Health Awareness Day features speakers on overeating, cancer, memory and planet-based diet

Celebrity author Alicia Silverstone will highlight the Jewish Community Center of Metropolitan Detroit's annual Health Awareness Day on Friday, November 13 in Oak Park and West Bloomfield.

Health Awareness Day, underwritten by Huron Valley-Sinai Hospital, is part of Book Fair’s 12-day schedule and provides a scheduled of four authors focused on topical issues concerning health and well-being.

First up at 10 a.m. in Oak Park is Dr. David Kessler, author of The End of Overeating: Taking Control of the Insatiable American Appetite. Kessler, commissioner of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration under presidents George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton, considers the question of why Americans eat when they’re already full and always seem to be hungry. Kessler has met with scientists and physicians to understand why people eat more than they need and what they need to do to stop. In this groundbreaking study, he also explains why it’s difficult to resist some foods and offers extraordinary insight about popular brand-name foods. Dr. Kessler will also speak at 2 p.m. in West Bloomfield.

Also at 10 a.m. in West Bloomfield is Libby Znaimer, author of In Cancerland: Living Well is the Best Revenge. When journalist Libby Znaimer discovered a lump in her breast, she was in shock; she had just had a round of mammograms that showed absolutely nothing. In Cancerland, Znaimer provides a no-punches-pulled look at the events that shaped her cancer experience, often writing as they unfolded. Whether making serious health decisions or buying the perfect gold sandals for an event she wouldn’t miss, Znaimer speaks with honesty and insight.

At 11 a.m. in West Bloomfield, Sue Halpern, author of Can’t Remember What I Forgot: The Good News from the Front Lines of Memory Research found answers to questions almost everyone "of a certain age" asks. You walk out the door and forget your keys. You read a newspaper story and 15 minutes later forget what it was about. Does this mean early Alzheimer’s and if so, is it time to start doing crossword puzzles every day? Halpern, a Rhodes scholar, wanted to know the truth on every front – science, research, cures treatment – regarding memory loss and dementia.

To wrap up the day, actress Alicia Silverstone will speak at 12:30 in West Bloomfield about her book The Kind Diet: A Simple Guide to Losing Weight, Looking Great, Saving Yourself, the Animals and the Planet! In this book, Silverstone, a conservationist and animal rights activist, shows how adopting a planet-based diet can help you lose weight and clear your skin, provide amazing energy and help with digestive problems.

All of the events above are free and open to the public and the authors will be available to sign their books. For a complete list of authors and speaking dates, to purchase tickets and for Book Fair hours of operation, please visit www.jccdet.org. Or for a brochure, please call the Center’s Arts, Culture and Education department at 248.432.5692.