Owatonna Public Schools in Steele County Minnesota (7.5% Latino) are celebrating National Farm to School month this October by continuing to implement healthy changes in school lunches. Since 2014 the district has been working with local vendors as much as possible, after receiving $100,000 in grants from Blue Cross Blue Sheild of Minnesota and the US Department of Agriculture the school district has incorporated more fresh turkey meat, and fruits and vegetables from local farmers. Food hubs have also helped bring the school to work with local food vendors who deliver fresh fruits and vegetables to the hubs and then are delivered to the schools. Even options like pizza or hamburgers only available in the High Schools are made with local dough, low-fat cheese, meats without fillers, ...
Sodium is found in many processed food products, like cheese and lunch meats. It's also packed into some foods we don't expect, like frozen lunches or canned beans. Many times when packing a lunch for our kids we might not heed daily recommendations for our kid's sugar and sodium intake, but the American Heart Association has a list of dietary recommendations to follow to help keep sugars and sodium foods to a minimum. Also, Wral.com has suggested 8 simple ways to keep daily sodium intake low. Model healthy eating to your kids.
Consider the school lunches menu and see how healthy it can be!
Go online before dining out at night to research nutritious information on popular dishes that can help you stay in check of high sugar, sodium or calorie amounts.
Pack school ...
All kids deserve to grow up in a healthy environment, where access and education around healthy meals and activities bring about healthy habits for a lifetime. Hoping to ensure girls learn about aspects of wellness like friendship health and community, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona (BCBSAZ) is working with Girl Scouts-Arizona Cactus- Pine Council (GSACPC) to encourage girls to earn a new badge focused on healthy living. The "All About Healthy Living" patch will be launched in February 2017 and is focused on wellness, including aspects like friendship, community, fitness and health. Healthy eating is also part of the partnership where BCBSAZ is requesting all young girl aspiring chefs to join the All About Healthy Living recipe contest, where they can submit an original ...
The PEW Charitable Trusts is encouraging parents to eat with their kids during September and bring awareness to healthy eating during National Childhood Obesity Awareness Month. Here are some tips to help students know their parents, grandparents or family members support them in healthy eating. Make a date! Enjoy lunch with your child to see exactly what is offered in school meals and show support to school staff and students who are making healthy meal choices. This can help support mindful eating as well, giving students a warm supportive environment for healthy food choices.
School meal for dinner? Yes, that's right! Ask your school nutrition director for a recipe your child might like and make it at home for dinner. This gives children a way to get involved and parents a ...
The Parent Teachers Association (PTA) has geared up to help ensure that students have access to and participate in nutritious school meals. Laura Bay, president of the National PTA explained in a press release that students learn better when they eat better, and a strong school meal program can help children receive more than half of their daily nutrient needs. The PTA plans to award over $60,000 in grants to schools and PTAs across the country. Three schools will receive $5000 each, and another 25 PTAs in Alexandria, VA will receive grants of $2000 each. A collaboration between The Pew Charitable Trusts and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation created the Kid's Safe and Healthful Food Project which helps fund in part The Healthy School Meals grants. The PTA also plans to help ...
Students in the Sunnyslope school in Hollister School District within Hollister, Calif. (65% Latino) were introduced to a fresh school salad bar yesterday as a new partnership blossomed. Sunnyslope school the Hollister School District will now get to enjoy fresh local grown produce from the Grower-Shipper Association Foundation as a partnership between the district and the Grower-Shipper's Foundation are working together to fight against childhood obesity in the school environment through giving more kids access to fresh vegetables in local schools. "It is an amazing sight to not only see the students excited about salad but also enjoying it as a healthy lunch option," Joe Rivas, Sunnyslope's principal told local news source BenitoLink. It's true, Latino-majority schools often ...
The National Drinking Water Alliance (NDWA), a coalition of nonprofits, academic institutions, advocates, and individuals, works to ensure that all children are able to access safe water in the places where they live, learn and play. The NDWA recently launched its new online resource clearinghouse for drinking water research, policy, access, and education. DrinkingWaterAlliance.org provides users with hundreds of useful tools, research studies, fact sheets, promotional materials and policy papers, as well as the latest developments in the field. Together, we can improve access to drinking water in childcare centers, use local school wellness policies to improve water quality, educate families and help people pledge to drink water instead of sugary beverages – and much ...
Being the first major United States City to pass a soda tax, Philadelphia (14% Latino) now faces a legal battle with the American Beverage Association (ABA). For Latino kids, who's consumption of sugary drink is often higher than their white peers, this is a step back for the future of their health. In fact, Latino kids are often targeted by media to drink more sugary beverages and junk food, leading them to consume unhealthy food and drink which often lead them toward diet-related health risks like heart disease, high blood sugar, and or diabetes. Millions of dollars have already been spent on opposition from ABA to keep the soda tax measure from passing, but now ABA hopes to keep the tax from being implemented before it's projected start date in January 2017. Mayor Jim ...
Do you have a home or small urban garden? Compost pile? According to a new study, you may be helping the environment and reducing climate change. Researchers from the University of California at Santa Barbara studied how well-tended gardens for every family home in California may help increase the chance of the state reaching its goal of reducing emissions by 2020. The study reveals that anyone who gardens in their home or backyard could help contribute to reducing two pounds of carbon emissions for every pound of homegrown vegetables consumed. Latino's often miss out on gardening opportunities or fresh food access in their neighborhoods, studies show. Reducing access to growing healthy foods could also increase the high risks that Latino's already face in dealing with ...
