Wisz in the Kitchen

Mercy Medical Center Community Grant Program

2012-02-10T10:44:00.000-08:00

Developing and implementing programs such as the ones mentioned in this article are crucial for making lasting changes in lifestyle and improving health and well being overall. How awesome is this! Mercy awarded $94,519 to six local organizations as part of its community grant program. They are: the Atwater Police Activities League, which received $10,000; the Cerebral Palsy Association of Merced County, $8,000; Merced County Health Consortium, $24,519; Central California Regional Obesity Prevention Program in Merced, $25,000, the Boys and Girls Club of Merced, $17,000; and the Girls Scouts, $10,000. Mercy Medical Center doles out $90,000 to Merced groups - Local - MercedSun-Star.com

Georgia has a Strong4Life community

2012-02-09T09:56:00.000-08:00

What one community in Atlanta is doing to stop childhood obesity. Georgia has the second highest obesity rate in the country, but through community building, change will make a difference.
Georgia's community effort is named Strong4Life. This is a movement created by Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta to address the childhood obesity medical crisis that is threatening more than one million kids in our state.

Montana Foundation Fighting Youth Obesity Statewide

2012-02-08T13:15:00.000-08:00

The Montana Foundation is looking for ways to create healthier ways of living for youth. Check out the article.

Companies: The Whole Truth About Whole Grains

2012-02-08T08:36:00.000-08:00

Companies Not Telling the Whole Truth About Whole Grains: On Wednesday, the Center for Science in the Public Interest will petition the Food and Drug Administration to stop letting manufacturers label their foods “Whole Grain” when they really aren’t and to start putting the percentage of whole grain on the packaging. The government has encouraged Americans to eat...

'Move Long Beach' healthful-living initiative

2012-02-07T12:57:00.000-08:00

Another cool article on the latest "healthy happenings"!

City leaders to begin 'Move Long Beach' healthful-living initiative - ContraCostaTimes.com

Three U.S. Cities Get Healthy

2012-02-07T10:06:00.000-08:00

The thing about it is, yes, people have the choice of eating fast food (because it is so readily available and inexpensive), but, it takes community effort to make a healthier environment. A healthier environment encompasses so much more than just having little to no fast-food restaurants, but other key components may include safe walking areas for kids and families to enjoy.
As Sarah Strunk, director of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s Healthy Kids, Healthy Communities Active program put it: “Families won’t choose healthy meals if fast food is cheaper and easier to find. Kids can’t walk to school and adults won’t try biking to work or taking walks on the weekends if there are no bike paths, walking trails or sidewalks.”
Read the article to find out more about how these cities have and continue to make a positive difference.

Community Improvement in Los Angeles

2012-02-06T10:06:00.000-08:00

Imagine if every community around the U.S. really took the time to address obesity prevention through programs such as the one mentioned in this article? I'll be blogging about such communities that are making a difference so as to encourage and inspire those communities that have not begun such needed efforts.

Program+opens+two+L.A.+schools+after+hours+for+community+exercise

Super Bowl 2012 Food & Drink Ideas

2012-02-05T12:23:00.000-08:00

Okay, okay. It is Super Bowl 2012 afterall. Gotta have a little of this and a little of that, just remember that tomorrow is another day and another reason to get back to your regularly scheduled healthy, yet delicious foods to eat!!

Super Bowl 2012 Food & Drink Ideas: The big game is coming up and that means a gathering of your favorite fans huddled around the TV supported by big food and snacks. We know hungry fans like to eat before, during and after the game. With this in mind, we have a...

Indiana's Obesity Prevention Efforts

2012-02-04T11:46:00.000-08:00

One of Indiana's obesity prevention community efforts is the Garden on the Go. This mobile produce deliver program is held throughout the year and provides the opportunity to offer affordable fresh fruits and veggies to many of Indianapolis' under served residents. Click on the link to find out more. There are many other efforts that have been created such as increasing green space for play and outdoor activities, an 8-acre organic farm that serves the surrounding community through education and the local food bank and many more things. Through research, policy and advocacy many great things are happening.

