After 2 Years, How Is Seattle’s Soda Tax Working?


Sugary-Drink-Tax-Seattle

Two years ago, Seattle city leaders passed a 1.75-cent-per-ounce tax on sugary drinks, aiming to reduce consumption of these unhealthy products that contribute to obesity. The tax accomplished its goal – and then some – experts say. Sales of soda, juice, and other sugary drinks dropped by 22% since the soda tax, according to a new study led by Dr. Lisa Powell of the University of Illinois at Chicago. A second study from Powell also found that total sales of added-sugar foods and drinks fell almost 20%, driven largely by the decline in sugary drink purchases. "Our studies show that even after accounting for potential substitution behaviors, like cross-border shopping or selection of other items with added sugars, these taxes have a large, sustained impact on reducing volume ...

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New Orleans Bans Soft Drinks on Kids Menus in Restaurants


New Orleans Bans Soft Drinks on Kid’s Menus in Restaurants

Next year in New Orleans, kids won’t be able to order a Coke off the kids menu in restaurants. On Jan. 6, the New Orleans City Council unanimously passed an ordinance that will require restaurants to serve water, milk, or fruit juice with kids meals, according to New Orleans Public Radio. While the ordinance faced some pushback from the soft drink beverage industry, advocates believe this new rule will make a difference in preventing childhood obesity. What Does the Ordinance Say about Soft Drinks on Kids Menus? The city health department pitched the ordinance to remove soft drinks and make healthier options as the default beverages on kids menus. New Orleans City Councilmember Cyndi Nguyen put it to a vote. “This is really about helping our young people to stay healthy, ...

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How Universal Free School Meals Can Help Latino Kids


How Universal Free School Meals Can Help Latino Kids

Free school meals have been a staple for kids from low-income households for decades, especially Latino kids. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, unions and advocacy organizations successfully fought to bring universal free school meals to students learning from home, with federal support from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). Then after several extensions, USDA funded school meals through June 30, 2022. But what happens after that? Let’s explore the current state of free school meals, the impact they have on Latino kids, and what the future holds. UPDATE 2/4/22: The Biden administration announced the USDA will change its school nutrition standards for the 2022-2023 school year, reinstating health goals that were rolled back throughout the Trump administration on ...

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Lack of Latino Registered Dietitians Impacts Latino Health


Impacts Health Latino Dietitians

A healthy diet is critical for the wellness of Latinos and all people. Yet we know that fast-food options outnumber healthier options like supermarkets and farmers’ markets in many Latino neighborhoods. This lack of healthy food access results in overconsumption of unhealthy foods and higher obesity risk. Now the lack of diversity among registered dieticians is making it harder for Latinos to get knowledge and resources for a healthy diet, according to The New York Times. In fact, Latinos make up only 12.7% of registered dieticians, according to Zippia. That is less than the 18.5% Latino share of the U.S. population. “It’s really a no-brainer that we need to consider the communities we serve,” said Doug Greenaway, president of the National WIC Association, according to ...

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New Toolkit Helps Latino Parents See the Harm of Sugary Fruit Drinks


New Toolkit Helps Latino Parents See the Harm of Sugary Fruit Drinks

Young Latino kids drink too many sugary fruit drinks. Unfortunately, sugary fruit drinks that claim to be natural are often just fruit-flavored beverages that have added sugar and are just as unhealthy as soda. This is a contributing factor to the high rates of obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, and cardiovascular issues that Latino kids often face. That’s why there’s a new toolkit called “The Truth About Fruit Drinks” from researchers at the University of Washington, University of Pennsylvania, and Interlex Communications with support from Healthy Eating Research and the Arcora Foundation. “T​his toolkit contains an evidence-based social media messaging campaign for countering beverage industry marketing and decreasing the purchase of fruit drinks by Latinx ...

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#SaludTues Tweetchat 2/1: Changing the System for Nutrition Security, Healthier Hearts


nutrition security grocery store food fruit veggies latina shopper mask covid

Many Latino families struggle to get enough food to feed their families. Even if they do get enough food, what they have access to is often unhealthy and nutritionally vacant. This contributes to a variety of disparities in diabetes, heart disease, and other health conditions. We need nutrition security. This means having consistent access to and availability and affordability of foods and drinks that promote well-being, while preventing — and, if needed, treating — disease. In honor of American Heart Month in February and National Nutrition Month in March, let’s use #SaludTues on Tuesday, Feb. 1, 2022, to discuss emerging strategies to change environments, systems, and policies to encourage nutrition security and healthier hearts for Latinos and all people! WHAT: ...

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Avocados Help Latino Families Eat Healthier, Says Study


avocados for healthy latino families

Avocados are a key part of a nutritious diet for Latino families, according to new research from the University of California San Diego School of Medicine and the Herbert Wertheim School of Public Health and Human Longevity Science. Researchers compared Latinos families who consumed a few avocados (three per week) and families who consumed a lot of avocados (14 per week) along with a standard nutrition intervention over six months. Latino families who ate more avocados reported consuming fewer calories, saturated fats, and sodium, which are major contributors to obesity among Latinos. They also had healthier hearts in terms of structure and function “Recent trials have focused on individuals, primarily adults, and limited to changes in cardiometabolic disease blood markers. ...

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Latino Parents: New Guidelines for Healthy Eating for Kids Ages 2 to 8


Latino Parents: New Guidelines for Healthy Eating for Kids Ages 2 to 8

Childhood is critical for building healthy eating behaviors that can help your child grow and prevent chronic diseases. That’s why Healthy Eating Research (HER) has developed new guidelines that can help parents decide not only what to feed young kids aged 2 to 8, but how to feed them and introduce lifelong healthy habits. These guidelines apply to all parents, but it can be particularly helpful to Latino parents, as Latino kids are more likely to develop chronic health issues like high blood pressure and obesity and are often in schools with few healthy options. How Should You Encourage Kids to Try New Foods? To create these guidelines, HER gathered a national panel of 15 experts in child development and nutrition. They developed strategies to help parents get their children ...

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Healthy Eating Linked to Better Heart Health Among Latinos


Eating Heart Health Latinos

New data from the American Heart Association shows that Latinos who eat healthily have healthier hearts. This research shows that Latinos who followed a healthy dietary plan had healthier hearts in terms of structure and function. “Healthy diet quality is an important and vital tool in the prevention of heart disease,” said lead study author David Flomenbaum, a medical student at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York City. “Many of our results correspond to current knowledge about diet quality and cardiovascular health.” The Study and Its Findings  on Healthy Eating and Heart Health Researchers evaluated over 1,800 participants in the “Echocardiographic Study of Latinos” ancillary study. With this, they compared adherence to two popular healthy ...

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