More than 90% of kids ages 6-18 eat more sodium than recommended, heightening their risk of developing high blood pressure and heart disease. That sodium doesn't come from the salt shaker, either. About 43% of sodium eaten by children comes from the 10 foods they eat most often: pizza, bread and rolls, cold cuts/cured meats, savory snacks, sandwiches, cheese, chicken patties/nuggets, pasta mixed dishes, Mexican mixed dishes, and soups, according to the CDC. Check out the CDC's new English or Spanish video to find tips on how to reduce sodium in children's diets. “If you choose a lower sodium option, chances are that your children will too,” said Dr. Ileana Arias, the CDC's principal deputy director, in the new ...
Madison Alewel from NewsChannel 10 reports on how one school made big changes to bring healthy foods to students. When the USDA changed the meal standards for schools, they gave schools a few years to prepare and transition. The Amarillo Independent School District in Texas used that time to develop a resource that would not burden the district, but in turn save it money. The school district built their very own bakery to provide its 53 schools with whole grain bread, which is one of the new healthier requirements. The bread is made from scratch and served fresh to students on a daily basis. The AISD Bakery produces about one ton of dough each day, which ends up providing about 9,000 meals to local students. "We make loaf bread, hamburger, hot dog buns, rolls and hoagies," said ...
A new award-winning board game that teaches kids how lead a healthy lifestyle and gets them moving is making its way into schools and homes across Texas, Georgia and the rest of the US . According to a PRweb press release, the game Lunchbox Kids, is already being used by schools and after school programs in Austin, Texas. In the press release, Michele Rusnak, Physical and Health Education Supervisor for Austin ISD said: "The LunchBox Kids board game is an excellent resource to use in the gym and to share with teachers as part of the campus' Coordinated School Health efforts. LunchBox Kids is also ideal for school settings in Texas because it fulfills many of the the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) requirements. The game which is for children ages 6 and ...
Cities and states across the country are increasingly turning to financial incentives to bring healthy food access closer to home. One popular policy option is offering tax credits for folks who turn vacant lots into urban gardens that grow healthy fruits and vegetables for the neighborhood. In Maryland, counties and the city of Baltimore may now offer tax credits for land used exclusively for farming and Baltimore officials have drafted a bill to take advantage of the state law. The bill offers tax credits to land owners who commit to using their land for growing and selling fresh produce. Read more about tax breaks for urban agriculture in this comprehensive NPR ...
Latino millennials ages 18-34 rate their health more positively, define health as having a good diet, feeling good, and exercising, and report lower levels of stress compared to non-Latino Millennials, according to a new report, MediaPost reports. The report, The Hispanic Millennial Project, was conducted by market researchers at ThinkNow Research and the ad agency Sensis to address Latino millennials' "motivators and mindsets around health, wellness, diet, exercise, adoption of health related technology, health care insurance knowledge and enrollment and attitudes towards the ACA." Foreign-born Hispanic Millennials are more likely to define health as “having no physical problems” while U.S. born Hispanic Millennials are likely to define health as “feeling good” or ...
A number of authoritative public health, policy, and advocacy groups are encouraging Americans to drink more water. Some health advocates believe lowering the price of water might encourage folks to drink more water and less unhealthy sugary drinks. This fact sheet presents the latest data on state sales taxes applied to bottled water. These data were compiled by The MayaTech Corporation for the Bridging the Gap research program. Check out the fact sheet here! ...
Residents of Westwood, one of Denver's predominantly Latino neighborhoods, celebrated the grand opening of a new park on Saturday, September 6, 2014. According to District 3 Councilman Paul Lopez's Facebook page the Cuatro Vientos-Four Winds Park is the first park to come to district 3 in nearly 30 years. Local residents, members of Westwood Unidos---a coalition that works to promote healthy living and bring healthy options to the Westwood neighborhood---and many other key stakeholders, gathered between 11am-3pm on Saturday to celebrate the occasion. According to the Westwood Unidos Facebook page, prior to the park opening, the community had less than 10% of the target acres of park per capita. In 2012, when the Colorado Health Foundation announced a request for ...
Eating healthy while traveling can be a challenge, but one hotel is hoping to help on-the-go travelers make easy, healthy food choices. Marriott Hotels, the flagship brand of Marriott International, Inc. launched its first healthy vending machine, featuring handcrafted salads, sandwiches and snacks made fresh everyday using local ingredients. The first working prototype debuts in the lobby of the Chicago Marriott O'Hare, offering travelers healthy food options available all day and night. The healthy vending machine was inspired by Anjana Kallarackal, a 21-year old college student, who offered her healthy idea to Marriott Hotels as part of the company's Travel Brilliantly campaign. In looking to bring Anjana's idea to life, Marriott Hotels reached out ...
Hispanic and African American cancer patients suffered more mental health distress than non-Hispanic white patients, according to a new study, VoxxiNews reports. The study, led by Héctor E Alcalá of UCLA, linked increased mental health stress to household income, as a cancer diagnosis is known to "erode finances." The VoxxiNews report cites two older studies with similar findings:
In 2008, data indicated economic stress for low-income women with cancer significantly impacted quality of life; functional, emotional, physical, social-family well-being, depression and anxiety scores were all worse for women who had economic stress while dealing with their cancer burden. The women in the 2008 study were primarily Hispanic, though ethnicity was not a factor in that particular study. A ...