Hospital teaches low-income families to fight obesity

2012-02-03T12:00:00.000-08:00

There are cities throughout the country that are doing their best to work on addressing the dangerously high rise of obesity and all the health risks that come with it such as heart disease and diabetes. With that said, here is an example of what another city in America is doing to make their community healthier. Having an outreach approach such as the one of this hospital in Minnesota is a great start.
Hospital teaches low-income families to fight obesity | The Cities | Minnesota Public Radio

Project: CA Children's Power Play! Campaign

2012-02-02T14:34:00.000-08:00

With so much in the news now on obesity prevention and making healthier foods available, even to under served communities, here is a little information on my involvement with the Power Play! Campaign Project.

Thus far, I've been involved with conducting baseline data collection for this study and will be participating with conducting post-intervention data collection soon.

Here are some of the goals that are to be addressed by this study.
1) Motivate and empower 9-11 year old children to eat 3-5 cups of fruits and vegetables a day.
2) Encourage exercise for 60 minutes a day.
3) To create an environment where both of the above mentioned goals become accepted norms, and,
4) To create an overall reduction in children's long term risk for chronic diseases and obesity.

Having a hand in the implementation process with this campaign has been inspiring and exciting.

Since I've been in this study, I've gone to 8 different schools in San Diego County.
Through my observations, the teachers have so much to contribute to the children's attitudes toward eating more fruits and veggies as well as exercise. Hopefully, now that there is more and more emphasis on eating healthier, long-term change will happen.

A quote from Albert Einstein: "It is the supreme art of the teacher to awaken
joy in creative expression and knowledge".

Are there consequences to drinking diet sodas?

2012-02-01T10:01:00.000-08:00

There is research indicating that diet sodas do in fact contribute to larger waists and other harmful effects like an increased risk for diabetes or heart disease. What do diet sodas contain that makes cravings more difficult to avoid? I suppose the best bet would be to avoid diet sodas altogether, but that may be super difficult for many people. Isn't it worth drinking less diet soda and substituting it for something more nutritious like water? Such a dilemma! Check out this article on The truth about diet soda!

Weight Loss Advice Industry -- Scam or No Scam???

2012-01-30T10:22:00.000-08:00

Posted on January 30, 2012 by Stone Hearth News
Occam’s razor meets the Emperor’s new clothes in this new study, referenced below.
I found this article to be interesting. What are your thoughts about it? I do agree that it is the quantity of food, not the quality of food, that gets people in trouble regarding gaining weight. It happens like clockwork every year too -- especially around the holidays. Thanksgiving or Christmas -- go ahead and have that extra slice of pie, worry about it later? Hmmm....that seems to end up happening. Suddenly, finding the perfect weight-loss plan seems of utmost importance. It's a vicious cycle, isn't it....Here's what the article has to say, see below.

"Say good night, Jenny. The weight loss advice industry may just be one big scam after all". By Stone Hearth Newsletters.com.

It doesn’t matter what you eat. It’s how much. Period. All you need is a calorie counter book, a kitchen scale, and a pen and paper.

And before all of you sticklers write in to say that certain people need to watch their cholesterol and that fat and inflammation cause problems, we know, we know. The only point is that for weight loss per se, you don’t need specially packaged food, you don’t need a special diet hyped by a new book, and you probably don’t need to spend a ton of money on weight-loss advice and gimmicks.

Just eat less.

Now, that’s easier said than done.

But you don’t need to go broke doing it.

71 Percent of Americans Believe Industry Should Lower Salt

2012-01-30T09:57:00.001-08:00

FDA Urged to Require Sodium Reduction in Food Supply

WASHINGTON—Voluntary efforts by industry to reduce sodium levels in the food supply have failed, according to comments filed with the Food and Drug Administration last week by the nonprofit Center for Science in the Public Interest. On Friday CSPI urged the agency to create strong, but realistic, mandatory regulations to reduce sodium levels in restaurant and packaged foods. According to a recent survey commissioned by CSPI, the public sees the need to lower sodium. 71 percent of Americans indicated that the food industry had a responsibility to reduce the sodium content of their foods, and 58 percent support a government requirement to reduce the sodium in processed and restaurant foods.

