Join The Dallas Morning News in Red Bird in March for a panel on food and health

In my work as a reporter, I don’t spend a lot of time on the public stage.

I talk to community members whenever I can — I respond to emails about my articles, and I also break the millennial-Gen Z code and pick up the phone from time to time.

Rarely do I or my reporting colleagues get opportunities for casual, extended conversation with the community and our readers.

The Dallas Morning News is working to change that.

The week of March 9, The News will host a pop-up newsroom at The DEC Network attached to the Shops at RedBird, along with a few public events. This is an open house, Tuesday-Thursday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., and we’re welcoming the community to join us.

One of the events is a free panel on food and holistic health.

Business Briefing

Ken Smith speaks to reporters at The News during a pop-up newsroom event at The Hub Oct. 14,...

The discussion will revolve around the pillars of health that are outside of medical care — the food we eat, the air we breathe, the stress we take on, and more. We’ll focus particularly on food and nourishment. The event will bring together some of North Texas’ health leaders in a conversation I’ll moderate. There will also be plenty of time for Q&A.

I know food can be a fraught topic. Food insecurity, yo-yo dieting and eating disorders have long plagued our communities. So let me address this off the bat: This discussion is not about chastising anyone for the food they buy, nor is it about calorie counting or body shaming.

This is about meeting ourselves where we’re at, with care, compassion and an understanding of the resources available.

Because the food world can become suddenly different for people on GLP-1s, we’ll touch on that, too, with general outlines of how to stay healthy when your medication has changed your appetite and diet.

I’m excited to have this discussion with you and with some of North Texas’ health leaders, including folks from Children’s Health, Parkland Health, the Methodist Health System and UT Southwestern. My colleagues and I spend our work days tracking down information and stories to bring you the journalism we publish on The News’ website and in the newspaper. This face-to-face conversation is a rare treat.

I hope you’ll join us at this free panel event, and I hope you’ll come ready to learn about how we can all find small, achievable ways to focus more on our health.

If you want more conversation with our newsroom, you can also swing by our pop-up newsroom at The DEC Network, formerly The Dallas Entrepreneur Center, at 3560 W. Camp Wisdom Road, Suite 200. We’ll be there from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on March 10, 11 and 12.

The Dallas Morning News will host the “Food as Medicine: Nourishing Health from the Inside Out” panel event at The DEC Network on Tuesday, March 10, at 6 p.m. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. RSVP for this free event here.

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