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Lecture Series
 STATE OF THE PLATE
"There is no stage in life at which we can safely neglect the problem of proper maintenance," wrote the late Dr. Roger Williams more than 50 years ago. Now more so than ever, these words ring true. Our children’s health and well-being must be our main concern, as they are the ambassadors of future generations. Sadly, the present generation of children will have a shorter health span and may not outlive their parents.
There is an epidemic of nutrition-related illness that is making our children sicker, sadder and fatter. This is all happening because of food. Simply put, we are, as we have heard, what we eat. If you want to know what is giving your child a poor attention span, making him/her hyperactive, producing impulsive outbursts, causing learning difficulties, generating exhaustion and sleeplessness, yielding frequent infections and allergies, and more? Then spend some time eating what a child eats in a day, and understand that without healthy food the brain and the body cannot function optimally.
It is estimated that one in every three children are plagued by obesity and will develop diabetes. The percentage of children on medications for diabetes, from 2002 to 2005, rose 103 percent; for asthma, 47 percent; for ADD and ADHD, 41 percent.
Rather than life expectancy, the World Health Organization now uses the term "health expectancy."
Nutrition deficits and habits that occur in early imprinting stages will determine a child’s health through adulthood. Learning healthy eating habits now can make all the difference in a child's physical and physiological growth and development. Our goal as educators and parents is to be informed and proactive when it comes to our children's nutrition.
In The STATE of the PLATE, I'll address the nutritional concerns of today's children and provide a sound, informative platform to help parents begin the journey of healthy eating habits now and for the future.
 HOW TO LIVE TO BE 100 AND NOT REGRET IT
Recent research has concluded that healthy longevity is determined not so much by your genes as by lifestyle habits. We are no longer victims of our genes, but the masters. Your genes get turned off and on by environmental signals such as diet, exercise, toxins . . . even our thoughts and beliefs.
Healthy aging is not about Botox, liposuction, and plastic surgery, but, rather, simply put, by taking care of yourself and your genes. If you do so, you will be rewarded with optimal health that includes peak performance of mind and body. With the onslaught of global nutrition information, food politics, and the recent organic food frenzy (which has its merits), taking simple steps, such as reducing inflammation through diet, increasing lean mass, rethinking negative thoughts, and even taking up Sudoku, can change how well you age.
Why not live to 100 if you can live with relative good health, attitude, and spirit? It’s not the years in your life but the life in your years that count.
 FOOD & MOOD
Have you ever wondered if food could affect your mood? Well, it can! An estimated 17 million people are depressed in the United States, and even more insidious are anxiety disorders, the most common mental illness that affects an estimated 40 million adults. Women experience depression about twice as often as men, and approximately 4% of adolescents develop serious depression each year. ADHD, one of the most common mental disorders in children and adolescents, also affects an estimated 4.1 percent of adults, ages 18-44, in a given year.
Depression, anxiety and other mood disorders are directly related to imbalances in neurotransmitters. Virtually all functions in life are controlled by neurotransmitters. Interactions between neurotransmitters, hormones, and brain chemicals have a profound influence on health. Amino acids, vitamins, minerals, carbohydrates, and good fats are essential nutrients that constitute your body’s make-up. Without these nutrients, your body is less capable of manufacturing healthy levels of neurotransmitters that help regulate mood, control appetite, and regulate sleep and sex hormones. Low levels of neurotransmitters affect bowel function and adrenal function, can cause headaches and chronic pain, and much more. In addition, a recent study on the affects of food additives and brain health in children suggests that relatively moderate doses have a negative impact on behavior by promoting hyperactivity. A poor diet, incomplete in essential nutrients, in addition to toxic foods and food additives, set the stage for a lifetime of mood and behavioral disorders that then accompany the need for psychiatric medications; this is especially troubling in our children.
The chemistry of our bodies can alter, and be altered by, our every thought and feeling, what we eat or don’t eat. Our bodies and our minds are truly interconnected; the health of one depends upon the health of the other. Food can affect your mood. Isn’t it time to recognize the need to feed our brains and our bodies for optimal health and well-being?
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