A city that is planning to be the healthiest city in Texas is looking to change they way they look at food to make heart disease and diabetes a thing of the past. In Midland, Texas (17.6 % Latino) Midland Memorial Hospital (MMH) is one of only two hospitals in the country to be part of a special partnership with the creator of Plant Pure Nation, a documentary about the health benefits of being on a pure plant based diet. The hospital has seen dramatic results in its patients who are going on this diet in regards to their health, where many patients have deterred their need for surgery or medications, just by changing their diets. Dr. Gurru, a local physician at the hospital for over 15 years explained to local CBS 7 news, why the hospital is promoting this type of ...
Many foods are marketed as "healthy" to consumers, but what about the amount of sugar that is in each product? Antonio R. Estrada, a photographer, CrossFit enthusiast and sports nutritionist is aiming to show consumers products marketed as healthy, in their true light, portraying the amount of sugar contained in many products that people consume on a daily basis. Estrada explains that his idea is simple, to show consumers the amounts of sugar in products in the same way that industries show their products, with great lighting, packaging and visual effects. By putting the amount of sugar next to each product, consumers visualize the amount of sugar in an easy to see format. He hopes that through this artistic way of portraying these products, consumers will share his photos (with ...
Students are encouraged to eat healthy lunches, but what if there was a program to increase efforts of consumption of fruits and vegetables while in school? Now students at Meramec Elementary are enjoying more fruits and vegetables in their diets at school. The school was also selected as a 2016 Produce for Better Health Foundation (PBH) School Foodservice Role Model for its efforts to increase fruits and vegetable consumption for their students and staff. How? Meramec's school Nurse, Caren Etling helped started the school's Science Garden in the Spring of 2015, encouraging students to learn about plants, crops, harvesting and healthy eating. Students planted corn, beans, native Missouri plants and a variety of herbs. Etling encouraged teachers to teach students about valuable ...
In the township of Shelby, Michigan, a local intern helped to create a way to encourage health among employees through healthier vending. In the summer of 2016, township's Wellness Committee worked with Shelby Township Supervisor's office intern Kayla Gahlau, to create healthier vending and help increase funds for the employee wellness program. “We initially created this project because we believed that the healthy vending project would be another way to improve the overall quality of life in Shelby Township,” Gahlau told The Source. After proposing the idea of the healthier food options for the employee vending to Deputy Supervisor Brad Bates, they agreed that the project could not only help employees overall wellness but also help Gahlau develop in her health ...
Do the vending machines in your workplace, school, or city have calorie labels posted on food items? If not, they should, as the law passed by congress in March 2010 has now been in effect for over 5 million vending machines across the nation since December 1, 2016. Vending machines that are owned or operated by vendors with 20 or more machines should now officially offer consumers information to make the healthier choice the easier choice with calories labeled for each food and beverage item. A fact sheet on vending labeling developed by The Center for Science in the Public Interest and Voices for Healthy Kids, a joint initiative of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the American Heart Association has detailed information about the requirements of the law. The fact ...
Fast-food is usually considered unhealthy, as it contains added salts, fats and sugars in most menu items, but how does the packaging of fast-food harm you? A new study funded by the National Science Foundation and the Silent Sprint institute showed how chemicals used in an array of fast food packaging can be dangerous to consumers. Health risks like cancer, thyroid disease, immune suppression, low birth weight and decreased fertility are associated with a chemical used in fast food packaging called PFASs (per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances) also known as PFCs, which are highly fluorinated chemicals. “These chemicals have been linked with numerous health problems, so it’s concerning that people are potentially exposed to them in food,” said Laurel Schaider, an ...
In Dona Ana County (67.1% Latino) where many adults are diagnosed with diabetes, new classes are cooking up to help those diagnosed enjoy diet modifications to improve their health. What is being called the Kitchen Creations cooking school, is being offered at a local high school, Mayfield High School to ensure participants have access to hands-on learning. Participants can build skills like how to plan meals, measure appropriate service sizes, how to read food labels and balance carbohydrates, which all can help aid better blood glucose levels, and increase health outcomes. Participants are sharing the good news of their A1C levels dropping and enjoying the classes, explained Cassandra Vanderpool, registered dietitian and Extension diabetes coordinator for NMSU’s Department ...
Aiming to mirror their mission "to help people live the healthiest lives possible", Intermountain Healthcare is removing all sugary beverages, candies and less healthy snacks from it's vending machines. Many nationwide health systems have also adopted similar policies including, Mayo Clinic and Kaiser Permanente. From March 1st of this year, snacks that have added sugars, salts, and saturated fats will all now be banned from vending machines, with new healthier food options based on nutrition and dietary guidelines. Since 2014, the hospital has been working to create healthier food environments, with cafeterias that offer healthy plates, and messages about eating healthier and being active. Over 100,000 people in Utah and Southern Idaho are living with prediabetes, stated St. ...
Two projects from the Keck School of Medicine of University of South California National Institutes of Health for obesity research have been awarded funding to support research focused on preventing and treating obesity-related fatty liver disease in Latinos. Michael Goran, Ph.D., professor of preventive medicine, co-director of the Diabetes and Obesity Research Institute and director of the Childhood Obesity Research Center at the Keck School, was the recipient of both grants and will be leading the research efforts. Prior work from the Goran lab showed that early introduction of sugary beverages to Latino infants was associated with higher prevalence of obesity. Going off this information, one of Goran's project swill examine how reducing sugary beverage consumption for ...
