Fusion: Principles That Carry Over

Pat Hartman January 5, 2023 No Comments

It is kind of amazing, how we learn a new thing and it fits comfortably with something we already knew. For instance, yesterday’s post listed one organization’s 10 tips for grabbing onto our “health esteem” because this is, after all, the official World Health Esteem Month. Today, we look at how well those principles and aspirations meld with the capabilities of the BrainWeighve phone app.

Dr. Pretlow’s presentation and BrainWeighve

The beauty of BrainWeighve is, a person can ease into it, just dip a little toe in the water, enter the baseline info or explore around for a bit, first. We all have nuggets of wisdom we’ve already learned from experience or heard from other sources. It is reassuring to see how comfortably the BrainWeighve procedures fit into and mesh with and extend our previous knowledge.

Consider the following examples, selected from the list composed by Coach Dave of The Fit Club Network.

“Do the hardest thing first”

This is where the BrainWeighve Dread list comes in. A normal person probably has several Dreads, and this list idea helps a person to prioritize and decide which Dread to tackle first. The thing about Dreads is, you can continue to avoid them, but they don’t go away. They need to be faced. They require a plan, and maybe even more than one plan, but they definitely need to “git gone.”

“Plan lunch the day before”

Why? Because it is so easy to kid ourselves about our motives and intentions. Planning ahead makes us less likely to just grab any old yucky bag of awfulness out of a vending machine. BrainWeighve is prepared to handle these issues with a screen called “Getting Hooked” and another titled, “Here are examples of plans to avoid being drawn to pleasurable food.” The app helps us to be honest about identifying our problem foods and putting them in their proper places — out of our brilliant new lives.

“Swap afternoon treats for ‘superfood desserts'”

With BrainWeighve, there is a lot of emphasis on snacking and how to banish it, or at least exercise a much greater degree of power over it.

“Give energy”

Here is where a screen called “Rechanneling” can be of use, because it’s all about redirecting overflow brain energy to activities that do not involve eating. Also, see the section on Relationships. Giving energy is extending help, listening patiently to people’s troubles, and a lot more various manifestations, and it is always helpful to both parties. Sometimes we are also called upon to put some energy into Damage Control, another department of learning. After settling in and feeling at home, we give energy by sharing our successes and ideas with fellow BrainWeighve users.

“No screens 30 minutes before bed”

These cautions fit in with BrainWeighve’s general area of Sleep.

“Take time for a post-work reflection”

With BrainWeighve, reflection can include assistance areas like Meditation, Serenity Prayer, and Compartmentalize. During these spells of contemplation, we can think about the Triggers that initialize our slipups, and how to avoid or neutralize them. We can identify our Motivations. We need some time to think about the ways we messed up, and to acknowledge that we can repair the damage. We need to think about the next step, as preparation for making bold forward strides.

Your responses and feedback are welcome!

Source: “Focus on Health Esteem Instead of Resolutions!,” TheFitClubNetwork.com, 12/29/22

How Is Your Health Esteem?

Pat Hartman January 4, 2023 No Comments

World Health Esteem Month, according to a calendar website, has been “observed the month of January since 2023.” In other words, it seems to be a brand-new project, or maybe this is just the first time somebody has registered it with a calendar of National or World Days, Weeks or Months. Also, the event does not currently have a sponsor, so anyone can jump on board.

Further searching reveals that apparently none of the holidays listed (by a company that sells national holiday calendars) has a sponsor. But leaving that aside, there is more to know about it, chiefly from the Fit Club Network, and the explanation is pretty solid.

Heard it all before

Everyone knows that New Year’s resolutions are a joke, but Coach Dave, who is the co-founder of the Fit Club Network, takes the more polite route, merely pointing out that such resolutions are not sustainable, and furthermore, can be “destructive at their core.” Let us not burden ourselves with goals that will turn out to be overwhelming or impossible. We can decide not to continue on a course that leads to deprivation, guilt, and eventual failure.

