Linda Novick O'Keefe

The causes of the obesity epidemic are in plain sight. Every time we fire up our iPads or turn on our TVs, we see the disappearance of family mealtime, the increased accessibility of fast food and the proliferation of urban food deserts. At the same time, new schools across the...

A once-ubiquitous feature of American life -- the family dinner -- is in a sad state of decline. A variety of factors -- such as the influx of women in the workforce, the increase of single-parent households, the lack of leisure time among America's middle class and the proliferation of...

Business as usual is changing. Or at least the way business leaders think about philanthropy is changing.

In an era of global connectivity and instant media, companies increasingly view philanthropic campaigns as an intrinsic component of a successful business strategy, rather than an external obligation. They now recognize that...

As temperatures start to rise and skies start to clear, it's time for spring cleaning: open the windows, beat the rugs and clear out a winter's worth of dust. Maybe this year, while we clean our homes, we should focus on the kitchen. Spring is a time of renewal, of...

Despite obesity rates that continue to skyrocket, Congress is expected to vote to substantially cut funding that is designated to help address the number-one preventable cause of death in America.

The Prevention and Public Health Fund, created by the Affordable Care Act...

You probably missed it. It came just before Madonna stepped onto the stage amidst marching, gold-plated body builders and sometime after the first touchdown by the Patriots. In that moment the camera panned briefly to the corner of the field, where a kid, grasping a football and smiling from ear...

The word "Food Desert" was coined to describe Chicago. It was in our city -- in the shadow of the Sears Tower and the Eisenhower Expressway, by the smoking factories lining the south shore and the rusting truss bridges eternally raised along the river -- that the crisis was first...

Maybe you've been looking anxiously at maps this week? There's new violence in the Sudan, mayhem in Syria, and worry that Iran might block the Straights of Hormuz. All of these are critical locations... but what I keep returning to is Feeding America's "Map the Meal...

If we do not change our habits by 2020, children today will have a shorter life expectancy than their parents. It would be the first time that this has happened in 200 years.

This is a chilling thought. How are we supposed to feel as a...

When I woke this morning for an early run, it was dark. (Did I really want to hit the pavement at this hour? Wouldn't that extra 30 minutes of sleep be just as good for me?) It was dark still when I laced up my shoes at the door. From...

Childhood obesity is a national security issue.

What? Did I understand that correctly? Of course excess weight is a health risk, and it becomes a wider social issue when we consider the devastating effect poor diet has on children's learning abilities. But it took the commanding words of

Thanksgiving: a favorite holiday filled with family, friends and amazing food. But is there any parent who doesn't find planning for it the weensiest bit stressful? All those tables laden with delicious baked goods can turn the meal into a whirl of worry if one of your kids has a...

One of the most inspiring aspects of the fight to end childhood obesity and food inequality in the United States is the sheer number and variety of organizations that have taken up the banner and proposed their own creative solutions. The First Lady has pushed childhood obesity to the top...

Imagine you're Ramon. You're nine. You're a little bit of a geek; you'd rather spend your weekend reading Harry Potter than shooting hoops. You live on Chicago's South Side with your Mom and Dad, your Grandma, and your hamster Lucille. Like Lucille, you're slightly chubby.

Luckily, you are involved...

As kids, how many of us looked forward all year to Halloween, that sanctioned sugar-saturation fest? Isn't October really just a countdown to candy corn and bite-sized Butter Fingers? And no matter how vigilant our parents might have been about the "one piece a day" rule, dear reader, do confess:...

It's the most common paraphrase in today's parenting lexicon: "My child is a picky eater. There is nothing I can do, so I just feed him macaroni and cheese. It's all he will eat."

As a parent myself, I know how overworked we are -- after spending 10 hours working...

Last week the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. memorial opened to the public on the National Mall in Washington, D.C . The official dedication ceremony on Sunday, August 28th, the 48th anniversary of his "I Have a Dream" speech, was postponed due to Hurricane Irene; however, it's easy for me...

Whether we admit it or not -- whether we want to or not -- we mirror our parents. Parents are the single greatest influence on our lives. We see, absorb and act out their best and worst habits and behaviors.

As a parent myself, I am...

As our nation recovers from the recent battle over raising the debt ceiling in Washington DC, a recent Washington Post and Pew Research Center poll found that a vast majority of Americans thought the entire process was "ridiculous," "disgusting," "stupid" and "frustrating." While the poll didn't explore why...

In the fight against childhood obesity in the United States, we are getting back to basics. We know that simple things like eating more plant-based foods, exercise, nutritional knowledge and portion control can have a huge impact. The Obama administration's recent release of MyPlate gives us a clear...