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By: Cheryl Smith
January 17, 2007
Nutrition expert Anne Fletcher had a simple message during her visit to Dallas to discuss helping overweight teenagers lead healthier lives. Unfortunately the majority of overweight teens fall into the African American and Latino ethnic groups, she said, and poor eating habits and lack of exercise are key to their problems.
Being overweight, said Ms. Fletcher, often leads to serious health issues. In town to speak to administrators at Dallas Independent School District, Ms. Fletcher said she has strategies and techniques for dealing with many issues that arise from being overweight. Not only can she help teens to lose weight, she also has some lessons for parents. While many parents may have their own methods for reaching their children, the registered dietician says parents need to pull back and understand a few things, first if those methods wouldn’t have worked with them as children, why would they think they are going to have different results with their children?
“Nagging, preaching and complaining does not work,” she said, adding that being a weight cop doesn’t work either. “Children need positive reinforcement.” Having interviewed over 100 teenagers and their families, this author of “Learns from Losers,” has heard numerous stories, some of them horror stories, about the lives of teens who have weight problems.
“Some of the stories I’ve heard would break your heart,” she said, adding that there are ways to deal with those insensitive, sometimes mean-spirited people who have no problem ridiculing another person. And youth need to understand how being overweight can cause a number of other problems in their lives, like diabetes.
Eating healthy and exercising was also the message delivered at the Executive Women’s Breakfast kicking off the 2007 National Woman’s Heart Day Campaign, yesterday. In addition to healthy cooking demonstrations by Donna Vene-Dwyer of Baylor Hamilton Heart and Vascular Hospital, attendees were able to participate in a number of health screenings and to hear from experts on everything from good or trans fats to lowering or increasing cholesterol levels. WFAA-TV’s health reporter Janet St. James talked about the importance of women taking care of their health and she shared that her mother was currently dealing with health issues.
Ms. St. James said she looks forward to a time when heart diseases will no longer be a problem and responsible for so many deaths among women. Earnestine Cole, founder and editor of Health Wise, told of how her doctor said she had to eat healthier and exercise or she wouldn’t be around.
An outspoken advocate for healthier living, Ms. Cole said, “It may be hard, but you will feel better and you will be glad you did.” And it wasn’t a surprise to see Rev. Dr. Sheron Patterson, the Love Doctor, in attendance. Before you can love someone else, she has told audiences for years you have to love yourself. “Living a healthy lifestyle is important and it’s a lot of work,” she said.
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