The Queen of Health

Obesity & Malnutrition
By Tami Hulcher, Health Educator
(published in LA Family Magazine September 2003)

As a health educator, and mother of three teenagers, I know how difficult it can be sometimes to make sure that our children are getting the nutrients they need to keep their bodies and minds healthy and fit. We must always remember that everything that goes into the shopping cart; everything that goes on our plates; and everything that goes in our mouths is going to have positive and healing effects, or damaging and killing effects. The food we eat is FUEL, and creates our bone cells, lung cells, brain cells, blood cells, heart cells, etc. In my lectures, I teach parents and children to read labels, and that food is either positive or negative.
We live in a very toxic food environment, where we are consuming too much of the wrong foods, larger portions or super sizing, high consumption of fast foods, and it’s not only causing obesity rates to soar, but causing malnutrition among our children, and our society! This malnutrition affects their learning and behavior, as well.
For the purpose of this article, I will focus on the malnutrition side of obesity. However, I must also state that obesity has many contributing factors, including sedentary lifestyles, and decreasing physical education programs in schools. Obesity is described as 30% over your maximum weight desirable for your height.
Many people who are overweight or obese are actually malnourished, in other words, they are not eating the right foods. Many experts agree that obesity is one of the most pressing health problems facing the country. For example, diseases that were once associated with the elderly are now being diagnosed by pediatricians, such as atherosclerosis, type II diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, etc. Furthermore, seventy percent of our twelve year olds have the beginning stages of hardening of the arteries!
Over the last twenty years, obesity rates have doubled in adults, and tripled in adolescents. More than 65% of Americans are now overweight or obese. How did we get to be so huge, and how can we fix it?
First, we need to examine what we are eating. I do volunteer work and health lectures in schools, and have seen first-hand what kids are eating. Some kids come to school without eating breakfast, which really is the most important meal of the day. Would you get in your car with the gas tank on empty and try to maneuver on today’s freeways? Then why ask a growing child to go to school on an empty stomach, and try to perform well in school?
Some kids are eating chips and drinking soda by their first break or recess, which is followed at lunch by nachos, corndogs, chicken fingers, hamburgers, or some other nutritionally-deficient item and washed down with more soda, or one of those artificially colored sports drinks. After school treats include more soda, ice cream, cookies, mini-cakes, or more chips.
Secondly, we need to examine what’s in the food they eat. And why is it making them sick and fat? Most bags of chips are carbohydrates deep-fried in partially hydrogenated oil (deadly trans fats!), and contain up to half of a child’s fat content for the day! Sodas are basically sugar water that will suppress the immune system, and deplete calcium. And forget diet sodas all together! The aspartame contained in diet sodas are known neurotoxins (that’s our brains!) and can actually cause you to gain weight. Think of white bread and buns, and white flour as white FAT.
In addition, a recently released study reported that California schools could do a better job of feeding our children. Although some schools have already incorporated salad bars, and fresh fruit, many still have contracts with fast food and soda companies that further contribute to our kids’ poor diets. We place such high academic standards on our schools, why don’t we place a higher value on what they are feeding our children?
What can we do about it? Let’s address our food choices. Again, remember that food is fuel, and it will either help or heal, or damage or kill…it’s your choice. Some healthy nutrition tips:
• Eat fresh raw fruits and vegetables at every meal. They contain many healing benefits provided by the thousands of phytonutrients. Fruits and veggies have fiber, which helps “move things” through our system. Most people who are obese are also constipated, which is another subject.
• Avoid soft drinks with sugar, high fructose corn syrup, and artificial colors, and flavors.
• Avoid diet foods and beverages that contain aspartame.
• Drink plenty of clean filtered water. It transports nutrients, and cleanses the body. A good rule: drink half your body weight in ounces, i.e. if a child weighs 100 lbs., he/she should drink at least 50 ounces of water.
• Increase fiber intake by eating raw fruits, veggies, whole grains, nuts, beans and legumes.
• Avoid refined, enriched “whites”, i.e. flour, rice, pastas, breads, tortillas.
• Avoid partially hydrogenated oils (trans fats). They disrupt almost every organ function in the body, and clog our arteries.

Even though our food and beverage choices are very important, I must state again that exercise, as well is very important. As so many Americans have become “couch potatoes”, our children have become “tater tots”.
Being an overweight adult or child is not only extremely unhealthy, it affects their self esteem, and limits their activities, which may exclude them from fun games on the playground, or riding a ride at an amusement park.
According to the New England Journal of Medicine, for every 40 pounds overweight you are, you increase you chances of:
• a heart attack by 360%
• cancer by 80%
• type II diabetes by 2060%
• high blood pressure by 260%
• degenerative arthritis by 400%
• and dying by 110%
Obesity is an epidemic that is taxing our health care system (an estimated $14.2 billion in California alone!), and contributes to over 300,000 deaths annually, but it can be controlled. Choose wisely. When you buy food, anywhere, from the grocery store, to restaurants, to the school cafeteria, you are making not only financial choices within your family’s budget, but you are more importantly making some nutritional choices that will affect your family’s health, vitality and longevity.

(Tami Hulcher is a health educator, motivational speaker, and president of Ola Loa, Inc. She has made appearances on NBC’s Today in L.A. show, KTLA’s Morning Show, and KESQ-ABC TV. Her popular lecture series “Getting You and Your Kids To Eat Right” has been featured in many schools, businesses, churches, health spas, and she has appeared in many magazines. Tami is also the former Mrs. California~America 2002.)