Dr. Barry Panzer, Ph.D, ACSW, BCD
Mental Health Consultant, Live Light Live Right
Overweight and obesity in childhood can be the first step in the development of diabetes, heart disease and other serious adult health problems. However, weight bias – the emotional and sometimes physical mistreatment due to excess weight – can begin early and last a lifetime. Teasing, name calling, exclusion form athletic and social activities by peers and physical bullying have been regarded as the main cause of psychological and social problems in children with obesity. Continue reading →
BROOKLYN, NY (October 20, 2014) — The obesity epidemic is a crisis in poor communities like Brownsville, Brooklyn, where two-thirds of children ages 5 to 11 are overweight. Brooklyn based charity, Knockout Obesity, began implementing its new “KO Program” this summer, supporting community centers serving low-income neighborhoods. On Saturday, October 25, 2014, at 10:00AM, Knockout Obesity will host a boxing demonstration for Live Light Live Right youth at Brownsville Recreation Center (1555 Linden Boulevard, Brooklyn, NY 11212).
Currently, Knockout Obesity is hosting its first eight-week pilot program at Bushwick-Hylan Cornerstone located in the Bushwick-Hylan NYCHA Houses. Knockout Obesity provides a course blueprint and professional boxer to teach each class. Boxing equipment is donated to participating community centers, and existing staff is trained to sustain the program year round.
Charity founder and Brooklyn restaurateur, Dimitrios Verteouris, personally contributes to the weekly KO classes, engaging youth in a variety of boxing drills and calisthenics, followed by a cool down period and nutrition lesson. A former cast member on Food Network’s reality show, Fat Chef, Verteouris lost 82lbs in three months using boxing and his own good eats at Nature’s Grill.
Earlier this year, Knockout Obesity was the recipient of a $25,000 donation from Two-Time and Two Division Boxing World Champion and NABF Welterweight Champion Paulie “Magic Man” Malignaggi. Knockout Obesity has been featured by ESPN, The Insider, New York Daily News, New York Post, Metro NY, Hot 97 and more. www.KOobesity.com
About Live Light Live Right
Live Light, Live Right is a Brookdale Hospital and community-based partnership, non-profit 501(c)(3), serving overweight and
obese children ages 2-19. Nearly half of the children in the program are those who live below the poverty line; suffer from a BMI
>95th percentile or are at high risk of developing diabetes or other serious chronic diseases. By providing free or highly subsidized services, Live Light has already helped over 2,500 children improve their diet, exercise habits, and their health. The novel, multi-disciplinary approach has resulted in positive health outcomes, including the reduction of Body Mass Index scores, cholesterol, blood pressure, and insulin levels for nearly three-quarters of all participants. www.livelight.org
Nutrition Know How….Tips to get through the school year!
November is upon us, and the kids are well into the school year. While most of us plan on what we will wear to school each day, or do we have all of our homework? Are you still struggling with, What do I eat for lunch? It is time to refocus your efforts as a family to ensure your children’s nutrition and physical activity habits are on track this year.
Do you make time for breakfast? Breakfast is a very important meal for growing children. Studies show that breakfast eaters tend to have higher test scores, they concentrate better and solve problems more easily. So whether they eat at home or at school, be sure your children eat a nutritious breakfast every day.
Review weekly lunch menus. The National School Lunch Program requires that the meals offered in most schools must have a certain amount of calories, fat, saturated fat, vitamin A, vitamin C, calcium, and iron. It may surprise you to learn that many foods fit into these guidelines, including chicken nuggets and tater tots.
Live Light Live Right’s partner bodysculpt of New York‘s President, Vincent Ferguson, on September 15th, launched a weekly podcast where he is discussing various topics on fitness and nutrition. He will have guest speakers that are professional fitness instructors and nutritionists. To listen to these podcasts, please visit the Six Weeks to Fitnesswebsite.
Live Light Live Right has journal club that meets every week to discuss the trends and research that is happening in childhood obesity and how it impacts the work that they are doing. This week’s journal club is discussing the FRAC Newsletter content. The Food Research and Action Center (FRAC) is “is the leading national nonprofit organization working to improve public policies and public-private partnerships to eradicate hunger and undernutrition in the United States.” (source http://frac.org). In their September 2014 newsletter, they are focusing on Obesity and Poverty. This periodical newsletter highlights obesity and how it coincides with low-income children and adults.
