Image Credit: Yellow Brick Road, Melissa Bent

When I began exploring the ways we have been miseducated through conflicting information about healthy eating earlier this year, little did I realize how much I would start to feel a bit like Dorothy following the yellow brick road into the land of Oz.  

This journey through 2016 however, was thankfully far more than I bargained for. Instead of jumping aboard yet another “New Year’s Resolution” fully-loaded with willpower and tips for trimming calories and sweating more (on purpose), — this time around some of the leading experts in obesity prevention, public health and community activism would weigh in on some of the common missteps veteran dieters like myself were making… 

• The Biology of Obesity I learned through the first three months of the year just how much processed foods and sugar affects mental health and brain function. I didn’t just read about it, I lived it through the Always Hungry plan from Dr. David Ludwig. A self-proclaimed veteran dieter with scars to prove it, I was skeptical. Then food cravings disappeared in less than two weeks and the brain fog was gone…  Read more…

• Myths About Weight Loss & Physical Activity Now following a daily food plan that included healthier fats (hello avocado!) and minimal sugars, I took to re-schooling myself on exercise.  Where should I begin? How much should what I eat factor into my exercise and weight loss plan?  Diet Fix author Dr. Yoni Freedhoff shares on the misconceptions around exercise for weight loss and the myths surrounding “no-pain/no gain” in order to see results… Read more…  

• Navigating the Terrain of Emotional Eating For some eaters, distinguishing the difference between the biological and emotional cravings for food is largely underdeveloped. “Emotional eating” is a component to the obesity crisis worldwide that is too often overlooked. When Eating is the Tip of the Iceberg with New York Times Bestselling author Geneen Roth (Women, Food and God), offers methods for how to approach and expand obesity prevention initiatives to account for mental health too. Read more…

External Influences Impacting Healthy Eating & Active Living…

After some early successes following a low carbohydrate, healthier fat food plan, I began to take stock in the new food on our table and how it was affecting the health of my family. I soon began taking a closer look at what was being offered at the local grocery store, neighborhood restaurant and even within the school lunch program at my kids’ schools in order to maintain these new healthier eating habits. Then I began looking to the news headlines. Was a fat-free diet the answer to the obesity woes as previously believed, or had it actually made us sicker?

• How Food Marketing Targets Children  Once I understood a bit more about processed foods and insulin resistance, my approach to exercise, and the emotional reasons I may reach for the fork, – the abundance of external influences heavily impacting the ability to make healthier choices on a daily basis was hard to ignore. When unfamiliar with the external factors impacting (if not promoting) the obesity epidemic among our most vulnerable population – children, we leave room for the industry to shift blame and responsibility back to parents and caregivers. Learn more about some of the latest practices and interventions to keep children and their families healthier. Read more…

Coming in October 2017 – Black Lives & The Built Environment with South LA’s Gangsta Gardener Ron Finley 

Image Credit: Delirio Films – Can You Dig This, 2015

Our proximity to healthy food options along with safe spaces for exercise and recreation, largely impact the choices we make when it’s time to eat. While it’s easy to say: make your own food, eat more vegetables and fruits, and get outside and walk more – not all community environments were created equitably to accomplish these goals. What happens when your neighborhood community is saturated with junk-food infested liquor stores and healthy options aren’t regularly accessible?

Ron Finley, LA’s “Gangsta Gardener” has helped expand the food movement by addressing the food deserts throughout South Los Angeles. Finley’s 2013 TEDTalk now has over 2.8 million views and counting – and he’s since traveled the globe to inspire the development of urban community gardens across the US, Ireland, Qatar, Italy, Sweden and Greece. “Too many families lack access and exposure to safe and healthy food, says Finley. “It is by design that the cheapest and most available food options to them are the junk food in their corner stores and fast-food joints promoting obesity and diabetes…” Learn more about his plan for sustainable change in Los Angeles and across the globe!

Check out the trailer for Can You Dig This here: