Transformative Schools Network (TSN) is a group of grassroots organizations and networks working to bring winning policies and resources for local school districts to foster healthy, equitable, safe schools. Centering on 6 policy focuses, TSN hopes to create solutions to help people achieve healthy schools in their community. The 6 policy focuses are: Healthy & Safe Food and Water
Equitable funding and governance
Health services
Safety/Safe Space
Physical activity
Equitable Facilities and school infrastructure Check out their Policy toolkit to help movers and shakers take action step by step. To learn more about TSN and how it can help you change local schools for the better, click ...
Getting Latino kids to eat vegetables isn't always an easy job, especially when Latinos are more likely to live in neighborhoods that have little to no access to local grocery stores. However, a recent research study in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics suggests that Latino kids who consume more vegetables in their diets, are healthier overall, even if they are overweight. The study reveals that kids who are eating vegetables, like spinach, broccoli or carrots, even for just a fraction of their diet, can reduce bad fats in the body. The study focused on a group of overweight Latino children, monitored by a researchers from The Keck School of Medicine, and the University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin). They found that children who consume one or two ...
A farmer's market is a lot of fun—for parents only, usually. Kids often just tag along, glumly, as their parents busily shop for fresh fruits and vegetables. That is, until the Market Sprouts Kids Club. Kaely Summers and other farmer's market managers in Oregon teamed up to create the Market Sprouts Kids Club program to teach Latino kids and other kids who come to the market about farming, fresh produce, and healthy eating. Now kids ages 5-12 who visit local markets, like Summers' Forest Grove Farmer's Market in Forest Grove, Ore., (23.1% Latino), do fun, interactive activities alongside farmers and volunteers who teach about healthier foods and healthier choices!
Farmer's Markets and Children in Oregon
Officials with Adelante Mujeres, a non-profit organization focusing on ...
A bill recently came up in New York City that calls for kids meals or any meal marketed to them with a toy or promotional item, to include a fruit item, a vegetable and whole grains.
All meals must also be at 500 calories or less with less than 35 percent of calories of fat. Studying the impact they bill may have, researches found that on average, kids meals did not meet nutritional standards, containing 600 calories with 36 percent of calories coming from fat. Researcher from New York University and lead author, Dr. Brian Elbel, stated in a recent article, "Passing the bill could be a step in the right direction, though no single policy can singlehandedly eliminate childhood obesity." Having healthier options that are low cost can be vital for Latino families' health, as ...
According to a 2014 report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), school meals are healthier than in 2000. The CDC report compared data from 2000, 2006 and 2014 to see how schools have implemented nutrition standards by the USDA that require more fruits, vegetables and less sodium in school meals.Among the findings, the CDC report showed that almost all schools offered whole grains for breakfast and lunches daily, and that as many as 80 percent of schools offered two or more vegetables a day for lunch, compared to 61.7 percent in 2000. It is necessary for Latino students to have access to fresh fruits and vegetables in order to achieve a healthier diet. Studies shows when there are healthier options, Latino kids tend eat more healthy options, such as more whole ...
Reports show that Latino children in Texas are overweight (46.8%) compared to white (22.9%) and black children (26.3%). Texas is also considered the 5th most obese in state in the U.S. for children. Having access to fresh, healthy foods is a vital component to combat obesity for Latino children in Texas. Studies show that Latino families without access to healthier options, may have higher diet-related diseases and deaths. A recent campaign by the American Heart Association supports this idea, with their hashtag, #MoreAtMyStore encouraging stores throughout Austin Texas to provide increased healthy options for consumers. The campaign encourages social media users to use the hashtag #MoreAtMyStore to voice their concerns or text Austin to 52886, allowing consumers to be a part of ...
The American Heart Association (AHA) and Aramark have partnered up to encourage healthy living for Americans. The initiative is called Healthy for Life, 20 by 20, hoping to improve health of at least 20 percent of Americans by the year 2020. Aramark is changing their menus, along with their food's sodium and fat levels and increasing fruit and vegetable options for the 2 million foods they serve at various businesses, events, schools and parks. Partnering with the AHA, they also plan to work together to provide health education with culturally relevant cooking and nutrition education classes for underserved communities throughout the country and encourage healthier options with their digital wellness centers. Targeting underserved communities across the nation, the initiative ...
“Lower-income people having control over their own food is powerful and affirming,” said Mary Petit the co-founder and operator of a community garden in the highly populated latino county of San Bernardino, California, in a recent SeedStock article. Petit stated that her Incredible Edible Community Garden is, “all about growing health and well-being for the community.” Co-founded and operated by Mary Petit and Eleanor Torres, the Incredible Edible Community Garden helps lower- income Latino population address the need of food insecurity for the community. The community is considered amongst the biggest county in the nation with Latinos being the majority, according to the PEW research Center. Also, bringing jobs, food security and increased health to the county ...
Whole foods offers an ongoing program to provide salad bars to schools across the nation. Let's Move Salad Bars to Schools program for schools helps students enjoy the benefits of healthier diets. Studies show that when fruits and vegetables are available, students eat more healthy options. Helping Latino kids eat healthier may help combat the rising obesity rates in Latino kids. Applying for a salad bar, requires that the school district operates under the USDA National School Lunch Program, and that the school has at least 100 students. All schools interested in applying for the salad bar, are encouraged to read this article first. To learn more about applying, click ...
