Dr. Michael Roizen, chef Ann Cooper offer inspiring speeches on healthy living at Oklahoma conference

Leadership Oklahoma’s "Health: Your Responsibility, Oklahoma’s Liability” conference delivered a strong, encouraging message as Congress wrangles economic woes and increasing demands on our health care system. Keynote speakers Dr. Michael Roizen and chef Ann Cooper offered much to digest in talks emphasizing healthy living and providing nutritious lunches for future generations of Oklahomans.

Food choices are not like "Let’s Make a Deal,” said Roizen, a best-selling author. "You can’t have dessert at night thinking you can exercise it away the next day. It doesn’t work that way.”

Cooper is working to stop the serving of high-fat and sugar-loaded foods at schools. She expressed concern that fast food is being brought into school lunchrooms, providing children with fried, super-processed, high-sugar, high-sodium foods. She wonders how we can expect children to grow up healthy and inspire the next generation to live their best life. Cooper is a strong advocate of healthy nutritious school lunches.

"I’m ready,” said Enid mom Molly Helm, who brought along the Enid school superintendent to hear Cooper’s message.

Cooper, often called "the renegade lunch lady,” shared positive insights into why more fresh fruits and vegetables must be included in children’s lunches. Her book with Lisa M. Holmes, "Lunch Lessons: Changing the Way We Feed Our Children” (Harper Collins 2006, $14.95), and a related Web site, www.lunchlessons.org, offer resources and recipes for schools and parents interested in improving school lunches.