Why are sunflowers hairy? What is kale and how do you harvest it? These are just a few of the questions answered by gardener and director of education for Somerville’s Green City Growers, Leilani Mroczkowski. The YMCA's summer program to help children learn about gardening and cooking food, is taking root in East Boston YMCA’s “Urban Farm to Kitchen” program. The children in this program mainly come from first- or second-generation immigrants from South and Central America, reports the recent article. Mroczkowski says the kid's in the program rarely have access to the "natural world". Studies confirm that Latino children are less likely to have access to fresh fruit and vegetables and many live in food desserts. So, how does this program help Latino kids change ...
In May 2012, Bike/Walk Central Florida launched a community-wide coalition to improve walkability and safety for children in Orlando (25.4% Latino), called Best Foot Forward. In June of 2015, Metroplan Orlando, the metropolitan planning organization, supported the expansion of Best Foot Forward to Osceola (48.6% Latino) and Seminole (18.6% Latino) Counties by funding $100,000 of taxpayer money. There is a strong correlation between walkability and reduced obesity. However, Latino populations typically lack access to safe walking routes thus suffer harmful health outcomes. Best Foot Forward implements a variety of initiatives to improve walkability and increase safety under their “Triple E” strategy, which is to Engineer safer environments, Educate drivers and pedestrians, ...
The end of the summer is near, and as school lunches must be packed, parents are wondering what to put in their kid's lunch. Will what a student eats, make him or her achieve better results in school? A recent article states that hydration, nutrition and sleep are key areas to help kids succeed in school. In fact, Mary Pat Turon-Findley MS, RD, LD, a clinical dietitian in the Division of Nutrition Therapy at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, encourages parents to start prepping kids with healthy meals, plenty of rest and sleep one week before school starts. Some Tips for a fresh start to the new school year are as follows: Start with a healthy morning meal ( fresh eggs, fruit, whole grains, low-fat dairy products)
Make sure students have a healthy ...
This week, August 2nd through the 8th marks the 16th annual national farmers market week, according to an article from the USDA. Secretary Vilsack signed the proclamation, promoting and celebrating all local farmers markets, farmers, and community supporters for local markets. In the article, secretary Vilsack stated, "Farmers markets play a key role in developing local and regional food systems that support farmers and help grow rural economies. They bring communities together, connecting cities with the farms and providing Americans with fresh, healthy food." Festivities to kick-off celebrations will begin in Santa Fe New Mexico and continue throughout the nation. Building awareness and celebrations about fresh local farmers markets, may help Latinos to benefit from the ...
Looking for the next best fresh farm produce for your school? Check out the new tool through Food hub to find resources and access to local farmers in your area, watch the video below to learn ...
Taste tests are being held every month at Dexter Community Schools, to help students eat healthier "one bite at a time", reports a recent article. Students now have the opportunity to try fresh local fruits and veggies from their own school gardens, and from local farmers. Produce that is taste tested and enjoyed by students and staff then becomes incorporated into the schools menu. With funding from the Chelsea Area Wellness Foundation, through the 5 Healthy Towns Project the school has been incorporating a farm to school approach since 2011, their school gardens also are helping the children learn about growing produce, as well as trying new foods. One of the parents in the school, mentioned in the article talks about how she got kids excited about eating healthy. “I did a ...
What is the most walkable route? Walking is considered one of the best exercise, as it is easy to do, doesn't cost anything, and can incorporated into a daily routine. However, walking is not always easy for Latino families to achieve with safe routes to schools and local grocers. How can you find the best route to walk? A new app dedicated to showing people the most "walkable" route is now available. The Walkability app uses star ratings to tell users just how easy it is to walk in that area by rating the routes' sidewalks, beauty, safety, and more. To learn more about how to use this resource, click ...
Can a rap song or graffiti art help kids eat healthier? Dr. Kevin Strong wanted to give it a shot and compete with the unhealthy marketing that kids—especially Latinos—are bombarded with daily. So founded the “Dunk the Junk” movement to work in schools and through social media to tailor health messages to kids in a fun way to counter junk food advertising. He uses rap, hip-hop dance, basketball, and graffiti art to change what kids think is cool to eat. “I love basketball and I would see a million junk food ads every time I watched,” Strong told Style101 Magazine. “I was just really saddened by the all children that are coming in [to my clinic] real young, devastated by junk food exposure.”
The Need for Counter Marketing
In his many years as a community ...
Doctors know that fresh vegetables are better for patients, so why not serve patients what the doctor recommends? St. Luke's Hospital has been doing just that since 2014 when they changed the way Hospitals provide for their patients by incorporating an organic farm within their hospital development plan. Going the extra mile St. Luke's is actually serving their patients the diet they recommend, fresh organics foods. What does a farm hospital look like? How about land on the hospital campus with rows of fresh spinach to make salads for their patients, and delicious organic sweet potatoes? The hospital works with the Rodale Institute to keep the organic farm in motion while harvesting over 44,000 pounds of food for patients, employees and visitors over six network hospitals ...