“Overconsumption of sodium is one of the single greatest causes of hypertension and cardiovascular disease, and restaurant and packaged foods—not salt shakers—are far and away the largest contributors of sodium in the American diet,” said CSPI deputy director of health promotion policy Julie Greenstein. “Unfortunately, the food industry has failed to significantly bring down sodium levels despite 40 years of governmental admonitions. It’s time for the FDA to step in and require reasonable reductions.”

The U.S. government’s 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends that people with hypertension, those who are middle-aged or older, and African Americans should consume no more than 1,500 milligrams of sodium per day. According to the Center for Disease Control, about 70 percent of adults fall into those categories, yet current average daily consumption is actually closer to 4,000 mg. Recently, the American Public Health Association passed a resolution that calls on FDA to begin regulating sodium in the food supply within one year and to establish a timetable for gradually reducing sodium in the food supply by 75 percent over 10 years. CSPI’s filing notes that reducing sodium consumption would save billions of dollars in medical costs, and upwards of 150,000 lives annually.

Overwhelming evidence indicates that excess sodium levels pose significant health risks, but consumer education efforts are poorly funded and ineffective, according to CSPI, making efforts to reform dietary habits of Americans difficult. A recent survey indicates that 59 percent of Americans are “not concerned” about their sodium intake. As a result, an Institute of Medicine committee recommended mandatory regulations limiting sodium levels to improve public health and decrease healthcare costs.

Many frozen dinners and canned foods contain high amounts of sodium. Boston Market frozen Meatloaf with Mashed Potatoes and Gravy has 1,460 mg of sodium per serving (about one day’s worth). Marie Callender’s frozen Creamy Chicken and Shrimp Parmesan has 1,200 mg of sodium (almost a day’s worth). One of the worst restaurant offenders is Applebee’s Provolone-Stuffed Meatballs with Fettuccine, which has 3,700 mg of sodium (more than two days’ worth). Denny’s Spicy Buffalo Chicken Melt has 3,760 mg of sodium (two and a half days’ worth).

CSPI first petitioned the FDA in 1978 to reduce salt in processed foods. Besides urging the FDA to set mandatory limits on sodium content in the food supply, CSPI asked the agency to lower the Daily Value for sodium from 2,400 mg to 1,500 mg.

The Essential Nutrients for a Healthy Lifestyle

2012-01-28T12:38:00.000-08:00

Simplifying ones' diet to include healthful ingredients may be one of the biggest challenges for many. Reasons could be that eating "healthier types of foods" are more expensive and perhaps less accessible than say the ubiquitous fast food restaurants that you can find a few blocks from your home. This shouldn't stop you from doing all you can do to find the right kinds of foods to eat. Where there is a will there is a way -- money is not the only reason that prevents people from eating better, but, I admit, it is a big one. You don't have to go to expensive markets to get fresh fruits and vegetables; instead, one needs to make the effort to find fresher ingredients/foods to eat, even if it means sacrificing the two or three times a week visits to fast food restaurants. Take a look at the following list of essential nutrients and see what may be missing from your diet. Think about this: If you were to ask anyone about whether they want to live a "junk life" as opposed to a "life filled with promise", wouldn't most people (or all)choose the latter? If so, then why would you want to feed your body "junk food"? The Essential Nutrients for a Healthy Lifestyle

Government requires more fruits, veggies for school lunches - USATODAY.com

2012-01-27T08:59:00.000-08:00

So, alas, it's happening! Schools are now being required to serve a fruit and vegetable every day at lunch and in larger portions than offered before. Portion sizes vary by age group. For instance, high school students will have to be offered one cup of vegetables and one cup of fruit a day. Right now they have to be offered a total of three-quarters cup of fruit and vegetables. To find out more read the article.

