Eat This Not That by Andy Berndt Program Director, Catalyst

Andy Berndt will be presenting "Eat This Not That" at the THRIVE! Conference for All Youth, October 27th-28th in Saint Paul.

Did you know that a Big Mac at McDonalds is healthier than their salad?

Unbelievable right? It's true. When you add up all of the fat from the fried chicken they throw on top, and the high calorie dressing and cheese. You are actually saving yourself calories by eating the Big Mac! There are so many hidden food facts just like that, that we have no idea about. Something you might make at home like fish and rice, would be only a few hundred calories and very low in fat and sodium, if you get the same thing at Macaroni Grill (Their Parmesan-Crusted Sole dish) you will consume 2,190 calories, 141 grams of fat, 2,980 mg of sodium! That's as much saturated fat as you should consume in four days and more than one days calorie limit in one meal. All this info is in David Zincezenko's book "Eat This, Not That," that Catalyst is going to be presenting on in October. We are presenting an interactive session for students where they are quizzed on which meal they would eat, then we'll reveal each decision in a game show style program. It's interactive, educational, AND FUN! Can you believe it???

Catalyst is a statewide network for youth advocates across Minnesota. The movement is committed to taking action to support positive public health change across the state. We are getting the message out through creative youth activism. Our current focus is

aimed at promoting healthy eating and physical activity. We are beginning a campaign this fall in schools all over the state. The campaign aims to inform and empower youth--to get youth involved in things like changing school food, gaining better access to physical activity through after school games and biking to school, more access to gym facilities, using your voice to make a video or talk to the press, and much more.

Obesity is quickly becoming the nation biggest health problem. One in four adults in Minnesota is obese, and one in three is overweight. We know that preventing all of this means encouraging physical activity and healthy eating early on in life. These are just a few of the reasons why we are fighting back and involving high school students across the state. We hope you join us!

For more information: Check our website www.bethecatalyst.org or contact Andy Berndt at andy@bethecatalyst.org or 651-270-6589