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Lisa

Articles by Lisa

Exciting News! The Bronx Healthy Beverage Zone Project Moves Forward



What is considered a "healthy beverage zone"? A sugary drinks-free zone! The Healthy Beverage Zone (HBZ) is a first of its kind, borough-wide effort to eliminate sugary-sweetened beverages (SSBs) at work sites, health centers, hospitals, houses of worship and schools, affecting all who work, live, and visit the Bronx. The initiative that has already received national attention from the Aetna Foundation is now asking for partners to pledge to be #HealthBeverageZones or "#HBZ's". Just like the Union Community Health Center (UCHC) decided to make its clinics SSB Free Zones in 2016, the initiative is now asking all workplaces to promote healthy beverages and reduce healthcare costs associated with chronic disease linked to consumption of sugary drinks. "One-third of Bronx ...

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NFL Hall of Famer, Emmitt Smith Takes A Stand For Healthier Food



Many know Emmitt Smith was as an NFL Hall-of-Famer, but did you know he is also a real estate and construction businessman and community philanthropist? He is now writing on support for Texas to establish a food retail incentive fund that would help businesses expand healthy retail into low-income neighborhoods and booster development. "When I talk about people in low opportunity neighborhoods, I am talking about my parents as we were growing up. My friends and family. My teachers and role models. I am talking about me as a child," he told the Texas Tribune. Emmit wrote a recent column in the Tribune to encourage State Legislature to help families have grocery stores and access to healthy foods. I am a businessman, not a politician. But if running Texas were my business, I ...

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Take Action for Water!



Water Wellness Alert!!! Did you know that between 50-75% of your body is made of water? Drinking enough water to keep your body hydrated is an important part of staying healthy for kids and adults. One of the simplest ways that we can make sure that kids are drinking adequate water (and skipping the sugar-sweetened beverages!) is to include access to drinking water in school wellness policies. Including water in your policy helps to keep it top of mind for school staff and ensures that water won’t become less of a priority if the administration changes. Now is a great time for schools to update their wellness policies. All schools participating in federal nutrition programs must update their policies to comply with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s final rule by June 30, ...

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Stephen Lucke Grows Gardens of Wellness in San Antonio



Stephen Lucke's life forever when he took a college nutrition class. Lucke, an aspiring doctor who was studying biochemistry at University of the Incarnate Word in San Antonio, Texas (63% Latino) a few years ago, realized that healthy food could help stop people from getting sick in the first place. He was so motivated to help that he immediately helped start a campus wellness program in 2011. He helped start a fruit and vegetable garden on campus a few months later. “I just really became educated about the obesity epidemic,” Lucke said. “You know San Antonio was the most obese city in 2007.” Food Access Needed in San Antonio As he worked to maintain gardens on the UIW campus, Lucke began to realize a severe lack of community gardens and a lack of garden ...

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Connecticut State Looks Into Soda Tax


hand holding soda can pouring a crazy amount of sugar in metaphor of sugar content of a refresh drink dietary guidelines

Connecticut would be the first State to consider a statewide soda tax if conversations continue. Cities like Berkely and Philadelphia have passed a tax and have already seen progress in terms of reducing soda consumption and improving funding for education and public health initiatives. For Connecticut, the conversation around soda taxes began back in 2014 when a Congressional representative from Connecticut proposed a national soda tax bill in the house of representatives, but the idea has come back up now as the bill was introduced by the state Finance, Revenue and Bonding Committee and Lawmakers on Tuesday, April 11th at a public hearing. According to local new source Fox 61 the tax would charge consumers of sugary drinks a penny -per ounce and exempt drinks that are ...

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School Dietician Uses Student Videos to Give Health a Starring Role


Sierra Middle School 7th Grade Winner for the Best Healthy Eating Film Award in the 2016 Film Fest. Student stands with Barbara Berger to his right and his mother to his left. (Photo Source: Barbara Berger).

Barbara Berger was more than concerned—she was downright worried about the growing weight and health of her students. The school dietitian in Las Cruces, NM (67.1% Latino population), found it hard to promote healthy eating and physical activity to her teenaged students. That was, until she let students do it themselves in a way that would engage students in a fun, creative story-telling experience. Through the use of creative films and videos, Berger found that the students were not only able to help solve real-world health problems, they had fun and gained valuable life-skills while doing it. Opening Credits: A Video Idea to Help Middle-Schoolers Barbara Berger has been involved with health and nutrition education since 2012 for the Las Cruces Public School ...

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#WellnessWins Campaign Launches!



The #WellnessWins campaign celebrates the importance of strong wellness policies and the great strides districts are already making nationwide! The #WellnessWins campaign celebrates district wellness success and inspires everyone to create healthier school environments, grounded in strong wellness policies. Beginning on April 17, school leaders, community members, and parents can visit WellnessWins.org to download resources, read success stories, and learn how they can support and advance school wellness policies. Support is critical to helping highlight the importance of strong wellness policies and to the campaign’s success! Want to learn how to support #WellnessWins on Social Media? Join the Alliance for a Healthier Generation (@HealthierGen), the Academy of ...

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Depression is Number One Cause of Poor Health in the World



Depression is an illness characterized by constant sadness and a loss of interest in activities one normally enjoys and it is also the number one reason for poor health, affecting over 300 million people worldwide, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). With a growing youth Latino population in America dealing with depressive symptoms, this also brings a concern to higher rates of suicide, anxiety and other mental health issues for this at-risk population. In fact, research shows the prevalence of depressive symptoms among Latino youth is 22%, a rate higher than any other minority group besides Native American youth and Latina adolescents have the highest rates of suicidal ideation and suicide attempt compared to their peers. Common mental disorders are increasing ...

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Know A Young Texas Health Champion?



Calling all health champions ages 15-18! The Michael and Susan Dell Center for Healthy Living is awarding 2017 Texas Health Champions that are helping to prevent or deter obesity in their local town, cities, communities, or schools. The Award Ceremony will be held during the Texas Obesity Awareness week, September 11th through the 15th, 2017 in Austin and will honor young Texans (15-18) who have demonstrated exceptional leadership in the community in an effort to raise awareness and reduce the burden of the obesity epidemic. Awardees will also be highlighted on the Michael & Susan Dell Center for Healthy Living website, blog and other media sources, to learn more or apply for the Rising Star Award, click ...

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