Behind the Scenes with NBC's The Biggest Loser Nutritionist Cheryl Forberg, RD

Spend your morning with Cheryl Forberg, RD, Chef, Award Winning Cookbook Author and Nutritionist for NBC’s The Biggest Loser 

Learn weight loss tips Cheryl teaches to the BL contestants and ask your burning questions about behind the scenes at the Ranch. Enjoy a full breakfast complete with Cheryl’s pumpkin polenta!



 

Tuesday, November 2, 2010
7:30AM-9:00AM
SYSCO Dallas
800 Trinity Drive
Lewisville, TX  75056
 Tickets are $25.00
Make your reservation today at: www.dallasdietitian.com

 
All proceeds support the American Institute of Wine and Food’s Days of Taste Program.
 
What is Days of Taste?
Days of Taste® is a national discovery-based program of The American Institute of Wine & Food, modeled after a French program called “Journée de Gout,” which also means “Days of Taste.”  Designed for fourth and fifth grade students to learn about food and how it weaves its way through daily life from farm to table, it has become a signature program of The AIWF.  The first Days of Taste® took place in New York City in the fall of 1995, after evolving from many early AIWF initiatives examining issues of health, nutrition and feeding children, and collaborations with other organizations.

Days of Taste Dallas
Held at the Dallas Farmer’s Market, Days of Taste provides a unique field trip  experience for 4th and 5th grade elementary students in Dallas public schools.  Through the program, students have the opportunity to explore the nuances of taste through the five senses with a tasting component guided by a chef, a visit with a local farmer to discover the wealth and variety of products grown and that are available locally, and prepare a Harvest salad using fresh produce that the they have purchased themselves at the Dallas Farmer’s Market. Volunteer chefs, growers, producers and others share their enthusiasm for fresh ingredients, cooking, and love of food. The program teaches kids the concept of “from farm to table”-one that is difficult for kids to grasp these days.


Thank you to our generous sponsors:

• SYSCO
• Dallas Dietetic Association
• American Institute of Wine and Food
• Webnoxious  
• Petals and Stems Florist
• Designs by MichelleRose
  

Kids Are Back at School---Now, What's For Dinner?

I know, I know-you just got the kids back to school-new backpack, lunch sack, locker decorations, school clothes, shoes, school supplies, a new haircut, perhaps. Your job is done, right? Not a chance.



See this picture above? Look familiar? I didn't think so--the days of June Cleaver-esque family dinner are a think of the past--or are they?

With her insatiable humor and dramatic storytelling, my friend and colleague Jessica A. Bowhall, MBA, RD blogs about the importance of bringing the family back to the dinner table. Welcome, Jessica!

Growing up, I remember eating dinner as a family every night – Sunday through Saturday. Because our dining room was basically connected to the living room, we could watch TV while we were eating and as a child that was the best thing in the world! Eventually, as my sister and I got older, the TV was moved to the family room and we had to stare at each other while we ate. At the time, I didn’t see the point. We lived together so we could stare at each other whenever we wanted. But as I look back, I can see what my mom was doing. By taking the TV away, we started communicating more at dinner. Checking in with each other to see how our days went. If I was struggling with a math technique that day, dad would offer to help after dinner. This was also a time for us to just be together. Enjoying each other’s company and sometimes laughing so hard we cried when mom tried to tell us some of the jokes she heard that day.

Today in the US, we see a growing trend of busier lives, children on their own, and less family time. As a Registered Dietitian, I hear many clients talk about less time to shop, less time to cook and less time period. Along with less time usually comes less money. There is no money to eat healthy, eating at fast food is cheaper and quicker, and sometimes my clients just don’t like to cook. When they talk of their families, it is usually in a stressed tone as they aren’t quite sure what their kids have been up to and they feel their spouses aren’t taking their share of the responsibility.

Eating dinner together doesn’t have to feel like moving mountains. My parents’ commute from work was at least 45 minutes – one way. My sister and I were 4 years apart and had different schedules for after school sports and activities. We lived in the middle of nowhere, so finding a neighbor to help “carpool” was a bit tricky. However, despite all of this, we made it work.

