![]() ![]() That’s where Deceptively Delicious comes in. We’ve all had the experience of arguing with our children over eating their vegetables, and the resulting frustration is enough to make us want to give up altogether. That’s unfortunate: vegetables and fruits contain many vitamins, minerals, and fiber-nutrients that strengthen our bodies and help them grow in a healthy way. While it’s the basis of vegetarian diets, as well as Mediterranean and other region-specific diets, it is not a part of our national way of eating. The fact is that the consumption of vegetables is the cornerstone of any diet, be it cardiovascular, diabetic, or weight loss. Yet having fruits and vegetables every day and breaking long-standing dietary habits seem to be the greatest challenges people face. Ironically, most people are actually aware of the fundamentals of a healthy diet and the necessity of eating more vegetables and fruits while avoiding too much starch, sugar, and saturated fat. As parents, we know how important it is to teach our children good habits early on. We know that this disease is largely preventable through a healthful diet and as doctors, it is our job to educate and teach our patients ways to improve their lives. This pattern is disturbing, and our children are at risk of living shorter lives than their parents. Our heart disease patients are heavier, and also younger, than they have ever been. As physicians who care for heart disease patients, we have witnessed and treated too many young patients with early blockages of the arteries. Mehmet Oz, a heart surgeon at Columbia University and a longtime advocate for healthy living-as well as a father of four-has the same concerns for his family. Are they getting enough fiber and vitamins? Is there too much fat or sugar in their food? Later that morning, as I see my first patient, a thirty-five-year-old obese diabetic who is about to undergo a procedure to open blocked arteries, I am reminded of how important it is to protect my young girls from heart disease. and I am almost late for my early morning meeting at the hospital, but I am also concerned about getting my three girls ready for school and making sure their first meal of the day-breakfast-is a healthy one.
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