A Gift For You

The greatest gift of all is good health. Swimming, jogging, dancing, walking or any other activities can help your heart. Similar to unwrapping a gift, exercise causes you to feel warm, perspire and breathe heavily without being out of breath. Whether it is a structured exercise program or just part of your daily routine, all exercise adds up to a healthier heart and a healthier you.

On January 8, 2011 at 10:00 am Calvin Lawson, trainer to the Biggest Loser’s, will instruct an amazing hour long exercise course to bring in the New Year and New You. Join us at Spike Sport located at10914 S Gessner Dr Houston, TX 77081. The class is limited so RSVP now!!

t-ar’sheill.sinclair@heart.org

In the mean time here are some exercise tips to get you through the holidays
Choose activities that are fun, not exhausting.

Wear comfortable, properly fitted footwear and comfortable, loose-fitting clothing appropriate for the weather and the activity.
Find a convenient time and place to do activities.
Use music to keep you entertained.
Surround yourself with supportive people
Don't overdo it. Do low- to moderate-level activities, especially at first. .
Keep a record of your activities. Reward yourself at special milestones. Nothing motivates like success!

President Obama signed the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act on December 13, 2010.

The new law gives communities powerful new federal oversight and money for improving nutrition and addressing the increasing crises of childhood obesity in our schools.

Nancy Brown, American Heart Association CEO was among noted supporters, Anne Duncan, US Secretary of Education, and Risa Lavizzo-Mourey, President and CEO of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation quoted in the White House Press Release. Brown said that with the implementation of this law, our nation’s children will be less likely to grow up with early risk factors for heart disease and stroke.

Several of the highlights from the White House fact sheet include that will benefit Houston students include:

Gives USDA (United States Department of Agriculture) the authority to set nutritional standards for all foods regularly sold in schools during the school day including vending machines.

Provides additional funding to schools that meet updated nutritional standards for federally subsidized lunches and is the first real increase in rates in more that 30 years. In Houston, about 78 percent of the students qualify for federally subsidized lunches.

Helps communities establish local farm to school networks, create school gardens and ensures that more local foods are used in the schools.

Sets basic standards for school wellness policies including goals for nutritional promotion and education and physical activity.

Provides $4.5 billion in new funding for the programs over 10 years.

The White House provided an example of the "before and after" school menu.

A school lunch today might mean a hot dog on a bun with ketchup, and 1/8 cup each of raw celery and carrots with ranch dressing; canned pears and low-fat chocolate milk.

Under the new act, that lunch would be whole wheat spaghetti with meat sauce and a whole wheat roll; a 1/2 cup each of green beans, broccoli and cauliflower; 1/2 cup kiwi; plus some low fat milk, and a small dab of low fat ranch dip and soft margarine.

For more information on this historic new law see: http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2010/12/13/president-obama-signs-healthy-hunger-free-kids-act-2010-law

Contributed by Nancy Thorne

Wii Wii Wii!! Nintendo and the American Heart Association Offer "12 Days of Getting Active" Holiday Tips

Check out this amazing article we found on MarketWatch.com courtesy of Business Wire:

A new survey from the American Heart Association shows that playing active-play video games can lead players to participate in more real-world physical activity. According to the survey, 58 percent of people who play active-play video games have begun a new real-life fitness activity like walking, tennis or jogging since they started playing the games. Additionally, 68 percent of people who play active-play video games say they are more physically active since they got involved in video games.

Inspired by these results, Nintendo and the American Heart Association are combining fun and fitness this holiday with "12 Days of Getting Active." A series of daily tips starting today will help make it easy for people to get active, even when they are challenged with busy schedules and sweet temptations. The tips will be posted at http://www.activeplaynow.com/, the joint American Heart Association-Nintendo online information center, and will focus on how active-play video games can get everyone in the family engaged in fun, physically active behavior leading into and through the New Year.

"We are looking at active-play video games as part of a realistic approach to fitness," said Barry A. Franklin, Ph.D., Director of Cardiac Rehabilitation and Exercise Laboratories at William Beaumont Hospital in Michigan and an American Heart Association volunteer. "We are finding that they often act as a gateway to other forms of physical activity. So as people get up off the couch to play Wii games, they're likely to stay up and do more -- like walking, jogging or playing tennis."

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/why-wait-for-jan-1-survey-shows-active-play-video-games-can-get-people-moving-now-2010-12-08

Thinking Outside of the Bun Probably Isn’t Such a Good Idea

Taco Bell has recently introduced a new, energy laden menu item…the XXL Chalupa. Taco Bell now joins the ranks of other fast food proprietors who have adopted that attitude that “bigger is better” or the more “calories the tastier the option.” For example, this summer Burger King introduced the 2,500 calorie Pizza Burger and KFC has the 540 calorie Double Down fried chicken sandwich. These items have several things in common, they all lack nutritional value based on daily dietary standards and they are all extremely high in calories. Did we mention they are all high in calories?