As it turns out, to practice Health Esteem is just a positive mindset, that’s all — a mindset that is learnable and doable and that “makes better choices come naturally.” Dave writes,

No more working out because we’re unsatisfied with ourselves. The “health esteem” mindset is that we exercise because we value ourselves. No more making food choices to punish ourselves. The “health esteem” mindset is that we eat better to take care of ourselves. It simply requires paying attention and slowly working on creating new healthier habits.

What are some of these simple yet effective daily choices and useful practices? The rules themselves are pretty self-evident.

1. Wake up on the first alarm
2. Do the hardest thing first
3. Make time to eat breakfast
4. Replace “dirty” energy with “clean” energy
5. Plan lunch the day before
6. Swap afternoon treats for “superfood desserts”
7. Give energy
8. Take time for a post-work reflection
9. Slow dinner down
10. No Screens 30 minutes before bed

The “dirty” and “clean” energy references are to junk food versus fresh veggies and the like. Planning lunch ahead of time is a little insurance policy to keep ourselves from going all spontaneous, and then regretting it later. #8 encourages us to look back on the day, and give ourselves credit for accomplishments, and look forward to what we are excited about discovering tomorrow. #10, the avoidance of electronic screens at bedtime, is something we have been warned about many times before.

It’s a real thing… The blue light and mental distractions from phones, TV, and computers right before bed disrupt your sleep cycle, which decreases your “health esteem.” Try connecting with someone around you, reading, journaling, meditating, or stepping outside and soaking up the night sky.

Your responses and feedback are welcome!

Source: “World Health Esteem Month,” Checkiday.com, undated
Source: “Focus on Health Esteem Instead of Resolutions!,” TheFitClubNetwork.com, 12/29/22
Image by Quinn Dombrowski/CC BY-SA 2.0

New Findings Revive Controversy

Pat Hartman January 3, 2023 No Comments

One of the ongoing debates in the obesity world is whether anyone can really reduce their body weight effectively and, most of all, lastingly. A couple of interesting stories came out last year about research that might turn out to be game-changing. The traditional pattern is that some attempts work for some people, some of the time, and nothing works for everybody all of the time. That includes what are considered to be the two major factors, diet and exercise. Then, this happened:

Scientists from Baylor College of Medicine and other institutions have proposed an explanation: Obesity is actually a neurodevelopmental disorder… If that is true, people could be predisposed to being obese…

The familiar backstory is that obese expectant moms are more likely than slim ones to suffer such complications as gestational diabetes, preeclampsia, and miscarriage. They also tend to bear children prone not only to obesity, but to asthma, growth problems, and assorted congenital disorders. OB-GYN specialist Dr. Cindy Celnik told a reporter, “We think that what’s happening in utero is that nutritional excess […] can lead to permanent changes in the metabolic pathways of your child.”

The Baylor paper, published by Science Advances in September, suggests that brain development makes a big difference in whether a person becomes obese. The study’s first author, the behavioral scientist Dr. Harry MacKay, says,

It’s difficult to lose weight because you’re fighting against stuff that was ingrained in your brain’s architecture.

It looks like that probably occurs during the fetus’ late developmental stages, but nobody really knows for sure. Despite not knowing everything, the science is pretty definite about the idea that obese mothers will have kids who tend toward obesity in addition to other problems. Talking about “developmental programming, Dr. MacKay estimates that body weight is likely determined half by genetics, and half by other factors, and “it’s likely that brain development plays a significant role.” He is quoted as saying,

Whatever it is that establishes your kind of ‘target body weight,’ or your appetite, or whatever you want to call it, it has to be something that happens early, before you really have a lot of control over it. Because it’s just so pervasive, it’s so hard to resist once it’s set.

Of course, this recalls the often-disparaged notion that there is a “set point” for each body, which it stubbornly clings to and insists on maintaining despite the person’s best efforts to shed pounds. Journalist Evan MacDonald explains,

The researchers focused on a region of the brain called the arcuate nucleus of the hypothalamus, which acts as a “master regulator” influencing appetite, metabolism and the energy available for physical activity. They discovered the arcuate nucleus undergoes extensive epigenetic programming — or changes in the way genes work — during a mouse’s suckling period, and is also very sensitive to developmental programming of body weight regulation.

