For you & Isaiah to read - hope you are still losing weight I.

[Guest guest]

http://www.altoonamirror.com/page/content.detail/id/528071.html?nav=742

Moving toward a healthy futureLocal doctor in the trenches in childhood obesity battleBy Gurbal,

POSTED: March 21, 2010

Article Photos

Proper food choices go a long way in helping to prevent childhood obesity. Above, Masic, 5, adds some broccoli to her lunch tray in the lunch line at Penn Cambria’s Pre-Primary Building in Cresson. (Mirror photo illustration by M. Baranec and Tom Worthington II)

An Altoona doctor is waging war on childhood obesity and the fast-food cheeseburgers and sugary sodas he said will send today's children to an early grave.

Dr. Mohammad Dowlut, who practices internal medicine at Lakemont Medical Center, is offering weight-loss and healthy living counseling to children who receive medical assistance from the Department of Welfare.

One of seven low-income, preschool-age children is obese, according to the Centers for Disease Control.

"These kids - they will get diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease," Dowlut said. "They will die early. Diabetes will kill everyone down the line."

'Food Revolution'

Dowlut's efforts coincide with nationwide initiatives to end obesity and promote healthy living.

" Oliver's Food Revolution" premieres at 8 p.m. Friday with a sneak preview at 10 p.m. today on ABC. The series, featuring TV personality and celebrity chef Oliver, promotes healthy cooking in Huntington, W.Va., and its school system, Cabell County Schools.

In 2008, Huntington was named the unhealthiest city in America by The Associated Press, which drew its conclusions from a 2006 study by the CDC.

That title isn't entirely undeserved, said A. , superintendent of Cabell County Schools, where Oliver worked with the food service department.

"I didn't like hearing that, but we do know that nationally, diabetes and childhood diabetes is on the rise," said. "And it's an issue here. We've had to hire additional school nurses because we have students with what they call brittle diabetes [uncontrolled type 1 diabetes], who need shots and insulin monitoring throughout the day."

Initially, there was a lot of skepticism in Huntington about Oliver's show, said, but the project was a "very positive" experience for the area. said filming ended in January.

"The kids enjoyed [Oliver], and the staff really enjoyed working with him," said. "And we were very honest with him about what would work and what wouldn't, and I think he learned something, too. He found out that our school lunch people are very passionate about making sure kids get fed. There are high poverty rates in our state, and many kids do not get a nutritious meal unless they're at school."

In February, first lady Obama launched Let's Move, a campaign to end childhood obesity in the U.S. Let's Move includes initiatives to help parents, school districts and pediatricians teach children healthy habits.

Small changes, big results

Dowlut said he started working with children who receive medical assistance about six months ago, counseling six families.

"I teach kids and parents," he said. "Without the parents, we cannot win. They are the ones who are buying the groceries, making the decisions."

Dowlut said simple modifications can help children lose weight - he's seen children lose 5 to 6 pounds in two weeks from cutting out soft drinks. Some children, he said, drink five or more cans of soft drinks per day - at 150 calories each, that's 750 calories.

Girls ages 9 to 13 should eat about 1,600 calories a day; boys in the same age group should consume 1,800 calories daily, according to the American Heart Association's dietary recommendations for cardiovascular health.

Dowlut recommends at least one hour of physical activity a day. He owns KNY Fitness in downtown Altoona and offers his medical assistance patients a free three-month membership at the gym.

"Diet alone isn't working," he said. "They have to exercise."

Sara , a junior at Cambria Heights High School, knows that small changes can produce big results. The 16-year-old Ashville girl lost about 80 pounds by cutting out junk food and getting active. Sara is 5 feet, 4 inches tall and went from 197 pounds to 115 over the course of about two years.

Her mother, Connie , said she and Sara's father, Wayne , are proud of their daughter's weight loss. Connie walks with her daughter and has even changed her cooking habits.

"I don't deep fry stuff anymore," she said. "We buy more yogurt, more veggies."

Sara said she exercises for 20 to 40 minutes most days. She's focusing on maintaining her weight loss and said she would encourage others to make healthy choices, too.

"Don't give up - it's going to be hard," she said. "Nothing comes easily, especially this. You'll feel better in the end, even if you only lose 10 pounds."

