RENO, Nev. (AP) Chris Hempel wishes her daughters could scream at the grocery store.

Its so frustrating when Im at the store or the airport and see how parents treat their kids, she said. Do you know how much I wish my kid could grab a Snickers bar off the shelf and rip it open and eat it?

Her daughters, Addison and Cassidy, could sing Twinkle Twinkle Little Star four years ago.

Their cute voices can be heard on a tape parents Chris and Hugh Hempel still have.

Today, the 8-year-old identical twins dont sing. They dont talk anymore. They have seizures and periods of dementia. Eventually, they might need feeding tubes and will be bedridden and die.

And while some parents battle candy, the Hempels are meticulous about their daughters diets.

To us, cholesterol is our enemy, Chris said.

On October 17, 2007, the twins were diagnosed with Niemann-Pick Type C disease. It is a rare, fatal genetic disease often called childhood Alzheimers disease. It causes cholesterol to build up and get trapped in the cells, overloading organs and attacking the brain. Most patients dont live past their teens.

Hugh Hempel said he misses the sweet sound of his daughters singing.

Its bittersweet to have it, he said of the tape of Addi and Cassi singing nursery rhymes.

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Reno parents fight for treatment of twins’ disease

WALLINGFORD Since Maryann Meade started working as a registered dietitian in the late 1970s she has noticed that many people dont know how to put a meal together.

A lot of people say that they dont know what to eat, said Meade, a Wallingford resident. They dont know how to create a meal. I remind them that if theyre having a plate of pasta its the same thing as having a slice of bread. There has to be a vegetable or a fruit that goes with it.

To help raise awareness of nutrition and encourage people to eat balanced diets, Meade is planning a free question-and-answer session at the Wallingford Public Library. She and another dietitian, Colleen Thompson, who is a professor of nutritional science at the University of Connecticut, will host the informational event on Saturday, March 24, from 10 a.m. to noon.

This raises the issue to a conscious level, said Beth Devlin, community services librarian. If you have questions regarding your diet this is your opportunity to ask. I hope people take advantage of it.

Preparing for the session, Devlin has collected books on nutrition and healthy living to put together a display. In just a few days, Devlin noticed that more than half of the books had been checked out.

That tells me theres a huge interest in nutrition, so I expect a big turnout, she said.

The informational drop-in session is taking place during what the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics has designated National Nutrition Month. The national nutrition campaign, started in 1973, was originally a week, but the academy extended the effort to raise further interest in nutrition.

It gives more time to bring awareness to people, Meade said. There are different things that are going on. The hospitals always have some type of program and there are programs that people will do in school systems. This is a must of making people aware. Sometimes these are the things that get people ready to make a change.

After years of working as a dietitian Meade noticed that much of the lack of knowledge about healthy meals is a result of families not cooking and eating meals together.

That happened as the demands on the family became greater as both parents had to work, Meade said. Nobody gets a formal education on nutrition. You usually learn what you can do from someone else.

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Dietitians spread the word on healthy diets

Whether or not a vegetarian diet is healthy is a toss up. Published March 10, 2012 at 5:18 a.m.

The term "vegetarian," in most cases, is a misnomer because the term means a "plant-based diet" and people who refrain from meat eating usually consume more than vegetables. And yet, many people embrace the word, so much so that for some, it becomes a part of their identity.

"Vegetarians" also serves as a catch-all phrase for people with very different diets. The strictest vegetarians are vegans those who do not eat any foods that come from an animal including meat, poultry, fish, dairy products and eggs. A lacto-vegetarian includes dairy products in their diets; a pesco-vegetarian sometimes referred to as a "pescatarian" eats fish and dairy products; and finally, semi-vegetarians eat primarily a meat-free diet but will "cheat" a little and either occasionally eat meat or consume, for example, beans made with animal lard or vegetable soups made with chicken stock.

Like all diets, a vegetarian diet is only healthy if people follow the rules of a nutritionally-balanced diet which includes the nutrients that one might miss by giving up animal foods. A vegetarian diet can be unhealthy if the diet consists of lots of starches and if meat items are simply replaced with soy foods.

Mary Paul is a nutritional consultant and personal trainer currently living in Minneapolis. She says people should listen to their bodies, experiment with different diets and above all, don't commit to a diet based on philosophical beliefs alone.

"If a person finds the meat industry problematic, jumping into a vegetarian lifestyle is only the right choice if it feels right," she says. "Giving your body what it needs to function properly is the most important key to a satisfying life. Everything else needs to come second."

For some, the vegetarian diet just doesn't work and they fall into the category that's sometimes, lightheartedly, called "reformed vegetarians."