Kaiser Permanente & local organization join forces in reduction of obesity

2012-01-26T13:11:00.000-08:00

It gives me great pleasure to publish this article on my blog. I have been involved in a project to address childhood obesity sponsored by a San Diego non-profit Community Health Improvement Partners (CHIP). CHIP has just received a $1 million grant from Kaiser Permanente to improve the health and wellness of the community of Lemon Grove, CA. Check out this article!

I'm serving as the community contractor for the south region of a Resident Leadership Academy focused on National City, CA. There is a lot of work to do to comprehensively tackle such a big problem as obesity, and it's great to see Kaiser partner with CHIP.

Following a weekly food ritual of food essentials

2012-01-26T12:46:00.000-08:00

Why is it that most people go crazy at hearing the words, "diet" "healthy foods" "food restrictions" and now, more commonly, "food allergies"? Likely, if one does indeed have a food allergy -- better to have that tested and taken care of by a healthcare professional, but for the rest of you "trying" to increase "healthy foods", it doesn't have to be all or none. Remember Mom's classic words "everything in moderation" -- thanks for the reminder Mom.
With busy work weeks though, I try to eat vegetarian a couple of times a week. One, for health and two, because we don't need to eat meat everyday -- you can get your protein from a great salad, like this one. So much protein in there too....

My version of Tabouleh Salad.

First, I rinse the bulgur (just like rice) a couple of times, then, I use
the 2 cups of bulgur and cook as a 1:2 ratio (a little less), like rice. In this case, I use 2 cups bulgur and 2 cups vegetable broth and about 1 1/2 to 1 3/4 cups water, simply because I like making a larger quantity to have several times in the week.
Then, I chop a variety of veggies to which I add to the cooked bulgur, like:

1 can of rinsed garbanzo beans
1 can of rinsed kidney beans
1 medium chopped cucumber (seeded)
1 small basket of cherry tomatoes, cut in half
one bunch of fresh mint, chopped well
1/2 cup to 3/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted
1/2 cup chopped Kalamata olives
1/4 cup raisins
1/4 cup chopped cilantro

The nice thing is you can always add a little more of one ingredient or less of another -- depending on what your taste is.

I make a salad dressing using 3/4 cup olive oil, 1/4 cup sherry vinegar, 2 tsp. Dijon mustard, 1 tsp. brown sugar and salt & pepper to taste. Just mix it into the salad. Voila!

Check out this famous Parisian Cookware Store!

2012-01-25T14:41:00.000-08:00

A couple of friends of ours were just in Paris and happened to check out this fabulous cookware shop in Paris that was established in 1820!! One day I'll get there too:)

E. Dehillerin: The 19th Century Parisian Cookware Store Where Julia Child Was a Regular
Posted on May 31, 2011 by Jody Eddy

Novice and professional cooks alike jostle for space in the claustrophobic aisles of E. Dehillirin, the family owned cookware shop in Paris’s First Arrondissement. Established in 1820, the iconic institution is a utilitarian center of culinary commerce where gastronomes from around the world intentionally herd themselves into cramped, dusty rows of ancient shelving units overflowing with professional kitchen tools.

The wooden plank floors creak beneath the weight of frenzied customers valiantly trying to catch the eye of a sales clerk who will courteously assist them with a purchase but will not hold their hand during the selection process. The educated staff at E. Dehillerin knows their stuff and they expect their customers to know it too. Several of the clerks have worked at the shop for decades and speak a variety of languages to assist them in fulfilling the needs of their international clientele. Tradition dictates that the staff use only their first names and this includes Monsieur Eric, the fifth generation Dehiller to oversee the store and manage its dizzying inventory.

I lamented the modest size of my suitcase as I ogled the mind boggling selection of pastry tools, mortars, pestles, pans in every shape and size, meat saws, sharpening stones, cutting boards, gratin dishes, mandolines, carbon and stainless steel knives. To name just a few. The store is renowned for its copper selection, boasting 295 different objects lined or forged from the metal. There are ten different strainer sizes, eighteen whisk varieties and twenty petit four mold options.

Braving the precarious staircase to the anemically lit basement affords the adventurous a wide array of broilers, kettles, even a paella pan wide enough to feed the entire population of Basque country.

