Sun, Fun & Fitness: Fun and Fit as a Family Returns for the 2009 Food Network South Beach Wine & Food Festival

 The Food Network South Beach Wine & Food Festival is pleased to announce the return of its groundbreaking childhood obesity prevention initiative -- South Beach Diet presents Fun and Fit as a Family featuring Kellogg's Kidz Kitchen. Taking place February 21 & 22, 2009 throughout Jungle Island, one of Miami's premiere theme parks, Fun and Fit as a Family will bring together the best culinary, fitness, food, and health personalities and professionals in the country to show the community how they can make healthier choices, and have fun doing it!

"We are very excited about the return of Fun and Fit as a Family this year," comments Lee Brian Schrager, founder and director of the Food Network South Beach Wine & Food Festival. "The childhood obesity prevention initiative is an extremely important topic for families across America, and we are pleased to have the support of everyone's favorite culinary personalities in doing our part to draw attention to this issue."

Driving home just how important this issue is, Schrager is pulling out all the stops and producing a children's health seminar, "Beyond Chicken Nuggets: How to Raise a Healthy Eater," hosted by Tara Parker-Pope, the Well columnist for The New York Times. Modeled off the symposium that took place as part of the inaugural Food Network New York City Wine & Food Festival, featured seminar guests include Rachael Ray, founder of the nonprofit Yum-O!, Dr. Arthur Agatston, author of "The South Beach Diet" and founder of Healthier Options for Public Schoolchildren, and Jessica Seinfeld, founder and president of the nonprofit Baby Buggy. Taking place on Saturday, February 21 at Jungle Island, the symposium is $35 and includes admission to Fun and Fit as a Family that day.

"Children in America today are often overfed and undernourished," says preventive cardiologist Dr. Agatston. "Childhood obesity has reached epidemic proportions in this country because kids are simply eating the wrong foods and not participating in physical activities. We are delighted to be engaging in an open discussion about this issue, as well as sponsoring the Fun and Fit as a Family event to promote healthy lifestyle choices."

Kick off the weekend on Saturday, February 21 with a scenic one-mile Run 4 Fun along Miami's iconic skyline. Then, stick around for a healthy breakfast provided by Kellogg's before beginning the Fun and Fit as a Family experience.

Featuring five destinations of interactive activities for the whole family, the second annual Fun and Fit as a Family promises to entertain and educate all day long! The unparalleled highlight of Fun and Fit as a Family in 2009 is the addition of Kellogg's Kidz Kitchen. In a move designed to keep all of the festival's family programming in one location, Kellogg's Kidz Kitchen will trade the sand for the jungle. A crowd favorite for the previous three years, Kellogg's will join Fun and Fit as a Family as host of Kidz Kitchen featuring star-studded culinary demonstrations with a healthy focus led by Rachael Ray, Guy Fieri, Paula Deen, Tyler Florence, Robin Miller, and George Duran.
Other destinations sure to keep families engaged include the Children's Sustainable Food Garden at Destination Garden. Maintained all year with the help of Jungle Island's Director of Horticulture, Jeff Shimonski, children will have the opportunity to touch, smell, taste and explore a variety of herbs, fruits and vegetables. Next, move to Destination Food where the whole family can enjoy tasting new delicious and nutritious products from our sponsors and community partners. Throughout the weekend, South Beach Diet will also present a selection of healthy menu items that kids will love at Jungle Island's Lakeside Cafe.

Once the healthy snacks have been enjoyed, parents and children can hop, skip or jog their way over to Destination Fitness for games, relay races, sports competitions, and more! Along the way they can stop at Share Our Strength's Food Lab in Destination Discover, where favorites like Rocco DiSpirito, Michelle Bernstein, Johnny Vinczencz, Jonathan Eismann, Allen Susser, and Univision culinary star Maggie Jimenez will be leading you in a hands-on cooking class, preparing healthy versions of their top family-friendly plates.

Fun and Fit as a Family's presenting sponsor, South Beach Diet, is dedicated to the childhood obesity prevention initiative. Over the past four years the Agatston Research Foundation has sponsored the Healthier Options for Public Schoolchildren (HOPS) initiative to impact school cafeteria meals and provide nutrition and lifestyle education, including daily physical activity, to more than 50,000 elementary school children nationally. The kids have achieved a healthier weight and improved their academic scores. Dr. Agatston is committed to Fun and Fit as a Family because it makes celebrating a healthy lifestyle a family affair.