Youth leaders from the Amarillo Activity Youth Center (AAYC) and the Amarillo Public Health Department are excited to announce the launch of a new healthy lifestyle program, available for free to kids ages 6-12. The 10 week Mind, Exercise, Nutrition, and Do it (MEND) program will be available starting in March 2015. In a NewsChannel 10 report, Casie Stoughton, Director of the Public Health Department said that her department was collaborating with several community partners to make the program available to children. "We will help provide families some training and hands on work to change some patterns into a more healthy lifestyle," said Stoughton. Families will attend two-hour sessions twice a week for ten weeks. The program is funded through the Harrington Cancer ...
Junk food shouldn’t be the only option kids have to eat. That’s why Salud America! is presenting six new #SaludHeroes who helped give Latino kids healthier food inside and outside school. WATCH and VOTE for your favorite “#SaludHeroes of food” by Feb. 25, 2015, and be entered in a random drawing to win a FREE T-shirt and jump rope! #SaludHeroes of food are: No More “Chemical” School Food. Parents fought back against chemically enhanced burgers and paved way for fresh, healthy food for students in Fairfax, Va.
Youth for Better Restaurants. Tired of fast food, youth pushed city leaders to get improved nutritional standards for local restaurants in Watsonville, Calif.
Bye, Bye, Chocolate Milk. Celebrity chef Jamie Oliver, parents and school leaders worked to ...
Here's a healthy idea that's sweeping the nation: Doctors writing "prescriptions" for fruits and veggies. The idea is that eating well is something that should be part of a regular routine to stay healthy, just like any important medication would be. Last Fall, a concerned doctor teamed-up with an organic produce non-profit to begin writing prescriptions for fruits and vegetables and allowing patients to fill their prescription right in Houston's medical center. Dr. Garth Davis call the new program the "Farmacy Stand." The stand is open 10 a.m.-2 p.m. every Wednesday in the lobby of Memorial Hermann Memorial City Medical Center, 921 Gessner Road. The produce stand is located in the East Tower and free parking is available in Garage 3. Patients present prescriptions for a box ...
A settlement between two California parents and 37 school districts will require elementary schools to show proof that they are providing enough physical education (PE) time to students. As a result of the recent settlement, elementary school teachers will be required to publicly document how many minutes of PE students are getting. In the case that PE time is missed, the teacher must provide an explanation for why the lesson was missed and how they will replace those minutes. Parents will be able to access information on how many minutes of PE students are getting and local school boards will review schedules, according to a news article from the California Report. “We think it’s a huge accomplishment and it’s going to benefit public health in California,” said attorney ...
Children who consume heavily sweetened energy drinks are 66% more likely to be at risk for hyperactivity and inattention symptoms, according to a new study. On the average day, the 1,649 middle-school students in the study reported consuming two sugared beverages or energy drinks, which can contain up to 40 grams of sugar—even though health experts recommend that children consume a maximum of 21 to 33 grams of sugar daily. Who was most likely to consume energy drinks? Hispanic and black boys drank more than their study counterparts. “As the total number of sugar-sweetened beverages increased, so too did risk for hyperactivity and inattention symptoms among our middle-school students. Importantly, it appears that energy drinks are driving this association,” said Jeannette ...
A bill introduced last legislative session in New York that would have placed a warning label on sugary drinks may have fallen short, but another legislator is giving it second shot in 2015. New York Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz has introduced the “Sugar-Sweetened Beverages Safety Warning Act,” a bill that would require warning labels on all sugary drinks, like soda, iced tea and energy drinks.The labels would read: “SAFETY WARNING: Drinking beverages with added sugar contributes to obesity, diabetes and tooth decay.” Dinowitz cites the success of tabacco-style warning labels as one reason his bill is winner. “This is not a ban. It’s a warning label. I believe warning labels contributed to the decrease in smoking,” he said in an article in the New York ...
With the January 2015 release of California's Parks Forward recommendations Latinos and all Californians have the chance to take part in rebuilding the California parks system. According to the recommendations, parks are essential to the well being of Californians. In a recent op-ed, Ron Gonzales, former mayor of San Jose and president/CEO of the Hispanic Foundation of Silicon Valley writes about securing parks for California and the power that Latinos have to make such changes. "By speaking out now, we can improve the health of Hispanic Californians in nearly every corner of the state," Gonzales said. "We can secure safe places for our kids to play and socialize and permanently alter the landscape of Latino neighborhoods. We can expand access to healthy-living resources, ...
Chicago, Illinois. Kyle, Texas. These are two very different settings: Big-city urban vs. small-town rural. Yet school leaders in both areas grew so alarmed by student obesity and physical inactivity, especially among Latino students, they pushed for policies to get kids moving during class—demonstrating that, no matter how big or small, Salud Heroes can make change. Simon Middle School principal Matt Pope helped launch innovative “brain breaks” and more activities at the 90% Latino school in Kyle. Read or watch exactly how Pope got it done. “The mission of Simon Middle School changed, and my mission as principal changed, because we have to change the lives of our students to live a healthy life where they have a healthy brain, a healthy body, and a healthy ...
The bake sale is a classic school fundraiser, but the usual items fore sale like sugary cookies, cupcakes and other treats won't meet the new Smart Snacks in Schools guidelines set by the USDA in June 2014. However, schools shouldn't fear losing revenue from cancelled bake sales. Bolthouse Farms is redefining what a bake sale can be with their launch of the UnBake Sale. The UnBake Sale initiative provides schools all the tools to host a fundraising event featuring better-for-you fun and delicious snacks made of fruits and vegetables that meet the Smart Snacks in Schools guidelines. Parents, teachers and school administrators are encouraged to visit TheUnBakeSale.com and join the “100 School Pledge.” The first 100 schools to participate in the pledge will receive a starter kit ...