To read more about it we have attached the newsletter:
Live Light Live Right is supporting our partners Brooklyn District Public Health Office and NYC Parks and Recreation who is offering a 10-week comprehensive Fitness Instructor Training Program, which follows with a 6-month internship. The class will give you hands-on experience that will prepare you for the nationally accredited certification exam.
The New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene has started a “We All Want Healthy Kids” campaign to get organizations in NYC and the boroughs to join in educating staff, youth and clients to support them in combating the marketing from the food and beverage industry of high sugary and high fat products that is directly impacting youth. Live Light Live Right is joining in to support this campaign by:
Yubelkis Matias, 19, a student at Bronx Community College, lives with fatty liver disease. Credit Nancy Borowick/The New York Times
Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the build up of extra fat in liver cells that is called a fatty liver (steatosis). NAFLD tends to develop in people who are overweight or obese or have diabetes, high cholesterol or high triglycerides. The incidence is growing in overweight children and has been linked to excess fructose intake as in fruit juices, sweetened beverages and processed foods with high fructose corn syrup. This threat is serious and can be prevented by reducing intake of fructose and high glycemic index foods. A recent article in the times highlights this issue which is often overlooked. Please call our clinic at 718-240-5857/ 8125 for an appointment if you think your child is at risk for this or other obesity related diseases.
Live Light Live Right is proud to be adding to our partnership with the CAMBA (www.camba.org) Beacon Program a 7-week summer camp program. We have 150 campers that are enrolled in the summer camp.
The summer camp program consists of:
Nutritional Counseling: Our certified nutritionist has created educational and engaging workshops that will teach the children about basic nutrition, reading labels, alternatives to high fat foods, portion control, and reduction in juice and increase in water consumption, and healthy snack options that will keep the child full and satisfied in between meals.
Physical Fitness and Activity: Two days a week, our two senior trainers share their infectious energy with the summer camp participants. The classes are primarily fitness games focused on creating a fun filled atmosphere for the children. Our trainer’s motivate and encourage the children to continue participating in activities throughout the rest of the week, by giving examples of exercises that they would enjoy.
Trips: We have planned and funded weekly trips that the summer camp participants will be going on. Some of the trips that are included are Gleason’s Gym, The Toy Museum, NYC parks, and local farming with East New York Farms to educate the children about food production, local sourcing for food and cooking locally sourced vegetables.
The children are having an amazing time this summer in the program.
Summer is filled with fun events. Everything from graduation parties, to Fourth of July picnics, to good old-fashioned backyard barbeques – it’s likely that you already have several events you’ll be celebrating the summer season. With a little preplanning, these social gatherings can offer not only great company and fun, but a menu that is nutritious and delicious.
To help you stay on track with healthy eating while still enjoying the celebration, take a look at some of the best foods choices, and those you should be wary of.
Keep Portions in Perspective
Portion size counts, even if you are selecting healthy choices. While the goal is to fill your plate with the best food choices available at any barbeque, you don’t want to sabotage your health efforts by eating too much.
Live Light Live Right is partnering with bodysculpt of New Yorkfor a 6-Week Fitness Challenge. “Body Sculpt of New York, Inc. is a not-for-profit, health and fitness organization, whose mission is to educate parents and children about obesity and offer healthy lifestyle alternatives, physical fitness, and nutrition.” To learn more about bodysculpt of New York visit their website http://bodysculpt.org.
This Fitness Challenge began on July 7th at CAMBA (www.camba.org) community center in Brooklyn, NY and is three consecutive days, for a total of six weeks. It is aimed at improving the overall fitness levels of eligible children, age 12 years and above, conducted by Certified Fitness Instructors, Includes; soccer, cardio kickboxing, track & field, hip hop, yoga, volleyball and healthy eating nutrition workshops.
In order to measure the children’s success, we will conduct a fitness test and body fat assessment at the beginning and end of the program, which is done by the staff at Live Light Live Right.
