Monday

Do you want to be healthy, release weight, and become smarter? Listen up

Recently, I attended a summit Food Addiction: The Obesity Epidemic Connection in IslandWood, Bainbridge Island, WA. For more info go to www.foodaddictionsummit.org



Scientists came from all over the country and parts of the world. They were from Yale, Princeton, UCLA, Rockeffeler, University of Florida, France etc. They were joined by therapists, writers, journalists, philanthropists who wanted to know more. Why? There is now a growing concern, refined foods and sugars may be addictive and playing a major role in our obesity epidemic.



Here are some stats on that. Let's start with children. One in five children in the US is overweight. In the last 30 years, childhood obesity has doubled and is increasing among younger children. The question asked in the summit. Are we exposing our children to substances, refined sugars and processed foods that cannot help but create a generation of young addicts? As for adults, you know the answer, 39 million Americans are obese, a lot more are overweight. Are we doing much about it? Let's start with the science. Here are some of the presenters and what they said. Please understand the presentations were complex and comprehensive this is a very simplistic summary. I suggest you check the website. www.foodaddictionsummit.org for more complete info.



Kelly Brownwell PhD from Yale. He is the director at Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity.


In his popular book "Food Fight: this Inside Story of the Food Industry, America's Obesity Crisis and What We Can Do ABout It" he and co author Katherin Battle suggest public policy iniatives for reversing the obesity epidemic. He questions what if the focus is on food and what it does to the body and the brain, in a way we can posssilby project the public health impact. Information on food addiction Dr. Brownwell feels could help remove the stigma tied to obesity.





Dr. Gene Jack Wang MD is the Chairman of Brookhaven National Laboratory Medical Department. He uses medical imaging techniques to study brain disorders. He found morbidly obese subjects had reductions in DA D2 receptors (brain dopamine receptor levels) which are similar to that observed in drug addicted subjects. This means, these people just as those addicted to drugs are predisposed to search for strongly rewarding reinforcers except in this case it was food (insntead of a drug) to temporarily compensate for decreased sensitivity of their DA regulated reward circuits.

NOTE: In neuroscience, the reward system (studied to understand addiction) is a collection of brain structures which attemp to to control and regulate behavior, cognitive and reward mechanisms by introducing pleasure effects. Dopamine is the neurotransmitter studied in addiction because it has many functions in the brain including important roles in reward, cognition and behavior.





Ernest Noble PhD and MD is a Distinguished Professor of Psychiatry and Biobehavorial Sciences and Director of Alcohol Research Center Semel Institute for Neuroscince and Human Behavior at UCLA School of Medicine. "It is well established that food (particularly carbohydrates) like alcohol, when consumed, increases brain dopamine levels. He found with his colleagues the DRD 2 A1 allele (the minor form of the D2 dopamine receptor gene to be associated with) alcohol addiction is also associated with obesity.





Serge Ahmed PhD Scientist at the Univeristy of Bordeaux France. In his research he found intense sweetness can surpass coaciane reward, even in drug sensitized and addicted individuals. "Sociologists, economists and epidemiologists have accumulated strong evidence linking increased accessibility and consumption of refined sugar with obesity in vulnerable populations, such as, for instance, chidlren and adults from poor communities. His findings clearly demonstrate that intense sweetness can surpass cocaine reward.





Bert Hoebel PhD Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience Princeton University


Sugar Addiction: Bingeing, Withdrawal and Craving. "Evidence from animal models suggests sugar can act on the brain in ways similar to drugs of abuse. Eating large amounts of sugar when hungry, also known as sugar-bingeing, can cause behavioral and neurochemical changes in the brain that resemble those produced when someone takes substances of abuse including morphine, cocaine and nicotine. "





Eric Stice phD Senior Research scientist at teh Oregon Research Institute


"His program of research has primarily focused on the elucidating genetic and environmental factors that increase the risk for onset of eating overeating disorders and obesity, as well as the development and evalution of prevention programs for these conditions. He states "It has been theorized that elevated reward from food intake or anticipated food intake increases risk for overeating. However it has also been theorized that individuals who experience weaker activation of dopamine based reward circuitry in response to food intake may overeat to compensate for this reward deficit.





Irene Yaroslavsky PhD of the Leibowitz Laboratory, Rockefeller University


Mechanisms of Food Cravings


Dr. Sarah Leibowitz PhD has led animal studies exploring metabolic and neural antecedents for the overconsumption of fat and alcohol. " A major reoccuring theme in our research is the existence of a positive feedback loop, whereby a meal rich in fat activates certain brain systems that further stimulate fat intake. More specifically we have shown that brain systems involved in a palatability and reward can both stinulate and be stimulated by the intake of preferred diets rich in fat."







