NAPLES, Fla., Dec. 17, 2009 — Bistro MD once again partnered with Dr. Phil to provide help for families in need. In 2008, Dr. Phil asked Bistro MD's bariatric physician, Dr. Caroline Cederquist, to offer advice and assistance to a severely obese man featured on his talk show. Dr. Phil called Bistro MD "the best home meal delivery" available and Bistro MD supplied the man with healthy, nutritious meals to jump-start his weight loss.
Once again Dr. Phil has turned to Bistro MD to provide balanced, doctor-designed meals to a family in need. This time, Dr. Phil and Bistro MD aim to stop childhood obesity and raise awareness of this serious nationwide epidemic.
On the episode which aired last month, Dr. Phil told the stories of families with extremely overweight children. He discussed what these parents may be doing wrong and how they can take action before their children's weight can no longer be managed. Bistro MD agreed to provide a year of meals for every family member featured on the episode in an effort to promote overall lifestyle changes.
"Based on research and my personal experience, the best practical advice is to get the entire family involved in the treatment. Children can learn healthy eating and exercise habits from their parents while their adult role models practice what they preach," Dr. Cederquist explains.
This issue hits close to home with Dr. Cederquist, a mother of four, who wrote a book on childhood obesity titled Helping Your Overweight Child: A Family Guide. In her book Dr. Cederquist sets the stage for the consequences of childhood obesity. "As a board certified family physician, and one of only a handful of bariatric physicians nationwide specializing in weight management, I hear the horror stories of severely clogged arteries in boys as young as 15. That's no mere case of 'baby fat' – it's a potentially deadly condition. Such childhood obesity develops into adult heart disease, diabetes, kidney ailments and other lethal complications," Dr. Cederquist states. "A 2001 study by the Centers for Disease Control found that nearly 1/3 of our nation's kids fit the medical definition of obese. That same CDC examination tracked an alarming rise in the number of childhood diseases associated with excess weight."
Dr. Cederquist suggests family walks, keeping a food journal, and reducing access to the TV as ways to promote a healthy lifestyle. "In addition to the essential physical elements of improved diet and exercise, it's important to provide children with positive social and emotional support when helping them to lose weight."
"As parents you have to own the solution," Dr. Phil stated. "This isn't about blame."
Caroline Cederquist, M.D. is board certified in family medicine and bariatrics. Bistro MD serves as the culmination of her expertise in the medical specialty of weight management. For more information, visit http://www.BistroMD.com. To watch a clip from the Dr. Phil episode on childhood obesity, visit http://www.bistromd.com/dr-phil-overweight-child.aspx.
Press Contact:
Carly Hallam
239-514-0700
# # #