In the U.S., the sheer number of obese adults has tripled since 1975. That basically equates to at least 42% of adults being classified as obese. Baylor’s Dr. Robert Waterland said, “If maternal obesity actually promotes obesity in children, then what happens over generation after generation is that this is just going to snowball and get increasingly worse.” Apparently, the snowball effect has already taken firm hold.

Your responses and feedback are welcome!

Source: “Baylor scientists believe obesity should be considered a neurodevelopmental disorder,” HoustonChronicle.com, 10/04/22
Image by Pete/Public Domain

P.E.T. and Taking Advantage of Inclinations

Pat Hartman January 2, 2023 No Comments

This page has touched on the subjects of parental attitudes and demeanor toward their children. Even the most well-intentioned parents sometimes fail, and some have the humility to go back to school about it. One elegant non-violent management tool, popularized by Dr. Thomas Gordon’s Parent Effectiveness Training, is to offer limited alternatives.

For at least a certain number of years, parents are in a position to offer limited choices. By not keeping SSBs (sugar-sweetened beverages) in the home, you avoid a half-hour-long wrangle over whether a bottle in the fridge may be opened or not. Parents who offer the choice of plain water or cucumber water can entertain the possibility that their kids will get used to it.

Play it clever

Avoid asking, for instance, “What veggie do you want?” An open-ended question leads to a lot of wasted breath on both sides, and while kids might have time for that, one parent has dinner to make, and the other needs to check a couple of things under the hood of the car. The people who want supper are told, “You can have carrots. Or you can have spinach.” A child with spirit will try the old “What if I want both?” gag.

Picture this: The parent looks thoughtful, as if giving this proposition detailed consideration. Then, the parent appears impressed and taken aback by the cleverness of it all, and replies “Both? Well… I guess so…” It’s a classic win-win situation. The child feels like he’s gotten away with something, and the parent sees both spinach and carrots being consumed.

A lot of times, with a kid, their smarty-pants retort should not be interpreted as defiance or disrespect. A child’s attempt at humor very often reveals an underlying wish to reach a compromise without feeling defeated. The willingness to be playful, even in a sarcastic way, shows an inclination toward reasonableness, as long as they don’t feel coerced. When parents can play along with an immature sense of humor, they have a viable chance of exerting some influence. (That is not canonical Gordon, by the way, but an extrapolation on a destination that might be reached by trying out his suggestions.)

Wrong turn

This familial jocularity cannot flourish if the parent has a mean streak. Nobody needs a grownup to say disparaging things like “Oh, so today, you want plain water. What’s the matter, is the cuke water too strong for you?”

Many parents feel the impulse to discard any attempt at nuance, and just let their authoritarian streak take over. There is another way to look at it. If your friend was doing something you thought was dumb, wouldn’t you try to think of some halfway classy, dignified, or even humorous way to alert him that his mustache looks ridiculous? Why treat a child more rudely than you would treat a friend? That same basic impulse, to treat a child like a fellow human being, underlies a large part of Dr. Gordon’s work.

Your responses and feedback are welcome!

Source: “Parent Effectiveness Training (P.E.T.),” GordonTraining.com, undated
Image by theilr/CC BY-SA 2.0

Happy New Year 2023!

Pat Hartman December 30, 2022 No Comments

The team at
Childhood Obesity News
wishes you
Happy New Year
and
All the Best for 2023!

Dr. Robert A. Pretlow

Dr. Robert A. Pretlow, Publisher
Pat Hartman, Head Writer
Tatyana Meshcheryakova, Copy Editor
Steve O’Keefe, Content Director

And Now, the A.I. Diet

Pat Hartman December 29, 2022 No Comments

How could a person not be curious about a New York Times article titled “The A.I. Diet” — A.I. of course being short for Artificial Intelligence. This was written by cardiologist and molecular medicine professor Eric Topol, who is also executive vice president of Scripps Research.

