I, for one, love a good cupcake. But as a pediatrician observing the impact of childhood obesity, I wholeheartedly disagree that we should be promoting their distribution in Texas classrooms.

Newly elected Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller garnered national attention recently when he emancipated cupcakes in our public schools and said sodas and fried food should be welcomed back next. As the “cupcake debate” ensued, I wondered what the father of modern medicine might think as we tempt our youngest citizens to unknowingly accept treats that may not be in their best interest.

When Hippocrates said, “Let food be thy medicine” some 2,500 years ago, people weren’t bombarded by conflicting messages about food. And considering 70 percent of chronic diseases related to obesity are preventable and directly attributed to diet and lifestyle, this adage has never been more relevant. Study after study has shown diseases such as Type 2 diabetes, stroke and heart disease are directly linked to obesity.

Given this evidence, why is it so hard to follow Hippocrates’ advice and let food be our preventative medicine? For starters, what constitutes a healthy diet is not always clear. Confusing and conflicting information from the weight-loss industry, scientific journals and even the medical community leave many adults unable to make informed decisions about food. So how can we expect our children to navigate sugar-sweetened beverages, fried foods and cupcakes readily available at school without parental guidance?

As the newly appointed medical director of the Culinary Health Education for Families (CHEF) program at the Children’s Hospital of San Antonio, I applaud the many efforts of our city government, schools and community organizations that have prioritized the issue of childhood obesity with programs promoting physical activity. Yet, San Antonio remains one of the most weight-challenged cities in the nation, with more than one out of every three children overweight or obese. We must embrace the concepts of nutritional literacy with the same fervor as physical fitness.

MySanAntonio.com – by Julie La Barba, For the Express-News
http://www.mysanantonio.com/opinion/commentary/article/Digesting-education-on-nutrition-6080220.php

Did you know that Santa Rosa is now called the Children’s Hospital of San Antonio?

Don’t worry, the mural will stay put!

But, did you know that San Antonio was the only big city in the US without a free standing children’s hospital?

For almost the past 2 years, I have been a part of a wonderful group of local Mom Bloggers invited by the Children’s Hospital of San Antonio, to learn about the progress and transformation of the hospital. It has been one of the most fulfilling involvement that I could ever experience.

Blogger: Family Love In My City – by Michelle Rodriguez
http://www.familyloveinmycity.com/2014/10/childrens-hospital-of-san-antonio-transformation.html

SAN ANTONIO — The essence of pediatrics is prevention. As a pediatrician, I am intimately familiar with the use of vaccines to prevent diseases such as polio, measles, mumps and rubella. This approach has yielded great dividends, protecting millions of children worldwide from the devastating effects of these diseases. What if we could do the same for other chronic medical problems such as high cholesterol, Type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure and obesity?

I think we can. Not with vaccines but with our food and how we eat it.

I have spent a significant part of my career as a pediatric gastroenterologist and nutritionist worrying and wondering about the rise in childhood obesity and diabetes and how our children and grandchildren are going to fare as adults when they are challenged by these health issues so early in their lives.

Mark Gilger Op-Ed in Express News
http://www.mysanantonio.com/opinion/commentary/article/Program-aims-to-link-nutrition-child-wellness-5551493.php

Children’s Hospital of San Antonio is developing unique friendships that leaders there hope will help lead the way in the reduction of obesity and get people on a healthy eating path.

On Wednesday, CHRISTUS Santa Rosa Health System President and CEO Pat Carrier announced the creation of the culinary health and education program that will do three things:

• offer a teaching kitchen, designed by the Culinary Institute of America, to offer hands-on nutrition and cooking courses that will be available for patients and the general public in the fall of 2015.
• implement a healing garden; a 2.4 acre area for patients, families and staff members to pray, reflect and learn through interactive experiences, starting in the fall of 2015.
• launch a “prescriptions for produce” program so that physicians can write prescriptions for fruits and vegetables to people that will help prevent illness. A launch date for this phase has not been set.

Texas Public Radio – by Ryan Loyd
http://tpr.org/post/childrens-hospital-announces-innovative-culinary-health-education-program#stream/0

SAN ANTONIO — The Children’s Hospital of San Antonio wants to improve kids’ health through proper nutrition.

Express News – by Jessica Belasco
http://www.expressnews.com/lifestyle/health-family/article/Children-s-Hospital-of-San-Antonio-invests-in-5529318.php

Children’s Hospital of San Antonio unveils ground-breaking culinary health and education program to reduce childhood obesity and improve access to good nutrition for patients, parents and the community.

SAN ANTONIO (June 4, 2014) –– Healthy eating and nutrition are central to keeping children well, so with help from The Culinary Institute of America, San Antonio (CIA), Goldsbury Foundation, and H-E-B, the Children’s Hospital of San Antonio unveiled today its pioneering new culinary health and education program aimed at reducing childhood obesity and improving access to nutritious food for patients of the Hospital and the community at large. Copy and paste this bitly link to watch the video: bit.ly/CHofSAculinary

As the major health care provider for children in the region, the Children’s Hospital of San Antonio is perfectly positioned to take a holistic approach to child wellness by the creation of this multifaceted program.

CHRISTUS Health:
http://www.santarosahealth.org/body.cfm?id=18&action=detail&ref=252