in Charlotte to teach children how to prepare their own favorite meals
and snacks in a healthy manner. Organizers have already attracted
interest from other cities.
"Our program is called HEART Felt Health because we not only give kids
hands-on activities to help protect their physical hearts – curbing
obesity and malnutrition – but also the word 'HEART' stands for
character traits we intend to instill through our program," said
founding president Claudine Lovitt. "Those character traits are
Humility, Empathy, Appreciation, Respect and Tenacity. We share
inspirational stories of people who represent these character traits
and who overcame personal struggles to better themselves and society
in the process."
Another unique aspect of the program is that it is taught by trained
high school Honor Society students, with adult supervision. "These
students also serve as role models, learn about healthy nutrition
themselves, and are really able to connect well with the younger
kids," Lovitt said. Currently the program involves Honor Society
students from Charlotte Latin, Providence Day, Country Day, Myers
Park, Providence High, South Mecklenburg, Grace Academy, Ardrey Kell
and Marvin.
The first set of weekly classes begins Sunday, Jan. 9, in a meeting
room at Earth Fare in Ballantyne and continues through Feb. 13.
Enrollment is now open via the website www.kidsheartfelthealth.com
for a second series of classes beginning in February.
"I conceived of Kids Heart Felt Health after my daughter was diagnosed
a year ago at age 7 with Type 1 diabetes," Lovitt said. "While living
with diabetes is difficult, my daughter has taught me that it is
possible for a child to make healthy food substitutions and to take
control of their own health at an early age. It's very important for
kids to understand how to manage the food they eat and prepare healthy
versions of it when possible."
Lovitt said she "linked up with some nutritionists and sought advice
from chefs to help me address obesity and make learning about
nutrition fun for kids. I've also learned some things about teaching
kids as a volunteer with the Greater Enrichment Program, which
provides extra-curricular activities for underprivileged children in
the area. I teach them tennis using high school volunteers, as we will
do in Kids Heart Felt Health."
Currently the program focuses on children in two age groups - second
through fifth grades and sixth through eighth. "Importantly this is
not a 'dieters' program – rather it is designed to help all parents
interested in instilling healthy lifestyle habits in their children.
The program would never exclude a child with dietary restrictions, but
is flexible to accommodate all children, including those with
diabetes, celiac disease and food allergies. By age 7 most can
understand counting carbs," Lovitt said. "We've already gotten
inquiries from other cities like Asheville, so we expect this to
spread – perhaps nationally.
"Michelle Obama, the American Heart Association, and the Center for
Disease Control have all issued warnings that unless the current
trends in childhood obesity and poor nutrition are reversed, the
country will be faced with a health and economic crisis within the
next 25 years. The American Heart Association warns that if current
trends continue, for the first time in history this generation of
children will have shorter life expectancies than their parents. This
is the bad news. But as we have told our high-school volunteers – the
generation who will inherit this crisis – the good news is that
positive change is possible and our program gives children the tools
and positive reinforcement they need to begin to reverse these trends."
The current program is offered in six-week segments that cover
breakfast, lunch, and dinner foods, as well as specified nutrients.
Each week, the children are taught a nutrition lesson through a food
demonstration. After the nutrition lesson is given, the children are
divided into "teams" so that they may make that week's food in a
creative, nutritious way, Lovitt explained. The children then compete
in a food contest in which their food creations are judged for taste,
presentation, and nutritional value.
"The children are taught how to determine a food's nutritional value
based on a specific formula provided to them," she said. "The goal is
for the children to create foods using this specific nutritional
formula. The challenge is to create foods that are both nutritious
and that taste good, so that the children will want to eat these foods
once they complete the program."
Incentives are built into the program. The children are not only
awarded for winning the food contests each week, but are also given
awards if specific weekly goals (small dietary changes) are met. In
addition, at the beginning of each six-week session, the children are
introduced to the "Food Rainbow", which represents the various colors
of fruits and vegetables. Children who complete their "Food Rainbow"
by the end of the six-week session (i.e., eat all of the colors of the
rainbow) are given an award at the conclusion of the session.
Nutritional goals will also be met through a kids-helping-kids
mentoring process. As high school volunteers run the program each
week, a "Nutrition Buddy System" will be set up so that the children
remain motivated to make heart healthy lifestyle changes.
At each weekly session, the children will learn something from the
healthy eating habits of other countries. For example, during a
session called "Calcium Can Be Cool," the children will learn about
the difference between Greek yogurt and American yogurt. "Greece is
one of the healthiest countries in the world and Greeks typically eat
yogurt for breakfast," Lovitt said. "Greek yogurt is healthier than
American yogurt because it contains fewer carbohydrates and more
protein. It also has a thicker consistency and can be used as a
healthy substitute in frosting on baked goods, such as cupcakes. As
many of the program's volunteers are International Baccalaureate or
Global Studies students, these lessons allow the volunteers to apply
what they are learning in the classroom to real life."
Kids Heart Felt Health Inc. has filed its application for 501(c)3
status, which means donations to it would be tax deductible. A portion
of the proceeds of the program will be donated to fund research for
the cure for Type 1 diabetes, Lovitt said.
Claudine Lovitt is an attorney who is admitted to practice law in the
states of New York, Connecticut, and Ohio. She last practiced
corporate and securities law with Baker Hostetler, a leading multi-
practice law firm headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio. After moving to
Charlotte in 2001, she suspended her practice of law in order to
devote all of her time to raising her three children.
She is also the founder of Charlotte Junior Tennis Inc., which has
been running innovative junior tennis programs, including community
outreach tennis camps and clinics, since 2008.
Other leaders of the program include:
· Angela Gallo, president and founder of Total Nutrition
Technology, Inc. (TNT), which owns and operates 10 wellness centers
throughout the Charlotte area, as well as one in Asheville. She also
licenses her proprietary program to health professionals throughout
the country. Her company was selected to participate in CNN's health
makeover program called "Mission Motivate." She is also a spokesperson
for the "Got Milk?" campaign. Since she founded her company, Angela
has helped thousands of people achieve their personal goals, from
professional athletes wanting to improve their sports performance, to
individuals desiring to manage their weight.
· Pam Moody, a nutritional and wellness coach who owns and
operates ProActive Wellness. She is also a Director and Independent
Affiliate Member of Trivita Inc. She has been studying nutrition,
including the impact of nutrition on controlling and preventing
medical conditions, for over 25 years. Moody first became interested
in nutrition when her husband was unexpectedly diagnosed with adult-
onset Type 1 diabetes over two decades ago, in her personal quest to
try to "cure" him through exploring the effects of nutrients on human
health. Moody advocates that "Optimum nutrition is the revolutionary
approach to your health."
For more information or to register for future programs, visit the
organization's website at www.kidsheartfelthealth.com.