Kay Sheppard, Ma LMHC, CEDS


is the pioneer in food addiction treatment. She wrote the first best selling book on the subject. "Food Addiction: The Body Knows: From the First Bite and Food Addiction: Healing Day by Day. A licensed mental health counselor she conducts workshops and food adicts worldwide. " I came to appreciate that the brain and body of a food addict reacts differently to addictive foods due to the inherited predisposition to the disease of addiction. Addictive foods stimulate and increase the transmission of the neurotransmitters dopamine and serotonin. When the brain is flooded with these neurotransmiters, euphoria results leading to the compulsive pursuit of mood change by engaging repeatedly in episodes of binge eating despite adverse consequences."


There were other presenters who shared their research, programs and ideas.


Dr. Mark Gold MD Food as an Addiction College of Medicine Brain institute at University of Florida


Elissa Epel PhD Co Director of the UCSF Center for Obesity Assessment and Treatment


Cravings and Chronic Stres: Why the Candy Industry thrives when the economy declines


Jefrey Grim PhD Co Director of the Northwest Center for Research on Eating Behaviors.


Abstinence make sthe Heart Grow Fonder: Incubation of Sucrose Craving.


Yvonne Sanders Butler Ed PhD who as the principal of Browns Mil Elementary banned all fods high in refined sugars, high fat, and processed foods and drinks from the cafeteria. The results, immediate drop in absenteeism, improvements in attention, and general increase in energy levels and grades.


Connie Benett, Author of Sugar Shock


Joan Ifland PhD, MBA Founder and Chair of Refined Food Addiction (REFA) Research


Foundation.


Ellot Blass PhD University of Massachusetts. Evolutionary and Devleopmental bases of Eating Addictions.

To get all the presentations in full go to

www.foodaddictionsummit.org

What next?

This is an epidemic and what concerns me the most is our children. Find out what your children's schools are offering. Get involved, contact Dr. Yvonne Sanders Butler. Get documentation to back your claims. Kids need to start eating better and moving more. Our schools are feeding them sugars and processed foods and yet we expect them to be healthy and smart.

We have to start somewhere. Knowledge is power. Don't expect the government or food companies to make the changes. We the people are ultimately responsible for what we and our children eat. Get armed with adequate information.

Sunday

Living Smart, the future and Susan Boyle

This coming Sunday April 26 at 3pm, Futurist Peter Bishop who studies scenarios of what might happen based on a lot of research will share his views on jobs, the economy, alternative sources of energy and what careers to consider for the future. Knowledge is power and this show can smarly prepare us for what is to come.

At 2:30 pm on Sunday you can also watch Latina Voices, as we discuss wellness with a medical doctor and a naturopath and we learn how to market ourselves to the top so we can get the job of our dreams.

One of the reasons I wanted to produce a show like Living Smart 4 years ago, was to help our viewers find golden nuggets of information that could help them find more happiness, better health, fulfilling relationships and more importantly a way to reach their dreams. We would all be so much happier, healthier and relevant if we had a passion for what we did every day. I know however that many don't find what that is in a lifetime. This in turn causes a lot of problems for them and those around them. That is why when I saw Susan Boyle on You Tube today. I cried. I also cried when I heard Paul Potts sing. Both were featured in the British talent show. Both surprised audiences around the world with their incredible and quiet talent.

I will share their youtube links for you to watch. Both of these people to me represent millions of people in the world who never give up their dreams. They have an unknown or unrecognized talent so many laugh at them, smirk, make fun of them or are quietly envious of their hidden talent. Yet they never give up. They both began singing at a very young age, and maybe never had a great chance to be discovered. There are millions still out there who are undiscovered, but I do hope they like Susan and Paul, will never give up their passion, their dream, their hidden talent.

What I feel we can learn from them is their incredible humility and resilience. Society does not tend to think highly of people who are unemployed or make a low salary. But in reality, everyone is special, everyone has a story, a dream, a passion. Some may never discover it. Others have it but only they know it. I just hope that by watching these videos you begin to ask yourself the question. What is my dream? What is my talent? What is my passion? and then sit back and just listen to these two. I know they will move you to tears of joy.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RxPZh4AnWyk Susan
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DelJrP3P7tA Paul Potts

Let me know what you think!