He used a smartphone app to keep track of every food, beverage, and medication he ingested, along with their amounts, for two weeks, along with charting all his sleep and exercise times. Various sensors and lab tests were also involved. If this sounds extreme, consider that more than 1,000 other subjects were doing it too, for a study on how to achieve a long and healthy lifespan. As the saying goes, hilarity ensued. Dr. Topol writes,

In the sweets category: Cheesecake was given an A grade, but whole-wheat fig bars were a C -. In fruits: Strawberries were an A+ for me, but grapefruit a C. In legumes: Mixed nuts were an A+, but veggie burgers a C.

This abundantly credentialed academic concluded, “[W]e know surprisingly little about the science of nutrition.” Much can be said about that proposition, one way or another, but in Topol’s estimation, the results point to a “central flaw in the whole premise […] the idea that there is one optimal diet for all people.” Furthermore, we have A.I. to thank for the ability to figure out even this much. Only humans would be “simplistic and naive” enough to believe in the universal optimal diet which the author says is “both biologically and physiologically implausible.” Why?

It contradicts the remarkable heterogeneity of human metabolism, microbiome and environment, to name just a few of the dimensions that make each of us unique. A good diet, it turns out, has to be individualized.

The bottom line is, some things work for some people and other things work for other people. Okay, great, why don’t we just figure out, one by one, what each individual ought to be eating in order to live their best life? Because…

Coming up with a truly personalized diet would require crunching billions of pieces of data about each person. In addition to analyzing the 40 trillion bacteria from about 1,000 species that reside in our guts […] it would need to take into account all of the aspects of that person’s health, including lifestyle, family history, medical conditions, immune system, anatomy, physiology, medications and environment.

In other words, pretty much like a life insurance application.

The earliest serious results in this area were obtained by studying glycemic responses in relation to developing diabetes, and again, different people are different. But the pioneering Weizmann Institute of Science studies of blood glucose levels in relation to substances consumed showed one thing: “the first objective proof that we do indeed respond quite differently to eating the same foods in the same amounts.” This conclusion was derived from more than a million and a half glucose measurements. As Topol noted, “That’s a big data set.”

There are ways to gather the most elusive information, and ways to make sense of it, to the point where he calls it “eminently doable” and offers both a warning and a positive prediction:

A number of companies have been marketing “nutrigenomics,” or the idea that a DNA test can provide guidance for what foods you should eat… but they don’t have the data to back their theory up… This would require developing an artificial intelligence more sophisticated than anything yet on the market.

However,

In the next few years, you could have a virtual health coach that is deep learning about your relevant health metrics and providing you with customized dietary recommendations.

Your responses and feedback are welcome!

Source: “The A.I. Diet,” NYTimes.com, 03/02/19
Image by Steve/CC BY-SA 2.0

A Winter Holidays Encyclopedia — 13

Pat Hartman December 28, 2022 No Comments

As an old year ends and a new one begins, it’s a great time to think about what we will do differently, next time around. The upcoming year will include not only another set of winter holidays, but birthdays, graduations, weddings, baptisms, and so forth. It might be appropriate to have a glance at “How to Be a Good Guest in Your Adult Child’s Home” by Susan Moeller. The author quotes protocol expert Diane Gottsman:

If we want positive, strong relationships, sometimes we need to know when to bite our tongue. And other times we need to know that we need to be responsible for our body language and our tone of voice.

This all applies when visiting anyone’s home. If they want your input they will ask for it. And even when they do ask, the best choice is to stay in the role of gracious guest. Good manners are always in style, and this isn’t addressed only to parents in their kids’ homes — it goes both ways and includes adult children visiting back at their parents’ place. Once their progeny have moved out, parents are under no obligation to keep things looking the same, or do things the same way,

Beforehand, it’s a good idea for hosts to explain the ground rules around food, intoxicants, smoking, pets, and any other potential landmines. Adult children might tell parents, “Bring slippers, we don’t do shoes in the house.” They might also say, “Please leave the political talk outside. We don’t do that, either.”

Take it easy

A guest can offer help, but sometimes the hosts just simply don’t want interference. Rather than explain how to use a newfangled gadget, maybe they would just rather do the task themselves, and that’s fine. If you’re a visiting parent confronted with a new food, try a bite — just like you told your kids to do when they were small.

