What is farm to school? Since 2010, Congress brought awareness for the importance of child nutrition in schools and the importance of local farms to provide schools with fresh produce and nutritious foods. Movements in schools along with opportunities for farmers', grew into a now well-known way to solve many challenges in school cafeterias and help local economies. This October, Farm to School is asking people who are wanting to improve child nutrition and create economic opportunities for farmers and communities, to take action and create awareness about #F2SMonth (Farm to School Month). Together business owners, school lunch professionals, food advocates, parents, teachers, farmers and kids can help spread the word about how farm to school has been a successful innovation in ...
Unhealthy diets such as large sums of fried foods, red meat and sugary drinks are linked to low-test scores, according to a new Western Australian Raine Study. The cross-sectional study revealed that 14-year-old students in Australia, who were on the ‘Western’ diet of fast foods and richly processed meats averaged roughly 7 percent lower on math, reading and writing tests. You may have heard you are what you eat, but teen’s brain development is vital to what they eat, suggest the authors of the study. Showing that higher consumption of whole grains and vegetables were associated with higher scores in reading, and writing whereas, lower reading scores were associated with fried potatoes and processed meat, and lower math scores with soft drinks. These developmental years for ...
Need help finding how to have healthier foods in your school or public facility? Check out the Center for Disease Control's Smart Food Choices toolkit here, and also map out where current procurement policies are taking place ...
San Diego (33.2% Latino) is sprinkling the city in gardens. Healthy foods from the local corporate gardens are just outside the door. Urban Plantations, an organic gardening company offers its landscaping services to corporate, residential and assisted-living clients. Bringing organic fresh produce to locals, the company is all about making edible landscapes a norm in the city. However, more needs to be done in encouraging people to want to use produce of edible foods within their companies cafeterias, mentioned Karen Contreras, the founder and president of the company. Many companies and campus clients utilize the food in their cafeterias, but not to the majority that would be harvested on a farm, Contreras explained in a recent article. Contreras leads clients to utilize the ...
Latino adults are more likely to have diabetes than non-latino individuals. The American Diabetes Association (ADA) knows that learning how to create a well-balanced meal may help many Latino families understand how to eat healthy. A bilingual, interactive tool called "Create your plate", has been created by ADA that allows Latinos to create healthy meals by offering portion size recommendations as well as tips on popular common healthy Latin foods. Healthy foods are an important step in preventing diabetes and tools like these may help empower individuals to make nutritious eating choices. To access the "Create your plate" tool, check out the English and Spanish versions ...
Joseph Nickol wants to know, "What is your neighborhood known for?" He advises readers to analyze their neighborhoods and figure out what needs a little fix up for green space for kids, crumbling streets for safe walking routes or new events to revitalize the community. Believing that huge investments can happen in as little as a weekend, Kevin Wright, a senior associate at a landscape and urban design firm, and Joe Nickol, ask people to prove them right by organizing events in underutilized areas of their neighborhoods. Not only are Wright and Nicol asking people to take action, they want to help people take action. How? By sharing their web-based guide to help activate neighborhoods. Guiding neighbors to connect and move communities to make healthy changes together the ...
The Endocrine Society recently published research that reveals exposure to endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) is associated with increased risk of developing diabetes and obesity. These common chemicals are found in everyday items like food can linings, cash register receipts, plastics, cosmetics, flame retardants and pesticides. “The evidence is more definitive than ever before – EDCs disrupt hormones in a manner that harms human health,” said Andrea C. Gore in a recent Newswise article. Professor and Vacek Chair of Pharmacology at the University of Texas at Austin and chair of the task force that developed the statement Gore went on to state that, “Hundreds of studies are pointing to the same conclusion, whether they are long-term epidemiological studies in human, ...
Every year the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) hosts a Feria de Salud (health fair) for Latinos in various areas across the nation. Recently LULAC hosted it's 3rd annual fair in Los Angeles California, helping nearly 10,000 residents connect to vital resources to address health disparities and increase access to health care in the Latino community. Providing free health screenings, glucose and cholesterol tests, as well as free vision and dental check-ups, the fair provides for and promotes healthy living. Cooking demonstrations are also set up by local celebrity chefs and farmers markets distribute thousands of dollars worth of produce to attendees to help encourage families to eat fresh foods. Fun fairs usually offer fried foods, sugary beverages, and very rarely ...
How do we see through false advertising claims from unhealthy food ads? One third of American kids are overweight or obese. These numbers of obesity rates rise in lower income neighborhoods and cause disease, diabetes, and joint deterioration. We make poor food choices, but what are they influenced by? Taking advantage of knowledge about food advertising, and food literacy education, the new Food Fight Toolkit helps schools, students, parents and staff learn how to make better buying decisions with health in ...
