It's not all about the "cooking" on Cookin' With Cutty. That is just part of living a healthy lifestyle. We also want you to include lots of fun exercise, stay tobacco free and far away from secondhand smoke.

Just this week the U.S. Surgeon General Richard H. Carmona stated that the effects from secondhand smoke exposure are more pervasive than previously thought.

"The scientific evidence is undisputable: secondhand smoke is not a mere annoyance. It is a serious health hazard that can lead to disease and premature death in children and nonsmoking adults." Secondhand smoke is a known cause of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), respiratory problems, asthma attacks, ear infections low birth weight and bronchitis in infants and children.

Children face a higher risk than adults of the negative effects of second hand smoke. Not only is a child's body still developing physically, but their breathing rate is faster than an adults. Adults breathe in and out approximately 14 to 18 times a minute, where newborns can breathe as many as 60 times a minute. Up until a child is about 5 years old, the respiratory rate is quite fast; usually between 20 and 60 breaths per minute.

When the air is tainted with cigarette smoke, young, developing lungs receive a higher concentration of inhaled toxins than older lungs. Also, young children have less control over their surroundings than the rest of us. Babies can't move to another room because the air is smoky. They depend on us to provide them with clean air to breathe.

Secondhand smoke increases the risk of heart disease and lung cancer by about 25-percent in non-smokers. Secondhand smoke can act on the arteries so quickly that eve a brief pass through someone else's smoke can endanger people at high risk of heart disease.

There are more than 50 cancer causing chemicals in secondhand smoke, and smokers and nonsmokers in rooms with smokers inhale many of the same toxins. Even the most sophisticated ventilation systems cannot eliminate secondhand smoke and that only smoke free environments are risk free.

The Cookin' With Cutty gang says the best way to never smoke is to never start. Smoking doesn't make you smarter, stronger or more beautiful, but it will rob you of your money, your beauty and your health. Like Blakely and Cutty sing about, "Don't smoke your gonna choke, don't smoke your gonna choke". Well maybe we need to update that song, because it could be worse.

If you or someone you love wants to quit tobacco, they can get help by calling 1-800-QUIT-NOW or by logging onto www.quitnet.com.

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