Visiting grandparents: Please respect the ground rules about food and gifts for the kids. No matter how desperately your granddaughter wants a drum kit, this needs to be discussed in advance. After a dinner party or prolonged visit, it’s nice to send a written thank-you note that your hosts can display to impress their other friends. Moeller breaks it all down into eight precepts, which are worth checking out.

Time to pass the baton?

Any large get-together can engender conflict starting months before the actual date rolls around. Who will host a certain event? Who is expected to, and who wants to? Does hosting mean taking on all the costs? Who will pitch in and help pay the bills? Who makes the decision not to travel to a family gathering, and why? There may be even more excruciating matters to thrash out, like “Should we, uh, you know…. forget to invite Uncle Roy?”

The whole hosting issue might need to be navigated with care. One traditional host might dislike being taken for granted, while another is mortally insulted by the slightest suggestion of replacement. There might be a lot of negotiation to find creative solutions like, “Let’s have it at Mom and Dad’s house because of the pool, but we’ll do all the work and make Ellie and Sam get on board too.”

Traditions add meaning to life, and to call the topic “emotional” is the understatement of the year. People may identify heavily with their roles. The author quotes 76-year-old Evey Meyer who says, “I’ve always been the feeder. When people think of me, I hope they think of food.” Ideas about change can erupt into ugly arguments and even feuds. Robin L. Flanigan wrote a piece called “When Is it Time to Stop (or Start) Hosting the Holidays?” which contains solid suggestions, and urges everyone to remember that the most important thing is togetherness.

Your responses and feedback are welcome!

Source: “How to Be a Good Guest in Your Adult Child’s Home,” AARP.org, 12/08/22
Source: “When Is it Time to Stop (or Start) Hosting the Holidays?,” AARP.org, 12/05/22
Image by Ramesh NG/CC BY-SA 2.0

A Winter Holidays Encyclopedia — 12

Pat Hartman December 27, 2022 No Comments

New Year’s Eve is pretty much a grownup occasion, but as always, the kids are watching, and they see more than we realize. They not only witness, but they also absorb. The attitudes and habits they see us demonstrate or “model” are likely to become the attitudes and habits they adopt, and this is worth bearing in mind.

The mission here is to help grownups, teenagers, and children to cope with whatever difficulties they encounter during this season, and avoid gaining 10 pounds or doing anything they will intensely dislike themselves for on the morning of January 1. Adults of course bear more responsibility. We are supposed to not only keep ourselves in good order but to look after the younger folk and try to help them stay stress-free. Hopefully, this next topic is mostly a grownup problem.

Seasonal depression, and then some

Jessica Maharaj, the oft-quoted clinical mental health counselor, has addressed the issue of grief over the holidays. For many people the world over, the last couple of years have been replete with grief for deceased or seriously ill family members and friends. She encourages the acceptance of feelings, which after all must be the first step toward dealing with anything, and reminds us that we can respect our feelings and also gently, respectfully say no.

If watching “A Charlie Brown Christmas” with the group brings up too many painful memories, we don’t have to do it. If we met our late partner on New Year’s Eve 25 years ago and this is the first year alone, we are not obligated to go out that night and celebrate.

For many of us, what this all leads up to is the stark truth that we had better not use the holidays as an excuse to slip, backslide, fall off the wagon, take a cheat day, or in any other way let our addictive disorders get the upper hand. And overeating is one of them. Maharaj says,

Take care of yourself. Find healthy ways to cope, such as exercising. Organizing family walks is a great way to get fresh air and enjoy the company of others. Don’t search for solace in unhealthy foods or alcohol. If alcohol is present, drink responsibly.

And eat responsibly. Split a cookie with a child. Don’t eat a dozen cookies. Ask for a half-slice of pie. If your host can’t handle that, find another place to go next year. Even during the holiday season when we love everyone and don’t wish to cause strife, we can still stand up for ourselves and be true to the promises we have made to ourselves.