The schools' roles

In September, the Mid-Atlantic Dairy Association awarded a $3,000 grant to Penn Cambria School District in Cresson for its efforts in improving students' wellness.

Penn Cambria was one of more than 25 districts in Pennsylvania that participated in the association's School Wellness: Excellence in Leadership Rewards! program.

The program was created to recognize schools that planned and implemented wellness activities, such as inspiring students to get 60 minutes of daily physical activity and to eat more of the "Food Groups to Encourage" within the 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans. The "Food Groups to Encourage" includes such recommendations as 2 cups of fruit, 2 cups of vegetables, 3 ounces of whole-grain products and 3 cups of low-fat milk.

Penn Cambria students were treated to a "Go for Greens" event Wednesday. Kindergartners through high school seniors were awarded prizes for trying celery and broccoli.

"Basically, that's an event where we let the kids sample different types of green vegetables," Christen Perrone, Penn Cambria food service manager, said. "If they start at an early age, eating healthy, we don't have as many problems when they're older."

The district has eliminated fried foods from its menu, said Beth Whited, superintendent, and also encourages health and wellness through physical education classes.

"There is an emphasis on health and wellness as part of any school curriculum," Whited said. "We have to teach students and also have to make them healthy and well. It's just part of developing healthy lifestyles - not just through fitness and nutrition but also through making positive choices."

In Altoona, Pleasant Valley Elementary School ran a two-month Cougar Activity Club earlier this year where students were encouraged to move. The 30 participants logged more than a million steps in their 20 activity sessions.

At the McAuliffe Heights program at Irving Elementary School in Altoona, students participated in evening Jazzercise, cardio dance fitness, last spring. Grassmyer, who teaches fifth and sixth grades, helped secure a grant to pay for a Jazzercise instructor.

"We were aiming to expose them to the fact that fitness can be fun," Grassmyer said. "And we did have some students that were a little overweight, but we didn't do any weighing or measuring. The main goal was to get them moving and have a good time, and realize that they can have a good time and exercise."

[Guest guest]

Hi Everyone! I wasn't sending this to the group, since, we already know this, but I was getting really tired when I sent it. :-)

[ ] For you & Isaiah to read - hope you are still losing weight I.

http://www.altoonamirror.com/page/content.detail/id/528071.html?nav=742

Moving toward a healthy futureLocal doctor in the trenches in childhood obesity battleBy Gurbal,

POSTED: March 21, 2010

Article Photos

Proper food choices go a long way in helping to prevent childhood obesity. Above, Masic, 5, adds some broccoli to her lunch tray in the lunch line at Penn Cambria’s Pre-Primary Building in Cresson. (Mirror photo illustration by M. Baranec and Tom Worthington II)

An Altoona doctor is waging war on childhood obesity and the fast-food cheeseburgers and sugary sodas he said will send today's children to an early grave.

Dr. Mohammad Dowlut, who practices internal medicine at Lakemont Medical Center, is offering weight-loss and healthy living counseling to children who receive medical assistance from the Department of Welfare.

One of seven low-income, preschool-age children is obese, according to the Centers for Disease Control.

"These kids - they will get diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease," Dowlut said. "They will die early. Diabetes will kill everyone down the line."

'Food Revolution'

Dowlut's efforts coincide with nationwide initiatives to end obesity and promote healthy living.

" Oliver's Food Revolution" premieres at 8 p.m. Friday with a sneak preview at 10 p.m. today on ABC. The series, featuring TV personality and celebrity chef Oliver, promotes healthy cooking in Huntington, W.Va., and its school system, Cabell County Schools.

In 2008, Huntington was named the unhealthiest city in America by The Associated Press, which drew its conclusions from a 2006 study by the CDC.

That title isn't entirely undeserved, said A. , superintendent of Cabell County Schools, where Oliver worked with the food service department.

"I didn't like hearing that, but we do know that nationally, diabetes and childhood diabetes is on the rise," said. "And it's an issue here. We've had to hire additional school nurses because we have students with what they call brittle diabetes [uncontrolled type 1 diabetes], who need shots and insulin monitoring throughout the day."

