Author: Angela Wilcox

This talk was given at a local TEDx event, produced independently of the TED Conferences. Environment and health conscious entrepreneurs explain how eating healthy can save the environment as well. This married couple has spent their careers devoted to health, nutrition and the environment, working together as a duo developing many mission-driven organizations.

FIU alumni Brian Machovina ’91, MS ’94, and Eileen McHale ’93 are the inventors of Yonanas, a kitchen appliance that turns frozen fruits into a treat that looks and tastes like soft-serve ice cream, now sold in over 50 countries. The married couple has spent their careers devoted to health, nutrition and the environment, working together as a duo developing many mission-driven organizations. As founders of Nui, they developed healthy beverages for children, published an eco-nutrition fictional chapter book, and promoted the youth-oriented healthy-lifestyle brand through a variety of media and marketing programs. At Guayaki Sustainable Rainforest Products they helped develop new products and marketing efforts that supported a rainforest-grown tea become a leader of “market-driven conservation,” positioning the company as one of the hottest selling brands in natural foods. The duo co-developed a charity, Oasis Preserve International, which preserved rainforests in Latin America, guiding a board of directors consisting of leaders in the entertainment, foundation, and scientific communities. McHale is the creator and host of Dish with Eileen, a healthy foods cooking show sponsored by Yonanas broadcasting to students in schools and youth centers nationwide on the HOPSports Network. McHale attended culinary school in Los Angeles and is a former caterer and private chef, with a focus on healthy, creative, and delicious foods. Machovina is now completing a doctoral degree in biology at FIU where he studies ecological issues related to food security.

This talk was given at a local TEDx event, produced independently of the TED Conferences. Anna Verhulst (23) is a fifth year medical student at Maastricht University, doing her internship in Eindhoven. She has a particular interest in the fields of oncology and sports medicine, but isn’t quite sure yet what kind of doctor she wants to become when she graduates in 2016.

Anna is a keen writer, sharing her experiences as a junior intern through columns, essays and opinion pieces. A selection of her publications can be found at annaverhulst.blogspot.nl. In between her internships, she is also involved in a research project that explores the possibilities of exercise rehabilitation in cancer survivors.

On stage at TEDx Maastricht 2014, Anna will share a story that she has purposely kept silent for a long time. It is a story that has nothing to do with her work as a medical student, researcher or writer. It is her personal story, for which she has finally worked up the courage to share it with the public.

In order to eat less, most think prohibitively: “I’m allowed these, but not those” or “I mustn’t eat any more.” This can create a disastrous relationship with food; perhaps complying initially, only to rebel later. Instead of obeying rules, what works is a strong sense of freedom… then making choices.

Gillian Riley is an author whose work focuses on the mindset behind overeating. She teaches techniques that break patterns of eating behavior, delivering control that lasts. Weight loss, when appropriate, is one of many benefits.

Motivated by the effectiveness of this approach, she’s inspired by the practical application of the theory into the everyday lives of those who struggle with food.

Based in Leicestershire, she has a worldwide clientele. Gillian has been delivering her EATING LESS seminars in London since 1997, and is currently creating an online version. Her books, EATING LESS, DITCHING DIETS and WILLPOWER are steady bestsellers