In “Welcome Back to Temptationville,” we mentioned that a psychologically dangerous aspect of holiday feasting is the food-as-hospitality equation, and the tendency of people to be hurt and even insulted if their guests do not eagerly devour every calorie in sight. Therapy and/or group support can help us, as guests, to become more competent at saying “no” in a way that will stick. As hosts, we can all renounce any tendency to push guests into taking more than they want.

Your responses and feedback are welcome!

Source: “Avoiding Holiday Stressors: Tips for a Stress-Free Season,” NAMI,org, 12/03/18
Image by Carolyn/CC BY-ND 2.0

A Winter Holidays Encyclopedia — 11

Pat Hartman December 26, 2022 No Comments

Over most of the globe, among societies that may differ greatly, people gather with family, friends, and business associates to celebrate important holidays with communal feasting. There is no stopping them, or probably even no slowing them down, because partiers are not worrying about diabetes or premature death from an obesity-related co-morbidity. The Childhood Obesity News post “Visions of Sugarplums” outlined a few thoughts about what we can or should expect from schools and businesses, in the way of holiday damage control.

The piece titled “The Symbolic Eating Peril” goes deep into the concept of compulsion and explores the idea that emotional eating, despite showing up in many varieties, is not a discrete condition but an indication of more extensive problems. That post also discussed Dr. Billi Gordon, an expert on out-of-control eating connected with holiday-related emotional abuse. He probably went more deeply than anybody into this specialized topic.

Kindness is the best gift

At family holiday gatherings a lot of adults, for some reason, feel absolutely obligated to remark on a child’s growth since the last meeting. If you are one of these, consider giving it a rest this year and every year going forward. Nobody, young or old, needs to hear your take on their waistline expansion. No, not even in an allegedly humorous context. If a snarky and supposedly humorous remark about someone’s weight is your go-to move, consider preparing some new material this year. One person’s “just kidding, good, clean fun” can be another person’s trauma. Suggestion: Bring a yo-yo or something, and get attention with that instead.

And let’s remember: As horrific as a holiday gathering can seem even to an emotionally healthy person, for someone struggling with a serious issue it can be a nightmare. It’s really not cool to shame someone who is trying to make a better life. We don’t want to be enablers. We want to take it easy on others, and bring our A-game, especially in the generosity department.

The F word

This series has already brought up the concept of forgiveness, but it can’t be emphasized too much. We need to forgive ourselves and others, before the fact and after. There are some incidents where the smart thing is to just let it go by. Escape to the porch or the garage for a few minutes to calm down. Use our imaginations to construct a scenario that puts the best possible light on somebody’s impossible behavior. If we are really clever, these can be teachable moments — not for others, because making a judgment call like that is presumptuous. This is about having the self-awareness to realize teachable moments on behalf of our own selves, and to make the best use of those occasions.

Right now we are in the part of the calendar when we need to take out our “Never Again” notebooks and start jotting down ideas for next time, about how to avoid repeat performances of horrendous moments. Because one thing we can be sure of is, the winter holidays will come around again, sooner than we think. Let’s be ready for them!

Your responses and feedback are welcome!

Image by RussellHarryLee/CC BY 2.0

A Winter Holidays Encyclopedia — 10

Pat Hartman December 22, 2022 No Comments

Needless to say, a lot of these suggestions for sanity retention are also useful at other times of the year. Some might require a little practice. Some might be life-changing. Here is an example from a reader:

My very first job (in a diner) was grueling, and the boss was a creep, but he gave me a tip I’ve used every day since: Never Go Empty-Handed. Whether at work or at home, there is always something that needs to be somewhere else. Before you move, look around for the thing that belongs in that other location, and take it along.

Please try to face the fact that you will not acquire superpowers for the holidays. Prepare to be supportive of other adults who are struggling to make nice memories for kids. Maybe even cut yourself a little slack. The archived post “Take It Easy on Yourself” offers more excellent thoughts about controlling expectations, a lot more.

Helpful new ideas

In addition, here are a couple of fresh references. Amy Meyers, M.D., offers four specific suggestions that can transform expectations from tyrants that rule us into friends that help us.