Initially, there was a lot of skepticism in Huntington about Oliver's show, said, but the project was a "very positive" experience for the area. said filming ended in January.

"The kids enjoyed [Oliver], and the staff really enjoyed working with him," said. "And we were very honest with him about what would work and what wouldn't, and I think he learned something, too. He found out that our school lunch people are very passionate about making sure kids get fed. There are high poverty rates in our state, and many kids do not get a nutritious meal unless they're at school."

In February, first lady Obama launched Let's Move, a campaign to end childhood obesity in the U.S. Let's Move includes initiatives to help parents, school districts and pediatricians teach children healthy habits.

Small changes, big results

Dowlut said he started working with children who receive medical assistance about six months ago, counseling six families.

"I teach kids and parents," he said. "Without the parents, we cannot win. They are the ones who are buying the groceries, making the decisions."

Dowlut said simple modifications can help children lose weight - he's seen children lose 5 to 6 pounds in two weeks from cutting out soft drinks. Some children, he said, drink five or more cans of soft drinks per day - at 150 calories each, that's 750 calories.

Girls ages 9 to 13 should eat about 1,600 calories a day; boys in the same age group should consume 1,800 calories daily, according to the American Heart Association's dietary recommendations for cardiovascular health.

Dowlut recommends at least one hour of physical activity a day. He owns KNY Fitness in downtown Altoona and offers his medical assistance patients a free three-month membership at the gym.

"Diet alone isn't working," he said. "They have to exercise."

Sara , a junior at Cambria Heights High School, knows that small changes can produce big results. The 16-year-old Ashville girl lost about 80 pounds by cutting out junk food and getting active. Sara is 5 feet, 4 inches tall and went from 197 pounds to 115 over the course of about two years.

Her mother, Connie , said she and Sara's father, Wayne , are proud of their daughter's weight loss. Connie walks with her daughter and has even changed her cooking habits.

"I don't deep fry stuff anymore," she said. "We buy more yogurt, more veggies."

Sara said she exercises for 20 to 40 minutes most days. She's focusing on maintaining her weight loss and said she would encourage others to make healthy choices, too.

"Don't give up - it's going to be hard," she said. "Nothing comes easily, especially this. You'll feel better in the end, even if you only lose 10 pounds."

The schools' roles

In September, the Mid-Atlantic Dairy Association awarded a $3,000 grant to Penn Cambria School District in Cresson for its efforts in improving students' wellness.

Penn Cambria was one of more than 25 districts in Pennsylvania that participated in the association's School Wellness: Excellence in Leadership Rewards! program.

The program was created to recognize schools that planned and implemented wellness activities, such as inspiring students to get 60 minutes of daily physical activity and to eat more of the "Food Groups to Encourage" within the 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans. The "Food Groups to Encourage" includes such recommendations as 2 cups of fruit, 2 cups of vegetables, 3 ounces of whole-grain products and 3 cups of low-fat milk.

Penn Cambria students were treated to a "Go for Greens" event Wednesday. Kindergartners through high school seniors were awarded prizes for trying celery and broccoli.

"Basically, that's an event where we let the kids sample different types of green vegetables," Christen Perrone, Penn Cambria food service manager, said. "If they start at an early age, eating healthy, we don't have as many problems when they're older."

The district has eliminated fried foods from its menu, said Beth Whited, superintendent, and also encourages health and wellness through physical education classes.

"There is an emphasis on health and wellness as part of any school curriculum," Whited said. "We have to teach students and also have to make them healthy and well. It's just part of developing healthy lifestyles - not just through fitness and nutrition but also through making positive choices."

In Altoona, Pleasant Valley Elementary School ran a two-month Cougar Activity Club earlier this year where students were encouraged to move. The 30 participants logged more than a million steps in their 20 activity sessions.

At the McAuliffe Heights program at Irving Elementary School in Altoona, students participated in evening Jazzercise, cardio dance fitness, last spring. Grassmyer, who teaches fifth and sixth grades, helped secure a grant to pay for a Jazzercise instructor.

"We were aiming to expose them to the fact that fitness can be fun," Grassmyer said. "And we did have some students that were a little overweight, but we didn't do any weighing or measuring. The main goal was to get them moving and have a good time, and realize that they can have a good time and exercise."