Kid chefs put their talents on display last week at “NutrItaly,” an event aimed at addressing concerns about nutrition and healthy eating, hosted by the Consulate General of Italy in Los Angeles and held at the Italian Cultural Institute of Los Angeles.
Fun cooking demonstrations by Celebrity Chef Pippa Calland and Piccolo Chef allowed children to show off their healthy-cooking abilities.
The event focused on healthy nutrition strategies and was organized in cooperation with the Italy America Chamber of Commerce West, Bridges to Italy and ISSNAF (Italian Scientists and Scholars in North America Foundation), to explore the impact of unhealthy diets for individuals and society.
Americans spend upwards of $40 billion a year on dieting advice and self-help books, but a plethora of information makes it difficult to really know what is healthy eating in an area constantly revolutionized by new discoveries and mixed messages – one reason for the surge in childhood obesity.
NutrItaly featured a panel discussion moderated by the Los Angeles Times Assistant Food Editor, Rene Lynch, and touched on the public health and medical implications of unhealthy eating and, in particular, the impact of the current epidemic of obesity, which is a major contributor of other health problems, including diabetes, heart disease and fractures.