According to a new study from the University of Michigan, researchers suggest that a birth of a younger sibling is associated with a lower risk for overweight and obesity. The study reviewed 697 children across the U.S., tracking body mass index (BMI) changes over time after a child becomes a big brother or sister. Children ages 2 to 4 who had younger siblings were associated with a healthier BMI while children at the same age who did not have a sibling were almost three times more likely to be obese by first grade. Authors of the study speculate that possible reasons for this result could be a more active environment as older children would be more likely to participate in active play and spend less time in front of screens. Increasing physical activity has a long contribution ...
For the many students living in Stanislaus County, Calif. (44.1% Latino) fresh local vegetables, and fruits and local meats are becoming the norm. Turlock Unified School District has been working with local companies to connect with farmers that want to stock their cafeterias. Winning the Food Service Director of The Year, Scott Soiseth, also the director of child nutrition for the district, turned the schools nutrition around. Soieseth works with local California producers to bring in fresh foods into the school district, all while cutting food that is high in saturated fats and salts from the menu. "There isn't a single processed item on the menu," said Soiseth in a recent article. Grass fed cattle is nothing new for students who enjoy fresh burgers, and tri-tip. Other ...
The U. S. Dept. of Agriculture announced on March 7th, 2016, that they will continue to support the ongoing success of child nutrition programs like the School Breakfast Program. Agriculture Undersecretary Kevin Concannon said in a recent article, that the USDA will award $6.8 million in competitive Team Nutrition Training Grants to help provide support to schools and child care sites for successful implementation of healthy meals. According to the USDA, participation in school breakfast programs has increased by almost 27 percent; over 14 million students are now eating school breakfast each day. Nutritious meals are important to many Latino kids across the nation that eat more than half of their daily calories at school.
The Pediatric Nutrition Surveillance System (PedNSS), a ...
In Houston, Texas, 53 percent of voters agreed that many Americans can not afford healthier foods and better food policy needs to ensure that everyone can have access to nutritious foods. According to research from Food Policy Findings in October 2015, 75 percent of voters favor incentives to promote sustainable farming and 45 say that healthy foods need to be more affordable for Texans. Recipe for Success Foundation, a non-profit that focuses on combating childhood obesity, is working to address voter priorities by asking for a "Veg-olution" to fight for a healthier food system. Working to get people involved they have asked companies, schools and communities to join VegOut! and get schools active with the Seed-to-Plate Nutrition Education. If your company is interested in ...
Studies show Latinos often live in areas where fast food and corner stores often outnumber and are used more than supermarkets and farmers’ markets. Now a few cities across the nation are showing the nation what it would look like to address this problem by establishing farmer's markets in transit areas. Atlanta, Dayton, Louisville and Tampa are among the cities testing out what it would be like to have fresh food, right at your local bus stop. A small farmers market started in the West End neighborhood of Atlanta, Ga. last July through MARTA's bus stop, bringing new urban farms bike tours, fresh produce, and cooking demos to help the city have healthier food access and education about local foods. Dayton, Ohio has welcomed "The Market" to their downtown transit center, which ...
Schools across the nation are cooking up healthy breakfast recipes along with nearly over 28 states in the annual Sodexo’s 2016 Future Chefs Challenge. The company Sodexo, supplies food, chef coats and hats, and supplies for the competition. The challenge is part of the national initiative to encourage kids to eat healthier, be creative and cook, and is partnered with the first lady's Let's Move initiative to end childhood obesity.Students from the different schools will cook in front of judges, and be awarded first, second and third place prizes. Dishes will be selected to win prizes based on originality, taste, ease of preparation, student-friendliness and use of healthy ingredients. Many schools are already cooking up the competition in schools across the country. Brawley ...
Food insecurity is a lack of access by all people at all times to enough food for an active, healthy life, according to the United States Department of Agriculture. Minn. is just one of many states across the country impacted by food insecurity, with over ten percent of the state dealing with a lack of healthy foods that is costing $1.6 billion in healthcare and education costs to alleviate hunger in the state. According to a recent article, this lack of food is highly correlated, especially in areas of poverty, to chronic disease. Working to alleviate health and hunger concerns simultaneously, Boston Consulting Group helped bring together Second Harvest Heartland (SHH), a food bank in Minn. and Hennepin County Medical Center(HCMC), to connect food insecure patients to healthy ...
Many states across the nation are working towards healthier beverage and health policies locally, but in moving towards healthier policies there are many topics and ideas that need to be evaluated. ChangeLab Solutions and Healthy Food America has created a space for best practices towards creating or developing tax legislation that will be effective and workable for different communities. Current resources include information that includes best practice recommendations for: understanding what type of tax to employ
defining beverages subject to the tax
defining the tax base
tax rate
exemptions for small businesses
earmarking tax proceeds To read in full about the resources offered by Healthy Food America and ChangeLab, click ...
The Board of Education in the Miss. Dept. of Education voted on Thursday, February 18, 2016, in support of the Smart Snacks Standard, making nutrition and healthy choices easier for students to access within the school. Part of the change allows the schools to ban junk food fundraisers, such as doughnuts, pizzas and candy bars. Along with this, small training grants will help boost school wellness councils that support healthy school changes. According to Preventobesity.net, the grants will give 100 schools a $3,000 grant to support healthy habits across schools. See how offering healthier options in schools for Latino kids may help their health, here! To read more about this change, click ...