Here are some benefits of bringing the family back to the table:

• Syracuse University studies show that eating together as a family is associated with happier marriages, improved childrens health, and stronger family ties.
• Family meals can hone a child’s social skills and teach them table etiquette and good manners.
• Dining together makes for healthier eaters. Kids who regularly eat with their families tend to have healthier eating patterns. They consume more fruits and vegetables and fewer fried foods, sodas, and saturated fat than kids who don’t share family meals, says the American Dietetic Association.

If fitting a family dinner into your schedule seems impossible, just try one day. Set one day a week with your family that you will all sit down and eat dinner together. One day is all it takes to start a trend. If you don’t have time to cook, look to restaurants that provide healthier options for take out. You’ll soon see that once you make the time to sit as a family you’ll be able to make the time for preparing the meal with your family.

Jessica is relatively new on the blogger scene. Follow her here at Forever Wellness and/or on Twitter @Foreverwellness.

Looking for Humor when a Heart Attack Hits Way to Close to Home

In our family, we like to say that three out of the four of us children were blessed with the humor gene. We don't like to say it to loudly, though, because my sister will get offended. (she's worked hard and is coming around with her timing and humor). So when my older brother called me last Sunday night and told me he was in the hospital, I thought he was joking, naturally.

The last time he called me and told me he was in the hospital was about a month ago when he stated he admitted himself for his Facebook addiction. He built up the conversation, line by line and I was literally petrified..until he delivered his punchline and his own laughter erupted. Very funny, I said.

This call was different.

He told me that he had been feeling chest pains and had numbness and tingling on his left side after playing softball that morning. He took himself to the ER and, long story short, he had suffered a heart attack. One lone clot in his right coronary artery was the culprit and 2 stents (mesh-like inflatable balloons that help expand the artery) were placed during his cardic catherization.

Here are his stats:

• physically active
• weight within normal range
• non smoker
• Family history-Father had heart attack at 53
• Under tremendous stress
• Did not follow a heart healthy diet
• Male
• Blood values were not known at the time as it had been a while since he had them drawn, but the last time, his total cholesterol was elevated.

If you recall, I recently wrote about my friend's husband, Paul, who suffered a heart attack in nearly the same way. It was after softball and he wasn't feeling well. Unfortunately, Paul did not recover from his heart attack and died a week later. The irony in this situation is that my brother was suite mates with Paul in college. My brother visited Paul in the hospital when he had his heart attack and talked at length with his wife, who is a friend of mine. My brother has said, more than once, if it had not been for Paul, he would had never taken himself to the ER. Paul saved his life.

In the last three days, my brother has said the following:

• I hate that my kids had to see me go through this-they are so young (14 and 12)
• I hate that my kids will now have to say yes, we have family history of heart disease and have to put my name down
• I have to be on 5 medications when I get out of here
• I hate feeling like a victim---a heart attack victim
• It's hard to believe that I have to say I had a heart attack--I'd rather just say I had some chest pains
  
• If it weren't for Paul, I would have never gone to the emergency room. Please call his wife for me and tell her that for me.
  

While we've tried as a family, it's hard to find humor in this situation. He is 43 years old. That's right-43. I know exactly what you are thinking. Wow-he's young! Yes, he is. Even the cardiac cath nurse looked at him as they were wheeling him in to the procedure and said "Wow, you're pretty young for this, aren't you?". I think he just thought she was flirting with him. My younger brother wanted to know if the clot they found was actually a Skittles instead. He also wanted to know if the clot was a mutli-colored rainbow-much like the Skittles bag.

Now more than ever, it's critical to make your Dr's. appointment and get evaluated for heart disease. My appointment is this Thursday. When is yours? When you get your results back, have the doctor explain to you-until you understand-what your numbers mean. Print out the table below and take it with you when you receive your results. If he/she recommends a heart healthy diet, ask him/her to refer you to a registered dietitian. If he/she doesn't have one to refer you to, go to www.eatright.org and click on find a nutrition professional.

My brother thinks he's the one with the most humor in the family. We'll laugh at all of his jokes and one-liners. We'll click on all of the You Tube videos he sends us. We'll watch the Jib Jab videos he likes to make for us. For now, we'll let him think what he wants--laughter is, after all, the best medicine.

