According to a recent article, a new bill for healthier corner stores, will allow a million dollars to be used by local health departments to incorporate training, education and resources for local corner stores to connect with farmers markets and provide easily accessible fresh foods to the public. Although the bill's budget has not been approved or applied in totality, local corner stores are already taking initiatives to provide local fresh foods and efforts are being done to show healthy produce to shoppers. For instance, a local store put fresh produce like apples and potatoes, next to lottery tickets and beer. State representative Chris Whitmire, noted in the article, that recommendations of the study committee are now being implemented without legislation because many ideas ...
Alabama is known as a food desert, an area in need of healthy food access. The Food Trust and VOICES for Alabama’s Children released a mapping report earlier this year, showing a need for healthy food options in urban and rural communities. The report revealed that over 1.8 million Alabamians, with nearly half of a million being children, had limited access to fresh, healthy food options. Recently this month, a local news article showed Governor Bentley following through with the push for healthier retail options by signing the Healthy Food Financing Act. By signing this act the Bentley stated that he hopes to improve the health of Alabama's overall population. Although Latino's are not a large part of Alabama, the healthier access to foods will directly affect their access to ...
Access to fresh fruits and vegetables is vital for the Latino population of Philadelphia, constituting over 12 percent of the population. The grant will fund programing that not only incorporates fresh food from local farms into schools, but also lessons in gardening and farming to over 14,000 students. Many Latino parents rely on schools to help provide nutrition to their families as sometimes this is the main source of nutritious food provided through free school breakfasts and lunches. Although there has been struggle for funding in the past to provide fresher food options, federal grants are providing 13 full-service kitchens to be reopened in the schools as well. To read more about this healthy change in Philly Schools, click ...
How many calories is in your favorite burger, or the kids meal you just ordered for your little one? There is no guessing in nutrition facts now, according to a recent article, Google will now estimate the calories of any fast food item. This is an encouraging way for those who want healthier alternatives, to know their options. How does it work, read the full article ...
Can you pop open the idea of drinking healthier? States across the nation are showing trends on taxing sodas shows a recent news article. Vermont started taxing sugary drinks in July, hoping to help the state close a million dollar gap between revenue and spending. Also other states and cities have jumped on the soda tax bus including Illinois in 2015 and Berkeley, California. Hospitals in San Francisco have taken out sugary juice drinks for kids, and just a month ago San Antonio started a campaign against sugary beverages. Studies show Latino kids drink more sugary beverages, so helping them think about drinking more water and consuming less sugary beverages may be a start in the right direction. The Wall Street Journal recently reported that 30.9% of Latinos drink ...
Brockton, Massachusetts is considered a federally designated food desert. Food deserts are urban areas where it is difficult to find local farmers markets or grocery stores. Latino's make up about ten percent of the population in Brockton, and around 10 percent of the population is struggling with Diabetes. So how can Latinos prevent diabetes when they live in food deserts? How about offering Latino's a shopping experience where they can change chips for broccoli to get points? Or offering store credit to those whose weight or blood pressure has dropped? Jason Barbosa's family business, New Vicente's Tropical Grocery is making public health history. The new store will offer shoppers a truly healthy shopping experience. “You can’t just run a business and not feel that it’s ...
How do you bring a community outdoors and provide green space for families in San Antonio? How about offering jobs and volunteer opportunities? The 63.2% of Latino families of San Antonio may be able to get more involved in outdoor activities through a new two-year initiative under the United States Department of Interior. The initiative was set to help conserve parks and enhance green space. YMCA of Greater San Antonio and the National League of Cities (NCL) have also provided 40,000 dollars towards a Community Coordinator, who will coordinate calendars and events to get youth involved in the initiative. Areas to be revived include the San Antonio Missions National Historical park.To get more involved in conserving natural spaces, youth and families can visit the Texas ...
Greek Yogurt is known for it's thickness and nutrient rich protein, but can it help Kids diets? As an alternative for meat, Chobani will now be offered in lunches within schools across America. Providing Latino kids a choice of what they like to eat may help them make healthier choices. The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) approved Chobani as they had led a successful pilot program back in 2012 with four schools and then expanding to 12 schools over the nation. The yogurt option will be provided for students in schools across the nation starting in the fall, states the recent ...
How great would it be to win a free salad bar for your school? A contest sponsored by Vollrath is offering a free salad bar for a local school. To be a valid contestant you must enter by August 15, 2015, click here to enter the ...