— Anticipate something will go wrong.
— Know that you will feel tired after staying out late at a holiday party or with friends and don’t make any taxing plans the next morning.
— Set your expectations for just you. You cannot control other people.
— Focus on what you can control — your time and yourself.

To avoid feeling overwhelmed when preparing a home for the holidays, writer Samantha Lande advises that we create a definitive list of the most important aspects, and concentrate on those. Wash the dirty dishes, because looking at them is just a stone bummer. Wipe down and sanitize kitchen surfaces. Clean out the refrigerator. By providing space and clean containers beforehand, show love to your future self, the one who will be responsible for storing leftovers when the festivities have ended. If you plan to send guests home with leftovers or desserts, get hold of some disposable containers that they don’t need to be responsible for returning.

In public rooms, banish clutter, especially from surfaces where guests might need to set plates and glasses. In general, start from the top, because debris obeys the law of gravity. To sweep and vacuum floors first, before dusting or cleaning things higher up, is to invite failure. Lande issues a reminder to scrub the guest bathroom and offers explicit instructions, especially for those who were raised in households where this sort of thing was neglected.

Feet and hospitality

The author didn’t mention this, but if you have a no-shoes-in-the-house rule, warn guests ahead of time so they can bring slippers. Or provide shoe covers, and of course a chair right inside the door so they don’t have to do awkward one-legged acrobatics. Speaking of the front door, make sure it is nice and clean because first impressions count. Take care of these vital cleaning chores, and let the rest go.

Lande provides one last hint, which is to make the place smell good. Avoid store-bought chemical-based gadgets, which can fight with or overwhelm natural cooking aromas, and even cause discomfort to sensitive people. Provide some kind of natural scent, like brewing coffee, or simmering spices or citrus peels.

Once again, the reason for doing all this is to keep stress levels low in responsible adults both for their own sakes, and to prevent the transfer of malaise from stressed-out adults to children, because emotional turmoil is a direct cause of overeating in people of every age.

Your responses and feedback are welcome!

Source: “Tips for Gut-Healthy, Stress-Free Holidays,” AmyMyersMD.com, 12/15/22
Source: “8 Things to Clean Before Company Comes,” AARP.org 12/07/22
Image by Nick Amoscato/CC BY 2.0

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Profiles: Kids Struggling with Weight

Profiles: Kids Struggling with Obesity top bottom

The Book

OVERWEIGHT: What Kids Say explores the obesity problem from the often-overlooked perspective of children struggling with being overweight.

About Dr. Robert A. Pretlow

Dr. Robert A. Pretlow is a pediatrician and childhood obesity specialist. He has been researching and spreading awareness on the childhood obesity epidemic in the US for more than a decade.
You can contact Dr. Pretlow at:

Presentations

Dr. Pretlow’s invited presentation at the American Society of Animal Science 2020 Conference
What’s Causing Obesity in Companion Animals and What Can We Do About It

Dr. Pretlow’s invited presentation at the World Obesity Federation 2019 Conference:
Food/Eating Addiction and the Displacement Mechanism

Dr. Pretlow’s Multi-Center Clinical Trial Kick-off Speech 2018:
Obesity: Tackling the Root Cause

Dr. Pretlow’s 2017 Workshop on
Treatment of Obesity Using the Addiction Model

Dr. Pretlow’s invited presentation for
TEC and UNC 2016

Dr. Pretlow’s invited presentation at the 2015 Obesity Summit in London, UK.

Dr. Pretlow’s invited keynote at the 2014 European Childhood Obesity Group Congress in Salzburg, Austria.

Dr. Pretlow’s presentation at the 2013 European Congress on Obesity in Liverpool, UK.

Dr. Pretlow’s presentation at the 2011 International Conference on Childhood Obesity in Lisbon, Portugal.

Dr. Pretlow’s presentation at the 2010 Uniting Against Childhood Obesity Conference in Houston, TX.

Food & Health Resources

Childhood Obesity News | OVERWEIGHT: What Kids Say | Dr. Robert A. Pretlow
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