Katie Cross was a vegetarian for six years, but jokingly refers to herself as having been a "Boca-tarian." She says she ate Boca products (soy burgers, "chicken" patties and sausages) almost every day of her life because she didn't like most vegetables and wanted to avoid cheese, which is high in fat. However, when she started having severe stomach aches and bloating, she did some research and realized her high soy intake was not healthy, nor was she eating a balanced diet, so she started eating turkey and fish.

"I felt a lot better," she says. "Once again, moderation is the key. I really thought I was 'being healthy' by not eating meat."

Anne Maedke, a chiropractor, was a vegetarian for several years, but she says it simply did not feel like the right diet. She says having access to well-raised meat helped her make the decision to become a carnivore again.

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"Reformed vegetarians" speak out

BRISTOL, Tenn., March 9, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- As Bristol prepares for the upcoming Food City 500, select Walmart stores will offer authentic NASCAR merchandise and host exclusive fan events starting Wednesday, March 14. Customers are invited to attend these special events and enjoy racing show cars and simulators, along with special appearances by Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. and Eric McClure, as well as racing simulator machines perfect to safely get behind the wheel and feel the power of NASCAR.

"Walmart is the champion of the racing fan, and we are committed to providing customers with savings on authentic merchandise, as well as unique race time experiences," said John Tunnell, Walmart market manager. "We want to give fans affordability and accessibility, so they can enjoy race time with their families and friends."

Race Time at Walmart In addition to the fan events happening in Walmart parking lots, area Walmart stores will feature savings on all the food and snacks you need to enjoy the race, plus authentic NASCAR merchandise such as T-shirts and racing flags, with an even bigger selection of exclusive products available at Walmart.com/NASCAR.

Participating stores in Bristol include:

Wednesday, March 14, 2012

Displays free and open to the public include Bush's Ultimate Tailgate Truck, 5-hour Energy Show Car, Coca-Cola 2-Seat Simulator, Oreo Ritz Show Car and the Keystone Light Show Truck at:

Store #3852 110 Rocky Bottom Drive Unicoi, TN 37692 10 a.m. 4 p.m.

Displays free and open to the public include the Wheaties Show Car, Cheez-It Simulator, Budweiser Show Car, #24 Pepsi MAX Show Car and #88 Diet Mountain Dew Show Car, Walmart's 50th Anniversary Show Car, Coors Light Show Car and Hefty's Show Car Simulator at:

Store #3829 2915 W. Market St. Johnson City, TN 37604 11:30 a.m. 5:30 p.m.

Thursday, March 15, 2012

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Walmart Store Events Bring NASCAR Driver Appearances, Race Time Savings to Bristol Starting March 14

Women's health and fitness magazine Self is upping its investment in Facebook. The publication is launching a social game and diet program on the social network next week.

The "Self Workout in the Park Social Game" is an extension of the exercise-themed events Self throws in major cities every year. The "Drop 10 Diet Together" is one of many diet programs the magazine has developed in conjunction with health and fitness experts over the years.

[More from Mashable: How NFL Legend Warren Sapp Tackles Social Media]

Facebook is where Self readers are already connecting with each other, says editor-in-chief Lucy Danziger.

"We created an app for Facebook, so you can create a micro-community where you and, let's say, five best friends who are going to be bridesmaids can drop weight," Danziger told Mashable. "By supporting each other you will lose more weight."

[More from Mashable: This Is the Most Overlooked Way to Get Press at SXSW]

The Drop 10 program will live on Facebook as an application. Customizable settings including team names, member invites and page privacy.

Individuals are encouraged to try the diet and exercise plans designed to help users drop 10 pounds in ideally five weeks. Friends and family can send out invites to anyone on Facebook to share eating plans, card calendar, exercises and logs to track calories and daily meals. The full plan of eating plans and workouts will be available on the magazine's main page.

Danziger, who has been Self's editor-in-chief for more than a decade, spoke of the importance of the web to the brand's future.

"The old way of 'create a magazine once a month, put it out there and then you move on' is no longer valid," she said. "Now you have a 24/7 relationship with your readers who give you feedback on Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest."

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Self Magazine to Launch Facebook Diet Program and Social Game

Most of the time, nutritionists and dietitians are full of brilliant ideas that help you eat healthier, stay slimmer, and live longer. But every once in a while, food gurus forget that the rest of us have limited time, funds, and willpower. That's when they spit out wonky bits of wisdom like "Ask your waiter to wrap half your entre before you start eating." Yeah, he'd be happy to--right after he sticks his thumb in your salade Nioise. We collected seven of the hardest-to-swallow expert suggestions and replaced them with equally healthy tips that a normal person can actually use. Because unless your name is Jessica Seinfeld, you're not going to spend every second fretting about what goes on your plate.

