Central Carolina HEALTH - Fall 2011 - (Page 15)

bigger One young man’s experiment grows into a campaign for healthier eating An 11-year-old boy in Sanford has not only decided to change his own body for the better but also to be a public voice for anyone else who wants to do the same. Marshall Reid has launched “Portion Size Me,” a project that started as a monthlong effort to control what and how much he puts in his body but has since turned into an ongoing campaign that includes a website, Facebook page, TV appearances on CNN, and even a book deal. “It started as something we were going to do for 31 days—just doing three healthy meals per day for a month,” he says. Along with his mother, father and sister, he began documenting the process online. “But it was so much fun, and so many people were following us, that we decided to keep going. I wanted to do something to get out to the people who were having the same problems as me.” What problems were those? Marshall said it was his goal to be able to run more. “I just couldn’t run very fast,” he says. “Everybody at my school is able to do it, and I couldn’t. I wanted to be able to run and play sports.” Has it worked? So far, the answer is yes. Smaller Portions, success Marshall Reid’s “Portion Size Me” project has made his whole family healthier. Seeing the Positive Effects “At the beginning, I couldn’t sprint for more than five seconds,” he explains. “Now I can go for like 45 seconds. I’m still not where I want to be, but I am out of the ‘obese’ category.” So Marshall set a goal to eat more “real” foods and more local foods and just make an overall effort to be healthier. The “Portion Size Me” name is a play on the movie Super Size Me, in which a documentarian examines the effects of eating fast food for every meal. “He’d seen Super Size Me before, and it must have made an impression on him,” laughs Alexandra Reid, Marshall’s mother. For Alexandra, seeing the change in her son and the rest of her family has been rewarding, even if it meant (and continues to mean) unlearning a lot of unhealthy behaviors. “You have to plan. It’s really easy and cheap to get a couple of packages of Hamburger Helper, but maybe instead of all ground beef, you do half beef, half ground turkey,” she says. “This isn’t a diet. We’re trying to make a lifestyle change.” To touch base with the Reids and take part in their effort, locate them on Facebook (search “Portion Size Me”) or visit www.portionsize.me. FREE INFORMATION TO KEEP YOUR FAMILY HEALTHY For more information on free community classes about healthy eating for children and adults, visit www.CentralCarolinaHospital.com and click the events tab or contact the Food & Nutrition department at CCH at (919) 774-2180. FA L L 2 0 1 1 | 15 http://www.CentralCarolinaHospital.com http://www.portionsize.me

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Central Carolina HEALTH - Fall 2011

Central Carolina HEALTH - Fall 2011
From the CEO
Contents
Health Beat
Ladies First
Role Reversal
Health Smart
Q+A
Smaller Portions, Bigger Success

Central Carolina HEALTH - Fall 2011