The XXL Chalupa Breakdown:

A huge Chalupa shell that looks like a deep-fried canoe, packed with seasoned ground beef (low sodium these days), lettuce, fiesta salsa, a blend of three cheeses — cheddar, pepper jack and mozzarella — nacho cheese sauce, red tortilla-chip strips and reduced-fat sour cream.

Total calories: 650. Fat grams: 39. Dietary fiber: 7. Carbs: 53.

Instead, to satisfy for Taco Bell craving enjoy two Fresco Style Crunchy Tacos (150 calories each) and Mexican Rice (130 calories per 3 oz serving) which will only cost you 430 calories from your daily supply.

For other healthy and tastier options check out Eat This, Not That! Official website: www.EatThis.com

Holiday Health

For many of us more than half of annual weight gain occurs between Thanksgiving and New Year's. Some studies say the average American puts on up to 5 to 7 pounds in these few weeks. And it's no wonder if you count up the cookies, cakes and cups full of eggnog we just can't say no to at holiday parties. While we're chatting away and filling ourselves with holiday cheer, we're also filling up with calories ... one nibble at a time. Those empty calories add up fast. So before your belly starts shaking like a bowl full of jelly, check out these tips:

At holiday parties where tempting foods are often served, eat something healthy beforehand so you're not likely to overindulge. Interact away from the buffet where it's easy to graze mindlessly. Serve yourself and move to a different part of the room.

Eat breakfast. Studies show that if you skip breakfast, you end up consuming more calories throughout the day than those who start off with a bowl of high-fiber cereal.

Watch your liquid calories and reach for tall, slender glasses. A Cornell University study showed adults who drank from tall, slender glasses drank about 19 percent less than those who drank from short, wide glasses.

Make your holidays more event-based and less food-based. Go for a long walk before your meals and have the family gather branches, berries and leaves to build a beautiful fall centerpiece for your table.

Rid your home of leftovers by having festive gift containers for everyone to take home samples of their favorite dishes.

Keep your hands, mind and feet busy. People can often get bored during the holidays and turn to food. Plan on reading a novel, taking photos, playing a game, writing in a journal or participating in a fun run.

Practice portion control. Bake your favorite cookies or pie, but make the cookies smaller than usual and cut the pie in smaller slices. Take one piece and WALK AWAY. Let's face it, some desserts should be avoided. One slice of pecan pie can be as much as 900 calories - OUCH!

Cook smart when making your delicious holiday recipes. Use a heart-healthy spread instead of butter, add dried fruit and reduce the amount of chocolate chips in cookies, cut your sugar amount by half or use a sugar substitute, or grill green beans instead of baking the usual casserole. These little steps could save you more calories than you think!

Weight No Longer...Houston DINEs Rountable Discussion on Menu Labeling

Please join Houston DINEs on Thursday, December 18, 2010 as we facilitate a roundtable discussion about menu labeling and how it helps to combat obesity. Need more details? See below:

2010 Texas Obesity Research Center Conference Advancing Obesity Research in a New Decade
www.hhp.uh.edu/obesity

Houston, TXElizabeth D. Rockwell Pavilion, MD Anderson Library, University of Houston
November 18-19, 2010Don't miss out on this great opportunity to hear the state of obesity research, prevention and control in Texas, hear the keynote speaker, Michael I. Goran, witness the drama from a health care reform and obesity debate panel, interact with like-minded colleagues and enjoy the beautiful autumn weather in Houston! You can do all this and more at the 2010 Texas Obesity Research Center conference on November 18-19, on the University of Houston campus. Advance registration ends soon (November 11), so please be sure to complete your registration before then. After that time we can only accept registration at the door, but we can't guarantee parking. The attachment shows the detailed agenda and registration information. More info is available at www.hhp.uh.edu/obesity.

Fast Food Ads Target Children

Researchers at the Rudd Center at Yale University have reported that one-third of children and teens eat fast food at least once a week. The Rudd Center compiled data over a one year period on 12 of the nation’s fast food restaurants.

Teens get 16 percent to 17 percent of their calories from fast food restaurants. Of critical concern is the finding that teens order 800 to 1,000 calories in a single meal with 30 percent of those calories coming from saturated fat or sugar at those fast food restaurants. Those numbers represent about half of the recommended daily calorie intake.

Researchers reviewed 3,039 possible meal combinations designed for children such as the McDonald’s Happy Meal and found that only 12 met the nutritional criteria for preschoolers and 15 met the nutritional recommendations for adolescents.

Subway and Burger King were the only restaurants offering those 12 – 15 meal combinations that would meet nutritional recommendations for children and adolescents. Meals included the Veggie DeLite at Subway and mac and cheese at Burger King.

