This spring, Cary Williams-Nunez and her husband Angelo Nunez will hit the road to tour schools in ten cities for their Knocking Out Obesity Tour. In its second year, it’s something that Cary worked hard to bring to life.

It was initially something she thought about in 2007 and took a few years to put all the pieces in place to make it happen. She is a boxing star in her own right, and co-owns Primetime Boxing with her husband. They put down their gloves and last year turned some of their focus to being part of the solution in the childhood obesity epidemic by completing their first Knocking Out Obesity tour.

This spring, The Nunez’s Knocking Out Obesity tour will visit another ten cities, including three elementaries and seven middle schools. Their stops will include Chicago, Buffalo, Birmingham, New Orleans, four cities in Texas, and DC, where she’s hoping to score some face time with Mrs. Obama.

They start by looking at the list of top 25 fattest cities, that publishes annually, and then select 10 cities to visit. Then, they choose one school in each city. They primarily visit middle schools, with some elementary, and try to schedule with their PE classes. The response?
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On this week’s episode of The Biggest Loser, Joe Messina left the ranch, claiming that he missed his family too much and needed to be home.

What many people don’t realize is that if they don’t take time to exercise and live their healthiest lives possible, they won’t need to worry about being there for their families. They simply won’t be there at all.

Harsh words, but true. Being overweight and out of shape can be a fast track to an earlier death.

Instead of focusing on how much time exercise takes away from the family, switch that mindset around and see how much time you can spend with your family in a productive, healthy way. Here are some of our staff’s favorite ways to include exercise and healthy living while spending time together with those you love most.
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Former President Bill Clinton has been working to help fight childhood obesity in schools, through the Alliance for a Healthier Generation. The alliance is working with 13,000 schools across the country. The integrated program involves teaching kids to eat better and helps teachers get kids moving more throughout the day. There are also boot camp programs for teachers, to help them better understand the importance of physical activity and improve their own health.

“Kids spend six to eight hours a day in school, so they want school to really emulate the environment they want to produce at home,” Ginny Ehrlich, CEO of Alliance for a Healthier Generation, said on the Today show.


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There’s so much to love when it comes to GoPicnic Ready-to-Eat Meals! Kids love them, parents love to serve them, parents love to eat them, they are healthy, and many are even gluten free.

These little boxes are a perfect replacement for the unhealthy cheese, meat and cracker meals found in the deli section. They are portable and fun, but they are loaded with good for you options. GoPicnic meals come in a variety of flavors such as salami and cheese, turkey stick and crunch, turkey pepperoni and cheese, sunbutter and crackers, hummus and crackers, salmon and crackers, tuna and cracker, and peanut butter and crackers.

Each box is nutritionally balanced with protein, fiber, and fruit. All products, even the dark chocolate found in some varieties, is made from whole ingredients. GoPicnic defines that by meaning no trans fats, no high fructose corn syrup, no added monosodium glutamate, and no artificial flavors or colors.

The meals are shelf stable but not because they use preservatives. GoPicnic uses high performance packaging methods that may cost more but ensure their products stay fresh without compromising the health factor.

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By Wendy Gregory Kaho

Choosing a college can be tough when you have celiac disease and/or gluten sensitivity. If your child is required to live in the dorms, you need to know what to look for in the dining hall to determine if a school really can meet your gluten-free needs. Here are some tips from our experience sending two gluten-free teens off to small liberal arts colleges.

Despite the good reputations in the food service world of both dining services, we found a wide variation in knowledge and follow through in serving gluten-free meals in both colleges. Look for dining services with training programs within the corporation and look out for programs that are researched and implemented by the chef or manager on duty.

Beware if you have new a new chef or dining manager. They will be getting an entire program up and running at the start of the school year and special diet meals will fall thorough the cracks and off their radar.

Smaller colleges are not always safer. With a much smaller gluten-free population to feed, some schools may have little to no experience even serving gluten-free meals. Ask very pointed, specific questions of everyone when asking about gluten-free meals. Watch the servers, the students and the kitchen preparation to see if you can spot weak links and poor kitchen practices.

Get everything in writing and consider registering with the Students with Disabilities Office at your school. This will protect you and your investment once you do choose a school.

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