There are also a few eccentric objects stuffed into the nooks and crannies of the shop’s forgotten places. I was tempted to purchase one of them just to prove it actually existed. A few of the gems include a knife and fork combination for the one-armed culinarians among us, a diminutive meat press to prepare food for the carniverous infant and a “masticateur,” a special knife and fork designed to finely chop food for toothless diners. Proving that E. Dehillerin appreciates the present as much as past, the store also boasts a wide variety of fiberglass and silicone products.

I shopped for several chaotic minutes, running my fingers along the well worn wooden shelves and objects still in their plastic bags waiting for a kitchen to call their own. I climbed one of the ladders to the top of a shelving unit in a consumer fever dream to assure myself that the copper bowl I selected was not available in additional sizes in a teetering space high above my head. Lost in the musty pandemonium of it all, I grew weary of being elbowed by oblivious tourists and hip-checked by cantankerous French grandmothers and headed for check-out. Gripping the bowl tightly to my body, I navigated my way through the masses to a tall, antique counter where a clerk hand wrote my selection on a receipt and skillfully wrapped my purchase in brown butcher’s paper.

Whether a home cook, curious tourist or professional chef, the staff treated each customer tersely but equally and I imagined the same egalitarian attitude was extended to the store’s heavyweight regulars with names like Paul Bocusse, Michel Troigras and Joël Robuchon. I suspected it even applied to an E. Dehillerin fixture like Julia Child, who frequented the store right up until her death in 2004.

As I tucked the wrapped bowl into my shopping bag I took one final glimpse at E. Dehillerin. I imagine this was exactly what it looked like when it first opened its doors nearly 200 years ago, refusing to morph to fit the times like so many institutions with historical pedigrees do, or disappear all together like Les Halles. I imagined Julia glancing back from the doorway at the breathtaking bedlam ensuing within, the scene before her a mirror of my own. I decided the dust on my shoes and bruises I earned from my visit were well worth it. A purchase from E. Dehillerin will last forever. Most importantly, so will the memory of the day I successfully made my way through the mob to claim it as my own.

McDonald's in America's Healthiest City

2012-01-24T14:02:00.000-08:00

Read the article on America's Healthiest City being up-in-arms about this restaurant opening.

Article: Tell the FDA to cut the Salt

2012-01-23T15:43:00.000-08:00

A message from the Executive Director of the Center for Science in the Public Interest.....

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is calling for public comments to help determine if it will take the necessary steps to reduce sodium levels in our food supply. Please send a message today to tell the FDA to make sodium reduction a top national public health priority! The deadline to submit your comments to the FDA is this Friday, January 27, 2012.

Today’s average daily sodium consumption for all adults is an astounding 4,000 milligrams (mg). According to the 2010 Dietary Guidelines, almost half of all Americans should consume no more than 1,500 mg per day. It is not hard to see why health experts agree that Americans are consuming far too much sodium. High levels of sodium consumption contribute to hypertension and an increased risk of stroke and cardiovascular disease. Reducing per capita intake of sodium in half would save 150,000 lives per year and billions in health care costs.

Send your message to the FDA today!

Sincerley,

Michael F. Jacobson
Executive Director

Rates are still high, but new data on obesity encourage health experts

2012-01-20T08:40:00.000-08:00

Rates are still high, but new data on obesity encourage health experts

Eating Well on a Budget

2012-01-19T18:24:00.000-08:00

Health, Wellness & Employee Assistance

2012-01-17T14:19:00.000-08:00

Having a more holistic approach to offering benefits within health and wellness to employees is looking more and more positive. It is a refreshing and needed approach to create a "make-over" in attempting to lower health care costs and simply to create more constant healthy habits. It is a win-win situation for both employer and employee. Check out the article for more information.

Exercise Hormone May Fight Obesity and Diabetes

2012-01-15T14:19:00.000-08:00

An interesting article on a newly discovered hormone produced in response to exercise may be lessening susceptibility to obesity, diabetes and other health problems, a new study finds. Click on the title to go to the article...