Marketing plays a major role in increased consumption of fast foods. Surveys of parents reveal that 40 percent say their children ask to go to McDonald’s a least once a week. A whopping 84 percent of those parents, in turn, had taken their children to a fast food restaurant in the previous week. Despite claims of reducing marketing to children, the Los Angeles Times reported from 2007 to 2009 preschoolers saw:

· 56% more ads for Subway
· 21 % more ads for McDonalds
· 9 % more ads for Burger King
Children ages 6 to 11 see even more ads:
· 56% more for Subway
· 26 % more for McDonalds’s
· 10 % more for Burger King
For more information on this remarkable survey, see: http://healthland.time.com/

Written by Nancy Thorne

Without Menu Labeling You Are Robbed of Your Health

Fast food has a strong correlation with obesity. As the profit margin of the top fast food restaurants has increased so has the waistline of the vast majority of Americans. The number of meals consumed outside of the home has increased from 18% to 32%...nearly doubling within the past 20 years. Adversely, meals consumed outside of the how are high in calories and are served in larger portions. Because of that, Americans especially children are faced with epidemic numbers of obesity.

While there is no way to deter people from consuming fast food on the go, there are ways to assuage the current situation. Menu labeling requires that restaurants post caloric content on menus and menu boards at the point of sale; essentially taking the guessing out of eating. Some cities are blazing trails by making strides toward the battle of the bulge. For example, the city of San Francisco has banned marketing of toys in kid’s meals that are not healthy. In order for a restaurant to promote meals it must contain a fruit AND a vegetable and milk or water.

http://health.msn.com/fitness/video.aspx?vid=016e8292-e279-4064-a1f5-b3e2625a485f

The wave is catching on and people seem to appreciate this information. The Center of Science in Public Interest surveyed over 5,000 people nationwide about menu labeling. The survey shows that there is overwhelming support for menu labeling. Check out the survey below.


SUMMARY OF POLLS ON NUTRITION LABELING IN RESTAURANTS

Poll
Fast-food and other chain restaurants should list nutritional information, such as calories, fat, sugar or salt content on menus and menu boards: 78%

Restaurants should make nutrition information
available for all menu items: 83%

Menu boards should list nutrition information for all items served: 74%

Restaurants should be required to provide nutrition
information, including calories, on menus: 67%

Support requiring fast-food and chain restaurants to
display calorie content on menus or menu boards: 82%

Support requiring fast-food and chain restaurants to
post nutrition information on their menus
84%

http://www.cspinet.org/new/pdf/census_menu_board_question.pdf (link to full survey)

Taco Bell Reduces Sodium and Nobody Notices

Taco Bell recently announced that it has been trying new low sodium menu items at select restaurants. The goal was to the reduce sodium content in items across the board by 23% and the national fast food chain rolled out these changes at 150 restaurants in the Dallas/Fort Worth area.


You can read more about this story by clicking here.

Sodium is a major cause of high blood pressure and can lead to heart disease and stroke. The American Heart Association is trying to lead efforts that will reduce sodium intake from the diets of Americans. We recommend that the average person have no more than 2,000 mg of sodium daily.

I found two interesting points in the Taco Bell story. The first is that they secretly removed the sodium and nobody really noticed. Second, Taco Bell was able to improve the taste of their items by replacing the sodium with other spices and other ingredients.

What are you doing to reduce sodium in your diet?

Portion Distortion!

Within the last 20 years the American population experienced a surge in weight gain and now obesity has become an epidemic. The National Heart Lung and Blood Institute (NHLB) reports that our food portions and serving sizes have tremendously grown. To date, more than 30% of the U.S. population is overweight or obese. Did we mention that obesity among the youth has tripled since 1980? Although the NHLB report uses the years of 1984 to 2004, it gives us a surprising comparison that really becomes shocking if one supersizes a meal in 2010.

Now for a trip down memory lane… Twenty years ago bagels were three inches in diameter and contained a mere 140 calories. Today those not so wonderful bagels are six inches in diameter and contain 340 calories; this doesn’t include the strawberry crème cheese. Sodas 20 years ago were 6.5 ounces with 85 calories. Today a 20 oz beverage contains a whopping 250 calories. The popular chicken Caesar salad is about 3 ½ cups today compared to 1½ cups. The increase in size also increased the caloric content of 390 to 790 calories, a difference of 400 calories. We don’t think Julius would approve. Finally, an American favorite: French fries. Did you know a typical serving of French fries was 2.4 oz 20 years ago and today that serving is 6.9 oz, a calorie increase of 400 calories?

Portion Distortion over 20 years

See more examples and take the interactive calorie quiz at http://2010.nhlbihin.net/portion.

Portion Size & Calories 1984	Portion Size & Calories 2004	Difference
Spaghetti 1 cup/3 small meatballs = 500 Cal	Spaghetti 2 cups/3 large meatballs = 1,025 Cal	525
Coffee 8 ounces/whole milk & sugar = 45 Cal	Coffee Mocha 16 oz coffee/milk & syrup = 350 Cal	305
Cheesecake 3 ounces = 260 Cal	Cheesecake 7 ounces = 640 Cal	380

What you can do to control your portion distortion…

• Ask for calorie content in meals before you order at restaurants. Knowing is half the battle.
• Maintain a healthy weight with a balance act of calories in and calories out
• Join Houston DINEs (Dining Information, Nutrition & Education Campaign) http://houstondines.org/

Attention!!!