Monday

Living Smart with Opera Star and the most important things in life

This Sunday April 19th at 3pm, (repeats friday April 24th at 10pm) Ana Maria Martinez one of the greatest Lyric Sopranos of our times will enlighten us with her knowledge of the value of music in our children's lives. Ana Maria who has sung in the greatest opera houses of the world remains humble and down to earth. She is extremely personable, talented and one of the smartest people I have ever interviewed. The only child of a psychoanalyst and an opera singer, Martinez grew up listening to music and trying to figure out the world alone. Now married to an opera singer and the mother of a two year old child, she knows first hand the value of music in children's brain development. I look forward to sharing this interview with Living Smart viewers.

This week I had the priviledge of reading one of my friend's books. Gloria Alcozer Thomas has written, "Feeding my Children. " She is considered a "Tejana" a word that can be interpreted and defined as she says in various ways. "For example as an Indian term of endearment, or secondly, as one of the first references to the indigenous people of the lower southwestern United States. Later it would identify as a whole the people of Texas. Gloria has lived all over the world and is a magnificent storyteller.

“Do you see my skin? It is a colour that leaves me in between I am not black or white Nor am I a race that other’s can easily categorize.” This is from one of the many poems written by Gloria Alkozer Thomas in her book. Does this sound like an American story? It is, with all its contradictions, ironies, and the confusion, pain and joy of being an American. Alcozer is the daughter of migrant workers. The book’s title describes her mother
mission and goal, who despite a very difficult life confronting poverty and intractable racism, succeeded in feeding her children in every way. At a time when readers beg to hear an authentic voice, my friend reminds us in her gripping and entertaining narrative, that in her journey to find herself, we learn to ask ourselves where we come from and why it matters.

On Sunday April 26th at 2:30pm Latina Voices Smart talk interviews a western medical doctor and a naturopath on how to achieve overall wellness. We also talk to Abel Garcia about his book, “Market Yourself Back to the Top.

Today, a door I wanted opened closed. I often hear from friends, when one door closes, many windows open and I truly believe that. I would like to share with you the latest e mail I got from a friend about "The Most Important Things in Life." I am translating

Falling in Love
Laughing so hard your face hurts
A hot bath
No lines in the supermarket
Getting mail
Lying down in bed while watching the rain
Finding your favorite outfit at half price
Chocolate ice cream
When someone tells you that you are beautiful
A long conversation with a friend
Waking up and still having time to sleep another 20 minutes
Finding a twenty dollar bill in your pocket
Your first kiss
Your first puppy
Great Dreams
Your first swing
Watching a great film with someone you love
Watching someone's face when they open a present they like
Winning a competition
Making chocolate chip cookies
Holding your lover's hand
Getting tickled
A surprise
Walking on the Beach
Watching the sunset

Please add yours. I am sure this made you think about it. Have a great blessed week!

Living Smart and Hispanics and Education

This Sunday April 12th at 3pm we launch season 5 of Living Smart with Jeff Yeager, the Ultimate Cheapskate on living more with less. We aired our first Living Smart show on October of 2005 and we have come a long way since then. We are now on 113 PBS channels across the nation and the show serves a need for information that can empower the audience in different areas of life.
As we learn to live more with less, enjoying life more without depending on a big salary, and becoming resilient in difficult times, I can't help but become concerned with the latest information I have read about Latinos and higher education. Latinos are the fastest growing ethnic group and the least likely to enroll in college. Why does this concern me particularly in Houston? Half of our population is Latino and if we are not educating our Latino youth properly or well enough to get them into college, we can't expect a robust economic development, the kind we need to keep our economy strong, diverse and our middle class strong and thriving.
We know Latinos from low income families are the least likely to enroll in college, so now that we know this. What can we do about it?
There are a lot of programs to help Hispanics make it into college but they are not widespread or systemic. They remain piecemeal and thus ineffective to read the volume of students we need to reach.
The Houston Chronicle reported just 42.5 percent of Hispanics graduated from highschool in 2007 enrolled in college or technical training. This is just not good enough. In fact, it is dismal.

Today 20 percent of students at the University of Houston (the largest university in town) are Hispanic. This is an improvement but Latino students are facing the biggest hurdle ever, money and the way the economy is going, that is not meant to get any better.

We always like to focus on solutions to the problem, but until we realize as a city and a state we need a better way, there is no end in sight.

We will most likely discuss this topic on our next town forum. In the mean time, make suggestions. I like a quote that might help us with this. "There is no stopping an idea whose time has come."
I hope that idea is how do we as a city, and a state with a very large Latino population, educate our youth for the future. This is not about blame. I am not asking why I am asking how do we do it.































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