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Broward County Dietetic Association (BCDA)

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BCDA Members

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Nurturing With Nutrition Authors: Lucille Beseler, Melanie Bazarte

Book Release: Go UnDiet by Gloria Tsang, RD Editor-in-chief of HealthCastle.com

Go UnDiet
Author: Gloria Tsang, RD

You won't find a diet plan in this book. Instead, you'll learn how you CAN lose weight for good by undieting!




Go UnDiet shows you: 

50 simple, painless, undieting actions that will change your diet and weight without a rigid diet plan, and with no counting of calories or fat grams.

Why common food "villains" like meat and cheese are not responsible for your weight issue - and which foods are really to blame.  

A 5-second scan to spot diet-destroying highly processed foods (HPF), and 3 foolproof ways to avoid this weakest link.

The truth about common diet myths, and how to choose food products that really work for you.

This is not another "miracle" diet plan. Instead, Go UnDiet is a guide designed to help you lose weight for good by making small changes, one step at a time.

About the Author

Gloria Tsang Media Reel

Gloria Tsang, RD, is the founder of HealthCastle.com, the largest online nutrition network run by registered dietitians. Her work has appeared in major national publications, and she is a regularly featured nutrition expert for media outlets across the country. HealthCastle.com offered fun and practical diet tips to 7.5 million readers in 2010.

 

National Pretzel Day joins National Dance Week

In 2003, Pennsylvania Governor, Ed Rendell declares April 26 National Pretzel Day to acknowledge the importance of the pretzel to the state's history and economy.

Enjoy a pretzel while getting some exercise
Alex Wong from FOX's "So You Think You Can Dance"
choreographed a Pretzel Dance for Auntie Anne's in
honor of National Pretzel Day and National Dance Week.

A Brief History Of The Pretzel,
presented by Synder's of Hanover

Auntie Anne's Donates Pretzels
to Hunger Relief Organizations

A Look at Pretzel Commercials

Over the Last 39 Years

In 1971, the use of the word "Salt", did not have the negative effects it has today

 - as seen in the Mister Salty Pretzel's commercial below.

Today, the popular advertisement words

are Sustainability or Renewable.

 



Earth Day. What are we doing to help our planet?

April 22, 1970 was the first Earth Day and it awakened almost 20 million Americans from all walks of life to launch the modern environmental movement. From that first earth day came the passage of the landmark Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, Endangered Species Act and many other environmental laws. Today the Earth Day Network (EDN) works with over 22,000 partners in 192 countries to broaden diversify and mobilize the environmental movement. More than 1 billion people now participate in Earth Day activities each year, making it the largest civic observance in the world.

A Billion Acts of Green® Earth Day Network has chosen A Billion Acts of Green® as the theme for Earth Day 2011. A Billion Acts of Green®–the largest environmental service campaign in the world–inspires and rewards simple individual acts and larger organizational initiatives that further the goal of measurably reducing carbon emissions and supporting sustainability. The goal is to register one billion actions in advance of the global Earth Summit in Rio in 2012.

Earth Day 2011

YouTube has a wide range of resources, from the young, older, news, family, scientist, schools, communities, governments and industry describing how they are making a difference and how we can make a difference in saving our Earth.

Earth Song
performed by Michael Jackson

Green Mom

Cost of Food

Americans have been spending less and less on what we eat. But those savings come with a high cost: obesity, diabetes, and big health care bills. Here's a look at how our diet has changed over the last 50 years, and what we can do to make it better.

The girl who silenced
the world for 5 minutes

Reasons to Believe: Lightbulbs

The Energy [R]evolution is Greenpeace's plan to save the planet from catastrophic climate change. Susan Sarandon narrates the 'Reasons to Believe'. This video explains why energy efficiency is so important and also so easily achieved, just by small changes such as a switch from traditional lightbulbs to more energy efficient ones. In the one minute you will spend watching this film solar energy could power a country the size of Portugal for one week. In one minute. We need an Energy [R]evolution. Learn more at Greenpeace.