Peeing every 20 minutes seriously interferes with life. Believe it or not, the eight-glass quota isn't etched in stone. Yes, we need to be well-hydrated, but if your urine is clear or close to it, you're probably getting enough fluids. If your No. 1 is neon yellow, lighten things up by adding one or two glasses a day. Once your body adjusts to getting more fluid (and you don't have to run to the can every 10 minutes), add another, says Karen Benzinger, R.D., a dietary consultant in Chicago who specializes in health care. And don't forget that all liquids--including tea, juice, even the tonic in your vodka drink--help keep your body sufficiently saturated.

There's a big difference between 100 percent juice and a bottle of sugar water with a few cranberries squeezed into it. Yes, juice has a lot of the sweet stuff, but a six-ounce glass of 100 percent juice also counts as a full serving of fruit and delivers many of the same vitamins and antioxidants, making it worth the occasional sugar rush, says Jessica Ganzer, R.D., owner of Ganzer Wellness Consulting in Arlington, Virginia. And it can be the easiest way to get a superfood: Drinking 100 percent pomegranate juice is easy; picking apart a real pomegranate, not so much. As long as you drink 100 percent juice (from concentrate is fine) and limit yourself to one six-to-eight ounce glass a day, you're not breaking any rules of good nutrition. If you're seriously cutting back on calories or carbs, try Tropicana's Light 'n Healthy line; a serving has about half the sugar (10 grams) and calories (50) of normal juice.

After a long day at the office and a trip to the gym, you either eat dinner at 9:30 or starve. The no-food-right-before-bed rule was meant for the nighttime nosher who mindlessly wolfs down a bag of Oreos while watching CSI: Miami. If you get home long after dark, a late dinner is perfectly fine. A calorie is a calorie, no matter what time you eat it, according to Katie Clark, R.D., M.P.H., assistant professor of family health care nursing at the University of California, San Francisco. But do keep your evening meal light--along the lines of a chicken breast, steamed broccoli, and brown rice. Too much chow will keep you up at night: To break down all that food, your gut has to churn like a cement truck.

The pros push this tip because people usually eat flavored instant oatmeal, which comes with up to a whopping 13 grams of sugar per 43-gram packet--compared with one gram or less of sweetness in the steel-cut stuff. And steel-cut oats are less processed than the rolled oats used in the just-add-water variety, so they take longer to digest (this keeps your blood sugar nice and steady, helping you avoid mood swings and hunger pangs). That said, instant oatmeal still uses whole grain oats (they're just mashed a bit more), so it comes with most of the same health benefits. One of these is the cholesterol-lowering, hunger-satisfying soluble fiber beta-glucan: It turns gummy when it hits your GI tract, binds with cholesterol, and drags it out. "I'd rather my clients eat one-minute oatmeal than no oatmeal at all," Ganzer says. If you find unsweetened oatmeal about as appetizing as paste, combine half a packet of the flavored kind with half a packet of plain. Or consider Quaker Oatmeal's Weight Control flavored instants, which pack even more fiber than steel-cut oats (six grams per packet) and keep sugar down to one gram.

Despite the dainty name, it tastes just like what it is: watered-down wine. There's no weight-loss magic in a spritzer, a cup of wine diluted with calorie-free carbonated water. It's just another portion-control trick that trims your total calorie intake, Clark says. If you balk at the idea of outdated cocktails or weak-tasting grape juice, slowly sipping a glass of water between rounds of pinot grigio accomplishes the same goal.

You know you have portion-control issues, but that doesn't mean you want everyone else at your table to know it too. A better way to cut back on restaurant binging is to pretend the breadbasket is sprinkled with cyanide and to double up on veggie sides instead of ordering fries. Also effective: putting your fork down between bites, which gives your stomach and brain time to register that you're full (which takes about 20 minutes). Once your gauge hits "F," ask the waiter to box up the rest of your food right away so you won't keep nibbling, Benzinger says.

That's like telling an addict to have just a little crack. Eating chocolate cake is like watching Keeping Up with the Kardashians: There's nothing right about it, so just revel in how deliciously wrong it is. A smarter strategy: Before you begin the debauchery, plan for the extra calories--skip the appetizer, the bread, or (ouch) the booze. "If the dessert is really that good, it's worth the sacrifice," Benzinger says.

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7 Diet Myths Exposed