According to a 2006 National Research Council (NRC) report being overweight can pose a threat on National Security. The report cites that nearly 25% of all applicants are rejected from the military because he/ or she is too heavy to serve. Obesity not only affects individuals, families and communities it now affects the safety of our country. It’s slowly becoming a form of self inflicted terrorism; the antagonist being food laden in calories.

A team of Cornell researchers found that within one year’s time span from 2007 to 2008 incredible numbers of men and women were ineligible to serve due to poor health. Nearly six millions men and nearly three times that amount of women (16 million) who are old enough to serve in the military could NOT because he/ or she was vastly overweigh. In an effort to keep our country safe and replace military retirees, each military branch needs to recruit about 184,000 new personnel. Given the high number of unqualified applicants this process is becoming more and more difficult.

"Almost one in four applicants to the military are rejected for being overweight or obese – it's the most common reason for medical disqualification," study researcher John Cawley, an associate professor of policy analysis and management, said in a statement. "It is well-known that the military is struggling to recruit and retain soldiers. Having a smaller pool of men and women who are fit enough to serve adds to the strain and creates even more problems for national defense."

"It's another example of the underappreciated public consequences of obesity," Cawley said. "We tend to think of obesity as a personal, individual health problem. But the fact that U.S. military leaders view it as a threat to national security and military readiness shows its far-reaching impact."

Now that we know the gravity of the situation we need to adopt healthier lifestyles high in physical activity and low in high density foods. Physical activity plays an important role in reducing morbidity factors like heart disease and stroke. Reducing consumption in high energy foods means lowering daily caloric intake and controlling weigh. The safety of the Nation depends on it.

"One in Six: Act Now!"

Oct. 29 is World Stroke Day

In 72 hours… the American Heart Association and American Stroke Association will join the World Stroke Organization to spread the message about the global threat of stroke. As it stands, stroke is the #3 killer of all Americans. The theme for this year's World Stroke Day is "One in Six: Act Now!"

· One of every six people worldwide will have a stroke in their lifetime
· Someone has a stroke every 40 seconds…

To raise stroke awareness, the American Heart and Houston DINEs are encouraging people to take action at 1:06 p.m. on October 29th by taking the My Life Check assessment and sharing the site with six people. That could be six family members, six players on your flag football team, six ladies under the drier at the beauty salon, six Texans fans, or even six Cowboys fans. Find out what you can do to Act Now by using American Stroke Association tools at our website, and then add these messages to your Facebook and Twitter accounts.

It’s so simple even a cave man can do it.

Grow the Grassroots at the Heart Walk

The Houston Heart Walk is coming up and we want to see you out there! Help the Houston DINEs team grow the grassroots as we fight obesity in Houston.

We are looking for volunteers that will help us talk to Heart Walk participants, discuss the Houston DINEs campaign, and get sign-ups for our cause.

Houston Start! Heart Walk
Sam Houston Park, Downtown (1100 Bagby St. Houston, TX 77002).
Saturday, November 6th
7:15 AM

Please get to the Park at 7:15 am and look for theYou're the Cure table. A brief training will be held at 7:30 am to get you up to speed on Houston DINEs and your activity for the day.

To RSVP or for more information please contact:
Ar’Sheil Sinclair at (713) 610-5000 or t-arsheill.sinclair@heart.org

A Teen With Passion For Health

Meet Jordan Hudson, a 17 year-old Junior at The Woodlands Christian Academy and pageant winner. She stays fit because she is a Varsity Cheerleader and active in several other student leadership groups Not only is Jordan Hudson, the reigning Miss Woodlands Teen USS, is also a teen spokesperson for the Houston D.I.N.E.’s initiative. Jordan works to help consumers make wiser choices in their daily nutrition habits and not only lends her voice to this worthy cause, but puts those concepts into daily practice on her own. Jordan plans to bring additional attention to these worthy causes through her year of service as Miss Woodlands Teen USS.

To follow Jordan during her year as Miss Woodlands Teen USS, visit her blog at http://www.jordan-hudson.blogspot.com/.

Royal Flush…

As we all know, we are living in a fast food nation. American’s are constantly on the go so we like everything quick and convenient. We like or songs in an mp3 format, our cell phones to be smart and our meals prepared in less than 45 seconds possibly while in our car. Houstonians are eating out in increasing numbers; many families eat fast food on a daily basis. From a survey in 1977-98 to 1994-95 Americans increased their purchases of food eaten outside the home from 26 percent of their total food budget to 46 percent.

According to an October 11, 2010 article in Time Magazine titled Supersize Me, the Burger King Pizza Burger made its debut on Broadway this past summer. It is currently only sold in New York City at the BK Whopper Bar. It’s a good thing we live in Houston because the Pizza Burger which is 9.5 inches in diameter has over 2,500 calories, 144 grams of fat, 59 grams of saturated fat, 380 milligrams of cholesterol and 3,780 milligrams of salt! That is nearly a day and half supply of calories. This Pizza Burger gives new meaning to the phrase “eat your heart out”. The American Heart Association has now documented research that shows the link between this trend in eating out and obesity. The meals eaten out have begun to parallel negative health outcomes such as Type II Diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol. Menu labeling is necessary to reduce these preventable morbidity factors. How else would you have known that this “pizza” contributes to the nearly 27% nationwide obesity rate that is constantly growing?

