you ever have a chance to attend a lecture or seminar given by Dr. David Katz then you know you’re in for songs, certainly a poem, and a creative, insightful peek at how nutrition truly impacts our quality of life, our health, our longevity. At this event he introduced the current state of American weight and health as a situation where we need to "read the writing on the wall." Frankly that’s his way of saying that we need to get real and face what is happening to us and our children, because of how we are choosing to interact with food and with physical activity. He suggested that we "clean up the graffiti" and fix the way we eat; be straightforward with what is going on in our kitchen and at our dinner table, and focus on eating less and moving more. He finds it incredibly disturbing that he personally knows of a young male patient who at age 17 has already had triple bypass surgery for serious heart disease; he knows of a 25 year old patient who has had a stent placed in his coronary artery due to a blockage – these are diseases we used to see in 60 and 70 year olds. So it’s time to see our own health picture and take steps, slowly and steadily to shift habits to healthier ones. As a father of 5 he knows the challenge to raise a healthy family. So far, it looks like he and his wife are models that his children can emulate.

Another great moment at the Food for Your Whole Life event was Petra Kolber’s stretch break. Just when you feel like you’ve been sitting a bit too long, this expert has us on our feet, breathing deeply, releasing tension and invigorating ourselves through gentle movement. It’s a lesson we all need to embrace. If you sit for many hours at school or at work, get up every hour and stretch; allow the blood to circulate from head to toe.

Next Tuesday: Final words of nutrition wisdom

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