Obesity, Autism, Me

Yesterday there were reports on recent studies of overweight children. They have found the majority of them have the arteries of 30 yr olds with advanced arterial damage. What a frightening thought. These kids are at risk of heart problems at a very early age, in their 30s or so. How can people get through a) to the parents and b) to the kids themselves. I have a friend who has two enormous children, they are technically adults now, but the pair of them are huge and no-one ever did anything about it. I believe they were fed too much when they were young, but they are now old enough to make their own decisions and neither of them appear to be doing anything about it. If you want to read more about this click here for the GMA article. Of course obese children are also at risk for diabetes and a host of other major illnesses caused by overweight. Having struggled with weight all my life, I am very concerned with this problem. Another fascinating segment on GMA this morning, was about a school which is making great strides with autistic children. Again if you want to read the article click here. They are giving the autistic children a way to communicate. Unfortunately it is a private school and costs quite a bit to send kids there. It is a wonderful programme apparently and really does wonders for these children. The young man in the picture is one of their students. They work by getting into what the children are interested in and not structuring their education. I wasn't too well yesterday, I developed a cough and ended up getting very little sleep on Monday night. Matt didn't get much either unfortunately. Then several other things got to me yesterday so I didn't go to my volunteering job but just stayed at home mollycoddling myself. I am better but not 100% today. So send good vibes my way please. I haven't got a cold exactly, but that picture shows how I was feeling. That's nice, just to cheer me up, they are testing the fire alarm bells this morning, this will probably go on all day so I think we will have to find a reason to leave. OK I will put my money where my mouth is and give you a Weight Watchers Recipe from their New, Complete Cookbook. Roast Beef Salad with Arugula A perfect recipe for making use of leftovers from a Sunday roast. Makes 4 servings 1 red onion, halved lengthwise and sliced 1 cup ice water 10 sun-dried tomato halves (not oil packed) 1 cup boiling water 1 tbs balsamic vinegar 2 tsp Dijon mustard Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste 4 tsp extra virgin olive oil 8 cups arugula, thick stems removed 1 cup thinly sliced mushrooms 1/2 lb thinly sliced roast beef, cut into strips cracked black pepper to taste 1 lemon cut into 4 wedges Soak the onion in the ice water 1 hour; Drain and pat dry. Soak the tomatoes in the boiling water 2 mins; drain and pat dry then finely dice To prepare the dressing, in a small bowl, whisk the vinegar, mustard, salt and pepper; whisk in the oil, a little at a time, then add the tomatoes and beat in 1 Tbs water. In a medium bowl, toss the arugula with 1 Tbs of the dressing, divide among 4 plates. In the bowl, toss the onion and mushrooms with another Tbs of the dressing. Divide amonth the plates. Toss the roast beef with the remaining dressing and place on top of the salads. Sprinkle with the cracked pepper and serve with the lemon wedges. This is 4 points per serving. Have a great day.