Now the good news-- November 2, 2010 is Eat Healthy Day. You can choose to take charge of the health and well being of you and your family.

Not So Happy Meal...

While San Francisco is considering a ban on toys in the popular McDonald’s Happy Meal, Houston has a hometown “hero” pediatrician who has succeeded in improving the nutrition of Happy Meals at McDonald’s restaurant located in Texas Children’s Hospital.

Dr. Sanjiv (Sonny) Harpavat preserved through three years of tough negotiations to improve Happy meals and post calorie counts at the McDonald’s in Texas Children’s Hospital. Happy Meals at TCH now have milk and fruit instead of soft drinks and french fries.

Our DINEs team has been advised by physicians and nutrition experts that labeling menus is a first step in fighting the complex issues related to obesity, it is a critical one. Houstonians are eating out in increasing numbers and by all accounts will continue to do so over the coming decades. Houston has great restaurants and fast food on almost every block. To address our obesity crises among adults and children in Houston, we need to know the calorie content before we choose among all those tempting meals.

The San Francisco proposal is designed to improve the nutritional content of Happy Meals by lowering the sugar, sodium and fat content in the Happy Meal and add a half-cup serving of fruit and vegetables. While the proposal will be placed before the full board on October 19^th, Mayor Gavin Newsom has threatened to veto the ban, opting to insure healthy choices are made available. Newsom has been a leader in promoting healthy foods and lifestyles and has planted a garden at city hall with fresh food guru Alice Waters.

Houston’s Dr. Harpavat sees the impact of fast foods on his patients each day and is working with other physicians across the country to improve foods available in hospital restaurants. Diseases unheard of in previous generations of children now include hypertension, type 2 diabetes and even fatty liver an are linked to obesity.

For more on San Francisco Happy meals, see the story on NPR. http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=130303321

Written by: N. Thorne

Menu Labeling? Huh?

It’s Wednesday afternoon, you and your favorite coworker are next in line at your favorite taco eatery ready to order your tortilla soup and a salad and you notice something is different. Right next to the menu item are the price and calories per serving. This my friend is called a Menu Label and was designed in an effort to combat obesity. In March 2010, the federal government enacted the Health Care Reform Act. In the Health Care Reform Act was a section on menu labling that mandate that food establishments with 20 or more location must post the caloric content next to the entrée item. By having this information readily available consumers such as you, are able to make informed choices about the food and beverages you purchase.

This piece of legislation is monumental in the prevention of the obesity especially in Texas-- a state that ranks 14 in the nation in terms of obesity. Locally, Harris County has an obesity rate of over 30% and it is constantly on the rise. With the new mandate in place consumers will be able to better gauge their energy needs. Take that information and pair it with exercise and Houston could quite possible become one of the healthiest cities in America in due time.

The next time you are at a restaurant prepared to order and you don’t see the amount of calories per serving make sure you ask your server. You have a right to know. Check please!!

Bridging Science with the Community

Tonight the Texas Research and Obesity Center will host the final series of Science and Community Opportunity Reception. The Houston DINEs team will speak at the reception about our campaign and the importance of working together to help end obesity. The event takes place tonight from 5:30-7:30pm at the University of Houston’s M.D. Anderson Library in the Pavilion Area (3855 Holman Road, Houston, TX 77004).

The series is led by Dr. Rebecca Lee who is an expert in obesity in the city of Houston. This project seeks to reduce and prevent obesity among members of the African American and Hispanic or Latino communities by capitalizing on unique opportunities presented in the City of Houston. The Texas Research and Obesity Center needs your help with the following:

• Developing partnerships between the community and our scientists

• Determining a collaborative agenda

• Educating each other about health in our community

• Evaluating the success of Science and Community

RSVP to ScienceAndCommunity@yahoo.com! Refreshments will be served
For more information please visit: www.hhp.uh.edu/obesity

How Does Your Garden Grow??

On Saturday, October 2, 2010, Houston DINEs lent a helping hand to Recipe For Success and CAN DO Houston at Lyons Elementary to build a food garden for the school. CAN DO Houston added the Northside Village Community in 2010 as beneficiaries of its outreach services.


Lyons Elementary was selected as the site school because of the willingness of school staff to prioritize and tackle childhood obesity. The community garden at Lyons Elementary is the first of many initiatives that CAN DO will launch this school year.

Obesity prevention takes team work much like building a garden!! “The work that we seek to do goes beyond the construction of a community garden, what’s important is the education and awareness that comes from the presence of the garden, that is why CAN DO Houston is unique and our work is sustainable”.

Recipe for Success is dedicated to combating childhood obesity by changing the way children understand, appreciate and eat their food. Houston DINEs encourages consumers to ask questions about the foods they eat. Eating the right foods is extremely important component to healthy living. All children deserve access to healthy choices and good nutrition. After all healthy kids become healthy adults and healthy adults become healthy Houstonians!!

