Veggies Help Health of Overweight Kids


Healthier Foods and Drinks carrots

Getting kids to eat vegetables isn't always an easy job, especially when some families are more likely to live in neighborhoods that have little to no access to local grocery stores. However, a recent research study in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics suggests that Latino kids who consume more vegetables in their diets, are healthier overall, even if they are overweight. The study reveals that kids who are eating vegetables, like spinach, broccoli or carrots, even for just a fraction of their diet, can reduce bad fats in the body. The study focused on a group of overweight Latino children, monitored by a researchers from The Keck School of Medicine, and the University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin). They found that children who consume one or two fist-size ...

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#SaludTues Tweetchat 8/18/15: Access to Clean & Sustainable Water


Clean water action

We are running out of water according to the NASA satellite GRACE. How do we know what technology will help us or hurt us in accessing and finding sustainable sources of water? California, Michigan, and other states have dealt with water issues for the last decade. We all need to talk about water, and what resources we have to help find solutions for clean and sustainable access of water for everyone. What can be done? Learn more about increasing access to sustainable water resources and questions about how to access resources at the #SaludTues Tweetchat, “Access To Clean & Sustainable Water” at noon central (1 p.m. eastern) Tuesday, August 18, 2015. The chat is co-hosted by Salud America! Follow the Tweetchat on Twitter (via @SaludAmerica, @LatinaLista and ...

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Ask Food Companies to Advertise Healthier Foods and Drinks to Kids


Healthier Foods and Drinks

On Spanish-language TV, food and beverage advertising is out of whack. Just 1% of food ads show water, fruits, or veggies, and 70% of ads show fast-food or other restaurants, candy, gum, snacks, and sugary drinks, according to a  study by the UConn Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity, Salud America!, and others. Those are discouraging numbers...but there’s good news! The Children’s Food and Beverage Advertising Initiative (CFBAI) is a voluntary self-regulation program for food and drink companies to create healthier advertising to kids under age 12. Who’s in? McDonald’s, Burger King, General Mills, PepsiCo, Kraft, Kellogg’s, Hershey, Mars, Nestle, Campbell Soup and more. We’d like to thank them for getting involved when it comes to healthier advertising to ...

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Back To School Healthy Eating Tips


Students eating lunch

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 ...

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Grocery Store Provides Healthy Shopping Guide to Help Parents Navigate Supermarket



The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health partnered with AltaMed Services and Superior Grocers to help Maywood residents (97.4% Latino) shop for healthy foods. AltaMed provides health care services to underserved populations in Southern California. Obesity rates in Maywood, CA are 30% for adults and almost 28% for children, and the Medicare population with diabetes is 31.99% compared to 26.64% in California. Parents may struggle to navigate supermarkets due to flashy packaging and clever marketing by the food industry, which spends $2 billion annually on kids alone. Additional challenges are due to ambiguous health claims, confusing nutrition labels and cost. 28.3% of Maywood residents live under the federal poverty level compared to 15.9% in California. Superior ...

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#SaludTues Tweetchat 1p ET 8/11/15: The Crisis of Junk Food Marketing to Kids


SaludTues junk food marketing 8-11-15 small

Some kids are a particularly attractive target for food marketers because of their increasing population size, spending power, and media exposure. Who’s targeting these kids? Do they see more healthy or junk food ads? Use #SaludTues to tweet with us on Aug. 11, 2015, as we unveil the results of a new study that explores the targeting of unhealthy foods and drinks to some kids, and which companies are doing the most targeting: WHAT: #SaludTues Tweetchat: “The Crisis of Junk Food Marketing to Kids" TIME/DATE: 1-2p ET (Noon-1 p CT), Tuesday, August 11, 2015 WHERE: On Twitter with hashtag #SaludTues HOST: @SaludAmerica CO-HOSTS: The Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity (@UConnRuddCenter); the African American Collaborative Obesity Research Network ...

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What Happens to Your Body 1 Hour After Drinking Soda?



A new infographic shows what a 12-ounce can of Coca-Cola does to your body within the first hour of drinking it, the Huffington Post reports. The infographic comes from the website the Renegade Pharmacist, led by Niraj Naik. He writes on the site: "Coke is not just high in high fructose corn syrup, but it is also packed with refined salts and caffeine. Regular consumption of these ingredients in the high quantities you find in Coke and other processed foods and drinks, can lead to higher blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes and obesity." However a small amount now and then wont do any major harm. The key is moderation!" See the full infographic ...

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Dr. ‘Dunk the Junk’ Uses Counter Marketing to Teach Kids Better Nutrition


Dr. Dunk the Junk

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 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 pediatrician in Maine, Dr. ...

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#SaludTues Tweetchat 1p ET 7/21/15: ‘Sugary Beverage Campaigns’


sugary drink tweetchat

San Francisco, Illinois, Bexar County, New York City, and many more communities throughout the US are making waves when it comes to raising awareness about the harmful effects of sugary drinks. Why should you be concerned about sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) like high calorie sodas, juices, sports drinks and teas? Join us for a #SaludTues tweetchat on July 21, 2015, to learn more about the great work around SSB campaigns happening across the county. WHAT: #SaludTues Tweetchat: “Sugary Beverage Campaigns” DATE: Tuesday, July 21, 2015 TIME: 1-2 p.m. ET (Noon-1 p.m. CT) WHERE: On Twitter with hashtag #SaludTues HOST: @SaludAmerica CO-HOSTS: @OpenTruthNow @PrevObesityIL @YoureTheCureTX @hlthcollab SPECIAL GUEST: @nycHealthy We’ll open the floor to your ...

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