Oceans - Disney Nature
Series 2010 Movie Trailer

Earth Day - The Tiniest Things Matter

Recycle Guys
 

The Symbols of the Passover Seder

Passover is spelled using the foods symbolic of the seder table.
P = Z'roa (Shank bone)
A = Maror and Hazeret
SS = Charoset
O = Baytzah
V = Roasted Beets
E = Matzo
R = Karpas (Vegetable)

Shalom Sesame
Khalikidan's Passover Seder
Khalikidan and her family came to Israel from Ethiopia.
Join her family for a Passover seder, and
share Khalikidan's excitement in reciting the four questions.

The Symbols of the Passover Seder

 

Passover is a holiday rich in symbols retelling the story of the Jewish people's exodus from Egypt. The seder is a ceremonial dinner observed on the first night of Passover, and in many homes on the second night as well. The seder table is set with a seder plate, salt water, matzo, kosher wine, Cup of Elijah, Miriam's Cup, and a copy of the Haggadah for each guest.

Matzo

Matzo is an unleavened bread made solely from flour and water and is not allowed to rise. Matzo symbolizes freedom. As the Jewish people fled Egypt there was no time to wait for the bread to rise. A plate of three whole matzahs are stacked and separated from each other by cloths or napkins. The middle matzo is broken in half and put aside for the afikoman.

The afikoman is eaten as a dessert. The person leading the seder will hide the afikoman and ask all the children to find it. Children will receive toys or other gifts as a reward for returning the afikoman.

The top and other half of the middle matzo is used for the hamotzi (blessing over bread), and the bottom matzo is used for the korech (Hillel sandwich).

Haggadah. The book containing the story of the Exodus and the ritual of the Seder. It is read at the Passover Seder.

Many of the symbols are displayed on the seder plate, which is the centerpiece of the seder table.

 
Karpas (Vegetable). This part of the seder plate dates back to a first and second century tradition in Jerusalem. At the beginning of the seder a vegetable, usually lettuce, radish or parsley is dipped in salt water and eaten. It is said the salt water represents the tears our ancestors shed during their years of enslavement.

Z'roa (Shank bone). The roasted shank bone of a lamb reminds us of when the Jewish people marked the doorposts of their homes with the blood of a lamb as a signal that death should pass over them. The shank bone also reminds us of the sacrificial lamb killed and eaten during the days when the Temple stood. In modern times, some Jewish families will use a poultry neck instead. Vegetarians will often replace the shank bone with a roasted beet, which has the color of blood and is shaped like a bone, but is not derived from an animal.

Baytzah (Hard Boiled Egg). There are two interpretations of the symbolism of the hard boiled egg. One is an ancient fertility symbol. The other is a symbol of mourning for the loss of the two Temples, the first of which was destroyed by the Babylonians in 586 B.C.E. and the second of which was destroyed by the Romans in 70 C.E. Hard boiled eggs were traditionally the food of mourners and became symbolic for the loss of these sacred sites.

Charoset. A mixture of chopped apples, nuts, wine and spices representing the mortar the Jewish slaves used to build structures for the Egyptian Pharaoh.

Maror (Bitter Herbs) reminds us of the slavery the Jewish people endured in Egypt. Horseradish, either the root or a prepared paste is often used.

Hazeret (Bitter Vegetable) also symbolizes the bitterness of slavery. Romaine lettuce is usually used. When hazeret is not represented on the seder plate some families will put a small bowl of salt water in its place.

Elijah's cup is placed at the center of the table. After the seder meal there is a custom to pour a cup of wine, the "Cup of Elijah," and open the front door of the home. According to tradition, at this moment our homes are graced by the presence of Elijah the Prophet.

Miriam's Cup is a new ritual object that is placed on the seder table beside the Cup of Elijah. Miriam's Cup is filled with water close to the beginning of the seder. It serves as a symbol of Miriam's Well, which was the source of water for the jewish people in the desert. Putting a Miriam's Cup on your table is a way of making your seder more inclusive. It lets people know that the words of girls and boys, women and men, are welcome. It is also a way of drawing attention to the importance of Miriam and the other women of the Exodus story - women who have sometimes been overlooked. It is said, "If it wasn't for the righteousness of women of that generation we would not have been redeemed from Egypt"

To our Family and Friends, we wish you a Happy Passover.