For more information about how to become involved in the battle of th bulge visit our advocacy network You’re the Cure at www.yourethecure.org.

Childhood Obesity Prevention...365

September was Childhood Obesity Prevention month. For 30 days we focused our advocacy efforts on asking legislators to make sure our children have healthy meals options in school in addition to maintain physical education standards. Currently, 25% of the nation’s children are showing early warning signs of heart diseases, but this can be undone. The battle on obesity is totally winnable!! We know how important healthy food and exercise are to the development of our kid’s brains and bodies…so why stop now? The month of October grants us 31 additional days to continue our obesity prevention endeavors. After all, health is 365!!

Over 94% of the top 25 fast food restaurants children’s menus are extremely high in calories even after making substitutions for supposedly better options. This is because kid menus are dominated by burgers, chicken nuggets, fries and sugary sodas. Add sedentary lifestyles to this picture and you have a recipe for adverse effects on health.

As parents you are the gatekeeper to your family’s health. For the month of October focus on healthy eating at home instead of fast food places. Let’s continue our obesity prevention for another 31 days!!

Preventing Obesity Locally

Last year the Institute of Medicine released a report titled Local Government Action to Prevent Childhood Obesity. The report highlighted alarming stats about the obesity pandemic that is taking the nation by force. Within the past three decades the number of obese children and adolescences ranging from age 2-19 is slightly over 16%. Now take the obesity rate and couple it with other morbidity factors such as hypertension, high cholesterol and Type 2 diabetes and you have a dismal future for America’s youth.

Still not convinced about the dire situation just yet? Check out these numbers:

· Over the last three decades obesity rates have tripled in children.
· In 2004, more than 9 million children in the nation were overweight.
· In this same year 19% of children ages 6-11 were considered obese, up from 4% in 1971.

The situation looks bleak BUT there is still good news. As constituents you elect local governments to act in your best interest. That includes city officials acting locally to create healthy environments such as city parks where children can play safely, grocery stores where people can purchase fresh fruits and vegetables for their families and restaurants that post caloric content on their menus at the point of sales so patron may make healthy food choices.
As we all know, community involvement is vital for success in any initiative but everyone needs to work together to take action.

Three things you can do locally in Houston:

· Take a self pledge to be physically active at least three days this week for 30 minutes. To make it more fun, include the entire family. You could go on a family run or spark up some sibling rivalry by playing a family game of soccer.

· When eating lunch with co-workers asked how many calories are in the entrée you are ordering. As patrons you have a right to now. Don’t be afraid to hold up the line…it’s your turn.

· Ask your local representative to implement local policies that promote health. Take action by clicking on the link to the Houston DINEs Microsite: http://houstondines.org/home.aspx

To read the entire Institute of Medicine report check out the link below:
http://www.rwjf.org/childhoodobesity/product.jsp?id=47908

An APPetite for Health

Over the last few months Houston DINEs has stressed the importance of counting calories and knowing your caloric needs. In the city of Houston dining out and doing it with health in mind is extremely difficult. There are so many options on any given day.Houston might be among the top city with the most restaurants per capita. In addition to a vast number of restaurants Houston, also has an extremely high obesity rate of over 30% in Harris County.

While we as Houstonians absolutely love to eat, we should always keep our health and the health of families as our first priority. The first step towards eating better is knowing what the healthy options are. In an ideal world where restaurants post caloric content on menus we would be able to easily identify what is healthy and what is not. In the meantime, let your smart phones do all the work by downloading the Lose It app. The Lose It app allows users to track their daily caloric content. Knowing your numbers help to reduce obesity and combat weigh gain.

Thanks to the Lose It app you can log your food consumption and daily physical activity, and record weights almost the same way that you create a monthly spending budget. Don’t have an Iphone or Black Berry? You can you the web based version by logging on to www.loseit.com website. It simply requires a free Loseit.com account. It’s easier than low calorie apple pie. Check out this YouTube presentation to see how it works:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t1n3Kxy-lNk&feature=player_embedded

Eat to Win!!

Now that’s it's football season your Sundays, Mondays and some Thursdays will be filled with touch downs, terrible calls by referees and your favorite burger. As we embark on the best 16 weeks of the year it's important to be mindful of our energy needs. Translation: we need to eat to win to combat obesity!!

No more than 30% of your daily calories should come from fat. Your specific fat allowance will vary depending on your calorie need. Most adult women should consume a range of 1,600- 2,000 depending on age and physical activity level. The average adult male should have between 2,000-3,000 also depending on factors such as age and physical fitness. No matter the case, it’s important to know how much you are consuming. Numbers are important during football season, right?

Below is a list of the three highest calorie laden burgers:
1. The Ruby Tuesday Colossal Burger has 2,014 calories. Yikes!!
2. Chili’s Smokehouse Bacon Triple Cheese Big Mouth Burger with Jalapeno Ranch Dressing has 1,901 calories
3. Outback Steakhouse Blooming Burger has 1,880 calories

Each burger has an entire day’s supply of calories for any adult. Keep in mind this doesn’t include snacking between quarters or any beverages. To stay healthy question the play and ask how much or how many calories you are consuming.

