Gardens in schools are now becoming commonplace, as more and more schools see the benefits that gardens bring. Having a garden on campus not only opens up students learning to plant healthy foods but also encourages students to learn how to use science and math in gardens and may be used towards creating healthy eating environments in some cases. Rush Springs High School is now taking advantage of what used to be a storage room and transforming into an Aeroponic Tower Garden space. The class that goes with the garden is an entrepreneurial S.T.E.M class, teaching students not only how to grow healthy foods, but also allowing students to use food grown as a fundraiser to pay for more class projects, S.T.E.M teacher Larry Lance explained to local ABC News. Lance first came up ...
As many parents know, and research shows, US kids are not getting enough vegetables into their diets. Although there are many ways to hide greens into kids' diets, experts suggest to keep them in plain view on the plate. According to a study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that 93% of US children ages 1 to 18 do not meet current recommendations for vegetable intake. However, blending spinach into your child's favorite strawberry shake may seem a tempting way for them to "like" spinach, the best way to offer vegetables is repeated exposure up to 8 to 15 times, explained psychologist, Lucy Cooke to NPR. Through her own research, Cooke found that kids trying new vegetables at school or at home, were more likely to eat more of the same vegetable three ...
Most people know that what you eat affects your health. Too much sugar, salt, or fat in a person’s diet can raise their risk for certain diseases. And, for the most part, we all try our best to eat better. Eating healthier can lower the risk for heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and other health conditions. In many Latino neighborhoods, fast food and corner stores often outnumber and are used more than supermarkets and farmers’ markets, resulting in inadequate consumption of healthy foods and overconsumption of unhealthy foods. According to the National Institutes of Health, a healthy eating plan focuses on vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and fat-free or low-fat dairy products; it also includes eating lean meats, poultry, fish, beans, eggs, and nuts, and limits saturated and ...
In Oklahoma City, students at two local public schools are enjoying free salad bars donated by Dole Food Company and Homeland Stores as part of an initiative by the United Fresh Start Foundation to increase healthy options for students in school. “Healthy eating options are key for a healthy lifestyle, and that’s a high priority for us when it comes to feeding our kids,” said Oklahoma City Public Schools Superintendent Aurora Lora told Business Wire. “I am very appreciative of our community partners for bringing these salad bars into our schools, supporting all the great work that our School Nutrition Services Department is doing to provide fresh, and great tasting food choices for our students.” The schools including Hawthorne Elementary school and Classen School of ...
Heather Baril of North Attleboro's school district in Massachusetts (4.3% Latino) is working to take school nutrition a step further with her new tagline for the school's cafeterias: Feeding Healthy Futures. Baril is further extending the healthy changes made by school service teams across the district that helped introduce meatless Mondays and homemade pizza days by introducing more cooking-from-scratch and community-wide efforts to push healthy eating into schools. Baril hopes to implement school community gardens that will generate produce for school cafeterias and also work with local produce and chefs from local restaurants to create healthy and desirable dishes for students. How is she planning to make so many healthy food changes in the district? Reaching out to parents ...
A new Farm to School project that aims to expand farm to school activities in Native communities is looking to give five $5,900 mini-grants to expand and promote farm to school in native schools. Many generations of native peoples of North America have celebrated a connection to land, food, and community, and use of traditional foods. This new project hopes to expand community-wide initiatives towards building food security around food sovereignty as well as bring traditional foods like blue corn and bison into school menus. To learn more about the grant opportunities, check out the Seed Change in Native Communities with Farm to School and apply here. Applications are due March 22nd, 2017 for schools or early child care and education sites that are looking to expand or jumpstart ...
Soda's, sweet teas, energy drinks, and sugary beverages of all types have been the uproar of news lately as many cities across the nation are considering sugary beverage taxes to reduce high rates of type 2 diabetes, obesity and other related diseases. Now lawmakers in various states including Tennesse, Florida, and Michigan are considering a ban on soda for all purchasers who want to use food stamps or state-issued Bridge Electronic Bank Transfer (EBT) cards. Even Arkansas introduced a similar bill last year, where EBT users would not be allowed to purchase foods that have "sufficient nutritional value". The bill was passed but is now waiting for the votes from the Senate, according to local 5 News online. These bans would not allow any EBT card user from being able to purchase ...
A new taste test around breakfast cereals made one school in New York switch its breakfast brand of cereals of Kellogg's popular Kashi brand, to a small local upstart brand called Back to the Roots, known for lower levels of sugar, salt, and calories. The local company's cereal is also organic, free of preservatives and doesn't artificially add vitamins, Breitbart reports. Kids preferred Back to the Roots brands over other cereals, and the school will now be offering more of the local brand but still offering some of other big brands including General Mills, Post Foods. The local cereals that advertise stoneground flakes, made of purple corn and organic whole grain ingredients are being implemented in the free-breakfast program across the largest school system in New York ...
A new funding opportunity is rising from Voices for Healthy Kids, working to ensure that all children have access to healthy food and physical activity where they live, learn, and play. The purpose of the Strategic Campaign Fund Incubator opportunity is to support innovative advocacy approaches that align with Voices for Healthy Kids policy priorities. Funding requests may range from $15,000 to $30,000 and all grants awarded will be 100% non-lobbying funding and all applications must be submitted by the deadline on Friday, March 31, 2017, 5 pm EST. To learn more about the incubator opportunity email Shannon.Melluzzo@heart.org and/or register for the webinar on the Incubator Application 101 being held, Monday, March 6th from 2-3pm EST. The webinar will review the funding ...