Blood Test	Results	What the Results Mean
Low-density lipoprotein (LDL)	<100>	A high LDL is a key indicator of heart disease risk. Elevated levels may require diet and lifestyle changes and/or medication.
Total cholesterol	<200>	An elevated total cholesterol level is possibly an indicator of risk for heart disease. Elevated levels may require diet and lifestyle changes and/or medication.
High-density lipoprotein (HDL)	<40>	A low HDL is an independent risk factor for heart disease. Low levels may require diet/lifestyle changes and/or medication.
HDL lipoprotein fractions (apo A-I, apo B, apo C, apo E)	Optimal levels are under study	In the future, HDL fractions may determine heart disease risk and help decide type of treatment.
Triglycerides	<150>	High-serum triglycerides are an independent risk factor for heart disease. Treatment may involve dietary changes, weight reduction, physical activity, and/or medication.
Homocysteine	No established norms related to heart disease	Elevated homocysteine in the blood is linked to heart disease, but is not considered a risk factor for heart disease.
Highly sensitive CRP assay (hs CRP)	<1.0>3.0 indicates high risk of CVD	Hs CRP measures inflammation in the body. Elevated hs CRP is useful as an indicator of risk for heart disease.

CRP=C-reactive protein, CVD=cardiovascular disease, dL=deciliter, hs CRP=high-sensitivity C-reactive protein, L=liter, mg=milligram Source: RD411.com

Where do YOU get YOUR nutrition information?

March is National Nutrition Month. Sure, I could list a slew of common nutrition tid bids such as healthy snacking, feeding a picky eater, mercury in fish, how to cut 1o0 calories a day, etc. etc. But, I want to know-what do YOU want to know?

Clearly, people are getting their nutrition information from the Internet and I'd like to do my part to make sure that the information you are getting is credible, reliable and science based information. As a point of reference, someone sent me information today on the burrito diet. Yep, the burrito diet. I could even be a distributor for the burrito diet and make thousands each month.....

A 2009 study from the National Grocers Association Consumer Panel Survey, conducted by SupermarketGuru.com, found that when consumers were asked where they learn about nutrition issues on a regular basis, the top source was...drum roll please......

The Internet (70%)

Following that were:
Television-67%
Newspapers-40%
Supermarkets-32%
Books-32%
Friends and Family-31%
Doctors 24%
NUTRITIONIST/DIETITIANS-14%

Consumers were also asked which sources they TRUSTED the most.
Again, the Internet ranked highest at 26%
Followed by:
Doctors 17%
NUTRITIONISTS/DIETITIANS 12%
tied with
Magazines 12%
Friends and Family 8%
Books 6%
Newspapers 5%
Grocery stores 3%
Other 4%
Online Communities 3%

Certainly, some of the information people get from the internet is credible, science based, reliable information. Dietitians are interviewed daily for TV shows, articles, blogs, podcasts, news stories, consumer and professional publications and books. Many dietitians have their own websites, blogs, podcasts, books and have substantial internet followings as well.

Folks, let me just ask you this---does your mom, dad, brother, aunt, niece, sister, mother-in law or grandfather have this education to support their nutrition recommendations?

EDUCATIONAL AND PROFESSIONAL REQUIREMENTS

Registered dietitians (RDs) are food and nutrition experts who have met the following criteria to earn the RD credential:

• Complete a minimum of a bachelor's degree at a U.S. regionally accredited university or college and course work approved by the Commission on Accreditation for Dietetics Education (CADE) of the American Dietetic Association (ADA).
• Complete a CADE-accredited supervised practice program at a healthcare facility, community agency, or a foodservice corporation, or combined with undergraduate or graduate studies. Typically, a practice program will run six to twelve months in length.
• Pass a national examination administered by the Commission on Dietetic Registration (CDR).
• Complete continuing professional educational requirements to maintain registration.

Some RDs hold additional certifications in specialized areas of practice, such as pediatric or renal nutrition, nutrition support, and diabetes education. These certifications are awarded through CDR, the credentialing agency for ADA, and/or other medical and nutrition organizations and are recognized within the profession, but are not required.

In addition to RD credentialing, many states have regulatory laws for dietitians and nutrition practitioners. Frequently these state requirements are met through the same education and training required to become an RD.

For YOUR health and well being, its imperative that the sources you go to for nutrition are from credible, reliable and science based sources. If you need help finding that, let me know and I will find you the information you need from a vast array of nutrition professionals from around the country. Go to www.eatright.org to find a dietitian in your area.