For more information about eating healthy follow Houston DINEs on twitter.
https://twitter.com/HoustonDINEs

Schooling You on Calories...and the Freshmen 15

Class is Now in Session: Subject: Freshmen 15…A Course You Don’t Want to Pass!!

Now that school has reconvened students can look forward to pop quizzes, cram sessions, frat parties and weight gain in the sum of 15 pounds. Studies show that first year students are extremely likely to gain weight over the next two semesters, more commonly referred to as the Freshmen 15. Studies show that students on average gain 3 to 10 pounds during their first 2 years of college. Most of this weight gain occurs during the first semester of freshman year.

Aside from not being able to fit into your favorite super low-rise, skinny jeans doctors warn that students who typically pack on the extra pounds usually establish a pattern of weight gain that more often than not can lead to health risk factors such as obesity.

Don’t be alarmed…there is hope. To maintain healthy weight it's important to exercise through the week and pay special attention to what you eat. Too many calories can be the demise of a figure flattering wardrobe. Here is what you can do…When you order either from the cafeteria or your student union that houses chain fast food restaurants pay attention to the food labels. Labels that show calorie content provides you with information that can help you decide what to choose as part of an overall healthy eating plan. Checking the labels on menu items can alert you when a food is high in “ingredients” like sugar so you can be prepared to make tradeoffs. Similar to a final exam, knowing and having information available helps you ace the test or in this case curtail the Freshmen 15.

For more information checkout this article on TeenHealth.org: http://bit.ly/9Q4efm
Be sure to follow us on Twitter: HoustonDINEs

Learn More About Houston DINEs

Mark Your Calendars!

Grassroots Action Team Meeting (GAT)

September 8, 6:00 pm

Featuring NBC’s The Biggest Loser Contestant, Cherita Andrews

Hear Cherita’s inspirational story of losing over 100 pounds!!

 Who: American Heart Association’s Houston DINES

 When: September 8, 2010, 6pm

 Where: AHA Office, 10060 Buffalo Speedway/Corner of W. Belfort

Why: Houston DINEs GAT needs your help to visit with young professional leaders in the Hispanic, Asian and African American Community. Help us to enlist volunteers to the Grassroots Action Network and promote healthier lifestyles in Houston!

Please rsvp by September 3, 2010 to: t-nancy.thorne@heart.org

Houston We Have a Problem...It's Called "Obesity"

In a recent report provided by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention nine states in the Nation have an adult obesity rate of 30 percent or higher. This number has increased from three states within the last three years. “Obesity continues to be a major public health problem,” said CDC Director Thomas Frieden. “We need intensive, comprehensive and ongoing efforts to address obesity. If we don’t more people will get sick and die from obesity-related conditions such as heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes and certain types of cancer, some of the leading causes of death.” As it stands Americans spend about $150 billion a year on treating ailments caused by obesity such as heart disease and stroke.

The solution…counting calories and becoming more involved with Houston DINEs. You can do your part to counteract the obesity epidemic by asking how many calories are in your meal and your children's meals. As restaurant patrons you have the right to know. Being armed with that information and about 30 minutes of exercise a day can help get our nation back on the health track.

Check out the Bloomberg article for more information: http://bit.ly/ajJVrm

Hate Exercise?

Want to burn calories but not a huge fan of exercise? We found a website that might have the solution. Start out small by implementing these fun calories burners that you probably do on a daily basis...especially if you're a rock star!

Play the Drums
Playing the drums involves careful coordination of the feet, hands and arms. You may play both fast and slow paced rhythms, and exert force and pressure on different types of drums and cymbals throughout the sequence. This can be a high calorie burning activity depending on the pace of movement--it's also a lot of fun! Burns 263 calories per hour

Load and Unload the Car
Loading and unloading a car can be a mild to moderate aerobic activity; the weight of the objects you are lifting and carrying serve as resistance, and challenge your shoulders, back, abdominals and arm muscles as you balance each item. Heavier objects such as groceries, bags of clothing or even small children require more energy and will burn more calories. Burns 197 calories per hour

Dance
Line dancing is a fast-paced dance routine that can burn hundreds of calories per hour! The movements are choreographed to medium to fast-paced music, and require steps such as the grapevine, square step, and even jumping and skipping. Line dancing is a fun aerobic routine for all age groups and fitness levels. Burns 296 calories per hour

For more on all types of non-tradition ways to burn calories check out http://www.livestrong.com/thedailyplate/fitness/directory/

How many calories do you need?

Men’s Health is saying not enough people know how many calories they need to be putting into their bodies. While 70% of Americans are concerned about their weight, only about 12% can correctly estimate the amount of calories they need on a daily basis.

Click here to read the full article.

The Houston DINEs campaign wants you to be aware of the amount of calories you are consuming, especially when dining out. While most restaurants provide nutritional information online or somewhere in the restaurant, it is rarely available at the point of sale.

Do you ask for the nutritional content of the food while you are ordering? Do you look it up online either before or after you eat? Or are you like most of us and don’t really know how many calories you are eating?