The Health Benefits of Laughter

Having a good laugh usually makes us feel good about ourselves.
This can be a factor in motivating a person to lose weight.

I Love to Laugh

Babies Laughing

A research published in the International Journal of Obesity discovered laughter can be beneficial in weight control.

Laughing helps burn calories by increasing the heart rate by 10 to 20 percent: The metabolism increases as well, meaning you will burn more calories at rest once you have stopped laughing.

Scientists calculated 15 minutes of laughter a day will burn 10 to 40 calories, depending on a person’s weight and the intensity of the laughter.

Laughter can relieve physical tension and stress, leaving your muscles relaxed for up to 45 minutes after.

Laughter triggers the release of endorphins, which promotes an overall sense of well-being.

Laughter improves the function of blood vessels and increases blood flow, which may benefit the cardiovascular system.

Laughter may benefit people with diabetes. One study showed after watching a comedy, the group had lower blood sugar levels than they did after listening to a boring lecture.

Don’t laugh just to lose weight. Laugh because it feels great,
because it is healthy for you and
because we take ourselves too seriously.
It’s time to lighten up.

“Laughter is the best medicine.”

April is Global Child Nutrition Month

Global Child Nutrition Foundation (GCNF)

Global Child Nutrition Month and the Global Child Nutrition Foundation is running a month-long campaign to help raise funds and awareness for school feeding programs in developing nations.

The Global Child Nutrition Foundation was created in 2006 with the mission of expanding opportunities for the world’s children to receive adequate nutrition for learning and achieving their potential. It continues and expands upon the work of the Global Child Nutrition Forum, formerly conducted by the School Nutrition Association (SNA). Created in 1946, SNA advocates healthy nutrition for every child in the United States.

GCNF is dedicated to helping countries develop and operate successful, sustainable, school feeding programs. GCNF provides training and education to support the development of community-based school feeding programs that respond to the nutritional needs of children, while considering local cultural and community values.

Global Child Nutrition Foundation
This video was played during a general session at the School Nutrition Association's 2010 Annual National Conference to inform its members about the work of GCNF.

March 7, 2011. GCNF held their 8th annual "A Possible Dream Gala".  Each year, the gala is held during the Legislative Action Conference of the School Nutrition Association (SNA). The event brings together over 500 executives – from industry, international non-governmental organizations (NGO), the U.S. Congress, USAID, USDA, and other key agencies working to reduce hunger through networking and the exchange of ideas. The highlight of the evening is the awards presentation.

2011 Recipients

Senator Richard Lugar received the
Gene White Lifetime Achievement Award for Child Nutrition.

Jill Conklin, Director of Sales Development, Winston Industries
was honored with the Individual Industry Member of the Year.

 Mary Kate Harrison, General Manager,
Hillsborough County School District, Tampa, FL received
SNA’s Outstanding Director of the Year award.

Proceeds from this event enable GCNF to provide technical assistance to countries with expanding and developing school feeding programs. Appropriately designed school feeding programs have been shown to increase access to education and learning while improving children’s health and nutrition.

To learn more about the work of Global Child Nutrition Foundation, please visit their website.

Your support of GCNF and commitment to ending childhood hunger makes a difference in the lives of the world’s children.

Investing in world's poorest children
can save millions of lives, UN study finds

	United Nations, New York, 7 September 2010.  Investing first in the world's most disadvantaged children and communities can save millions of lives and help spur progress towards achieving internationally agreed development targets, according to a new study by the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF).
The agency found that an equity-based approach, focusing on the needs of the most disadvantaged children, can be a cost-effective strategy to reaching the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) - eight targets that include slashing poverty, hunger and a host of other socio-economic ills, all by 2015.