Food for Your Whole Life Symposium Recap & Some Dr. Oz! Day 1 of 2.

The day finally arrived! The Food for your Whole Life Symposium began in NYC! And me and my fellow media bloggers Jess, Elizabeth, Janel, and Lindsey were ready to start the day with a bang! And oh did that bang occur! One thousand people—a mix of the general public, health professionals, and media—were waiting in line, eager to get the show on the go! The amount of people present because they DESIRE to become healthier was absolutely inspiring and shows that together—-we can get our nation to a healthier status.

The line-up of speakers to inspire (and trust me they did) included renowned health professionals and health innovators: Dr. Mehmet Oz, MD, FACS, MBA, cardiac surgeon, author, and host of The Dr. Oz Show ; the first ever Chief Wellness Officer at any major academic medical center and co-author of the YOU book series with Dr. Oz, Dr. Michael Roizen, MD, of the Cleveland Clinic; Dr. David Katz,MD, MPH, FACPM, FACP, an internationally renowned authority on nutrition, weight management, and the prevention of chronic disease, and a recognized leader in integrative medicine and patient-centered care; The “Mindless Eating” guru Dr. Brian Wansink, Ph.D;  Best-selling cookbook author and nutrition promoter, Mollie Katzen; Jamie Lauren, former Top Chef contestant and Executive Chef at Absinthe in San Francisco, and award-winning chef Rocco DiSpirito!

Before the Inspiration

However, before the talks began, there was a little fun to be had and some health to be discovered. Willing attendees had their blood pressure read, Body Mass Index (BMI) revealed, and the chance to visit some booths from some of the best of the best in the food world:  The Wild Blueberry Association of North America, USA Pears, the California Walnut Commission, and USA Dry Peas, Lentils, and Chickpeas. Representatives of HealthCorps were also present. I had never heard of HealthCorps before—and the work the organization does is phenomenal. HealthCorps was founded by Dr. Oz and is dedicated to empowering students and communities to become agents of change and take charge of their health. It’s simply fabulous!

NOW—a little taste of the event!

This pic doesn’t even come close to portraying how many were clamoring to get in! Awesome to see SO MANY folks dedicated to their health!

The California Walnut Commission. The beige ovals in front of the bowl were stress balls in the shape of walnuts!

USA Pears was giving away these fabulous pear packers, so you can make your pears portable and unbruisable! Love it!

This is one of the activities that HealthCorps does with the kids and teens in their program. Only the ingredients were on the outside of the bag, and you had to guess what food it was! Some results were shocking…read labels folks, even if the food is marketed as healthy!

The Wild Blueberry Association of North America gave samples of guess what—-wild blueberries! They were delish!

Lindsey and I in front of the USA Dry Peas, Lentils, and Chickpeas stand!

At the USA Dry Peas, Lentils, and Chickpeas stand, they were showcasing various items and one was green pea flakes! I’d never heard of them! Have you? Anywho, apparently they’re the new hot craze in the cooking world. One hot use is to use them in place of bread crumbs, or any flour, to coat fish. Sounds good to me!

Getting Ready for Dr. Oz

We all sat in anticipation and stared at the stage for America’s DOC himself to begin his talk, America’s Wellness Tipping Point!

AND THEN … he came on!!!

Key Points from Dr. Oz

• YOU are in charge. What you do now makes a difference in your health. You have the power to control over 70% of how well and long you live.
• Plants win. Eat a whole food, plant-based diet that is high in fiber. Think foods that come from the ground: fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts and seeds, and lentils. Basically, you should be able to recognize where your food comes from.
• Start right & don’t “starve.” Always eat a breakfast that is high in fiber with some protein, “so you’re not foraging” for food constantly later in the day. And don’t let yourself get to the point of a growling, starving stomach. You’ll likely overeat at the next meal and it will negatively affect “the biology of blubber.” Slipping into starvation mode makes your body want to store fat.
• Watch your waist. It is not obesity that kills, but waist size. A high waist size is a strong predictor of heart disease, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, a fatty liver, and other negative health consequences. A healthy waist size should be less than or equal to half of your height.
• Develop and keep healthy habits. Most people who are thin have learned simple healthy habits and have continued them throughout their life, i.e. playing outside with their kids or jogging instead of watching TV.
• 5 MUST-dos to change your health. 1) Control your blood pressure; 2) Banish cigarettes; 3) Exercise 30 minutes a day; 4) Eat a healthy diet that you love because if you don’t love it, you won’t eat the healthy fare; 5) Control stress.

Which exhibit would have been your 1st go-to?

What’s your favorite Dr. Oz message?