Oakwood Garden Residents Munch, Lunch, and Learn

Last month Houston DINEs hosted a Munch, Lunch and Learn with the residents at the Oakwood Garden Apartments located on Antoine Street. At the Munch, Lunch and Learn apartment residents were provided with a nutritious lunch and a program on healthy living.


The Oakwood Gardens was recently mentioned in a Houston Chronicle article about the need to feed students during the summer. Only about 9% of Texas children that receive free and reduced priced lunches during the school year take advantage of free meals during the summer according to the article. Many children go hungry during the summer months or eat less healthy foods at home.

During the lunch the Houston DINEs staff talked about the importance of a balanced diet, particularly why it’s important for children to eat plenty of fruits and vegetables. We had about twenty five children and adults attend to learn the fundamentals of eating healthy and exercising.

The children participated in hula hooping, jump rope and colored worksheets of fruits and vegetables.
-----------------
Here are three ways to find a summer nutrition program in your area.

Call 211: Give the operator your ZIP code to locate a convenient serving site and check for days, meals offered and hours of operation. Most sites operate Monday through Friday, serving lunch from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., and snacks are served from 3-4 p.m.

Go online: Visit http://netx.squaremeals.com/SNP/summerfood/parents/index.html to search sites by ZIP code, city or county.

City of Houston: Call 713-676-6832 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays; information available in English and Spanish.

Chill Out

There’s nothing like a refreshing drink to quench your thirst during a hot Texas summer day. Health.com has given us 8 Cold Drinks for Your Cooler and they all look delicious. From the Raspberry Lemonade to the Hibiscus Tea with Peaches these are healthy beverages that are easy to make.

I’m just disappointed they didn’t include the classic Arnold Palmer…

Arnold Palmer making an Arnold Palmer



Here's the recipe for the Berry-Lime Liquado pictured above, click on the link for all the others:

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups strawberries
1 1/2 cups blueberries
1 cup ice
1 cup water
2 tablespoons lime juice
2 tablespoons agave nectar or sugar
Garnish: fresh mint

Preparation
Purée strawberries and blueberries in a blender. Place in a fine mesh sieve over a bowl, and strain juice into bowl; discard seeds and pulp. Rinse blender, pour in juice and blend with 1 cup ice, 1 cup water, lime juice, and agave nectar or sugar. Serve over ice, and garnish with mint.

Calories: 294 (approximate)


What’s your favorite summer drink?

Follow Us and Win a Shuffle

Want a new IPod Shuffle? Houston DINEs will be giving away 2 IPod Shuffles for followers of this blog. Once we reach 100 followers we will throw everyone’s name in a hat and pick a winner. We’ll do the same after we reach 200 followers.

Click on the Follow link on the right side of the page to follow Houston DINEs and have a chance to win an IPod Shuffle!  The Shuffle is the perfect way to play your favorite tunes during a calorie burning workout or stay up to date with health tips via podcasts. 

What’s Your Favorite Junk Food?

If you live in Texas the chances are that it is a good old fashioned corn dog. At least according to Health.com who just released their list of the 50 Fattiest Foods in the nation. So the next time you’re at the State Fair you might want to double check the nutritional contents of the Fletcher’s Corn Dog. It checks in at hefty 19 grams of fat.

But that’s nothing compared to Pennsylvania’s Philly Cheesesteak (up to 45 grams of fat) or Illinois’s Deep Dish Pizza (40 grams of fat for just one serving of the tomato and cheese pie).

Click here to see all 50 states.

So do you have any favorites from the list?

Umm…how many calories are you about to eat?

What has more calories, the Wendy’s Mandarin Chicken Salad or Church’s Chicken Fried Chicken?

Test your skills with our Calorie Count Quiz. Click on the link to take the quiz; the answers are on page 2 so no peeking until you’re done!

Calorie Count Quiz

Houston DINEs Helps Kids Hula for Health

Last Friday at the Alief Community Center, Houston DINEs and American Heart volunteers teamed up with Marathon Oil on their annual Let’s Just Play Day Carnival. The Houston DINEs staff talked to over 2,000 children about the importance of health, nutrition and physical activity. The field day was open to all children that attend the City of Houston’s Parks and Recreation Center summer camps.

Each participant was able to hula hoop or jump rope to burn calories and promote physical activity. In Texas, over two-thirds of the children recently failed the state’s physical fitness exam. The Let’s Just Play kids proved that they loved and needed physical education and that with constant exercise they would be in tip top shape. On average, a person burns about 7 calories when he/she hula hoops for 60 seconds. Collectively we burned around 2000 calories!!

Although the event was geared toward children, people of all ages participated and a variety of talents were on display. Some children were able to hula hoop with as many as eight hoops at once. Many could spin them on their arms and some even on their neck. One contestant was able to spin the hula hoop nonstop for 23 minutes. She received the informal title of Houston DINEs Super Hooper!

All in all we had an action packed day; proving that exercise can and should be fun!  What type of excercise do you prefer and when was the last time you hula-hooped?